Our first cruise in 20 years. Last one on the Norway in 97. Embarkation and debarkation were painless, less that one hour each. The Dawn is an older ship and is starting to show her age. What made this cruise so good was the crew and officers . Our first contact with the crew was Depak our steward. A big smile and welcome let us know we would treated well. Our room, 5628, was always immaculate and the the towel animals great. The dining room staff were top notch, still smiling and energetic even after a four hour service. All crew were clean and neat from the start of their shift to the end.

We ate most meals in the Venetian dining room, even tho both dining rooms, Venetian and Aqua, used the same galley, it just tasted better in the Venetian. During peak times the managers and officers in their pristine white uniforms pitched in. They all worked together for the benefit of us cruisers.

At first the notion of tendering into ports concerned us, my wife has bad knees and I have had a stroke, the tender crews were experts at giving us a reassuring hand on and off the tenders. Read more