Our trip to Bermuda on NCL Dawn was great fun, with friendly staff, a child-friendly atmosphere, and enough activities to keep everyone (mom, grandmother, and two kids ages 9 & 11) entertained. Food was very good (although not exceptional), evening shows (magic show, Bollywood) were terrific, and other activities (crafts, scavenger hunts, cupcake-decorating, trivia and other game-show like activities) were good diversions while at sea. This was not a luxury experience but good value and a good cross-section of experiences for a multi-generational cruise experience.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Food is good and plentiful. It's clear, however, that the pay-a-charge restaraunts are where the cruise lines make their money, as the menu selections didn't vary very much during the week. Buffet was good but often crowded.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Excellent shows, good activities, lots of variety.
Children's Programs
5 out of 5
We tried the kids-club and some of the kid activities, which were great.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Fantastic room steward (Jennifer, on floor 10), but overall we received better service on another cruise line, particularly as pertains to my mother's needs in a wheelchair.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Ship was very clean. Elevators were continually crowded - a huge problem for us given that my mother was in a wheelchair. Ship is accessible, but we received much more help on another criuiseline, where staff constantly stepped in to assist me in pushing my mother's wheelchair -not so much on this NCL cruise, where staff were friendly but didn't go out of their way to assist. When disembarking on a steep gangway, we asked for assistance, and a staff person abandoned my mother in her wheelchair halfway down the multi-level ramp, without explanation.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We had one handicapped-accessible balcony stateroom and one inside cabin. Both were spotlessly clean and our room steward was terrific. Surprisingly, though, the accessible balcony cabin had a column in the middle of it, which meant maneuvering around it could be tricky. And the little ramp provided for the balcony wax far too steep to be helpful. I was surprised that the balcony isn't truly handicapped-accessible in a room categogorized as such. Bathroom was spacious and closet space was plentiful.
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