Norwegian Dawn Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We took some notes during our most recent cruise on the Norwegian Dawn. I’ve tried to organize them into some kind of order that makes sense.
Please keep in mind our personality while reading this review: mid-40’s, husband & wife. Low-Maintenance & not very social by nature. We try to avoid conflict when possible. We’re from the midwest, so give us a chicken breast, steak, and/or potato, and we’re good. No fancy meals really required. My occupation deals a lot with process improvement, so I always see things differently.
Keep in mind that everyone has different preferences. For example, I’ve read reviews where people complained that they didn’t make enough announcements over the PA system. I personally LIKE cruise directors who are constantly in my ear! So, here it goes...
Cabin Review
Mid-Ship Mini-Suite with Balcony
Pay attention to articles that talk about which cruise cabins to avoid. On the Dawn, it’s 100% true that rooms below the Garden Cafe (the buffet) are noisy. You hear every chair that is pulled out or pushed in at a table. And every cart that crosses the floor. There are maybe 5 hours a day you do not hear this. TIP FOR NCL: Have you thought about some kind of felt pad or glider on the chair legs????
Also, beware of the upgrade! If you have a balcony, I highly suggest NOT upgrading to a mini-suite. The only difference is a bath tub that is too narrow for most people to even sit in. And you don’t have as much vertical room until your hands hit the ceiling. And the kicker for it is the mini suites are on deck 11 — one floor below the Garden Cafe. Our “upgrade” from a balcony to mini-suite was a failed exercise. Looking back on it, I should never have done it. And to think I actually PAID for what turned out to be a downgrade!!!
The Guest Services staff TRULY TRIED to be helpful, but ultimately failed. They offered to secure us a 2nd room for sleeping purposes. Leaving out some detail, it took 2 days for this to happen, and only then did they get us a room on Deck 5 (6 decks below our main room) and that room was below one of the dining rooms on Deck 6. We declined the extra room, shoved some free ear plugs in our ears and muddled through the noise. This will likely be my last attempt at an upgrade. If you’re a planner like we are, stick to your plan!
Port Reviews
Aruba
This was our 2nd time in Aruba, the first time without an excursion. We walked around a bit, but found the small shops too small to even feel comfortable in. We plan on exploring resort options in Aruba. If we visit Aruba again on a cruise, we will likely explore excursion options once again.
Curacao
This was our second visit to Curacao, the first without an excursion. Willemstad is like many other cities. There's good areas and poor areas. We just walked around this time; took a trip over the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge to the Punda side of the city. It was like most Caribbean cities and was quite pleasant. Our only complaint was that the shops not associated with the cruise line didn't open until 10:00, even though we were there much earlier. Had to "kill some time" until everything actually opened.
Barbados
Barbados is very busy if there are multiple ships in port. Catching the $2 taxi ride to Bridgetown was hectic. Once in Bridgetown, we walked around. Bridgetown is a "busy" capital city. Lots of traffic. Lots of taxis. Shops were unremarkable. A driver offered to take us on a tour of the island, but we declined and didn't even ask how much it was. We wonder what it would have been like. Perhaps we will do an excursion if we visit Barbados again.