11 Nights Italy, Greece & Croatia Cruise

Wonderful experience in South Africa & Madagascar

We had a fantastic experience sailing from Cape Town to Mauritius on NCL Dawn. The itinerary included four ports in South Africa, which offered a huge variety of experiences from safaris, to cultural immersion and much more. We also stopped at the islands of Reunion, Madagascar and Mauritius - beautiful paradises of culture, wildlife and wonderful people. CHECK IN: after reading about port delays in Cape Town for some earlier cruises, we were pleased to find no line ups. An Uber from the hotel dropped us off at about 11:20 (inside the port area, close to check in). Our check in time was 11:30-12:00. We walked right up to security to scan bags, then to the NCL checkin desk. We sat down to wait for boarding and were called up right away to board. We were at a table for lunch at 11:40. ROOM: we had a family suite SP on deck 12 near the library. We were able to upgrade from balcony to suite after final payment when the price for the suite dropped down to the same amount we had paid for the balcony. This suite has no balcony but the room is as big as a regular penthouse plus balcony. I would happily stay in this category again. PORTS: Africa is not an area geared to regular cruise ship docking, so don’t expect any port facilities. These are industrial, working ports. Mossel Bay and the two Madagascar ports require tenders. Disembarking was fairly smooth and at times there was a long line of people waiting to get back to the ship. Richard’s Bay is a coal shipping port and the air and grounds are thick with coal dust. We had heard this many times and were sort of prepared. Dark coloured clothing and a mask are recommended. It was raining when we arrived so instead of having the air full of dust, the ground was mucky with slick black mud and puddles. I wore washable shoes and washed them when we returned. The sights and excursions available at all of the ports are well worth the little inconvenience. EXCURSIONS: my favourite places that we visited were Addo Elephant National Park (Gqeberha/ Port Elizabeth) and iSmangaliso wetland park (Richard’s Bay). Also the two ports in Madagascar had fantastic tours, especially Amber Mountain Park where you can see lemurs in the wild. FOOD: the Dawn has many specialty restaurants to choose from including Cagney’s (steak house), La Cuchina (Italian), Bamboo (Asian/Sushi), Los Lobos (Mexican), Moderna (Brazilian), Teppanaki, and Le Bistro (French). Our favourite meals came from the main dining room - there are two, Venetian and Aqua and we preferred Aqua for its contemporary decor, smaller room feel and terrific service (the menus are the same in both). They get really swarmed when the show audience gets out, but otherwise we had no delays getting a table or food. Some dishes weren’t hot enough for us but when I made a point of asking the server to make sure it was hot, it helped. SHOWS: loved the production cast shows - Elements is outstanding. The comedian was entertaining but the mostly baby boomer audience did not appreciate millennial humour. The music in all venues was fantastic. SURPRISES: There are no computer terminals in the Internet cafe. This is a missed opportunity for NCL because I like to use them on sea days to look for my next cruise! When I asked about this, the manager shared that they are on order. They have a little-used lounge area on deck 9 just off the mid-ship stairway/elevator. It has tables and chairs, board games, cards and puzzles and it overlooks the entertainment in the Atrium. The crew are amazing! Cheerful and always wanting to ensure you are having a great time. If anything goes wrong for you, talk to them and they will go out of their way to make it right. General Manager Alain is very accessible and can often be seen walking around to check things out. Africa provides many logistical challenges for the cruise line, particularly with sourcing food and beverages. They made the most of it by stocking South African beers and wines which many found to be better than the usual stock. Most things that people complain about (coal in Richard’s Bay! The heat! The weather! Oh my!) are beyond the control of the cruise line. NCL did a fantastic job of making this vacation memorable.

Great Experience on the Dawn

This was our 4th overall cruise and our 2nd with Norwegian. We selected this particular cruise based on the ports visited in the Mediterranean and the price/deals offered by Norwegian. Overall, we were very satisfied with the itinerary, the selection of excursions, and the value offered by this method of travel combined with Norwegian’s relatively low price. We did not have any complaints about the ship. The common areas appeared well kept, the crew was friendly and helpful, and the entertainment was much better than expected. Since we chose a cruise simply as a method of travel and not necessarily for the experience or the entertainment, we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the shows on this cruise. We also did not choose a cruise for the dining experience, but we were mostly satisfied with the number of complimentary restaurants and the quality and variety of food offered. The cafe (providing buffet style dining) appeared to have enough different options to satisfy most people and the quality of some items was actually quite good. The ship has a number of specialty restaurants, though we only went to one (Teppanyaki) and our steak and shrimp were excellent. We were happy with the number of excursions offered at each port (there actually seemed to be too many to choose from in some cases). We decided to stick with those offered through Norwegian, but we met some couples that arranged their own independently for less cost. For any cruise, it helps to do a little research about the ports and what’s close to them ahead of time. For instance, we enjoyed visiting the old, historic towns that are still in use such as the ones in Kotor, Montenegro and Dubrovnik, Croatia. The old town in Kotor is easy to walk to from the port, but the one in Dubrovnik is several miles away. Overall, we do not have any regrets in choosing this cruise and I would not hesitate to sail with Norwegian or on this particular ship (the Dawn) again.

Beautiful Baltic Bucket-list cruise

Loved this itinerary , even though it was quite loaded. Embarkation from Copenhagen was quite speedy (Sapphire level) and easy. Only glitch for me was that Cruise Next Desk was not open when we first boarded and by the time I got there in early evening all the perk (Behind the Scenes tour and Dinner with Officers) were booked and I had to be put on the waiting list. We were eventually contacted and the Cruise Next Manager put on second tour and dinner for those who were on the waiting list. Apparently there were a lot of Sapphire and above cruisers. My biggest disappointment about the ship itself was the lack of public spaces to be able to sit and enjoy the cruise view. Best spot for leaving port was the forward hot tub when weather was good. But no inside viewing areas for watching the scenery passing by. We often found ourselves wrapped up and outside on the promenade or upper deck. Something new for me was Los Lobos specialty restaurant and I wish every ship had one! The food was fabulous, with top-notch service. I ordered the guacamole made at your table for my appetizer and it was delicious and fun! I have food allergies and the wait staff were great in all restaurants, making sure that my allergies were accounted for and that my food was safe for me. Kristopher was awesome with my pre-orders. We had a parallel inside cabin and it felt quite roomy because of the side entrance. We weren't in our room a lot, but it was cozy and comfortable and VERY clean. The only "complaint" was that we enjoyed whatever music was being played in the Grand Atrium because we were so close to the glass elevator bank and the sound echoed all the way up to Deck 10. They did shut it down every night by 10:15 and that was fine for us, but I would not recommend this cabin for anyone who needs to go to bed early. However it was very conveniently located for getting down to Aqua Dining Room and the disembarkation areas on Deck 4/5. Enjoyed the entertainment especially TROPICAL BEAT band, they were awesome. The Elements show was good, not as polished as I have seen on other ships (The Spirit in September 2022 was best Elements I have ever seen) but it was entertaining. Soul Rockin' Night was really good too. I really enjoyed the staff, super friendly and efficient.