Thank goodness NCL does not use the same GPS system we had in the SUV guiding us to the New York City Cruise Ship Terminal. That said, we arrived at 11:00 am for our Norwegian Dawn 7 day cruise to Bermuda. Check-in was a breeze and soon we were escorted by butler Huda to our Garden Villa. Wow!! The last minute up-grade looked to be worth every penny. Luxurious accommodations and wonderful amenities not to mention views that blew our socks off. This was our third cruise aboard NCL Dawn and was certain to be our most memorable. My wife, two adult children and I prepared ourselves for the 4:00 pm sail away. Manhattan and the Jersey Shore looked great in the late afternoon sun.

We were familiar with the restaurants and dining rooms on NCL ships and had established our meal "plan of attack" in advance. When on land, I do not eat at the same restaurant every day for 7 or more days straight nor do I do so on a cruise. NCL has a surcharge for the premium restaurants and I factor that into the cost of the cruise when choosing the cruise line. Good eateries on land cost a little more. A $10 to $25 surcharge for a meal costing $85 or more in most towns is a small price to pay. When the appetizers looked too tempting to choose between, we just asked for both and ate them with relish (sic) The same with desserts and cheese plates. And coffee. And another appetizer. We thoroughly enjoyed meals in Impressions (Italian), Cagney's Steakhouse, Teppanyaki, Bamboo (Asian) and the Bistro (French cuisine) Wine with the meals was reasonable although the 18 percent auto-gratuity is a bit much considering the mark-up on what is most likely duty-free plonk.

The food in the Venetian and the Aqua dining rooms was great. Like any place serving the quantity of meals they do, there may sometimes be an item that is not up to par. Anytime I politely pointed this out to the staff, the situation was resolved post haste and always to my satisfaction. Why wait until after the cruise to complain?? Read more