On April 07th, we embarked on our first cruise. It left from Miami and we had absolutely no problems embarking. It was simple and quick.The ship - The Dawn is a beautiful ship. Sure it could use a bit of updating in the areas of carpet but the decor is still impressive. Our statement had an oceanview, was clean and had plenty of space and storage for everything. It was quiet at night. Our steward took excellent care of us during our voyage.The food - I loved the food! I am a very picky, health conscious eater and I was quite impressed with the variety. The desserts were fabulous. We ate at the Garden Cafe, the Venetian, Aqua, Blue Lagoon, Impressions and the Salsa. Both of the main dining rooms are as good as the restaurants where you have to pay a surcharge. The entertainment - Wow... Second City performed several times. We saw a hypnotist, stand up comedian, illusionist, a ballywood/cirque de soleil type of show and another show put on by the Dawns' production team. I enjoyed all of the shows. We participated in the Quest game show... loads of fun!The ship during the day - there is no lack of things to do. We attended sessions on improving your memory, self-hypnosis, art auctions, etc. Lots of quiet spaces for reading. Nice pool area. The bars - nice! Great drinks. Good service. Good performers.The excursions - we did a NCL excursion in each stop. My favourite was the Brewers Beach... what a spot. I felt very safe and looked after in each location. We did a beach excursion in each spot and still had time to return to the port and do a bit of shopping. St. Kitts had the best shopping.Disembarkment - was a breeze. All and all, it was a wonderful, stress-free week. I would definitely take another NCL cruise!