Dawn Review - 10/15 - 10/22

[whatawonderfulworld]

Greetings all! We returned on the Dawn last Sunday. As a result, DH and I will now join the ranks of the rest of those addicted to this wonderful way to travel.

 

This was DH's first cruise and he was very apprehensive (he get's motion sickness and needs dramamine when flying). We took an upsell to Cabin 9500 (very front of the ship) and then I was apprenhensive because I thought it would be too much movement for him. NOT!!!! We had such a terrific time that we're prebooked onto the Pearl for a West-East Panama Canal cruise next September. Ramahdan was our butler and Leah and Enrico were our stewards...they were beyond wonderful. Tremendous assets to NCL!!!!

 

OK...here goes...do try the specialty restaurants. Cagney's was terrific - go for the ribeye. Le Bistro...what can I say...where in the world can you dine elegantly under a multi million dollar painting by Van Gogh, Renoir, Matisse or Monet? Don't try it at the Met in Manhattan! Try the fire starter and the chocolate fondue. Tepanyaki (sp?) was my favorite...go go go!!! The food is wonderful (we had the Imperial Feast - shrimp, filet mignon and scallops). And Bamboo was just delightful...don't miss the green tea ice cream. Impressions was my favorite standard dining room...the food was delicious and I loved the location of the dining room itself. And just for fun, do get over to the Blue Lagoon...best macaroni and cheese and fish and chips.

 

The shows were very good. Don't be misled when you hear that a juggler will be on the show. I can guarantee you will be entertained like never before. Don't miss Bollywood...and do stay for the ending. I will not spoil the surprise...just stay and enjoy.

 

DH and male half of our travelmates went to Cape Canaveral..they took the indepth tour and raved about it. His wife and I went to the spa and had the hot stones massage...died and went to heaven. It's a bit pricey but worth it. They'll try to sell you something afterwards...treat yourself...remember you're on vacation.

 

The Freeport stop was nice; very easy to taxi into Lucaya. Our favorite was the next stop...the private island. Get on one of the early tenders and you'll have no problem getting a good spot with umbrellas. We set up close to where we were left off...close to the restrooms, strawmarket (nice stuff), BBQ, and float rentals. Just remember your sunscreen. I used a 30 and got sufficient color, some red. Pack some aloe gel into the suitcase just in case you miss a spot and get burned.

 

That night we sailed into Nassau...went to Atlantis. If you like big casinos, Vegas style, this is for you. But a casino is a casino...I like it if I win...which I didn't. The next morning we had a few hours to walk around Nassau. My only goal was to go to the Pirate Museum (north of Bay) to buy some pirate stuff for my grandkids. You don't have alot of time that morning...so plan accordingly.

 

Nassau is beautiful...perhaps one day we will come back and spend more time.

 

Jimmy, the CD, is a riot. He, along with his asst Ingrid, have put together some terrific videos to show you how things are done on the ship. We found them very interesting and enjoyable to watch. I did not find their announcements to be intrusive; Jimmy was informative and has a terrific sense of humor.

 

Coming home to NY was an experience for me...I couldn't help but think of my grandparents who came to this country under very different circumstances. What were their thoughts as they came to our shores? I am sure they weren't thinking "will I be able to get a taxi?" If that is a concern for you, be assured there was no problem and it only took a few minutes. Realize that we were the only ship disembarking at the time and that may have been the reason we encountered no delay. We disembarked a little after 10, got on the 11:10 train out of Penn and I was in my home a bit after noon.

 

I am hooked completely...I will sail out of NY again however next year it will be out of LA and heading south through the canal.

 

In summary...the ship was beautiful, very clean. The staff (and I include everyone now) was simply wonderful. I will never EVER tire of being addressed as "madam." The food was very good (we didn't try the buffet except for tea or coffee during the day). I love the Dawn but she's moving down to Miami I think. I have a feeling I'm going to feel the same way about the Pearl after our next cruise.

 

Hope this helped some of you. For all your future cruisers...have a wonderful time!!!

[boeckli]

It's so nice to hear from people that were truly happy about their cruise. Yes, it becomes quite addictive and DH and I have suffered "withdrawal symptoms" after each cruise (which are considerably lessened if there is a new one to be planned and anticipated !) That's the only way I think I'll survive the next 367 days until we too can experience what sounds like a fabulous ship.

Your chosen CC member name hints to a generally positive outlook in life - hope your next cruise will be at least as good as this one! :)

Do you have any photos to share ?

[whatawonderfulworld]

Thank you for your kind response. OT - my near nephew and his lovely bride just returned from their Australian honeymoon and loved every moment. And my brother is taking a much deserved retirement cruise out of Sydney and up the coast, ending in Hong Kong. The pull of Australia is with our family - we're all from New York so it's no hop, skip and jump to get there! I digress...

 

I do have some pics to post but I'm at a loss on how to post them here on Cruise Critic. I've used photobucket before to post (for my other addiction - lilies and daylilies).

 

Does anyone out there know if that will work here too?

 

The next cruise, through the Panama Canal, has been a lifelong dream of mine. Freestyle through the Canal - life is good!

 

Ciao and thanks again for your response,

W A W W

[maurick]

Nice review..I consider the Dawn "my ship". Going on dec 7th. Will be our 5th time on her in 3 years. Glad you had such a great time.

[Mandan4503]

I was very excited to read your post as we are going on the Dawn 11/5 and are in Room 9500. We also had received the upsell but after reading all about the penthouse suites, we took it! This is the first cruise for both of us so I was a bit worried about the motion but I'm glad to read that it wasn't bad at all. Please tell me more about the room! I would love to see pictures too! How is the balcony?

 

Glad to read you really enjoyed the cruise. We plan on trying the steakhouse the first night!

 

Mandy

[crusingisthewaytogo]

I was very excited too to read your review as I will be on the Dawn in a couple of weeks. Did you have a late night deck party one evening, and if so, which evening? Thank you.

[USC fan]

Thanks for the review! I have a question for you: when you went to Teppanyaki, did you pay the cover charge (and how much was it) and then did you have to pay an additional fee to actually eat at Teppanyaki??

 

Also, you can use photobucket...after posting you pics, click on "invite guest" and copy the url and paste it here and people can click on the link and view your slideshow!

 

J

[whatawonderfulworld]

First, thanks to all of you who responded so kindly.

 

I don't remember a late night party...there was one night that there was a night party at the pool...I think it was the night we left Grand Bahama. It started around 7 or so and ended by 9. We had alot of fun...the fun is contagious!

 

At Teppynaki your entree is a la carte. We ordered the Imperial Feast (filet mignon, shrimp and scallops) and it was $15 p/p. There is no add'l service charge.

 

We did catch the early bird when we went to Bamboo...what a deal at $12.50 for both of us.

 

The early bird (1/2 the standard service charge) is available for 530 and 600 reservations at the "extra fee" restaurants.

 

Our travelmates had the penthouse suite right next to us. One of us had 9000 and the other 9500. The deck/balcony is huge...almost as large as the room. I told my DH, recall this was his first cruise, to not get used to this size...I believe this is probably one of the largest balconies on the ship(?). You will have a standard wooden outside solid door and then a hatch door that is closed at night while you're at sea. You steward will do it or you can do this yourself. I will never forget boarding...coming into our cabin and opening the balcony door. There before us was the complete NY skyline. Wait till you see the view as you leave and return through NY Harbor. We didn't go up top either time...we stayed right there. I swear you will feel as if you're driving the ship yourself.

 

Regarding motion in these two staterooms, the ride was a little bumpy around North Carolina, going and coming. I found it relaxing actually...felt as if I was rocking in a hammock and went right to sleep.

 

Ramahdan will be your butler and Leah and Enrico your stewards...they are sensational. We ordered breakfast in our room every morning...you can order anything you want...you are not limited by the standard room service menu. Write in your special order, i.e. French Toast. You fill out your order form and leave it on the door knob outside. Ramahdan will call before he comes with your order at the precise time you have requested that the meal arrive. Every night, around 530, he will also bring a special treat...I'm not going to spoil the surprise...you'll see.

 

I'm going to try to post the pix...that is advance computer for me, but let me see what I can do.

 

If you have any more questions, fire away. I'll do my best to answer each and every one.

 

Ciao,

W A W W

[Cosmopolitan]

W A W W

 

I know exactly how you feel.

 

Isn't it just so EXCITING!?!

 

NC is always a bumpy ride..well worth it:)

 

The butler..well worth the price.

 

Enjoy your next cruise...it will come faster than you can believe;)

[Dario M]

Glad to see jimmy and ingrid are back, is mike back as well? (you'll know him by his catch phrase.......NOIIIIIIIIIIICE)

[jimswims]

Thank you for the great review.

 

We will be on the Dawn August 2007! It will be our 10th cruise but our first time in a suite. We are really looking forward to this cruise and sailing on the Dawn.

[EileenN]

I was wondering of Anshuman is still on the Dawn? Does anyone know who is leaving and going to the Pearl? We are sailing Dec. 7th.

[Karen112999]

Great review WAWW...and a pleasure meeting you. I am sorry we did not really cross paths the rest of the cruise, but I totally agree with her review. Had a great time.

 

We had a aft VA 9238 and had no problem with motion. Cabinmate, Heather did get alittle motion sick probably around the NC area on the way back.

 

We fully took advantage at all the ports. Port Canaveral - my first airboat ride. No alligators in water, but the experience itself was a blast.

 

Best excursion was an off road Jeep ride to the Lucayan National Park which included a beach with no one else on it, the caves, more beach. The fun was driving the jeep itself and the feeling like you were out of the tourist traps. If anyone else interested, my cabinmate booked it outside of NCL. But there were only two vehicles in our group. The lead, included tour guide and a couple who chose not to drive and our jeep.

 

Private Island - really nice, swimming with a stringray and many fish.. Just was beachbum that day - under an umbrella - because I can not wear sunscreen over 15... But we did not arrive that early and a short work still offered us a variety of chairs, umbrellas, etc.

 

Of course, we went to Atlantis... Some luck for me. See the digs - free in evening. We even got lost outside and got a real feel for the resort. Absolutely beautiful. Don't plan on eating or drinking there. Very expensive .. 30.00 cover charge to get into club... Also, Sr Frogs closes early.. only place open when we returned to pier was Bambu...small, too crowded, loud. Maybe 30 years ago, I would have stayed for a drink.

 

Walking tour of Freeport next AM... cabinmate downloaded from a travel guide... See queens staircase and fort... we kind of got lost after that and just shopped.

 

Notable mention - Su & Genardo - Casino bar... Davey @ Bimini bar.

Pool - a somewhat hidden small pool in front of the stage... usually only a few people in there and it was relaxing. Bimini Bar in the evening. Not crowded and beautiful views. Cafe bar in the atrium listening to a "folkish" group. (Can you tell I am not good at names). Its in the center of everything, but it is relaxing. And a slot machine that gave me a royal flush w/o jokers on the last afternoon of the cruise. Went home with $$ after paying off onboard account and a 1099 (cant escape Uncle Sam).

 

WAWW - sorry i invaded your post, but as you can tell... I could not resist. All those future DAwn cruisers (and I will do it again) have a great cruise......Pictures - cabinmate was a photo nut.. see her link on the roll call for 10/15 cruise - on of the last posts.....Ignore all the crazy ones please...

 

Embarkment, Disembarkment was a snap... First time parking at pier .. well worth the money. And those Latitude member - ask the person at the lines ... there is a special line. no wait at all for us, but unless I had asked, we would not have seen it.

 

 

Karen

[whatawonderfulworld]

Hi Karen - no need to apologize for adding into the review. You reminded me of something I forgot to put in...and that was the CC Roll Call meet and greet. For newbies to cruising, do join a roll call or start one of your own. I gained a huge amount of information, received terrific advice from experienced cruisers, and felt a communal bond even before we boarded.

 

The young lady who started our Roll Call also arranged for a meet and greet. (Thank you Kelly!!!!) On Monday we met up in the Star Bar (beautiful view!) and the Dawn again came through. They put out a lovely spread for us. However the best part was having the opportunity to meet face to face, so many of the folks I had been writing/corresponding to/with on our Roll Call.

 

Being on a huge ship can be intimidating...you're like a new person in town and you know absolutely no one. However the meet and greet gave us all an opportunity to become acquainted with our CC cruise neighbors. It's nice to be able to greet a familiar face as the week progresses. (Thanks again Kelly for making the arrangements!)

 

Karen, we loved the Dawn too. The DH is actually looking forward to the next cruise in September and is even mentioning other spots he'd like to visit. This from a man who wanted nothing to do with cruising not that long ago! I have our FABULOUS Dawn experience to thank for that.

 

And now I understand completely why people keep returning to her over and over. She becomes your home away from home very quickly.

 

Now...and a bit OT...it's been windy as all get out around here since yesterday. The folks who are coming in this morning, and leaving this afternoon, better batten down the hatches (did I get that right?)...me thinks it's going to be a bumpy ride. (But you know...I kind of enjoyed the extra motion too...and I've been reading some of the posts from folks who cross the North Atlantic in the winter - apparently I'm not alone in feeling this way! I felt as if I was on the LIRR - Long Island Railroad - going through the switches in Queens - albeit with a much nicer view!!!)

 

Ciao all,

W A W W

[kit9172]

Just got in from our Dawn 10/22 cruise. It really was a bumpy ride home. Saturday at 4 am bottles were crashing, drawers and doors were opening and as one friend said they thought the exorsist invaded their cabin. Even with all of that it was an outstanding cruise.

I'll post a review soon but just wanted to let you know it was a rough night.

 

Kit

[richstan]

We just returned from the 10/22 sailing! It seems like just ten minutes ago we were by the Oasis Pool chatting with Kit. She was trying to deciede --nap or no nap! I told her to nap!

The ship did "rock and roll" last night!

Still the cruise was outstanding in every way! Eat at La Trattoria, Salsa, Bamboo, Impressions, Blue Lagoon! We ate at Cagney's, but it must have been an off night! I will try Cagney's again!

 

The Dawn is a gorgeous ship!

[boeckli]

Pictures - cabinmate was a photo nut.. see her link on the roll call for 10/15 cruise - on of the last posts.....Ignore all the crazy ones please...

 

I cannot find the link ??? There is mention of 760 photos, but I can see no link.

W A W W - are you still going to share your photos with us as well ?

[whatawonderfulworld]

I apologize for not yet posting...I'm going to try to do it tonight on Photobucket.

 

I've only had single shots of my beloved liliies or daylilies which I posted as single shots (actually inserting them into the message). I'm guessing that I can set up a slide show too?

 

Ciao,

W A W W

[slotaddict]

Thanks for the great review. I have two favorite ships and the Dawn is one of them. I'll be on her again for the two nighter out of NY, to say good-bye before she leaves for Miami. I'm glad you had an enjoyable cruise.

[whatawonderfulworld]

Hi all...for those of you (especially our colleague from West Australia) who have been asking for pics...I finally got them into Photobucket (with the able bodied assistance of DH). I've posted them separately under new threads entitled "Dawn Pics - AC 9500 10/15" (or something akin to that) Part 1, Part 2 and Last One. (Yes...not too original but sometimes "good enough is good enough!" This is my first time trying this on Cruise Critic...I probably made it alot more complicated than it needed to be. Sorry too for the delay and thanks for your patience.

 

I hope you enjoy them.

 

Ciao,

 

W A W W

[Welove2cruise2]

W A W W -- thanks for posting a great review of this wonderful ship!

 

Who was the concierge on this sailing? Just wondering where Claudio's got himself off to...;)

[whatawonderfulworld]

I've heard so many wonderful things about him...I was initially disappointed.

 

HOWEVER (and this is the important part here)...Simone W. was wonderful. Did you ever meet someone with whom you immediately click? Well that's the way I felt about Simone. She was terrific.

 

Ciao,

 

W A W W