Norwegian Dawn - Not What We Expected

Norwegian Dawn Cruise Review to Canada, New England, New York

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 50

Overall rating:

3.3 out of 5
Verified Review
Norwegian Dawn

7 Night Canada & New England (Quebec City To Boston)

Sail date: October 05, 2018

Ship: Norwegian Dawn

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: 5098

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

Customer service staff is not helpful. My first tip off should have been when I called Norwegian's customer service before the cruise. I was double checking what my travel agent had told me. I had a late flight into Quebec and I was concerned with getting on board the ship if I missed the first day's boarding time, which I had been told was 11 PM. My travel agent told me if I did miss this time, I could board the next morning after 9AM. The Norwegian agent told me that I should have called them directly because I really did need to get on board the ship that first day and my travel agent should have told me that. I was so appalled that I called back and spoke with another Norwegian agent who said that my travel agent was correct and that I could board the following day in the event I was unable to make it there the first night. (I made it at 11:05 PM and got on the ship – yeah!) Once on board, you will have to figure out for yourself where to find things, what deck to take to disembark and the time to be back on the ship, etc. If you miss the one sentence in the announcement that tells you this, you are out of luck. They also do not respond to complaints. I did so in person and also wrote a complaint to them regarding my sleeping room and the noise. We were awakened every night by the cleaning crew in the restaurant that was directly above our room. This vacuum should have been used during the day when everyone was awake and the restaurant was closed. The Oceanview sleeping room was nice, the 1:00 AM wake up was not. Sydney is a stop that is not worth going to - there is nothing worth seeing, unless you want to take an hour-long trip (one way) and pay far too much money to see Alexander Graham Bell's house. We did not see many leaves turning color and we had assumed we would see them as the ship went along. Not so. You mainly see water only. No land. We did take a few hop off and on tours and did see a few trees with leaves changing color. If you think a tour will be cancelled due to weather, think again! If it is raining cats and dogs and you can't see anything out of your window, you will go anyway so be wary of timing and weather. You also have to go through what they call "customs" on the ship when you enter US water. Basically, everyone on the ship has to walk in a line and show your passport. This was a pretty big fiasco with the ship blocking most elevators to only go to the 7th floor where this was going to be held. We had people in wheel chairs and scooters trying to get to the 12th floor for breakfast. So - they had to go to the 7th floor, and get off, then wait in the very long lines to get back on to go to the 12th floor. It personally took me 40 minutes (and I walked up stairs to the 7th floor) to get from the 5th floor to the 12th floor for my morning coffee. UGH! I will give credit to them for great food, great restaurant service, and good entertainment. If you stay somewhere besides the 5th floor, it might be something you will enjoy. Best Wishes!

Embarkation

4 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Children's Programs

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Ship tip

Do not book anything on the 5th floor. There is a restaurant directly above you and the clean it in the middle of the night and wake you up. There is not much shopping available on this ship.

Ports of call

Quebec City, Quebec

4 out of 5

Sydney, Nova Scotia

1 out of 5

Halifax, Nova Scotia

4 out of 5

Saint John, New Brunswick

2 out of 5

Bar Harbor, Maine

4 out of 5

Boston, Massachusetts Did not visit port

Disembarkation

4 out of 5
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5 Comments

stevez49    6 years ago

Research, Research, always do this first. This would never happened if you took your time an did a little reading,

ColoradoKen    6 years ago

You know what the last ship was that cruised closer to land to give the passengers a better view......Costa Concordia.

dreniere    6 years ago

Another person who didn't do any research. Always pick your cabin based on what's above and below. Read your daily to find out what's going on and times. Did you expect the ship to cruise 50 yards of shore so you could see land? Sorry it did not go well for you but the complaints you have are on you

gampy    6 years ago

That is why I would never stay right underneath a restaurant or club. Your mistake not ncl

FryMama    6 years ago

Another satisfied customer.....

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