Norwegian Dawn update - photos, menus, Hotel Director interview

Recently, I was aboard Norwegian Dawn. Although it seems like I am always running into Norwegian Dawn in various ports of call, I had not been aboard her for several years. Thus, I was anxious to see how the ship had changed.

During this period, Norwegian has been a cruise line on the move. Since Kevin Sheehan took over as CEO, there has been a marked improvement in the line. He seems to have been able to release the talent of both Norwegian's head office and the crews on the ships. Therefore, I was interested in seeing not just any physical changes but also how the revolution had affected the Dawn,

As for physical changes, there have been several. The area that was the observation lounge has been turned into suites and a conference center. Keeping the name of the old observation lounge, a new Spinnaker Lounge has taken the place of the department store that was at the stern of the ship aft of the main lobby. The shops have been moved forward and can now be found in the area corresponding to the shops on Norwegian Gem. Another change is that the Moderno Churascarria South American steakhouse has replaced the Tex/Mex Salsa specialty restaurant.

More changes are to come. Moderno will be moving up to an area near Cagney's steakhouse and the entire mezzanine overlooking the lobby will become an O'Sheehan's Bar and Grill.

Beyond these physical changes, the officers and crew seem to share the optimistic spirit that you find on other Norwegian ships these days. Once Norwegian's New York-based ship, Dawn is quite content with her new home in Boston and is looking forward to wintering in New Orleans.

We have updated Beyondships's Norwegian Dawn profile. The photo tour has been expanded and numerous new photos of the interior added. We have added a new menus page including examples of the new menus being used in the main dining room of which Norwegian is quite proud. http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-dawn-menus.html There is also a new daily programs page with copies of Freestyle Dailies from past cruises. http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-dawn-daily-programs.html Copies of the current deck plans have been added. http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-dawn-deck-plans.html Hotel Director Alain Magnier talks about what the Dawn is all about these days. http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-dawn-hd-interview.html

In addition, we have a new photo feature showing Dawn in Bermuda http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-dawn-photos.html and a video of Dawn heading out to sea. http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-dawn-video.html

A new profile of Norwegian Jewel and a conversation with her captain

Before sitting down to write this, I asked myself what is there to like about Norwegian Jewel? After thinking it over, I decided there are several things that I like about this ship.




The Jewel, as she is known to her friends, was the lead ship in Norwegian Cruise Line’s Jewel class of cruise ships. For the last few years, she has been based for all or a large part of the year in New York and since I am also based there, the ship has become a familiar sight.



Starting with the basics, Jewel was built by the Meyer Werft shipyard in Pappenberg, Germany. Over the years, I have developed a high regard for Meyer Werft, which has produced such impressive ships as Celebrity’s Solstice class and Royal Caribbean’s Radiance class ships. Like fine sports cars, their ships are often fast and very maneuverable. They always are good quality. Norwegian Jewel is no exception.



Stepping inside, I like the fact that the ship is run with an eye towards innovation. In the early years of this century, NCL inaugurated the Freestyle dining concept, which has now been adopted in various forms by most of the major cruise lines. They also were a leader in basing their ships outside of the traditional Florida cruise ports so that passengers did not have to travel so far to get to the cruise. On Jewel, this spirit of innovation continues with various new programs that combine dining and entertainment.



I also like the service on the Jewel. The crew seems happy and I found that they make a real effort to please.



In the final analysis, however, it does not really matter what I think of a ship. Rather, what is important in deciding whether a particular ship is right for your cruise vacation is whether the ship offers a cruise experience that is consistent with your tastes, needs and preferences. Accordingly, I have updated and expanded the Beyondships profile of Norwegian Jewel with more information. http://www.beyondships.com/NCLJewel.html



It includes more menus from the main dining rooms and from the major specialty restaurants http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-jewel-menus.html as well as more daily programs (Freestyle Daily) .

http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-jewel-daily-programs-and-information.html

There is also a new interview with Captain Lars Bergstrom and Hotel Director Hugo Vanosmael in which they share their views on why Norwegian Jewel has been successful sailing out of New York. http://www.beyondships.com/NCLJewel-captain.html



There is our first-ever cruise ship slideshow. http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-jewel-slideshow.html



Finally, the photo tour and commentary has numerous new photos. Indeed, so many that I had to expand it by a page. The tour begins at http://www.beyondships.com/NCLJewel-Tour.html