Embarkation was a bit chaotic until they admitted us to the pier area where it went smoothly. After going to our Deck 11 mini-suite, we enjoyed an excellent lunch at the Venetian dining room, avoiding the crowds at the buffet. We promptly made reservations that night for 6:30 at our favorite Dawn dining venue- Salsas, overlooking the Atrium. We enjoyed an excellent dinner while listening to the fine musicians we had enjoyed on a previous Dawn cruise- Vladimir at the grand piano at the base of the Atrium and our favorite quartet Anna Y Los Vientos performing just above the Java Cafe. They recognized us immediately and played and sung some of our favorites. It was a delightful welcome aboard return to the Dawn.

After attending the Welcome Aboard Show at the Stardust Theatre hosted by a fine Cruise Director Paul Baya, we went to Gatsby's Lounge to once again enjoy another familiar performer, pianist and vocalist extraordinaire Pamala Stanley. She is the most talented single entertainer we have ever seen on a cruise ship. She packed Gatsby's nightly, playing and singing endless requests and dazzling her audiences with her virtuosity. As we retired to our cabin that night, we agreed it was great to be back on the Dawn.

DINING: We had breakfast almost every morning in the Venetian Restaurant where the food and service were excellent. We alternated lunch between the Venetian and the Garden Cafe buffet. We enjoyed dinner at the Impressions Restaurant, ably served by Simona and Ramona from Romania. We had dinner twice at La Trottoria Italian restaurant ably served by Felix and Tanya. The food in all the restaurants was very good especially the lobster and rack of lamb in impressions, the Fruit de Mare & pasta at La Trottoria and the shrimp frajitas at Salsas. No complaints at all about any of the food we had in any of the restaurants we tried. Read more