Events by Norwegian Dawn

Source: Cruise Junkie dot Com

Events at Sea by Norwegian Dawn

Events by Ship:

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The events listed have been reported in the public domain or to cruisejunkie by passengers or crew members onboard. The list is by no means comprehensive. For that reason it is necessary to be cautious in drawing conclusions from the potentially limited data. Keep in mind that some companies may be more transparent than others about things that go wrong; conversely, some companies may be better at concealing events and thereby project an appearance that is inaccurate. With that said, the following list is still interesting, as are the patterns when viewed separately by ship.

dd/mm/yy	2010	Incident
27.8.10	The Bermuda Sun reports the ship had its stay in Bermuda cut short due to engine problems. The ship today left Bermuda about 11 hours early as extra time was needed for the ship’s return journey to NYC. The ship had to travel at a reduced speed due to technical difficulties with one of the ship’s engines. The ship was due to leave King’s Wharf, Dockyard, at 6:30am this morning instead of 5pm as originally scheduled and is due to arrive in New York at 9am on Saturday, an hour later than planned. Each stateroom received $50 on-board credit for the change of plan.	Propulsion problems
24.8.10	The Royal Gazette reports a New Yorker caught with cannabis on a cruise ship was fined $1,500 in Magistrates' Court yesterday. The woman, a 44-year-old registered nurse, pleaded guilty to importing cannabis to the Island. Crown counsel Larissa Burgess said the woman arrived in Dockyard from New York last Wednesday. At around 10.22 a.m., Customs officers at the entrance to the ship saw Powers moving towards the exit. When she saw the officers she appeared to panic, turning around and walking away. Cruise ship security officers searched her room and found a hand-rolled cigarette, a grinder and a plastic bag containing plant material, later revealed to be 6.19 grams of cannabis. Questioned by the officers, she said: "The drugs are mine. I accept full responsibility for everything." Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner ordered the fine to be paid immediately.	Drug arrest
28.7.10	AOL News reports a 37-year-old financial analyst from Maryland was yanked off the ship in Bermuda and charged with importing marijuana. He was nabbed with 7.66 grams of pot. He had traveled to Bermuda last week on a weeklong cruise from New York. The Royal Gazette quotes a prosecutor as saying other passengers had complained they smelled cannabis smoke coming from the cabin Koumoulis shared with his brother. Ship crew went in and found Koumoulis alone. They also found two Ziploc bags containing an "unknown substance" and three packages of cigarette papers. Police came onboard, and when questioned the man admitted the drugs were his, the Gazette says. Appearing this week in Magistrates' Court, he said he had made a "very, very stupid mistake." In addition to being held on the island nation (and missing the rest of his cruise), he was fined $1,500.	Drug arrest
29.6.10	The Royal Gazette reports a 53-year-old man yesterday admitted sexually assaulting a teenage girl on the cruise ship while he was at dinner with his wife and son. He was fined $5,000 after he was accused of inappropriately touching the 18-year-old with his foot under a dinner table. He pleaded guilty to sexual assault when he appeared at Magistrates' Court, but insisted he was only resting his foot on the girl's knee and had no idea it was making her uncomfortable. According top crown counsel, the man met the victim and her family at Tobacco Bay on June 23 and after returning to the cruise ship, the families agreed to have dinner together. During the meal, his foot started to touch the victim's leg. "At that point, she thought it was an accident. When it happened again, she apologised. It happened again, and so she said she gave him a look. The defendant then slid down his chair, and began to feel her legs with his foot. She crossed her legs to discourage him, but he tried to use his feet to pry open her legs." The victim left the table during dessert and told Police that she returned to her room feeling violated and cried. The man was fine $5,000, the jundge saying: "It can't be put down to just an accidental rubbing of the foot. It was not just resting, it was deliberate and prolonged."	Sexual assault
dd/mm/yy	2009	Incident
11.12.09	The St. Lucia Star reports that police in St. Lucia are investigating a robbery of 14 cruise passengers. At about 11am Wednesday, 14 tourists who had gone to the waterfall, were in the process of boarding a Safari Jeep, in preparation to return to Castries, when four masked men who were reportedly armed with firearms and cutlasses, approached them. Reports are the visitors were allegedly robbed of their jewelry and cash; the tour guide was reportedly injured in the incident.	Robbery ashore
29.11.09	NCL canceled today’s five-day Western Caribbean sailing from Miami after the ship experienced a power outage near San Juan on Friday night (see below). Passengers reported spending Friday night on deck because air conditioning did not function. After partial power was restored, Norwegian Dawn was able to reach San Juan on Saturday, where the ship remains. NCL chartered aircraft to return passengers to Miami during the busy Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The company is still looking into the cause of the engine problem. On Sunday morning, it was not known when the ship will be able to return to Miami. NCL is refunding the full fare for passengers booked on today’s canceled voyage and giving a 50% future cruise credit. UPDATE: The ship has been repaired (December 1) and will be in Miami for its cruise December 4th.	Canceled cruise
27.11.09	Associated Press reports the ship temporarily lost power off the coast of Puerto Rico. A Norwegian Cruise Line news release says the ship lost power at 9 a.m. Friday about 95 miles off the north coast of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The United States Coast Guard and local authorities were notified immediately. The cruise line reports that all guests on board were safe and secure. Power was restored later Friday, and the ship was back under way. It was expected to arrive in Miami as scheduled on Sunday. The ship departed Miami last Friday, making stops throughout the Caribbean. UPDATE: Jackson NJ Online reports passengers on board say the ship completely lost all power and Coast Guard ships and helicopters were dispatched to the scene. All activities on board the ship were cancelled Friday and the ship is headed to the port of San Juan in Puerto Rico, not Miami, this morning. Passengers were told they would have to make accommodations to return to Miami, but were offered a 70% discount and credits of 50% on future cruises. NCL also offered to pay for hotel accommodations and airfare. During the power outage, the more than 2,000 passengers on the ship had no access to running water, electricity air conditioning or toilet services in the hot Caribbean. The current temperature in San Juan is partly cloudy 85 degrees with 67% humidity. Guests have been asked to conserve water because the ship has limited capacity to produce new fresh water.	Engine failure
4.11.09	The Royal Gazette (Bermuda) reports on a trial in which a passenger was found with 32 packages of marijuana in his cabin, with the intent to import into Bermuda. According to testimony, the passenger arrived on June 17. Police noticed him acting suspiciously after he disembarked in Dockyard. He was going from phone booth to phone booth in an apparent attempt to contact someone. After he re-boarded the ship, they searched his cabin and found 32 packages of cannabis in his suitcase and under his bed.	Drug bust
dd/mm/yy	2008	Incident
28.10.08	Fire broke out under a West Side pier (New York City), startling passengers preparing to disembark. The ship was docked along Manhattan's West Side when a fire erupted beneath Pier 88 on West 48th Street and 12th Avenue shortly after 9 a.m. While some of the 2,300 passengers hurried off the ship, others stayed aboard until the drama was over. The threat ended when divers swam under the pier and extinguished the fire. Fire officials said the cause was probably electrical insulation used to keep water pipes warm in the winter.	Fire at pier
11.5.08	A 46 year old woman was reported to have fallen overboard from the ship at about 7:50 PM on a cruise from New York City to Bermuda. A search was called off because of bad weather. The cruise line asserted that video tapes show she was apparently trying to climb between balconies when she fell overboard near Atlantic City, NJ. Her family believes foul play was likely involved, which has been disputed by the cruise line.	Person Overboard
dd/mm/yy	2007	Incident
6.6.07	As reported here on March 30, the ship was in drydock in Boston this week and last to repair a thrust bearing the the Azipod propulsion system. According to reports by Boston TV station WHDH, fire broke out in South Boston on Dry Dock Avenue in the area where the ship was docked. "An acety-line tank apparently caught fire while workers were doing repairs. Firefighters had to be lowered to the ship's hull to reach the fire." Reports indicate that damage to the ship is minimal.	Fire
30.3.07	It was announced today that the ship will enter drydock on May 29 for repairs to a thrust bearing in the Azipod propulsion system. The May 26 and June 2 cruises were canceled. Passengers on the affected sailings will get a full refund and a 25% credit toward a future cruise.	Cancelations
7-18.1.07	Passengers report: Departure from NYC was 2 hours delayed -- one account says because it arrived late from Great Stirrup Cay; another says because of a delay in fuel bunkering. The stop at Great Stirrup Cay was cancelled because of high winds. There was apparently a tour bus accident in Roatan sending 11 crew members to hospital. Departure from Belize City was delayed for an emergency evacuation. Two passengers were arrested in Ocho Rios because it was believed they had drugs in their bags, and a passenger with a medical condition was offloaded immediately before departure.	Delays / Drug arrest / Bus accident
dd/mm/yy	2006	Incident
21.11.06	The ship made an unscheduled port call at Norfolk because of a technical problem with its propulsion system and poor weather off North Carolina that blocked its route from New York to Florida. The ship arrived at 6:45 PM today and is expected to leave tomorrow at 5:00 PM. Update on Tuesday: Departure has been set back until Wednesday at 5 PM at the earliest -- repairs are still being undertaken. Given that the itinerary is "up in the air," passengers have been offered a full refund, plus 25% off a future cruise based on what they paid on this cruise, plus a $100 per stateroom onboard credit. They have also been offered a charter bus for return to NYC Tuesday evening, for those wishing to go home.	Unscheduled Stop - - Cancelation / Delay
12.2.06	As a result of a snowstorm the ship arrived late in NYC. It also left late, at approximately 2100 EST but had insufficient fuel -- apparently fuel could not be delivered while at the pier. The ship dropped anchor in the harbor and was met by a fuel barge at in the early morning hours. The delay caused uncertainty with the itinerary -- it appears the stop at Great Stirrup Cay was cancelled.	Delay -- Changed itinerary
dd/mm/yy	2005	Incident
2.7.05	The ship was re-routed after Great Stirrup Cay due to engine problems -- it is running on only one azipod prop. The port of Nassau was canceled so the cruise can end on-time in NYC.	Engine problems
14.6.05	A lawsuit was filed against NCL alleging the ship was put into harm's way when its owners ordered it to race back to New York for a photo shoot with "The Apprentice" (see April 15 below). The $100 million suit claims that NCL sent the Norwegian Dawn into the path of a storm as it headed back from Florida on April 16. Some passengers were hurt. "They deliberately took those passengers into a serious storm and put their lives at risk for financial reasons," said lawyer Brett Rivkind. See story here.	Lawsuit
8.5.05	Today’s one-night Mother’s Day cruise has been canceled due to adverse weather delaying the ship’s return from the Bahamas. The vessel is expected to arrive back in New York at 5 p.m. today. Passengers booked on the one-night May 8 cruise will receive a full refund and a 50% future cruise credit certificate. The May 9 cruise will operate on schedule.	Cancelation
15.4.05	The ship was struck by a 70 foot wave enroute from the Bahamas to New York. The wave knocked out windows in two passenger cabins and on the navigation bridge and damaged the ships hull -- the frame beneath the spare anchor was bent by the force of the anchor hitting the flat deck during the heavy seas. Four passengers were hurt, mainly by cuts from broken glass, and treated at the ship's infirmary. Two cabins were flooded and 60 others were damaged by water seeping from those where the windows broke out. The ship was diverted to Charleston, SC for repairs and continued to New York, arriving one day later than scheduled. Some 300 passengers chose to be flown home from Charleston rather than continuing on the ship. Those remaining onboard were given free drinks for the remainder of the cruise; all passengers received a 50% refund and a 50% discount on any future cruise. The following 7 day cruise was revised to 6 days. See: Marine Accident Report: Heavy-Weather Damage to Bahamas-Fag Passenger Vessel Norwegian Dawn, Atlantic Ocean, 120 Miles East of Charleston, South Carolina, April 16, 2005, NTSB Report Number: MAB-05-03	Windows broken out Diverted for repairs

Illness Outbreaks at Sea by Norwegian Dawn

dd/mm/yy	2007
11.11.07	A passenger disembarking today from the 14 day repositioning cruise from New York to Miami writes that the gastrointestinal outbreak that began on the previous cruise (see October 25) continued on this one. S/he writes: We were confined to our room for 5 days. We were told people infected with this bug were spreading it by leaving their room. I'm not sure how that could happen. There is no way you want to go anywhere as you can just about make it to the bathroom and back to bed. There are no words to describe how terrible this virus is. It is nothing like any flu virus you have ever experienced. We were extremely careful with regard to hygiene, washing our hands and sanitizing whenever possible, especially entering and exiting restaurants. It was very obvious there was a problem onboard. No salt and pepper shakers on tables, no sugar packs on tables. These items were handled by tongs from the server. No trays allowed at the buffet and you could not get your own drinks. Always a crew member handling the cups or glasses for you. Sanitizing measures were evident throughout the ship (thank God). This ship needs to be dry docked for a few days to sanitize and disinfect everything. Of course that won't happen. It would be a loss of money. People will continue to get sick. It was a horrible experience and of course ruined our cruise. We missed most of the ports and once we were cleared and allowed out of our room, the enthusiasm was gone.
26.10.07	The CDC reported on October 25 that 15 of 1061 (1.41%) crew and 149 of 2169 (6.85%) passengers had reported ill on a 12 day Atlantic Canada cruise from New York.

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Illness Outbreaks by Ship: