Norwegian Dawn Cruise Reviews - Reviews

What an amazing opportunity to unplug from the world as we knew it and plug into other worlds to be explored. Dalton, our trip planner, was amazing at answering all questions all along the way and we wouldn't  have done this without his encouragement. We are grateful for all the ways we were blessed by the NCL crew and staff. The entertainment was great (except maybe the magician - a little too much showmanship and not enough "magic").

Only disappoint we had the whole trip was dealing with Shore Excursions - IHG's contracted group for excursions before, during and after the cruise. Our experience with that organization was abominable! We were tendered to Roatan, Honduras from the ship with strict instructions not to miss the last tender. Our paperwork said "Go to booth 6," which we did. The folks in booth 6 would not give us eye contact and when we tried to engage them saying we needed a ride to the spa, they told us that was not their job and were sent outside the gates to the streets to see if someone there had a sign. No one did. A woman there indicated that she does transport folks, but not from Coxen Hole the port we were at and she said, booth 6. She even called them and told them it was their job. We walked back to booth 6 to be told they were NOT transporting us. Went back to the lady and she reluctantly agreed to take us. Then we walked for a mile to the car to be transported - no joke! The spa was amazing and undid some of the stress created by the transportation issue getting there, but then the fun started. After the spa treatment we were told go the gift shop and wait and within 15-20 minutes we would be picked up. Over an hour later we were picked up and by that time we were concerned about getting back before the last tender. Needless to say all the good done at the spa had worn off by then.

Once in New Orleans we had a problem again, when I took ill the day we were supposed to go to the plantations. The girl said no problem and moved us to the next day, however, about 3 hours later she called to say that the upstairs of one of the plantations was going to be under repair so we way would not get to go. I asked if we could cancel and she said yes. I then called Shore Excursions to confirm we could get our money back and they said, "No, you must cancel 14 days in advance." Linda then said I should go on the excursion and just miss that part and they would make a partial payment back. I did not want to do that and after lengthy conversation I was allowed to cancel not knowing if I would get refunded. I told her if I did not I would dispute. She called the next day to say we would receive a refund, but it was a lot of hassle for something that Cajun Excursions was willing to do because of the change. I do NOT recommend booking through Shore Excursions!!!

Over All the cruise was great. The ports where very well established with excursions. The staff was more then hospitable. The food at the four star restaurants was good. The activities on the boat where great especially because they threw a great New Years Eve Party top side at the pool. It was nice to see the officers and staff celebrating with sparkling apple juice while brining in the new year. This told us they care about their employees at Norwegian Cruse line. The Penthouse suits are worth the cost for sure, plenty of room and floor to ceiling windows. Our only caveat is to not to exercise the luggage assistance when exiting the boat, our luggage was lost as we exited the boat. There is no system in place to track your luggage from the boat to the harbor/dock. The luggage is placed in a holding area before you hit customs where anyone can walk away with your luggage. Customs does not check the name on the bag with the person walking out with the bag. There is nothing in place, very poorly managed. Norwegian cruise line was no where to be found and the harbor security was no help besides filling out a wrong form for damaged luggage and not lost luggage.

Great service, entertainment, and quality.  Had a great time! Loved the accommodations and excursions.  Staff was top notch. Alvin and Constancio took great care of us and the cabin, and the chocolate covered strawberries left for my daughter each night was a wonderful and warm added touch.

The highlight of our ship board experience was our group dinners at Teppanyaki and Le Bistro.  The service in both of these specialty restaurants was amazing. and the food was phenomenal.  Everyone in our party was raving about them.  We also received great service in Aqua, one of the complimentary dining rooms.

This ship is one of the smaller in the fleet and so you can feel the motion of the ocean most of the time.  If you are prone to sea sickness make sure to pack your psi bands or remedies so that you can enjoy yourself. The stateroom we had was lovely and our steward was fantastic!  The shipboard entertainment was good as well.  The excursions we took through NCL were well organized and had fantastic guides.  The spa is open until 10 pm, so you will be able to enjoy it after your excursions if you are thinking of purchasing a thermal suite pass. There is no dance club on this ship, they use the Spinnaker lounge as a multipurpose room.  It works for entertainment but it doesn't really have a club feel.  Because they dedicate so much space to specialty restaurants there are only 3 late night indoor bars so this is not really the ship to take if you are looking to stay up all night.  My group being who they are, we still had a costume night and did formal night on our own, as you can see from the picture above. 

I was a little disappointed with the communication from Norwegian.  We were looking forward to their white/glow party and formal nights.  Because of freestyle dining they never did really announce either and it turns out they canceled the white party with no notification.

small ship without all the bells and whistles.  but they are good at making the most of it.  greetings after port days are nice  - cool wet towels and refreshing drinks.  afternoon pool deck sail away parties/BBQ were great.  Main dining room service was spotty, also - be prepared to wait for dinner every night for about 30 minutes.  desserts were awful, but main dish and appetizer were good with nice variety.  not a luxury trip, but excellent value for the money. since gratuity for beverages/dinner are included automatically,the service was less than expected.  many rude bar staff and dining room servers.  took on average 15 minutes to get a second glass of wine at dinner.  the best aspects of this cruise were:  itinerary, excursions, lots of teens, excellent embark/disembark organization.

Had a great time on a family cruise. Ship was great and prefect weather. Food and drinks were fabulous. Very relaxing and enjoyable. Would certainly cruise with Norwegian cruise line again.

Norwegian is a great cruise.. Didn't know what to expect big first time cruisers. Norwegian Dawn cruise exceeded our expectations. Stateroom was very clean, attendant was very polite and sincere. Entertainment on the ship was indeed great. Travelling with kids was fun altogether on the ship, with so many activities, good food, good shore excursions. The ship crew goes a step forward to make you feel welcomed. Had a great relaxing week. Will look forward for the next cruise when we plan.

Our overall experience on the Dawn was good. The Port of New Orleans was one of the best we have experienced. The destinations were extrodinary. The Dawn was extremely clean and the entertainment was average. We we often left the activities in the Spiniker lounge because it was too crowded. A suggestion for future shows -- if you are hosting a show that is popular, do NOT have it in a room that does NOT accommodate the number of guests who wish to attend. The lounge was SO crowded it would be classified as a fire hazard. People were blocking aisles and 1/4 of the people who were in there couldn't even see what was happening on the floor.

The food was the worst we have ever had on a cruise. If we walked into a resturant and we served the food that was on the ship, we would not return to that resturant. In addition, the hostesses at the complimentary restaurants were extremely rude. I'm not referencing one specific resturant, but all of them. I'm not sure if their patience levels are pushed because it is freestyle dining or if that's just their personalities, but there is no reason to be rude when asking for a wait time or when adding your name to the waiting list. Because of this experience, we will NEVER cruise on a ship that has freestyle dining. 

We would not cruise on this ship again. We gave this ship 3 stars because of our experience at the port, destanitations, and cleanliness of the ship.

This was our fifth cruise and third time to the Caribbean. We chose the Norweigan Dawn to make this a memorable Christmas vacation for all nine of us. We booked 3 mini suites and one penthouse.The ship was older than others we have been on and was dated but clean. I could overlook the ship had the ports been more interesting. We just never saw clean white sandy beaches. It was kind of a let down for the nine of us. However the vibe of all the families celebrating the Christmas holiday on the ship was fun. Was just hoping for more!

Poor attitude of Guest Services Staff--too quick to say no, but have a nice day.  Refurbished ship, Dawn, needs to be retired.  Food in main dining was often cool to barely warm.

This is not what we are used to on NCL past cruises.  What has happened?  NCL is not our first choice for cruises after this experience.  We were not the only ones disappointed.  Lots of complaints were heard by me.

All just fair.  Food quality and service at lower end of scale.  Huge problems on one of the shore excursions booked thru NCL.  Embarkation was awful.  Stood in line for 2 hours.  On board evening entertainment was probably worst I have seen in all of my cruises.  In general, service just fair. 

Mostly was a very nice experience. Getting on the ship was an exercise in patience always makes me wonder why they cant get that process down better. We arrived at our designated time 9 am and were told it would be a long time until they would even start we were crammed into small waiting area with no chairs available. We left our luggage and opted to come back later but we still had a huge line to wait in and by the time we boarded the ship I was feeling very cranky, not a good way to start!The cruise was wonderful though worth the embankment aggravation!

unlimited liquor option was excellent. able to savoir many cocktails and wines.  

there were many indian families who were vegetarians and there were indian food in the afternoon, but not at venetian dining. we were given the same food

left over from afternoon buffet.. there were no vegetarian soup in the buffet.

they could have made veggie pizzas instead of plain cheese pizza.theycould have made pancakes made of rice or wheat dough. veggie choices were few.

we were 11 guests, but seating could not be provided together many times at the same location so that we could told indian chef as to our needs. but the staff were courteous and obliging.

i booked balcony room. the rooms were small to move around. the lounge

chair could have been better for stretching the legs and to relax.the balcony 

was never washed clean.

the entertainment programs were good.

i was looking for Bridge Card Games. there were none.

on the whole i enjoyed the cruise.

This was my wife and I first cruise and it was a great choice to go on the dawn.  They had an amazing crew and the time spent on and off the ship was great.  Definitely doing it again

Good times great places, enjoyed our time,and had fun on the excursions.  The entertainment was first class.  Our room steward Zaim was great.  My grandaughter said she thought that he was the nicest person she had ever met.  the food at the Blue Lagoon was the best.

The itinerary is awesome. Level of service in all areas on the Dawn has deteriorated each time (cruised this ship 3 times now). Staff is complacent when present and often not available when needed. Main and specialty dining, bar areas, room service, stateroom service - across the board it was the same. Don't know if this played a part but NCL offers a "prepaid service charges" option so you can handle gratuities in advance.  If you don't choose this option, you get billed at the end and the rate is higher. I'm guessing if staff knows the tip is already guaranteed then why try? Because of the decline in service I'll probably go with some other cruise line else next time... 

Everything went very well, we had great time. The food was great and the  staff were very friendly. The kids and us had very good time. The entertainment was ok could have been better.

Everyone was super nice and very polite, they keep the entire ship clean at all the times. Amazing shows every days. Love it ! We travel with my two boys (five and twelve) and they just love it to. Also we travel with a friends that have 2 children's as well ( 1 yr and 5 yrs) and they had the same experience as us. First time crusing good experience and planing to book an other one for this coming 2016

Had a great time. Easy parking and on off process. Great snorkeling in belize. Would love to do the trip again. Thanks to the staff on the cruise. Unorganized tender process though. Good food, nice staff too.

this was worst ship line I have been on.The  ship had problem at port and their was a long wait and they did not said a word until a few nights later when we talk to one of the person in charge. he said he was sorry but at that time it was too late.For the  food you could look at any night and see the same food offed.Last time on the  Norwegian