Norwegian Dawn Review

Wonderful Week on NCL Dawn 1/31/09 to 2/7/09

Review for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Norwegian Dawn
User Avatar
sassycruiser
First Time Cruiser • Age 20s

Rating by category

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

Additional details

Sail Date: Jan 2009
Cabin: Aft-Facing Balcony

Background This was our 13th cruise - 10 with NCL, 2 with Celebrity, 1 with Carnival. We are in our mid 40s and were traveling without any children. Arriving We traveled from Detroit to Fort Lauderdale on Friday night after work. We stayed at the LaQuinta at the Fort Lauderdale airport. Not luxurious but inexpensive and clean. Nice breakfast buffet. We were picked up Saturday morning at the hotel by SAS Transportation. We paid $15.00 per person from the LaQuinta to the Port of Miami. The trip was uneventful and we were dropped off right in front of the terminal. NCL did not have our Latitudes number on our reservation but allowed us to go through the Latitudes line and it was quick and easy. Our room wasn't ready so we had an excellent lunch in the Venetian. Cabin We were in Cabin 10230 a category BA aft on Deck 10. We love Aft cabins! The room was a good size for two people. There was plenty of storage, comfortable bed, and a nice bathroom. The balcony was a good size and had one lounge chair, one upright chair and one small table (end table size). Dining We ate in Venetian, LeBistro, Impressions, Salsa, Teppanyaki, Buffet, Blue Lagoon, Room service, Cagney's. The food in all the specialty restaurants was excellent and well worth the extra charge. Breakfast and lunch in Venetian were good, dinner was awful. Never had any issues with seating or reservations. The trick seems to be to eat between 5:30-6:30 which we prefer. Towels I found NCL's two beach towel policy very aggravating. I don't think I should need to sign for towels in the pool area. Do people really steal those towels? I also found the fact that the room steward only put two very small towels in our room very irritating also. I asked for additional towels - received them one day. Most fine hotels give you at least 4 towels in the bathroom. Do people steal the bath towels also? Room Steward Cleaned but the room was never really clean. Trash was changed, bed made, new towels. But a layer of dust on everything. Ports Samana - such beauty and such poverty. Piles of trash and starving dogs everywhere. Very sad. We did a private tour through Casa Dorado with 3 other couples. Enjoyed the tour but would say that sanitation is not what it is in the US. The outhouses at the beach on the tour were disgusting. The person assigning the chairs was peeing in the bushes not 20 feet from where we were sitting. Also, the recommended restaurant was expensive - $18.00 for 2 pieces of mahi mahi. St. Thomas - We did not do a tour here. We got off and walked around the shops right at the pier and then went back on board. Loved having the pool area and everything to ourselves! Tortola - Did the 4x4 Landrover jeep tour through NCL. Good tour but very crowded. Beach was beautiful. If you go ask Tracey to make you conch fritters. They are $10.00 and delicious. Finished off our visit with a trip to the Spice Shop which had lots of interesting things. Nassau - Not my favorite port. Walked around downtown - bought some souvenirs and got back on board.

Conclusion We had a great trip.

Cabin Review

Aft-Facing Balcony

Cabin B1

Great Balcony, very quiet location. Felt like we didn't receive very good room steward service because we were the "low rent" cabin among all the romance suites.

previous reviewnext review

Find a Norwegian Dawn Cruise from $729

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.