This was an 11 Night cruise aboard NCL's Dawn and was lots of fun. Below are a few positives and negatives. Most of the negatives are due to the Excursions at different ports. Visited were NYC, Boston, Bar Harbor, ME, Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Quebec, La Baie, Corner Brook, Canada and Sydney, NS. We came from Delaware and took Amtrak to Penn Station. ($160 one way for two). Boarding the Dawn was a delight. This was our second time with NCL but it seemed the first two days the staff must have been given holy heck for something because there were lots of long faces among the staff. Things changed later for the best and most all of the staff were happy throughout and seemed happy to be working. Usually, staff spends 9 or 10 months at sea and two months off. PLUSES AND MINUSES: Don't forget the daily ten dollar per person service charge to your staterooms. So there won't be any surprises at the end on your bill. There were no towel animals until the final night. Mints on the pillows didn't begin until half way through the cruise. What's wrong guys? Miss the towel animal seminar 101? Our stewards, Ricardo and Jaime were very nice and cleaned the room twice a day. We let them know of our appreciation at the end. Other: Photo's taken by the ships photographers were $12.95 for one photo and a blowup or reduced pic of the same scene was $2 additional. Diet cokes were $1.75 each plus a 15 % gratuity totaling $2.01 per drink. I had one Pinot Noir wine one night and it was $10. What's worse is the adult soda card for $85 plus 15% gratuity. Yes, $85...I kid you not. We brought a 12 pack of diet aboard which was a little hassle but it didn't last long. Milk, coffee, juices and iced tea was free throughout but be careful, the coffee and tea seemed very thick and you had to cut it with water or hot milk. The food aboard the entire cruise was excellent. It was the usual fare at the Garden cafe where most of our breakfasts were eaten. Have your eggs done right then and there because the pre-made egg dishes were warm to nearly cold. Favorites were the freshly baked pastries daily. The chicken served seemed dry, cold and tasteless. Pizza was good. The Venetian dining room served the best non-pay food equaling the Impressions dining room. The Blue Lagoon (open 24 hours) was like eating at "tomaine tillies." I had the worst Wonton soup I have ever had. There were little globules of fat on top of the broth and the garden type spring rolls were gummy. Staff was very friendly though. Most everyone's cell phone stopped working when we reached Canada. No service either in Nova Scotia or Newfoundland. PORT STOPS: Friends took the Boston tour. $49 for three hours. The ship arrived in Boston late and their tour lasted 75 minutes with no stopping for pictures. They whizzed by all the sites. Quebec was the best side trip. We went to Montmorency Falls, St. Ann de Beaupre Basilica and a copper shop. There was plenty to see and time for everything although a longer time in Quebec city is strongly recommended. Most trips were around fifty per person, no food. La Baie and Corner Brook Canada; Sydney and Halifax, Nova Scotia were two others. Bar Harbor Maine was also booked by our group. PLEASE DO NOT BOOK LA BAIE, CORNER BROOK OR SYDNEY CITY TOURS. It's almost like they created these tours just to do something in between New York stops. There was nice scenery but twice, the different guides even pointed out where they "got their hair done," and where they lived. I am not condemning these tours because most times it was cold and raining, just that there was little to see of any noteworthiness. The Acadia National Park tour is one that should not be missed. ROOMS: Our cabin was very nice, an inside stateroom. We did have three nights of sewerage odors in the bathroom. Plumber said it was a broken drain seal. My bed sagged in the middle. The shower gel in the shower was inadequate so ask for bars of soap from your steward. There were nearly 2,200 on board and we were told average age was 60. Very few children on board probably because school just started. SHOWS: Perhaps the best show we have seen in 8 cruises was the group known as "Band on the Run." Also right up there was the twosome, "Fire and Ice." We missed some shows because of long days and short nights. The finale the night before last was great with many of the staff, important and not going on stage for a final farewell. All in all, NCL racked up another one for us. We will continue to cruise with them and other lines. There should be larger discounts for frequent guests. It's best to book your next cruise while on board for the best discounts. You'll find this out, they pushed future cruising while on board till we were numb in the ears. We had fun, fun on the ship and fun writing this. Hope you did too.