|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ship statistics
Overview Welcome to the dawn of a totally new era in cruising Norwegian Cruise Line's latest ship, the Norwegian Dawn. Built specifically with Norwegian's "Freestyle Cruising" in mind, this contemporary floating resort is filled with innovative amenities. Ten restaurants offer everything from Asian cuisine to French and Italian. There's a steakhouse, a Spanish tapas bar, and the 24-hour Market Cafe. Mix and mingle in a dozen bars and lounges. Take a lifestyle enrichment course. Sink into six hot tubs, spend a day at the spa, or have a midnight ice cream under the stars. Onshore, endless beaches await; Norwegian Dawn's voyages include weeklong jaunts to The Bahamas from New York City and Florida.
No other ship anywhere in the world can offer its guests a more significant collection of rarely seen original art. Imagine stepping out of the Stardust Theater after an evening of world-class entertainment, and discovering Romero Britto’s whimsical “Flowers for You” hanging right outside the door. Or, they may be surprised to find Andy Warhol’s complete “Flowers” or “Mao” displayed. At almost every turn, the great works of Impressionism, Post-Impressionism and Pop-Art are to be discovered on this spectacular ship. Norwegian Dawn, Norwegian Dawn is a spectacular floating world-class resort filled with innovations from bow to stern. It has 10 different restaurants, each with its own unique ambiance, offering everything from a steak house to Asian and French. Plus over a dozen bars and lounges, a superior collection of amenities and a wide variety of accommodations. An unequalled artwork collection with originals by Renoir, Van Gogh, Matisse and Monet. This dazzling ship offers the ideal way to escape to Caribbean with more dining options, more balconies, more oceanview staterooms, new activities and more flexibility than ever before. Public rooms Norwegian Dawn is a huge ship that, for its size, offers probably the most varied collection of public rooms afloat. A wide variety of spaces and concepts can be found onboard. Starting at deck 13, an intimate, low-key Martini bar overlooks the pool area, one deck below. Further aft is Cagney's, a 1930's style American steak house. Below on deck 12, the airy, forward-facing Spinnaker Lounge, functions as an observation lounge during the day and a secondary showroom at night. Also forward are two card rooms, a genuine reading room complete with writing desks, and a subdued, peaceful library. Deck 12 aft is home to the Barong Fitness Center and the Garden Cafe buffet-style eatery. Other public rooms are spread out over three decks. Around one level of the atrium is the Salsa Restaurant and Bar, offering views below to the Java Cafe. Here, various musicians play throughout the evening, causing passengers to congregate and listen on the lower levels as the music wafts upward. Just aft of the atrium on the port side is the English-style tavern where fish and chips with malt vinegar are available during the evening and a guitarist leads convivial passengers in songs after dinner. The state-of-the-art Dawn Club Casino is found on deck 6, forward, featuring Blackjack, Mini Baccarat, Roulette, 3 Card Poker, Caribbean Stud Poker and Craps tables. Gatsby's Champagne Bar is an elegant, faux Art Deco lounge, dramatic with its two-story-high ceiling and four large bronze relieves depicting modes of transportation lining the large staircase from the deck above. Serving as a pre-dinner venue for Le Bistro, it is an inviting place to sit and quietly listen to a piano player. Just off Gatsby's is the Havana Cigar Club, seating 12 in leather chairs. This ship also has an Internet cafe, conference rooms, additional bars and extensive teen and children facilities, including a large outdoor children's playground and pool. 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. Fitness and Reacreation 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. Norwegian Dawn has what is said to be the largest indoor pool at sea. Located in the lower level of the Barong Spa on deck 11, this lap pool is a welcome addition, especially if the weather turns cloudy, and makes for an attractive spa area that overlooks the stern and features a Jacuzzi. Hot and cold plunge baths are also available. Mandara Spa runs the modern and well-equipped spa, with the usual selection of wraps and hydrotherapy baths, and special waiting rooms overlooking the wake for those with treatments. Upstairs, the Barong Fitness Center is somewhat dark. The facility has an adequate number of exercise bikes, treadmills, and Cybex weight machines. A juice bar is inside the fitness center. Happily, chairs and tables are on the ship's Promenade Deck, and passengers flock here to play shuffleboard, read, or simply walk round and round. This is one of the most used and active promenade decks on any new ship, and it is a delight to see passengers rediscovering the joys of its social aspects. A large pool is on top of the ship, with two water slides and four whirlpools. This pool is often full of partying passengers, and the area is rarely quiet for those wanting to do actual exercise. Another Jacuzzi is located forward on Deck 13. There is a jogging track around the top deck, although it tends to be narrow along the sides and is rarely used. Shuffleboard, ping pong and a golf driving range as well as a large volleyball/basketball court are also on top of the ship. Entertainment This is a vast ship and the activities are numerous, spread throughout the ship and spread throughout the day and night. Repeated announcements from the Cruise Director keep you informed of all the activities, ranging from Bingo to "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" games. On my cruise, during the day NCL did offer a series of lectures, including financial management talks and two sessions on marine life. A proper cinema showed movies as well. The evening brings a variety of entertainment options, and music seems to be coming from everywhere on the ship as bands play in the atrium and lounges. At least two different shows are shown twice each night, including a comedian, magician, and large dance revues. One in particular is very impressive, a sort of "Cirque De Soleil meets Asia," featuring Chinese acrobats. This dramatic show featured humans doing impossible contortions, whether balancing on others with only one hand or hanging upside down while spinning rapidly from lines. 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. After an long exciting day jammed packed with activities and scrumptious dining you're probably beyond tired, but I dare you to sleep. The fun has just begun and there are any limits to the abundance of entertainment contained on this ship. You are guaranteed to find either a Lounge or Bar with the ideal atmosphere that you've been looking for. If you're feeling a bit of a lucky spirit, you'll find exactly what you have in mind in the Dawn Club Casino.
Activities Allow yourself to run ramped while you're aboard Norwegian's Dawn. You and yours are invited to get carried away utilizing all of the activity possibilities that this beautiful ship has to offer. If you're well over due for a little relaxation by being pampered, you will have the opportunity to experience the perks of our Full Service Spa. For the wine lovers, you will definitely fall in love with the our Wine Cellar where you'll have the chance to do a little wine tasting and maybe find a new favorite.
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. Dress 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. Gratuity Norwegian Dawn Ship hightlights
Recommended for
Not recommended for
|
 |
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). 
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.