This cruise is for older travelers who want to see several ports and don't mind an older ship.
Embarkation
2 out of 5
No alcohol allowed on embarkation day. There was a notice stating due to local laws, alcohol could not be served until we reach international waters. Apparently this is not a law but the captain was unwilling to pay the local liquor tax. Other ships and cruise lines leaving Southampton do not have this same restriction. That meant we lost money on the drink package on day one and some guests seemed about to mutiny...
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Main dining rooms were okay and efficient. Buffet seemed to run out of some food items on second day and never reappeared. Also only half of the buffet seemed open for breakfast. Buffet also had weird nights like Spanish Cuisine night but all they had was Spanish rice.
Specialty restaurants were mixed. Moderno Brazilian Grill was very disappointing and chaotic with very little attention from the staff and confusing instructions on when and what we could eat. La Cucina was the best by far and would highly recommend.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
This is an older ship with an older crowd so not a lot of onboard activities. It was cold so most people enjoyed the hot tubs but there are only a few.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Theatre seemed dead most nights though some of the music performers in the atrium and Gatsby's were quite good.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
The service in O'Sheehans was consistently poor with little to no attention from our servers. Our steward was great and brought me distilled water and an extension cord for my CPAP.
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
All of the reviews you have seen about the Dawn having a confusing layout are true. Hard to navigate with dead ends on some floors. There was also plumbing issues in the public bathrooms but most areas seemed clean. All of the windows on the ship needed to be cleaned and we never saw anyone cleaning them during the cruise.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
Cramped for a Balcony room and the bathroom had a weird sliding door closing off the toilet from the rest of the bathroom which was hard to walk through sometimes because it sticks out. Shower was fabulous though. Only one electrical outlet in the room and nowhere near the beds so bring an extension cord if you need a CPAP or other device near your bed.
Ship tip
We sailed on the starboard side and I wish we had a balcony on the port side because it had the best views of the ports.
Did Inverness on your own excursion and the guide was wonderful talking to us as we took the 45 minute bus ride into Inverness. Wonderful time wandering in this charming town.
We were delayed getting into port because the captain announced the day before that we couldn't dock until noon which threw everything off, including our excursion to Belfast Titanic. The tour was good but rushed.
We did the bus tour to Salisbury and Stonehenge which was worth the trip if you have time. They drop you off in London and the guide was very friendly and knowledgeable.
We will be ending a transatlantic cruise in Southampton with stops in both Belfast and Dublin and your comments are very welcomed! Thanks for the details! Very helpful.
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