Norwegian Dawn Review

4.0 / 5.0
3,018 reviews

Wonderful way to celebrate - Can't wait to do it again.

Review for Bermuda Cruise on Norwegian Dawn
User Avatar
macmi01
2-5 Cruises • Age 60s

Rating by category

Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service
Cabin

Additional details

Sail Date: Oct 2014

We enjoyed this cruise a great deal. It was my second, my husbands first, and we were celebrating a 20th anniversary. We live somewhat local to Boston so we took public transport right to the cruise line, which eliminated the need for parking and hotel. We found the embarkation process to be quick and painless. We stood in a long line to check our bags,(have your bag tip ready and showing so your suitcase doesn't make its way to the bottom of the pile) but found it moved quickly, and we were soon on our way. Our passports were checked, and we made our way up to security where we quickly learned "knitting sticks" were ok, but my husbands utility knife was most definitely not. It was taken from him, and returned the last night of the cruise when we presented our tag at the customer service desk. We then filled out papers swearing we did not have Ebola, and made our way to counter where we provided credit card information, got our room keys, and some additional cruise information. The process was again, quick and painless, and everyone we encountered was pleasant. (including the confiscating screener). We stopped for a quick pic, and then moved up the gangplank. As we boarded, we were greeted warmly by the cruise staff. We presented our electronic keys for boarding, and experienced the first of many sanitizer spritzs. We went right to our room and found it already made up quite nicely with congratulatory gifts, and welcome notes awaiting us. Being right off the Stardust theater and the casino initially made us nervous as it was already smoky and somewhat noisy. The corridor doors we stuck open, even though they had signs indicating they shouldn't be so we called for help, and went off to explore. When we returned the doors were still stuck open, and now we were really worried because the noise and smoke had greatly increased. Luckily some maintenance staff was nearby and they closed the doors for us, which instantly eliminated the noise and smoke for the rest of the cruise. Our bags arrived very late that evening, so future note to self, bring the bathing suit in your carry on. I knew this, but I guess it didn't really register until too late.

We found the restaurants to be quite nice, whether paid or complimentary. Service was in general lovely, the food was good,the atmosphere pleasant, and the staff kind and attentive. We in particular noticed that one of the senior staff members was omnipresent. First thing that morning she had been overseeing the breakfast buffet,then later in the day she was serving drinks at the main poolside bar, even later that evening she was assisting in the dining room, She was just everywhere, always smiling, and she seemed to very much care for her staff. We saw this repeatedly in the coming days, to the point we stopped her to comment on our observations. She was so appreciative and gracious, she even took the time to send a treat to our room as a thank you. We were very impressed with the restaurant and buffet food service staff. The only place we just did not enjoy was the Blue lagoon. Service and food quality was lacking here and I don't believe we will go that route again. I suspect this restaurant also services room service requests.Service to the room was very, very slow, and not to order. For example, we ordered hot dogs and got relish and onions, but no ketchup or mustard. Other items ordered weren't what were expecting either so we decided to forgo that option for the remainder of the cruise.

We loved the entertainment. The shows were so much fun, and we felt the talent was quite good. We loved all the oldie but goody songs, and the dancing. Clearly a lot of work and rehearsal goes into these productions. We also thought the cruise director was amazing. He was funny, warm, and very good at keeping things moving along. He also, never seemed to stop, moving from one activity to another in quick succession, yet he never made anyone feel rushed or unwelcome. We want a "Dingo Dave" on every cruise. The newly wed game was an absolute blast! I've not laughed that hard in a long time!

Cabin Review

Cabin 01

We really liked this room and would in fact be tempted to reserve it again. The four rooms in this off the beaten path location are right off the Stardust theater, and right outside the casino. We were a bit skeptical about this assignment but actually found this location to be central to the restaurants, and to the main common areas. We were instantly worried about the noise factor, but found as long as the corridor doors remained closed, the casino noise,(and smoke) and activity from the theater didn't bother us at all. We hung a magnetic whiteboard on our door mentioning that we were celebrating a 20th anniversary and got a kick out of the responses (and pictures) from our neighbors. The room was quite comfortable, bright, and cheerful. We didn't see too much of our steward, likely because there were so few rooms in this area, but things were generally kept up day to day so we knew he'd been by. Showers were nice and hot at anytime of the day. We did have an issue with the toilet flushing but maintenance came quickly when we reported it, and we learned to expect a "delayed" flush from that point on.

1 Helpful Vote
previous reviewnext review

Find a Norwegian Dawn Cruise from $739

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.