Norwegian Dawn Cruise Reviews - Reviews

This was our second time on the Dawn. The ship has been refurbished recently and looks great. The crew waiters, stewards and all others where very polite and did a great job. The ports were nice except Costa Maya. Costa Maya is not worth seing. Senior Frog's and some of the other joints have really huge prices. Unless you go on an excursion, don't bother going ashore there.

Having been on cruises before I new what to expect somewhat. I however had never been on a Norwegian cruise and this was a new experience. the first problem was during meal times at the buffet we had a very difficult finding a clean place to sit. Most of the unoccupied tables were covered in dirty dishes. We would have to track people down for silverware to east with as there was no silverware provided in the holders on the tables. The drink dispensers and cups were ofter empty and there was an issue with the concentration of the juices. There was no water mixed into the concentrated juices making the drinks unpleasant, and thick. It took on average 40 minutes after the starter was served to get the entree. The food also was not great either. Everything had mayonaise on it. I asked repetedly for them to not put mayo on my plate and the did it every single time. My husband it would seem no matter what he ordered was wrong. For example he ordered steak one night and they brought him chicken. I approached the customer service man about the issues, his reply to me was that these issues were "No big deal." I was also caught off guard by the rudeness of many of the staff. We found some glasses on the ground while we were hurrying to a show. My husband attempted to give them to a crew member he laughed at him and said to my husband, "You want ME to take them to the lost and found? YOU can take them to the lost and found on deck 7" Not to mention that 2 nights in a row aftermidnight when my children were in bed we heard loud hooting and laughing in the halls. I poked my head out to find that it was two male crew members playing with towels in the hall. For us this cruise was really disappointing.

Our toilet was broke every day, we always had to wait in lines to eat. It was not relaxing, we had to call or complain to the service desk more than once a day about our toilet. The service was not there and it didn't feel like a vacation. People were allowed to reserve deck chairs all day and there was only one pool, you couldn't even find a table to eat at by the pool deck. The ship allowed smokers to smoke everywhere on the ship. Our room had an old daily newsletter under the bed from the previous cruise, I had to clean cigarette ashes from our bathroom.

Beautiful Ship,Good Food,Great Entertainment,Nice Java Cafe' with Nightly Entertainment. Nice Piano Bar. Registration for Splash Academy (Youth Program) was SLOW!-Carnival does it better. No one Explained the luggage procedure for leaving at the end of cruise. Why do they except reservations for dinner in the main dining rooms if they advertise the cruise as "Free-styling"??? If it's Free-Styling-it should be First Come-First Served!

Fine trip - Food was good. Beds were not the greatest. Entertainment was entertaining. The itinerary and excursions were fine. Wine selection could be better. Service was excellent - the entire staff works extremely hard.

Overall the cruise was very enjoyable. This was a first time cruise for my wife and I and we did not know what to expect. The crew was fantastic and did a great job of making the cruise pleasant. We did have problem everyday with the toilet not working and we had to call every morning to get them to fix it. You would think that they would have sent someone down early every morning to fix the problem after the third day but they didn’t we had to call. One time it took so long for them to come fix it, I had to get dressed and go up 3 floors to use the public toilet. They were also not very concerned of the problem and keep giving me a BS line of how they had to work maintenance issue. They must think that we were idiots because they keep telling us they for 7 straight days. The other folks that went with us did not have any problem with their toilets.

The ship is very nice. The entertainment was Amazing !!!!Great shows!!! The food in general was good except the dining experience outside Main Dining that was Overpriced for the Quality and the Service. Not worthy to pay extra ......Our stareroom attendant wasn't the best just OK . We couldn't barely see her around to ask for help or something we needed. The casino is VERY Smoky but not greedy. The staff in general very pleasant until the end.

Over all our experience was good. Our stateroom was very nice and clean. The one thing that we learned is that you don't want to be under the kitchen, which is where our rooms were. The noise was bad all night. I complained several times before they got the noise reduced to mostly quite in the middle of the night. We were in rooms 11617 & 11615. We did wish for more shade up on topside, which was the only place you could go that had chairs outside. The food, the shows and the service were all very good. We would go again, just differnent rooms.

Overall the ship was very clean, staff was excellent, stateroom was clean, but could use more soundproofing, could hear your neighbor coughing and talking. The ports were great along with the excursion's. Now for the worst. This was the worst food I have ever tasted on a cruise, we have been on six cruises and this is far worst them any of them. The desserts looked like they were all frozen, you never knew what was in the food, the beef wasn't beef, it even looked funny. If NCL doesn't clean up their food act, I will never cruise with them again. Hate to say this but Carnival beat them out on the food aspect.

I liked the layout of our stateroom except I requested a picture window and got ambiguiouss information from agent and ncl until Feb. 24th. Ship was clean but getting information was a problem all trip long, ie no announcements when into ports, wrong times for tender ticket distribution, buffets were tasteless mostly , so we ate at the Bistro, which had tasty comfort foods a lot. 15 channels on TV and half of those were for Norwegian based things. Very disappointed in food at Brazilian themed restaurant. That laminated "stop sign" that the servers ignored and continued to serve us was interesting. The food meats were mostly flavorless and the bet thing was the black beans...delicious. No atmosphere in this restaurant as well.

this was our 11th cruise and I willnever board a NCL ship again- the first with NCL was 2 years ago in March and was during spring break-this past week should have been no excuses----the ship was not available to board due to late disembarkation due to foggy conditions at the port. we arrived at the port @ noon and about 500 people from our cruise was bussed to a shopping mall where we were picked up at 4:30 to be brought back to board the ship-we stood in line at the dock from 4:45 until 7pm when we were hearded like cattle to our rooms-embarkation lasted until 9:30pm and the ship finally left the port at about midnight- needless to say,all of us being seniors, we were exhausted and retired before the ship left-no dinner... an low and behold! it was lobster night! this meal was never offered again during the entire cruise-we ate a the two large dining rooms that were available-THE SAME BLAND MENU EVERY NIGHT-THE SAME UNCARING WAIT STAFF EVERY NIGHT-ONE NIGHT I GOT A FORK TO EAT MY SORBET WITH AND WAITED 15 MINUTES FOR A CUP OF COFFEE. The staff would not make eye contact with you. at the pool area, with rough seas,instead of putting non skid rugs on the water all over the floor-the had 2 caution signs saying WET FLOOR-and never tried to dry the water..

I have been cruising since early 1980. This is my first experience on NCL. I had high expectations regarding NCL.(This was my 26th cruise) To begin with the ship was delayed due to fog. This I can understand,however,the passangers were held up more then 9 hours. Many of us were standing at the port without a place to sit and no water.I know buses brought many people to the mall,but, some passangers were unable to go due to handicap conditions. When we got on the ship (we got on about 8:00pm). We were exhausted after traveling from Georgia to Tampa. Drank the water in the cabin(were charged $6.39) did not know there was a charge. Lobster & steak was served that night in the restaurants (Most people ate at the buffet)not aware of the special dinner, Not offered again during the week. Too much Indian food..Mexican cruise? Where was the Mexican food & music? Service was not up to what I had received on other cruises. Some servers in Aqua & Venatian were ok. No one was overly friendly. Cabin Boy (room #8508) was wonderful.Very friendly and the cabin was kept great..fun with his towel animals too. Disappointed with the shows. They were just ok!. Bollywood? Guess that went along with the Indian food. Bingo,Deal or No Deal..very overpriced. Adult show with Second City in the Spinnacker should have been ADULT only. They had to hold back alot of their humor because people choose to bring minor children there.Best tour ever in Beliz to M. Ruins & Jungle River Cruise. EVERYONE was GREAT. Just the way the whole cruise on NCL should have been. I would rate this one step above a Carnival Cruise during spring break. Took two Carnival Cruises ..first & last. Do not think I will be cruising NCL again. Theresa M. Urbano

At the start the port of Tampa was closed due to weather. Weather can not be controlled,but customer accommodation should be a priority.In fairness, NCL did email the delay; however, many did not get them at hotels. Since NCL could not allow anyone to enter the building to sit down, they should have gotten as many folding chairs as possible from elks , churches or even have some on hand especially for people on canes or stroke victims.I have a rod in my leg and had to stand for 4 hours before a kind parking porter allowed me to use his stool. When they moved us upstairs -- that was another 2 hours of standing before moving inside to stand. Water or juice should have been offerd to us right away. ( NCL did arrange for motor coaches to take people back and fort to the mall) Just what I needed-- I would appreciated just sitting in a seat! When I asked an NCL rep if they were going to get any chairs, he said mam this just happened we're not prepared. He did not care that I felt like I couldn't stand one more minute-- thank goodness for the parking man who gave me a stool. NCL did not just find out about this situation-- in the hospitality business ,I would imagine there should be a plan for every type of situation in order to accommodate customers. Beside chairs there should have been waters available!!! ( A woman saw water being brought off a van and ran over only to be told the waters were for the porters) Check was in a professional manner and as quickly as possible. As I wrote water or juice could have been offered to people on line.There was juice and sandwiches once you got off line. I was so thankful for the juice-- the sandwiches were gone and were going to be replaced,but did not come out while I was waiting to board. We were never given any compensation for the situation--an hour cocktail party the next night would have been something! On Thursday, we found out that they had the lobster dinner on Sunday night as if there was not at least half the guests still waiting to board and at least 1/4 so tired from standing! We felt cheated!! We opened the large water -- no sign in the cabin saying there was a charge! Luggage was delivered in a timely manner and the cabin was kept well by the steward. A few months ago,I took a Princess Cruise and could not say enough positive things about the friendliness of the crew ; I can not say that about the NCL crew. Activities could have included Free Trivia about 10:30 and then another one about 4:00. Bingo was too expensive-- met several people who did not play because of the cost. Deal or No Deal seemed like it would be fun,but of course it had a cost. My friend said she felt nickeled and dimed to death. May I add ,I recommend NCL to her and at the end of the cruise she told me would never take NCL again. ( she has taken 15 cruises on other lines). You could have had 1 hour get togethers for groups such as former med workers; former educators; singles ( not just gay and lesbians ) ; newlyweds to 10 years ; marrieds 10-40; 40& over years; parents accompanied by their children. There could have been more of a Spainish tone instead of Boolywood.

We were two couples on this cruise and I must say the four of us had a wonderful time. All of the on board amenities from food to entertainment was top notch. Do not waste your money on Cuccina. We did have one blip. The Port of Tampa was closed due to fog on the day we were to arrive. One of the four of us needed a wheelchair for disembarkation. Arrangements were made the night before and confirmed the day of arrival in Tampa. All of the Priority guests were in the Spinakker lounge awaiting instructions. The announcement was made to disembark and you would have thought they were throwing $100 bills around. No arrangements were made or announcement to allow the wheelchair and other handicap passengers off first(or any instruction from the crew. As a matter of fact it seemed that they abandonded their stations. No transport- er was provided initially.

Not realizing I was not to bring liquor on board, they went through my luggage and confiscated it not only that I am now missing a strand of cultured pearls that were my late mothers and a pair of diamond earrings my late husband had given me. I had them in a little black velvet bag and a gold chain that had small black beads. To say I am upset is to put it mildly. I don't know if they were taken when they went through my suitcase or if they were taken from the room. I didn't miss them until I went to wear them. Also we were all detained due to heavy fog, when it was finally time to disembark there was very little communication and a lot of confusion. I was also disappointed in the entertainment this time. I've been on the dawn before and never had a problem. The toilet had to be fixed as well as the hot water in the shower would not shut off.

This was our 16th cruise, so we have taken a few. In comparison, the employees, without exception, provided the best service with the best attitude of any cruises. And, we have cruised on all the major lines. They went out of their way to say hello, assist you and be friendly. The ship is now 11 years old, but refurbished about 2 years ago. It is showing its age in a few places, but still in very good shape and very comfortable. The dining rooms were very clean, comfortable and food was generally very good. They have several specially dining rooms which provide more up scale fare and also very good. For those who like the buffet, they have that also with a very good assortment of different types of food. At the pool, burgers and hot dogs etc. were provided. Most people would find the food very good. Rooms were very nice and quickly made up in the mornings and evenings. Perhaps not as fast as some other lines, but certainly within reason. Again, personnel were very friendly and efficient. Entertainment was good to very good. It was a cross section that should please most people. The theater was very nice, however, for tall or large people, greater legroom would be desirable. The main aisle with more legroom always was the first to fill and generally by 25 minutes before the shows. All other areas were very nice and believe pleasing to most people. Activities throughout the ship were well attended and something seemed to be going on at all times. Typically, they had many tours at each port. And I heard of no complaints and those I spoke with enjoyed the tours. Pretty much typical tours you will find on all ships. Upon our return to Tampa, the ship encountered heavy fog just before entering Tampa Bay. The Port Authority refused access which delayed our getting off the ship from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and finally to 4 p.m. The ship's staff promptly announced the problem, kept everyone up to date on the progress during the entire delay. Furthermore, they called arranging for flights and even overnight accommodations and picked up any additional costs. In addition, they opened the stores, casino and provided a very nice lunch and rum punches. When we did leave the ship, we were off and out of Customs by 4:30. Again, the staff was excellent and I heard or observed no one that was upset by the ship's actions. Yes, people were concerned about missing connections, but none was directed towards the ship. They get an "A" for their actions. Overall, we enjoyed the cruise. In fact, we just booked our next cruise yesterday on NCL. This was our first cruise with NCL and look forward to many more. And, no we are not in any way affiliated with NCL.

The cruise staff and entertainment made our cruise highly enjoyable and unique. We are not fans of the "freestyle dining" as we can stand around with beepers in hand on land waiting for a table for dinner. The ports are each unique and the snorkeling in Roatan is wonderful.

Much was fine. However, it was hard to eat in time for the first show and with children going to the first show was necessary. Concern: Grandson picked up head lice (likely from play area) and no one in our experience has ever had that before. Certainly the staff would want to know about this!

This was our first cruise ever and we were delighted with the Norwegian Dawn. The crew was exceptional as was everything else. There's no doubt that we will want to sail with this 1st class line again and again.

The Norwegian Dawn was recently refurbished and looked great. This is the first time we got a window since we generally like our little dark caves, but having a view was great and I ended up spending more time in the room because of it. There was plenty of storage space for our suitcases and clothes. Another GREAT thing about the room was the flat screen TV's, a very nice upgrade. After the evening's entertainment on the boat, we don't stay up late for the night life but enjoy our quiet time in the room watching movies, etc. The entertainment was very good although I missed having a single comedian. Second City made me laugh but is not as engaging to me as the individual comedian. My family particularly loved the acrobatics and the music of Greg London. My favorite entertainment though is the trivia and there were plenty offered on the ship. For food we ate mostly in the garden buffet for breakfast and lunch and the main dining rooms for dinner and they were very good. Another non-charge restaurant (the Blue Lagoon?) offered "comfort food" such as hamburgers and fish and chips which we also enjoyed for lunch. My only disappointment continues to be in the desserts for Norwegian. Too much flavorless gelatin concoctions! That being said, they have definitely improved (this was our third Norwegian trip), and the chocolate buffet night was really good. Other great things were the crepes, different bread puddings, and chocolate fountain. The meals are always hit and miss with the main dining room, but mostly a hit. Really no significant complaints with the food.I am still dreaming about the delicious sweet potatoes served with the turkey dinner! I am sure we all gained a pound or two :). We absolutely loved the time in the spa and bought the weekly pass to use the pools, jacuzzi, sauna, and private lounging rooms. It was $119 apiece and my husband and daughter and son-in-law used the facility at least once every day, and I used it about three different times.. Definitely worth the money for that quiet relaxation time. My sister had fun trying other services like teeth whitening and acupuncture. Not sure what else to say. The ship was not as "happening" as some of the bigger ships we have been on, but we had a great time and it met our expectations.