This cruise was amazing! I loved the ship. I loved the itinerary. I loved the ports. I love most of our excursions. I'm sure we'll be doing this itinerary again in the future.
Embarkation
1 out of 5
The Port of Tampa is AWFUL! It was chaotic and it seemed like the port workers were all there for the 1st time. Everything improved greatly once we got to the NCL side of the embarkation experience though.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The Specialty Dining and Buffets never cease to amaze me on NCL ships. The Dawn was no exception. We ate in the main dining rooms for the 1st time on any NCL ship and found it to be lacking. Our night at Aqua was very disappointing. It improved quite a bit when we went to the Venetian Dining Room...but still it was subpar. It's sad when your buffet has better food that your dining room.
Sake Bar
5 out of 5
Jashua, the bartender here, is a great guy and an awesome bartender! He's on Dawn until 2024 so if you see him, tell him Chris and Topher say Hi.
Bamboo Asian Restaurant
5 out of 5
Delicious!!
Le Bistro
5 out of 5
This is my favorite specialty dining venue.
Moderno Churrascaria
5 out of 5
Delicious but sooooo much food. PRO TIP: skip the salad bar they offer at the beginning and just flip that disc to green.
O’Sheehan’s Neighborhood Bar & Grill
5 out of 5
Their wings are delicious!
Sushi Bar
5 out of 5
Mmmmm...sushi!!
Los Lobos
5 out of 5
This place is fantastic!
La Cucina Italian Restaurant
5 out of 5
Good food!
Gatsby's Champagne Bar
5 out of 5
This is a great place to grab a cocktail and listen to live music.
Cagney's Steakhouse
5 out of 5
I love the lamb at Cagney's.
Bliss Ultra Lounge
5 out of 5
So much fun!!
Bimini Bar And Grill
5 out of 5
Great bar service. It's also a designated smoke area.
Aqua Main Dining Room
2 out of 5
The food wasn't very good.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
There aren't too many bells and whistles on this ship and that's how I like them. So for what I wanted, this ship was perfect.
Mandara Spa & Salon
5 out of 5
We had a salt scrub massage. It was heavenly!
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The performers, musicians, and DJ's on this ship were fantastic! Probably some of the best I've seen on an NCL ship.
Stardust Theater
5 out of 5
Beautiful theater with awesome performers.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Our butler, concierge, and room steward were absolute superstars! Jashua, the bartender at Bamboo, is simply the best. LaLa is an amazing cocktail server and truly cares about her guests.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
This suite is amazing!! If you are a couple on a special celebration or there are 4 of you who wish to share a space- this is the room you need!
Ship tip
Do not show up early to the Port of Tampa. You will be standing around outside until they're ready to let people in. Early check-in times may not be wise for this port.
Key West is a cute place! We were supposed to do a catamaran sail and snorkel excursion at this port but due to high winds it was cancelled. Instead, we walked around Key West and had a great time. Follow the signs to Duvall Street for shopping, food, and drinks.
We did the Damajagua Falls and Ziplining Excursion and had a fantastic time. I highly recommend that excursion if you're in relatively good shape. There is a 45 minute hike up to the ziplines and over uneven and muddy terrain. This port is also a great port to get off the ship and do some shopping.
In St. Thomas, we did a catamaran sail and snorkel. I saw 3 sea turtles, a couple of Blue Tangs, and shipwrecks. St. Thomas kind of reminded me of the area across the bay from San Francisco in California. It's another port that you can walk right off the ship and find shopping and dining.
In Aruba, we went to De Palm Island. This island is similar to Coco Cay (Royal Caribbean's private island) in that the drinks and food are included. There are plenty of free beach chairs available but there are also cabanas that you can rent in the gift center (or beforehand on their website). There are waterslides and a kids water park area. They have snorkeling. We didn't snorkel because the water was a bit choppy. It was a fun place. There is plenty to do right off the ship for this port as well.
Here's another port that you can just step off the ship for shopping, dining, and drinking. We did the Hato Caves and Mambo Beach. We weren't very happy with this excursion. The caves weren't that impressive- we have amazing caverns in California. We only got an hour and half of beach time which we spent looking at the shops and then having a couple cocktails. After the excursion though we did enjoy the shopping area that was walking distance from the ship.
We swam with dolphins and sting rays in the Grand Cayman. Dolphin Discovery is a wonderful place to swim with dolphins if you're interested. Then we boarded a ferry that took us out 5 miles from shore onto a sand bar where we got to touch and kiss (it's considered good luck) sting rays. It was fantastic. Grand Cayman also has shopping and dining available right off the ship.
Wow. I have found Tampa to be one of the easiest ports. We sailed out of there last March and from the time our taxi dropped us off until we boarded the ship was max 20 minutes. And at that time, everyone had to show your vaccination card.
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