Norwegian Dawn Review

4.0 / 5.0
3,018 reviews

Thanksgiving Anniversary Blast!

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Norwegian Dawn
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hyker1
6-10 Cruises • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Nov 2012
Cabin: Aft-Facing Penthouse with Large Balcony

To honor my In-Laws, my husband and I splurged and gave them a 50th Anniversary Cruise... booking us all in Suites. They had a Family Suite which was recently added to the fore of the boat. It was very nice, with floor to ceiling windows. The bathroom in particular was long and spacious with a separate bath/shower. They had plenty of room, and even though my sister-in-law roomed with them, there was space to spare.

My husband and I had an aft Penthouse, which we've had before. Both of these Penthouses have butler/concierge service, which truly makes a cruise memorable. We also had the privilege of dining at Cagney's (a specialty restaurant) for both lunch/dinner. We sailed on the Pearl this past summer, and I in particular had been very disappointed in the food. However, the Dawn's cuisine was MUCH better, I thought. I'm rather picky when it comes to seafood. There was only one meal I didn't like, and that happened to be at lunch at Cagney's. The Venetian main dining room had delicious fish and shrimp. Two dishes stood out: the Thai chicken and shrimp (absolutely awesome!) and the Norwegian specialty salmon, which is served as an option every night. I got it two nights, it was so excellent! Both times I loved it. We also dined at the Moderno Churriscarria, and it was quite good. Copious amounts of food!

The ship staff was very friendly, I thought. This is our 6th sailing with NCL, and even though this is an older ship, it was spic-n-span and the reviews I've read about the crew seeming "tired" or "weary" didn't necessarily apply. Most of the people we spoke to on board were very positive and good-natured regarding their staff positions. Most seemed to enjoy what they did, despite working such long stints before time-off. I found that impressive.

Cabin Review

Aft-Facing Penthouse with Large Balcony

Cabin SF

Aft-Penthouse: Plenty of storage space, balcony not quite as big as some other NCL Aft Penthouses. Bed was WONDERFUL!!! NCL always has awesome beds! Nice flat-screen TV, excellent room service and butler/concierge/room-steward. Service was tops! Didn't have a hand-held phone for use on-board. After having a suite on the Pearl, that was a disappointment, especially travelling with a large family party. Biggest negative: inadequate lighting in the bathroom. For a Penthouse, I found that disappointing.

Otherwise, we were overall satisfied! Even given an extra bottle of wine... my favorite!

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