New England’s favorite cruise ship, the Norwegian Dawn, takes passengers from the Port of Boston to Bermuda in the summer, Canada & New England in the fall. In the winter months, the Dawn sails out of Miami to the best spots in the Caribbean. The Dawn recently underwent a dry dock total refurbishment in May of 2011.
Thanks to Freestyle Cruising, the 2,224 passengers have the choice of 14 dining options. There are also 12 bars/lounges, a fitness center and spa, a casino, several pools including a lap pool, 6 hot tubs, java cafe, juice bar, a teen center, the Stardust theater and several other great options for relaxation and entertainment.
Cabins
The Norwegian Dawn offers luxurious villas (up to 5,000 sq ft) and suites that offer a private garden with hot tub, outdoor dining area and terrance to enjoy the beautiful views. The Dawn also offers many balcony rooms that range from 203 sq. ft. to 262 sq. ft. that accommodate up 3 guests. The standard ocean view rooms have a porthole or a picture window are a smaller 153 sq. ft. and can accommodate up to 4 guests. The inside rooms, for the more budget oriented cruisers, accommodate up to 2-44 guests and and are slightly smaller in size.
Dining
The Norwegian Dawn offers 14 dining options. While many of them are included with your cruise fare, some of them have an additional charge to dine there. They usually includes better service and food.
Complimentary Dining
- Bimini Grill – Located poolside and offers burgers, pizza, and grilled items
- Blue Lagoon – 24/hr food court
- Garden Cafe – Buffet with a wide range of food offered: pasts, soups, salads, omelets etc.
- Room Service – Offered 24/7, although there is a delivery charge from midnight until 5 am.
- Venetian Main Dining Room – 5 coarse menu with a Venetian theme.
- Aqua Main Dining Room – Same menu as the Venetian but with a different theme
Specialty Dining
- Bamboo – $15/person A taste of Asia: Japanese, Thai, and Chinese.
- Cagney’s Steak House – $25/person Traditional upscale 1930’s steak house.
- La Cucina – $10/person Authentic Italian restaurant.
- Le Bistro – $20/person French restaurant
- Moderno Churrascaria – $25/person Skewers of barbecued meats are carved table-side.
- Pizza 24/7 – $5/person 24/7 pizza delivery to anywhere on the ship.
- Sushi and Sashimi Bar – $15/person
- Teppanyaki – $25/person Tables of 10 for a truly Asian dining experience.
Fun on the Dawn
The Norwegian Dawn has a basketball/volleyball court, walking/jogging track, the Oasis Pool, 6 hot tubs, and a lap pool, the largest indoor pool on a cruise ship. There are 456 seats around the Oasis pool and 206 sun lounges.
The Dawn also has a cinema and auditorium showing the latest movie releases on board. This room can also be used as an auditorium for group and corporate meetings and presentations.
There is also an internet cafe (ranges from .50-.75 a minute), Lifestyles Room for playing games, T-Rex kid’s center and pool, a teen club with complete with air hockey, foosball, jukebox and video, a chapel, meeting rooms, a quiet reading and writing room, a wine cellar, video arcade and the Stardust Theater.
The Stardust Theater is a stunning 2 story main show lounge that is home to Broadway style shows, comedy shows, and game shows at sea.
There have been some recent complaints that the Dawn is getting old, dirty, and many things were breaking. This should be addressed now that the ship has come out of dry dock.
Fun Facts about the Dawn
- The first NCL ship to display hull art as a way of promoting the ship. The display went over so well that Norwegian decided to paint hull art on all of its ships.
- In 2005 when sailing in rough waters off the coast of Georgia, three 70 foot waves damaged a few windows on decks 9 and 10. 4 passengers were slightly injured and several decks were flooded.
- The Dawn is the sister ship to the Norwegian Star
- In November 2009, the Dawn lost all power when returning to Miami. Passengers had no running water, electricity, air conditioning or toilet services. The ship was able to make it to San Juan, Puerto Rico where repairs were made.
