Norwegian Dawn is designed to introduce first-time cruisers to the joys of cruising with a plethora of options to suit everyone onboard.

NCL’s Norwegian Dawn is a mid-sized ship aimed at a diverse range of passengers who appreciate its relaxed vibe. The ship embraces the Freestyle Cruising concept, which is aimed at those passengers who can’t be pigeonholed, and who appreciate a wide range of wining and dining options, shore excursions and entertainment.

Norwegian Dawn’s 2016 refurb got rid of most of the garish décor in the cabins in favour of a more neutral look and another small update in 2021, but remains rather dated when it comes to the décor. The good news is that this equates to a relaxed vibe onboard, and I have since learnt that the ship also went into drydock in April 2024 (shortly after my sailing), undergoing a light cosmetic refurbishment. Renovations included refreshing the carpets, wallpaper, and tiles in select areas around the ship. Some staterooms received refreshed wallpaper as well.

Find my overall Norwegian Dawn impressions here and read on for a full breakdown of Norwegian Dawn’s suites and staterooms. Norwegian Dawn has 26 wheelchair-accessible cabins, with options in every category.

Staterooms| Suites & Penthouses

What to expect

There is a room or suite type to suit everyone onboard Norwegian Dawn with the maximum occupancy sitting at seven (The Garden Villa) with several six and four-berth types, plus one-bed and single-room types. It’s a good idea to consult an NCL expert on which room type will suit you, your travel party and budget.

Most of the rooms can be reconfigured to accommodate single or double beds and there are queen beds that can separate out into twin beds. There are also accessible rooms, both with and without balconies. These accessible rooms are designed with bathrooms that will accommodate a wheelchair with built-in seating and grab bars.

Norwegian Dawn Staterooms

There are three different staterooms in the following breakdowns (total metres squared range for that room type, largest to smallest):

• Balcony Stateroom, 364 in total, ranging from 19 to 28 square metres
• Oceanview, 250 in total, ranging from 15 to 18 square metres
• Inside Stateroom, 383 in total, ranging from 13 to 26 square metres

All staterooms onboard Norwegian Dawn come with a small lounge, mini bar fridge, hairdryer, ottoman, small desk, safe and wardrobe with a few shelves for storage. There’s also an ensuite bathroom with a small amount of shelving and mirror.

Bring a multi-plug device as our accessible stateroom only had one 110-volt outlet in the bedroom (hello charger wars), one 220-volt outlet by the vanity and no USB charging ports. There is also a flat-screen TV that offers one free movie channel, one TV channel, some news channels and a plethora of pay-per-view movies. There is so much happening onboard TV is best used to tune into what’s happening in and around the ship, froth over the bow cam and peruse shore excursion videos. The balcony has two chairs and a table to rest your drinks.

Balcony Staterooms

The balcony staterooms include the addition of a small pullout sofa that can sleep one, but is not the most comfortable set-up. The balconies feature two chairs with a small drinks table.  The aft-facing balconies on decks 8 and 10 are the same size as the regular balcony cabins, but with a larger verandah measuring 6.5 to 12 square metres.

Oceanview Staterooms

The outside cabins have a porthole or picture window above the bed. If you’re behind the lifeboats, on Deck 8, expect obstructed views. The outside cabins can sleep up to four.

Interior Cabins

Interior cabins are designed for those who are on a budget and expect to spend most of their time out and about either exploring the ship or enjoying immersive shore excursions. The cabins measure 13 square metres and have a large mirror on the wall behind the bed that is designed to be where the window would be in an outside cabin. The interior cabins sleep up to four people thanks to the pulldown bunk beds.

Norwegian Dawn suites and penthouses

At last count, there are 12 different suites and penthouses in the following breakdowns (total metres squared range for that room type, largest to smallest)

• 3-Bedroom Garden Villa, 2 in total, 622 square metres
• Deluxe Owner’s Suites with Two Balconies, 2 in total, ranging from 79 – 84 square metres
• Owner’s Suite with Two Balconies, 2 in total, 67 square metres
• 2-Bedroom Deluxe Family suite with Balcony, 10 in total, 55 square metres
• Deluxe Owner’s Suites, 4 in total, ranging from 62 to 68 square metres
• Family Suite with Balcony, 10 in total, ranging from 45 to 51 square metres
• Forward-Facing Deluxe Penthouse with Large Balcony, 2 in total, 48 square metres
• Forward-Facing Penthouse with Large Balcony, 6 in total, ranging from 42 to 53 square metres
• Alt-Facing Penthouse with Large Balcony, 4 in total, ranging from 35 to 38 square metres
• Alt-Facing Penthouse with Balcony, 8 in total, 34 square metres
• Family Suite, 14 in total, ranging from 38 to 42 square metres
• Club Balcony Suite, 109 in total, ranging from 26 to 28 square metres

Garden Villas

Although The Haven is not available on Norwegian Dawn, there are the three-bedroom Garden Villas or the Aft-and Fwd-Facing Penthouse with Balcony.

Those staying in the Garden Villa can expect a few bonus add-ons such as one bottle of Moet Champagne upon embarkation, a custom selection of alcohol (three bottles for cruises seven days or longer); two bottles of both spring water and sparkling water, replenished daily, double balconies, walk-in robes, and a huge shower with a bathtub. The three individual bedrooms vary in size but all come with dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows. Two out of the three rooms have king-sized beds and whirlpool tubs while the third has a queen-sized bed, standard bathtub and shower.

The living room looks out over the pool deck and includes a grand piano, dining table, couch and living room chairs as well as a bar/kitchen area. The villas all have their own private deck areas, sunbathing areas and steam rooms. If you’re in a large group and want to book the garden villa for a special occasion you can do so and open up the walls in the living room to create a communal space.

Owner’s Suites

The four Owner’s Suites onboard Norwegian Dawn on Deck 12 don’t have balconies. But there are two on decks 9 and 10 (Deluxe Owner’s Suite with two balconies) that feature forward and side-facing balconies. The Deck 12 suites feature a large living area with a comfy couch, easy chairs and a coffee table as well as a dining room table that seats four.

There’s a full desk, flat-screen TV and bar for alcohol and coffee (with three complimentary bottles of alcohol plus bottled water and soda). The bedroom has a vanity table, a wardrobe and additional TV. Toiletries in the bathroom are by Bulgari and there is a second guest bath by the entrance and a smaller bedroom space. One balcony has chairs and a dining table; the other has sun loungers.

Family Suites

There is a multitude of family rooms on offer including: Family Suites with Balcony; Family Suites without a Balcony; Two-Bedroom Family Suites. The suites minus a balcony are found on Deck 12 and feature a living area with a pull-out sofa bed and two chairs, a small four-seater dining table, walk-in wardrobe and bathroom with double sinks, a separate tub and shower.

In contrast, the Family Suites with Balcony, have an identical layout but with the addition of a balcony, two upright chairs and a drinks table. The 10 two-bedroom Family Suites are situated on Deck 11 and feature a cosy kids’ room that can sleep three with a queen-sized pullout sofa bed and a pulldown bunk bed. The kids’ room has its own TV and bathroom. The spacious master bedroom has double sinks, a shower stall, toilet and whirlpool tub with a window.

Club Balcony Suite

Club Balcony Suites are laid out like balcony staterooms but with a fraction more space thanks to the addition of a five-square-metre verandah. The mini-suites also have a shower-tub arrangement and a queen-bed-sized-pullout bed.

Dive deeper into NCL’s Norwegian Dawn with our extensive review of the restaurants and bars, as well as the overall cruise review of Norwegian Dawn.