Any1 honeymooned aboard NCL DAWN???

[Englishbridetobe]

Hi Guys i am getting married in September and me and my hubby 2 be have booked our honeymoon aboard the NCL Dawn cruise ship, and have the honeymoon package booked, eg the champagne and cake party and the dinner at Le Bistro.

 

Has anyone else recieved this package and did you get much special treatment???

 

Let me know, thanks

[Scot's Lass]

Beth,

I didn't think it was that great a package. We celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary on board in March there and I booked the package as a surprise for my husband. We certainly got everything listed but really it was quite impersonal. You are given certificates etc signed by the Captain but it is pretty general and although we'd booked the 'anniversary package' we were constantly referred to as 'honeymooners' in the certificates etc. The cake is just one large cake saying 'congratulations honeymooners' although I think there was only one couple actually on honeymoon. It was served in one of the small bars along with the champagne. There were maybe a dozen couples in the bar and we all received a glass of champagne and then had to stand with the cake and get our photo taken. Be warned as it is done during the day...get your lippy on! as that that's your free portrait (we thought it would be a formal photo taken the night of our anniversary). I thought you would get your own personal cake and bottle of champagne the night of your choice in the restaurant but really it was not like that at all and we did not feel special. Obviously it will probably be fine for you, as you are actual honeymooners. Apart from that it was a great trip and if you want any tips/info from a UK perspective, let me know.

 

Good luck with the wedding!

 

Karen x

[Englishbridetobe]

thanks karen, your the first u.k'er i have seen on this board, glad im not the only one, and thanks also for the hints, i shall remember my lippy!!!, i do have a few questions you could answer for me, when did you go? and did you go on any excursions, who did you fly with and where did you stay in New york

 

 

Sorry about the interigation im just so courious and no one else i have spoke to has been able to help me!!!

 

hope to speak to you soon, sorry about the spelling im late for work!!! lol

[Scot's Lass]

Beth,

 

We flew KLM in March 2004. If you land at Newark it will cost about $60 into Manhattan and JFK is about $35. We stayed at Radisson Lexington Avenue which was an alright hotel but great location and very reasonable. The ship is located at Pier 88 but some taxi driver's do not know where this is, so tell them West 48th Street (it's next to the Concorde display).

 

Complete your Bahamas Immigration slip before you go as this will save you time at check-in. If you have also completed your Passenger Immigration form on-line then this too will save time. The cabins (sorry Staterooms!) are excellent. Huge bed (by UK standards) - 3 pillows across; there's a fridge and salon hairdryer. There's also a 220 plug built into the vanity unit for UK appliances which was great rather hunting for an adapter each time. There's a double shower (useful for honeymooners!) with proper shower screen. They had some good deals on photographs which will be a nice memento of your honeymoon. We too ate at Le Bistro the night of our anniversary which was lovely. My starter was soup which was in a large roll which acted as a bowl. My husband took the mickey out of me saying that I ate everything on board including the plates! I have to say it is quite a romantic cruise, in that you can book your table for two every night at a different restaurant, so you feel like you are on a date, rather than being just part of the herd. The only thing is you miss the chat of other cruisers and all their cultures. You can however ask to be seated with say a table of 6.

 

Many of the folk on Norwegian Dawn are New Yorkers with it being so handy so you will find you are quite unique being from the UK.

 

With regard to your excursion query, I'm glad you asked because I have been desperate to share our 'tip' with someone! At Port Canaveral you will have noticed it is mainly Disney trips. We've done the theme parks a few times and we were not fussed to spend $80-$90 for the sake of it. Whilst we felt we should go and see the shuttle etc, I was not really that fussed. We therefore did our own thing and it was fantasic. It was pouring rain the day we got there which was a bit disappointing and we were not sure what to do. When we left the Port, we found a shuttle bus right outside in the car park. It turned out they charged $6 round trip (I think that was the price but it was pretty small the fare any way) and it 'shuttled' between Cocoa Beach, Walmart and Merritt Shopping Mall. On the bus you got free water and snacks. It was unbelievable. They arrived about every 20 mins and you get on and off at your leisure. If you have not been to the US before, Walmart is amazing and you could probably spend the whole day there alone. Whilst I am sure locals would not be entertained with Walmart and a shopping mall I know that folk from the UK are keen to know about shopping. The shopping mall was pretty big and had the usual JC Penneys etc so you will have a great time shopping. What Craig (my husband) saved on the $180 for Orlando I spent on clothes so although it sounds a bargain be warned! Any way it as a great day out especially given the thunderstorms and obviously if it brightens up (if you experience rain) then you can head for Cocoa Beach (with beach towels supplied from the ship, so you don't need to pack your own).

 

In Miami, we got the shuttle bus to South Beach. Just wandering along Ocean Drive soaking in the atmosphere was 'awesome'. Also, Bayside is lovely. That is right at the Marina/Harbour. There are boat trips round about which are really nice and also more shops but nicky nacky shops rather than department stores.

 

In Nassau, we again just booked this ourselves and got a boat over to Paradise Island to see the Atlantis Hotel. It's worth a visit but I do not know if it is worth the $25 which I think is the official charge. We then spent the rest of the time on a public beach. The Duty Free at Nassau is excellent too but as you may/may not know this is 'looked after' for you until you leave the ship.

 

The private island is fine and you will not need to worry about doing anything there as you just chill out. I would get a floating beach mat though just to mess around in the water as that's good fun.

 

You'll have a brilliant time and I would go back in a minute. The food is excellent. Apart from the Mexican or Le Bistro and the rest of the themed restaurants, you get burgers up on deck and then there is the buffet so you will be stuffed. It is nice not having a tied dining time as in Miami for example we sat and watched the sunset before getting ready for dinner whereas normally we would be rushing to get ready for dinner.

 

They go crazy with cleanliness on the Norwegian Dawn which is good given the number of folk on board. You have to wash your hands with wipes or 'sanitise' machines every time you go to the buffet and whilst at first it appears annoying, you get used to it quickly and it makes sense. They even have them in the casino given you are touching the machines.

 

You have maybe fallen asleep by now if I have bored you Beth but if you are still waken and have any other questions give me a shout. I'm not sure if you've cruised before so if there is anything, I would love to hear from you. The only other thing is, it is relatively casual. I took all my 'posh frocks' with me but if you have say a nice pair of trousers and a few dressy tops you will be fine. There is one optional formal night so if you want to dress up then you can. Most folk dressed up that night.

 

Right, I must stop now! When do you leave the UK? Your wedding is now so close!

[Englishbridetobe]

Wow karen it seemed like you had a fantastic time, and i thought i couldnt get more excited about going until i read your email, now i feel like im about to burst!!!

 

We have such a busy month ahead of us, we have our wedding on Sat the 4th, then my daughters 6th birthday on fri 10th, we are tkaing her to Alton Towers on the 11th, we are then having a second wedding reception on the Sat 18th as we are getting married in cornwall and there are soooo many people we wanted to come who just couldnt for various reasons, and then we fly to New York on Sat the 25th. We have such a busy few weeks i bet they are just going to fly by!!!

 

We are staying at the Helmsley Hotel on 42nd street on the night before the cruise, and we have transportation provided by NCL as part of the package price, the only problem is the day room accomidation is at the Hilton Hotel, next to newark airport so we have to drop off our things and then catch a taxi back into manhatton, and $60 seems alot of money i didnt think it would be that much, are most things expensive or am i just being cheap!!!

 

By the way you didnt bore me at all, i love hearing about all the things to expect, this is our first cruise, and probably the last for a long time, we have 2 young children, 5 and 9 months, and we are also looking to buy a house in a few years so we are making the most of it. I would love to take the kids on a cruise one day, perhaps a disney or the one that goes to alaska sounds good, but the price is a little more than we can useually afford, the only reason we are having this one is that i was in a car accident a few years ago, and we blew the whole compensation and more on the honeymoon as we are having a fabulous wedding in a really posh hotel in cornwall ( daddys paying lol ) and we felt that we had to top it off with a fab honeymoon and i really think we have gone for one of the best, i havnt spoke to or read about about anything bad about the Dawn!!!!

 

If you have any piccies i would love to see them!!! what room did you stay in?

 

Well i have probably board you enough by now, are you going on the dawn again soon???? oh and one last question, when is the chockoholics buffet on, i thought that i read it was on when the ship was in ort at the private island and that you had to come back early in order to get to it, is this right, and did you go??? got any hints or tips about that????

 

hope to speak to you soon, im off to pre register my new passport!!!