I'm a Latitudes member and this was my second NCL cruise...my third is already booked for February. We wanted to go to Bermuda and even though the Dawn leaves from Boston (my hometown), I really wanted to try a larger ship as I've only traveled on Mid-size (2,500 people)
I usually travel with my husband & daughter but this one I took my Mom (who is in poor Health) and my daughter for a "Family bonding" cruise.
NYC Manhattan terminal is always busy but because My mom had wheelchair access we got right on with no problem. The pier itself is busy but there was only one other ship at the pier the day we left so traffic wasn't that bad. Once onboard, we were greeted by friendly crew members & led to the Atrium as the rooms weren't ready yet. The Atrium was beautiful and I loved how the Atrium bar wrapped around like an arch.
When we got to our room (8716 - midship balcony) The first thing I noticed was how big it was compared to what it showed on the website. We once booked a mini-suite on Royal & the pic looked huge but in reality it was alot smaller. The stateroom was very well laid out...lots of closet space & more shelves under the TV etc. I LOVED the bathroom. The shower was big, enclosed & had shelves for soap as well as free body wash & shampoo. Water pressure was great. Another great feature is the wooded mini shelves connected to the mirror to put all your toiletries.