Norwegian Dawn Cruise Reviews - Reviews

they need to get better at getting folks off and on the ship in at least 2 ports, bar harbor and Halifax were terrible. Service on the ship was not consistent. Cut backs on the small items like no bar soap, no lotion, no chocolates . 

The itinerary was pretty good as the return trip had different ports except for Halifax.  The ship was very clean and the food excellent but so many people that leaving and returning from the ports was laborious. However, as HAL devotees, we greatly missed the daily newspapers, the port talks that happen without shopping the prime interest, the wonderful afternoon tea complete with; scones, clotted cream, lovely sammys, and waiters with white gloves, the free computer classes, fresh fruit in the room daily and the 2 for 1 happy hour specials.  There was no conditioner next to the shampoo.  We like the smaller ships although I must say the large ship was smoother and I did not get sea sick.

Having cruised on several different cruise lines. I felt that NCL was on the lower end in service, food. I felt I was being nickeled and dimmed for everything.  Small things like towel animals I only received the last two nights. There were no mints on my pillow. Room service even for coffee is a fee. The drink package lets you drink but you still have to pay 18% on every drink you order. The food was not bad but was just mediocre. Since you don't get the same server with the free style dining you never get those special touches.  Dress is very casual and they really push the pay restaurants.  When dining there you pay a fee plus 18%. If you want two entrees you pay $10.00.  Lobster is also extra.  In the specilty restaurants the food was superior to dining rooms or buffet.  The one thing that was superior on NCL was entertainment. The normal dancers and singers were only used twice and the magic, and comedy acts were spectacular.  If you are looking for a cruise where you don't dress up and want good entertainment NCL is the way to go.  If you want superior food try Celebrity.  

We had a great time on the cruise. The ship was very clean and easy to get around.  We only had one negative thing to say.  We felt the bartenders were very slow and not friendly at all.   It was pretty much that way all around the ship.  

WE became friends with other passengers that , after talking with, ...well let just say NCL offered them better room rates, a beverage package, the ship was 600 under full and there were no upgrades.. some people got good on board credit and gambling comps.. I just sense an imbalance. I am not new to this. Bermuda is beautiful, but you need to have a plan to get the most from 2 1/2 days. I am interested , even with the drive, in Royal Caribbean from NJ to Bermuda. NCL agents are indifferent to loyal customers.

This was my first cruise and I have to say it was excellent. Food and drinks were good and plentiful.  Staterooms had plenty of space.  Crew and staff went out of their way to make sure everyone had a good time.

would do this again.

After my first Norwegian cruise, I was convinced I'd only cruise Norwegian ever again. However during this trip there were reasons to reconsider.  When we docked at Bermuda, maintenance did some upkeep to the ship.  We had a balcony and many people, including my pregnant girlfriend got very sick from the fumes.

Our bureau had dust mites which ended up getting into our clothes and causing a serious outbreak.

While in Bermuda, I got swimmers ear and an infection.  I went to the infirmary and was given the wrong prescription which I used before they notified me.  The drops the eventually prescribed ended up adding to the water already in my ear and my ear drum ruptured the day I got off the boat!  I'm still on antibiotics and in some pain as a result!

The positives were the food and entertainment. One of the best steaks I've ever had and the theater had some amazing shows.  The cruise director and assistant cruise director were some of the nicest people I have ever met and you could tell they really enjoy what they do.

We did ultimate dining while aboard ship and it was as if you were eating in the country of the restaurant. Fantastic eating experience ,would highly recommend. Everything was handled by BJ excellent travel agency.

My sister, mother and 96 Grandmother went on the Norwegian Dawn from Boston to Bermuda.  We had a family suite.  It was very spacious and had a big balcony.  Since we had a family suite we had priority boarding (a girl can get used to that).  We also had the alcohol package and signature dinning.  The Restaurants were AWESOME.  The staff really catered to us.  We had treats delivered to our room every day in the afternoon.  The shows were terrific and Bermuda was Beautiful.   I would definitely go on the Dawn again.

Debbie - Salem, CT

n y strip steak tuff  tenderloin tuff.  turkey processed meat food not got good 

breakfast  o k  what can thay do to egg,s and bacon

lunch  same every day soup like water  side dishes cold

dinner  some night's bad order something  different  untill i got food to eat

The ship's employee's were very friendly and pleasant and did a great job in all area's. I wish there were more things going on in the pool area. Mostly music was happening. Plenty entertainment elsewhere. Spent a lot of time in the casino, very crowded and smoky though. Room was really nice very clean. Wish the buffet had a salad bar and not just a few items.

I have little experience as I have only been on a few, but I found that the staff on this cruise were the least friendly of them all. Granted there were a few standouts who were exceptional, but as a whole I was a little disappointing. Food was good not great. Entertainment was great. 

We cruised this ship in 2008  and 2010.    They have reconfigured the pool deck to two smaller pools and more chaise lounges.   The second smaller pool looks like it belongs in a zoo somewhere!    The stateroom we had and the meals were exceptional though.   Since we did not leave the ship the pool area is important to us since I did not leave the ship do to a handicap.    That was the biggest disappointment.   Also, the cruise line seems to be milking every penny they can on the price of drinks!   Typical of the cruise industry! 

Arrived before lunch to board the ship. When we got on board we were able to take   the bags we carried on to our suite even though it was not ready for us. That was very helpful and allowed us time to understand the layout of the ship and have lunch. We had booked the Venictian restaurant for our first dinner and enjoyed it along with the decor. We attended a few of the on board entertainment and enjoyed the bingo and deal or no deal although the cost was a little more than expected for bingo. When we arrived in Bermuda it was very easy to go on and off ship and found it fairly easy to get around the island with the two day bus and ferry pass. The island is very clean and people are very friendly. We took both ferry and bus and had no problems. My mother who is 83 , took the ships bus tour around the island and very much enjoyed it. My husband and I went on our own but later wished we had also taken the tour as we didn't get to see or hear as much about Bermuda as my mother did. The trip home was enjoyable, although we found most of the time the pool was too crowded for us but understandably so as the weather was very warm and finding a breeze on board kept us busy. Our meal at Cagneys steakhouse was the very best and highly recommend it. Getting off the ship for us became a little time consuming as we believed as Canadians that we had already gone through customs to go to Boston, however, we found that we needed to go to immigration to get off the ship when we arrived and couldn't understand why when on other cruises we had never had to do that. The very nice custom officer explained that Bermuda is international and that we were re entering the U.S. It was a bit of a wait getting off but understandably so. The ships information on disembarking could be a bit clearer if they put the who and why for this on their info channel as we did not realize we needed to renter the USA. Other than that we would highly recommend this cruise.

This was a first cruise for our family, so we had no idea what to expect. We were both excited and nervous at the same time. Now about a week after being home, We would all say we would do it again in a heartbeat if we could. Overall we had a great time. I would of liked to see more activities for scheduled for the return trip, most of the things scheduled were shopping sales and Bingo/Deal or no Deal etc.. all things that were an extra expense. Since we are not big drinkers or partiers some of the nights got a little boring for us as most of the entertainment stopped around 9PM then all turned to parties. Our kids enjoyed most of the club activities being 11 and 13, but they only did about 1/3 of them as the others did not appeal to them. We had a major issue while boarding the ship with the desk not properly checking us in making us all have to fight back through the line to get this fixed just to get back in line to board the ship, but I am sure this was just a fluke incident. The room was very tight but serviceable with the drop down bed and cot for the 4 of us to sleep. The staff members were all great, they were friendly and helpful at all times. We loves the murder mystery lunch, The shows put on by the 2nd City cast were all great. Once we got to the island, I wish we had been there before, this would have allowed us to better plan our time there. We went to the clock tower mall the 1st and last day there. Snorkel Bay Park Beach was free to use the first day we arrived so that was a nice surprise, the water was great but that beach is small and a little rocky, but it is in walking distance from the pier. We then bought a 1 day bus/ferry pass and took the ferry to St. George 1st thing in the morning, we walked and explores for about an hour or 2 checking our the local shops and sites. We then took a bus to the Crystal caves and took that tour, This is where it is so much cheaper to do these trips on your on then through the ship excursions. It would have cost us about $400 to book this for the 4 of us it only cost about $130 to do this on our own. I just wish we had more time and money to be able to do more while we were there. The food was great, we all loved Cagney's steakhouse, I would suggest it, but make reservations as it fills up quick. Also breakfast at the Venetian was great with the window views.

We have traveled on a wide  variety on cruise lines, and  looked forward  to trying  NCL. We were  not disppointed. The entertainment was first rate. We tried each of the specialty restaurants, and thoroughly  enjoyed each of them. We found the staff amazing and eager to assist. The lone complaint was that a seafood buffet could have had more variety. We found Norwegian to be first rate, and look forward  to returning for a future cruise.

 Staff very attentive, Ship for am older vessel, is well maintained and clean. Only factor that was some what negative, was the number of areas on the ship (mostly outside) that allowed smoking.

The trip is excellent, but my wife was late to board the ship in just a few minutes. She forgot her greencard and had it delivered by a friend, but the staffs refuse to let her on board 30 minutes before the ship sailed. 

We had a wonderful time.  When we left Boston there were many planes flying overhead as we backed out from the port.  It was a lot of fun watching them.  The shows and activities on board were very good.  The food and service was great! Bermuda is wonderful - lots to do and it was easy to get around on the ferries and busses.  I would recommend this cruise to my friends.

This is one of the best most relaxing cruises we have ever been on. (10 to date)

The ship the Norwegian Dawn was spectacular.  This was our first freestyle dinning cruise and we loved it. The entertainment was excellent and the staff was excellent. Oh and Bermuda was beautiful.  Highly recommend this cruise.