Try Carnival, Disney or Royal Caribbean before Norwegian. There isn’t enough to entertain you on the ship during at sea days and the food leaves little to be desired. It can take 20 minutes to get a drink at the Topside Bar and reservations are hard to get at premium restaurants.
Embarkation
2 out of 5
Due to inclement weather, we arrived in Harvest Caye an hour late. It then took the Norwegian Dawn crew another hour and a half to let everyone off the boat due to a poor embarkation system that had us standing in a line (or mob) that started on the 7th deck and crawled at a snail’s pace to the 4th deck where we were finally able to leave the ship.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
I’d give the specialty restaurants 5 stars, however, the food on the ship’s buffet (Green Cafe) left little to be desired as well as the food at Aqua and The Venetian.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
The Norwegian Dawn only had one pool for the general population which stayed over crowded, so I waited to swim at the ports. There was also a shortage of beach chairs, so finding somewhere to sun was almost impossible.
Entertainment
1 out of 5
They had a great musician and the comedian was “okay,” but the DJ (DJ Dillon” played little of what is currently popular on the radio and the reggae band was horrible.
Children's Programs
I didn’t take my kids on the cruise
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
The staff was okay. I would say, however, that the bar tenders were at times rude and I saw hints of racial bias. My wife and I (who are African American) often found it hard to get them to acknowledge us after standing at the bar trying to order drinks. As soon as a White patron came to the bar, they’d immediately ask them if they’d like to order something and sometimes this would occur with White people who’d arrive after we had. We’d often turn around and leave to find other bars where we would be taken seriously.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
It was very clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
1 out of 5
The size was insanely small; so small that the room only had space for a full size bed and small loveseat. Even the ship’s comedian joked about the inadequate size of cabins on the Dawn in her show. The bathroom was so small that we’d have to leave the door open while in it to prevent claustrophobia.
Ship tip
Don’t spend money on the drink package. The drinks are often watered down. If you have the money to do so, make sure to get the bigger room. Take advantage of the premium restaurants as the general population food is flavorless and bland.
I found the room rather small however I didn’t spend much time in it. The toilet however is I agree claustrophobic causing. I thought I would have insane back problems from sleeping on those beds however I actually got good nights sleep.
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