Norwegian Dawn - NCL

Overview

NCL's Norwegian Dawn entered service in 2002 and was specifically designed to accommodate their unique Freestyle Cruising concept. The 91,740 ton ship boasts 1,112 cabins and 11 passenger decks.

In 2010 her schedule includes 7-night cruises from New York to Bermuda (Kings Wharf).

Kings Wharf (also known as Royal Naval Dockyard) can be seen in the video below:

Accommodation

The Norwegian Dawn offers 1112 staterooms and suites (145 suites, 364 ocean view staterooms with balcony, 250 ocean view staterooms with no balcony, and 353 inside staterooms).

Staterooms vary but typically include:

  • Television
  • Safe
  • Sitting area
  • Bathroom with shower and toiletries
  • Hairdryer
  • Coffee/tea making facilities

Suites usually have the above plus:

  • Floor to ceiling glass doors
  • Private balcony
  • Separate sitting/dining area
  • DVD player
  • Butler/concierge service

Dining

NCL operates a policy of Freestyle Dining. This means:

  • No fixed times for dinner. Take your seat between 5.30 pm and 10 pm.
  • Open-seating dining.
  • Dress how you want. One restaurant each is reserved for those that want to dress formally.
  • NCL also operates its unique All Ashore Dining Guide .

The main restaurants on the Norwegian Dawn are the Venetian, Aqua and Impressions. There are cover charges in Bamboo, Cagney’s Steak House and Le Bistro.

  • Aqua – Offers a light, contemporary menu. Seats 312.
  • Bamboo – A Taste of Asia – Includes a sit-down pan-Asian restaurant, teppanyaki room, and all-you-can eat sushi and sashimi bar. Cover charge.
  • Bimini Grill – Burgers and pizzas on Deck 14.
  • Blue Lagoon – 24-hour food court.
  • Cagney’s Steak House – Upscale 1930s-style steak house. Cover charge.
  • Garden Café – Offers omelettes, waffles, fruit, soups, ethnic specialities and pasta. Seats 426 guests.
  • Impressions – Casual Italian restaurant.
  • Le Bistro French Restaurant – French restaurant featuring original artwork by Van Gogh, Matisse, Monet and Renoir. Cover charge. Seats 90.
  • Room Service – Available 24 hours a day. No charge.
  • Salsa Tapas Bar – Tex-Mex tapas. Seats 112.
  • Venetian – Ornate restaurant offering a 5-course menu. Seats 468.

Entertainment & Public Areas

  • Bimini Bar & Grill – Key West-style beach bar serving snacks and cocktails. Located on Deck 14.
  • Cinema & Auditorium – Shows the latest movies.
  • Dawn Club Casino – Roulette, blackjack, craps and Caribbean stud poker. Accommodates 312.
  • Dazzles Lounge & Nightclub – Hi-tech style lounge and nightclub on Deck 7.
  • Gatsby’s Champagne Bar – Art deco-style champagne bar.
  • Havana Club – Small lounge offering hand-rolled premium cigars, cognacs and spirits.
  • Java Café – Speciality coffees, teas, pastries and cookies.
  • Library – Small but well-stocked library. Lends books to passengers free of charge.
  • Lifestyles Room
  • Pearly Kings Pub – Traditional English pub with pool tables, beer on tap, and large screen TVs.
  • Port Room – Quiet room for relaxation.
  • Shuffles Card Room – Games room (bridge, chess, checkers, Scrabble etc.)
  • Spinnaker Lounge – Venue for the late night disco.
  • Sprinkles Ice Cream Bar – Next to the Oasis Pool.
  • Star Bar – Located on Deck 13, the Star Bar overlooks the Oasis Pool. Ocean views and live piano music.
  • Stardust Theatre – Main show lounge spanning three decks. Accommodates 1,037 guests.
  • Topsiders Bar – Next to the Oasis Pool.
  • Writing & Reading Room – Quiet spot on Deck 12 with ocean views.

Spa & Fitness

  • Basketball/Volleyball Court – Outdoor sports court on Deck 14.
  • El Dorado Fitness Centre – Full-service gym open 24 hours. Aerobics/fitness classes daily.
  • El Dorado Spa- Full-service beauty salon and spa.
  • Golf Driving Nets – Deck 13 features 2 golf driving nets.
  • Hot Tubs
  • Jogging/Walking Track – 360-yard jogging track.
  • Lap Pool & Jacuzzi
  • Oasis Pool – The Norwegian Dawn’s main swimming pool. 456 seats and 206 sun lounges.
Other
  • Boardroom & Meeting Rooms – The Norwegian Dawn has four meeting rooms seating 10-12 persons. (Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Bangkok).
  • Chapel – Available for weddings and vow renewals. Accommodates 27.
  • Galleria Shops – Department store offering a wide variety of brands.
  • Internet Café
  • Port o’ Call – Shop.
  • Wine Cellar – Wine tasting and sales.
Kid Stuff
  • T-Rex Kid’s Centre – Activities for children. Includes a cinema, nursery, sleep/rest area, computer centre, and arts & crafts area.
  • T-Rex Kid’s Pool – Dinosaur-themed children’s pool with slides, paddling pool and hot tub.
  • Teen Club – Teen hangout decorated in the style of a 1950s diner.
  • Video Zone – Video games arcade on Deck 13.

Effective January 2007 NCL does not allow infants less than 6 months old to sail on any of its ships.

Reviews / Comments / Additional Information

About to cruise
This website is not updated to reflect new dining pricing. Now Impressions and Salsa both charge a fee for entrance (I think $10) and some of the other restaurants are more expensive. I am going on this cruise in a month as I've done more research, I have discovered that many things that were included in the past require an additional fee or are much more expensive now. I think they also raised their auto-gratuity policy from $10 per day to $12 per day but I am not 100% positive about that yet.
ken
I am shocked that anyone would like this cruise! We sailed in August 2008. The food in the main 2 dining rooms was inedible! They tried passing off two tired pieces of roast beef as prime rib, and this was one of the better meals! You are forced to pay an extra 20-25 dollars per person to eat in one of the speciality restaurants, and another 10 if you order a speciality dish. On top of the $1,500 dollars per person we spent, we had a whopping charge at the end of the cruise. Be careful of freestyle dining, it is anything but "free"!
David
Pros and cons over other cruises that we have been on. The bathroom was clean and spacious and the fridge in the cabin was nice and cold - not always the case. However, it was a little awkward when all the beds were out, especially if you needed to use the bathroom. The mattresses were also a little on the hard side. This was a beautiful ship though and everything else was to our satisfaction and we would certainly consider using this service again.
Tracy
Went on this cruise as a special anniversary treat. Really excellent from beginning to end. We stayed in a suite and were very impressed. It was so clean, comfortable, and spacious and had a wonderful balcony overlooking the ocean. Service, food, and entertainment were all superb and Bermuda was absolutely gorgeous, one of the prettiest places I have ever seen.
Bruce
As first timers on a cruise ship we really didn't know what to expect. Turns out we had no need to worry about anything. The whole experience was amazing, it was like being on a floating city. The cabin was fantastic and even had a balcony overlooking the ocean, the dine any time option was particularly good with regard to food, and our steward was very friendly and efficient. On the strength of this we could be hooked on cruises from now on.
Sarah
This was so much more helpful than any other review I had so far. I have now decided to take this trip. The Freestyle dining was confusing until I read this page. I'm ready to GO!
Bianca
The cruise is awsome!

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Info

Launched: 2002

Passengers (double occupancy): 2,224

Tonnage: 91,740

Passenger Decks: 11

Cabins: 1,112

Departs: New York

Docks: Kings Wharf

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