NCL - The DAWN. Jan 17th to the 24th 2009. Booked a PENTHOUSE SUITE - an upgrade than our normal booking. Wanted to experience FreeStyle cruise. Ship as compared to Royal Caribbean and others - not much different, besides alittle harder to find your way around ship. Expect to pay more than other cruise lines. Budget more to increase your experience. Auto gratuities and day gratuities added to bill & everything.

7 day eastern Caribbean cruise - visiting 4 different ports. I took notes on our days activities and experiences throughout the cruise.

FOOD CHOICES: Venetian restaurant: Only attended once. Slow service, food just OK. Aqua restaurant: Never attended - heard pthers comment - slow service. Garden Cafe: Attended more than three times. Buffet style restaurant. Good selection of food selection. Hot food. Enjoyed the pasta cook to order dish. Nice selection for all. Cagney's steakhouse: Attended once for dinner. Excellent service and food. Salsa's Tex Mex: Attended once for dinner. Very good again. We enjoyed the service and food. Impressions: Attended once for dinner. Great service and food. Bamboo: Attended twice for dinner. Again, great service and food. ****All extra pay restaurants were worth the $$$. Excellent service and incredible food. I recommend not to miss if you have a good budget. Read more