Norwegian Dawn Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Overall, my family and I had a great experience. Traveled with a 10 and a 12 year old. The ship is very clean, the service is great. The kids club is awesome. My kids didn't want to leave. The restaurants were above average, especially the French restaurant. (of course there is a difference in beef quality from the main dining rooms as oppose to the steak house, and other restaurants. The buffet lunch/dinner and the Venetian and Aqua dining rooms were just average.The steak wasn't very good. Other than that, I would definitely go again.

We had an overall pleasant experience on the ship. The crew was very friendly and Bermuda was lovely. The ship is starting to get dated however, and it was apparent that the ship is quite clean, but lacks some of the amenities that are present on some of the newer and larger ships. Since I have been cruising 1 or 2 times a year for the last 6 years, I have noticed a steady decline in the quality of foods that are served not only on the NCL ships, but really all the cruise lines. The meat is a lower grade institutional quality such as is served in cafeterias and such. Overall, this was still a good value and these rest of the family had a great time as well.

I was very surprised with my Boston to Bermuda cruise. I had so much fun on the Dawn. I have been on many cruises and our Cruise Director was one of the very best. There was beautiful weather the entire time and the sea was as smooth as sailing on a lake. I could book another cruise in a heart beat. Love NCL!

Overall the cruise was excellent. Very well organized and the food was magnificent. I would lose the entertainment at the pool - way too loud and too predictable and monotonous. Signs restricting teenages from sitting on the pool's edge should be posted. The pool depth is way over the heads of most passangers and it is very intimidating to have people sitting with their feet in your face when you are trying to hold on. Other than that it was wonderful.

.I would not recommend this cruise or go on another one. I booked 7 months in advance. I was penalized for booking early. Not only did I pay top dollar but I was given a small room with an obstructed view. Vacation Outlet person said that was all that was left. After talking to people on the cruise I found out if you book last minute not only do you get a much better room but you pay a lot less. People who book early should be upgraded beforethe last minute people. I found the cruise very crowded. There was one small pool for 2800 people. You had to get up early to reserve a chair on the pool deck. The food was mediocre. On the up side the workers were very polite and friendly and did a great job. I also enjoyed the entertainment. I will not go on another cruise with Norwegian nor will I recommend it to my friends.

Overall the Norwegian dawn was a flop. The actives were geared toward senior citizens, young children, or the intoxicated. The lounge singer was horrific. The cafeteria and main dining room served cold obviously defrosted food. Meals at the speciality restaurants were terrific. Help at the front desk was useless! In fact, they made things worse.

This was our first cruise and the trip to Bermuda and back was excellent. The dining options were numerous and the food delicious. The crew and wait staff were very attentive and friendly. We also enjoyed the entertainment options presented on the ship.

Very disappointed in the company I booked with Cruises Only. They lied to me regarding onboard credits and other amenities. I would not use the company again. I made a 25 minute international call from Bermuda and all I received was cheap champagne and strawberries. Use Vacations to Go they always come through on what they promise. This was my 26th cruise.

We were extremely disappointed in the food, both the formal and casual dining. There was always a "push" to pay extra for the dining. The entertainment was like watching a drag show every night - tacky & cheap! The boat didn't feel clean, the service was only fair and the cruise layout was lousy! You could never find a seat at the pool, the pool water was disgusting, and the excursions were a rip off! My worst dinners were in the Venetian dining room and they even ran out of deserts. You never got the same waiter and the waiters only seemed rushed and unpleasant. It took forever to get a drink there were no smiles from the staff. The garden cafe could be compared to less than a Denny's restaurant everyday and constant lines as if we were not paying a fortune to cruise! I have been on 8 cruises before and never had one this bad. We felt we were completely ripped off and this was hard earned and saved money for us to spend!!! It was painful to feel we threw money away.

We had a superb time on this cruise in a mini-suite. With the VIP upgrade status, we enjoyed the breakfasts and lunch in Cagney's and the Brazilian restaurant. The chinese restaurant (Bamboo) was a major disappointment and we communicated that to the front desk and maitre de. Our cabin attendant made the cruise even more fun by his wonderful charm and prompt service. EVERY person we encountered from the staff (bottom to the top in roles) was CLEARLY 'customer focused'. Even one of the female maitre de's even remembered our last names and greeted us while returning from a walk into Bermuda. This experience was the way we last remembered it being on the SS Norway and we're sorry we didn't come back to the Norwegian sooner. We had a terrible experience on a competing line where the food was worse than you'd find in a high school lunch room (really... terrible selection and quality). We expressed that dissatisfaction and the cruise line never even made an effort to contact us. NORWEGIAN is our future choice whenever possible... if they keep being the way they have.

Some cruise lines pressure passengers to buy their optional tours and other services (photos, drinks, etc.) on board. There was none of that on this cruise. Food in the cafeterias was outstanding (locks, cream cheese and bagels for breakfast!) but only marginal in the Venetian restaurant. Good value. Pleasant cabins except for ours which was located directly over the theater and noisy until 11:00.

The room was less than clean when we arrived. I was surprised the quality of the room since we had booked a balcony room. Otherwise everyone was attentive and I was satisfied. But I ate some eggs benedict a couple of days on the trip. One day, I wasn't so sure o their looks but ate them. I ended up with a bacterial infection that lead to pneumonia. My recommendation is that the line stop serving this item.

Staff at Garden Cafe-rude and some were pushy! Menu the same at Aqua and the Venetian! Why no Italian food at the Venetian? Entertainment fair! We've been on other cruises and this was not the best one !

Disappointed no laundry facility; EXTREMELY disappointed at the amount of smoking aboard; could use a little more variety in food such as pasta dish ie chicken parmesan

bad weather spoiled a good part of cruise, food was excellent ,casino ok but took to much of entry fee in slots tourament; and did not give out enough prize money. Geting on and off ship was excellent.. Shows were good . Ship is getting old , beds need to be up graded along with room furniture. Balcony lounges were unconfortable. We would not cruise on this ship again, unless updated.

The service was outstanding! Jayson and Joseph tended to all of our needs and offered very useful tips and advice. The food was excellent! We ate at Venitian, Aqua, Cagney's, and the Garden Buffet. I did not experience any out of the ordinary waits that were listed in some other reviews. I think it has a lot to do with expectations. If you remember that these are full size restaurants serving hundreds of people , then a 20 or 30 minute wait is not unreasonable. We bought one of the soft drink passes for $52 but wound up not really using it as several juices, coffee, and tea are available 24 hours a day in the Garden Cafe. The Norwegian Dawn dancers and singers were incredible! "Band On The Run" and "Bollywood" are Las Vegas quality shows that we saw for no extra charge. Tim Kaminski (I hope I spelled it correctly) and the Second City Comedy Troupe were hilarious and again were no extra charge. We went on three excursions. The "Day at the Beach" was well worth it since unlimited kayak, paddle boat, and snorkeling were included. The Power Snorkeling" was a blast and seeing the ship wreck (albeit small) was awesome! The "Glass Bottom Boat" was disappointing as the glass bottom was just a few windows in the bottom. However, the excursion was saved by the captain who was very funny and gave a great sight-seeing tour. The top-side sight-seeing made the excursion worth it. We took the ferry to Hamilton ( a tip from the glass boat captain) and had a very nice dinner at Flanagan's Pub. The pool is surprisingly small and we only went in for a few minutes. The poolside Jacuzzi's however, were very relaxing and we got a lot of use out of them. The Spinnaker lounge was a nice night spot and has a well equipped sound and light system. There were several live bands poolside, in the Grand Atrium, and in Spinnaker lounge that we saw. All were top notch and very entertaining. So overall, there were a few disappointments, but they are far outweighed by the fun, relaxing, and interesting things to do. And oh yeah, Gio the cruise director is hilarious as the emcee for most of the events. I highly recommend this cruise!!!

From start to finish we had a wonderful cruise. The greeters at the port in Boston, our initial contact upon boarding, the room steward (Aries) and all of the other personnel that we came in contact with were very helpful and always cheerful. The Show Band was great putting on a Jazz Brunch, New Orleans Dixieland revue and a tribute to Duke Ellington. The guys were great about answering request and more then interested in explaining about their music. The food was great expecially in the speciality dining room, ie Cagney's. We loved going out of an into the port of Boston. Thanks again, Art & Peg

the restrants the service I found to be poor,food and coffee cold,sometime you did not receive everything you asked for and in 1 of them I had to ask at desert time for a drink! the restrants you paid at were top of the line no problems there I found the pools over crowded and no place to sit,also my sons flip flops were taken I know thats not your fault. Other then that it was gr8 but would never go on this ship again to over crowded!

We went on the Norwegian Dawn from Boston to Bermuda. Keep in mind that we had a family suite which gave us a few perks, but still had to pay for Internet and spa use (both of these were included on other cruise lines). Getting on and off the ship was very smooth. The suite was beautiful and the connecting balcony room was very nice. Both rooms had a very small balcony with an overhang that did not allow us to sunbathe. For the most part the staff was fantastic! The shows were pretty entertaining and the comedian kept us laughing all night. There was only one small pool for everyone to use which was more like a wading pool because of the number of people using it. The ship was very awkward to get around. The food in the special restaurants was wonderful - average additional cost was $20 per person. The rest of the time the food was fair with not a lot of variety from day to day. All the beef was tenderized to the point of being mushy. There seemed to be a charge every time we turned around. Where we docked in Bermuda was okay. There were a few shops nearby and a small beach area which cost you money to get in. We went jet skiing from where we docked and it was a blast! Getting to see the rest of Bermuda took a little planning. Plan on an hour to get to Hamilton and the main beach areas that Bermuda is known for. We arrived on a Sunday and most shops were closed. Any vacation with my family is priceless, but I would have to give this cruise an average rating of three.

Food was poor, Pool was over crowed with no place to sit but plenty of places to put extra setting whick was not used.. Pool was a joke because it was so small. Pool towel loss costing $25 was the biggest laugh. Shows were either poor or there were no shows. Docking at Kings Wharf on a Sunday with no warning that everything is closed for the day was appauling. Would not cruise with Norwegian again. The only good thing was the staff who were superior..