Cruise Customer Reviews

Overall Rating: This vessel has a 5 star rating

About the Reviewer:

Age:

50 - 65

Cruise Experience:

First cruise

Traveler Type:

Singles/friends

Stateroom Type:

Balcony

First Time Cruise by Mike V from Chicago, IL

Sailing date: Dec 2010

Pros:

Food was very good.

Cons:

Process for getting off the ship at the end of the cruise

Just returned from my cruise on the Norwegian Dawn (first time cruise). Staff was excellent, very friendly and seemed to enjoy the job. The food was also very good and I enjoyed the Freestyle format which provides great freedom of choice in dinning and other activities.I don't recall when the ship was last refurbished but it does show a bit of wear in some areas, but everything functioned properly. I would definitely recommend Norwegian Cruise Lines based on this first time experience.

Ship Details:

Ship Quality

Dining/Food

Stateroom Quality

Ship Staff Quality

Entertainment & Activities

Second City was great!

Read this user's port of call reviews:

Cozumel, Mexico

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Ports of Call:

Cozumel, Mexico

I visited the Mayan Ruins at Tumal. It was very interesting and I would recommend this excursion to anyone with an interest in history. Be aware that the trip does involve a ferry ride and lengthy bus trip.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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Overall Rating: This vessel has a 5 star rating

About the Reviewer:

Age:

30 - 49

Cruise Experience:

4 - 6 cruises

Traveler Type:

Couple

Stateroom Type:

Oceanview

Wonderful Cruise by Max B from Brooklyn, NY

Sailing date: Sep 2010

Pros:

Entertainment, freedom to enjoy it at your own pace, ports of call

Cons:

Tendering to shore............

The Dawn is a beautiful ship, lots of things to do onboard, entertainment was wonderful, staff very friendly and helpful throughout the ship.

Ship Details:

Ship Quality

Dining/Food

Stateroom Quality

Ship Staff Quality

Entertainment & Activities

Read this user's port of call reviews:

Bar Harbor, Maine; Boston, Massachusetts; Newport, Rhode Island; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Saint John, New Brunswick

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Ports of Call:

Bar Harbor, Maine

Beautiful and quaint town, make sure to walk around lots of stores to visit. Our tour here was probably our favorite. (Whale watching) We were skeptical but we had a chance to see around 20 whales. Make sure to bundle up and where something to keep you dry.

Don't Miss: whale watching

Boston, Massachusetts

Don't Miss: Quincy Market.....

Newport, Rhode Island

forget the tours just walk around and you will be satisfied absolutely wonderful...

Halifax, Nova Scotia

was wonderful. we took an excursion and enjoyed it. (lighthouse/lobster) just walking around was nice also.

Saint John, New Brunswick

just did our own thing here. Lots of history and City Market is a must when you visit.

Don't Miss: City Market ( fish & Chips, fried Clams)

7 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

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Overall Rating: This vessel has a 5 star rating

About the Reviewer:

Age:

30 - 49

Cruise Experience:

First cruise

Traveler Type:

Couple

Stateroom Type:

Balcony

Awesome for a couple of first timers by Charles F. from Manchester, NH

Sailing date: May 2010

Pros:

They take great care of you

Cons:

lots of additional things to pay for if you aren't careful

This was our first cruise and first trip to Bermuda. We will be doing both again and on ths same ship if possible. If not with NCL at the least. They really were great. The "Freestyle" cruising idea works for us because we didn't want to be tied to certain people / mealtimes. The staff on board is really great. The entertainment was well rounded. The food, once we got away from the caf, was very good. Even the caf was fine, no surprises, just a bit bland so everyone is happy I guess. The few things we noticed was that there were a lot of fees if you wanted anything other to drink besides tap water which may all be standard, this was our first time. And the Duty Free shop is no bargain. Also the main pool struck me as small but that may be normal. There were plenty of hot tubs! Bring money if you want to do anything on Bermuda besides sit on the (Gorgeous) beaches. Seriously. Its a beautiful place with no real poverty that we saw but you pay extra for all that.

Ship Details:

Ship Quality

These are real big ships. Think of a floating hotel but because they are on their side you have to walk the distance you would take an elevator from one end to the other. Get a room toward the center and on a high floor. Deck 7 appears to be the high traffic floor during most hours. Deck 4 is where everyone has to go to disembark while at Bermuda.

Dining/Food

The 2 main dining areas, Aqua and Venetian are great, almost no need for the specialty restaurants for us tho Teppanyaky (sp) is very entertaining.

Stateroom Quality

they cleaned it early and reset if again later. Very nice

Ship Staff Quality

Very helpful at every corner.

Entertainment & Activities

Read this user's port of call reviews:

King's Wharf, Bermuda

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Ports of Call:

King's Wharf, Bermuda

Buy a 3 day bus pass, they count for the ferries too. The cruise lines tries to sell you their transportation to the beaches, etc. Didn't need it and saved a few bucks. We did book the 5 hour bus tour the first day via the cruise lines. Very informative and entertaining. Enough so that we were able to do our own thing the rest of the time with some knowledge of how things were laid out.

Don't Miss: Hit Hamilton on Wednesday night for Harbor Nights and Horseshoe Bay

5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

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Overall Rating: This vessel has a 5 star rating

About the Reviewer:

Age:

50 - 65

Cruise Experience:

2 - 3 cruises

Traveler Type:

Couple

Stateroom Type:

Balcony

Our 40th wedding anniversary cruise by rich wilk from sarasota florida

Sailing date: Jan 2010

Pros:

Entertainment, Service, Meals, Facilities, and Crew

Cons:

Disembarking

We haven't been on a cruise in 25 years but the one we went on was our best vacation ever. So, we had high expectations on this cruise going in. We like to say that Norwegian and Norweign Dawn exceeded our expectations in all categories and we are seriously considering on doing another cruise with this line. We felt bad leaving the ship. On this cruise I took my 92 year old mother in law with us. She had a smashing time as we did. The cruise director and all of his staff are some of the finest and most talented people we ever met and we have been around a long time. Hats off to them and the crew!!!!!!!!!!

Ship Details:

Ship Quality

Dining/Food

Stateroom Quality

Ship Staff Quality

Entertainment & Activities

4 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

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Overall Rating: This vessel has a 5 star rating

About the Reviewer:

Age:

50 - 65

Cruise Experience:

4 - 6 cruises

Traveler Type:

Couple

Stateroom Type:

Balcony

Great times! by Cindy K. from Florida

Sailing date: Dec 2009

Pros:

Freestyle Cruising

Cons:

nothing

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our five night cruise which we booked to celebrate our 20th anniversary. The two ports of call were a lot of fun (Grand Cayman and Cozumel). The shopping director was excellent and so helpful with information about where to shop, coupons, references, and freebies, and where to find specific items. The entertainment on the ship was outstanding. (comedian, Second City, magician, show band, bands, shows, acrobats) We also enjoyed the magician's talk about memory skills. We attended art auctions for the first time and purchased a couple of starter pieces. We used the gym and attended two yoga classes.

Ship Details:

Ship Quality

Nicely maintained.

Dining/Food

The quality of the food was very good. We ate at the Venetian and the Aqua main dining rooms as well as at the Garden Cafe. We really like the flexibility in the dining options. We did not go to a specialty restaurant this time. We did try, but too late, to book a meal at the French place but they were full.

Stateroom Quality

This was the first time we have booked a balcony cabin and it was great. I highly recommend the balcony. Our cabin was well maintained.

Ship Staff Quality

Everyone was very friendly and helpful. One person did give me incorrect info about the disembarkation process but it was no big deal.

Entertainment & Activities

Excellent. The only disappointment was that our glass bottom boat excursion was canceled due to some problem with the boat.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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Overall Rating: This vessel has a 5 star rating

About the Reviewer:

Age:

65+

Cruise Experience:

2 - 3 cruises

Traveler Type:

Singles/friends

Stateroom Type:

Inside

A fabulous cruise by Nancy Z. from Bend, OR

Sailing date: Mar 2009

Pros:

The ship

Cons:

All the specialty restaurants required a cover charge.

I have never taken a cruise with Norwegian Cruise Lines before but I certainly will in the future. The Ship was immaculate, the service was outstanding, the food was delicious and the entertainment was the best.

Ship Details:

Ship Quality

The ship was of top quality. It was very clean. Our stateroom was on the 11th deck and we were close to everything.

Dining/Food

We ate in the main dining room and the buffet. There was so much variety to choose from. It was attractively prepared and displayed and it was delicious. We are vegetarians and had many choices. We did not eat in the specialty restaurants.

Stateroom Quality

The stateroom was small but well appointed and comfortable. The steward kept it in pristine condition.

Ship Staff Quality

Our room steward was very good. The cruise director was outstanding.

Entertainment & Activities

The Jean Ann Ryan dance troup presented 3 shows and they were wonderful. The rest of the entertainers were very good.

Read this user's port of call reviews:

Road Town, Tortola, B.V.I.; Cayo Levantado (Samana), Dominican Republic; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.

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Ports of Call:

Road Town, Tortola, B.V.I.

We took the Sage Mountain Hike and Beach excursion. The open air taxi ride on the narrow, windy road to Sage Mountain was "exhilarating." We hiked in the Sage Mountain National Park and had wonderful views of the port. Then we snorkeled in a beautiful bay.

Cayo Levantado (Samana), Dominican Republic

We went on the Hike, Bike and Kayak excursions and it was nice. We took an open air "taxi" through the countryside and then took a bike ride and a hike. We ended with a swim and a kayak trip on a beautiful tropical beach.

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.

The Castaway Girl Sail and Snorkel was the highlight excursion. We sailed to a small off-shore island and then snorkeled in a beautiful coral reef. On the 45 minute sail back the crew kept us supplied with delicious run punches.

13 out of 20 people found this review helpful.

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Overall Rating: This vessel has a 5 star rating

About the Reviewer:

Age:

30 - 49

Cruise Experience:

2 - 3 cruises

Traveler Type:

Singles/friends

Stateroom Type:

Balcony

Thank you for everything! by Michelle D. from Marquette, MI

Sailing date: Jan 2009

Pros:

The specialty restaurants

Cons:

Some of the bands were questionable

Second time cruising with Norwegian Cruise Line. Staff is extremely helpful and always friendly. Everything was extremely clean as well!

Ship Details:

Ship Quality

Dining/Food

I highly recommend dining in the specialty restaurants.

Stateroom Quality

Ship Staff Quality

Entertainment & Activities

Some of the bands were only okay.

Read this user's port of call reviews:

Road Town, Tortola, B.V.I.; Cayo Levantado (Samana), Dominican Republic; Great Stirrup Cay (Cruiseline Private Island), Bahamas; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.

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Ports of Call:

Road Town, Tortola, B.V.I.

Cayo Levantado (Samana), Dominican Republic

Don't Miss: Kayaking in the mangroves.

Great Stirrup Cay (Cruiseline Private Island), Bahamas

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.

Don't Miss: Champagne Catamaran

11 out of 11 people found this review helpful.

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Overall Rating: This vessel has a 5 star rating

About the Reviewer:

Age:

30 - 49

Cruise Experience:

7+ cruises

Ship Review by Nanci from New York

Sailing date: Jul 2007

Pros:

The facilities.

Ship Details:

Dining/Food

Stateroom Quality

It was small but well-equipped.

Ship Staff Quality

Couldn't have been better.

Entertainment & Activities

Activities: Gym was great. Entertainment: By far the best I've seen on a ship.

Read this user's port of call reviews:

Great Stirrup Cay (Cruiseline Private Island), Bahamas; King's Wharf, Bermuda

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Ports of Call:

Great Stirrup Cay (Cruiseline Private Island), Bahamas

Beautiful but crowded. Beach was lovely, and BBQ was nice. But it was too crowded. After an hour on the beach, we were sweating like pigs. The line to get a tender was long and hot.

King's Wharf, Bermuda

Nicest stop. Bermuda was lovely and quite a wealthy country. The beaches were gorgeous, and getting on and off the ship was easy. The people of Bermuda were not the friendliest by any means, but we would still go back in a heartbeat.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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Overall Rating: This vessel has a 5 star rating

About the Reviewer:

Age:

30 - 49

Cruise Experience:

First cruise

Traveler Type:

Couple

Ship Review by Pu-ji from Slovakia

Sailing date: Apr 2007

Ship Details:

Entertainment & Activities

Read this user's port of call reviews:

Bridgetown, Barbados; St. George's, Bermuda; St. John, U.S.V.I.; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.

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Ports of Call:

Bridgetown, Barbados

St. George's, Bermuda

St. John, U.S.V.I.

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.

2 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

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Overall Rating: This vessel has a 5 star rating

About the Reviewer:

Age:

50 - 65

Cruise Experience:

First cruise

Traveler Type:

Couple

Ship Review by Glenn from Avon, CT

Sailing date: Dec 2006

Pros:

Clean, well maintained. Very friendly staff.

Ship Details:

Entertainment & Activities

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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