The Norwegian Dawn will be travelling from East Africa to the Middle East in December. If you wish to be onboard that trip, you’ll only have to pay €944 – even if you’re travelling alone. That price includes all meals and 14 nights in an inside cabin.
Something that’s quite rare: There’s no surcharge for passengers travelling alone. So basically, you can have a cabin all to yourself!
The Route
From Port Louis, you’ll first head to Réunion and Nosy Be, a resort island in northwestern Madagascar. Then you’ll visit Mahe Island on the Seychelles, which has multiple sandy beaches. Then, you’ll continue to La Digue, one of the smaller islands of the Seychelles, which is more quiet and picturesque than Mahe. Next on the itinerary is Muscat, the capital of Oman – an important trading port on the Maritime Silk Road for centuries. Then you’ll get to spend 2 days in Dubai, one of the 10 most popular tourist destinations in the world. Finally, you’ll visit Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, before ending your cruise in Doha.
Here’s the detailed itinerary:
- December 8: Port Louis (departs at 20:00)
- December 9: Pointe des Galets, Réunion (7:00 – 18:00)
- December 10: At sea
- December 11: Nosy Be, Madagascar (9:30 – 17:00)
- December 12: At sea
- December 13: Mahe Island, Seychelles (10:00 – 23:59)
- December 14: La Digue, Seychelles (7:00 – 17:00)
- December 15 – 17: At sea
- December 18: Muscat, Oman (10:00 – 19:00)
- December 19: Dubai (arrives at 13:00)
- December 20: Dubai (departs at 20:00)
- December 21: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (8:00 – 16:00)
- December 22: Doha (arrives at 7:00)
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.
Flights
Flights to Mauritius and from Qatar are not included. The price you’ll have to pay heavily depends on where you’re from. Here are a couple of examples of what one-way flights currently cost (including luggage):
To Mauritius:
From Doha:
- To many European cities*: €198 with Pegasus
- To New York: €542 (~US$635) with Finnair/American Airlines
- To Chicago: €542 (~US$635) with Finnair/British Airways
*Pegasus is currently running a sale to Destinations like Barcelona, Amsterdam, Athens, Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Paris, Rome, Copenhagen, Munich, Milan, Zürich, Hamburg, and Frankfurt.
Feel free to use our search form to see how much flights to/from your home city would cost: