The cruise was great. Recent negative reviews had me concerned but all and all we had a fun cruise. This was our second cruise. Our first cruise was with Carnival. Comparing the two, and considering the ship size was same, Carnival Pride had 3 pools where the Dawn only had 1. The Dawn was cleaner and newer than the Pride. Both had excellent service but when we cruised the Pride 5 years ago, they still turned down the room at night. The Dawn did not, atleast our room steward did not.
I would cruise both Norwegian and on the Dawn again but I want to continue to explore other cruise lines.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Embarkation was fairly smooth. We were early but didn't have to wait. We used valet at the port and was on the ship in less than an hour. Although it did seem a little unorganized and kaotic at times everyone was friendly.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Overall the food was great.
The main dinning room was nice for a more formal atmosphere. The menu always had something we liked or wanted to try. The food quality at the buffet was as good as the MDR, just a lot less relaxed.
The drinks were good. The service and quality of the drinks were better at the bars inside compared to the pool bars.
Los Lobos
5 out of 5
We ate there on the last night and it wasn't very busy. The food was good but not much of a selection. The one drink I ordered was too strong for me to finish. The service was excellent.
O’Sheehan’s Neighborhood Bar & Grill
5 out of 5
I really enjoyed this venue. It did have a local pub feel. The bar was walk-up and you can order food there as well. There are also some lounge areas you can have drinks. If was a nice alternative to the buffet or MDR, for lunch or a pre-dinner snack. They offer wings, pretzel bites sandwiches, burgers, etc.
Moderno Churrascaria
5 out of 5
Very good food and service. Unlike many other Brazilian Restaurants I have eaten at they run through the all of the meats the don't start over. But they do ask if you want anything again. Definitely worth trying
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Didn't do many activities. Did go to the pool which was pretty busy. We did enjoy both Bingo and Deal Or No Deal, both of which cost money. Use the NCL app to keep track of all of the activities. You can select activities and the app will remind you which ones you liked.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
The acrobats were amazing. The comedian was pretty good. He did a family friendly show and a an adult show. Didn't see the magic show.
The singers were okay. Not really my thing.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Everyone was friendly and helpful.
The waiters and food staff were attentive.
Our room steward kept our room clean. I think he may have been new based off some comments made by another steward. He would leave drink glasses from the previous night, in our room.
And our room was never turned down at night. Not sure if NCL stopped offering that or our steward just didn't know to do it.
Overall the staff was great.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship was clean and in good condition. I was disappointed with only one pool. My previous cruise on a similar sized ship had 3 pools with just as many servers.
Everything was between decks 6 and 12 so taking the stairs was an option.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
The cabin was fine. Plenty of storage in closet or under the bed. Mattress was on the firm side and the pillows were softer. Everything was in good working order. The carpet was a little warn but fine.
The bathroom just okay. The shower was spacious and I liked the door vs a curtain. The sink and mirror area was fine. The toilet area was a little tight. No reason to have a separate door for the toilet because you are not closing it, while in there and sitting down.... Unless you are a small child, lol.
Tip. Under the room number is a dial that changes the message from Welcome, to Do Not Disturb, to Please Clean, and Turndown Please.
They never turned down the room.
Also, we inadvertently set off the in-room smoke detector by leaving the bathroom door open too long with the shower was on. The steam from the shower caused the smoke detector to trip, which required security to inspect the room. And it even happened with the balcony door open, with high humidity outside.
Ship tip
Under the room number is a dial that changes the message from Do Not Disturb, Please Clean, Turndown Room, and Welcome. That is how you request room cleaning. But they never turned down the room.
This is Norwegian's private island. The pier, shops, pool and beach area were newer and well kept. The drink package can not be used on land. Drinks were priced between $10 & $13.
The day we were there the weather was overcast and windy so many of the activities were canceled.
Plenty of loungers at the pool and beach.
Knowing it was only Norwegian guests were there I don't understand why many of the items in the shops did not have price tags and you had to haggle the price.
Also, your keycard/ room card does not work in port so bring cash or credit cards.
Did not do any excursions. Decided to just check out the port area. There are many shops and places to eat or drink. There is a pool with a swim up bar and rope bridges in the port area.
There wasn't much signage driving into the port but easy to find. We paid for long-term valet parking which was convenient.
Didn't visit any other sites in Tampa
It's Honduras. The streets are narrow with scooters weeving in and out. There is garage laying around, abandoned buildings, etc. But the people were friendly and nice.
We did a Dunebuggy, sloth encounter, beach excursion. We had fun.
There were 5 cruise ships in port while we were there. That being said it didn't seem that crowded.
If you take a taxi expect to be overcharged but they will come down.
Getting off the ship was pretty smooth. We drove so we were in no hurry. Disembarking happened on deck 7 and you have to file through the Bliss nightclub to check out. The line backed up through the atrium so we grabbed a couple chairs at the coffee shop and waited for the line to go down. Once we were in line we were off the ship and out of the port within an hour.
NCL no longer does "Turn Down". Your cabin will get cleaned once per day. It may not be the same time every day.
( We set off a smoke detector some many cruises back in the same way.)
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