On September 15, the Norwegian Dawn will depart from Stockholm and sail to Estonia, Latvia, Germany, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, the UK, and Belgium before reaching Le Havre after 12 nights. An inside cabin on that cruise, including all meals, currently only costs €1,093.
Tips are not included in this price. NCL recommends paying US$20 (~€17) per person and night (i.e. US$240 (~€206) per person on this cruise), but you can adjust that amount to whatever you are willing to pay.
Travelling alone is far more expensive, costing €1,977. Travelling as a group of 3, however, vastly reduces the price. An inside cabin would only cost €798 per person, an outside cabin for only €907 per person, or you could even book a suite for €1,578 pp.
The Route
From Stockholm, you would first head to the capitals of Estonia and Latvia. From there, the Norwegian Dawn heads to the German maritime cities of Warnemünde and Kiel, before getting to the capitals of Denmark and Norway. From there, you’ll cruise to the Dutch capital, Tilbury (near London), and Zeebrugge (near Bruges), before finally reaching Le Havre.
Here’s the exact itinerary:
- September 15: Stockholm (departs at 16:00)
- September 16: Tallinn, Estonia (8:30 – 16:30)
- September 17: Riga, Latvia (11:00 – 19:00)
- September 18: At sea
- September 19: Warnemünde, Germany (7:00 – 22:00)
- September 20: Kiel, Germany (7:00 – 17:00)
- September 21: Copenhagen, Denmark (7:00 – 17:00)
- September 22: Oslo, Norway (11:00 – 19:00)
- September 23: At sea
- September 24: Amsterdam, Netherlands (7:00 – 17:00)
- September 25: Tilbury, near London (7:30 – 18:30)
- September 26: Zeebrugge, 115 km from Brussels (6:30 – 15:30)
- September 27: Le Havre (arrives at 6:00)
The Ship
In 2002, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) launched the Norwegian Dawn, its second new ship from Meyer Papenburg. It is a relatively compact ship with a maximum capacity of 2,340 passengers. There is a relatively large crew (1,032 people) in proportion. The possible speed of 25 knots significantly exceeds the performance of other cruise ships. This is advantageous for longer journeys. In normal operation, high speeds are avoided for efficiency reasons.
NCL operates throughout the English-speaking world. Most guests are therefore from the USA/Canada, Australia, or England. The ship and the service are accordingly oriented. The onboard currency is the US dollar, although no cash is needed onboard as everything is charged to the cruise card, and the final bill is paid by credit card. The onboard language is also English. Basic knowledge of the English language is recommended.
In the middle of the ship, there is a relatively large atrium, where live music is played. On the upper deck, in addition to the sports activities offered by the animation team, there is a large outdoor pool midship. The only indoor pool is hidden in the spa area, which incurs an extra charge. However, there is a large area at the stern for children, including pools.
The Freestyle concept is omnipresent at NCL. Many restaurants are available at no extra charge. However, some speciality restaurants require an additional fee without a restaurant package.
The ship was last renovated in 2021. Some restaurants and minor improvements were added. The cabins, understandably, could not be replaced, and they seem somewhat smaller compared to newer ships.
Cover Picture: © NCL Unlimited Usage Michele Verdure