Overall the cruise did not live up to my expectations. I was looking forward to sailing out of Boston, my local port to save on airfare, etc., however, I ended up spending more and getting less in comparison to other cruises I have taken. I found the ship's size to be just right - easy to get around and quick to get to my room and back if I forgot or needed something. I found the age of the ship to be a negative, as it creaked in the night and kept me awake, public areas needed a deep cleaning (furniture stained, bathrooms not working at 100%, and not as clean as I would have liked). Entertainment was good, as there was always something going on. I wish that I was able to spend more time poolside, however it was a very small area and overrun by teens at times (there was really nothing for them to do during the day, as the Entourage teen club did not open until late night). Food was a disappointment as well. I will likely stick with RCCL on future cruises.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Portions in main dining were small. Very limited amount of vegetables provided. Staff was poilite, but service was slow. In buffett, food selection was subpar, often cold. Popular items such as pizza, were never available due to demand. Desserts were bland. Vegetables hard to come by. Buffett seating was plentiful, which was nice to not have to wait for a table to be cleared to sit and eat. Cups were very small for water/juice and coffee was often tasting burnt.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Wide variety of entertainment on board. Trivia, Bingo, Deal or No Deal, Painting classes, poolside contests, NCL White Hot party
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
The staff was overworked, clearly tired and miserable. They were not engaged with the customers on board, and rarely had a smile. Although they would greet us wtih a quick hello, it was out of obligation. Rumors surfaced that company policy says that they do not get the gratuities that customers think they are getting when prepaying, and that may be part of the reason for discord. It was difficult to get a drink, as bartenders were not quick enough, or motivated to move fast...perhaps because of the unlimited drink packages and resulting decrease in gratuities that stem from prepaying.
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
I knew I was boarding an older ship, but did expect it to be a little cleaner. The smoke from the cigar room made it impossible for me to enjoy any of the activities in Gatsby's, the lounge/bar area where trivia, etc were held. The public bathrooms left me with an "unclean" feeling every time I used them, and often, toilets would not flush, or had no water in them. The smell of raw sewage that occasionally filled my room was disgusting. Once waking me from a deep sleep. The air conditioning onboard was not up to the task and resulted in stuffiness throughout, and also contributed to a locker room smell in hallways each morning as doors were opened and rooms cleaned for the day.
Not much to do here. Make sure to have plans to visit other parts of the island. Snorkel Park is a tourist trap. Mini Golf is hard, but a fun change of pace. Shopping is ok, but I wish I had done it elsewhere. Take a mini bus ($7 pp/each way) to Horseshoe Bay, rent a chair and umbrella and do it on your own, not via ship excursion.
It really sounds like you had a rough go of it. I think if I experienced the sewerage smells and stuffiness in our room area as you did, it would have left a negative impression of the cruise overall. The bathrooms nearest the main gathering areas like Stardust, were not attended to often enough to keep them spotless, so I can see your point. We enjoyed the cafe and gathered there often between events. We found the staff to be engaged there and even took a video of them singing and dancing in the cafe. Our teenager had events during the afternoon with Entourage, as well as late night so even though it was the first week of Boston’s Summer vacation, the pool wasn’t all that crowded. I guess we were fortunate.
We did this same cruise in mid-June and were very happy with everything.
Staff everywhere was great and engaging. Bartenders were turning drinks around pretty quickly. Service for one breakfast was a little slow one time but the food was good. With that one exception, service at every other meal was great. Servers were friendly, attentive, and always willing to take a moment to chat. Portions for us were never a problem and we often left food on the plate. You apparently have a very healthy appetite!
We save the buffet for snacks and when we're in a hurry. We ate 1 meal there. It was ok, but the buffet will never be our favorite venue. In my humble opinion, one goes to the buffet for huge portions, multiple plates per meal, or for a quick meal with a wide variety of choices. Really good food is found in the main dining rooms and specialty dining venues.
It is an older ship, and you can see evidence of that. That being said we found it to be clean everywhere with everything in working order. No odors of any kind (except for cigarette smoke near Gatsby's) anywhere around the ship.
We don't hang out by the pool much, but when we were there it was mostly 20 and 30 somethings. Not enough teens on our cruise to really notice and the ones that were there oddly well-behaved. (Strange, I admit.) Mid-June too early for family vacations? Maybe.
I'm sorry you didn't get what you expected. We did and will be cruising NCL, and Boston to Bermuda, again.
Sorry that happened to you. We loved the Dawn but I have to agree. The public bathrooms were not always working and even our toilet was acting funny. We were on the 12th deck forward. We had the plumber come and fix it about 3 times and it still had some issues. But honestly that didn’t bother us. We had a great time.
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