The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Review of the Norwegian Dawn 6/15/08

[eyesofbrown]

Since there is already so much out there about this trip from much better writers than me, I will just fill in the gaps with my perspective. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.:p

 

Just a little background. My husband and I were in a BA while my three kids, ages girl (woman?) 20, girl 14, and boy 12 shared an inside cabin down the hall from us. I have been on three cruises, 2 with NCL, 1 wiht Carnival, but this is the first one that I had taken my children on.

 

The Good: There was so much that was good, but I will try to highlight the ones that stuck out in my mind. Again, overall it was a great experience.

 

To start out, Embarkation was great! Very quick and painless. And plenty of chairs for everyone to sit down. It was the smoothest we have ever experienced.

 

Second, the stewards we had and most of the staff were wonderful. Very nice, knew us by name.

 

Third, we let our children have more freedom with some guidelines. We never saw our 14 year old except when we forced her to have dinner with us. Our 12 year old also liked the children's program, but didn't like the fact he had to sign in and out. Though they claimed boredom, both seemed to enjoy it. I would recommend that you make the kids go the first day.

 

Fourth, go to a Meet and Greet if you have one. You meet the greatest people. Also, we got the inside information on several programs including signing up for a raffle to eat with one of the officers. We were lucky enough to be chosen to eat with the Captain. A truly enjoyable experience.

 

Fifth, we really enjoyed Second City, Liar's Club, and the Quest game. I hear the Quest game is more tame on NCL than others, but very funny. Also, we went to the murder mystery dinner, and really enjoyed this.

 

Sixth, the casino was very enjoyable and never smokey that we saw. My daughter, the 20 year old, entered the slot contest and won. That made her whole cruise.

 

Finally, though the drinks cost a bunch, they do not scrimp on alcohol. And, they now have Jaegermeister! Thank you NCL!

[eyesofbrown]

The Bad: Overall, as noted, we had a great trip. But these are a few of the things that could have been handled better.

 

First, the ship was delayed in leaving by a few hours. We eventually left by 6:30 pm. However, there was a mass rush to the dinner venues. We waited an hour and half after leaving to eat and went to the Venetian. The line was around several staircases. We then went to Aqua, and after waiting in line 20 minutes, were told there was a 45 minute wait. We gave up and used our Le Bistro certificate and had a wonderful meal. After this experience, I will always book a specialty restaurant the first night. It kicks the cruise off on a great note, and there is no wait. On the same note, though the wait staff are wonderful, the hosts and hostesses seem very snooty. We saw them be quite rude to several people on several different occassions.

 

Second, we thought the soda cards were a hassle. First, we were sent to several different venues to even purchase one. And then getting the soda was made very inconvenient, especially near the buffet. I would not recommend this program.

 

Finally, I would suggest putting the 12 year olds in the teen group. My son is 12 and hated having to be signed in and out. He has babysat other kids before and I would have felt comfortable with allowing him to sign himself out. This was not allowed.

 

The Ugly: Just two things here.

 

First, and this has nothing to do with NCL, the trip to Bermuda is rough even with calm seas. I had taken two cruises before, and have even had an aft balcony in one of them out of NY. I have never been seasick before. With this trip, I was. I would recommend taking Bonine for day and Dramamine at night. I am not sure you are supposed to mix the two but this worked grat for me.

 

Second, and this has everything to do with NCL, Disembarkation was horrible. There were many people that decided to go with taking their own luggage off the ship. In fact, it seems like the majority. And the line was backed up and around the hallway. They also failed to keep anyone informed about where they were on the color chart. And as mentioned before, they then called three colors at once. Again, this was the third disembarkation I have experienced and this was handled very badly.

 

As mentioned before, we had a great time. I would recommend this trip to anyone. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

[bahama2]

great, honest review. :) I only have one question about embarkation. I know the VIPs had coffee, water, etc. did the balcony people also have refreshments in the terminal? When I went in May, we didn't :eek: and I was wondering if that has changed. Again thanks for the review.

[cruizinwithkids]

The Bad: Overall, as noted, we had a great trip. But these are a few of the things that could have been handled better.

 

 

Finally, I would suggest putting the 12 year olds in the teen group. My son is 12 and hated having to be signed in and out.

 

 

Second, and this has everything to do with NCL, Disembarkation was horrible. There were many people that decided to go with taking their own luggage off the ship. In fact, it seems like the majority.

 

I'm not sure if you mean the 12 year old in the teen group to future passengers or to NCL. If it's a suggestion for future passengers NCL doesn't allow it. If it's a suggestion to NCL I guess my take on that is they have to break the ages into some kind of group and while the 10 (or 9) to 12 could be too young for some, I don't think a 12 year old belongs with a 17 year old either.

 

The self debarkation is a nightmare. It can be best avoided by not participating. I enjoy taking my time and kind of scratch my head as I look at those dragging their luggage all over the ship. I really don't get it.

[nyflush]

Thanks for the great review! I will be on the Dawn in Aug with my 12 year old son, He loves the Kidscrew We were on the Gem in Feb and he went with his friend, I signed a release that they could sign themselves out. I guess they changed this not that I mind for this cruise it was great cause he was with a friend. Next year will be the teen scene.

 

I hope they get debarkation together by Aug but I am usually the last one off the ship.

 

Thanks for the info:)

[eyesofbrown]

great, honest review. :) I only have one question about embarkation. I know the VIPs had coffee, water, etc. did the balcony people also have refreshments in the terminal? When I went in May, we didn't :eek: and I was wondering if that has changed. Again thanks for the review.

 

We were Lattitude Members and Balcony members, and were not seated any place differently than anyone else. We left from Pier 88 and there didn't seem to be a separate area for VIPs, but I could be wrong. We did come back to Pier 94 and there was a separate place there for VIPs. Maybe it depends on the Pier you leave from.

[2Cruise4Ever]

We were Lattitude Members and Balcony members, and were not seated any place differently than anyone else. We left from Pier 88 and there didn't seem to be a separate area for VIPs, but I could be wrong. We did come back to Pier 94 and there was a separate place there for VIPs. Maybe it depends on the Pier you leave from.

 

Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that in my review. We left from Pier 92, but came back to pier 88. So, we had to schlep all our luggage down to 92 because we drove. Well, OK, WE didn't schlep our luggage. We paid a handsome tip to the handler who wheeled our luggage for us :)

[eyesofbrown]

Thanks for the great review! I will be on the Dawn in Aug with my 12 year old son, He loves the Kidscrew We were on the Gem in Feb and he went with his friend, I signed a release that they could sign themselves out. I guess they changed this.

 

Thanks for the info:)

 

I asked if there was something I could sign to allow him to leave when he wants and was affirmatively told that no,t here wasn't anything and if he wanted to participate, we would need to sign him in and out. It might be the person in charge of the Kid's area. Again, he really enjoyed the Kid's club and had fun. He didn't think he would and pouted for awhile until we actually made him go. Then he was making sure that he got back in time for the evening activities.

 

Oh, another thing for the kid's program, they seem to move them around quite a bit from the Kid's program to one of the conference rooms on the other side of the ship. Check with them when signing in to see where they will be when you pick them up.

[MrPete]

Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that in my review. We left from Pier 92, but came back to pier 88. So, we had to schlep all our luggage down to 92 because we drove. Well, OK, WE didn't schlep our luggage. We paid a handsome tip to the handler who wheeled our luggage for us :)

 

Why? It's a lot easier to bring it out to the curb. You have to drive past there anyway. Just load your car up and go.

[eyesofbrown]

Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that in my review. We left from Pier 92, but came back to pier 88. So, we had to schlep all our luggage down to 92 because we drove. Well, OK, WE didn't schlep our luggage. We paid a handsome tip to the handler who wheeled our luggage for us :)

 

LOL I wish we had thought to get a porter. Instead, we took all our luggage to Pier 90. My dh asked them which pier the boat was coming back to and the lady at the parking facility didn't know, so he cut the difference and parked at Pier 90.

[eyesofbrown]

Why? It's a lot easier to bring it out to the curb. You have to drive past there anyway. Just load your car up and go.

 

The curb was so crowded with private cars and taxis getting out, it would have taken more time to do this. We were already late getting out, so we just took out luggage up the elevator and to our vehicle. We found this to be much more efficient.

[nyflush]

Wow I never had him moved to another room thanks for the heads up. I will make sure to ask. I wonder if it was a trial thing on the Gem. I just let my son know he can't sign himself out like the last cruise.

[2Cruise4Ever]

Why? It's a lot easier to bring it out to the curb. You have to drive past there anyway. Just load your car up and go.

 

Well, with our car, easier said than done. We had 6 people and all the luggage with a soft car top carrier. So, we had to assemble the carrier, put the bags in and get everything and everyone into the car. It took us about 1/2 hour from start to finish when all was said and done. I didn't want to create a hassle at the pier.

[nyflush]

Do you know what the new hours are for the kids club? And what they were for the first night? I know with 2.0 they have extended hours.

[2Cruise4Ever]

Do you know what the new hours are for the kids club? And what they were for the first night? I know with 2.0 they have extended hours.

 

They opened at 7:00 p.m. the first night. And, each day after that, they were open 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. with group babysitting until 1:30 a.m. On port days, the group babysitting was available from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m, then regular Kid Crew stuff until 10:30 with group babysitting resuming until 1:30 a.m. again. No more closing for meal times!! Whaa Hooo!!! And, our kids went to 2 shows during the week. They hadn't done that in the past.

[nyflush]

They opened at 7:00 p.m. the first night. And, each day after that, they were open 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. with group babysitting until 1:30 a.m. On port days, the group babysitting was available from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m, then regular Kid Crew stuff until 10:30 with group babysitting resuming until 1:30 a.m. again. No more closing for meal times!! Whaa Hooo!!! And, our kids went to 2 shows during the week. They hadn't done that in the past.

 

 

Great He is going to love that :) And thanks to your live from the Dawn post I booked our August cruise!

[eyesofbrown]

I'm not sure if you mean the 12 year old in the teen group to future passengers or to NCL. If it's a suggestion for future passengers NCL doesn't allow it. If it's a suggestion to NCL I guess my take on that is they have to break the ages into some kind of group and while the 10 (or 9) to 12 could be too young for some, I don't think a 12 year old belongs with a 17 year old either.

 

The self debarkation is a nightmare. It can be best avoided by not participating. I enjoy taking my time and kind of scratch my head as I look at those dragging their luggage all over the ship. I really don't get it.

 

 

I agree with you about self embarkation. We did take our time, and did get a color tag for 10:25 am. We then went to breakfast at the Venetian and then went to the Pub to watch TV and wait for our color to be called. Periodically, we would check on the line to see if the self embarkation line had gotten any smaller. It never did. Also, they never kept us informed about what time we were supposed to get off, or what color they were calling. About 11 am, they called three colors at the same time. They then called ours very quickly afterwards. The line for disembarkation at this time snaked through the atrium, down the hall, back up the hall, and past Aqua, down the stairs. After leaving the ship, the line snaked through the ramps getting off the ship, down the pier, through the doors, and then a long snaking line through customs. Though the wait was a pain, and the line was ver inefficient, it was not knowing what was going on that really made it most aggravating. Did it ruin our cruise? Oh heavens no. I mention this mostly due to people trying to guage when to have people pick them up, or when to schedule flights, limos, etc.

 

Concerning the 12 year olds, as mentioned by someone else, letting the parents have discretion whether to let their child sign himself out or not would be a good idea. I did extensive research on this and prior Dawn cruises allowed 12 year olds to sign themselves out. Again, this wasn't terrible, just inconvenient.

[MrPete]

The curb was so crowded with private cars and taxis getting out, it would have taken more time to do this. We were already late getting out, so we just took out luggage up the elevator and to our vehicle. We found this to be much more efficient.

 

Ah. There's an art to that place. Wife and I have it down to a science.

[bluesea777]

Good review!

 

2 things:

 

1) on our first NCL cruise - Spirit - our DS was 12.5 years old - we signed him into 10-12 group, but after one or 2 visits he said he's too old for it, so we tried to get him into the teens group but they said no - DS has to be 13 to get in.

 

Fortunately on our second NCL cruise (Pearl) he went into the teens club and had a ball.

 

2) we are non-US so we cannot paratake in early embarkation or BAGS programmes, so we picked luggage tags of colour of our choice - we had late afternoon flights - so we were able to sleep in and have brekky just before they stopped.

[ZoneHPH]

as i mentioned in my review...i really REALLY think express disembarkation should be limited to a certain category of people. in fact, in past cruises (not in the last year...i'm talking a while back...perhaps early 2000)...

 

some "tag colors" were:

 

- independent travelers (non NCL transfers/transportation)

- NCL transfer/transportation

 

then there were colors. it would be nice to bring those things back. "express disembarkation" is too general. and when you have a ship full of NY metro people (yes this includes us from NJ and CT)...the mentality just reverts back to "it's all about me". sometimes i really wish marijuana was legal. some people just need to relax!

 

yes i'm ready to get flamed.

[kat89447]

I just got off the Spirit and its funny we had different rules for the kids. When I signed my DD 10 into the club they gave us the option for her to be able to sign herself out with our permission. It was stated only 13 and up in the initial info, but a sign at the club said different. We also got very lucky and because of the small amount of kids in the 2 to 5 group we were allowed to sign up my niece who turned 2 half way thru the cruise up as well. One counselor originally said no, but the supervisor the next day offered it to us the next morning. Might be an issue on the sign out age depending on how many sign up for the groups? The 10 to 12 group was pretty large on Spirit and that may have been the difference.

[Mammaof2girls]

Thanks for your review. I found it interesting cuz we may be going on our first cruise this Aug. If we do book it, it'll be on the Dawn out of NYC to Bermuda.....like what you did. But you mentioned getting sick. I'm a bit worried about that. Did the waters happen to be more rockier when you were on it? I'm worried about my 2 girls (ages 3 and 6). Not sure if they will get seasick, but is there anything for kids that will help them? (I'm also worried about me...but I know I can at least take Dramamine or something like that).

 

Thanks!

[yogimax]

 

We were lucky enough to be chosen to eat with the Captain.

 

So what did the captain have for dinner?

[ZoneHPH]

Thanks for your review. I found it interesting cuz we may be going on our first cruise this Aug. If we do book it, it'll be on the Dawn out of NYC to Bermuda.....like what you did. But you mentioned getting sick. I'm a bit worried about that. Did the waters happen to be more rockier when you were on it? I'm worried about my 2 girls (ages 3 and 6). Not sure if they will get seasick, but is there anything for kids that will help them? (I'm also worried about me...but I know I can at least take Dramamine or something like that).

 

Thanks!

 

there are varying degrees to which people get motion/sea sick. for my DW and i...there was nothing to be felt. we were fine. after leaving bermuda, the ship was hauling a$$...and you could feel the rocking of the ship. but going down to bermuda, there's always going to be motion, but i personally would not categorize it as being rough. i think the first sea day there were waves of 4-6feet...so pretty small. the 2nd sea day was pretty calm from what i remember (but if you read any of the several jun 15 reviews...i probably wasn't in any condition to judge the seas...i made my own motion.)

 

if you are really concerned i would get the transdermal patch Rx by your family physician. this will allow you to have your cocktails and your kids can wear it also.

[crusinmama22]

First let me say, I enjoyed your review.

 

Since we are new to NCL, not cruising, been cruising since 1979 (honeymoon), now we go with our adult kids 25 & 27.

 

Both my kids have sailed with NCL, so we booked under them to get the perks.

 

What can I expect ?

 

We also have booked a mini suite, anything special come with that ?

 

What about the meet and greet -- do you mean the CC meet and greet ?

 

Find out about raffel tickets ?, How to sit with the captain ?

 

Any info you could supply would be great.

 

Thanks for your help, that is why I really love these boards.