 Expert Review |  | | | | |
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Norwegian Dawn, the third ship in the NCL fleet to be designed to accommodate its Freestyle Dining concept, is an intriguing blend of the best features of a cruise experience and a land resort. There's the excitement of a new port most every day (and the lovely relaxation of a couple of days at sea) and a sense of camaraderie that comes from traveling en masse with the same group of people for the whole voyage. And yet there's a wonderful atmosphere of casual flexibility, emanating in a large part from the ship's much ballyhooed selection of ten restaurants (some traditional cruise-style, others most decidedly anything but). It's this strategy, offering the freedom of choosing when, where and with whom one dines, that sets a tone here. The "Freestyle" concept is not limited to dining, of course, but allows passengers to make choices. Dress formally on formal night? Or not. Take in the early musical performance? Or the late show? The spa's open until 11 p.m. most nights, the fitness center and Internet cafe are around-the-clock operations. And disembarkation is the most painless ever -- there's no out-at-dawn boot (unless you've made very early travel arrangements). While Norwegian Dawn is the third in the "Freestyle Cruising" brigade -- following Norwegian Sun and a sister ship, design-wise, to Norwegian Star -- it's by no means identical. The cruise line has tweaked and honed some of the original concepts based both on experience and on passenger feedback. Ultimately, the atmosphere on this whimsically decorated and gorgeous ship -- using as its decorating scheme the bright, primary colors of Impressionism -- dictates the experience: fun, easy-going, and relaxing, a ship that is designed to please a wide variety of travelers and most certainly one that attracts first-time cruisers who heretofore had found traditional sea-going regimentation a drag. | | |  top | | | | Dining
Norwegian Dawn has twelve restaurants plus a handful of casual options and I suppose you could try them all on a seven day cruise but it would be pretty hard. Themes range from Benihana-style Teppanyaki to fish-n-chips. Overall, food and service were good in quality and that judgment is broadened to include those with surcharge and those without. A couple of notes: While Norwegian has made much of the variety -- and indeed there is that -- of its boutique offerings, that mostly applies to dinner. And yet there's still plenty to choose from at lunch. It's also important to mention that evening dining hours are from 5:30 p.m. - 11 p.m. but passengers must be seated by 10:30 p.m. One area that initially seems to cause passengers some anxiety is in the reservation process but we found it pretty smooth -- and our cruise was 99 percent booked -- managing to snare a seat in every restaurant we wanted to try. There's a reservation desk in the main lobby that's open from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. and passengers are permitted to book just one day in advance. Otherwise, you can call the restaurant directly after 5:30 p.m. Lastly, Norwegian Dawn has teamed up with Cooking Light magazine and menus in the dining room, as well as offerings on the buffet, feature lighter fare at lunch and dinner. Here's a rundown: Traditionally speaking, the ship's two "main" restaurants, both on Deck 6, differ mostly in terms of atmosphere. They start with the 472-seat Venetian, which is the most cruise-like (and the one that's typically a bit crowded since it's most often used for breakfast and lunch as well as dinner). It's gorgeous, smaller than most cruise line dining rooms, and decorated tastefully with huge murals depicting scenes of Venice. Because the Venetian is aft, it's overlooked by a huge series of paned window stretching across the entire wall and offering incredible views. There are plenty of tables for two (though they may be in short supply during peak periods). The 344-seat Aqua features a more contemporary (though no less pleasing to the eye) decor -- lots of pretty colored glass and colorful ceramic murals -- and menu. It's also (we think) cruise-dom's only all-female operated restaurant (including maitre d'). While there's much emphasis on "freestyle dining," Norwegian Dawn's maitre 'd says that traditionals can request the same table at the same time every night. Make the arrangements when you board. Back to Freestyle, one of the benefits is that -- because they're not feeding 1,000 people who all sit down at one time -- there's no convention-center-banquet feeling. There is a definite improvement (over more traditional dinner seatings) in both service and quality of main dining room cuisine. All but one of Norwegian Dawn's boutique restaurants, where advance reservations are highly recommended (though you can chance it and just show up -- if employing this strategy it helps to want to eat very early or very late), have per-person surcharges. Our dinner at Salsa, the Tex-Mex eatery ($10 per person; this was one that tended to book up every night) was a stand-out. The restaurant also offers tapas and house-made sangria. The 24-hour Blue Lagoon (the free option), tucked just off the Atrium, is a fast-food joint and frequently packed. Offerings range from unusual (Shepherd's Pie and pork-fried rice to burgers and fish-n-chips); we found that the more traditional fast food fare (potato skins, burgers, fries, the fish) was the best bet here. Blue Lagoon is also one of the few restaurants to have outdoor seating. Charging a sliding scale of per-person surcharges (not to mention additional pricing on some items -- read the menu carefully ) are three specialty restaurants where, by and large, you should find the best food and service onboard. Le Bistro ($15) features a French menu, mostly traditional fare. Desserts also are wonderful. One distinctive highlight of this restaurant is its collection of four Impressionist masterpieces (Van Gogh, Matisse, Renoir and Monet); there's something incredibly powerful about eating amidst them. Le Bistro, due to its intimate size, is probably the ship's most booked-up restaurant; there is an overflow part that is called the Wine Cellar, a set of tables that sit outside the restaurant (and basically they are part of Gatsby's Champagne Bar). Cagney's Steakhouse ($25) is a Morton's-like establishment featuring Angus beef, lamb, and seafood -- with sides, like rice, mashed potatoes and creamed spinach, served family style. Bamboo is an elegant amalgamation of three different Asian eating areas -- Thai, Japanese and Chinese. Bamboo ($15) is a favorite of many of the crew and officers who are allowed to eat at the alternative restaurants. There's a sake bar, a Teppanyaki room (a'la Benihana, $25) and a sushi bar which features an "all you can eat for $15" deal. Impressions ($10), formerly one of the "main" restaurants, has been transformed into an Italian eatery where pasta (with seven different sauces to choose from), pizza and salads are staples. Fine wines, authentic Italian desserts and aromatic espressos treat the palate here as well. Ultra casual options: One of the highlights of our cruise was the daily cookouts held poolside. Featuring all sorts of the usual barbecue fare -- everything was cooked on huge Weber-like grills -- from burgers to ribs to corn on the cob, the cookouts were held at lunchtime on sea days and during the early dinner seating on port days. Not to be missed. The Garden Cafe is the buffet area, featuring the usual no-surprise breakfast choices (omelettes made to order, eggs, bacon, etc.). At lunchtime, one end features delicious vegetarian Indian offerings. Another casual choice is the Bimini Grill (one of the few outdoor restaurants) where, during lunch hours, the grill cooked up burgers, hot dogs and fries. Kids menus are available in the main dining rooms and the Garden Cafe. The latter has a totally charming kids' dining area with child-size buffet stations, tables and chairs. There's 24-hour room service from a relatively limited menu. Sprinkles, tucked between two ends of the Topsiders' Bar (poolside) offers free ice cream (you can also shell out a few bucks for premium brands). | | | | top | | | | Public Rooms
Indoor activities on Norwegian Dawn are primarily concentrated on Decks 6 and 7. The Grand Atrium, with its glass-domed ceiling, is the hub. Here you'll find passenger-service counters (shore excursions, reception), a boutique with fabulous glassware, and, tucked in the center, the Java Cafe. Circling around a balcony a deck above is La Salsa and its bar. In between, on the landing of a curved stairway, is a performance platform where live bands play. Shopping-wise, beyond the boutique on Deck 6 you'll find the rest of the shops. Unlike some ships where the shopping area is supposed to represent a mall, this Galleria is laid out like an elegant duty-free shop. There are areas for jewelry, cosmetics and perfumes, stylish casual-wear (Tommy Bahama is a mainstay), and souvenirs. The Dawn Club Casino -- located along the corridor leading to the Stardust Theater rather than distractingly plopped in the center of a well-trafficked area -- offers the usual slot machines and games. The Stardust Theater, which spans Decks 5 through 7, is designed in a European opera house style; it's beautiful and quite comfortable. The Internet Cafe has 17 terminals; NCL also offers wireless access. Passengers can bring their own laptops or rent one. Rates at the cafe itself are industry standard -- 75 cents per minute. Packages are available (100 minutes for $55, 250 minutes for $100); there's a $3.95 activation fee. Wireless fees vary. A wireless card rental costs $10 a day and then there are time packages (250 minutes for $100, 100 minutes for $55 and 33 minutes for $25). To rent a laptop, be prepared to pay $35 a day. Another series of indoor activity rooms is located on Deck 12. There, in what's dubbed the activity center, you'll find the library -- nice, with an excellent selection of books -- a game room with lots of card tables, a cinema, and a really pretty writing room with comfy couches that overlook the sea. | | | | top | | | | Cabins
Staterooms, in the usual varying sizes and categories, are beautifully decorated in a whimsical primary color scheme with a faux cherry wood backdrop. Standard inside and outside staterooms have the usual twin/queen bed configurations. One incentive to upgrade from inside to outside is the bathroom: in outside cabins, like balcony staterooms and suites, it's laid out in a really nifty three-part design. The shower (bathtubs for minisuites and beyond) has a sliding glass door as does the toilet compartment. Balcony cabins come with a small seating area, with a couch that opens up to make a twin-sized bed (the main difference between these and the minisuites, which are simply larger, is that the latter's couch is a double-sized bed). It's important to note (for those sleeping on the pull-out) that it's rock hard. Our enterprising steward solved that problem by giving us an extra duvet to put under the sheet. Storage space is adequate but not generous. Balconies are outfitted with blue mesh adjustable chairs and a small table. There's a variety of in-cabin entertainment on television, including CNN, TNT, Cartoon Network and ESPN, plus a variety of movies and sitcoms. One nice touch is in-cabin coffee makers. One oddity (for those bringing along laptops to plug in) is that, for Americans, the only 220-volt outlet is by the vanity, not by the table. Ask at ship's reception for an adapter. There's a mini-fridge but it wasn't filled (which we loved because we could stash our own stuff in it). NCL has made much ado about its two Garden Villas. These are, we must admit, fabulous (we toured 'em, didn't stay in them, alas) and could be worth the $26,000 per villa charge -- particularly if you split it with a group of friends. Each has a private outdoor garden area (didn't quite get the use of fake plants, however), otherwise lovely, with a whirlpool. Each also has a private sunbathing deck and steam room. | | | | top | | | | Entertainment
While Norwegian Dawn offers the usual fare during the day (sea days) -- bingo, art auctions, arts & crafts (ribbon roses!) -- there is also an emphasis on lifestyle-improvement topics, particularly concerning health and wellness (stress relief techniques, "sluggish systems," memory enhancement, "secrets of seaweed") and, interestingly, these are not offered in conjunction with the spa. But the highlight of Dawn's entertainment offerings has to be each evening's "main event," held in the gorgeous Stardust Theater. The ship also features a variety of bands, playing everything from classical to Latino to torch songs and most of Norwegian Dawn's nine bars, all with varying personalities, offer some kind of entertainment. Favorites included the Salsa Bar for margaritas, the Pearly Kings Pub for offbeat British beers, and the Bimini Bar, way up on Deck 14, for gorgeous views (and wonderful tropical frozen drinks). | | | | top | | | | Fitness and Recreation
Norwegian Dawn offers a wide range of fitness and recreation services. First: The two-tiered El Dorado Spa and Beauty Center offers up-to-date fitness equipment and a fabulous glass-paneled room for classes in yoga, stretching, aerobics and Pilates. Yoga and Pilates are among those that come with a $5 surcharge. The spa itself is beautiful and serene. Operated by Hawaii-based Mandara (which is owned by Steiner), the treatments are a bit more exotic, with Hawaiian and Polynesian influences. Guests purchasing a treatment are permitted to use a lovely relaxation room, with padded wicker loungers. Mens' and womens' locker rooms feature a sauna and a steamroom. The "piece de resistance," however, is the spa's indoor lap-pool (it's an adequate size for swimmers who want exercise). The only problem is passengers occasionally missed the concept of lap swimming and treated it as an alternative to the main pool. There's also a whirlpool and a hydro-pool. Another neat feature found in the spa is the juice bar, with all sorts of healthful drinks; all require an extra charge. In the main pool area -- which ties in with the Impressionist theme, festively looking like something out of St. Tropez -- there's a plunge pool and a regular pool, plus two whirlpools. There's another whirlpool tucked away on Deck 13 aft that's hard to find. There's also a bandstand for entertainment. Chaise lounges are set up in amphitheater mode and there are -- and this is a nice touch -- tables set up amongst them so you can eat as well as sunbathe. Sports activities include a jogging track (strangely narrow, walkers are better off on the wider, more relaxing wrap-around promenade on Deck 7). There are golf driving nets, shuffleboard, a man-sized chess board, volleyball/basketball courts, paddle tennis and horseshoes. One note about chaise-saving around the main pool area: The Dawn's "Freestyle Daily" notes that there is a strict chairs reservation policy and "any item left unattended for more than 30 minutes is subject to confiscation." We found that passengers, on sea days only, totally and completely ignored that policy and in fact by 9:30 a.m. most chairs in prime areas were secured with books and shoes -- and with nobody in sight. We never saw the policy being enforced. | | | | top | | | | Family
The childrens' facilities on Norwegian Dawn are some of the best in the fleet -- and truly make this a ship that's ideal for families. The main center of action is the T-Rex, which includes a play gym, movie theater, computer center and even a Snoozes sleeping area for late night sleep-overs. Adjacent (but not enclosed within) there's a T-Rex kids' pool,complete with downsized lounge chairs, a water slide, and a whirlpool. Kids under two sail for non commissionable fares and taxes. Over two, children pay a child's rate, which varies. Kids under 3 aren't required to tip. For those ages 3 - 12, suggested gratuities are $5 per child per day; 13 and up $10 per day. "Kid's Crew" is divided into three age groups. Junior Sailors (2 - 5), First Mates and Navigators (6 - 12), and Teens (13 - 17). Games are organized on NCL's Great Stirrup Cay. Only group sitting is available; evenings from 10 p.m. - 1 a.m.; in port from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Cost is $5 per child per hour; the second kid is $3. Port sitting for parents whose children are "on beepers" -- meaning they still wear diapers or Pull-Ups -- is not available (company policy) as the beepers do not work on land. NCL also has developed a fleet-wide discipline policy. The four-step set of rules includes warning, time-out, suspension and dismissal stages. In addition, children under 16 are not allowed on elevators or in the spa/fitness area, without parental accompaniment. High chairs and cribs are available upon request (either onboard or in advance). Other kid-oriented amenities include kids' packages for soda (for $16 per seven-day cruise children receive a special cup and unlimited sodas). There's also a Kids' Crew Backpack; for $39.50, it includes a t-shirt, sunglasses, luggage tag and the bottomless soda cup. Teens can purchase a "teen passport," which, for $30, entitles the 13- to 17-year-old crowd to 20 non-alcoholic drinks and a farewell disco party. For teens, there's a video arcade and a disco-styled teen club. For all ages (under 18) there are daily planned activities though no shore excursion offerings. | | | | top | | | | Dress Code
The rule of "Freestyle" is a relaxed dress code. Evenings are always resort casual though there is one formal night and many passengers opted to get decked out. Shorts and jeans are not permitted in the dining rooms after 6 p.m. A note: On the last night of our cruise we saw a fair amount of passengers who assumed that dress code standards were relaxed. Nope. Maitre d's were turning away anyone in jeans, asking them to change into resort casual. | | | | top | | | | Gratuity
Norwegian Dawn has an automatic gratuity program that costs $10 per passenger, per day, and covers tips for all services -- including room stewards and restaurant wait and bar staff. Passengers can opt to pay their own tips, however, by asking at the reception desk. | | | | top | | | | | Expert reviews are provided by CruiseCritic.com, an award-winning cruise community. This objective information can help you choose just the right ship for your next cruise vacation. | |  | |
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