Norwegian Dawn

To say we were greatly disappointed is an understatement. This cruise is touted as a fall colors cruise, yet once you leave Quebec, the boat is so far away from shore that nothing is really visable, colorwise. The food throughout the ship was poor, overall. Ate at the buffet the second day, and did not go back - eggs were like those at a Days Inn, and coffee was undrinkable. The coffee throughout the ship was not good. The specialty restaurants were laid out poorly, and had we not had three free meals in same included in our package, I would have said we got gyped. The only stellar entrée was the lamb chops at Cagneys. Other than the Atrium, the public spaces were not public friendly. No place to sit and read where there was an ocean view (so we mostly read in our room). Too small of a space for daily Trivia (Gatsbys). The two saving graces on the ship were the service from our Butler and two bartenders, and the Atrium entertainment, especially Jose and Patti (they were excellent). This ship needs to be relegated to cruising only 4 day booze cruises in the Caribbean.

I am a loyal RCCL cruiser and was hesitant to go on NCL but due to itinerary we chose this ship. We were so glad we did..everything was excellent and the ports were amazing..I would highly recommend this cruise !!

Customer service staff is not helpful. My first tip off should have been when I called Norwegian's customer service before the cruise. I was double checking what my travel agent had told me. I had a late flight into Quebec and I was concerned with getting on board the ship if I missed the first day's boarding time, which I had been told was 11 PM. My travel agent told me if I did miss this time, I could board the next morning after 9AM. The Norwegian agent told me that I should have called them directly because I really did need to get on board the ship that first day and my travel agent should have told me that. I was so appalled that I called back and spoke with another Norwegian agent who said that my travel agent was correct and that I could board the following day in the event I was unable to make it there the first night. (I made it at 11:05 PM and got on the ship – yeah!) Once on board, you will have to figure out for yourself where to find things, what deck to take to disembark and the time to be back on the ship, etc. If you miss the one sentence in the announcement that tells you this, you are out of luck. They also do not respond to complaints. I did so in person and also wrote a complaint to them regarding my sleeping room and the noise. We were awakened every night by the cleaning crew in the restaurant that was directly above our room. This vacuum should have been used during the day when everyone was awake and the restaurant was closed. The Oceanview sleeping room was nice, the 1:00 AM wake up was not. Sydney is a stop that is not worth going to - there is nothing worth seeing, unless you want to take an hour-long trip (one way) and pay far too much money to see Alexander Graham Bell's house. We did not see many leaves turning color and we had assumed we would see them as the ship went along. Not so. You mainly see water only. No land. We did take a few hop off and on tours and did see a few trees with leaves changing color. If you think a tour will be cancelled due to weather, think again! If it is raining cats and dogs and you can't see anything out of your window, you will go anyway so be wary of timing and weather. You also have to go through what they call "customs" on the ship when you enter US water. Basically, everyone on the ship has to walk in a line and show your passport. This was a pretty big fiasco with the ship blocking most elevators to only go to the 7th floor where this was going to be held. We had people in wheel chairs and scooters trying to get to the 12th floor for breakfast. So - they had to go to the 7th floor, and get off, then wait in the very long lines to get back on to go to the 12th floor. It personally took me 40 minutes (and I walked up stairs to the 7th floor) to get from the 5th floor to the 12th floor for my morning coffee. UGH! I will give credit to them for great food, great restaurant service, and good entertainment. If you stay somewhere besides the 5th floor, it might be something you will enjoy. Best Wishes!

It was a relaxing, comfortable time. The cabin was great - no need to upgrade. The food was consistently good, and Patrick our Steward was very kind and attentive. The show Elements was especially entertaining.

It was a very nice cruise for the price we paid. The production number show was spectacular. Our cabin was nicely planned out despite its small size. There was a good variety of food in the dining room nightly.