For starters, this was our 3rd cruise in as many years. Our two previous cruises were on Carnival Victory (7 days) and Carnival Paradise (6 days). We had embarked from Miami on both of those, but living in NJ, we decided to take NCL this year right out of Manhattan. NCL seems to be trying to build up a clientele from NY for year round cruises, and with the low fares they were offering to do that, we chose the Dawn for our vacation this year. We travel without our children once a year, so we cannot accurately judge the Childrens Club.
Our travel to the Port of Embarkation, NYC, was very easy because we didnt have to fly. It was a 1 hour train ride and a 10 minute cab ride from Penn Station. In all, it cost us $50 R/T for both of us. Getting on the ship was a different story. The organization of the port was less than adequate, to say the least. There were several lines of hundreds of passengers who had no idea where they were going or who would be let through security first. After that, it was a long wait to check-in as well. I must tell you however, that our last two embarkations with Carnival were a lot easier because we booked cabins that qualified us for the Skippers Club, a personal check-in and an escort right to the front of the security line. NCLs Captains Club required you to book a top of the line cabin to qualify. It seemed to us that because the port was contracted out, there was no communication or cooperating between the cruise line and the port contractor. It was a bit chaotic.
Our stateroom was very nice, although smaller than the ones we had on Carnival. One thing about our room that drove us crazy was the nickel and dime attitude that NCL has. When my wife called to get a razor and toothpaste from housekeeping, we were told that the gift shop was opening momentarily. By the way, no bathrobes either; those are reserved for the garden suite occupants (at $15,000 per person).