Overall we had a great time on the Dawn, but a few things stood out enough – good and bad – that we’d be doing you a disservice not to mention them.
The Gripes.
1) The Added Gratuities
We’ve come to understand, through various searches and reviews, that the daily gratuities NCL collects don’t go directly to the front of house and behind the scenes staff. Instead, that money is used to offset base wages. We find this pretty deceitful. So now, a day or two before disembarkation, we head to reception and have the daily gratuities removed. They’ll print a form for you to sign and ask for a reason – we simply say we’ll be tipping individually. Our advice: cruise with a stash of small bills ($1s and $5s) so you can tip your waiter, bar staff and room steward directly.
2) Taxes on Drinks
We have no issue paying local drink taxes while docked – every country has its own laws, and that’s fair enough. But once you’re out at sea in international waters, those taxes shouldn’t apply. The Dawn, however, hugged the coastline for most of this itinerary, meaning we never technically entered international waters – which racked up an extra $200 or so in drink taxes over the week. Interestingly, while we were being taxed on every cocktail, the casino stayed open the entire time.
3) Cruise Directors
On the Star, we barely saw our cruise director outside the big events. On the Dawn, we saw and heard even less of ours. It made us think back to Gary Gladding, who ran the show on a Jade or Spirit sailing we did years ago. The man spoke 11 languages, was the first voice you heard over the tannoy in the morning and the last before lights out, and was constantly out mingling with guests – so much so that we felt like part of the family and ended up buying two of his books. Those days, sadly, seem to be behind us.
4) Shore Excursion Desk Prices
Even with the $50 per day per stateroom credit, we will never buy anything through Shorex at these prices. We actually kept the price list from our sailing, and looking back at it now, we’re still gobsmacked at the markups – and a little baffled that people actually pay them. A lower margin might just mean higher volume, NCL.
5) One Show on the Last Night
The final night of sailing, and there’s a single 8pm show in the theatre. Come on. Whoever signed off on that clearly wasn’t thinking about the guests who’d love one last night of entertainment before disembarking.
6) Kids in Specialty Dining
We were having a quiet, romantic meal in Le Bistro when the table next to us turned into what felt like a fast food playroom – crayons on the floor, fries squashed into the carpet, a baby crying, kids screaming. Not the experience we were paying extra for. In our view, “silver service” dining venues shouldn’t allow young children, full stop.

The Praises
1) The 2-for-1 Specialty Dining Special
A nice touch for anyone without the Free at Sea package, or who just wanted a taste of specialty dining without committing to a full package price.

2) The Front of House Staff
We have never had a bad experience with bar staff, waitstaff, hostesses, or cabin stewards – not once. These crew members work incredibly hard, often far from home for months at a time. We’ve made a habit of asking if there’s anything they need from shore, since some of them rarely get the chance to go ashore themselves to restock personal items. Sometimes it’s as small as a fridge magnet – just something to show they were there, even if they never set foot on land.

3) In-House Entertainers and Dancers
The shows were consistently a hit. Our only complaint is that we wanted more of them.

4) Special Shout Out: The Singing Guitar Guys
On the Star, it was the singing coffee ladies who brought an instant smile every morning. On the Dawn, that role went to the Singing Guitar Guys. We didn’t make it to many buffet breakfasts on this sailing, but on the mornings we did, they sent us off with a song in our hearts and a smile on our faces.