When Can I Go Back?
Norwegian Dawn Cruise Review to Europe - Western Europe
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 3
Helpful Votes: 73
British Isles: England & Ireland to Copenhagen
Sail date: June 03, 2023
Ship: Norwegian Dawn
Cabin type: Inside
Cabin number: 5083
Traveled as: Family (older children)
Reviewed: 1 year ago
Review summary
I highly recommend this particular cruise for adults. Because there isn't much time on the ship and there is a lot of bus time and history, small ones might become bored quickly. The other option would be to keep them on board during the days to take advantage of the ship activities, but then one of the adults would lose out on the ports. For those adults not interested in history and educational tours like us, there are plenty of opportunities on shore to hike, bike, shop, or try local cuisine and bars.Embarkation
Very smooth considering
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Food was excellent as usual. I do miss having theme nights in the main dining room, however.
Onboard Activities
Since we were in port just about every day, we didn't utilize many of the onboard activities. We went to the library frequently (for puzzles if nothing else), and I was able to get 2 different books--one a Fodor's Guide to Edinburgh which was very helpful. The last day was a sea day, however, so we did go to an art auction and purchased a new piece. The art staff was very good.
Entertainment
It seems the entertainment across the board has lowered in quality. In fact, we really only enjoyed one evening show: Dreamers with Duo Heartbeat Aerialists. Amazing! And on a rocking ship! As for the lounge acts, "Prelude" was excellent. We typically enjoy going to game shows, but after the first one, opted out because Cruise Director Isha was cringe-worthy. I don't know if this was her first cruise as Director, but she was very awkward. I choose to believe that is the case and that she will get more comfortable with more experience.
Children's Programs
No children
Service and Staff
Service was exemplary and friendly, as it is on most cruises. From a management standpoint (and cruise industry as a whole), I am very disappointed that most lines have dropped the "turn down" service, which also meant no towel animals. It has always been a nice touch. Although our room steward was very nice when we saw him in the halls, there was so little interaction that I can't even tell you his name. That has always been the most personal of the service relationships, but no longer. Shame.
We also, for the first time in 19 cruises and 118 nights on board with 4 different cruise lines, were so disappointed in a main dining room waiter that we requested to not be seated with him again. We felt the first time might have been an "off" night, but when we had the same experience a second night, that was enough. He was very friendly, but either had not been trained appropriately or just wasn't up to the task. We even caught his fellow waiters scowling at him.
Other than that one individual, the remaining staff and their service was excellent.
Ship Quality
The Dawn is a very clean, updated ship with nice decor. Built in 2002, it was refurbished in 2021. There were only 2 frustrations: (1) the main restaurant deck (Deck 6) is split in 2. To get from one end to the other, you have to go up to Deck 7 and then go back down. It was very confusing and frustrating. (2) The art auctions were held in a small, hard-to-find conference room on the 12th deck. There might have been more participation if it had been more centrally located.
Cabin / Stateroom
This had the largest shower we've ever had on a cruise ship.
Ports of call
This was actually embarkation day, so after arriving at Heathrow, we were directed to our transfer shuttle bus area. I realize they were trying to organize a lot of people, but I felt like part of a herd of cattle. We had to wait with hundreds of other people going to various ships in one small area with not enough seating, therefore having to stand for close to an hour before being called by assigned color to large buses to go to our individual ship. The bus was packed to capacity and our luggage was taken from us to be loaded on a semi truck without our room number associated with it. Apparently they were just going to match the ID tags to the manifest and deliver them to the stateroom. That didn't work very well since my husband never did get his delivered and we had to go to Guest Services at 9:00 pm to have them track it down. Thankfully, it did make it aboard, but was inconvenienced by it. We weren't able to use the computerized paper tags that are usually sent because of the airline. If they had just taken a few minutes to ID the luggage before loading it on the truck, it would have been much smoother.
We then rode 1.5 hours to the port as a sardine. Once arriving at the terminal, things went smoothly through check-in. We were disconcerted that they kept all our Passports, saying that Ireland required the ship to submit them for all passengers, but that they would be delivered to our stateroom in a few days. They never were. We had to go to Guest Services and request them back, but we weren't alone. Quite a few people were very confused about the procedure. Surely there's a better way other than being without our passport for days on end.
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Portland (Weymouth), England, UK
We didn't book an excursion on this day, thinking we wanted a slow day after our long flight across the pond. Even though we missed out on going to Bath or Stonehenge, we made the right decision. What a charming town! We had the luck of being there during a folk festival, with live music on 3 stages set up along the streets. After exploring the town and walking along the ocean boardwalk and alongside the canal that runs through the city, we made our way to a sidewalk cafe in front of one of the stages and enjoyed tea while listening to local music. We were thoroughly enchanted by the festival atmosphere and town. The only recommendation we had was to better inform the passengers about the free shuttles into town and its logistics. We had to go to Guest Services to inquire instead of having the information readily available. One recommendation is that if you do wish to visit Bath or Stonehenge instead, to book WAY in advance of the cruise. We unknowingly went during a very busy time and no excursions were available even 2 weeks out (including private tours not associated with Norwegian).
Our goal for the day was to see how "Emerald" the Isle actually was, and we weren't disappointed! We booked an excursion through TripAdvisor for Paddywagon Tours to take us into the countryside under the heading "Small Group Tour - Cork (Cobh), Kinsale, and Blarney Castle." Although it wasn't associated with Norwegian, they worked very closely with the ship schedule and adjusted the tour to fit into it with no concerns about getting back in time. Alex, our driver and guide was personable and interesting--particularly when giving the Irish perspective of the Potato Famine.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Blarney Castle. Even though we didn't stand in the extremely long line to kiss the Blarney Stone (some of our group did and were unable to do anything else in the complex--besides, I wasn't too crazy about having to lie on my back and lean over a crevasse while being held by strangers to fulfill a fable), there was plenty to do and see: portions of the castle ruins, the Blarney House, Blarney Woolen Mills, and best of all, the lovely garden trails, of which there were many.
We then went cross county to the charming village of Kinsale for lunch and exploration. This was probably the most colorful of all the villages we saw, and had a lovely time.
On the way back to the ship, we drove through Cobh and saw the historic Cobh Cathedral, and the White Star Office (Owners who built the Titanic). If time had permitted, we were to have gone into the Cathedral, but unfortunately we weren't in port long enough.
Dun Laoghaire (Dublin), Ireland
This was the only shore excursion we booked through NCL, and we did "Dublin, Glendalough and Scenic Drive." This was fortunate since it was a tender day which made getting to and from shore easier, but, unfortunately, was probably our weakest tour. Although we enjoyed it, the other port tours were more favorably memorable. I just guessing, but it seemed that our guide was new, nervous, and put the group on edge with her anxiety. She was knowledgeable, but kept pausing, saying she wanted to check her notes to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything. She triple checked the number in the bus after every stop to make sure we weren't forgetting anyone (which I appreciate, but 3 times each time?), and had such an anxious personality that it stressed us out. Yes, the guide had done her research and shared a lot of facts, but we felt like we were back in school with a stereotypical Catholic Nun as a teacher. She even reprimanded my adult daughter for walking ahead of the group at one point--and my daughter is a 3-grade school teacher!
Regardless of the guide, we do have minor regrets about booking this tour, taking into consideration it was very similar to the excursion we had taken the day before, which was much more enjoyable. Now we know!
FAVORITE EXCURSION OF THE TRIP! And we didn't even stay in Liverpool. Although we like The Beatles' music, we didn't want to spend an entire day commemorating the group so we took a day trip to North Wales! Booked through BusyBus online, we were once more synchronized with the ship schedule. After a short drive around Liverpool, we had a 90-minute drive to Wales, but it went quickly since our tour guide was very entertaining and even had us competing to see how many black sheep we could find among the Numerous Herds of white sheep. (By the way, their plural for sheep is "sheeps." One sheep, 2+ sheeps. Love it! It was rather like a party atmosphere as most got into the "I Spy" aspects of the drive. First stop was Llandudno, the seaside resort of the real Alice in Wonderland, Alice Liddell, the girl who inspired Lewis Carroll to write the book series. It was quaint, but very cold that day with not much going on. It reminded me of a smaller version of Coney Island. The next stop was Conwy and its medieval castle. We had quite a bit of time to climb the ruins, explore the town, and have tea in the quaint town surrounding the fortress. On the way to the next stop, we passed old mining camps and learned about the Aberfan Disasters and the changes made to laws as a result. Some of the most beautiful countryside we saw on our tour was taking the "roads less traveled" and going to the Ogwen Valley in Snowdonia National Park. This beautiful, mountainous area (3700 ft) was the training ground for Sir Edmond Hillary since they are very similar to Mt. Everest. Fortunately, we were able to spend time doing our own hiking and exploring in the area before heading to Betws-y-Coed, the unofficial "capitol" of Northern Wales which looks straight out of a fairy tale. For those interested in history, there is a bridge that was built the iron from cannons used during the Battle of Waterloo. We were tired after the long day, but at least had the 90-minute drive back to Liverpool to rest.
The excursion in Belfast was through Allens Tours and booked through getyourguide.com. This company also assured us that we would have no trouble getting back to the ship before departure, and was true to their word. The only problem was hooking up with them. We were sent plenty of information regarding arrival time before the cruise began, downloaded the tickets, and came to the meeting point as scheduled--10 minutes before the tour was to begin. The hitch came when our ship changed its arrival time to earlier. I double and triple-checked the tour information, and although we received an email stating that the bus would be at the port at 7:30, it didn't mention specifically to adjust our meeting time. We just thought they were giving plenty of time for participants to get there. Silly us. We took them at their original arrangements and showed up at 8:20 for our 8:30 tour. They had already left. Thankfully the tourist information center was on top of their game and since I had all the company information downloaded on my phone, were able to call and make arrangements for us to meet up with the group. We hurriedly caught a taxi and rushed to the last stop they were making before leaving Belfast. We missed seeing the city and hearing about its history, the partition into 2 Irelands, and the IRA, which we would have found very interesting, but we were at least able to join them for the visit to the Dark Hedges made famous by Game of Thrones, Bushnell Whiskey Distillery (oldest in the world--built in 1608), and the Giants' Causeway--a fascinating area of 40,000 interlocking columns formed by an ancient volcanic eruption. If you do this, make sure to take a coat, hat, and gloves since it was VERY cold. It's also a quite strenuous walk to and from the ocean to see the formations, but you can take a shuttle bus if you'd rather. Either way, don't miss it.
Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland
Catch a free, convenient shuttle at the port (it runs every 15 minutes) and go straight into Kirkwall. It's a quaint town loaded with history alongside modernity. We spent the day roaming, even coming upon a wedding letting out, with the bridal party in kilts walking through the streets. St. Magnus Cathredral is spectacular, with an organist setting the mood as the tourists explored artifacts. Honestly, we weren't too excited about this particular stop, which was near the most northern tip of Scotland, because we didn't think there would be much to do. True, it wasn't an action-packed day, but we needed somewhat of a break to gear up for the next 2 very long days in port, and it was very interesting learning about its Viking History.
Invergordon (Inverness & Loch Ness), Scotland
We went on a Nessie Hunt, but only saw Heilen Coos (Highland Cows for those not familiar with Scottish accents)! Booked through The Shore Excursions Group, the "Inverness, Loch Ness, and Urquhart Castle" tour lived up to its name, if not its description. While I would have liked to have visited Inverness Castle and Inverness Cathedral as mentioned in the sales information, we had no time at the end to do so. The plusses of booking this tour, however, made up for it. There were only 8 people in our group (of which we were 3), so we received a lot of personalized information, was able to hear clearly without having to strain, and didn't have to wait for stragglers to return to the bus, making our time more efficient. Our guide was from Isle of Skye, so had a lot of localized knowledge, and took us to a farm so we could see the famous Highland Cows. He dropped us off for plenty of time for self-exploration of Urquhart before we climbed aboard a relaxing boat ride across Loch Ness. We did have a little bit of time to wander Inverness to shop and eat the Best Fish and Chips and Mushy Peas of the trip.
NEWHAVEN HARBOUR (EDINBURGH), SCOTLAND
WELL...we tried. We booked an excursion to Lock Lomond, Stirling Castle and the Kelpies through Viator with the Tour Operator Timberbush, and we should have done our homework a bit better. This tour was not arranged around the ship, which created 2 problems. First, it was another tender day (a hassle in itself), but when we arrived on shore through very rough waters, we found we had to take a taxi to Old Edinburgh to meet up with the group. Upon arrival at 8:30 on a Sunday morning, we learned that the group would not be back until 6:00. Impossible since the last tender back was 5:00 for a 6:00 ship departure. We had become complacent in booking our tours, thinking that all of them would adjust to the ship schedule. Oops. We tried to be booked on another tour through the company, but all were completely full. We then tried to get a refund, but it was our mistake. A $250 mistake. After wandering the streets around the Royal Mile for an hour in the drizzle trying to find an open coffee shop, we finally settled on the Hop On/Hop Off Bus to at least salvage the day somewhat. Honestly, we all felt this would have been the better option anyway. We had a leisurely day riding up and down the Royal Mile, seeing the sights, learning a bit about the history from the audio commentary, and hopping off to shop for souvenirs, try haggis, and tour the Holyrood Castle (very interesting since I am descended from Mary, Queen of Scots!). We, unfortunately, were unable to tour Edinburgh Castle since there were no more tickets available that fit in our time frame.
After taking a taxi back to the port, we joined the hundreds in line to get on a tender, queuing for over an hour before finally getting on board. We thought we'd be beating the rush since we were there an hour before the last one, but I guess everyone else thought that too.
In retrospect, my recommendation in Edinburgh is to book a Royal Mile excursion through the ship. There is PLENTY to do on your own, and the shore excursion team helps get you to and from without the hassles of waiting in line for tenders and hiring taxis to get you there.
Although we were excited to end our trip in Copenhagen, I'm not really sure why we went to this particular port when there were closer ones available which would satisfy the Jones Act, if that was indeed the reason. TBH, I'm not really sure if the Jones Act applies overseas, but nonetheless, it was quite a distance with not much to do other than go straight to the airport. There wasn't even any commentary on the transfer bus, so we just looked out the window. Taking nothing away from Copenhagen itself, I'm sure we would have had a lovely time had we been able to extend our vacation for some additional touring.