Great ship tour! This ship reminds us a lot of the Norwegian Jewel. We love this size of ship, and any ship that has O’Sheehan’s gets our approval. Thanks for sharing another wonderful video!
For sure!! Our favourite feature on all our NCL cruises is O'Sheehans. On the larger ships, it's full of video games and bowling alleys - but on these small ships, it's a wonderful place to have a drink, soak up the pub feel and listen to the activity in the main atrium.
We couldn't agree more. That's the sweet spot for ship size. I hope at some point the cruise industry gives up on this mega-ship approach. Fingers crossed
@@CruisingCanucks Thank you, it's my first cruise so I am very excited. I have a couple of questions though if you have a moment to reply 😀the first is we bought the free at sea and with the drink package we pre-paid our gratuities, however are you still expected to carry cash with you to tip when you get your drinks? The second is if you are not interested in doing any excursions are there areas at each port where you can simply hang out? We are doing Caribbean with Roatan, Belize, Costa Maya & Cozumel. Thanks so much 😃
@@robbiew5193 great questions! We do still carry a pocket full of $1USD bills to tip OCCASIONALLY. If we find a certain bar or bartender that is really good then we often tips them a couple of bucks. Especially early in the cruise - as they will remember you and provide even better service. We certainly don’t tip on every drink - that’s not expected. We might spend $20 in ones over a cruise with this technique. For the ports you are visiting…you will likely be downtown Cozumel on the NCL - meaning you can freely walk off the ship there and explore/hangout all you like with no problem. Belize is the private island - it’s beautiful and free to hangout and enjoy. Roatan puts you into a small port where there’s one small building for shopping but not much else. Costa Maya had a large shopping areas off the pier but there’s not much else to do there. Hope that helps and have a great cruise!
@@CruisingCanucks THANK YOU !!!! this was a Huge help and very much appreciated. I just started to watch your videos and loving them. Look forward to watching more. Thanks again 🙏🤩❤
Your tour is very well done. Thank you for the effort. We've been on the Dawn three times before: 2011 through 2012. Thanks for the nice memories as we will be sailing yet again on the Dawn this December.
Glad you enjoyed it! Maybe our ships will pass in the night - as we will be on a Holland America ship in December. It's great to finally get back to cruising. Have a great trip!
So excited to board the Dawn ship. The tour was well done and have noted many spots I will be looking forward to visiting and lounging around. Have sailed on the Jewel so this is my first on the Dawn. Never been disappointed with NSL!
We are so excited for you and hearing about folks getting back to cruising!! The Dawn is a wonderful ship and we hope you keep us posted on your experience. We cruise again in under 100 days on a Holland America cruise, but can’t wait to get back to the Dawn one day.
Some think we're cheap - but we really love finding ways to enjoy all the free dining on cruise ships! The food is so good (compared to cooking at home for sure!) that we love those hidden gems you find exploring a ship.
@@CruisingCanucks We went on the Regal Princess 3 times and learned the little pizza/Italian spot in the Piazza is free and a great alternative to the busy buffet on boarding day. Also, I love their international cafe because it has tasty food 24 hours a day. I really liked the free Dutch Cafe on the HAL Koningsdam too.
BEAUTIFUL❗️I went on this boat when I was 8 or 9 (I’m now 24) when it left from NY but I remember a little bit about it. Being that it was my first cruise the nostalgia was pumped. I would love to go on this boat again⚡️
Nice video. Been on sister ship Star, which is very much the same, except for Proof whiskey bar where the Wine bar is. I find the food quality and crew even better than on the big ships.
Thanks for the video! I’ve never been on a cruise but we’re in the process of booking this. So many people but your video is great, showing all the hidden gems. I’m excited now!
I was on the Dawn 2017 & 2018 out of San Juan, Christmastime......I loved this ship and crew so much, i went on it again in 2018, i also had the same cabin
That's a great tour of the Dawn! We were on it a few years ago but have a transatlantic coming up so wanted a reminder. I think we'll have a great time! Our preference is the big ships for the entertainment and activities but the smaller ships can be fun also.
So jealous - we hope to do a transatlantic one of these days. We miss the Dawn and that size of ship. Our next NCL is the Epic this August - that will be a BIG change from the Dawn. Have a great cruise!
Small ships are our favourites - but not TOO small. That 2000-3000 range is just about right, but getting harder to find as mega-ships try to take over.
Great ship tour of the NCL Dawn! That being said, I last sailed on the NCL Dawn 02/02/20, right before the shutdown worldwide. Loved the ship then and booked for the 02/27/22 cruise, however we pushed it back to 11/27/22. We got all our money back, but this next cruise in 11/27/22 is more expensive which means we are paying way over $1,000. for the same cruise. Also, all of the items, including the specialty dining is higher in price to book. Moreover, I have to add there is a bit more variety to choose from that was not offered in the past to be delivered to your stateroom, e.g., plate of cookies, pineapple and veggie tray.
NCL did announce they were increasing fares and we’ve certainly noticed that for sure. We are using our NCL credits from pre COVID for our cruise next week in the Mediterranean.
great video - we love the map next to the video.... The only small ship we tried from NCL is the Sky - so we cant wait to board the Dawn in Copenhagen on july 2.
We’ve only done small NCL ships and love that size of ship. Happy to hear you are heading out in the Dawn. We will try the NCL Epic this summer - our first attempt at a larger NCL ship.
Really!!? Very interesting.....we've heard about the odd bathroom configuration, but little about the ship itself. Anything tips we can use for our cruise?
Thanks for the tour. We leave on May 14 to go around the British Isles on this ship. It was great seeing the ship beforehand and your tips will be helpful too.
We are so jealous - you must be cruising now!!! When you get back, let us know how you liked the Dawn and what things we NEED to do when we are there in August.
Hi Canucks! We’ll be doing the British Isles in September (2022) on the Dawn. Will YOU please let US know if there’s a Must Do? We’re looking forward to a small ship again after experiencing the Epic in the Mediterranean last September (2021).
@@stevelaumann we will be vlogging our British island cruise and hopefully it’s out in time before your cruise. We’ll let you know what we find. You have to trade us though - we are doing the Epic in the Med this summer - what shouldn’t WE miss?
Thank you for sharing. Hopefully she'll come back to NYC soon. We prefer the smaller ships and when the Gem leaves NYC, there will only be mega-ships there.
Thank you, that was one of the nicest walk through we have watched. We are regular cruisers from the UK but have only previously sailed with RCI and Celebrity. This is quite an old ship but it looks lovely.
Thanks! We are doing a British Island cruise right now and are loving it! We need to come back to the UK and travel by land. The Dawn certainly has a certain charm about her - despite her age.
I’m sure you would receive a ‘Royal Welcome’ in the Uk too. Just one question if I may? Dining and customer service are both major parts of cruising. How did you find these on the NCL ships?
Excellent video very well done and nicely narrated. Only one negative comment. Please stop saying “free” dining options, nothing is free it is included in the fare. Maybe you can say the included dining options. Thank you and keep up the good work.
Thanks! Free is certainly relative - makes us wonder what the percentages of our fares go to food, vs staff vs fuel vs capital costs of the ship. Food (not free) for thought.
I've been on that ship but damn it's been like 15 years or so Spent most of my on board time either in the casino, the buffet, pr my own balcony with a smoke and a Corona looking out at sea at night (so relaxing)
@@CruisingCanucks Yeah, probably to make way for the Breakaway (at the time). We typically drive to NYC to cruise since a family of 4 airfare is way over budget. And, Boston is too far for us to drive... sadly.
Excellent video. We are cruising on the Dawn in December 2022. Cruised only once before -- the Carnival Dream in October 2018. We're hoping a smaller cruise ship will be more to our liking. My wife is a smoker. Are there any smoking areas outside?
We remember that there was a smoking section near the Bimini Bar that’s up overlooking the pool. Nice views, drinks and bbq food up there. Inside the ship there’s the casino and then a dedicated cigar/smoking lounge near the champagne bar as well. We have cruises the Dream before and you will certainly notice the smaller feel of the Dawn - also much less of a party vibe. Have a wonderful cruise. We get back to cruising NCL this summer on the Epic for our first large ship NCL experience.
I'll be on this ship on a 19-days Middle East cruise. Based on the video, there are 4 complimentary dining areas which are Garden Cafe (deck 12); Aqua and Venetian (deck 6); and O'Sheehan's Bar & Grill (deck 8). Is only the Bar & Grill open 24/7?
There are a large volume of seniors and families that cruise and have a great time without a partying lifestyle. We’d advise Holland America, Celebrity or possibly Princess as good options for your style. These ships have educational activities, a relaxing atmosphere and diverse entertainment - and less of a partying atmosphere.
We cruised on the NCL Dawn in March of 2018 and then again in March of 2019 out of Tampa. The Dawn was scheduled to be in dry dock December of 2020 - but I'm not sure that happened with the Covid chaos.
We were supposed to do the Epic out of San Juan last December - but another cruise cancelled. We had balcony booked - but some rooms are a little odd with sinks outside water closets. Hopefully we will give it a another try post Covid.
Our experience is that there is usually one comedian in the main theatre for one night in the Dawn. On the larger NCL ships there is a dedicated comedy club where there are more frequent comedy shows.
I am really concerned with the smell of smoke travelling thru level 6 and up the stairs. Really surprising smoking is allowed in open areas. Is that still the case?
Smoking is mainly in the casino and there’s a cigar room near the champagne bar. Some of it does linger in these areas but otherwise we didn’t find it too bad - and we are sensitive to smoke as well
NCL doesn’t have a true ‘formal night’ - the have a ‘dress up or not’. Total casual - even seen sports jerseys and tank tops at the steak house. So certainly no jacket. We still wear a full suit and formal gowns at least two times per seven days - but it isn’t required.
If memory serves…..it’s around 6 feet at the deepest part of the big pool. It was a little deep for holding a drink - but there is a shallower end as well.
I wish you guys would stop calling the main dining roms on these ships as free. You paid for them when you booked paid for your cruise. They are venues that are not extra tariff.
What we mean is that once you are onboard the ship, with ship card in hand and wallet in the safe - these venues are free to walk into and dine without any surcharge (like speciality dining). Certainly the entire vacation has a cost (an overhead) but our reference is assuming folks have paid that cost before getting on the ship.