We live close to Boston, so we were in the car at 10 AM, dropped the wife and baggage at the porters' station at 10:30, parked the car and started embarkation at 10:45. We got an upsell offer that we accepted, so being Latitudes Platinum and being in suite check-in was so simple. Got to the VIP pen and were there for no more than 5 minutes when we were escorted onto the ship at 11:00. One hour home to being on the ship. It does not get any better than that.

The suite was great. Way too much room for two people, but a great lay-out with a forward looking deck and a second starboard side deck. Three zones of a/c and a flat screen TV over the whirlpool tub. We were happy we went with the upsell.

This was our 4th cruise on the Dawn from Boston to Bermuda since 2011, so we know the ship and we know what to expect. The first night is lobster night in both MDRs. Everyone seems to get hungry and heads to the MDRs between 6:30 and 7:00,so there is usually a wait for a table. Therefore, we pre-booked La Cucina for 7:00 and have a nice, quiet dinner followed by the Welcoming Show at 8:30. Read more