This cruise was our first on the Dawn and to the Western Caribbean ports. Overall the Dawn is a great mid-size ship. Service was outstanding and friendly in all venues; Jithin in Java Cafe/Atrium Bar was a standout for sure! Be sure to visit him. Complimentary dining options were plentiful and quite tasty, with some highs (pretzel rolls, burgers & wings at O'Sheehan's, chocolate lava cake in main dining rooms, to order crepes at buffet) and a few misses (fish & chips at O'Sheehan's, lasagna in main dining rooms). Speciality dining options were great. Cagney's, Teppanyaki, and Los Lobos were our highlights. Crew, from top to bottom, was exceptional. All were friendly, helpful, and willing to take care of our needs.

Ports (Cozumel, Costa Maya, Roatan, and Harvet Caye) were all nice. In Cozumel we did the Cozumel Bar Hop via private booking. Colleen and Sergio were phenomenal guides/chaperones for the day! Great way to see the east side of the island with stunning beach views and good drinks; best drink is the peanut butter margarita at Rasta's. Opted for private booking of Maya Chan Beach in Costa Maya. Even with sea grass in full force, they were amazing and tended to our every need. Stella the house cat gives kisses upon request. In Roatan we did our only NCL booked excursion, Jolly Roger snorkel catamaran. Crew was great! This is a large cat and can hold a good number of people. Snorkeling was fine; we didn't see much here which was surprising to me. Harvest Caye surprised us! Nice private island with good amenities and plenty of options. It was HOT but easy to find shade at the beach under a palm tree with a nice sea breeze.

Embarkation was ok; terminal was warm but boarding was smooth enough. Debarkation was delayed due to ship not being cleared timely though no fault of NCL or Tampa Cruise Port here; this was directly caused by international guests not complying with required custom clearing procedures.