Norwegian Dawn Cruise Reviews - Reviews

This was our Third Cruise in the last three years. As always it was a great time. If you do not have a great time,, it is your own fault, there is so much to do, and the service/food is great.

OK cruise but excursions could be better.  Most are simply bus rides through the town or park visited.  We have had previous trips on the Norwegian Star which seems to be better maintained than the Norwegian Dawn used for this cruise.  The Dawn had issues with plumbing and both water and toilets were unavailable in our stateroom at various times.  We invited our daughter on this cruise and the balcony stateroom was cramped for 3 people.  When the sofa bed was open, the balcony was blocked and inaccessible.  We have had similar staterooms on Carnival cruises and did not have this problem since the sofa-bed was located in the middle of the stateroom.  Fall colors in Canada and New England are late this year, so we were disappointed with the views.  In the future, we will book the cruise a couple of weeks later.

The charming seaside vistas of the Canadian Maritimes and New England in the fall is a unique cruise experience.

This cruise was good for our first cruise. The staff were friendly. We loved our cabin. The main and specialty dining were great, the buffet sucked because the food was always cold. Next time we want to try one of the ships with waterslides etc. because we will cruise Norwegian again

I just returned from a cruise from Boston to Bermuda on NCL.  This was my first cruise but after cruising with NCL I am sure I will cruise with them again.  The service we received was fantastic from the start.  The booking and check-in were smooth and easy.  Our room was ready right away for the time we chose to check-in and our bags arrived very shortly thereafter.  We stayed in room 9718 and I want to mention this because our housekeeper was great but unfortunately I can't remember his name but I must say he remembered ours and we were always greeted with a smile and a big warm hello.  He was available at all times to make sure any possible need we had was met.  The room was cleaned early every day always turned down for us. The activities available are great, I can't possibly say enough about Andre the Asst. Cruise director.  He conducted a lot of the activities we chose to participate in and by the end of the cruise we were picking activities to go to because of his fun personality.  The trivia games he came up with were so much fun (my fave was Friends) and even some of the ones I didn't know anything about I attended just because he made it such a great time. All of game shows, bingo and trivia were fantastic but make sure you attend "The Perfect Couple", I won't get into detail because it is definitely NOT what you are thinking it is and I do not want to ruin it if you don't know what to expect but when I left my cheeks hurt from laughing so hard. The Spinnaker Lounge is a great place to enjoy drinks at almost anytime whether participating in the current activity or not.  The service we received in the Lounge was nothing short of perfect.  Award Rei was friendly, attentive and helpful with any questions we could possibly have had.  Award was a reason we kept coming back to the lounge Rakesh our bartender made great drinks and gave us friendly service with a smile at all times but all and all the entire staff in this lounge was just great and like I said kept us coming back. We spent a lot of time in the casino while on the ship when we were not participating in Andre's activities and whether winning or loosing we kept going back because we also loved the staff there.  Tara, one of their great dealers was great, she was friendly, knew all the games she worked on and even provided us with a tune or two with her beautiful voice.  I have been in casinos where you could brew your own beer to get it quicker, but not here.  We found the waitstaff in the casino to also be fantastic but I have to specially mention Ana.  She was so attentive and friendly and I always around when we needed anything! ( I truly don't think some of this staff on this entire ship sleeps because they were always around for anything we needed) The food all around is exactly what it claims to be.  If you go to the buffet, you get buffet food.  If you go to the Blue Lagoon, you get comfort food as promised (this place is a gem if you find yourself hungry in the wee hours of the morning).  For the most part if you pay the extra for the upscale dinners, you get more of an upscale experience.  Moderno was delicious and the service was great there, worth the cover charge in my opinion but be sure to go in there with a hearty appetite as the food will just keep coming.  The Venetian is probably the exception where although included it felt much more upscale and both the food and service were more on the level of one of the more upscale choices.  The one negative I have to include (but not worth taking a star from the entire cruise itself) Cagneys, if you want to go, book far in advance, we had about two dinner times to choose from for the entire week and we did book early in the cruise.  The steak was good, not really all that great.  If you think you are going to get Capital Grill, Ruth Chris, Morton's, etc caliber, this is just not the case.  We were seated in a table that felt like we were in the kitchen and yet still could not get a drink.  I felt the waiters only catered to the bigger parties for some reason and just kept walking by us. The service here was a big disappointment after the service we had been receiving all week.  I will not bother on my next cruise. Overall the boat is kept very clean. The pool is a bit crowded but you have to expect that if you pick a boat that only has one pool.  For us this was not important, we just choose to enjoy the beaches in Bermuda instead of sitting by the pool.  We did go up to the pool to have some cocktails and listen to live music a few times and the waitstaff & bartenders work their butts off to get you what you want as quick as possible in a crowded area. Thanks to Norwegian Cruise Line and their wonderful staff for making our first cruise a great and memorable experience.  We can't wait to book our next cruise and we hope we are lucky enough to have some of the same smiling friendly faces we had on this cruise.

the NCL Dawn is a great ship! I been on the ship 4 times. They have a kids club and a teen club if your kids need anything to do or make friends.They have activities all day for you and your family.The food is great and at the restaurants their is good service! I enjoyed this cruise!

My family and I had a great time we can't wait for the next Cruise. We loved the music, food, shows and hospitality. Every time we return back to the ship we were greeted with friendly smiles and celebrations.

This was by far the best vacation our family has had.  Everything from boarding to departing was a breeze.  The Norwegian Dawn staff do everything in their power to make you feel special.

We had a great time on our cruise Boston to Bermuda! It was our first time, and I would recommend this trip to anyone looking to have a really fun week. Its so nice because your vacation really starts as soon as you get onboard and there's no days lost to travel. The staff was good, and take cleanliness seriously which I appreciate (except for the dirty pool when we were docked). It took a little long sometimes to get a drink, but I had plenty, and there was a big variety of food and things to do. Highly recommended!!!

I was not happy about alot on this cruise. The aqua dining room is a joke, the service is very bad, slow, and seem they just don't care. The 9th floor had a farm yard smell most of the time. The floors in the buffet area were always slippery when I told someone they just put up a wet floor sign instead of cleaning the grease off the floor. The only good thing was Roberto our room steward he always made the bad situation better.

This was our second cruise on this same route on the Norwegian Dawn in three years. We had such a good time the first time that we booked the same cabin for our second cruise. We paid a hefty premium for an aft-facing penthouse suite with large balcony because we were more interested in spending time alone with each other in our suite and on our balcony than in the public areas.

The day before we got to Bermuda a letter was delivered to our suite explaining that maintenance would be done on our balcony, and asking us on which day we were planning to be away from our suite. We had purchased a shore excursion for the early afternoon on the day of our arrival, so we reported this to the concierge staff.

When we returned to our suite after the excursion we found workmen active on our balcony which was draped with a tarp. Much clanging and grinding. No balcony access for us and they left around 7 pm. Next day they were back working until the late afternoon. The following day they painted and "finished" in the afternoon leaving behind a balcony reeking of paint with an electrical fixture hanging from the ceiling (see photo).

We were not able to relax on our balcony without needing a clothespin on our nose to counteract the paint stench until the last day at sea. Even then I had to be careful not to hit my head on the dangling electrical fixture.

We were not notified of the scheduled maintenance when we booked our cruise, or at any time until the day before they started working.

The Concierge and management on the ship were very sympathetic, but explained that the work had been authorized by "Miami" and there was nothing they could do about it. They couldn't offer us a different suite because the ship was booked solid. They did credit our shipboard account $400, which was nice, but which was a drop in the bucket when you consider how much we paid for the cruise.

Otherwise, the cabin steward and our butler were first-rate, the Concierge was very helpful, and the hostess at the Venetian Restaurant went above and beyond so we could get nice tables for two by the windows.

Next time we go to Bermuda we'll take Jet Blue and stay somewhere ashore.

My husband and I took this cruise in June.  All in all it was a great experience except for a few things.  On our last cruse to Spain we got to know the cruise director and his staff very well.  They were always around and very friendly.  On this cruise we barely saw the cruise director and the staff, except for Evan, was not very personable.  Also, the cruise line lost thousands of dollars in drink revenue because of the short staffing of the bars.  We are not big drinkers, but even ordering one drink often took 30 minutes because of the lack of wait staff and bartenders.  The people who were working worked their butts off trying to serve everyone and they just couldn't do it!  Only one bartender at peak times made getting a drink really difficult.  It would also be nice to spend one more day in Bermuda and one less day at sea on the way home.  Overall the trip was great, but I prefer a smaller ship with less people.!

I really enjoyed the Boston to Bermuda cruise, and for a relaxing vacation I would definitely recommend leaving from Boston. The embarkation procedure was pleasant, and debarkation process was handled well. I thought the stateroom was adequate, and very clean, and the cabin steward was always attentive to our needs. I ate most of my meals in the complementary dining rooms, and also utilized the buffet in the garden café, and I thought the food was excellent. I did not experience any of the specialty dining rooms where a fee was required. I enjoyed the evening shows, and each night the theme was different. The entertainment in the lounges for a cocktail before or after dinner was excellent. The only fault I had was a lack of bar waiters, and bartenders in the bars and pool area. Lots of people wanted beverages, and the wait time was long.

i have sailed on norwegian 4 times, the most recent the epic 2 yrs ago, and have been on 9 cruises total. We  took this cruise 17 yrs ago for our anniversary  and decided to do it again for same reason. The ship was adequate, the night life better than the epic,  a new super giant ship we took out of rome to spain,different clientelle of passengers for sure.  The dawn was fun for many people. we had some issues with people waking us up daily in the hallways at 6;45 am when we were on vacation. we raised a complaint with customer service who advised to call security daily , not very realistic.. the gave us a bottle of wine for our trouble.  the all nigh dining room  Blue Lagoon, was slow and messed up our order 2x, the venetian is the main dining room and messed up my order 2x,  overcooked some food,  was ok for most part, the food in general was adequate, the servic ok, the drink gratuities are horrible very expensive and comical. I do not tip 18 % when someone hands me a beer at a bar. , never mind large drink tabs,  tipping should be per the service and individual on drinks.,overall the cruise was ok,

The ship felt a bit too big.

 It was a great Cruise and everything was wonderful ! The Ship is clean and the staff was always there to help you. My wife and I decided we would wait and see how the MD Rooms were before we chose the "Pay extra for Dinning rooms". The MD Rooms Venetian and Aqua were awesome ! no complaints, just like it should be. Food was hot and service was fast. Both MD rooms had the same menu. Venetian was suppose to be more formal. (Some wore t shirts). There were no lines waiting to get into either MD rooms. I did notice lines waiting for the "Pay extra for Dinning rooms". The Garden Cafe tends to be crowed but had plenty food and seating. The only thing I have to complain about was the " Easy walk off disembarkation". Everyone on the ship seamed to have picked this way lol . They first had us wait in a long line. We started near the front of the ship. Before the line started to move they began calling the next group to disembark. We then had to walk the entire inside starboard side of the ship to almost aft pulling all of our luggage. Next they had us cross the ship and out to the Port side Promenade deck. We walked the entire Port side length of the ship. We then had to cross through the ship to the outside on the starboard side and yes walk down about mid ship to the gangway. All that time everyone was pulling their own luggage. lol Have to say that not many of the ship staff were around at this point of my trip. lol all in all I would get right back on today if I could !!! 

Awesome cruise.  Staff is extremely attentive, purchases the specialty restaurant package and loved the food.  Cagney's, Le Bistro and La Cucina were our favorites.  Didn't realize the Jazz Brunch was included in the package and this was pointed out by one of the staff when she made reservations for us.  The entire cruise was so relaxing.  Loved visiting the different islands.  I live in Hawaii and it's fun to see other islands.  Our steward was attentive and our room was always clean.  One the days I went to the pool, there was always plenty of chairs.  Really loved this cruise and highly recommend it.  Last year took the NCL Star through the Panama Canal and that was another awesome experience.

Cute little ship. The staff was incredible at remembering everyone’s name. I love the layout of this small ship. It’s easy to get everywhere. I love the Dawn!

Good buffet food. However Le Bistro restaurant overcharge for asking extra main courses. The judge guy named Mike from Freestyle dancing contest gave a bad comment to the male contestant.

This was our first cruise. We enjoyed the cruise. Staff was friendly, boat was clean, nice variety of food, good shows. The pool deck felt a bit crowded and several rude people taking up large groups of chairs in different sections. (Same person saved chairs in the shade and in the sun) not enough chairs for hoarding...