I live in New York and like sailing from here. The Dawn was the ship I took my first cruise more than ten years ago. I know that it was renovated and it looked beautiful. Embarkation went smoothly because my sister who traveled with me needed wheel chair assistance which we received shortly after arriving at the pier. We were immediatley taken to security and on the ship. That was excellent service. We had to wait a little while for our room to be ready, however a delicious buffet lunch was waiting for us. W had a balcony room with a pull out bed. Even though it was three of us in the room we were comfortable. Our cabin stewart gave us excellent service. Overall the food was good the only critizen was at breakfast the bacon everyday was over or under cooked presented in a big ball which was hard to pull apart. The overall cruise was excellent Read Less

I've been on 4 cruises all with Norwegian. The Dawn was not what I expected compared to the Gem and Breakaway. The couch in our room was stained. The little touches like towel animals didnt happen even after we asked for them. Everything was so crowded an tight. Never a table for meal times in the buffet. The employees at the restaurant wouldn't give us the empty table to accommodate our family of 11. We were told we had to sit separate even though we could see the available big table. We finally won that fight and ended up with the best waitress who remembered us all by name. On the other side the entertainment was great. The cruise director and his team are amazing. The woman in the jewelry story needs a raise. She has the best personality. No complaints about the food itself. But the drinks are on the weak side. We love to take pictures but they are pricey and the packages are not worth it. To sum it up its time to try another company. Read Less

Sunsush. Head mixologist , kesar bartender , saber bartender, jimmy waiter, wayouin bartender/Waiter Karina wine steward. Were the best servers ... They are five star Employees and Norwegian is very luck to have such amazing people working for them... they made our trip memorable and I can’t say enough about their talent , compassion and sense of humor. The food was amazing ... the restaurants were on time together and made your experience special ... we had a girls week ..6 of us had many laughs with crew members...The spa was great and the service was always with a smile. We all had a lot of fun and can’t wait to do it again . My husband and I are going to book for next year. I couldn’t be happier or ask for anything more ...all our needs were taken care of. There were days when the waiters would just come and give you a cold water because it was so hot and they wanted you to be hydrated. Amazing time Laura Read Less

It was a last min cruise and I figured give Norwegian a try. I have cruised with another carrier many times and loved it. Had high hopes for this one. I was very disappointed. Most of the crew was unfriendly, kind of walked around like robots. The food was the worst part of the trip by far. The ships lay out is strange but since its an older smaller ship I guess that's how they built them then. Our room was good, the ship is clean. Our excursions were pretty good but no real order when time to disembark. They had us waiting in a construction zone in the Bahamas. A literal construction zone where they moved the fences for us to stand among reinforcing bar, bricks and holes. I have to say anything to do with the entertainment staff was great! I do not think I will cruise with them again, maybe if I got an incredible price and it was a much newer ship I may give a second chance other than that I wont. Read Less

We have cruised over 20 times. This was our first time on Norwegian. Very disappointed with the service in the dining rooms, it took over 2 1/2 hours for dinner service. Only one glass of wine and iced tea all dinner. The waiter never came back for another round of drinks, and we had the drink package. Food in the Garden Cafe was warm at best. The waffles were hard and cold, the scrambled eggs were hard and dry. Not a very appetizing presentation. The floors were almost always wet. The tendering operation at Great Sturrip Cay was a joke. We had to get tickets an hour before departing, then they called all the groups at the same time anyway. No impressed with Free Style Cruising at all very sloppy dressed people at dinner. Entertainment was good. Cabin Stewart was very good. We most likely will not be cruising with Norwegian again. Read Less

We had an amazing time on this cruise, my ultimate favorite part was the entertainment staff and Richard our cruise director, I swear he's the happiest man on earth lol, also Comedian Landry was another fav! from the service to entertainment everything was top notch! There were lots of activities also too much to do even lol something else I found unique is the way norwegian treats their employees I feel like they really respect them and celebrate their work big or small and that's refreshing also they didn't allow any guests to mistreat their staff either! I love that as it should be! I would have gave 5 stars but I wasn't crazy about the food, I was hoping for more seafood choices, but overall excellent vacation and would definitely travel norwegian again, thank you all for the memories, we will all treasure our first cruise experience for a lifetime ❤️ Read Less

This was our first cruise decided on Norwegian for the free at sea promotion. The staff was so attentive and fun in particular the wait/bar staff. Feel like we made friends actually kind of miss some of them! They were personable remembered our names and drink preferences I was really impressed. The only negative I can think of is the food options being a vegetarian I thought the options were pretty limited. We did eat at Cagneys which was really good. The main dining rooms were good. O’sheehans was our favorite the staff was fun and added to the whole vacation feel. The decor onboard was dated but the cleanliness made up for this. The cruise director, Richard was engaging and had more energy than just about anyone I’ve ever seen! There were so many options of things to do you could make your cruise exactly what you want it to be. Entertainment was great. Read Less

Been on Norwegian many times and most of them were nice.However, I think NCL needs to make some changes so everyone can enjoy the ship more.The pool was too deep for us to swim in,why cant they make one end of the pool about 4 1/2 to 5 ft instead of 5"7" to over 6 ft deep. We tried to go in and then had so much trouble using the ladders to get out, it was horrible. On other ships you just go down a few steps and your in or out.Older people or people who are disabled cant even enjoy the pool because of this.Also they took away smoking on one side of pool deck so now you have to either climb all those steps to Bimini Bar or freeze to .death in the Cigar Lounge.Why is it so cold almost everywhere on the ship?We were freezing most of the time!! The buffet wasn't the greatest, but Cagney's was great.I have to say though the staff onboard was most helpful. Been on 13 cruises with them but dont think I would go with them again.oo many changes all the time ' Read Less

Staffs are not well trained. They give you a poker face. Since the tips are prepared, I feel that they don't have any incentive to provide good service. The show is not bad, but that's the only entertainment on the cruise. They try to organize many "Activities", but none is well organized, and the staff in charge himself doesn't understand the rule. The specialty dining and the buffet are okay, but all complimentary main dining rooms are horrible. The food quality is significantly lower than the specialty dining, which means Norwegian has the ability of providing good food but they just don't, and want to earn more money on you. The design of the ship looks a bit old, but pretty acceptable since they have renewed it. About the company Norwegian, my impression is that they try their best to earn more money from you, by organizing activities like arts auction, liquor sales, casino activites, and lots of add-on services. They are not trying to provide the best service they can, but trying the best to steal the money from you. Read Less

It was great that we departed from NYC, where we lived. The disembarking went smoothly and the view of the city from the ship was great. The crew gave us a great first time experience. We booked the meal package and it was well worth it. The dinning crew were very professional and friendly. The food was excellent. The buffet and complementary food was good as well. My wife and 18 year old daughter loved the SPA. My workout was going up and down the stairs throughout the trip:)!. The Housekeeping crew ensure that the cabin was clean and very friendly. The entrainment was excellent with a cruise director that never went to sleep. He started every morning with dance lessons, made announcements, hosted the various shows throughout the day and the shows and parties every night. We loved Richard and his crew. The ports and shore excursions were the best! Read Less

My wife and I chose the 8-day to the Bahamas with a stop at Port Canaveral to relax, and spend a short time visiting Disney's Epcot. This cruise included a lot of (relaxing) at-sea time and was relatively inexpensive conpared to other itineraries. The ship was nice and clean, the staff was extremely friendly and fairly competent but only a few crew members seemed to do anything more than they had to. Some were clearly not properly trained or prepared for their roles. The cruise director (Richard) was exceptional and seemingly everywhere but he was the exception to the rule. Food handlers seemed unsure of how to handle special requests, our art "teacher" did not know the english words for all of the colors of paint and could not help with artistic questions, and the staff at Mondavi's wine bar were not at all knowledgeable about wine. One cabin steward did not know the word "tissue" although a quick mime solved the problem. They were ALL very nice, just not always trained to do their jobs and handle requests. We did not choose the dining package in an attenpt to save money. The food at both free, main dining rooms (The Venetian and Aqua) was good to very good, but nothing we would say was delicious. Portions were very small but you could order multiple choices. Some better-than-average-dishes included Chicken Pho soup, scallops, seafood with orzo, and salmon. Service here too was friendly, but they forgot a few orders, had gtoi be asked multiple times to refill water glasses, and rarely offered refills on drinks. The buffet was good with many choices but again, nothing we felt was outstanding. There are multiple buffet lines and we didn't realize until after the first few days that they often offer different items. There is no direction or signage or :"themed" areas that would have helped us find things we were interested in. We stood on each (4) lines looking for our best choices. Nothing at the buffet was bad or inedible but nothing was outstanding. There were many "international" choices we enjoyed, with various Indian and Asian dishes available. Staff was friendly but again, did not handle special requests well (can I add spinach to the omlette please? was a problem that required 3 crew members to resolve). We felt the shows were good but nothing on par with cruises on other lines, although this ship was smaller than those we had been on, which may limit the performances. Comedian wasn't particulalrly funny and "blockbuster" show, "Elements" was not that impressive. Our excursion to Disney (through NCL) went well, trip was a little more than an hour each was by air conditioned motor coach. We had only 4-5 hours at Disney but we knew that when we planned the trip. Los Lobos- the only specialty dining we paid for, was delicious! Service was great. We enjoyed table-side made quacamole and chips, fish tacos, salsa, and steak. O"Sheehan's- With a large bar and practically 24-hour service, this became our "go-to" for a drink or snack. Wings were good, sandwiches and fries were good. This choice is included in the cruise and is not an extra charge. "Great Stirrup Cay" waa clean and well stocked with food and drink. There is no pier large enough to accomodate the ships so small boat "tenders" that carry 100-150 people shuttle guests back and forth to the island. The ride is nice (only 6-8 minutes) but the waiting process to get on at each end can take 10-45 minutes depending on how many people want to travel at the same time you do. There is no food or water avilable in the waiting areas or on the tenders. If everyone wants to leave the island at once (late in the dayor rainstorm), the 2-3 tenders could take more than an hour and a alf to get everyone back to the ship. RCL has a nearby private isalnd too (within view) and they have a pier. We did have one actual complaint. There is open smoking allowed in some areas (that's fine" but some are not enclosed. We could avoid areas like oudoor smoking areas an casino, but the area around "Gatsby's Bar" in between the cigar lounge and LeBistro was always smoke-filled and it wafted to the open areas above. You get what you pay for. We wanted a relatively inexpensive and relaxing vacatation with good food and fridendly service and we did get all that....just not much more. Read Less

We love sailing on Norwegian. The flexibility really works for us. The food is great, the activities and entertainment are fun. Everyone was friendly. I found some great places to relax and read whether I wanted sun or shade. It was exciting to sail out of NYC and still be in the US for our first port day. Had an excellent time in Port Canaveral. Our cabin was quiet when we wanted to sleep. It was also clean and roomy enough for two. Our steward kept it clean and well stocked all week. The restaurants had delicious food. We never waited for a table. We talked with some nice couples who were seated near us. The hostess gave us window seats when they were available. There are so many specialty restaurants to choose from. Any appetite would be happy with the choices. We are already looking for a Norwegian cruise for next summer. Read Less

My review - NCL Dawn This is my 10th NCL Cruise and my 1st on the Dawn. I've been on the Gem and the Breakaway and was very very happy. Also - the last 4 cruises I have been in the Haven. So I definitely have an expectation for a level of service - and have always thought that NCL was a *bit* better than others. it's a good mix of 'mr. sexy legs' and 'quiet reading on the deck'. We got to the dock and have always left from NYC/NJ. I also continue on NCL because I am Platinum. When I got to the dock - no one seemed to know what to tell me. We were discouraged by two folks to not go to the VIP/Platinum line. I finally asked where to go, the lady rolled her eyes at me and said - ok - over there. Hmmm. I also want to mention that this was after my friend (who has MS) would have had a very difficult time waiting on the 1 hour line for security and then 1 hour to get checked-in. He asked if he could use the handicapped line (which he has plenty of documentation) and she again rolled her eyes. She said, “you can’t use this line without a wheel chair”. (Lots of folks have disabilities that don’t require a wheelchair). So we asked for a wheel chair. “Well… we don’t have them (they do).” The entire process seemed very uninformed and unprofessional. The check-in was flawless and was on the ship about 30 minutes later. We arrived around 11:30 am so getting on the ship around noon/12:15 is pretty good for me. I try my best to avoid the buffet usually - but especially on embarkation day. As I had read in other reviews - the main dining room is open - but many MANY NCL crew members try to steer you away and towards the buffet. I'm glad I knew better. It was quiet start to the cruise. Always start your cruise with a rebellious fish (or two or three). Ship: The ship shows its age - but the crew does an excellent job on keeping her VERY clean and sparkling. Once in a while I found an 'out of order' sign - to be expected - but it was always cleared up the very next day. I found the ship very familiar experience to the Gem which I found very comforting. I loved the Breakaway (and will take the Escape in October) - but it's so very large. This size of ship - to me - is perfect. Not too big - not too small. Cabin: The first one or the second one? :-) Here is my story - I booked a balcony state room - and was offered an upgrade. I did this once before and got a Haven Spa Suite - so cool. So we bid on the upgrade and hoped for the best we could get. They did upgrade us - from a balcony to a mini-suite. YES! oh no! The older ships the better rooms are on higher up decks. That means the mini-suites are DIRECTLY UNDER THE POOL DECK. But I roll with the punches - it's going to be a great curise!! I love crusing! Nope - first night - they were moving deck chairs - and when I say moving - I mean DRAGGING - the deck chairs at midnight - then at 1:30 am - then at 2:30 am - then again at 5:30 am. Now the Dawn is an older ship, as I said - and they don't have a huge pool - they have many more deck chairs on multiple stepped levels - all facing the pool. That's important. So - it was a restless night - no amount of extra rebellious fishes could have solved this problem. Long story short - AVOID the rooms under the pool deck if noise bothers you. I've heard - the rooms under the buffet are worse. But then - during the day? Anytime there is something going on the pool deck (read: pool party) then you hear the sound in your room. I like a nap after time in the sun - but there are generally lots of music happening all day - and then a break for dinner - and then again until about 10/10:30 pm. It was so loud - we really would strain to hear a conversation on our balcony over the loud music on the pool deck. My advice - for the bit of extra room - and extra $$ - stick to the balcony rooms on older ships like the dawn. It's just not worth the extra aggravation. Bright lining - after my cabin mate - complained (not really the right word :-) they *found* me a new room. Still a mini-suite, but just about 5 rooms from the end of the ship (next to the spa). Now - if you really want a mini-suite, that's the best location. Plus - I always get the spa pass - very easy access to spa - main dining room, etc... a great room. My advice: pay VERY close attention to what is above you and below you. And if you are 50/50 on getting the room - be conservative - and careful. It wasn't an upgrade at all. Original room: 11072 . New Room: 11676 Dining: We at at 3 specially restaurants and the Aqua Restaurant. Moderno: Churrascaria. I have to admit that I'm very spoiled living in NYC with GREAT steak places and churrascaria places. They have one of the BEST salad bar I've had. They tell you not to fill up on salad - go for it. The meat - was tough - overcooked - and over-salted. We all made sure we took our BP medication that night. Cagneys: Steakhouse. Here is where we diverged. I had a T-bone and so did my friend. I loved mine - his was VERY tough. But it's a great stop. Le Bistro: French - the best meal of the cruise. The mushroom soup is a NEVER miss item. We had many many drinks and entrees and the service was impeccable. We had our other meals in the Aqua - because you can wear shorts - and it's the same menu as the Main Dining Room. The food was hit-or-miss. I had some spectacular meals (the lamb shank for instance) and had some lack-luster meals. Overall a solid B+/A- My advice - don't be afraid to order more than one thing - and ask for another if you really enjoyed the dish. And if you don't like something - get something else. They will bring you as much and whatever you wish. Don't be timid. Entertainment and Activities: We did a few of the shows. I know they vary by weeks - the performance shows - the Showdown American Idol type of show was blah (remember I live 20 minutes from Broadway) but entertaining enough. The Elements show was quite good. I always like the comedians. Other than that - it was OK. But by idea of a good time is drinks by the pool all day. I don't cruise for the shows. Service: This is where the cruise was hit or miss. One thing I really like - and please don't think I'm petty - but I like a pitcher of water in my room to drink in the evening. It was everyone else's problem - no one could find one and deliver one. I was always told - you can call this one or call that one. Plus - we wanted to re-arrange reservations for the specialty restaurants - and we had the concierge to help us. After leaving a message for two days - I was told (lectured really) that I should call sooner because he can't make changes last minute. And then kept going. I hung up. Ports and Shore excursions: Again to be fair - my cruise mantra is - I pay all this money to get on the ship, why would I pay again to get off the ship?!? The one thing I want to everyone be careful about - in Florida - there were a few other ships in dock - and we got the LAST parking spot. This meant that it was a 15-20 minute walk to the place where you can meet your shore excursion transportation. It was HOT and HUMID and I would have not appreciated that walk... but again - I didn't get off the ship. Plus - remember in Florida - you get in at 1 pm and must be back on the ship at 8:30 pm. The only way I get off the ship is to do Disney. That's not that long in the park - especially when it's super busy in the summer. Overall - it was a fun vacation - lots of great drinks and good food and had a blast. I love to cruise - but some things could have been better. Oh - and I always get the Thermal Spa week pass - what a great value. A few days I was the only person in the spa!!! I swear the pool is bigger than the deck pool - and it's sans kids!! A great value! Read Less

This was my 6th cruise... 4 on Norwegian, 1 on Royal Caribbean and 1 on Carnival. NCL remains my top choice and its not even close. The dining is tremendous, however you MUST have a specialty dining package. NCL offers so many promotional upgrades there is really no reason why not to have it. We ate at Moderno, Cagney's, La Cucina, and Los Lobos. All were fantastic, with Cagney's being as good as any steakhouse on land. We were in a balcony room and it was as good as any stateroom on any other boat. Not a ton of storage and a small bathroom but that is life on a cruise ship. Our steward was not great, but not bad and really did not diminish the trip or add to it in any way and mainly stayed out of our way which was fine. The entertainment was unreal. The comedian Troy Thirdgill was as funny as any comedian I have ever seen, never mind for a cruise. The dancers and singers were fantastic and we often went to their other performances elsewhere on the ship. The magician was okay, not great. The acrobatic performance was amazing also. This was my 3rd time doing the florida and bahamas itinerary and it is starting to get old. The Florida stop is a waste. Coco Beach is no nicer than the Jersey Shore and the prices are through the roof for anything there since it is the only beach to access from Port Canaveral and they know it. Nassau was beautiful and we went to Balmoral Island for the first time this year. Got us away from the riff raff of the island on other beaches while offering far lower prices than Atlantis. Its rained some on the private island but we made the most of it and the sun came out in the afternoon. The island there is beautiful. The ship itself felt old. There were not many places to "hang out" outside of a small Gatsby's bar on floor 6 where there was often a below average pianist playing. Could use another place outside of that or the nightclub to have a drink. Could also add more to the pool area but that is just my taste. Read Less

First time cruising since childhood, and just like in the early 90s, I was with my parents. We live in Manhattan so it was beyond easy to get to the Dawn. We boarded around 12:30 and since my parents were already onboard a lovely check-in attendant skipped us ahead in the line and saved us what was probably an hour of waiting. Which turned out to be a theme: the gracious, genuine, cheerful staff. I thought the service rivaled and surpassed some of the best hotels I’ve stayed at anywhere. SHIP Not a cruise expert but I enjoyed the ship. Most of it looks pretty modern with a few exceptions. The Venetian restaurant, which is quite grand, also seems to have missed the renovation — except for some “classic” Venetian artwork which has bizarre blocks of color painted over it, in my guess, an attempt to modernize without spending. But most of the venues are pretty nice with that cruise-bling-flair. I agree with some others that they layout can be confusing. The pool deck is a lot of fun (though pool itself seemed small to me) and the gym is big with good equipment. CLEANLINESS The housekeeping is amazing. The room was cleaned twice a day (scrubbed!) and the public areas were spotless. Minor requests handled immediately. Lovely team. ENTERTAINMENT Not really my jam but we were never bored and enjoyed using the app to find things to do. We saw the Elements show which was impressive. The trivia stuff was fun. FOOD & DRINK Great! I was really so surprised. I actually liked the included dining (Venetian, Aqua, and Garden buffet) better than the specialty (pay up) options. Los Lobos was just okay. Italian was just okay. Churrascaria was impressive. French was pretty good. The Premium Beverage Package was awesome. All top shelf liquor and drinks included. There is another level above that which I think might include Starbucks but we absolutely didn’t need anything more than PBP. EXCURSIONS Now here is where I’m going to be a little critical. Kennedy Space Center was fine and I thought we had enough time there. Great Stirrup Cay turned out to be a bit of a bust because it was hot and rainy. The tendering process was stressful in getting on and off the small boat due to choppy water. Literally caught a woman who almost took a major fall boarding. We found out while on the boat over that our first activity (waverunner) was canceled from another guest. Would have been good if an announcement was made prior. Hung around the island for several hours having drinks which was actually really fun waiting for the second activity (swim with pigs) which was then canceled about 5 minutes prior to starting due to weather. We were refunded the same day for both as a ship credit. Nassau, we just did it all wrong. I had been to Nassau many years ago and remembered it to be a little edgy but interesting. We decided to explore on our own (DON’T) and it’s now a total tourist trap where you are bombarded with people trying to sell you on tours, taxis, insanely repetitive souvenirs. We finally wandered to the National Art Museum which was charming. If given a do-over, I would have either done an organized Atlantis excursion or just stayed on the ship. Frankly I enjoyed the at-sea days so much more than the excursions. Not an excursion per se but on an at-sea day we did the behind the scenes tour of the ship and I LOVED that and found it totally worth the money. They limit it to a very small group and it isn’t listed anywhere so book at the excursions desk on the first day before it fills up. The insane cleanliness of the food prep areas only made me want to eat more! STAFF Five stars for the staff all around. They were just wonderful. OTHER I agree there is a lot of selling going on. Activities that are at an extra charge. Spa treatments with a heavy handed attempt to hawk products. It could be toned down (a lot). VALUE We took advantage of all of the included food, drinks, activities and I thought for a seven day vacation it was a tremendous value and a lot of fun. I would do it again. And will repeat myself here: the staff is great all around. Read Less

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Convenient, reputable and reasonably priced. NCL for the most part delivered on our expectations with only a couple of exceptions. Pools were too small and the adult pool was 5.5 to 6.5 feet which made casual relaxation uncomfortable. We stayed in the over crowded kids pool which was ignored by NCL with no life guard or presence. Most of the NCL staff was pleasant and accommodating however the guest services could use a refresher course on service (there were two individuals who saved the day but unfortunately I can’t remember their names). The entertainment was average with the exception of the finale (Earth) The food was plentiful, chose the dining rooms Venetian and Acqua to make it easier to serve our group of 8 (4 adults and 4 children ages 1 to 9). Getting tables in the main dining area Garden Cafe during the prime time was difficult. La Cucina and Cagney were excellent restaurants as well as Tappneki? The hibachi restaurant. The shore excursions met our expectations. We would highly recommend getting a cabana on Grand Cae. Overall a good experience Read Less

We've sailed on many cruises and we've had rooms all over a variety of different ships. Our room on this ship was 8661 that was directly over the Bliss Lounge, which is really the only place for nighttime entertainment on this small boat. Needless to say our room was SO LOUD until 2 am every. single. night. I could sing every single word of every song that the band or dj was playing because the music was SO LOUD and the walls were so thin. We are a younger family with two kids (8 & 11) so we were back in the room by midnight each night and we all struggled to sleep. Unless you plan to close the club down every single night and you won't hear the noise because you'll be out anyway, DO NOT BOOK THE AFT ROOMS ON DECK 8! As far as the ship itself, we were disappointed. We have sailed on a smaller ship with Norwegian (the Gem) that we absolutely LOVED and we thought this experience would be similar. Unfortunately, it was not. There was one pool for everyone on the ship and it was TINY. You had really only two dining options for free food and the rest was for pay and very expensive for our party of 11. The Gem was also a smaller boat but had a bunch of other free options so we had a nice variety. The public areas on the dawn were also very limited space-wise so there was less variety of things to do than other ships we've sailed on. I would cruise with norwegian again but definitely not on this ship. Read Less

Love NCL, always cruise them, never cruised any other Love the freestyle , played back atmosphere. Love the ship, homey feeling, service was awesome, our room steward Francis was the best. The dining package was worth every penny. Have another cruise booked for 2021 and will possibly will do the New England cruise in 2020. The entertainment was great, the seats in everything theater on every ship are very uncomfortable. But still love the shows. Hid dyxjs for the first time also found ducks for the first time . It was fun Our steward made towel animals for us and my room was decorated for my 60th birthday The pool was awesome, we had no trouble getting chairs. They did not put them out until 8am so plenty of time to eat and then go to the pool. The game shows were fun, played Bingo once and Deal or Bo Deal everytime. Read Less

This cruise and this ship were, all-around, an excellent experience. Friendly and helpful crew, top notch entertainment, excellent food and food venues!! Smaller ship with many passengers so it was full of energy and crowded at times,but, never-the- less, a relaxing vacation where you could set your own pace and schedule. Beautiful decor throughout the ship, easy to access all areas and easy to learn the lay-out in a very short time. Specialty restaurants were wonderful with masterfully prepared food that was just the right size portion. We can say enough to praise the pastry chefs on this ship. Every day different creations were delicious, as were all entrees. The view of the sunsets and sunrises from our cabin balcony was breathtaking at time. Organization of debarkation for Castaway Cay was poorly done with poor oversight in the lobby area (Atrium) so confusion reigned! However, this is the only negative I can say about this cruise. For the first time cruisers that we were, it introduced us in a wonderful manner to cruising....we will most probably return in the future! Read Less

This was our 5th time on the same cruise, which we love because of the convenience of leaving from NYC and not having to fly to get to the departure port. Boarding was an absolute breeze and we were on board by 11:30am. The mini suite we were in was fine, and we selected it because it was on the 11th floor, just 3 doors from the Thermal Spa, which we had purchased the week long pass. The dinners in the Venetian Main Dining room were fabulous, with great selections every night. We also did 3 nights in the specialty restaurants (Moderno, Cagney's and Le Bistro), which were also wonderful, with great service and selections. Lunch was generally at the buffet, which was adequate, but better than the main dining room which had the same menu every day for lunch. Breakfasts at the Venetian were outstanding, but the service for breakfast was generally slow and it took a long time, which was ok most mornings as we were in no rush. Entertainment was generally good. The aerialists and the magician were exceptional, but the singers and the comic were just ok. We did the therapy spa package for the week, which was nice, but there were several times we had to complain to the front desk that people in the spa were obnoxiously load and there were no signs that it was supposed to be a "quiet" zone. Spa staff apologized to us but I don't think they did anything about it. The spa on the Gem was much nicer with a much better use of space. First day of cruise was fine, but on the 2nd day I began having heart palpitations, which was not something new for me, but they usually end quickly within a few minutes. This time they lasted for over 24 hours, so on Monday 7/22 when we were due to dock in Cape Canaveral, I finally broke down and went to the medical center on board. After the doctor did an EKG he determined I had Atrial Fibrulation (AFib), but within 1/2 hour of my arrival in the medical center the palpitations ended and my EKG was normal. The doctor demanded that I remain in the treatment room and they connected me to an IV glucose drip and did a lot of blood work, chest xray etc. My partner and I were both asking how long I would need to stay there and the doctor pulled my partner aside and told him he didn't understand the magnitude of the situation. The doctor then informed my partner that he needed to go pack all of our bags and collect our passports because we were to be evacuated from the ship by ambulance to the nearest ER as soon as we arrived in Port Canaveral. We both questioned the need for such extreme measures, but the doctor on the ship was determined that we were to leave the ship and would not be returning for the remainder of the cruise. Having no other recourse, my partner packed all of our bags and got our passports and the ambulance came to the port and loaded me up. As the EMTs were taking me off the boat on the stretcher, we were stopped at the gangway by NCL staff who had to swipe our cruise cards. They came up to me on the stretched and told me I had a credit on my account and needed to take care of it before I could leave the ship. The charges thus far for the medical care I received on board were $3800 and they wanted there money immediately! For at least 5 minutes, while I was supposedly in such great need of immediate medical attention, the EMTs were not allowed to remove me from the ship until NCL was certain they would get paid. They already had my credit card account set up at the time we checked in on 7/20, so the charges were already on my credit card. We also found out the there was a mandatory $800/person fee required to end the cruise early, regardless of the reason or circumstances, which NCL already charged on my partner's charge card, prior to our leaving the ship. They finally let the EMTs remove me and take me to the Cocoa Beach Hospital ER. The service at the ER was superb and I was taken in and seen by a doctor within 10 minutes of my arrival. after being there about 4 hours, and after several more EKGs, bloodwork and another chest xray, the doctor came in again and basically questioned why I was even there. We explained everything to him, and ultimately he gave me 2 prescription for my newly diagnosed AFib and released me. I told him the doctor on the ship specifically stated that he would NOT allow us back on board without a written medical clearance from a doctor at the hospital. The ER doctor wrote me a note of clearance to travel, and we were on our way in time to get back to the ship by around 6;30p. The ship set sail at 8p and passengers had to be on board an hour early, so we just made it in time. This whole day in Cape Canaveral was supposed to have been a pleasant day with our family who were driving up from Ft Lauderdale (4hrs each way) to meet us and then go with us to Kennedy Space Center. They ended up spending the day with us in the ER and then driving us back and forth from our ship and to 2 area pharmacies for my prescriptions. My real issue was that the physician on the ship couldn't wait to get me off the ship and remove any liability they might have for my health etc. If it truly was such an emergency then how can they possibly explain why we were literally held on board the ship and the EMTs were not allowed to remove me by stretcher until they had my account settled? The ER staff ultimately determined that my medical condition was not urgent enough to terminate my cruise, so thankfully we were allowed to return to our ship and they did remove the fee of $800/person for early termination of our cruise. NCL needs to seriously look at their policies in terms of both customer service and their medical policies. I would advise anyone who books a cruise on any cruise line to strongly consider buying the trip/medical insurance policies. They would cover the $800 per person fees for ending your cruise early and they would also cover many of the emergency expenses. We will never travel again without trip insurance. I truly hope this helps someone avoid going through what we went through.... Read Less

Advertisement was for low price and dining and drink packages that’s not what we received It was ok, overall some of the staff were very nice but some were Cranky and inconsistent. Everyone seemed very confused and not on the same page, ie. disembarked for the Private island was chaotic The room #11097 sheets were never changed They charged my daughter $4 for a bandaid. I was told I couldn’t bring dessert back to my room for an ill guest in my cabin- but then I saw passengers with covered plates being taken out of the Aqua restaurant. Overall the waiters on the top deck taking drink orders were great, but the staff in the buffet and mAin dining areas were grouchy Also, the pool had way too many kids in it- like under 3. Many days the pool was Closed due to children defecting and vomiting- on a very hot day to close the only pool for hours was insane. There is a kids pool, a nice one at that. Read Less

Omg the 1st time I ever went on a cruise and it was amazing the cruise director was amazing my housekeeper was Amazing as well the boat was fun and exciting and the ports was easy to get off and on. I love trying new experience and I'm glad I did it with norwegian. Already set my 2nd cruise. The entertainment was amazing as well. The bingo was good too a lil expensive but it was fun. I enjoyed everything on this ship and I recommend this to anyone trying to experience their 1st time cruise. It's the best and I was a judge for the sexy man legs. It was super fun. The director kept us busy at all times. The magic show was a plus. My family and I truly enjoyed the private island that we ported at. The water was blue and the sand was white. U could swim with the pigs imagine that.the ports was easy to get to. The shopping is amazing but be careful and don't get duped my the locals they are a little dishonest I saw when they was charging people 2 dollars to use the public bathroom and they like to over charge so be careful. Read Less

My family really enjoyed the cruise. The food was delicious, the entertainment was amazing and my kids loved the splash academy! Food comment: We are at the main dining room Venetian and Aqua everyday and most servers were very nice especially we tipped them extra every night. Jonathan Santos and several of females Servers in aqua (from Thailand and Philippines/ forgot their names) were so friendly and attentive to our family and children. The food was amazing and delicious. The only comment I have is on the food at Bamboo was very salty that no one in my family could even eat it. The servers were very friendly though at Bamboo and a manager came to speak to us to see if we wanted something else. Not sure if the chef mistakenly put salt instead of sugar that night as the presentation of the food looked great but was just so salty. Entertainment: the cruise director was amazing ! He was always so friendly and energetic and all his entertainment activities were fun! I don’t know how He had so much energy but he was awesome and entertaining ! He really made the cruise really fun for us and made us feel welcome and he was really funny! The elements show was our favorite. It was amazing and so professional! All the live music was so good too including the crew entertainment show ! Kids club / Splash Academy: this was so great our kids and their cousins wanted to go everyday (multiple times a day too) as all the events were so fun for them (mini olympics, glow party night. Super hero night, pirate themed night etc ..) they loved it and gave us parents a nice break while they were there. We also felt it was a safe and secure environment and all the youth counselors were so nice (my son and nephew was in the age 4-6 group) . Thank you for having this kids club for the kids ! Really made a big difference for parents ! House keeping was also very friendly . I never saw stateroom steward but my parents who was in the room beside me (room 8090) had the nicest and sweetest steward from China. She was so friendly and also so nice to our kids - she was always around in the morning and evening chatting with us and she even gave my kids some really good candy. My parents really liked her too! Thank you :) Stateroom : We will likely book a Norwegian balcony room though as we didn’t know we booked an obstructed window room and both my parents our room basically could see nothing but a lifeboat our our window. It was completely obstructed so definitely not worth paying more for. Just a few improvements suggestions would be in the following areas: - guest services - both myself and my parents had awful experiences with two staff members was helping me and was so rude and not friendly at all. I asked if we could Pay to upgrade a room and she was so rude and said they were full and there is no way I can upgrade . I was very friendly to her and polite but she did not even smile once and was rude. Also my parents was speaking to another gentleman to tell them that luggage staff broke our luggage handle and he was also so rude to my parents and told them they would need to buy a new luggage and pay for it themselves if Norwegian cannot fix the handle. In the end Norwegian indicated they fixed the handle but it actually fell off the 5 mins after we left the ship while we were waiting at customs which Made it very difficult for my parents who were flying back to canada in the airport. While I was waiting in line I observed the other guest services staff team was really nice but the two people we dealt with were terrible and should not be working in guest services if they cannot smile and give professional and good customer service ... Embarkation took forever and the day we had to take the tense to the private island also had significant delays which can be improved on . Overall we had a great cruise experience and will come back on a Norwegian cruise. Thank you to all the crew for making a great vacation for us :) Read Less

We are seasoned NCL cruisers and have been on the Dawn before (most recently in 2013 before her renovation) and I can say that this was one of our favorite cruises ever. From the embarkation process (less than 30 minutes from parking at the pier to waiting to get on the ship) to the last morning the staff went above and beyond to make everyone's vacation great. Bartender at the pool knew our names and drinks after our first order (evern my 3 year old daughter's shirley temple). Pool area was well laid out and even though the pool itself got crowded (we had 7 days of 85 degrees and sunny) there was never an issue finding a seat due to the stadium seating. You could always find a bartender at the pool to take your drink order and there were people cleaning up used plates and cups everywhere. We participated in almost everything the ship had to offer and I enjoyed everything from the buffet (great breakfast) to the specialty restaurants (run don't walk to Los Lobos) as well as Trivia (lots of fun), the pool, the spa (best spa on any NCL ship I have been on), the casino, Deal or No Deal (we actually WON), and the kids club (my 3 year old enjoyed all of the activities). The cabin was quite small even for NCL standards as our balcony felt tight with just 2 of us in it. Our room steward was good and was always around if we needed anything which was nice though. Great Stirrup Cay and Nassau were wonderful ports (we rented a clamshell on GSC and took the Blue Lagoon excursion in Nassau which I highly recommend to anyone who likes the beach). We did not get off in Port Canaveral as we have been there before and didn't love the stop. Glad we decided not to go to the beach as there were shark sightings and no one could go into the water the day we were there. We will be sailing again in the next few months and I would recommenced this ship to anyone looking for good food and lots to do. Read Less