This was my first cruise ever, and it had its good points and bad points. First and foremost, the Dawn is a beautiful ship. It is great for people who love art as I do, since it's the theme of the ship and everywhere you go there is something pretty to look at. The ship is very clean for the most part also.

The staff is incredibly friendly and happy; we only ran into one bad apple the whole week we were on the ship. She appeared to be having a bad day from the moment we ran into her and her mood did not improve. This is nothing to complain about considering all the people we met on the ship who were nothing but pleasant.

The food was great for the most part. La Trattoria was good, Cagney's was good, Venetian and Aqua okay. I wasn't crazy about the food at Salsa although it was a lovely atmosphere. Garden Cafe gets old fast. A lot of the food there is bland and flavorless. As many people say, the iced tea is bad. It is the same thing as getting water. Blue Lagoon is not great. The food can taste like soap and the tables etc. can be dirty. It is quite tight in there as well; tables are close together. Finally, the ice cream place Sprinkles closes at 6 every day for reasons unknown to me. Don't they think people eat ice cream after 6? We had a balcony cabin on deck 9. The bed was comfortable. The room was small to me. I must add that if you have a wheelchair you will have a hard time; the doorways are so narrow that you will barely make it into your cabin. I am aware that there are handicapped rooms available, but my point is if you do not get one you will have it rough. There is a step going up to the bathroom, and the bathroom is very small. If you are not a petite person watch out. I am short and thin and I had to be careful not to hurt myself in that little room. Read more