Norwegian Dawn Review

Freestyle Freedom Dawns on Us

Review for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Norwegian Dawn
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morecruise4me
First Time Cruiser • Age 60s

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Additional details

Sail Date: Apr 2009
Cabin: Mid-Ship Inside

This was our first NCL cruise. Our 4th overall. We have sailed on Royal Caribbean and Carnival previously and so comparisons will be made to service, etc. We traveled with another couple, all of us late 40's to early 50's.

We booked this cruise through our travel agent. We also booked transport from the airport to the cruise port through the cruise line. We left Pittsburgh around 10:30 am and arrived in FLL around 3pm on Friday, April 17. We called the hotel and they sent their free shuttle over to pick us up in about 10 minutes. We stayed at La Quinta Inns and Suites in Hollywood. The building is beautiful and well appointed. We liked the courtyard with water views and a nice pool area. Check in was quick and easy. Our room was large as was the bathroom. However, we immediately noticed that it didn't look as clean as it could have been. We had booked a non-smoking king, and there was a large cigar butt easily visible on the floor under the coffee table. When something that obvious gets left, you wonder what little things didn't get done. We walked to dinner at the Red Lobster. There are several restaurants and a shopping area all within about a half mile walk. We saw a K-mart, Lowes, drug store, among other shops. We were in bed early as we were tired from the traveling. Got up the next morning for showers and discovered there were no bath towels. My husband went down to the front desk and retrieved some towels. After showers we went down to breakfast which is more than a continental but less than a buffet. Their web site lists items that were missing and there was only one type of fruit available. The waffle station was, of course, backed up. We had bagels and coffee and waited to catch our transport to the cruise port. The shuttle leaves on the hour so we caught the 10am to the airport for our transport to the cruise. Transport was fast and easy. There was someone from each cruise line waiting inside the departures area of the airport. The driver knew where to take us. We found the NCL rep and got our stickers and were out the door by 10:30. Strangely, we dropped our luggage in a Budget rent a truck on the way to the bus instead of putting it under the bus (it all made it to us eventually). Comfy bus, long trip. They are doing construction on I-95 and close a portion of it to all traffic on the weekends. Instead of the normal 30 min. drive, it took us about an hour to get to the Miami cruise terminal.

Embarkation: the fastest and smoothest I have ever experienced (except when I had a suite). We did not wait in line for more than a few seconds at a time. We carried one of our wheeled bags on board along with our backpack and duffel. The staff was friendly and helpful and we were on the ship before we knew what happened! We did come to one long line right before boarding. This line is for a photo op before boarding. You do not have to stand in this line if you do not want a "welcome aboard" picture taken. Bypass this line and go aboard. You are required to fill out a form before boarding stating that you have not been sick with any gastrointestinal symptoms within the last 48 hours.

Cabin Review

Mid-Ship Inside

Cabin IB

Next to crew space. No medicine cabinet to store toiletries. Good lighting and lay out. Larger bathroom w/shower doors, not curtain! TV small. Centrally located in ship for easy access to stairs/elevators/dining.

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