Review: Norwegian Cruise Line - Dawn - [October 26, 2003]

[Net Reviews]

Review By:

Reviewer Comments:

Sailed October 26

We had really lucked out on this trip. We were supposed to sail on October
12 but got a phone call on October 10 from our T.A. He told us the line had
"Oversold the ship" and was offering significant compensation for a later
sailing date. Turned out to be an upgrade from a category G to a category
AC. We were in a penthouse suite (No. 10000). And we got a $200.00 onboard
credit!

Embarkation:

A mess, a disaster, NCL really dropped the ball here. There are usually
about 2,000 passengers arriving. We got there at about 12:00 to find a two
hour wait in line. The reason was there were only two metal detectors and
two screeners. I asked one of the longshoremen if this was the usual case
with this ship. His reply, "This boat is a constant pain in the *** like
this every week". So don't bother showing up early. NCL could have (And Should
have) put on more screeners there were after all three or four machines.

The Room:

Penthouse Suite 10000 is a beautiful room it's huge. I'm not one to dwell on
cubic feet etc. but this cabin was the largest we'd ever had. I know the
balcony was 150 square feet.

There is a bathroom with separate compartments for the commode and the
vanity. The shower is also a TUB! Lots of room here. The room stewards
really did a terrific job maintaining the room and staying out of our way.
We had a butler named Lanie (pronounced Lonnie). She told us she was the
first female butler on NCL. Lanie brought us our coffee every morning
shortly after we called, usually within a very few minutes. The concierge
was Amanda Brown. Amanda got us reservations at two of the Extra Charge
restaurants (Cagney's and Le Bistro).

The Restaurants:

The main dining rooms are well appointed, the wait staff need a lot more
training (Or perhaps no guaranteed tipping?). At the Venetian restaurant,
where we had breakfast, every morning at different tables and sections I had
to ask for utensils and missing food items that I'd ordered. Ordinarily I
wouldn't be bothered by this, but it was consistent. The food was OK at
dinners and lunch. My favorite restaurant W/O a surcharge was "Aqua" with a
n all female wait staff. Cagney's didn't meet my expectations at all. If
NCL is trying to duplicate A NYC steakhouse ala "Smith & Wollensky" or "Peter
Luger" they flopped. It's a good steak but nothing more than that. The
surcharge ($17.50 per) isn't worth it.

Le Bistro is still a good place to dine but once again the surcharge ($12.50
per) isn't justified. I don't think we would have gone to either place if
we didn't have the on board credit. The Tex-Mex restaurant "Salsa" IS a good
place for really alternative food. The Garden Café is fast food and not
very good at that. Because of the ships size you're generally left holding a
tray while you hunt for a table.

A word about lamenting the "Traditional" dining. I really miss two sittings as
it enhances the cruise for me. To be able to sit and talk with the same people
about the day's events, what you liked and didn't like, was invaluable. I
suppose there's a place for "Freestyle Cruising" and the further
compartmentalization of an already self-isolated society but I don't like
it. I think in the future I'll stick with smaller ships like the Norwegian
Crown and the Norwegian Majesty as long as NCL keeps them in the fleet.

The Ports:

Port Canaveral was the first stop. There's a lot to do here we chose to go to
the Kennedy Space Center, something I've been wanting to do for years. You
could also go to the different theme parks in Orlando 50 or so miles away.
Miami is a nice port and we'd been there a number of times so we stayed
close to the ship.

Nassau Bahamas:

I've heard a lot of negatives about Nassau and had been
there a few times I always have a good time and have yet to run into the
"Rude folks others have mentioned. A few bits of advice about the only good
shopping here is textiles, perfumes and booze. Electronics and gizmos you
can find cheaper in the states. Get off the beaten path go back into town a
few blocks I had a great time in Nassau

Great Stirrup Cay:

We missed it the Captain determined the weather was too rough to tender in.
The waves were 7-12 feet. I like the island but didn't really miss it.

The entertainment on the ship was the usual Jean Ann Ryan Shows and one
outstanding production "Bollywood" if you've ever seen and Indian Film
you're gonna love this. There was a very funny Action (Juggling) comedian
Thien Fu and a fellow named Michael Dean Ester who was unfortunate to have
one of his comedy shows the night everyone including him were seasick. I was
hurting for him. He was pretty funny but the audience was so sick it didn't
matter. He did the same show the following night and was hysterically
funny. There was a Filipino band called "The Ironics" who were terrific and
reminded me of my day's in Subic Bay in the Philippines while I was in the
U.S. Navy.

Disembarkation was great. Amanda our concierge escorted us off the ship and
to our bags in a separate area on the pier. The ship cleared at 10:15 and we
were home in Queens NYC at 11:00.

The line offers a 20% discount to Latitudes members on drinks purchased in
the Spinnaker Lounge. It didn't take long to figure out why. Spinnaker is
where all the promotional talks are given. Galleria the gift shop was expensive.
A good cruise although I wasn't thrilled with the itinerary.