Norwegian Dawn Cruise Reviews - Reviews

This was my first cruise. I went with 5 other family members. We had a great time. The first night was karaoke, which was a blast. Spent time in the Casino, saw 3 of the 7 shows - they were very good. Went on one excursion to Mayan Ruins. All the islands were awesome.

The boat was clean and everything was in working order. I would have liked the hot tubs to be a little warmer.

The food was good and the service was excellent!

My Granddaughter spent most of her time with the teen group and she loved the activities!

Probably one of the best cruises. entertainment was delightful. I wanted a large ship but the dawn is just the perfect size with friendly accommodations.

Had the best cruise I've ever been on.  I could not have ask for better service.  Everyone was very friendly.  I'm not much of a fan of the Buffet, but the food and the service at the restaurants was great.

If I had to list any concerns, it would be two safety items.  In Roatan Honduras, we were stuffed into a van style bus and 3 strollers were placed in front of the only passenger door, preventing anyone from exiting the van until the strollers could be lifted up in the air to allow the door to open in.  Exiting this van in a hurry would have been impossible.  The other Item, concerned the Tender from the ship to  Belize.  The water was very rough.  One passenger, walking to his seat, grabbed on to the back of the Captain's chair, which was not bolted down, and fell onto the floor.  Two other elderly passengers mistook a large cooler as a seat.  When the boat pulled away, these people fellover.  The Captain and the crew of this Tender showed no concern for these people.  The rid back was with a different crew and was much better.

Overall, had a great time.

This was our first cruise and all in all we really enjoyed the experience.  However, the managing staff was not very responsive when we had issues and treated us horribly.  First we had a problem with our luggage. 3 out of 4 bags were brought to our room.  When we finally found our 4th bag in a room full of baggage the bag tag was missing along with $500 cash that was missing out of it.  Nothing was done about it. The staff acted like they did not care and they were very rude about it.  Secondly, they kept cutting off our charge account, and charging us for charges that we had never made. Those were never fixed. When coming back to our room the second to last night we found our door left open after we had left it closed and a dress was missing. Again nothing was done and the staff acted like they didn't care. We spoke with Anna Marie several times and she was very rude and unhelpful.  We were never compensated for anything.  All they ever did was send a bottle of wine and some chocolate covered strawberries to our room.  Where we asked to speak to the cruise director Anna Marie denied that request. We had planned on coming home and booking again with the kids, but we see us taking many more cruises in the future, because we loved the experience. If there is anything you could do to help us out in fixing the problems we had please let me know 

i started experiencing stomach cramps the evening of departure.  The symptoms worsened and I went to the doctor the following day.  Was treated for urinary tract and kidney infection and sent back to my room.  Returned the next day to discover I had appendicitis and needed surgery.  Transferred to hospital and that was the end of my trip. 

I spent the majority of time in my room and only saw the steward once.  Was told later by my travel companion that he was sick too so couldn't clean our room.

So many problems with doctor, charges, latitudes problems for my friend, that I don't plan on going on another NCL cruise.

The Norwegian Dawn provided a great venue for family reunion with all couples in their 60's.  The ship is scheduled for refurbishing in the Spring of 2016 which will be a welcomed upgrade.  The service was great at the buffet lines but slow in the Venetian and Aqua main dining rooms.  The shows were excellent for the most part and the ports were very good.  There were a few too many smoking areas for our taste and they served Pepsi products vs. Coke products which was not to our liking.  Therefore we did not purchase the beverage packages.  All-in-all, the service was excellent by everyone we encountered with the exception of the two main dining rooms where it was slow as mentioned, but very good otherwise.

   We were very happy with the service we received on the trip. The cabin steward was super, always had cabin ready and done as if reading our minds. The dining was good, used the Asian restaurant twice for dinner and really enjoyed that too. The buffet actually looked good, but not being a buffet guy, I didn't use. The shows were very good, I was surprised, though the seats in the theater were a bit worn and not too comfortable.   

Our fist sailing with Norwegian Cruise Lines.

Ship was clean and well taken care of.

We were disappointed with the dinning room food.  The higher end selections that were part of our cruise price with other lines, were an additional cost here.  The dinning room staff were always busy but the service did not appear to run smoothly.  On some days, we had to ask for bar service with our meals and coffee with our desserts.  On two days were just skipped it.  Our waiters just seemed too busy to catch their attention.

  This sailing was a good price but with some  sacrifice on service and quality.

Getting on board was long and difficult. Getting off was easy. We carried our bags off.  The service was far below what it was on our previous trips on Norwegian. I think the bar servers came around maybe 4 times during about 5 hours we spent on the deck.  Maybe thats because most people had the beverage package, and the cruise line didn't want to give out many drinks.  Who knows. Food in the main restaurants was OK, not excellent. I'd think twice before I choose Norwegian aver Princess. This was our first experience in an interior cabin.  We tried it and won't do it again.  The room steward was excellent.

Always nice to get away. is awesome to book with and ask for Oliva.  Boat wise some things didn't care for room guy wasn't to nice was a little of a smart butt lol. One main dinning room service was horrible but then went to aqua and it was great. 

Cagney's is supposed to be a step up for dining on this ship.  That is why you pay extra to dine there.  For my extra one hundred dollars and dressing up for the occasion, my wife and I were seated next to a group of people who feel that Freestyle means coming in wearing dirty shorts and t-shirts that smelled!  Attention NCL!  Seat your Freestylers on one side of Cagney's and those who dress up on the other side.  Also, don't serve me the same cut of meat that I can get in the free dining area and then charge extra to dine in Cagney's!  Your entertainment is an absolute joke.  The Second City show sucked.  Also, on the Carnival Dream, the bow of the ship was not restricted access.  You limit access to wayyy too much of the ship.  We were given mail the entire week that had someone else's name on it.  The cabin was dirty on check-in. There was mail left in the room that was directed to the staff and we got to read their complaint card because it was not picked up before we got in the room.  

Lousy cruise - start to finish.  The next time I want the same experience, I will just sit in my local mall for a week straight at Christmas time and let myself get trampled.

We found a wonderful cruise at an affordable price. The ship's crew was well trained, courteous and very hard working. The balcony cabin was wonderful. The food was pretty good, although I believe I had some sort of food-related illness for a couple of days. Desserts looked much better than they tasted. Other food was sometimes too salty. Main complaint was the express disembarkation which was far from express.  Going through customs was quick. The optional excursions we took were perfect, except for the ferry ride going to Playa del Carmen which was quite rough, causing my husband to get a little seasick. The waters were very rough the last day and many of the passengers were woozy. 

This was our first Norwegian cruise. We loved the freestyle dinning, so much more relaxed. The food was fantastic, all the people that work on the ship were so friendly and helpful. The entertainment was so good. The dancers and singers and everyone else was so talented and very professional. The only negative thing was  getting off the ship when we got back to New Orleans. We chose to walk off, because we could take our own luggage. The line was so long, stood in line over an hour. Not sure if the problem was that we were 1 hour later getting to port or if it is always that disorganized. Next time we will just sit in the Atrium or somewhere until they make us get off. Would recommend the Norwegian, we will definitely go again.

The cruise was excellent for family reunions.  The Dawn is beginning to show it's age, but is slated for dry dock and refurbishing this Spring.  The buffets were excellent as was the attentive service provided by all working there.  This was better than the Aqua and Venetian where the service seemed slow.  Coke products would have been preferred and fewer smoking areas would have been better.  The photo staff was excellent as was the service provided by our room steward.  Although drinking water in a pitcher would have been very fine. Ice bucket was always kept full and allowed for melting water to drink.

We were extremely satisfied.  Not much else to say.  If I am to say something, I recommend that the omelet station be located separately as it causes a congestion.  No problem for me as I avoided that spot.

We had rough seas coming home, but I am sure the Captain and crew didn't like them either.  But, what a topic of conversation.

Having read many scathing reviews. we began with very very low expectations. Contrary to the reviews, our cabin Steward was excellent. We needed little and got whatever we wanted, quickly, with a smile. He greeted us by name when we passed in the hall and was always upbeat.

We consider ourselves "Foodies" and have no connection with Norwegian, Spirit or any travel agency. So consider this review unbiased. We had low expectations and were blown away by the awful reviews and actually had a great experience. We will sail with Norwegian again.

The buffet was better than Golden Corral with offerings to please anyone. The Tepanyakki was good, almost too much food. The Bistro was good, not great. and Brazillian steak house-a new experience for us- was good (not great) and,again, too much food. 

Our favorite meal was in The Venitian, a papparadelli pasta with duck ragu. OUTSTANDING. We preferred the Venitian ( window views and larger room ) to the Aqua, but same menu. Several Daily Specials to choose from and a full menu of choices that should fill anyone's taste. Bamboo is also a "free choice" and we enjoyed it as well.  

We took four bottles of wine, paid the corkage fee at the terminal check in and it was a breeze. Bring it to the first restaurant and they give you a  tag (much like a Valet or Coat check) and it will be promptly delivered to you up after presenting the  small "receipt card" to your waiter at your next restaurant choice.

As far as excursions, we did not take the ship's excursions ($$$$)  At each port we did our own thing and hired a taxi to show us the sites. Cost effective and about half what it would have cost with Norwegian. We enloy stopping at a grocery the locals frequent at found vanilla for $1.50 vs $5.00 in tourist shops.Our favorite  was at Costa Maya. We took the  $3 ea trollu to town where it was less commercial. Local shops and vendors. HIGHLY recommend The Krazy Lobster. get a free mini margarita, We had massages on their beach. 30 min each for a total of $25- ( barter with them on the price!) and then a grilled lobster lunch and margaritas. Perfect  low price indulgence.

The ship entertainment was FANTASTIC !  The Vegas style shows wer superb. The couple aerialists/ballet were phenominal. And Second City Comedy (several different shows) was side splitting. The entertainment was worth nearly the price of the cruise.

The staff was always friendly, helpful and encouraging. We found NONE of the negativity that we read prior to cruising.  Our Norwegian experience was excellent. The ONLY drawback for us was our own fault  (Casino, Bingo, Slot, Blackjack and Poker tournaments...) If you write those off to "the price of entertainment" you'll have a BLAST !

Oh... and we both wore patches and found them unnecessary and did not replace after 3rd day. I just took Dramamine ( as a precaution) before bedtime and was fine the rest of the cruise. Even with a HUGE storm the last night. NO PROB !  (

(YAY !!!)

GO FOR IT ! The price is right and you WILL be pleased.

Beve and Chat (Johns Creek / Metro Atlanta)

The service by the room staff/dining staff was great.  The changes that have been made about charging for room service was a disappointment.  That is something my husband and I always enjoy for breakfast, without a fee. The price of a drink is out of control.  My husband ordered a Zapaca shot, (Rum) he was charged $17.95.  So, with one beer and one shot, it was almost $40.00 after the tip was added.  They are forcing people to drink off the ship to make it affordable. Our

bathroom smelled like urine the entire week. When did the one night having lobster on a 7 day cruise stop?  We were surprised to see it offered on the menu, however you would pay $19,99 and up is you wanted it.  We have cruised 25 times, this being the third on Norwegian, now I'm not sure we will use this cruise line again.

we were misinformed at the time of booking the cruise. We did not realize that smokers were allowed to smoke in public areas throughout the ship. A major disappointment for us and many other travellers who complained to the customer service desk during the cruise. Otherwise, the food and personnel were fine. We will not go back on a Norwegian cruise.

the smokers made it a two star cruise.

We had a fine time on the cruise-food is good but a bit old fashioned-love the classic menu along with the changing items-entertainment was good, especially magician team of Haines Magic, could use a few activities before early supper- ship's music was great especially pianists and guitarists and the combo folks- we have an issue about the charge for service daily, as we thought we had already paid it and the system was "down" at billing time-excursion folks not helpful if fielding a question beyond ship's packages,sailing from New Orleans is a huge factor for us

Our cruise was outstanding; the food was great and plentiful. The stateroom was beyond our expectation and the staff and crew spoiled us for a week. This was our 5th cruise with Norwegian and we have never been disappointed. This particular cruise had excellent entertainment but again, the others were all very good. This trip was so good we put deposits down on future cruises. Can't wait to book another!