The Norweigian Dawn is a nice ship, but Freestyle Dining is a concept that needs work.
My wife and I are experienced cruisers, this is our ninth cruise and fifth on NCL, but the first all "FreeStyle Cruise" And unfortunately, food service on this ship has deteriorated compared to prior cruises (particularly two cruises on the S/S Norway.
Both embarkation and disembarkation in New York were prompt and efficient (including NCL's finding a bag that I accidently left at the pier :- ) !). And the ship is both clean and well maintained. But I was not impressed with the food service, both in the main restaurants and the reservation-only places. Service in the main dining halls was often surely, and meals were often three hours. The menus were often limited, and the food tended to be very bland. Portions were small, but you could have multiple appetizers, entrees, etc. so this wasn't an issue.