Norwegian Dawn Review
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This was our fifth NCL cruise and the first time not in the 3 bedroom Haven. We had a group of 14 family members cruising together. Check in was great and our 2 bedroom cabin was what we had expected. Everything was very clean and cabin steward was good and very attentive. We also had the connecting cabin as our daughter and husband and their 1 year old shared that while we had the 11 year old with us.
Biggest issue on the ship came with a couple of the specialty restaurants, I felt that they were not prepared for dealing with a one year old and kept trying to squeeze us out of the space we had reserved. Teppanyaki was awful and wanted us to squeeze together to allow a group of five to join us. NO!!!!!! And then when I told them of my allergy they assigned it to a man at another table who kept wondering what they were talking about. Our chef was good and food good but the kids meals didn't arrive until after we were done eating?!?!? Next night at Italian restaurant was even worse. They tried seating us outside the restauarant and we said we would like to be inside. That seemed to irritate the maitre de who simply stood and stared at us constantly during our dinner. Three of us had not so great food and they didn't even care.....wanted us rushed and out of there and we were so glad to go! From there we went to guest services to discuss the last two nights and had a long talk with our concierge who called in the restaurant manager for the ship. I said if they did not want children in those restaurants then they need to say that because we were eating every night in one and the kids were coming with us. By the way they are very well behaved children who sit in their seats and don't cry or yell. Long story short the rest of our dining was very enjoyable and our group was welcomed. It could have ruined our cruise but we didn't allow it too and enjoyed the week.
The biggest thing I would like to share is that the four grandchildren LOVED LOVED LOVED the kids club and activities. I am platinum on Disney and yet these kids loved this ship more then any Disney cruise. The counselors were constantly interacting with the kids which doesn't happen on Disney. Disney has all the new games and computers and such but they don't play with the kids like they did on NCL. My grandson who is 11 literally cried the last night! He made so many good friends and is already in touch with them.
Cabin Review
Family Penthouse with Large Balcony
Good location and loved adding the cabin next to us to connect making it a three bedroom. Plenty of storage and closet and having the second bathroom was a huge help when everyone was trying to get ready for things. Would definitely do this two bedroom configuration again on future cruises. The second bedroom is small but just make sure the cabin steward puts the lower bed up every day to the couch so kids can sit and watch TV easier. It is a very private place for the kiddos!
Port Reviews
Harvest Caye
We had a cabana and it was the most wonderful experience ever. It was air conditioned which was great for the baby since it was 101 that day. It also had its own bathroom complete with a shower. Private beach area was beautiful and had life guards. Sand is a bit hard on the feet with shells but very clean and pretty. Swimming pool is huge and a great option as well as the splash are for the younger kids. Loved the shopping area and the food although you pay for it was excellent. Some of the family did the zip line and they thought it ws pretty cool to zip out over the ocean at one point. Lots of activities to choose from but we opted to stick around the cabana for most of the day. Loved this new Island!
New Orleans
New Orleans is not a place I love but glad we all spent a day there. Went down to French Quarter in the morning before it got crazy and then over to the WWII museum. Because of the rain and weekend it was very crowded but a very interesting museum and a good place for all to visit.