Norwegian Dawn Cruise Reviews - Reviews

I could never complain about a cruise!!  LOVE them!!! Everyone is friendly and nice, food is great, not sure if the specialty restaurants are worth it, especially since the main dining room food is just as good.

I have taken this cruise four or five times and this one was not as good as the others,  We had a group of about 25 people and a lot of complaining was that the food was not as good and they also ran out of Bud light which did not affect me but a lot of other people were not happy about that.  I found the help to be nice on the average but there were some that clearly don't like their job.  I love Bermuda and would like to go back but sailing on the same ship all the time is boring,  It would be great to go again out of Boston but on a different ship, Other family members feel the same.

Thank you.

Muriel Sakellson

Bermuda was beautiful and fun!! The kids had a blast!! The cruise itself, well thats a different story. I dont recommend anyone travel on the NCL Dawn. The ship and it staff overall sucked donkey nuts. They ran out of a lot of alcohol the second night of the cruise. "Restocked" when we hit Bermuda. Then ran out again the day after we left Bermuda. Half of the public bathrooms we always out of order. The bartenders and bar waiters were mostly rude, lazy, and ignorant. U had to wait forever for ur food in the restaurants. Every time u turned around something else was broken or they didnt have it. It was ridiculous. Norwegian Cruise Line should be embarrassed for putting on such a travesty. Everyone i talked to on the ship said the same thing. Even people in the shops in Bermuda heard about how bad the cruise was. The only good things on the ship were the kids club, the shows, and the food itself. (When u actually got it). I could go on and on. I know ill never step foot on a Norwegian cruise again!!

Check in was chaotic!  Computers were down ver disorganized, it was the 1st cruise out of the season but that really is no excuse.  Food was excellent service was adequate.

We had a great time on the Dawn.  We had interior cabins, which were comfortable and larger than cabins we had stayed in on previous cruises.  The food was good, especially the specialty restaurants.  The entertainment was excellent.  We especially liked the Second City comedy shows.  Bermuda was beautiful.  Wish we would have had one more day there.  

This was like no cruise experience I have ever had. I have been on over a dozen cruises on Disney, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Holland America and Celebrity all of which were excellent.

This cruise seemed to get off on the wrong foot from the get go. Our original booking was cancelled as the ship was being repaired / refurbished etc. When we rebooked we chose the first boarding time at noon and made sure to be waiting in line 40 minutes early.  We waited in line for three hours before we finally boarded the ship. I have never seen such a lengthy boarding process. All previous cruises that I've taken took took an hour to board at the most. *On a positive note, we were able to go directly to our cabin which was ready.

The first thing I noticed once aboard was the overwhelming stench of cigarette smoke. This would last the entire cruise both outside the ship and anywhere in proximity to a deck door and there were many. Most ships have designated smoking areas but not this one. Any public place outside was fair game. Unfortunately the doors leading to the outside were open more than not creating a vacuum for cigarette smoke to permeate the halls and elevators. The smell also spilled out of any door leading to crews quarters. Although there was a multitude of signs declaring the ship a drug free zone, the stench of marijuana also found its way from behind closed doors and open decks into the hallways. 

I hadn't seen the ship before its refurbishment and had heard some people remark that great changes were made but it was a downgrade from other cruises in my experience. I guess the most striking disappointment was that I had read so many stellar reviews and was eager to try this cruise line as was my family. The many scrapes and dings in our cabin wood work had been covered by a coat of paint that left no guesswork about the location and dimensions of the original flaws. The light in our bathroom wasn't working and our toilet door came off the runner at least once a day. It seemed like the refurbishment of our stateroom at least was merely phoned in. I might have overlooked the complete lack of love that was shown in the upkeep of the stateroom if the price hadn't been on par with the better lines I've taken. *On a positive note the young man who was in charge of taking care of our cabin was a doll and very attentive.

Before this cruise I have never seen a constant state of construction happening in the hallways. There was a never ending maze of tool boxes and carts, fans drying flooded carpets, and all manner of debris in our hallway at all times as well as maintenance crews. The public areas were atrocious. Perhaps this cruise was released from dry dock before it was ready. Every single public restroom on the ship wreaked of sewage, was an absolutely disgusting mess night and day and had at least fifty percent of the toilets, sinks, dryers and fixtures out of order 100% of the time. Even the beautiful new spa suffered from atrocious hygiene in the toilets and non functioning showers. I heard endless complaints from other passengers. Such negligence would have caused the health department to shut down any land based hotel.

On our first night on board, my daughter's cellphone, jacket and license were stolen from her chair at the disco by another passenger. The reception desk did their very best to dismiss us, insisting that the articles were not stolen but merely lost. They were unfriendly and seemed to be trained to get rid of people as soon as possible. Hordes of frustrated passengers filed in and out of the lines in the two days I camped out at reception while they insisted the phone was just lost. *On a good note Robert Wolf-head of security and his team did an amazing investigation and were able to find the passenger/culprit and recover the phone, jacket and license for my daughter. We are forever grateful to them. They were first rate!!!!!

The food was mediocre at best. Even the better restaurants were on par with TGIF or Applebee's which are both fine but just above fast food in my book. In general the restaurants did not function like they were ready to serve the amount of guests they had. Our orders were frequently missing items that never appeared even when requested several times. On two occasions waiters just never came to our table at all. Many of the staff did not speak or understand enough English to take our orders even though it was clear they were trying.*On a good note, the wait staff and all the people that worked in the restaurants and buffets were super nice.

The entertainment staff was excellent. They all seemed to give 110%. Ralph (Rafael) who wore many hats including Bingo and Karaoke among others was our favorite but everyone was fantastic. The shows were OK. Not great. The dancers were great and clearly gave their all to what they were doing. Some of them also had phenomenal voices.

Clearly there were many problems and I've never ever heard so many complaints from so many fellow passengers about everything. In fact I've rarely heard complaints on other cruises I've taken. This was exceptional and not in a good way. Would I take another NCL cruise? It wouldn't be my first choice. I won't rule it out all together but it would depend on many factors. Maybe other NCL ships are better? I'm not sure. I paid what it would cost me to stay at the Four Seasons for a weak for a Motel 8 experience so I can't really justify that but I can see how it would be good for people who live in Boston and are terrified to fly or for young people who are too young and inexperienced to expect anything more than a party atmosphere. (Isn't that Carnival's domain?). It would also be excellent for smokers who want to feel liberated. * On a good note Bermuda is beautiful and if you've never cruised before you wont be bothered by preconceived notions or expectations. You won't compare it to previous experiences. So go for it and enjoy. Have no expectations and you'll be fine. On a final note, carry your luggage on board or at the very least carry anything valuable on your person. More than one person that I met personally never had their luggage delivered to their staterooms. They were just lost from the luggage check in at port to the boat. Bermuda triangle maybe?

The best part of the cruise was the food in the main dining rooms, all of the meals were delicious.  The service was also very professional.

The worst part of the cruise was the following.  We docked on Sunday and planned to shop in Hamilton on Monday.  We purchased the $19 per person travel  pass (ferry and bus all day).  Upon arriving in Hamilton there was no shopping to be done, it was a holiday.  Now paying the $38 for the two of us was not an issue.  However, in my opinion the cruise ship personnel should have told the passengers that Monday was a holiday and there would be no shopping.

Upon returning to the shop we file a grievance with the staff and to date we have had no response.  The money is not the issue, it is the principle.  

Overall the cruise was great, I just wish there would have been an acknowledgement and maybe reimbursement of the $38.

We had a wonderful time, but wished there were more then 1 pool , not counting the

kids pool. The staff pool in front of the ship was never used that we saw. There were so many activities and shows that nobody should be bored. The food was fabulous. The staff friendly and helpful on the ship. We would go again. 

This cruise is so much fun.  The best part is that it departs right from Boston so Bostonians don't need to get airline tickets. Easy on and off. Activities staff were fantastic.  All very friendly, helpful and fun. Cruise director, Soozy, was fabulous. Everyone was warm and kind. New décor was beautiful.  Added just a little more sophistication and elegance. Food was delicious with something different everyday. Activities were a lot of fun with a variety of things to do for all ages and tastes. Just enough time in Bermuda to see everything.

Getting off the boat in Bermuda.   A lot needs to be done to this boat and it's staff.  I would not be recommending this cruise line to others until I hear back regarding my complaint.

My favorite part of cruise was the food, wish we had longer in Bermuda and yes I would recommend to everyone! It's simply amazing, the specialty restaurant "LaCuciana" was outstanding, our waiter up at the poolside Sunil from India was so exceptional............I do not have on complaint! this was my fourth trip on Norwegian to Bermuda! thinking do the next one out of Florida.

The crew were excellent. They were the highlight of the cruise. The food was excellent. The ship could have used a little more maintenance for their seeing it was in dry dock over going renovations.

We love how relaxing this cruise is. During the cruise we relax soaking up the sun and enjoying the on ship entertainment.  Then while on Bermuda there is so much to see.

The one thing I would change is different meal selections in the Aqua and Venation. I don't like that they seem to serve the same meals. I would like to see more of a selection.

I would definatley recommend this cruise to anyone. Infact, we are thinking of doing this trip again for the 3rd time.

I traveled with my husband and my 2 children (12 & 13).  The check-in took almost 2 hours and a lot of people complained about it, stating it has never taken this long before.  During check-in, we were each issued a card for drinks and getting into the room.  What was not explained, that both my kids had purchasing power on their cards.  So on the first day, the kids went to the arcade which charges between $1 and $2 for each game.  They racked up $190 in one day by just swiping the card.  Options should be given to the parent during check-in.  They could make any purchase (jewelry store, etc.) on their card.

Also, there should have been more stations to get drinks.  Kids had to stand in line at the bars (with the adults) to get a soda.  The waiting period on day one was up to 30 min. just to get a drink.  There should have been multiple stations and a separate station for just Soda!  The wait time was ridiculous!!!!

I don't think I will take this cruise again with kids.  

I went with four girlfriends...it was fun for us to be together ....entertainment was very good, we all enjoyed the shows.  The restaurants we very good, nice presentations. And the waiter staff was friendly and accomidating.

the ice machines and water tap was out of order most of the time....getting on board was a hassle ,the computers were down, so it took longer than expected.  We were delayed leaving Boston for 1 hour  or more.  Disembark want in Boston was very confusing....not real direction for  the passengers.   The lines were all around the  middle of the ship, galleria area, .  Some passengers. Who were waiting for luggage were in the " walk off " lines....very confusing!

our cabin Stewart was wonderful he took good care of us, he did an excellent jobMaking up our room every day.  He went out of his way to find my room mates luggage, that was missing!

Loved the ship...would love to sail again after it has finished at dry dock and completed renovations.  Im not a fan of the real big ships, too many people and it seems to be a battle over lounge chairs.  The Dawn as well as the Jewel class ships seem to be in that perfect mid range.  Musical performers were very talented and wonderful people.  As always the hardest part is leaving the ship on the final day...I'll miss the people i've met and ill miss the dawn.  But there's always another cruise 

Good cruise overall for the money. Well organized. Good food. On time. Good shore excursions. I understand this cruise was the first time to Guatemala which I would not recommend. The beach excursion there was an unattractive muddy beach with poor service and an old cracked pool. The only complaint I have about the cruise is that there is only one pool (there is a kiddy pool complete with dinosaurs and slides) however at the adult pool the reggae band blast the same songs over and over and the volume is soooo loud you cannot have a conversation and your ears are left ringing.

This was our first cruise on Norwegian Cruise Lines and the most enjoyable of the seven cruises we have taken. The Freestyle Dining allowed us to spend each day as we wished without being on a schedule.  We had the Unlimited Beverage Package which allowed us simply relax and let our cares slip away. We also enjoyed that there were only a few announcements and all information could be found on the daily activities bulletin and on TV. The food and entertainment was outstanding.  We enjoyed meeting and interacting with members of the staff. My only negative comment would be that some of the bartenders, especially at Topsiders, did not acknowledge guests waiting for service and were impatient in their interactions with them.

the itinerary was the best.  Ship does not take an interest in handicapped people.  Long lines with no places to sit.   Balcony was disgusting with a floor that got on your feet and some kind of goop that had melted it. Could not sit on the balcony- People next to us smoked.  We did complain several times. 

Most all the crew and entertainment folks were outstanding.

Had to use ship Dr.  that will NEVER happen again except for a extreme emergency.

Food and service were great.   Couldn`t believe they now charge for lobster and prime rib!!

Decent cruise, ten days at sea prior to drydocking.  Six ports.  Ship clean but ready for a sprucing up.  Dined in MDR as well as five nights at Bistro and Cagneys.  Food, ok for convention food, gets old quick.  Crew mostly friendly, cabin steward outstanding.  Very snippy future cruise representative, she gave a confusing speech about future bookings, and when visited in her office was rude and condescending.  She would drive business away, NCL needs to have better marketing representatives.