Norwegian Dawn
by Gsridge
Eastern Caribbean
February 4, 2003
My wife and I booked this ship since we liked the
itinerary, freestyle cruising, and the fact that
the ship is new. We found the boat exquisite in
virtually every way. It seems NCL listened to
passengers comments and incorporated everything in
the new ship. Some specifics:
1. Food - Freestyle dining provides 10 restaurants
to choose from and the settings are beautiful. The
main and largest dining room - The Venetian - is
very tastefully appointed, and our favorite
was "Impressions" - an intimate spot where we were
surrounded by gorgeous reproductions of some of the
masters. Felt like we were in a 5 star restauant
here and in "Le Bistro" (extra charge). Food was
excellent - not the best we've had on a cruise but
very well done and presented. Service a little
slow. We never had a problem eating when we wanted
to - I notce some have complained about waiting but
this didn't happen to us. 4 or 5 restaurants take
reservations.
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2 Accomodations - standard 170 sq ft room was
efficiently designed and met all needs and
expectations. Bathrooms very well designed.
3. Service - Excellent in all respects. Whole staff
seemed to be excited about being on a new ship and
it showed. With freestyle cruising we had a
different waiter each night and all were excellent
4. Entertainment - Loved the main theater - done
with banked true theater style and not a big
lounge - so all seats are excellent and we weren't
hustled for drinks. Dance group passable; but the
highlight was a juggler / comedian - David Lewis -
who was on 2 nights and was fabulous
5. Tours - the usual variety given the Eastern
Caribbean stops. I snorkeled a lot and the 2 main
guides from the ship were excellent. At their
private island on Stirrup Cay, they've built an
artificial reef, so the snorkeling is greatly
improved from our last visit 2 years ago.
6 Other -
even nickel slot machines!! My wife was
thrilled!!.
Good passenger mix - some kids, some
honeymooners, and not overwhelminly seniors (though
I fit that category)
4 elevators at each end and middle - unlike the 3
on most ships - were a small touch but we never
waited for an elevator.
Bars - not big drinkers so can't comment on the
lounge scene.
Ship store (Galleria) overpriced but what else
is new?
Pool - smart idea - shrink size of pool and add
more jacuzzi's, and then also add a tiered sunning
area in levels on top so more people can find a
spot in the sun for days at sea.
Overall this was our best cruise experience from
the perspective of the ship (Alaska was my favorite
by far for setting). Would definitely take this
boat again. Most passengers we talked to were
equally impressed.
Suggestions for NCL:
1. Get rid of the Bamboo restaurant - nobody's
eating there anyway - and upgrade the Italian
restaurant. The Italian is just a walled off part
of the main cafeteria/cafe and we skipped it as it
had no ambiance
2. In the cafe - need to reposition the glasses /
cups first then the ice machine and then the
coffee / water / tea. People climbing over each
other
3. Would love to take this boat in Carribean again
but found that NCL plans to run this out of New
York next winter to Florida. Are they crazy? (I
could picture all those passengers huddled around
the pool in their parkas this past week when the
ship would have left NY in the Blizzard)
