Dawn Review 05/27 - 06/03

[bjm1271]

Brief Bio:

Couple in our early 30s

Cruises taken - 11+

Cruise Lines - Carnival, Princess, Royal, Norwegian

Background - Corporate America (NY), 12+ years in the restaurant business

 

 

Why we cruise:

To be lazy! Lounge around, sit pool side, enjoy a drink, enjoy a good meal, sit at the piano bar and hit the casino.

 

 

Norwegian Dawn:

Sailing 5/27 – 6/3

 

 

Overall impression is the ship is beautiful and clean. We had a great time.

Will we sail the Dawn again no. Will we sail Norwegian again, maybe.

 

 

Check In:

Arrived at the pier around 10:00 and was checked in around 10:15. The pier started to get crowded around 11:30 and Norwegian closed the front check in desks. The pier does need to be updated and beware of the bathrooms.

We were on board by 11:50 but our cabin would not be ready until 2:00 so we walked around the ship to get acquainted. We actually made all of our dinner reservations for the week by 2:00 (Cagney’s, Le Bistro, Salsa, Bamboo & Teppenankyi).

 

 

Cabin (mini suite/11180):

Overall room is spacious but shows its age on some of the furnishings. We requested hypoallergenic pillows and a mattress pad because the existing mattress had 2 big sags. We also had to call for service b/c parts of the shower were broken off. All was taken care of promptly (within 15 minutes). Received our luggage and unpacked by 3:00. We were surprised by the amount of noise from above but maybe it was all the kids coming and going from the kids pool area.

 

 

Balcony:

Spacious with 2 lounge chairs and a little table. One problem is the walls that separate the balconies do not offer complete privacy. The walls end with a slant (\). There is enough space to walk between balconies. It was easy for a little boy next store to stick his head around and look into our cabin.room. So if you like to walk around in your birthday suit or sunbath topless, etc. beware of who is next store.

 

 

Cabin Steward:

He was okay. There were several days we didn’t get all our towels, bath mats, etc. One question I had from previous posts was the fresh fruit in the room. We did get a plate the 2nd day ate a couple of pieces but never received any more.

 

 

Pool Area:

The main pool is small and surrounded by 4 hot tubs. During the day (especially at sea) the pool was over crowded. 1 annoying thing was they held Olympics and pool Volleyball during the hottest part of the day, so if you wanted to use the pool you couldn’t. By the second day we started sitting forward at the hot tub in front of the Bimini bar. Beware the entire sun deck is tiered making getting around a hassle. Plus it makes mingling with other passengers difficult.

 

 

Casino:

Decent sized casino with plenty of table games and slots. The Casino at Sea program is okay. The number of points you earn really depends on the mood of the pit boss or table supervisor.

 

 

Restaurants (not in any order):

Cagney’s ($20pp) – We were disappointed with steaks and chops served at Cagney’s. The appetizers were okay. The T-bone steak was thin, small, tough and chewy. Over all food was not hot. I would have to compare Cagney’s to Charlie Browns. I have had better steaks at Outback. Sorry if I am being critical but when the restaurant is hyped up so much I would expect more. Maybe being used to Morton’s & Peter Lugers has set my expectations to high.

 

Bamboo ($10pp) – sushi was decent. All the other Asian dishes were bland and lacked spice. We tried Indian, Korean and Chinese dishes and were disappointed with all. Over all food was warm. ***The staff was GREAT!

 

LeBistro ($15pp) – some of the best food on the ship. We actually went twice. The wife liked the mushroom soup. I had filet mignon both times. The meat was extremely tender and cooked to perfection (medium rare). Had fondue both times + the cheese cake. Fondue was great and the cheese cake was okay. The staff was also helpful in making recommendations on what was the best to order as far as appetizers. Telling us which soups were salty, bland, etc….

 

Salsa (nc) – I would have to compare this restaurant to a Chevy’s, On the Border or Jose Tejas. Chips (out of bag), salsa decent, guacamole had to pass on it (florescent green with a mayo texture). I did have a tender moist piece of mahi mahi for the main course. Mexican chocolate cheese cake was different and worth a try. Pass on the sopapilla. Staff was pleasant.

 

Teppenankyi (different pricing based on choice) – We had a great chef named Gary, very entertaining. We tried the chicken, shrimp & filet mignon all were tender and juicy. Not much as far as dessert, tried the green ice cream and it was okay.

 

Garden Café (buffet) – are you kidding me. This had to be some of the worst food I’ve ever tried. Sorry I won’t get into details but the cereal was good (ha ha).

 

Blue Lagoon – was hit or miss.

 

Venetian – only went for breakfast. It was okay but really loud.

 

 

Entertainment – sorry not much input here although we did love the piano bar outside Le Bistro.

 

 

Ports & Excursions – sorry not much help here either we love when we have the sip to ourselves.

 

 

Little things missed:

There is only 1 grill for lunch (Bimini bar) to get a fresh hamburger or hotdog. Line was sometimes 20 deep.

You cannot get a piece of grilled chicken anywhere.

Coffee was bad.

Couldn’t get ice tea in the morning.

Need a bigger pool.

 

 

We cannot say enough good things about the crew. Made new friends and traded email addresses. We recommended several employees on the S.T.Y.L.E. cards.

 

I think I’ll end here. If you would like to know more please just let me know.

[LindaLa]

Here is a brief review of our trip on the Dawn the week of 5/27. We were in a balcony on deck 10. My husband, myself (50-ish) travelled with my friend and her daughther and friend (both in their early 20s). We arrived at the Pier at 11:30 and were on board eating lunch at 12:30pm. Embarkation was easy. When I went in to the rest rooms on the pier they were very clean. They had an attendant working there at the time. Overhall the embarkation could not have been easier. The weather during the week couldn't have been better. We ate at Le Bistro and the food was wonderful. There is no half price deals at any of the specialty restaurants as there was in the past. We had a coupon book and in the book there was a coupon for buy one, get on free for the first night of the cruise. We also ate at Salsa's. Last year we loved that restaurant and ate there twice. This year I was disappointed. The tapas were not very good. I had the pork burrito and was not impressed. Everyone else with us seemed to be ok with their selection. The other nights we ate at the main dining rooms. The food was very good. On Thursday (Captain's Night) they served Filet and also Lobster. We all ordered both. Service was also very good. Here I must add that if you are a fan of traditional cruise dining, you might not be satisfied with the service. As you have different wait staff every night, they will not know that you prefer tea over coffee, soda or wine, or whatever preferences that you have. I think it is a trade off for the convenience of eating whenever and wherever you prefer. The Garden Cafe buffet was a typical buffet. I am not a big fan of buffets, but the food was adequate and there wer many choices. Overall, the food was very good and I have no complaints there. I am not a big fan of the dinner shows, but did go to a few. They were ok. I enjoyed Second City. We enjoyed Dan Hodge at Gatsby's and Best of Friends at the Java Cafe. We joined the Pub Crawlers and had some fun and made some friends. Bermuda is lovely. I would go back there in a minute. I wish we would have had more time there. Great Stirrup

Cay is a nice beach day. I am not a fan of Nassau. Our young travel mates convinced us to go to Senor Frogs for a drink. We had one and left them with their new friends. We did the Snorkel with the Stingrays. It was a very nice island and time better spent than walking around Nassau. I agree that there is a lack of space at the pool. People were putting out towels before 7am on sea days and of course would not come back to their space until mid morning. We had two really hot and sunny sea days and they would not allow you in the pool during pool games. They should have allowed for that. It was very relaxing vacation and we had beautiful weather. I will be happy to answer any questions.

[sunshine66]

I am jumping in with my 2 cents on this thread as I was also on the Dawn 5/27-6/3.

First let me say my husband told me I had to post a review because I spent 3 months reading every post here on the boards and obtained an unbelievable amount of valuable information so here goes. This was my second cruise, my husbnands first and by Thursday he was asking me where and when the next cruise would be.

 

We arrived at the terminal at 10:30 and we were on the ship at noon. We ate lunch at the Venetian as was recommended by some one here and we were very pleased with the meal. We roamed around and explored for 2 hours because our cabin was not ready until 2.

 

I was on deck 10 midship inside stateroom and probably will not do inside again only because I never had a clue what time it was. Other than that no complaints on the room as a matter of fact, for 2 people it was just the right size. I thought the room and closet was organized so well that the insane amount of clothing we brought fit well and we did not feel cluttered.

 

Overall we were pleased with everything. Occasionally we ate something that we did not like and we were able to find something else we liked. I think that is one of the benfits of cruising vs another vacation, you should always be able to find something you like to eat especially with the amount of options. Also, 2400 people are being fed 24 hours a day I would be amazed if there wasn't something I didn't like.

 

The casino was OK, if you are prepared to set some money aside that you can part with fine, otherwise do not plan on winning a whole lot.

 

The pool, way too small for that many at sea days and people and YES the chair hogs live and breathe almost to the point of entitlement, we went to the front of the ship and hid, long hike to the pool and beverages, so I would recommend asking for a pitcher and fill it with water or Ice tea. Also on the pool (I know I will get yelled at but here goes) there were too many children. There is a childrens pool and that is where they should be and it should be enforced ONLY for population issues and safety issues. One unsupervised child threw a frisbee in the pool and hit my husband in the face. NICE....

As for the ports of call, it was all very good except I would advise you be aware of your surroundings in the Bahamas a little scary at night,enough said.

All in all we had a fine time with no complaints with the ship, the staff, the food, the service, or shows and activities. Maybe because we were kids free for 8 days but either way I would do it again in a minute.

 

The issues I had were the other passengers. I am always shocked at the amount of people who complain, push and shove, disregard the hard work of the staff and ignore their ill mannered children and their reprehensible behavior but the Dawn staff seems to take it all in stride and continue to smile. Good for them.

Thank oyu all for your information in the last 3 months I was very prepared and nothing was a surprise. I would be glad to return the favor so feel free to ask any questions.

[ouqtinvu]

This was our 4th cruise - 1st on NCL. We had a good time - and a relaxing vacation. Would I choose NCL again? I'm really not sure I would. Perhaps the fact that our 3 other cruises were on Carnival - I think I was expecting "more" - More of what you may say - I don't really know, but I do know it wasn't there - not for us. We had a midship BA balcony 10650. First response was how small it was - and the bathroom was very tight. The shower was fine - but I truly pity a larger human being taking care of their business in that confined closeted toilet? Ugh. Hardly any storage either. The actual closet in the cabin was good which is a relief because they only give you 3 small drawers on the side. A BA balcony on Carnival is not only bigger - you get 2 fluffy white terry bathrobes waiting for you, a basket full of all sorts of toiletries. NCL came off as cheap. Loved the french doors to the balcony though. Housekeeping cleans the balcony and the glass almost daily - no such thing here - I think the glass was cleaned once when we left and once in Bermuda - a guy on a machine slides by - does a lousy job. We could hardly see off the balcony by the time we were headed home. FOOD - all this talk about it - a little crazy maybe as we all have different tastes - and as one night I think it was French cuisine - we both ordered staeks - mine was awful but my DH said his was ok - so it depends what you get. All and all there is a ton of food and lots to choose from. My opinion is that it is far and above the worst I have ever experienced on a cruise (speaking of the free restaurants) We had one dinner that was good - the Captains Gala - but - sorry - I thought the food was generally terrible. Le Bisto was good. I guess they want you to pay more $ and go to the specialty restaurants. Even the room service - was disgusting - soggy stale breads - tough meats (roast beef) - and ever so limited - and breakfast? Forget about it! We has croissants or lox and bagels in the morning on carnival - this was bare minimum lousy. I'm sorry for being negative - this is just MY experience - it doesn't mean it will be yours!!! Better news:I thought the ship was very pretty - I thought the staff was terrific - very friendly and nice - we enjoyed the shows we saw -we had a CD who was filling in for their reg guy - his name was Mike and he was terrific - The casino was small but fun - the concept of Freestyle cruising is terrific - and we met some really fabulous people onboard and made new friends. Bottom line -isn't that's what it's all about???Oh - one more thing - Be sure to check your final bill which they give you on the last morning - They made a $152 mistake on ours and I had to run down to reception to have it fixed before 10am - it took them 1/2 hour of searching in vain for what a "wine upgrade" may really have been - although we had not had any wine! They tried to pin it on anything including a casino advance! I finally said to show me a signed receipt or take it off my bill - they took it off with apologies - but NOT a pleasant ending to the trip - so be sure to look at your bill - that's another thing - Carnival has your bill running with tv access for the whole trip - all interactive - none of this last minute surprise stuff. OK that's all. We are BTW - in our late 50's - yes out to have a good time - totally NOT the conga line type - we just like to do our own thing and have a happy time - as do we all!

[Zeno]

Interesting how different people have different views of the same ship and cruise! I enjoyed seeing the varied reviews.

[Theresa522]

Interesting how different people have different views of the same ship and cruise! I enjoyed seeing the varied reviews.

 

Hi, you are correct!! I did the Dawn last July and will be doing her again this April (Southern Caribbean)

 

I thought the Dawn was a beautiful ship and we had a GORGEOUS AB penthouse suite maybe that is why I am going again.. :rolleyes: :D

[johnql]

I just have to ask: how big a casino is anyone expecting on a cruise ship? One person indicated that the casino was decent-sized and another said it was small. Are you kidding me? If you're comparing the Dawn's casino to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, sure. But if you're comparing the Dawn's casino to any other ship, it is quite sizeable. Gotta compare apples to apples and have realistic expectations.

[ouqtinvu]

I just have to ask: how big a casino is anyone expecting on a cruise ship? One person indicated that the casino was decent-sized and another said it was small. Are you kidding me? If you're comparing the Dawn's casino to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, sure. But if you're comparing the Dawn's casino to any other ship, it is quite sizeable. Gotta compare apples to apples and have realistic expectations.

I was comparing it to the Carnival Cruise line casinos which are larger (at least it is on the Destiny, Legend and Victory) It would be quite ridiculous to compare it to the MGM Grand now wouldn't it?? Either way it was large enough to have a good time in! LOL!

[nyflush]

wow after reading this review im a little nervous about our first cruise but i guess if the food is as bad as you say i may drop a few pounds cant complain about that:)

[johnql]

wow after reading this review im a little nervous about our first cruise but i guess if the food is as bad as you say i may drop a few pounds cant complain about that:)

Try not to get nervous or discouraged. There is nothing more subjective than one's taste in food. You will almost always read divergent opinions regarding the food even on the same ship, same sailing. Different people have different preferences and expectations. My advice is to go with an open mind and decide for yourself.

[nyflush]

Try not to get nervous or discouraged. There is nothing more subjective than one's taste in food. You will almost always read divergent opinions regarding the food even on the same ship, same sailing. Different people have different preferences and expectations. My advice is to go with an open mind and decide for yourself.

 

Well said John:)

 

I will try and give a good review when we return.

 

My son is most excited about Teppanyaki and as far as i can see everyone seems to like that.

[johnql]

Well said John:)

 

I will try and give a good review when we return.

 

My son is most excited about Teppanyaki and as far as i can see everyone seems to like that.

Yes, I have dined at Teppanyaki on the Dawn, Star and Spirit and I've enjoyed it every time. The food preparation "show" is also fun to watch.

[bjm1271]

NYFLUSH,

A cruise is what you make of it. I may not have cared for the food but still had a great time. Remember I come from a restaurant background so of course I picked on the quality of the food (its in my blood).

 

Every person enters a cruise expecting certain things. When its not what you expected, of course you become a little disappointed. But its up to you to make sure that you have a good time.

 

If you think about it, on any type of vacation (cruise, resort, etc.) there will always be something that could have been better or did not meet your expectations. Just remember your on vacation and not at work! Enjoy the cruise.

 

I can't wait for my next one.

[nyflush]

NYFLUSH,

A cruise is what you make of it. I may not have cared for the food but still had a great time. Remember I come from a restaurant background so of course I picked on the quality of the food (its in my blood).

 

Every person enters a cruise expecting certain things. When its not what you expected, of course you become a little disappointed. But its up to you to make sure that you have a good time.

 

If you think about it, on any type of vacation (cruise, resort, etc.) there will always be something that could have been better or did not meet your expectations. Just remember your on vacation and not at work! Enjoy the cruise.

 

I can't wait for my next one.

 

Thanks bjm1271 for the honest review guess i was surprised i have heard great things about the dawn, but found your review to be harsh in the food department. We also have a restaurant in NY so i dont expect 4 star dining on a cruise but i will get on board with an opened mind and hope for good weather and more cruising to come!

[Theresa522]

wow after reading this review im a little nervous about our first cruise but i guess if the food is as bad as you say i may drop a few pounds cant complain about that:)

 

I wouldn't worry about it at all. Next April we will be on the Dawn again. You will ALWAYS get mixed reviews on any ship.

 

I will never forget out first cruise (Carnival Legend) everyone was talking about how horrible the food, entertainment, etc. My cousin and I were freaking out. I kept telling her to stop reading the boards..LOL (I am now hooked) In any event we went and LOVED everything that a lot of people said we would hate. Bottom line is if you go there looking for problems you WILL find them. We went to enjoy ourselfs and we did.

 

As I read somewhere here: A bad cruise is better then a good day at work (or something like that..:D ) I have been on three ships NCL, RCCL, and Carnival. I would do either one again in a heart beat..

 

Have a wonderful time and make sure to do a review when you get back.

[nyzil]

:) We also just returned from the Dawn. We were a group of 5 families - 15 people total. Ages ranged from 14-70. We had sun & pool lovers & non sun & pool lovers. We are all from Long Island except by Aunt & cousin flew in from Tampa. We parked our cars at the pier and we were checked in and on the pool deck having a drink by 12:10 p.m. As someone else stated our rooms were not ready until 2:00 - but I think the kids checked and it was a little earlier than 2:00 pm. We cannot say enough about the staff and how pleasant they all were. The ship is very clean - there's is a ton of stuff to do or not to do if you want to just relax. We all had a wonderful time. My three teenage boys made friends w/other kids on the ship and had their own little group to hang out with. The only complaint we have is with the restaurants. On the first day we went to make reservations for the week and we were told they were only taking reservations for the first night. Then next day we went to make reservations and everything was booked unless you were a party of 2 or maybe 4. My sister made reservations for Salsa on Wednesday for 4 people. I tried to get a table the same time and they said they were booked. But when you looked in there were empty tables. The waitress explained the kitchen cannot handle more than 20-25 people at a time. This makes no sense. On Friday, my Aunt went to Cagney's and tried to get a table for 2 and they said the had openings at 8:00 - so the rest of us asked for tables of 2 or 4 and they put a table of 10 together for us. These plans were made at about 5:00 pm the same day.

The food at Cagney's was really good, but I didn't like paying another $100 for the 5 of us. We had wonderful meals at Impressions and the staff was really very accomidating. Aqua was good - Fish & chips were really good in the Tavern. We had late night snacks at Blue Lagoon. Rooms service was just o.k. but the kids liked to order it late at night. I have to say the Bingo was very expensive. One day it cost me over $95 and Grandma spent $165 on bingo & we didn't even win! It's not the same Bingo I remember. Overall everyone enjoyed themselves on the ship. Bermuda was beautiful we took a bus ride to Horseshoe clay beach. The time frame in Bahamas wasn't the greatest. At night we went over the the Atlantis and then a bunch of us went to Sr. Frogs. Unfortuantely our day trip the next day was cancelled - the thriller boat ride around Bahams due to the weather. I would have liked to be on Bahamas more in the day light so we could have visited the beaches. I was up on the deck everymorning at around 8:00 am and I couldn't believe how many chairs were already taken. I would take two chairs for myself & my son. But if you looked around you could always find one or two or a table w/chairs. Shows were good - The casino was fine - my nephew hit a little at black jack & grandma on the slots. They were very tough w/no children in the casino. Would we cruise on NCL again - definately! This site was very helpful in preparing for our cruise - if anyone as any questions I would love to help you out.:cool:

[Theresa522]

Hi, so glad to read a positive post.:) I was also on the Dawn and will be visiting again next April. I have to agree with you about Bingo MY GOD it is VERY expensive. Just got off the Explorer (RCCL) and bingo was only $35 bucks even for the $16.000 jackpot!! When I was on the Dawn i spent a fortune on bingo so I am going to try and stay away this time.. (yah right);)

 

My daughter also made friends last July and she is still talking with them. All and all we had a wonderful time also and I can't wait to go back.

[antb]

We had a fantastic time on the Dawn! My two nieces (22 and 23), my friend and I all had a really wonderful experience.

 

We were in a Penthouse Suite and had more than enough room for four people. The only complaint in the room, which is really rather petty, is that the hair dryers just weren't powerful enough for our hair. No worries, though, we just pulled it back and had curly hair for the week.

 

While I understand the previous comments about the food, I really think that you can find something that you like. We had dinner in Cagney's (very good steak, cooked perfect); Impressions (everyone enjoyed their meal); Salsas (our least favorite, just OK, really); Teppanyakki(sp) (our favorite, really good food and lots of fun); La Trattatoria (not bad Italian food, think pasta from your local take-out), Le Bistro (excellent steak here too!) I can not comment on deserts, as we were too full to try any. Most lunches we had up at the Bimini Bar (burgers and dogs cooked to order) but we never experienced a longer wait than a few minutes. We did have lunch one day in the Venetian and were lucky enough to sit all the way in the back and enjoy the views. Our lunch here was very good as well. The food was better on previous cruises I have been on (Carnival, QEII, and Renaissance) but I really can not complain, except that the buffet was just fair, more like a college cafeteria.

 

All of the staff could not have been nicer. We really enjoyed Mike the CD, who had a great sense of humor. Anyone going should try the Art Auction, as well. This was fun and gave you a brief art education as well. We also had a great time at the Trivia contests, sing-a-longs and the Martini Clinic, although I think my niece is still suffering. Late night Karaoke was also pretty funny.

 

If you are lucky enough to have Claudio as your concierge and Anshelum as your butler, get ready to be spoiled.

 

In conclusion, we took advantage of the activities, lounged in the sun, ate and drank way too much and really had a great vacation. The people on the ship, passengers and crew, were really wonderful and very friendly.

[GhickfromTN]

We were also on this ship last week. We had a wonderful trip in every way! No disappointments in any category.

This ship is really wonderful and I hope to book it again, although I hear it is changing ports.

 

Ask any questions- we will answer them!

[nyzil]

:D Any one going on the Dawn - you should stop by the Star Bar for the Martini clinic - we had a blast - for $15 you try 4 different martini's.

We went I think on Monday we had 4 very different flavor martini's. We all then went back on Friday for 4 different flavors - plus we stayed around and had 2 more - Well needless to say we were shot! We had a great time - don't miss it!

[yuckylucky]

We were also on this ship last week. We had a wonderful trip in every way! No disappointments in any category.

This ship is really wonderful and I hope to book it again, although I hear it is changing ports.

 

Ask any questions- we will answer them!

 

 

Hi GhickfromTN! I'm sailing on the Dawn on 6/24...I think it's the same itinerary that yours was: Bermuda, Stirrup Cay, & Nassau. Is that what you had? I'm curious about what you heard about changing ports...did you mean changing ports later in the year or soon? As far as I know, we're still headed to the three I mentioned...

[GhickfromTN]

Hey! Yes, that is the same itinerary we had.

What I meant by changing ports is that the Dawn is scheduled to be moved to Miami later this year and will start sailing a whole new itinerary. It is more convenient for us to fly to NYC than to Miami, but I really loved this ship, so I'd like to try to book it again.

You will love it! Bermuda was beautiful- we did the Restless Native catamaran snorkeling and it was great! We went to the beach early at Great Stirrup Cay and came home when it got too crowded, then in Nassau we just shopped.

There are several sea days- which I loved.

 

Anything else??

[yuckylucky]

We live only 20 minutes from NYC so we are now in love with sailing out of NY. But then again, we have no problem flying to Miami or Ft. Lauderdale or wherever to cruise!!! This is our first time on the Dawn so we'll see how it goes...lots of mixed reviews on the boards! But we're open-minded!

 

Your excursion sounds lovely! We're travelling with our 3yr. old so that won't be possible. I've read about locals beaches to snorkel off of though so we're into that! I've heard Bermuda is absolutely lovely! Lots of chatter about The Frog & the Onion for lunch...did you eat there? We're thinking about visiting Horseshoe Bay since mostly everyone agrees it's a beautiful beach and a must-visit. I think we can swing a ferry and/or bus ride with our daughter so no worries doing that.

 

Anything else? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm, since you offered...

 

Is Stirrup Cay worth getting off of the ship for? I'm wondering if that might be a nice time to get a decent chair by the pool (for once) and enjoy the less-crowded ship. We're not that beachy so it's not like we are dying to get off the ship to sit on a beach.

 

Did you eat at any of the specialty restaurants? I think we're definitely going to try Le Bistro and Teppenyaki. I'm spoiled and cannot eat Italian outside of a 50 mile radius of my house...LOL! Salsa seems safe so we'll give it a shot too. Someone was nice enough to post menus from the Dawn from a January sailing so I looked those over and the dining room offerings seems rather nice. What are your thoughts on them? We've eaten in the main dining room on every cruise we've taken and we've never complained...everything was either perfectly edible or sometimes better...I'm not expecting Michelin Star cuisine on a ship. Although Celebrity does come pretty close (actually, I believe they have a one star rating).

 

What type of room did you have? We have an oceanview...seems like lots of people book the balconies and suites so I haven't learned much about the oceanview rooms and the accommodations...we can't afford the higher categories since we buy two rooms (ours and one for my mom).

 

Thanks for your generous offer to answer questions! I hope you're not sorry you offered now! ;) We're just not familiar at all with NCL!

[GhickfromTN]

Stirrup Cay is a beautiful place as long as you can see it! After about 10 AM it is wall to wall people. So we went back to the ship about 10:30 and were poolside soon after. I would say it's up to you and if you can get one of the first tender tickets over to the island. If not- I wouldn't go, I'd sleep in and grab a pool chair....

 

We did not do any pay restaurants. We enjoyed the 3 main dining rooms, the Blue Lagoon, and the Buffet. We are kind of picky eaters, but always found something we liked. I will say that the portions were smaller than my last cruise BUT! that is a plus to me. So much food is thrown away and if you can eat more- they will gladly give you more.

 

We had a balcony room on the 9th floor. We were upsold from an inside, so that was wonderful. The balcony was a big plus- but we would not have gotten it without the special "deal".

 

You will love the Kids pool area. We went up there and looked around. It was never crowded while we were there.

 

By the way- we got to the dock very early because of our flight. We were on the ship about 11:45 and eating lunch as soon as Venetian opened. I had been worried about the whole embarkation thing, but it turned out very well.

Anything else?? Anyone??

[BarbCT605]

Did you eat at any of the specialty restaurants? I think we're definitely going to try Le Bistro and Teppenyaki. I'm spoiled and cannot eat Italian outside of a 50 mile radius of my house...LOL! Salsa seems safe so we'll give it a shot too.

Hi,

 

It looks like you've done your homework;) .

 

We were on the last Dawn cruise and have dined Le Bistro, Cagney's and Teppanyaki. I also like Salsa, but didn't manage to get there on this trip.

 

IMO Le Bistro is the best. If you have a meat lover in your group, I recommend the FireStar -- it's quite a bit of "meat on a stick." Also, be sure to have the Chocolate Fondue for dessert.

 

Enjoy your cruise!