Norwegian Dawn Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Had a Balcony room would not do it any other way. Freestyle is the way to go. Eat when and where you want. Food was fantastic. Cruised the whole week and lost 3 pounds....

Cannot wait for the next cruise. Maybe the Breakaway out of NY.

The Dawn is a beautiful ship.  The staff is professional, courteous and accommodating.  The food is over the top; different and delicious selections every day.  The entertainment is the best we have experienced on a cruise ship.  We didn't miss a show all week. Bermuda is a wonderful destination; the Bermudians are friendly, helpful and genuinely nice people. Ride the bus in the morning and you will see and possibly meet some of the most neatly dressed, well behaved, polite and friendly children. Lots to see and enjoy all over the island. The beaches are very nice; the water is clean, beautiful and refreshing.  Cruising to and from Bermuda is very enjoyable with the ship's pool area; sun yourself, swim or go into the hot tubs. You'll meet very interesting people form all over the country and beyond.  Great R&R. The only downside was our room's balcony, which had a flooring problem and made our time on our balcony less enjoyable.

The good, the bad, and the ugly...

If you have never been on another cruise, then you will probably enjoy this one..

Having said that, we have been on just about all the different cruise lines...

The Good.... the entertainment on this ship was probably the best on any ship that I have seen... Our cabin steward was excellent, was always smiling and very upbeat.. I truly believe she wanted to make us happy...

The Bad...We got a balcony cabin that was by far the smallest balcony cabin we have ever had... The balcony itself was so small that you could not have a chaise lounge chair on it... If you set on the chairs, you could not see anything through the dirty glass on the deck... We went on a Carnival cruise last year and got a suite for about the same price that we payed for the balcony cabin on this ship... It had a much bigger room and the balcony had two chaise lounge chair on it...

The Ugly.... Food was horrible in the dining room... the food on the Carnival ship was much better.. out of desperation, we went up to the buffet... The food in the buffet was not much better, and was lukewarm at best, which made me nervous because I know food should be held at a certain temperature.. On the sixth floor of the ship was their casino... The smoke in the casino was just about unbearable... The whole sixth floor smelt of smoke... All the bars on the ship were understaffed... There were only two people in each bar, one waiting on the tables and the other mixing drinks.. You could tell they were all over worked because none of them smiled or were congenial.... I was sitting at the card table in the casino and was trying to get a drink but to no avail... Then I went up to the bar, and I could see why.. Even though the casino was packed they were still only one bartender and one waiter..

I could not recommend this cruise to anybody who was ever been on another cruise ship...

I went on this cruise with my son and we had a wonderful time.  The people working in the kid's club were awesome.  They made the kids feel special and like they were all friends.  Food was pretty good.  Room was small (of course) but nice.  We would definitely go again.

Everything was so great, from embarkation to disembarkation. Food, service, entertainment, casino, dining. You name it and it was far above average.

The only thing that could possibly be changed, moving the omelet bar away from the buffet bar, was maybe the biggest thorn in our sides.

Congrats to NCL for the cruise and special thanks to Angela Dawson ( Cruises Only).

Thank you all very much,

Ed & Lynne Harkins

(Platinum members)

Our first cruise but not our last! The value for your money is outstanding. I suggest taking the Norwegian Dawn from Boston to Bermuda, where you'll have three 'Bermudaful' days on a beautiful island. The people are friendly and inviting! The crew aboard the Dawn bend over backwards to make your cruise a vacation of a lifetime! Do it! You will NOT be disappointed! :)

The staff and crew were amazing. The food was excellent.They kept the room spotless. The entertainment was always a something different. We always had many options for things to do. This was our first cruise, but it won't be our last.

We found the Dawn cruise just as good as other cruise lines. There is a better view in the buffet dining area and dining room than other ships have.  There is no formal tea, which I missed. There is too much space given to specialty restaurants that charge $ leaving less space for public areas.  The RC Valor has a free coffee shop where everyone hangs out. There were no free drinks on  formal night when they say "dress up or don't" which makes everyone feel overdressed or underdressed. Get the 3 day bus& ferry pass in Bermuda $44. Excursions are expensive.

The cruise to Bermuda aboard the Dawn on May 8th was great.  We had a window room above the Spinnaker Lounge and a couple of nights around 1:30 AM there was alot of screaming from late night partiers coming from that direction.  We did wake up but it didn't last long and didn't feel it was a big problem.  The rest of the trip was flawless.  Had the premium dining package that provided for an outstanding experience although the Garden Cafe had great food.  Nightly entertainment was great and loved Jose and Patti performances.  Alain is the best hotel manager ever and really takes care of the passengers.  Every crew member that we had contact with was superb and always treated us like royality.  A low point was that the friends we made with crew members last October weren't there this trip.  Kimberly the cruise consultant moved on and the executive casino host, Lauraine wasn't there either.  But Jose and Patti were there to entertain us.  Overall, Norwegian Cruise Lines is the best.

We're a couple in our 60's who went on a 7-night cruise to Bermuda from Boston on the NCL Dawn.  We've been on 30+ cruises on various lines (with 11 on Celebrity).  This was our third cruise on NCL.  We knew that the guest demographics would be different from the ones on the Celebrity and other lines, but this was quite a departure from what we’re used to.  Since it was only seven nights, it attracted a younger crowd who could get away from work with a quick cruise w/o flying and it appeared to be the first cruise for most of them. 

Apparently NCL encourages smoking as you could do that anywhere in the casino and on any of the outside decks.  You could even smell it on people’s clothes in the elevators and in the dining rooms and bars so you could never really get away from it.  We’d be sneezing and getting stuffed up from all the smoke.  There was even an ashtray mounted in the toilet area of the bathroom as they allowed you to smoke in the cabins until 2012!  

We booked an outside porthole cabin to get the drink package included.  The queen size bed was fine but the cabin was so small that you had to crawl into the bed as the other furniture blocked access on the sides.  The buffet was really crowded and the food there was bad.   The dinners in the MDRs were passable, but they were pretty basic and not very interesting.  On Celebrity, we look forward to each meal but on this cruise, we had to drag ourselves there.  The décor was tacky and things were worn down.  There were no formal nights and people dressed down in every venue.

On the other hand, the staff was hardworking and friendly and the bars, shows and bands were very good.  We danced more on this cruise than on others since you weren’t on display in the center of a room as you would be on other ships.  We partied every night as we enjoyed our drink package.  We’re pretty adaptable so that made things somewhat acceptable.  However, we were very happy when the seven days were over so we could get off!

We did this cruise as a way to check out NCL so on that level, we met that goal.  This experience may not be typical of other NCL cruises and ships but we’ll be extra careful before going with them again.  In the meantime, we’ll likely stick with Celebrity and may also try RCCL again now that we’re Diamond with them.

Bermuda was a pleasant surprise.  We did our own tours as it was very easy and safe to do that. The ship arrived at 11:00 am so we walked around the Royal Naval Dockyard area the first afternoon.  We went to the National Museum of Bermuda which is a 5-10 minutes walk from the ship.  The Commissioner’s House was closed due to damage from a hurricane but we enjoyed visiting the other museums and walking on ramparts.  We also spent about an hour at the Dolphin Quest watching the staff and guests interacting with the dolphins.  It was surprisingly interesting (especially since it’s free to watch).

The second day we bought a 2-day ferry/bus pass.  We took the first ferry of the day to St. George and then connected by bus to visit the Crystal Caves.  It was a little pricy at $30 pp for the two caves but it was much cheaper than the ship’s tour.  We took other buses and stayed on just to see St. David’s and got off to check out several beaches before we headed to Hamilton for the ferry back to the ship.  The last day we took the bus to Horseshoe Beach and swam there.  We then went to Hamilton and walked around the town and saw plenty of locals wearing Bermuda shorts.

The weather was perfect so we really enjoyed our time there.  It’s a really nice destination and doesn’t have the crusty Third World feel of some of the Caribbean  islands. So, we now know why people like it some much.

Overall, the cruise and shore time was great! Food, entertainment, the staff were all excellent...the only thing I could "complain" about was the alcoholic drinks were quite expensive, and very weak...I'd suggest purchasing a beverage package before boarding the cruise. But we had an amazing time, memorable to say the least, and would definitely book another Norwegian cruise again!!!

Nice Ship, Love the Spa, makes me feel like there are only 10 people on the cruise with me.  Loved the fitness Center, so big, and so much to offer.

So many choices in restaurants, bars, & lounges.  So many choices every night for entertainment.  Such a variety of entertainment, something for Everyone.  And if nothing is what you like to do, that was available, too! 

I have been on other cruises, where you can barely find something you like to do at night.  All entertainers were top notch.  I definitely had to pick and choose what I did at night, you couldn't possible get it all in!

Very friendly, happy staff members.  All bartenders and waiters were so personable.

I do not usually go to the specialty restaurants.  I find that there are so many choices included in the cruise, that I don't have a need to, but if you really loved restaurants and food, there are so many on board to chose from.  I found all the food to be excellent, we ate lunch, dinner, and some breakfasts in the main dining rooms.  Some Breakfasts & lunches in the Blue Lagoon.  Only ate in the Garden Cafe' once.  Except when I had the Free Soft Serve Ice Cream!

Service at all the bars was excellent & I enjoyed all the drinks.  The Ultimate Beverage Package was fantastic!  A very good deal! as it was free with our cabin.

Cabins are a good size, always clean, tons of space to put your stuff!  I found the beds comfortable.  I had a Port Hole Cabin on deck 4. Cabin attendants are also very friendly, always available, and always checking to make sure everything is perfect in the cabin for you.

Love our time in Bermuda.  Lots of time.  Have a plan for the day you arrive, so you can get some nice time on the island, you can get full use of your three days. 

The sea days I spend in the Spa if it is cool outside or rainy, as I sailed early May.  On the last sea day it was sunny & warm and I spent it outside on deck.  I love both.  It really depends if you like to be amongst the people or quiet, by yourself.

I love Bermuda in May.  I usually hit nice weather in the 70's to low 80's. There is great snorkeling and relaxing on beaches, and lots of great sights to see.  There are few children on-board in May, Mostly adults, all ages.  There are young & old, 20's, 30's,40's, 50's and Older.

I live in MA, so with The Port of Boston, there is no flying, making the cruise so much more affordable.  You still have to consider how you are getting to and from the port and those extra expenses, but no airfare!

Going on her again for the repositioning in October 2016, can't wait!

We had a wonderful time on the Norwegian Dawn Cruise from Boston to Bermuda.  The room was bright and larger than I expected.  The ship was very well maintained and very clean.  The staff was friendly and helpful. On larger ships I had been on it can be difficult to find staff that has the time to answer questions and assist you with a problem.  The food was wonderful and there were many options.  Just wish they had a better vegetarian menu.  The ship was easy to get around and the shows were wonderful.  Especially the magic act and the comedy show they were my favorites!  I completely enjoyed the Murder Mystery Lunch that was great fun.  I love the idea of being docked in one port for three days we were able to completely enjoy Bermuda and all it has to offer.  Thank you Norwegian for a wonderful cruise!

We had one day of rough seas to Bermuda. Bermuda is beautiful and a must see. The Dawn was a older ship. Restaurants are a must, skip the buffet. The food was cold and although the sanitary precautions they had in place were great not everyone abided by them.

LOVE IT ! WE RECOMMEND THIS CRUISE TO ALL . DINING , WINE AND STAFF WERE WONDERFUL . WE HAD A WHALE OF A TIME VIEWING SHARKS AND WHALES IN THE HIGH SEAS - BERMUDA IS A PARADISE .

I had a good time, not as good as I anticipated, but my husband and I made it work. The shows were good and so was the food. However, there were certain dining halls that you had to pay for.  My two main issues were;

1.There weren’t any free beaches nearby where the ship was docked and in order to get to a beach, you had to pay a fee which we wish we were not told about ahead of time.

2. There were major problems with the bathrooms, the one in our room would not flush, the ones near the pool were overflowing, and many of them in the community areas were out of service.

I have taken a few other cruises in the past, one with Royal Caribbean, the other with Carnival and i enjoyed both of those compared to this cruise. All the beaches were free and near the docks, you never had to pay an additional charge for a dining hall, and we had no issues with the bathrooms.  As i said in my title, it was nice but a lesson learned.

Staff was very attentive and friendly!  Food was excellent with so many choices!  Shows were amazing!  This was our first cruise --hopefully, not our last!

It was nice to not be rushed; having 2-3 days to see things on the island made for a very relaxing time. The food was great, and the entertainment was spectacular. The trip down to Bermuda was a bit rough, but on the way back the seas were very calm and we sailed right between several groups of whales!

We really enjoyed our 7 day cruise to Bermuda.  The ship was very comfortable and clean.  The food was outstanding with a lot of variety.  We ate in the speciality restaurants every night and enjoyed all of them.   The entertainment each night was very good with a variety of choices from music, shows and fun challenges.  It was nice having a couple of days in one port with relaxing days at sea before and after.  It was our first time on Norwegian and it will not be our last.  We would recommend the cruise and cruise line to family and friends.

We sailed on the Dawn last May when the ship was starting a new menue. The service in the dining rooms was very slow and the meat was  often under cooked..We were very pleased  with the both food and the service on this recent cruise. The entertainment was great.