Be careful if booking last minute

Norwegian Dawn Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

magz0404

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 13

Overall rating:

2 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Western Caribbean (New Orleans Roundtrip)

Sail date: March 06, 2016

Ship: Norwegian Dawn

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: 5150

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

This was our first cruise. I've gone back through my paperwork and can't seem to find where I agreed to pay a $13.50 per person per day charge on top of the cruise and all the taxes and fees. For 4 of us on a 7 day cruise, that was a less than pleasant surprise.

We had to tender in Belize, which was a nightmare. We didn't get off the boat until after 10 a.m. and we had already missed our excursion. We were stuck basically shopping and missed seeing the island.

Additionally, we weren't able to dock in Costa Maya. So, we essentially missed half of our trip.

If you've never been on a cruise, be prepared to be nickeled and dimed to death.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Children's Programs

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ports of call

New Orleans, Louisiana

1 out of 5

Cozumel, Mexico

5 out of 5

Coxen Hole, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

5 out of 5

Belize City, Belize

1 out of 5

Didn't get to to anything but shop in the over-priced port.

Thumbs Up 0

Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico

1 out of 5

Didn't get to port.

Thumbs Up 0

13 Comments

Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise.

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Wendy61enseael 8 years ago

esm54687- so the maitre d did mother except MANAGE the restaurant- wow. I bet he just stands around being a snob. If you have ever worked food service, you would know what it takes to make all that look effortless. And if the staff at Splash Academy received part of the daily fees, it wouldn't be fair to people w/o kids that don't use it. And just HOW were you nicked&dimed?

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FryMama 8 years ago

Go to your MYNCL home page and view your vacation summary and it will have a spot that says prepay. Click on it.

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Marksgirl 8 years ago

Sailing April 2017 1st time Norweigen

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Marksgirl 8 years ago

How do u prepay gratuties

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drrick 8 years ago

When you book your cruise you get you gratuities up front that way at the end of your cruise you don't have to worry about them. And if you have good staff you can tip them extra.

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esm54687 8 years ago

I think it would make things easier if NCL published the breakdown of who gets what.... I know Princess will give you the information (for example (not exact numbers) ... cabin steward 40%, maitre d 14%, pool attendant 4%, etc) so we could tip accordingly if we feel someone deserves more or less. Because I don't know the distribution and NCL is already nickel and diming us.... I gave my cabin steward an extra $100 because he was incredible and I didn't trust NCL to take care of him. I would've not tipped the maitre d since they actually did nothing for me except manage the restaurant I ate at. And the poor staff at Splash Academy are not part of the 13.50 and speaking to them..... many many passengers feel they are already paying 13.50 so why tip more or passengers don't realize the staff is not included and these people get screwed and work damn hard. I like the daily service charge because, in theory, it takes care of the people we don't see that are working hard.... buffet waiters, housekeeping, waiters,, assist waiters, etc...... I would like NCL to be more transparent

Thumbs Up 2

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FryMama 8 years ago

I've had several people tell me to go to the desk and tell them I'm going to tip as I go and get out of the 13.50 a day but you know what, I'm not cheap and these people are working hard to make your vacation a dream so I'm going to pay the 189.00!!!

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NickandAshley 8 years ago

Live and learn. The gratuities are a given. It's there in the fine print! My advice for any future cruise is to do lots of research prior to sailing on all the ports of call and book excursions early. I did book Belize through the ship so I was guaranteed to make it off, and more importantly, back on!

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FryMama 8 years ago

I knew from day one about the 13.50 a day gratuity charge. I'm goi g the 10 th of April and will pay mine before I board. If we miss a port well I'm still going to have a blast doing something I thought I could never do. What a blessing just to do it!

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eburke0731 8 years ago

Did you book your excursion through the cruise line or from an outside source?

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mstamey1988 8 years ago

Next time prepay for the gratuities. That way you don't have to worry about it. And technically you didn't miss half of your trip. You were on a cruise! Lol that's a vacation in itself.

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b10ant 8 years ago

First of all, it's a ship. Secondly, yes, gratuities are part of the deal. You can beg out, diminish or enhance the gratuities as you wish simply by going to the front desk. But most people are happy to tip their attendants. Then again, others are cheap.

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