Norwegian Dawn's newbie's questions

[belkast]

Hi, I'm new on this board and it's my firts time on NCL. You guys do a great job with discriptions and explanations - it's really helps. But as a firts timer I still have some questions and would appreciate an answer. I booked a balkony for 6/10/06 on Dawn.

 

I found old dailies and menus - which is a great help, but it was for the different cruise. Do you know if anybody posted the same for Dawn's 7 days route to Bermuda and Bahamas?

Also which excursions is worth taking through the cruise and which is better to do on your own? That would really help to plan time on cruise ahead of time.

 

One of the e-males mentioned possibility to ask for bathrobes? I called NCL and was told that there are no robes available in the cabin.

 

Is there a way to rent underwater camera to use while snorkeling - on the Dawn or at the beach?

Is upsell available only for Lattitude members (that's what NCL customer service told me) and upsell department have to chose you? How?

 

I read a lot about fish and chips at the pub, do you have to order a drink to get fish and chips?

Sushi bar is open for lunch one of the days;is it the same price as dinner or it is free?

 

What is the best time to get to the port on embarkation day to shorten your wait in line?

 

I posted those questions originally on 5/20/06 roll call for Dawn without realizing they started their cruise yesterday.

 

I'm are very excited about booking this cruise and getting the planning started!

 

Thanks! Any advice would appreciated!

[electricron]

Wow! So many questions to answer in just one post. Here's a few answers.

 

What is the best time to get to the port on embarkation day to shorten your wait in line?

Early, around 11:30 am. Late, around 3:00 pm.

Sushi bar is open for lunch one of the days;is it the same price as dinner or it is free?

Sushi always has a surcharge, it's never free.

I read a lot about fish and chips at the pub, do you have to order a drink to get fish and chips?

Fish & chips are free, and you don't have to order a drink.

Is upsell available only for Lattitude members (that's what NCL customer service told me) and upsell department have to chose you? How?

Magic, it seems, as there is no set pattern on who is chosen to be asked.

Personally, I think NCL looks at how much you paid for your present cabin, and if it's higher than what they are selling that cabin today, you have a better chance at getting offered an upsell.

Is there a way to rent underwater camera to use while snorkeling - on the Dawn or at the beach? I don't know about renting, but you can buy a very cheap but workable underwater camera aboard the ship.

 

Hopefully, someone else will tackle your remaining questions soon.

[Big Al B.]

Generally the robes are only available for mini-suites and above, but I have read it doesn't hurt to ask your room steward after you board.

 

You can also get Shepard's Pie at the Pub just by asking, the Bimini Bar has hot dogs, hamburgers, and fries available. And try the chili or the fried rice in the Blue Lagoon :). They also have fish and chips 24 hours/day.

 

I'm not familiar with the shore excursions on this route (I think it's new), but you will see both methods for excursions recommended. If you are going on your own, make sure to have them set up ahead of time. The main advantages of using the line's excursions are that you are given priority debarkation (everyone meets in lounge and are escorted off when tour is ready) and the ship will wait for you if you are late. If you do your own, make sure to find out what they will do if your ship arrives later than planned.

 

It looks to me like most of the tours offered on your cruise are short in length. That is one thing that can help in choosing. If it is a long tour we usually do the ship's because of the wait for us factor. Also if you want to do your own, research opinions on the port of call boards.

[calmac]

We were on the Dawn in April on a 10 day Eastern Caribbean so different itinerary but . . .

 

Sushi bar was open for lunch on sea days - $10 for as much as you wanted.

 

Try to book any speciality restaurants as soon as you can after you board as they fill up fast.

 

Read your dailies which will be in your cabin on arrival and every evening - these will tell you everything that is planned for the following day on board the ship.

[belkast]

Thanks a lot for your help!

Is there still 50% off for all specialty restaurants on first two nights?

Does it make sense to buy your own snorkeling equipment, even if I never tried snorkeling? Is there a disposable mouthpiece? Please lend me your experience.