Good itinerary on tired ship

Item: Norwegian Dawn
Rating: 3
Author: Cruiser988

Norwegian Dawn Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

Cruiser988

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 40

Overall rating:

3 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Western Caribbean (New Orleans Roundtrip)

Sail date: April 03, 2016

Ship: Norwegian Dawn

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 9050

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

The itinerary (including New Orleans) for this cruise is one of our favorites. Roatan and Costa Maya are beautiful beach stops. Belize and Cozumel have interesting excursions available as well. The Norwegian Dawn is an OK ship for it's age. We found it a little weird in it's layout and getting around. The staff of the ship was great and the entertainment was very good. The food was pretty average but not bad. It sounds like the ship is do for a dry dock refurbishment in May 2106, so that should really help spruce it up and make it feel new again. I would recommend this cruise itinerary for first time cruisers or someone with just a little lower expectations. Knowing what we know now, we would go on this same itinerary again.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

We only dined in thee main dining room once. The food was pretty average compared to other lines. The buffet was decent and had good variety. The Crepes were really good.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

The entertainment was really good. They had 2 acrobats and 1 magician plus second city comedy group. The house singers were OK but not spectacular. Over all really good entertainment.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

The cruise director Richard was very good. Our room attendant (Emmanuel) was awesome. The rest of the staff was good also.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

The ship is getting a little old and is average in size compared to some of the newer ships out there. The ship was showing age in some areas, but is getting a full refurbishment in May.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Our cabin and balcony were a little smaller than on other ships. however the bathroom seemed bigger. Our steward was great and kept the cabin clean and stocked with ice the whole time. The bed and pillows were comfortable and the room was pretty quiet. Our room was right off the elevator lobby, so really convenient.

Ship tip

The bar in the casino and also the star bar above the pool are less crowded and quicker to get your drinks during busy times. The Crepes in the buffet are really good. This ship is a little smaller than some, but didn't feel over crowded (except the pool on sea day). Don't miss the entertainment.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

New Orleans, Louisiana

5 out of 5

Cozumel, Mexico

5 out of 5

Coxen Hole, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

5 out of 5

Belize City, Belize

3 out of 5

Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico

5 out of 5

Traveler Photos

5 Comments

Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise.

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redbirddk 8 years ago

We are going to November. Any suggestions on where to go or tips on ship would be great. It's our 2nd cruise and 1st time on NCL.

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freechelle 8 years ago

We did the same cruise this past February, and have already rebooked it for next February, with a group of 8 of us going. There were definitely some cons to the cruise, but the itinerary is amazing, so for us, that outweighed any negatives!

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gelena 8 years ago

I did this same cruise 2 weeks ago. These comments are exactly what I would have written. Agree totally!

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jans15 8 years ago

heading out May 1st..did you do any excursians??

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