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Norwegian Dawn Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western
7 Night Western Caribbean (New Orleans Roundtrip)
Sail date: December 04, 2016
Ship: Norwegian Dawn
Cabin type: Oceanview
Cabin number: 5012
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 7 years ago
Review summary
We have cruised many times and this one was taken for the specific purpose of getting away from life pressures. Being old foggies and due to much experience we do not engage in most shipboard or excursion activities. We eat, sleep, eat, sleep, etc. This cruise was excellent in that respect.
We only use buffet dining and never even locate the dinning rooms. Buffet food choices were satisfactory to me but my wife is a picky eater and found the lack of vegetable offerings a bit off putting. Can't be too bad: I only gained three pounds during the week of stuffing myself.
Norwegian has initiated a practice that I find offensive. In very fine print on their website is a mention of a service charge in lieu of the "gratuities" normally stated by other cruise lines. Since a gratuity is supposed to be a voluntary issue, and the fact is that we never use formal dining facilities, pools, saunas, sports areas, theater presentations, etc, I have never felt obligated to pay for such. I have always asked for and received envelopes used to give gratuities for service provided. The forced service charge eliminates this privilege. I doubt we will cruise with Norwegian again because of this sneaky 15% surcharge. The folks who use the named services should pay for them. We do not.
Otherwise, the cruise accomplished it's purpose and we returned totally rested. Thanx.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
Be prepared for excessive pricing on everything bought.
Ports of call
Coxen Hole, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras