Norwegian Dawn Review

4.0 / 5.0
3,018 reviews

Embarkation and debarkation nightmare!!

Review for the Caribbean Cruise on Norwegian Dawn
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clxpert
10+ Cruises • Age 60s

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Additional details

Sail Date: Feb 2018
Cabin: Family Suite
Traveled with children

I booked this cruise because Tampa is half the driving distance when compared to driving to Miami. I arranged for valet parking (this is a huge plus!!) and knowing we had priority boarding (booked a suite AND platinum plus), I was not concerned with boarding. The line was wrapped around the terminal. I asked about priority boarding and was informed that would not occur until after we passed through security. So, we went to the end of the line. It took almost 2 hours to board the ship. I have NEVER had this kind of wait - whether priority or not! Disembarkation was similar. I will drive the 9 hours to Miami. The chaos and length of time spent waiting to board the Dawn is a deal breaker for me. It is no way to begin a vacation.

We had a family suite (no balcony). The description of this suite said the bed could be separated into two twin beds - this is not so. There is a king bed that cannot be separated! I was traveling with a friend and my granddaughter. We worked it out but the staff was shocked when I showed them the description of the room on the NCL website. They told me I was the first to point this out. The room was lovely and spacious. The bathroom was great and easily accommodated 3 gals and all of our 'girly' stuff. The butler was not attentive in any way. He brought an afternoon snack daily and other than that, not much else. We did have breakfast in the room one morning and he brought room service on the last day. The butler service I have experienced aboard other ships was by far superior to the Dawn. The other ships butlers called to remind us of dinner reservations, helped with suitcases (without being asked)- putting them away and taking them into the hallway for departure, made sure to touch base every day at least twice to see if all was well. This butler did not seem to go out off his way to have any contact with us. I had the feeling that he avoided contact - perhaps he had too many rooms to attend to??

My granddaughter was looking forward to the teen club. We went to sign her up on the first night and that was a chore! Once we were able to get into the Entourage club (doors were locked because of the high winds), there was no one there to sign her up. After waiting for about 15 minutes in an empty room, we wandered into the child care area. There was no one at the desk, but we continued into the area and found the crew in a room in back, signing children up. We asked about the teens and the staff signed my granddaughter in for the teen club. It seems that several other teens did not sign up because they had no idea how to do so (they went and the room was empty). By day 4, the teens had found each other and finally, were able to gather together in Entourage. This was very disappointing and did not seem to be a priority for the crew. On a previous cruise (The Breakaway), the teen club was the highlight for my granddaughter's cruise. She was so looking forward to this same experience. The crew needs to understand that on a smaller ship, it is even more important to get these teens 'hooked-up'.

Cabin Review

Family Suite

Cabin SJ

This suite had a king size bed (very comfortable), a couch bed, and a murphy double bed that pulls out from the wall. The huge floor to ceiling windows are cloudy and steamed up, so the view is not great. It was impossible to take pictures of the outside view through these windows. They need to be replaced. The bathroom is amazing! It has a double sink with lots of counter space. There is a full size bathtub and a separate shower, The room has lots of storage and closet space. The closets are too narrow for the hanging clothes to hang 'straight' - the hangers are too long for the closet. No big deal, unless you have lots of hanging clothes.

I would choose this room again but would insist on a balcony because of the 'steamy' windows.

Port Reviews

Harvest Caye

NCL has done a wonderful job with the development of this island. The pool is amazing. The shopping area is quaint and well thought out. This is a day in the sun with about every water activity one could desire. There are beach umbrellas and chairs for free. One can rent shade shells as well as cabanas for sun protection. The island was clean and tidy.

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