This Christmas cruise starts out great because it departs from New Orleans! What a fun city to tour before you board the Norwegian Dawn!
We stayed at the Hyatt, just 2 blocks from the cruise terminal and about 4 blocks from the French Quarter. That way we didn't need to rent a car or take a taxi. We rolled our luggage down the sidewalk between the Hyatt and the cruise terminal.
Guided Swamp Tour:
There are plenty to choose from on Groupon. Ours put us on a quiet boat with a Cajun tour guide who played Cajun music for us and pointed out some alligators as soon as it got sunny. We were there on the coldest day of the year! He even let us hold an alligator.
Guided Bus Tour of New Orleans:
Again, this is worth it, especially if you look for a Groupon ahead of time. We saw the flood lines on houses that sort of survived Hurricane Katrina and visited a famous cemetery. Then it took us through the Garden District and pointed out the houses of famous authors and the like. On this trip, we learned the history of the French, Spanish and American architecture and how to spot examples of each, often side by side. They stopped at a cafe where we could get beignets. It's legal to consume alcohol on the bus, so I brought an Irish coffee with me.
Personal Walking Tour of New Orleans
We were quite impressed by the quantity and quality of street performers, from singers to violinists to acrobats to clowns with devil sticks, to magicians. At one magic show, I won $5 because I took a risk. My $5 bill turned into a $10 bill. Visiting the voo doo shops was also fun. However, what was most memorable for me was sampling the salsa at all the salsa shops. One night, I took just a tiny sample of Death by Salsa on a pretzel stick. It was really just a dab, smaller than my pinky nail. Within seconds, my stomach was hurling. I tried to vomit into a trash can but ended up just going to the bathroom at a beignet shop. The scary part was that it caused me to bleed like I was having my period later that night. We think that a passerby might have put drugs or poison into the salsa sample?
Of course, all the traditional food we tried, such as grilled oysters, gumbo and creole dishes was amazing. But we had to save room for the cruise ship!
The Norwegian Dawn
I really miss the Norwegian Dawn. Overall I have fond memories of the ship and the entire staff. Everyone went out of their way to make us feel comfortable. When I cruised with Royal Caribbean years later, I realized how great the Norwegian Dawn was. Dingo Dave, the cruise director, constantly entertained everyone by loud speaker, newsletter or on stage and he made everyone love the Norwegian Dawn. There was cruise ship spirit!
The stewards were so cool that ours, Ray, knew all of our names and the names of everyone in all 16 of his rooms. And he always left us cool towel animals, a different one each day! My kids had fun going to the restaurants alone. They could order 3 chocolate lava cakes in a row, and the the waiters would politely bring them! Once my son asked if he could have a tower of lava cakes, and the waiter said, "absolutely." My son said he was just joking and the the waiter insisted, "Are you sure? I can do it."
We did the 7 day cruise with stops in Cozumel, Belize, Roatan (Honduras) and Costa Maya (Mexico.) There were 2 days at sea and 4 stops, and we felt this was the perfect balance of cruising and port visiting. You don't have long to see any of the ports, just 6-8 hours, so you try to make the most of it and don't expect to visit more than one place. While you are on the ship, you can attend a schedule of events, from karaoke bar to trivia games to shopping preparation for your island visit. There were poolside concerts and evening magic shows! Sometimes you meet the stars of the show in at the buffet!
Cozumel- our first stop. We decided to book the cave trekking tour through Norwegian. It was a good choice, probably the best adventure we booked. It was very well organized and guided. They fitted us in wetsuits and helmets with head lamps while we adored their pet coati. We got to wade in the water and sometimes we had to swim to make our way through the cave, where there were stalagmites, bats and spiders. The entire trip was beautiful and felt like a rugged adventure.
Our second stop was in Belize. We chose to go cave tubing, but we booked it with a group outside of the cruise line to save money. This trip was not as well organized, so I wouldn't recommend it. First of all, it takes a long time to get off the ship in Belize; you have to wait for another boat to come get you, and priority is given to people who booked trips through Norwegian! The cave tubing was fun, but not as much of an adventure as the cave trekking. The problem was that it took a long time for the organizers to get the bus filled with all the people and get going. There was a lot of waiting around. We chose ATV and zip lining in addition to the cave tour, and that's why we chose this company, because they offered all 3, but we quickly learned that that was a gimmick to attract our business. There was no way we would have time for all three and still make it back to the ship on time. I don't have any pictures of the cave tubing, because we were in such a hurry to get to the end on time; there was absolutely no time to take pictures of anything!
At every port, there are cultural treats waiting, such as natives to dance with. Many people spend their port day just by going to a beach party or even just shopping in the cruise ports. We definitely left plenty of time for shopping after most of our port adventures.
At our 3rd stop in Roatan, we chose a tour that let us interact with monkeys and then go to a beach party. The tour took us through a park and museum where we had to hear a lecture about many artificial things. We would have rather seen Roatan. We did see a bug collection and learned about butterflies. At the very end we got to go in an enclosure with monkeys and hold them. A bag in my purse was lifted by a monkey. It ran around with my bag for a few minutes before the staff was able to seize it! The beach party included snorkeling (but instead of giving you fins, they wanted to take you out in a boat and have you hold on to the boat. The boat bumped my head!). Having a monkey drink with kahlua and rum served at your lounge chair felt great, but what I remember is how we were ripped off with the day lockers. A scam artist offered to return my key for me, but I didn't know that if you returned your key, you got a refund for the locker cost. Beware!
At our final stop in Costa Maya, we were supposed to take a catamaran, but the weather canceled the trip, and some of my family chose to stay at the port. I signed up for the Mexican cultural tour where I got to go to a Mayan village and visit a Mayan pyramid.
You need to be stomach strong to fare well on the Norwegian Dawn. Maybe it needs bigger stabilizers. Other cruisers say other ships dont rock as much. You really only notice the rocking when you wake up the first day at sea and the rest of that day. If you don't stay busy, you will feel sicksick. Some employees said their first day on the job was hard. Some passengers spent the day in bed. I wanted to keep busy, so I went to 7AM stretch, 7:30 abs, and 8AM spin. I felt no rocknroll during spin. I usually hate spin. The instructor was awesome and distracted me from the rocking. At least, I didn't abuse the buffet because of my nausea. Maybe the ship saves money on food when there are no stabilizers. Dingo Dave said there were stabilizers and showed them on a ship model, but another cruising regular said there weren't.
Meanwhile, my daughters were stalking Chadley, one of the photographers. They thought he was so cute. They learned his schedule and followed him everywhere.
There are so many ways to stay entertained on the ship. For a family of 5, you will need two rooms. It costs more money, but it's really fun for the kids to have their own room and their own key cards. We let the kids roam the ship freely and do what they wanted. None of them wanted to go to the kid's club. Two of my kids were usually at the basketball court playing soccer or other games. People around the ship starting recognizing my son as the kid who plays 3x3 soccer really well. My older daughter like to read and sunbathe on the deck. My husband used the computer lounge with wifi to get some work done. I played bingo and attended the lectures describing the next port. We would all decide in the evening after we saw the next day's schedule what we would all do together and where and when we would meet. The kids even ordered room service to their own room in the middle of the night! This worked well! Everyone was happy!
No one wanted to get off the Norwegian. Dingo Dave said we'd go home and throw our towels on the floor, but they'd still be there the next day. My younger daughter said she would grow up to become a magician's assistant and marry her magician and live on a cruise ship. Years after this cruise, she kept in contact with another kid she met on the ship! Still we had a good time for a couple more days in New Orleans. After New Orleans we went on to New York for 5 days to watch Broadway shows. Somehow the triangular airfare was not that much more than round trip to New Orleans would have been. This was a trip the whole family looks back on as being one of our best family vacations.
We stayed at the Hyatt, just 2 blocks from the cruise terminal and about 4 blocks from the French Quarter. That way we didn't need to rent a car or take a taxi. We rolled our luggage down the sidewalk between the Hyatt and the cruise terminal.
Guided Swamp Tour:
There are plenty to choose from on Groupon. Ours put us on a quiet boat with a Cajun tour guide who played Cajun music for us and pointed out some alligators as soon as it got sunny. We were there on the coldest day of the year! He even let us hold an alligator.
Guided Bus Tour of New Orleans:
Again, this is worth it, especially if you look for a Groupon ahead of time. We saw the flood lines on houses that sort of survived Hurricane Katrina and visited a famous cemetery. Then it took us through the Garden District and pointed out the houses of famous authors and the like. On this trip, we learned the history of the French, Spanish and American architecture and how to spot examples of each, often side by side. They stopped at a cafe where we could get beignets. It's legal to consume alcohol on the bus, so I brought an Irish coffee with me.
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| The bus took us to this cemetery. |
Personal Walking Tour of New Orleans
We were quite impressed by the quantity and quality of street performers, from singers to violinists to acrobats to clowns with devil sticks, to magicians. At one magic show, I won $5 because I took a risk. My $5 bill turned into a $10 bill. Visiting the voo doo shops was also fun. However, what was most memorable for me was sampling the salsa at all the salsa shops. One night, I took just a tiny sample of Death by Salsa on a pretzel stick. It was really just a dab, smaller than my pinky nail. Within seconds, my stomach was hurling. I tried to vomit into a trash can but ended up just going to the bathroom at a beignet shop. The scary part was that it caused me to bleed like I was having my period later that night. We think that a passerby might have put drugs or poison into the salsa sample?
Of course, all the traditional food we tried, such as grilled oysters, gumbo and creole dishes was amazing. But we had to save room for the cruise ship!
The Norwegian Dawn
I really miss the Norwegian Dawn. Overall I have fond memories of the ship and the entire staff. Everyone went out of their way to make us feel comfortable. When I cruised with Royal Caribbean years later, I realized how great the Norwegian Dawn was. Dingo Dave, the cruise director, constantly entertained everyone by loud speaker, newsletter or on stage and he made everyone love the Norwegian Dawn. There was cruise ship spirit!
We did the 7 day cruise with stops in Cozumel, Belize, Roatan (Honduras) and Costa Maya (Mexico.) There were 2 days at sea and 4 stops, and we felt this was the perfect balance of cruising and port visiting. You don't have long to see any of the ports, just 6-8 hours, so you try to make the most of it and don't expect to visit more than one place. While you are on the ship, you can attend a schedule of events, from karaoke bar to trivia games to shopping preparation for your island visit. There were poolside concerts and evening magic shows! Sometimes you meet the stars of the show in at the buffet!
Cozumel- our first stop. We decided to book the cave trekking tour through Norwegian. It was a good choice, probably the best adventure we booked. It was very well organized and guided. They fitted us in wetsuits and helmets with head lamps while we adored their pet coati. We got to wade in the water and sometimes we had to swim to make our way through the cave, where there were stalagmites, bats and spiders. The entire trip was beautiful and felt like a rugged adventure.
Our second stop was in Belize. We chose to go cave tubing, but we booked it with a group outside of the cruise line to save money. This trip was not as well organized, so I wouldn't recommend it. First of all, it takes a long time to get off the ship in Belize; you have to wait for another boat to come get you, and priority is given to people who booked trips through Norwegian! The cave tubing was fun, but not as much of an adventure as the cave trekking. The problem was that it took a long time for the organizers to get the bus filled with all the people and get going. There was a lot of waiting around. We chose ATV and zip lining in addition to the cave tour, and that's why we chose this company, because they offered all 3, but we quickly learned that that was a gimmick to attract our business. There was no way we would have time for all three and still make it back to the ship on time. I don't have any pictures of the cave tubing, because we were in such a hurry to get to the end on time; there was absolutely no time to take pictures of anything!
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| Taking selfies with monkeys at Roatan |
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| the beach at Roatan. |
At our 3rd stop in Roatan, we chose a tour that let us interact with monkeys and then go to a beach party. The tour took us through a park and museum where we had to hear a lecture about many artificial things. We would have rather seen Roatan. We did see a bug collection and learned about butterflies. At the very end we got to go in an enclosure with monkeys and hold them. A bag in my purse was lifted by a monkey. It ran around with my bag for a few minutes before the staff was able to seize it! The beach party included snorkeling (but instead of giving you fins, they wanted to take you out in a boat and have you hold on to the boat. The boat bumped my head!). Having a monkey drink with kahlua and rum served at your lounge chair felt great, but what I remember is how we were ripped off with the day lockers. A scam artist offered to return my key for me, but I didn't know that if you returned your key, you got a refund for the locker cost. Beware!
At our final stop in Costa Maya, we were supposed to take a catamaran, but the weather canceled the trip, and some of my family chose to stay at the port. I signed up for the Mexican cultural tour where I got to go to a Mayan village and visit a Mayan pyramid. |
| Pooldeck chess! |
Meanwhile, my daughters were stalking Chadley, one of the photographers. They thought he was so cute. They learned his schedule and followed him everywhere.
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| The pool at the Norwegian Dawn. My favorite thing to do was sit in that hot tub and listen to the band, "Flavors" play Caribbean music at every sail away party. I ordered one drink in the hot tub, but it was not as relaxing as I had hoped. I had to get my room card and sign the receipt. But the receipt gets wet, and then the bubbly water threatens to jump in your drink |
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| Chocolate delights! |
No one wanted to get off the Norwegian. Dingo Dave said we'd go home and throw our towels on the floor, but they'd still be there the next day. My younger daughter said she would grow up to become a magician's assistant and marry her magician and live on a cruise ship. Years after this cruise, she kept in contact with another kid she met on the ship! Still we had a good time for a couple more days in New Orleans. After New Orleans we went on to New York for 5 days to watch Broadway shows. Somehow the triangular airfare was not that much more than round trip to New Orleans would have been. This was a trip the whole family looks back on as being one of our best family vacations.
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