Norwegian Dawn Review

4.0 / 5.0
3,028 reviews

Norwegian Dawn - Bahamas

Review for the Bahamas Cruise on Norwegian Dawn
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Hornet84
First Time Cruiser • Age 50s

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Sail Date: Jun 2007
Cabin: Mid-Ship Mini-Suite with Balcony
Traveled with children

Background - My wife and I are in our forties and we take two cruises per year, one with the kids and one without. This cruise was with the kids. Our kids are nine and three. This was our ninth cruise and first on Norwegian Cruise Line. We chose this cruise for it's value, itinerary and embarkation port as it is close to home. No need to travel by air to get to the ship. We love cruising and have been regular cruisers since 2004. We had heard mixed reviews of this ship from friends and read the reviews on cruise critic before we booked it. Our expectations were for the kids to have fun and for the food to be adequate.

Embarkation - New York's Manhattan Ship Terminal is usually a tough place to embark. You usually run into alot of traffic getting into New York City via the Lincoln Tunnel and again on 12th Ave. trying to make a left turn onto the pier. The Norwegian Dawn was berthed at pier 92. We got lucky as there were only two ships in port that day instead of the full compliment of five. The Norwegian Spirit was the other ship at the terminal. We left our house outside of Trenton, NJ at 12:30pm on Saturday June 23rd and did not encounter any traffic getting to the pier. We made the drive in 1 1/2 hours and got to the pier in front of the ship at 2pm. We dropped our bags with the porter and parked the car and got in line for registration at 2:15pm. That is where the delay began. We had booked a mini-suite and were supposed to get priority check in. For some strange reason, the VIP check in closed early and we were directed to the general registration line by the cruise line staff. We waited in line for 1 1/2 hours and we did not board the ship until 4pm, which was when the ship was supposed to leave. Since we were not the last ones in line, the ship left about an hour late. I was expecting to be offered a welcome aboard photo, which we usually decline, but they had closed up shop early too. Very strange. Upon getting onto the ship, we were directed to our stateroom on deck 11 and told to get our life jackets and get down to the muster station immediately as the captain had not delayed the drill. We got to the room, got the life jackets and went to the muster station on deck 7. We were then told the kids needed children's life jackets and I had to explain several times that we just got on board and had no time to ask for them. We got some later in the day. After the drill ended we headed back to the room and our bags had been delivered. That was a pleasant surprise. It is always a good idea to tip your porters at the pier in New York well ($3 to $5 per bag). If you don't your bags may not make it on the ship. Overall, I have had worse embarkations.

Itinerary - The itinerary was ideal for kids. One day at sea before Nassau, then to the private island (Great Stirrup Cay) the next day, then a day at sea, then Kings Wharf Bermuda, then a day at sea, then back to New York. The kids loved the beaches in the Bahamas and loved the aquarium in Bermuda. Overall, we were very satisfied with the itinerary. It is a good one if you are travelling with kids. We did not take any shore excursions, which was a first for us. All we wanted was a beach and a pool. We hit the public beach on Paradise Island next to Atlantis on our first stop and then to the beach at the private island for snorkeling. We did not hit the beach in Bermuda as the kids were burned out on beaches after the first two stops. One quick tip is that the ship charges $89.00 per adult and $69.00 per child for the aquarium and caves tour on Bermuda. We did it on our own for just over $100.00 and that included a $58.00 lunch. The ship tour had no food offered. Getting around Bermuda by water ferry and pink bus is quite inexpensive.

Cabin Review

Mid-Ship Mini-Suite with Balcony

Cabin MA
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