Being a family of 6, I shopped around to find the best value for our money. We definitely hit the jackpot with The Dawn!!! We wanted everyone in the same cabin, so we booked an AB Penthouse with connecting AF Mini-Suite. I cannot stress enough how much we LOVED the Penthouse!! It was worth every dime and we will never travel below that category again, when we cruise. We will wait however long it takes to be able to afford the Penthouse category in our future cruising. We are just an average middle class family and have experienced our fair share of quality service, but nothing compares to the level of services and perks that we received on The Dawn.

Here is why we are sold on the AB Penthouse: - VIP check in room with refreshments-no lines - Breakfasts and Lunches (great place to lunch on embarkation day)at Cagney's - great food and service - Although we are not accustomed to Butler and Concierge services, we could not cruise again with out them. - Butler perks included bringing us whatever we needed or wanted at anytime, even had a phone to carry around ship with us. 2 kinds of hors d 'oeuvres were delivered to the cabin each afternoon. Even delivered late night snacks upon request. Breakfast (when ordered) was delivered and served on a white tablecloth. We really feel any request would have been honored. - Concierge perks included personal escort onto ship-no lines, ease of restaurant reservations, priority boarding on all tenders (which meant we were first on islands-appealing to us when there are limited lounge chairs), one stop connection for all cruise related questions, and VIP escort off of ship-again no lines! - AB Penthouse is phenomenal!! I cannot stress this enough!! Especially for families with children or large group. Even for just a couple. Views are out of this world. Bathroom is large, and I can see why - picture window in bathroom and shower area make this room! You can lie in the Master Bedroom and watch the sea go by! The balcony completes the room - my favorite part was waking up and sitting on the lounge chairs on the balcony while arriving to our scheduled island. The pictures I researched before our cruise did not do this room justice!! I know most say do not pay for an upgraded room because on a cruise you are not in your room much, but with a smaller room, you do not even want to be in it, they are too confining. We enjoyed the room as much (if not more) than the cruise itself!! Fresh fruit basket, fresh flowers, bottle of champagne and Cappuccino Maker are other perks we enjoyed. Upgraded bathrobe, toiletries, sheets and towels completed our stay in the Penthouse!!! We loved it!

Now, onto the ship....We loved the Dawn. Although a sign stated they were at capacity, we never felt crowded - of course chairs were hard to come by at the pool but if you waited a few moments, one usually opened up. The was nothing about The Dawn that we didn't like, however the food was good, but not exceptional. The shows were great, don't miss the magician or the Bollywood Show! I don't understand some of the complains I have heard about The Dawn, some of them can be alleviated if you've done your research ahead of time. The Dawn is a very family friendly ship, but no so much that couples wouldn't enjoy themselves. Read more