Great Week on the Dawn

Item: Norwegian Dawn
Rating: 5
Author: grampyb

Norwegian Dawn Cruise Review to Bermuda

grampyb

Contributor Level: Second Mate

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 3

Helpful Votes: 115

Overall rating:

5 out of 5

7 Night Bermuda (Boston Roundtrip)

Sail date: August 31, 2018

Ship: Norwegian Dawn

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 10068

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

Overall, great cruise. Smooth seas and perfect weather. Great time with good friends. Can't wait to try the Gem next year, although we will miss the Dawn. She is our favorite...so far.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Embarkation was quick and easy. Arrived at port around 10:30 and were on board by noon.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Overall food was very good. It was the first week of revamped MDR menus and the choices were very good. All meals were tasty, although the sirloin strip was a bit chewy on one end. Service was very good. We were a party of eight and never waited long for drinks or dinner to be served. We ate at Teppanyaki, Cagney's and La Cuccina. All meals were very good, with the exception of the scampi at La Cuccina. Let's just say "different". If you order it, be sure to order pasta as your side. It does not come with it. Good touch with the waiter automatically bringing tomato/mozzarella salads and fried calamari for the table to share. Long speech about history of Teppanyaki was unnecessary. Very hard to hear with all the background noise. Found the first 20 minutes or so of dinner service to be very mechanical instead of personal. Once the chef arrived all that changed. We ended up having a blast. Cagney's was very good. No complaints! Double servings of wine were greatly appreciated.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

always something to do. We moved around the ship a lot. Spent days at the pool listening to the band and watching the "games". Always found seats, although not necessarily by the pool. The upper deck was fine for us. Great bar service by the Bimini staff. After dinner we were either at Gatsby's or Bliss Lounge. Jose and Patti were in the atrium every night and we also stopped by there to listen for a while.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Went to all comedy shows - excellent! Harry O'Donahue and the female comedian(sorry senior moment) were very entertaining! Especially like the Adult comedy show. Does anybody remember "you can smell the ocean from here"? Singing groups were all very good. Elements was amazing. Loved sharing it with friends who were new to cruising.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

As always staff was very friendly and willing to make sure we were having a good time. Rey took great care of us at the pool. Sorry couldn't interact more with Irene as her station is in the smoking section. She remembered us as soon as she saw us on day one, though. Our room steward Eka did a great job! I hope he is enjoying his vacation with his family. Su Su in the Venetian took extra care to insure my dietary needs were addressed.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

7th time on the Dawn. As always, clean and well maintained. Love the new design since the dry dock a couple of years ago, with the exception of the art. But, I am no art connoisseur.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Typical mid ship balcony. Very comfortable for us. Kept in good order by Eka.

Ship tip

Great staff! Always smiling and willing to help.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Royal Naval Dockyard, West End, Bermuda

5 out of 5

Dockyard is great for walking around and shopping. Did jet skiing at KS Watersports. This was a bucket list item and did not dissapoint, even though we would have enjoyed going a little more at our own pace. 5 of us did this tour, the youngest being 60. Had a great time, but, found it a bit strenuous for us seniors. Horseshoe Bay was beautiful, as always. Plenty of time to go on Sunday, after ship arrives in Bermuda. Great waves, although undertow warnings were posted along the beach.

Thumbs Up 3