Just back from the Dawn 6/30~long

[ricruisers]

Hi All,

 

Just got back from a terrific cruise on the Dawn. This was our third time on the ship, but each time it's different and better!!

 

Embarkation:

 

This was a breeze. The line went quickly and we were on board with drinks in our hand by 12:30.

 

Entertainment/CD/activities:

 

The CD was amazing. We are Colin Kerr fans and didn't think that anyone could live up to Colin, until we met Matt! They were equally good, each in their own way. Matt had a great way of getting the entire crowd involved and created a fun atmsophere. I heard on this board that he's covering for 2 months, but I hope to see him again on a future cruise. Yes, we booked another cruise on board!! There is a great incentive...$250.00 to book the next cruise and you receive $100.00 instant on board credit.

 

The shows were great. We particularly liked Romano Frediani, the juggler. The game shows were so much fun. The late night parties in the Spinnaker Lounge are worth staying up for! Lots of fun and laughs!!

 

The Margarita Tasting was great! They give you 6 margaritas to try and everyone had a fun time. Also, the Latitudes party is also a good time.

 

For sports fans, you will be glad to hear that you can get ESPN. My husband loved that!!

 

The ports:

 

The Bahamas was cut short, unfortunately. We had planned to head to the Wyndham, but that didn't work out. We wish we had known that the stores closed at 6pm. We headed to Senor Frogs that afternoon. Just a word of advice, while I love Nassau, you need to be vigilant at night. Great Stirrup Cay was a lot of fun. For anyone looking for souveniers, this is a great place. The t-shirts are $4.00 and there are tons of options. Remember to bring cash, though. Also, there are sand fleas on the island, so you might want to remember bringing some insect repellant. We rented a raft and floated all day.

 

Bermuda was beautiful. We went to Horseshoe Bay and then walked through the stores at the Royal Naval Dockyard. The taxis are about $100.00 roundtrip to get there, so the bus is a great option at $12.00 per day with unlimited usage. We booked the last excursion of the day with the sightseeing, swimming, rum punch excursion, which got great ratings, but unfortunately the boat hit a coral reef and the boat was in rough shape. We had hoped to make it into Hamilton for shopping, but ran out of time.

 

The anniversary package:

 

This was well worth the money. It was so nice to walk into the room and have champagne waiting and chocolate covered strawberries. The anniversary party was fun and we met nice people there. The dinner was great that's included in the package. We sat next to a Matisse painting in Le Bistro and it was a wonderful night!

 

The food:

 

I thought the food was terrrific! Our favorites was Cagneys and we love Le Bistro, but our meals in the Venetian were terrific. For others who have cruised before and for future cruisers, they do still have chocolate fondue. It's not on the menu, but you can ask for it. It's well worth it!! Also, I was impressed with the Garden Cafe. We never really went there before this cruise, but the quantity was amazing and the variety of foods is impressive. Each day they have a carving station for lunch. I used the advice from previous posters and went around to each station. Keep going...you will find something new around each corner! Ordering coffee from room service was also such a nice treat each morning.

 

It was a great cruise. The ocean was like glass. Very smooth sailing! It was fun talking to all of the cruisers before the trip. I hope you all had as much fun as we did!

 

Happy Sailing to all of you future crusiers. I would be happy to answer any questions for you! :cool:

[CruiseNurseBabe82]

Thanks for your review. We will be on the Dawn in less than 2 weeks and it will be our 2nd time on her. Last time we took a taxi to Elbo Beach which was past it and it only cost $60 must be a huge jump in their gas prices as well

[ricruisers]

Yes, we were surprised at how much the taxi was, given the fact in a previous trip, my mother and I took an entire ride around the island in a taxi for sightseeing and I know we paid less. Maybe the rate differed, depending on the taxi. I hope you have a great cruise.

[NowVoyager908]

Because everyone in my group had been to Bermuda before and had pretty much toured everything in the past, we decided to stay by the ship for the day. We shopped in the Clocktower Mall and then wandered through the other shops. Watching the woman make a bowl in the glass factory was fascinating. We also found the Snorkel Park, which is where we spent the afternoon. Its a small, pretty beach area with picnic tables, a bar/restaurant and you can rent snorkeling equipment and kayaks and stuff like that. They also have the Maritime Museum which also includes DolphinQuest. We didn't actually interact with the dolphins, but just watching them swim around made for a great photo op. All in all, it was a fun day and it was all within walking distance. Bermuda has always been my favorite stop and I can't wait to get back there.

[Marge106]

ricruiser....Wow, I also was on the Dawn the same week and we must have been on 2 different ships. Its amazing how people can have such vastly different opinions.

1st off, embarcation. We arrived at 11:00am and did not board until 1:45pm. We are Latitudes members. Boarding was a mess, everyone was complaining and unless you were in one of the suites you had to stand outside in the hot terminal and wait for them to let you in.

The delay in Nassau was for what reason. I was told by an officer on the ship that the problems would all be cleared for the Rosie cruise. Doesn't that strike you as strange. The ship had just come out of dry dock for 2 weeks,

maybe someone can explain why my BA cabin rung was so filthy that we had to wear sandals in the cabin. The 1st night our toilet was not working, I called to the front desk, they told me that they had no idea when this multi cabin affecting problem would be fixed. When I requested a room change I was it was a full sailing and they suggested that I use the public facilities.

SO if you saw someone walking around in pj's after midnite it was probably me!

In found the Garden Cafe to be horrible, the food was hardly worth talking about. We walked up there at 9:30am one morning and I counted 11 tables waiting to be cleaned while people were walking around looking for a place to eat. The workers was all standing in groups talking and laughing. The food in the Venetian was terrible, you obviously did not try the turkey. I knew we were in trouble when my stepdaughter and husband both requested white meat and were told NCL's turkeys did not have white meat???

I object to paying all this money for a cruise and then being 'forced' to go to a pay restaurant for a decent meal. Pay restaurants should be a passengers choice not a necessity.

THe pool situation was intolerable. People were there at 6:30 in the morning placing towels and other personal objects on blocks of lounges while the deck attendant stood by and did nothing. BY 10am you were unable to find a seat anywhere on the pool deck. I witnessed a woman bringing a naked infant into the pool while the pool attendant stood there and watched and nothing was said. I also saw all the running and jumping into the pool and was there the day the little boy fell and broke his leg. Again the pool attendant did nothing. Once again we were forced to pay in order to use the Spa pool. Imagine that, having to pay to use a pool while on board a ship. TO me this was incredible.

3 times my husband tried to get a root beer float with chocolate ice cream. Did you know that none of the bars are permitted to carry chocolate ice cream they can only carry vanilla. Whats up with that. When I told the bar tender all he had to do was send to the kitchen to get some chocolate, he refused.

Did you know that by Friday night, there was no apple juice or lemons to be had. Perhaps they put everything away for the Rosie cruise.

This only skims the surface of what I found on this cruise.

I consider myself to be an old cruise veteran, having started in 1976 and going well past 100 cruises. We try to do at least 2 a year now and rest assured we will never do NCL again. We've sailed on many lines, Home Lines, Costa, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Disney, etc. Princess does have a Spa pool but it is open to adults only and you do not have to pay for it. Perhaps NCL should make everything including the water a la carte, but then they should reduce the passenger fares. I realize that over the years the cruise industry has become more of a nickel and dime venture, but NCL takes it way far beyond that.

On a positive note, our cabin steward was wonderful.

[Marge106]

Ricruiser....by the way regarding your statement the ocean was like glass. We had 2 rainy days and where were you on Friday afternoon/evening. Even Matt the CD commented at the last show on how badly the ship was rocking.

 

One more positive note...this is the one and only cruise that I actually lost weight on...I am now down 3 lbs.

[SweetpeaOne]

Thanks for posting your review. Sounds like you had a great time.

[NowVoyager908]

ricruiser....Wow, I also was on the Dawn the same week and we must have been on 2 different ships. Its amazing how people can have such vastly different opinions.

1st off, embarcation. We arrived at 11:00am and did not board until 1:45pm. We are Latitudes members. Boarding was a mess, everyone was complaining and unless you were in one of the suites you had to stand outside in the hot terminal and wait for them to let you in.

The delay in Nassau was for what reason. I was told by an officer on the ship that the problems would all be cleared for the Rosie cruise. Doesn't that strike you as strange. The ship had just come out of dry dock for 2 weeks,

maybe someone can explain why my BA cabin rung was so filthy that we had to wear sandals in the cabin. The 1st night our toilet was not working, I called to the front desk, they told me that they had no idea when this multi cabin affecting problem would be fixed. When I requested a room change I was it was a full sailing and they suggested that I use the public facilities.

SO if you saw someone walking around in pj's after midnite it was probably me!

In found the Garden Cafe to be horrible, the food was hardly worth talking about. We walked up there at 9:30am one morning and I counted 11 tables waiting to be cleaned while people were walking around looking for a place to eat. The workers was all standing in groups talking and laughing. The food in the Venetian was terrible, you obviously did not try the turkey. I knew we were in trouble when my stepdaughter and husband both requested white meat and were told NCL's turkeys did not have white meat???

I object to paying all this money for a cruise and then being 'forced' to go to a pay restaurant for a decent meal. Pay restaurants should be a passengers choice not a necessity.

THe pool situation was intolerable. People were there at 6:30 in the morning placing towels and other personal objects on blocks of lounges while the deck attendant stood by and did nothing. BY 10am you were unable to find a seat anywhere on the pool deck. I witnessed a woman bringing a naked infant into the pool while the pool attendant stood there and watched and nothing was said. I also saw all the running and jumping into the pool and was there the day the little boy fell and broke his leg. Again the pool attendant did nothing. Once again we were forced to pay in order to use the Spa pool. Imagine that, having to pay to use a pool while on board a ship. TO me this was incredible.

3 times my husband tried to get a root beer float with chocolate ice cream. Did you know that none of the bars are permitted to carry chocolate ice cream they can only carry vanilla. Whats up with that. When I told the bar tender all he had to do was send to the kitchen to get some chocolate, he refused.

Did you know that by Friday night, there was no apple juice or lemons to be had. Perhaps they put everything away for the Rosie cruise.

This only skims the surface of what I found on this cruise.

I consider myself to be an old cruise veteran, having started in 1976 and going well past 100 cruises. We try to do at least 2 a year now and rest assured we will never do NCL again. We've sailed on many lines, Home Lines, Costa, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Disney, etc. Princess does have a Spa pool but it is open to adults only and you do not have to pay for it. Perhaps NCL should make everything including the water a la carte, but then they should reduce the passenger fares. I realize that over the years the cruise industry has become more of a nickel and dime venture, but NCL takes it way far beyond that.

On a positive note, our cabin steward was wonderful.

 

Sorry to hear you had a bad time. I was on the same cruise and luckily did not experience any of the problems that you did, although I do agree that finding a lounge chair was next to impossible after a certain time. My group had dinner in both the "free" and "pay" restaurants and outside of the pasta sauce which tasted more like souped up ketchup, the food was pretty good. We even enjoyed the Blue Lagoon one really lazy evening. I guess we lucked out. But, I agree about Friday when the ship was rocked by winds clocked at about 50 mph. It definitely turned walking about on the outside decks into quite an experience.

[ricruisers]

I am sorry to hear about your negative experience. I also agree about the lounge chair situation. They definitely needed more chairs and a better way of policing the area. And yes, the all dark meat turkey was a bit odd.

 

I was making a general comment overall regarding the seas. I viewed the conditions as being on the positive side and I would say for the most part it was calm and nice, but sure there were a few rocky moments. I am comparing it to other sailings on the same ship when we experienced 15 foot waves and it was very stormy, throughout almost the entire cruise. Even on that cruise they had a way of making it enjoyable.

[kimdave68]

Just getting fun!

 

 

The numbers (from top to bottom) are wind speed (mi/hr), % humidity, and ambient temperature (°F).

 

 

Love it when the tops of the waves are skewed by the winds.

 

As long as things settle down at meal time. I don't want to chase my plate across the table any more than the guy next to me! :eek:

[ricruisers]

I agree. It definitely makes things interesting!!!:cool:

[jimswims]

Thank you for posting your review ricruisers.

 

We are going to be on the Dawn for the first time in August and are really looking forward to the cruise. We are not new to NCL, we love freestyle, know the in's and out's, and we know that it will be a great cruise for our family.

[NowVoyager908]

I agree. It definitely makes things interesting!!!:cool:

 

ITA. Definitely made the cruise interesting. The thunder storm/lightning show on Monday afternoon was also quite an experience. I was sitting near the bow of the ship and there were these rods all around us (lightning rods maybe?) and at one point they started crackling. That's when we knew is was time to move. :eek: We didn't go inside, just moved under an awning of sorts . . . and it was quite a show.

 

After the storm passed, I got a kick out of watching every spare member of the crew running around the decks scooping up the soaked towels and trying to get dry towels out. It looked like they recruited everyone and anyone in an NCL uniform to get the job done.

 

According to the in-house tv channel, on Friday the ship encountered Force 9, Strong Gale winds. What. A. Ride. LOL. Thankfully, it had calmed down somewhat by dinner.

[KeystoneCruiser]

As long as things settle down at meal time. I don't want to chase my plate across the table any more than the guy next to me! :eek:

 

Hey, you never know...you might like to try what the guy next to you has on his plate as it slides by......:D

[kimdave68]

I was sitting near the bow of the ship and there were these rods all around us (lightning rods maybe?) and at one point they started crackling. That's when we knew is was time to move. :eek: We didn't go inside, just moved under an awning of sorts . . . and it was quite a show.

 

 

Typical thunderstorm at sea. ;)

 

Those rods are antennas. When the atmosphere becomes well charged as a storm approaches, corona discharge will form around these antennas and other pointed conductors at the highest point. In darkness one can often see a blue/purple shimmering discharge that can look almost fire-like. (St. Elmo's Fire) The crackling can be quite loud and this is often very disruptive to HF-SSB radios even with pulse noise blankers turned to the max. When you hear crackling of ANYTHING above your head with ominous clouds looming, it's best to get low or seek shelter immediately! Lightning strikes are no joke. I've taken two hits twice in the past 15 years of storm chasing and have an irregular heart beat because of the second time. People that know me stay away during a storm!:eek:

 

Hey, you never know...you might like to try what the guy next to you has on his plate as it slides by......

 

Well that's certainly a different look on sharing dishes! :)

[noenre]

It is so funny how people on the same cruise will have a completely different experience!

 

To be honest, I am not a picky person at all and will have a great time no matter what. I am honestly not big into food either, so I am never disappointed in that area either. I'll eat whatever I really don't care. MY DH is the one who is picky and concerned about food quality. He would be the complainer :o .

 

As far as the chair situation...I was on the Dawn a few years back and we went the week before school was back in session. The ship was overrun by kids (and we had left ours home:o ). They were admittedly having a really hard time keeping up with all the kids. Somehow though we always managed to get a chair on deck. Never had too much of a problem. I also understand though that with 2,000+ people on board, not everyone is going to get a chair! The only problem we had was that we were at dinner for 2 hrs + every night, but you know what?? We talked and had a great time and sometimes didn't even notice the time until afterwards!

 

I always find it interesting to read conflicting reviews about the same cruise!

[ricruisers]

Yes, it's interesting to see differing points of view. I enjoy reading all of them. We were so busy and focused on all the fun activities that when I told my husband about the bad weather reported, he didn't even remember it. I guess that's a sign of a good time. :)

[svacla]

Did they tell you why you were delayed getting to the Bahamas? What time were you able to get off the ship?We are sailing on the 28th and I booked a room at the Comfort Suites to have full access to the Atlantis. Want to make sure we have enough time. Or should I cancel the room?:(

[JoeJersey]

We were also on the 6/30 sailing of the DAWN...and had a GREAT time! Yes, the chairs right next to the pool were crowded...but if you walked forward a bit, or up to the next lounging area there were always stacks of chairs and plenty of room. We are not really fans of buffet dining, but gave the Garden Cafe a try on Friday evening at 7:30...no line and plenty of clean empty tables along the windows. The food selection was good and the quality was good "buffet" food.

We found all the staff to be positive and attentive...no problems at all!

I have absolutely nothing negative to say about our cruise. My wife had but one complaint: She found the air conditioning to be too cool (But she ALWAYS is too cool, so no big deal)

I want to thank all the members of CC for the great advice on this forum..(upon embarkation have lunch at the restaurant (Venetian) instead of the buffet...bring an extension cord...bar soap, etc.).

P.S. We have already booked the Jewel next December!

[63musicgirl]

Do you have to pay to use the lap pool at the spa??

[ricruisers]

They had flyers on the desk at embarkation, but my line didn't have them, so I never read the actual explanation. I found out later while in line to make reservations for the specialty restaurants. This is something they knew in advance, as they were prepared with the flyers. We had also contemplated booking the Comfort Suites. I'm sure there were others on board the ship that booked a room. Perhaps there is a 24 or 48 hour cancellation policy? Having read many blogs about Nassau, it's usually not a missed port. We were disappointed, as we love the beaches, but we just went with the flow and found a fun time elsewhere. :)

 

We didn't use the lap pool this trip, but have used it in the past. It is very peaceful and nice. I know there is a charge now, but I'm not sure what it is.

 

I'm glad to hear that others had a great time as well! It was a great incentive to book another cruise while on board. I didn't mention that you have a year to book the cruise and 2 1/2 years to sail. We are looking forward to our next cruise. Wish we were there now! :cool:

[just crusin]

we were also on the 6/30 cruise.

the spa cost us I think 70.00 for the week or 15.oo per day to use the pool and facility DH used it twice so we lost money on that having paid the 70.00.

For everyones info rosie was not going to the Bahamas this trip because they dont like her "group" sad to say Im not sure where they went.

I jsut wish we didnt go to the bahamas and spent more time in bermuda (wishful thinking on my part).

It was a great cruise and everyone will have a problem with something but you just make the best of it.

[jap]

I was also on the same cruise and share the same opinion of many. The lounge chairs or lack of is amazing. Unless you were up at the pool deck by 7am you were not getting a long chair. You may have found one towards the front of the ship if you were lucky. The afternoon storms were amazing - I never saw folks disappear to fast and yes it was a sight to see everyone running to get the wet towels.

 

The food - everyone will have different opinions. We went to Cagneys cause everyone raved about it and I will share our experience. My daughter asked for a glass of pinot gris and was told they had none. If we were on another cruise line i.e, celebrity Or RCCL and were in a pay restaurant they would have sent someone to get the glass of wine that the passenger requested. Instead she had to have something different. Laster that nite in Dazzles I was able to order a pinot gris so I guess they had it on the boat just not in the restaurant which I found very interesting. Her Ahi tuna had to be sent back as it was cold and my husband had Cajun rib eye w/o the cajun. Mine dinner was acceptable to me. Mind you not great but acceptable.

We ate in all the other non paying restaurants and they were ok nothing to rave about. It seemed every meal in any restaurant we had something was not right for someone - We never went hungry all week we were just disappointed with the food.

 

The shows were ok - nothing compared to Celebrity or RCCL and yes during the Jackpot Bingo game the ship was rocking and rolling and I always think when the staff recognizes it it must be bad.

 

The 5 hour delay in Nassau they probably should have avoided the whole port cause by the time you actually got off the boat and walked around you probably took your life in your hands. I heard of two horrible stories - one young gal was attacked and another brutally attacked and was air lifted to Miami.

 

The Rosie cruise is actually not stopping in Nassau so I am not sure why after the boat was in dry dock for 2 weeks they had additional engine work to attend to.

 

Having been on over a dozen cruises I have to say I am sure we would not try NCL again.

[ricruisers]

Yes, I heard that something happened in Nassau that evening, but not until the way home. I didn't hear the specifics. That is awful. I am wondering if the Cruise Line will rethink such a late arrival if they ever need to dock later than planned. I too would have been thrilled to spend another day in Bermuda.

[MikeACY]

If we don't get delayed, (lol) any suggestions for a beach in the Bahamas and how to get there?

In Bermuda, $100 for a cab to Horseshoe bay? Is that round trip? Can it be divided amoung the passengers? How many per cab?

Thanks...any information would be appreciated.

Mike