Norwegian Dawn Cruise Reviews - Reviews

EMBARKATION About as straightforward and easy as we have had on a cruise. We started and ended in Boston (I'll do a separate review on the port). We arrived at the port around 10:00 and were on board between 11:00 and 11:30. I'm a frequent cane user and decided to use one on the cruise this time. Seeing my cane, the folks at the port let us board a little early with the "special assistance" group. That was a new thing for me but I, somewhat reluctantly, have to admit it was quite helpful. Our luggage showed up at our room sometime before 2:30, which was about as early as it ever has. We made sure to tip the luggage handlers well when we dropped off our bags. SHIP The Dawn is an older ship but it is well maintained and is kept well functioning and very clean. The layout takes a day or two to get accustomed to, but no more that that. The ship is elegant and beautiful, with common spaces that are understandably smaller than the Breakaway- and Epic-class ships. There are sufficient elevators for the number of passengers. The one negative that NCL needs to address is the cigarette smoke odor in Gatsby's and on the passageway above. It's not repelling but it is unpleasant. It was not so 'thick' that it caused any issues with my asthma, but did caused us to choose other places on the ship to 'hang out'. BALCONY CABIN Our port side, forward balcony cabin was 10528. It was sufficiently roomy, the bed was firm and about as comfortable as we've had on a cruise ship. We had no issues with doors, odors, bathroom fixture operation, or anything else. Our room steward, Anil, kept the room impeccably clean, was warm and charming, and was very helpful. A request for distilled water for my CPAP yielded a gallon jug in short order. We made sure we tipped him well both on the first day and on the evening before disembarkation day. Although it was just forward of the forward elevators, there was no 'traffic-noise'. We always make sure to pick rooms that have cabins above and below so there were no noise issues at all. We love the ocean views, sounds, and breezes from the balcony and firmly believe the cost of the balcony cabin is worth it for all that can afford it. On the other hand we've had both balcony and mini-suite staterooms and, with just the two of us, have found no substantial advantage to the slightly larger mini-suites. Might be different for 3 or 4 travellers sharing a stateroom. DINING We took most of our meals in the Venetian main dining room. The food was always excellent, there was always a selection of new entrees on the menu each day. The staff was attentive, friendly, and fun - especially if you took a few moments to get aquainted with them. Occasionally we had meals in O'Sheehans. It was also very good and the wait staff was great there, too. The food and staff were also great in the Bamboo Asian fusion restaurant. Topsiders is good for what it is: Fast and filling. We choose to reserve the Garden Buffet for snacks and meals when you're in a hurry and only ate one full meal there. It was all good, we have no complaints, the 'Washy-washy, Happy-happy' folks are a hoot, but it will likely never be our first choice. The Atrium bar staff was amazing. The staff in the Sugar Cane Mojito bar was kind enough to take time to educate us on mojitos and help us pick out a couple to suit our tastes. Despite the occasional claim on the forum that the drinks are 'watered down' we found them to mixed 'just right'. There are enough dining and bar venues on board we didn't get to all of them, even over a 7 day cruise. ENTERTAINMENT We love the nightly production-style shows the smaller ships offer and the production cast on the Dawn was talented and energetic. For us it's a 'must see' every evening they are on stage. The magician was amazing and very entertaining. Others will have a different opinion, but the comedienne did not align very well to our style of comedy and we chose other entertainment over her show. The thing you trade for the great production shows is that there are fewer 'club-style' venues than on the larger ships. Jose and Patti were excellent and packed the Grand Atrium every evening. The other entertainers on board were also good, but fewer and less diverse than on the larger ships. We still prefer the smaller ships, but will cruise again on the large ships if the timing and itinerary work out, and will enjoy their advantages when we do. DISEMBARKATION Again, disembarkation went about as well as it ever has. We always have few enough bags we do the walk-off option. We stood on a constantly moving line for 45 minutes or so, and were off before 9:30. OVERALL We found the staff to be as fun and friendly as any cruise and maybe more so. Everyone from the wait staff, to the photographers, to the bartenders, to the Cruise Director's staff was great. The Dawn has a lot to offer and we would definitely choose the ship again given the right time and itinerary.

Overall a great trip! First time on NCL and would do this itinerary again!

This cruise is especially awesome because of the freedom you get by docking for a few days. It's really nice to be able to come and go when you like. This was the second time on the same itinerary and ship. Several upgrades have been made to the ship. We really enjoyed the added specialty dining. We had the ultimate drink and dining package which really added to the enjoyment of the cruise. Overall, the cruise was fantastic! The staff was - as usual - amazing! Especially our room steward that hung birthday decorations and gave me a birthday cupcake. The view from our balcony was great! It was so relaxing to sit out and read with the sound of the ocean in the background. I much prefer this to the loudness in the pool area and sun deck. It was also very enjoyable to have the balcony slider open at night so you could hear the water as you sleep. It would be really nice to see more substantial free activities on sea days. It gets old when everything you do they are trying to sell you something. There was a craft available one day, but it was when we were in port. The library has really limited hours if you want to check out a book. Our room was for the most part great. The bed was comfortable and room was a decent size. The rooms do not seem to have gotten any upgrades recently. It would have been really nice to have another power outlet. Only one in the main cabin and one in the bathroom. My husband didn't like having to charge his apple watch in the bathroom. Additionally, the thermostat in the room left much to be desired. The buttons were worn out and the thing blinked all the time. This is an issue when you are a light sleeper. I had to cover it up with an envelope. Some times when we came in, it would be sweltering hot - the "quick cool" button worked well but the up and down did not.

Loved this cruise ship! Our cabine with an oceanview Window was perfect! A little bit bigger than expected, enough place for everything ! In front cabin 8510 felt the sea a bit more.... the buffet in the morning was always the same , not much variety. . The same for lunch time!!!! But in the evening , wow! The dining room was amazing, everything i eat was very good! Specialy dining was perfect ! We did the Moderno! Brezilian restaurant, Teppaniaki and la Cucina ! !! The best of all...... Shows looked very good, we saw maybe two!!! The shows are at 7h pm or 9 pm, we went to eat at 7h30 so , sometimes it had already started. .. ate at O'sheanns for fish and ships!! Yummy! Tried the drinks of the days.... very good! Bring your own straws!!!! Paper straws! They dont give any at the bar, they want to savez the ocean, afread they will fly in the sea..... So of you drink a frozen drinks , you really need straws ! ! Found at dollars store!!😆 Loved the smaller ship, i find the service is more personnalize. .. thanks to Steven our steward, who was simply perfect!❤

My sister felt sick the first day we arrive on Bermuda, think it's something she ate at Horse Shoe beach! So we stayed most of the first night and the next day till afternoon! Things happend! 😯😔 So didn't see that much , saw the beach, the port and a bit of Hamilton ! Wish we would have spend another day on the beach! Ho well! Will have to go back!😀😊

overall an excellent first cruise. Specialty restaurants were excellent and main dining rooms were good. The staff on NCL was so friendly, smiling and polite.

Room was filthy especially bathroom, and bed had pee stained duvet in duvet cover. Ship had running water issues one night. Smell of sewer on balcony . Balcony privacy door broken. Spent a lot of money for this cruise and for a second time extremely unhappy and disappointed with Norwegian Dawn Ship. Not enough staff to get the kind of service for money you spend. Newly renovated ship was very disappointing. Buffet was same everyday. Loved Bermuda but won’t be going back on Dawn.

I liked most of the cruise. The boat is beautiful but a bit small (one pool only) but we knew that from the start. The service and the staff is amazing. The food: if you pay extra it is worth it, the MDR is also very good. Besides that it is just ok. Bermuda looks great. You do not see poverty. The houses are well maintained and colourful with nice flowers and nice curb appeal. They have a gorgeous beach called Horseshoe bay. A must see if you visit Bermuda. Hamilton is only a 20 minute ferry ride and it is worth the the trip of you like to shop. Now, my negative point have nothing to do with the boat itself. We found it to be very wavy, from the first night and through the whole cruise. Our room was in the front of the boat and we believe this is why. This made us very ill at ease and it prevented us to enjoy our time on the boat. We did not sleep well aside from when we were in port. The boat seems to pick up speed at night so nightime was worse. Only when were were on the deck pool or when we were in the middle of the boat did we not find it so bad. Then I got sick for 24h on our only full day in Bermuda so that also stopped us from visiting the island. So can tell you that Horseshoe bay is one of the most beautiful beach I have seen, the port area is very nice and has plenty to do and shops and Hamilton is nice to see. If you don't mind the waves, you might enjoy this cruise. Also think this is an older ship so there are not much activities to do besides from hanging around the pool or inside activities which we did not choose to do since we wanted to enjoy the beautiful weather.

What an awesome time we had on the Dawn. Literally one big party by the pool that continued to Bliss at night. Bartenders were great aswell!! 06/01/18

Compared to previous cruise lines and ships we’ve been on, Norwegian Dawn was overly underwhelming. The biggest and most disappointing problem was the constant loud noises that we heard from inside our cabin day and night. I did mostly get over it though, and Bermuda was breathtaking.

We had an amazing time! Loved Bermuda! The time on the boat was really good, spent time at the pool listening to music, having lots of drinks and enjoying the sunshine. We relaxed!

Love the Dawn size ships. There is plenty to do and the staff is great.

First time on Norwegian line and not overly impressed. Did the Boston to Bermuda cruise week of 5-25-2018 with a balcony room. I understand that the ship is a bit older and I’m ok with that but...our balcony was rusted badly and the outside door handle wasn’t even there, it was rusted off completely. Could not close the balcony door if you were outside. It was cabin # 9576. Cabin wasn’t the cleanest when we got in on day 1. Lots of dust and grime in common surfaces and rugs didn’t appear to be vacuumed daily. Ate in Aqua MDR and Venetian MDR 1 night each and food was just average. Did 4 specialty dining’s (Cagney’s x2 / Los Lobos / Le Bistro) Nothing special as far as quality goes. Steaks at Cagney’s we’re paper thin and not what you would expect from a white table cloth steakhouse. We chose to eat on the island for 1 night and I wish we had done this every night. Buffet was ok but food wasn’t always hot. O’Sheehan’s was ok for for lunch a couple of days. Things that we did enjoy very much was the quality and variety of entertainment throughout the ship. Everything from the pool, shows, atrium and other common areas was terrific. There were also a number of workers on the ship that were top notch in providing the best service. But we felt the majority (not all) of the staff was tired and not 100% committed to all passengers. We are considering this cruise again out of Boston to Bermuda due to the fact that we are so close to Boston. On the fence for now but might be willing to give it another shot as I understand there will be a different ship next year. On another note...the staff at Java Cafe could use some retraining in how to interact with passengers. Not very friendly each morning.

Everything was great. Staff at the Java cafe could use some personality training! Everyone else were respectful.

Cagney’s by far was the best meal. Pool deck was busy but you could still find a spot to chill. I enjoyed an off the beaten path self guided excursion in Bermuda as well as the Triangle shipwreck evening cruise. White party was fun despite being indoors!

As a first time cruiser, it was the perfect vacation. Food choices were abundant, entertainment was great, staff willing to help, friendly and polite. Bermuda was the most beautiful place, great beaches, friendly and safe feel to the island. Found some quiet places on deck to read, jacuzzi and sun. Plenty to do on the ship, and on the island. Met lots of people, and was sad to leave the ship when vacation was over. Inside stateroom was plenty big enough for two, we had smooth sailing and sunshine the entire trip. The ship felt safe and was very comfortable, clean and fun. Great vacation!!

Overall, it was a pleasurable experience. However, the smoking room next to the Gatsby Champagne bar and La Cucina and Le Bistro restaurants left much to be desired. You have to walk by it to get to both restaurants and the smell is offensive to any non-smoker. The staff says they are working on it, but it needs to be addressed in a much more pro-active manner. Maybe outside restaurants is not the proper location for a smoking room. Also, if smoking is going to be allowed in the casino, it should be closed off and not all the way across the ship so there is a choice of entering it or not to get from one part of the ship to another.

Cruise overall was fun. Outstanding service from our cabin Stewart and concierge!

We always have a great time on the Dawn. Bermuda is a wonderful island to relax and enjoy the beaches. The weather in Bermuda was perfect this trip. Overall great vacation.

Okay, this was a SUPER cruise. It is my 5th cruise, first to Bermuda. I can't say enough about the cruise, crew, drinks, food, etc. I'm 50 and sailed with my son, 23, and mom who is 80. We all had a SUPER time. Bermuda is beautiful, clean, and folks are amazing.