Very Disappointing

Norwegian Dawn Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

vengley

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 74

Overall rating:

1 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Western Caribbean (New Orleans Roundtrip)

Sail date: May 01, 2016

Ship: Norwegian Dawn

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 9018

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

This was the first cruise we have taken on Norwegian. We have been cruising for 25 years on various cruise line and thought we would try Norwegian. This ship was in horrible condition in bad need of repairs that were visible to all passengers, The pool was never clean and the water was cloudy. We disembarked from New Orleans and the water looked like the Mississippi River, just filthy.

The food was horrible in the dinning rooms. The quality of the steaks tasted wild and was not eatable. The lobster was grilled too long and it stuck to the shell and could hardly be pulled out of the shell. The waiters and the staff in all the dining rooms did not make you feel special, and were difficult to get their attention when we needed something. We did pay extra to eat in the French Restaurant and the food was good. Based on that fact it was obvious that Norwegian was just trying to push people into buying the dining package..

The buffet actually had better food and a better menu. What a waste to take the time to have a nice sit down dinner.

The casual dress (anything goes) for dinner was disappointing. Norwegian definitely set a tone for low class cruising.

I doubt that we will ever cruise with Norwegian again. Even though we understand that the "Dawn" is now being refurbished it should have been taken out of service long before our cruise. The carpets were filthy, and obviously very old.

The caribbean is a favorite cruise for us and we have been there over a dozen times. The Dawn and the Norwegian cruise employees were the worse experience we have had in 25 years of cruising.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Jose and Patti Excellent! Jacka and Maria Excellent! The Illusionist was ridiculous, the Norwegian crew entertainers were never together in their dancing, One would think that as long as they have performed together they would be pretty spectacular. The routines and talent were anything but great. :(

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

The only person that really stood out was our cabin steward. The Waiters, servers and the Maitre D , were not personable, and did not pay attention to our table.

Ship Quality

1 out of 5

in very poor condition. The pool tiles needed to be replaced, the wood all over the ship was in extreme need of refinishing. The carpets were filthy dirty and stained in very bad need of replacement. The Gatsby lounge had to be avoided because the of horrible smell of cigarettes and cigars pouring of the the cigar glassed in space which was very small into the lounge. we could not enjoy the talent performing in Gatsby Lounge because of the rancid smell of cigarettes and cigars. We generally enjoy the casino but found we could not stay in the casino for longer than 15 minutes due the horrible ventilation and the bad smell of cigarettes. Just walking through the casino we found that our clothes reeked of cigarette smell when we got back to our room. Our clothes were smelled so bad we wished we had just left our clothes on the ship. Now our suitcases smell like smoke!

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

The room was fine as far as space, it needed new mattresses and new carpet! The pillows were flat and worn out as were the sheets.

Ship tip

Do not expect to enjoy pool time because there is only 1 small pool to serve all the passengers on the ship. If you are planning to read a good book and like to find nice places around the ship to do so, be prepared to pay for it by buying the spa package. This ship is disappointing in every aspect

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