Norwegian Dawn Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We are seasoned cruisers and like to travel with family and friends.. We chose the Dawn for 2 reasons; 1-We were on her last May and loved everything about the ship and 2: our foster daughter and her partner had never taken a cruise exceeding 7 days. They were anxious to try a longer cruise and one not a Jewel class. Not that they do not enjoy Jewel class ships, they just wanted something different. It was a good choice for the 4 of us. We cruised the Dawn many years ago and think it has improved with the dry dock last year.
Though sailing out of San Juan can be a hassle, it is always fun to spend a night there prior to sailing. Our travel agent found the hotel, Villa Herenica, for us. It is a quaint B&B near Old San Juan. Built in the 1600s with much of the old charm, it is not for everyone, but we would stay there again in a heart beat. The staff was friendly and helpful, the place was clean and the breakfast choices the best we have had at other B&Bs. I will only add, the rooms were very small but worked out fine for 2 people. The "girls" were already there and had their own room.
Our taxi ride was longer from the airport because of rush-hour traffic. After visiting with the girls for awhile, we decided to order a pizza and have a quick bite to eat before heading for bed. The B&B offers a huge dining room that guests can use when ordering food from local restaurants. When breakfast was over the next morning, we were off to the pier to board the ship. Then the wait begins. It took us awhile to get into the terminal but, with wheelchair assistance, we were whisked right though. Before we knew it, we were sitting in O'Sheehan's ordering an adult beverage and lunch.
Cabin Review
Oceanview Porthole Window
Though we thought we would be disappointed in the cabin because we almost always choose balcony or certainly full view ocean view, it ended up being just what we needed. We were on the deck with the gangway so it was easy to get on and off the ship, we were just a few cabins from the elevators, thus not a lot of long walking and we were just below the showroom and casino. Because the ship isn't all that large the walk to the atrium and some of the restaurants wasn't bad either. Our favorite hang out was Gatsby's and it too, was not long walk. I will say the cabin was a little on the small side but there was plenty of storage space which was helpful.
Port Reviews
San Juan
Though we did not do a tour, we did do a lot of walking around and were very impressed with the island and how, at least the tourist section has been cleaned up since the hurricane in 2017. The people were friendly for the most part and the food we ordered very reasonable compared to some islands.