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Family friendly. by
Nicole from Queens, New York Sailing date: Jul 2007Pros: It is a beautful and big ship. I feel like no matter what your age, you can always find something great to do on the Dawn. The staff was friendly. The ship was beautiful. However, I did go on the same cruise ship 3 years ago and I do feel like it was better the first time around. I loved the fact that the staff was very multi-cultural then. The ship was cleaner in general and the food selection was better as well. All in all, I had a great experience and I will cruise again. Dining/FoodThe food was delicious but I felt that the buffet area should not close! I feel like I ate pizza and hamburgers on a daily basis for lunch and dinner at the buffet. It took me 4 days to get a reservation because the Impression Resturant was always booked. Finally, I asked someone why it is always booked at 12 noon and she said that I need to come back at 7:30 IN THE MORNING, which I did. However, I do not feel that I should have to wake up at this time during my vacation!!!!
Stateroom QualityWonderful room and great staff!
Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & ActivitiesActivities: The cruise director was wonderful! He always attended all the onboard activities and made it very fun!!
Entertainment: WONDERFUL! Children's Programs
 
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Nassau, BahamasThe resort was beautiful!
The resort itself was beautiful, but I do not think I will return to Nassau anymore.
Great Stirrup Cay (Cruiseline Private Island), BahamasI loved it!
I spend a great day at the beach! This is my second time on the island and I would love to go back a third time!
King's Wharf, BermudaBest day is Bermuda!
This was the best excursion that I have ever been on!
Don't Miss: Crystal Caves and take a tour around Bermuda! 22 out of 25 people found this review helpful.
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  Worst cruise so far by
Leonid K. from Fair Lawn, NJ Sailing date: Jun 2010Pros: Bermuda Cons: Penny-saving policies of the NCL That was our 4th cruise and first one with NCL.
Based on our excitement of previous trips our friends had decided to celebrate their 20th anniversary at the Norwegian Dawn.
Unfortunately, after this trip I am not sure if our friends are going to cruise again - so many disappointments we had experienced. Most of the things we got frustrated with must be NCL policies compared to other cruise lines we'd been to.
I will try to describe them below.
1) Rooms.
Our party included me, my wife, our 20 years daughter and 10-years old son. We had outside cabin with large window. The room was very small.
There were 2 single beds on the sides and one folding out bunk bed. The bed for the fourth person was set between two single beds making one 3-people surface. Pretty awkward setup when you have 20-years old daughter in your party.
Our friends' room was one with the balcony. It was so small even for 3 people. When their beds were prepared for sleep there was almost no way to get to the balcony.
2) Restaurants.
There were 2 restaurants (large Venetian and smaller Aqua) and 2 cafes included in price of the cruise.
On the first day of the cruise it took us 3 hours to dine (including an hour of waiting in line). When we complained, we were told that it's "free style cruising" and therefore to avoid lines we have dine at "unpopular" times.
At the same time there were 7 or 8 restaurants with cover charge (usually from $15 to $25 per person) which were promoted by NCL staff at every corner of the ship. Most of those restaurants stayed completely empty for the duration of our trip. Imagine how much precious ship space those useless restaurants took
2) Food.
Cafes
Food quality was OK. But variety of food was very mediocre. Exact same menu every day within seven days is not what we expected for. By some strange reason Ice cream had to be given out by the cruise staff member and that always caused lines.
The only drinks included all the time - tea and coffee. No soda for free whatsoever. Free juices only included at breakfast.
Glass cover above the food counter was set out so far, that it was extremely inconvenient to get any food located far from the edge of the counter.
Restaurants.
Food quality was OK. Service was on a slow side. Taste wise the food was very mediocre, absolutely nothing to be excited about.
3) Duty free shop takes a hefty part of the ship. Never seen it's been that big on other ships.
4) Pool - extremely small for 2000 guests. Never enough lounge chairs. $25 deposit to get a towel by the pool. Jacuzzis were always full and no staff managed rotation of people in there.
5) NCL collects $12 per person per day as a service charge. For our party it was $350 for the duration of the cruise - pretty good tips in my opinion.
But getting food to the room, for example, was not free. Waiters on the ship sell drinks so aggressively that for 10 minutes of sitting with a bottle of beer I was asked by about 10 of them if I want more. Nobody seemed to manage them.
6) No ESPN and therefore no World Cup 2010 coverage huge disappointment. Sports bar had only ESPN2 channel showing college baseball or something similar. The bar was empty for 7 days.
7) Personnel on the ship was friendly, but pretty unsmiling. There was no atmosphere of celebration which I always felt on my previous trips.
I will not going to cruise with NCL again. Ship QualityMoving around the ship is not very convenient. Pool area is extremely small and always overcrowded. Dining/Food2 included restaurants against 8 you have to pay for. Stateroom QualityExtremely small room. Very inconvenient setup for 4 people. Ship Staff QualityVery good people, but very unsmiling. No "going above at beyond" at all. Entertainment & Activities
23 out of 28 people found this review helpful.
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Freestyle or Pay to Eat??? by
Rich B from New Jersey Sailing date: May 2009Pros: Ship was beautful & the Staff was great Cons: Paying to eat I have been on 5 previous cruises this one being the first on NCL. They have two main "free resturants" in quotes because I paid for my cruise which included food. The other five resturants you have to pay for. The two main resturants have the same menu every night with the exception of the chefs special which changes daily. I have a family of four and found it terrible that I had to pay $15.00 per person $60.00 total to eat at the Bamboo which is Asian. I could have had that at home for the same price. The steak house is $25.00 a head and if you want to order a "Chefs Special there is an additional cost of another $25.00. The itailian is $10.00 per person. I will never cruise or recommend NCL. Instead of Freestyle is should be called pay to eat. Ship Quality
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21 out of 26 people found this review helpful.
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the PERFECT cruise by
Ray from New York, NY Sailing date: Dec 2008Pros: Freestyle Cruising, the Ocean Balcony Room, the Amazing Staff, the Food! Cons: we could have skipped Samana, but the other ports were lovely! also I wish there had been soda machines available to us at no charge We loved the ship. It was beautiful, well laid out, very clean and tidy, and had a vast array of activities and locations. There was lots to do, great food to enjoy, and Norwegian made my parents 30th anniversary absolutely perfect. Also the painless Freestyle Disembarkation was AMAZING! We were off the ship and to our car in only 15 minutes and we could bring our luggage with us and leave whenever we wanted to. Ship QualityShip was very well laid out. We loved the different restaurants and how most of them were connected to the piano lounge. When we had drinks there, I felt like I was at an extremely classy establishment. The ship was kept very clean. I would recommend staying somewhere midship because it was easier to use the mid staircase and that way you could access everything easily. And if you can go to the spa, definitely take advantage of that day pass cause the spa is what you need at the end of a long day of exploring. The view from the spa toward the back of the boat was incredible. Dining/FoodFood was great! There was this snapper dish that rocked my socks off. We had our fair share of waiters and they were all very friendly and accommodating. There were a few that rocked our socks off and we were sure to make sure that didn't go unnoticed by management. I highly recommend the teppanaki room! The Land N Sea combo was just SO delicious. Stateroom QualityThe Ocean Balcony Room on the 10th floor MADE our trip. It was awesome to open our room and hear the sounds of the ocean and feel the breeze whenever we wanted. We HIGHLY recommend taking a room on the left side of the ship because the views were breathtaking. We even saw a sunset on our last day at Great Stirrup Cay from our room. The interior rooms were also great but I would recommend spending the extra money and springing for that balcony room Ship Staff QualityThe amazing staff and crew also made our trip memorable. They are a friendly, extremely hard working group of people! Entertainment & ActivitiesWe enjoyed the Jean & Ryan company the most. The bollywood show was fantastic and all the flying tricks were unbelievable. I can't believe they did all that on a rocking boat!
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Road Town, Tortola, B.V.I.Take the $20 north shore tour of the island because it was WORTH it! it's not a NCL tour excursion but when you get off the boat, there's these open aired taxis that will take you around Tortola. The tour lasted almost 3-4 hours and it was well worth it.
Cayo Levantado (Samana), Dominican RepublicIt wasn't the best port to explore right off the ship. I would recommend using this port for an excursion. We were constantly bombarded by people trying to sell us sea shells.
Great Stirrup Cay (Cruiseline Private Island), BahamasFantastic private island! Get on the first tender boat so you can run and get one of the blue laying out chairs.
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.We ferried to Trunk Bay on St. John and WOW what a beautiful beach that was!
13 out of 14 people found this review helpful.
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Just a so-so cruise by
Aaron C from Long Island, NY Sailing date: Oct 2008Pros: Entertainment and the idea of Freestyle Cruising Cons: Poor service, cold food, the realities of Freestyle Cruising The Norwegian Dawn is a nice ship and has great activities and entertainment but poor food, poor service, and just inconsistent service made this vacation less than stellar. Ship Quality
Dining/FoodCold food at the breakfast buffet multiple times, 30 minute wait on breakfast in the restaurant because I ordered an omelet?? Don't even get me started on the chocoholic buffet: Nightmare! All deserts on this cruise were sub-par at best. Stateroom Quality
Ship Staff QualityRude waitstaff in 24-hour dining. We were practically forgotten one night at dinner in a restaurant. Entertainment & ActivitiesGreat magician, seminars and comedy troupe!
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King's Wharf, BermudaOne word describes Bermuda: EXPENSIVE!! Everything is triple the price there. Even a simple lunch for two will run you $50 easily. A must-do is the Dockyard Segway tour. Good places to eat are the Frog & Onion Pub and Swizzle Inn. Crystal Caves look cool but we didn't get there in time to make a tour.
Don't Miss: Dockyard Segway Tour 17 out of 23 people found this review helpful.
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Happy Cruising by
Seth from Washington, DC area Sailing date: Mar 2009Pros: Clean, neat, well planned, well organized, continuously courteous, excellent shows and entertainers Cons: cover charge on "specialty" restaurants; $12/day service charge; wasted day at Semana, Dominican Republic This was a relaxing and comfortable experience with each person wanting to make our cruise an enjoyable one. Despite the cruise director's repeated hype (that's his job), we found many and varied things to do that produced a full week's pleasure. The ship is gorgeous and well run. Ship Quality
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Road Town, Tortola, B.V.I.Took a tour of the island and the botanical gardens. Nice; very friendly and humorous guide.
Don't Miss: Views from higher up the mountains. Cayo Levantado (Samana), Dominican RepublicNot worth the $50/person at all. A bus ride through poverty, a stop at a cheap gift shop, and an hour in a town that did not seem to want us there. The whale museum is one whale's skeleton and some posters. Really was a wasted day.
Don't Miss: None. Miss them all. Great Stirrup Cay (Cruiseline Private Island), BahamasSuperb swimming beach, even with over 1000 others there.
Don't Miss: Sunbathing and swimming. Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.St. Thomas is the opposite of Samana: rich in fine shops, good eateries, and ambiance. There were several tours offered, and ours included Megan's Bay for swimming and tanning.
Don't Miss: The main shopping area in town (not dockside). Probably others, too, but we could not do all the tours. 11 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
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Thank you for everything! by
Michelle D. from Marquette, MI Sailing date: Jan 2009Pros: 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 Quality
Dining/FoodI highly recommend dining in the specialty restaurants. Stateroom Quality
Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & ActivitiesSome of the bands were only okay.
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Road Town, Tortola, B.V.I.
Cayo Levantado (Samana), Dominican RepublicDon'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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AWSOME CRUISE by
Suzanne Z. from New York City Sailing date: Jun 2009Pros: The beautiful ship, the restaurants & the kid friendly environment Cons: Not docking in Hamilton The ship was beautiful, the staff was wonderful, the rooms were roomy and clean and the kids center and pool were wonderful. There was something for everyone of all ages. The only downfall was not docking in Hamilton, thereby having to either take a bus or ferry anywhere you want to go. Otherwise - a wonderful trip - I would highly recommend it. Ship Quality
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15 out of 20 people found this review helpful.
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Good, but not great by
Travelling Large from Las Vegas, NV Sailing date: Jan 2009Pros: The service was excellent Cons: The stateroom was small The ship itself was beautiful on the inside, always clean and polished. The service was excellent - I have no complaints there! And the entertainment was fun. But the ship's layout was confusing, the stateroom bathroom was really quite small, and the "freestyle dining" definitely isn't free. Ship QualityThe layout was confusing - navigating from our aft stateroom to some places located forward required getting off on deck seven, crossing from aft to forward, and riding another elevator down. Also, we frequently had to walk though restaurants to get to another location on the ship. Not the best layout. Dining/FoodOne of the reasons we chose this cruise was for its dining options. We've cruised before and found the rigid dining times often meant we missed dinner. So, when we saw that we had a variety of restaurants available and no set time to go, we were excited. When we got on board and saw that all of the restaurants we wanted to go to charged some sort of cover we were a little surprised - nothing we read in the cruise literature before boarding indicated that these restaurants charged. We went anyway and the food was generally excellent. The teppenyaki was a fun show with excellent food, the steakhouse was absolutely divine, and the Mexican restaurant, Salsa, was delicious. The Italian restaurant, Impressions, was okay, but nothing to rave about. However, each of those restaurants charged a cover - between $10 and $25 per person. It's worth it, but be prepared to pay for it. As for the rest - bar food and buffet food - good, but nothing to write home about. Stateroom QualityWe had a balcony stateroom. The balcony was wonderful - room for two to sit and watch the sea. The rest of the room left something to be desired. The bed was literally two twin beds pushed together, which by the end of the night had separated and left both of us with aching backs. There literally was not room for more than one of us to move anywhere at the same time - one of us had to be seated or laying in bed for the other to go anywhere. The bathroom, though was the worst. The toilet portion of the bathroom was partitioned off from the rest of the bathroom area with glass doors. That partition made it very difficult for us to use the bathroom in our stateroom - it was difficult to use the facilities and clean up afterward. It was bad enough that we made a point during our cruise to use the bathrooms around the ship and avoided using our own. Ship Staff QualityThe staff was excellent overall. They were attentive without hovering, pleasant, and thorough. There were a couple of exceptions, but they were all the more notable because the service was so good overall. Entertainment & ActivitiesThe ship offered different entertainment every night, and sometimes two different shows each night. It felt like there was something for everyone every night. We only saw one show - Second City - but it was excellent. The balcony area where we were seated had only a mildly obstructed view of the stage, but we didn't miss a thing and the sound quality was excellent.
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Road Town, Tortola, B.V.I.Tortola is a cross between Samana and St. Thomas - rustic without locals out to rip you off any way they can. The shopping was more craft-based, which was also enjoyable.
Cayo Levantado (Samana), Dominican RepublicAs the port guide said - the Dominican Republic is a third world country. Very little shopping, very few excursions, and the locals will rip you off if you go with them for a tour or a ride.
Don't Miss: The ship. Stay on board. Great Stirrup Cay (Cruiseline Private Island), BahamasWe ended up being redirected from Great Stirrup Cay to Nassau. Nassau was another fun port with lots to see and do, great shopping, and friendly locals. Another place I'd like to go back to.
Don't Miss: Atlantis Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.St. Thomas is for shopping and it was wonderful. All the shops you could hope for, friendly locals, lots of places to go visit. I'm planning to go back just to visit St. Thomas.
Don't Miss: The shopping! 14 out of 18 people found this review helpful.
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Great 7 day get away by
A Traveler from NYC Sailing date: Oct 2008Pros: No cooking, no cleaning,just reading and relaxing all the time Cons: For the time spent in the room there were not enough TV movie selections The service and friendliness of the staff is remarkable. the Dawn is a very clean ship with good sized outside rooms ....inside rooms looked quite small. The major dining room was quite large and the buffet rooms were very impressive.
I do think however , that charging for plain lattes was crude as is charging for soda, when tea, coffee, and jiuces are all for the taking.
great entertainment although the showroom does not appear to be large enough...it was always hard to find a seat unless you went 15 minutes before time.
The pool is also quite small...cannot imagine when it is hot out how it would be able to accomdate all the guests. Ship QualityPublic restrooms were all in perfect condition. Dining/Foodfreestyle was fine for 2 people but larger groups were having to wait in order to get a table. Of course in the cover charge restaurants there was no wait and there was a huge difference in the cut and tenderness of steaks and prime rib in those . Stateroom QualityBalcony rooms are small but very well laid out. Ship Staff QualityFriendly, always looking to help you out or just chat with you Entertainment & ActivitiesVery good magician and a great comedian.
The variety shows were excellent,dancers and singer fantastic.
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King's Wharf, BermudaJust okay...one excursion , trolly car, waste of time.
But the local bus from town to port was a great ride cause the passenger next to me, a local Bermudian, gave me a running commentary on all we passed and it only cost me $4.00
8 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
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