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Both ships are past their life and both need to be refurbished or junked. Most of the windows & beariers around the ship was milky and could not take a picture through them. I been on two of their ships and will not waste my money on another Norwegian cruise again. NCL has become such a low-quality cruise line in the past few years that I will not sail on NCL again. The free-at-sea promotion is a scam, and how they advertise this is deceptive.
Cobranded Cards
However, Le Bistro does have a policy that includes no shorts, torn jeans, flip flops. Here, smart casual attire is required for dinner, which means that guests should wear items such as trousers or skirts with a collared shirt or blouse. It’s not necessary to wear a jacket or tie, but it’s always a good idea to dress up a little. For limited mobility cruisers, the Norwegian Dawn offers 26 wheelchair-accessible cabins across every category. There are multiple hot tubs with additional hot tubs (or should I say one hot tub) on a sun deck towards the front of the ship (strange, though more private).
Suites & Penthouses on the Dawn
The Pulse Fitness Center is also large with lots of weights and machines, as well as cardio equipment that faces the bow, giving exercisers a great view while working out. Ordering was done on a tablet that had photos of all the items, and a server delivered the food to your table. One problem for me was that the safe was not big enough for my laptop. I also didn’t like the fact the bed didn’t have a bed skirt and I was always looking at my empty luggage I stored under the bed.
On both of my Norwegian cruises, entertainment was overshadowed by the destinations we visited.
Norwegian appeals to vacationers who want a big-resort experience at sea with lots of options for dining and entertainment. In that, it's similar to Royal Caribbean — perhaps its closest competitor. Pride of America notably operates with a mostly U.S. crew, in keeping with regulations governing cruise itineraries that only include U.S. ports. Norwegian's 10 smaller vessels break down among five classes, but many are roughly the same size and offer similar amenities. Norwegian is the world's fourth-largest cruise line by passenger capacity, with 19 ships that together offer 56,780 berths.
What we didn’t like about the Norwegian Dawn
Norwegian (NCL) Pride of America Cruise Ship Review First-hand Expert Review - Cruise Critic
Norwegian (NCL) Pride of America Cruise Ship Review First-hand Expert Review.
Posted: Wed, 12 Jul 2023 14:54:12 GMT [source]
We ended up with paying 2 times more than the current cost of the cruise resulting from making reservation 6 months in advance. I would suggest that you should not book in advance and not use their air promotion. I'm a global nomad at heart, and the dedicated editor behind CruiseGear. For the past two decades, I've experienced exciting voyages across the world, discovering countless ports from the decks of dozens of ships, visiting 40+ countries (and living in some of them for years). I want to share everything I've learned and hope to make your next cruise vacation as enjoyable as possible.
Norwegian Dawn Bars and Lounges
I noticed fairly quickly that all the servers, attendees cooks, housekeepers were from very poor countries. The only white faces who were part of the crew was the captain, entertainment, and onboarding. I gathered rather quickly that these employees were working long hard hours. I started asking questions and researching and found that the majority of employees work 12 plus hours a day, 7 days a week, with no days off for 8 months straight! The reason the cruise line hires crew from poor countires is to avoid labor laws so they can work the crew like animals and pay them very little. I will no longer be supporting a franchise that exploits people.
Passport Services
If you're on a tight budget, there are plenty of included-in-the-fare choices for dining and entertainment. If money is no object, you can follow a different "journey" through the ship, as Norwegian executives like to say, to a far more high-end vacation. A passenger staying in suites and booking through Latitudes Rewards Insider Offers could get to the Platinum level with just four seven-night cruises.
Each evening, the steward delivers the Freestyle Daily, which is a printed copy of the next day’s activities and offers. Another big difference on this ship versus others with NCL is the pool deck. It’s near the back of the ship on deck 17, and it’s small compared to other ships, where the pool area takes up the majority of a deck. To check in online, you’ll need your passport and a credit card to put on file for anything you purchase on board. You’ll also need a photo of your face to upload for security purposes. I had some issues doing this because the photo I tried to use did not meet the parameters, but if the upload doesn’t work, an employee can take a photo at the pier.
Complimentary Dining
Norwegian Epic Cruise Ship First-hand Expert Review - Cruise Critic
Norwegian Epic Cruise Ship First-hand Expert Review.
Posted: Wed, 12 Jul 2023 14:54:12 GMT [source]
Still, Norwegian Prima isn't necessarily the best Norwegian Cruise Line ship for you. Whether you'll have a better time on one of the other 18 vessels in the Norwegian fleet will depend a lot on the type of traveler you are. Over the years, I've sailed on all but three of Norwegian's 19 vessels, and my personal favorite is Norwegian Prima. I love its stylish design and upscale feel, as well as its wide mix of eateries, bars and entertainment.
For this reason, I refuse to pay for a spa treatment from a Mandara-branded spa on NCL. But if you’re inclined to have a treatment, they offer everything from unique massage experiences to simple hair cuts. You’ll also find acupuncture, medispa services (botox, etc), and teeth whitening. Outside cabins measure about 150 square feet and have a porthole or picture window above the bed. Some obstructed-view outsides on Deck 8, situated behind the lifeboats, can measure up to 196 square feet.
Norwegian advertised and sold an itinerary for just the final two nights of this cruise - effectively allowing people to join for nights 13 and 14. As such, I really don’t have any memories of the entertainment that was offered on Pride of America. Most of our time was spent exploring the ports and returning onboard to sleep and eat before the next port. To take advantage of the cheap cruise fare, we opted to book an inside cabin guarantee onboard Norwegian Sun. I often choose to sail in an inside cabin because the price is always right and I never spend too much time in my cabin anyway.
We were excited to get onboard Norwegian Sun and make our stateroom into a home-away-from-home. After a lot of travel and hectic logistics, it felt great to stay in this comfortable cabin for two nights. The room was equipped with everything we needed, although the bathroom was the least impressive part of the stateroom.
In collaboration with the Port of Dover, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines enhances its 2024 cruise packages with free parking and onboard credit. Both Carnival Cruise Line ( CCL) and Royal Caribbean allow smoking in parts of their casinos. Royal Caribbean does have small non-smoking casinos on its Oasis-class ships while its Celebrity Cruises ... The ship feels incredibly modern and updated in all public areas despite the age of the ship. The renovations and refits of the Dawn over the past years have made every space feel like you were on a nearly new ship.
Norwegian had several available itineraries in our apples-to-apples comparison, looking for a trip in March within the Caribbean and booking about a year in advance. Interestingly, a 12-day cruise out of Punta Cana and visiting Barbados, Curacao and Aruba was less expensive, with a starting fare of $1,079 per person. At the time of our review, NCL had a promotion in place offering free airfare for the second guest on the booking, which could be a pretty significant savings depending on your departure port. Most notably on Deck 11 the cabins in the center of the deck may experience some noise during breakfast and dinner service from the buffet above.
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