I have cruised with my wife and 15 year old stepson 2 times before on Carnival, and we had a good time. We decided to try NCL because we like to leave from NYC and we also wanted to visit Bermuda.We booked our trip with NCL in March.We booked a cabin with a balcony.We obtained a a passport for my stepson in may (paying extra to expedite the application) THIS WILL BE THE ONLY NEGATIVE COMMENT but I feel it is necessary so that future cruisers will not have the same experience.My wife has full custody of our son and I carefully read the guidelines regarding documentation for boarding on the day of departure. When we were at the embarkation desk the person at the desk called a supervisor who told us that we needed further documentation for our son. When I explained that we had read all of the guidelines on the NCL site and had worked with an NCL travel agent, the customs person spoke with an NCL official. It was eventually agreed that my stepson could board the NCL DAWN, but would only be allowed to get off in Bermuda if further documentation could be produced, the following day we had a family member fax the appropriate custody documentation directly to the ship.The Assisstant manager for guest services informed us that our son would be able to disenbark at Bermuda. The whole experience was EXTREMELY UPSETTING.

Now For the review. Despite the rocky start to our trip, We had an excellent vacation on the DAWN. The staff onboard was exceptionally professional and courteous. Our cabin stewards Steven and tony were superb. My wife had some difficulty with the firmness of the mattress. Our stewards immeaditely corrected the problem with foam egg crates and extra thick comforters. Our room was cleaned at least 3 times a day and at our conveince, we never felt rushed. the stewards knew each of us by name and we recieved personalized service.

The entertainment onboard was excellent and abundant. We enjoyed the performances of Bernie Martini, a gifted singer and piano player specializing in the American cassic songbook (SINATRA, TONY BENNET) as well as modern popular tunes. Bernie played 4 hour sets at which Gatsbys lounge as well as all surronding areas would be full with cruisere enjoying his beautiful voice and musical stylings. Many sang along and he was very gratious about taking requests. We also enjoyed comedian Dave Heenan who told hilarious jokes as well very witty one liners. This guy could ad lib and was witty and funny as hell. We found the DAWN to be an attractive well maintained ship.The public areas were always clean.The public dinning particularly in the Venetian Restaurant was delicious and elegant. The cabin was smaller then we were used to, but having done our research we knew this would br the case. Read more