Although I went on a cruise in high-school with Royal Caribbean, I consider this to be my first true cruise experience as an adult. My wife and I went with my best-friend of 20 years and his wife. We are the typical vacationers who go to the beach every couple of years and get an average hotel or stay with family. Needless to say, we're not quite world-travelers. We're also people who go on vacation to have a good time, eat great food, and see new things. We don't spend our time nit-picking every minute of the trip, and simply trying to find things to ruin our experience. I wasn't planning on writing a review, and most people that have a good experience probably do not. I was so impressed with this cruise, that I HAD to.

The Norwegian Dawn is quite a daunting ship. Its amazingly large, somewhere around 1000 feet in length, but well broken-up to feel like very separate areas. Its large enough to continually get lost, even on your last day. There is a beautiful grand atrium with duel staircases and glass elevators. Most areas are quite well-maintained, which I found to be in stark contrast of earlier reviewers who said there were "buckets in the hallway to catch dripping water". The inside state-room was spacious enough for two people who were there only to change clothes or sleep. There is a very large theater, and a smaller lounge for other shows and bingo. Dining rooms consist of the Venetian and the Aqua, the Garden Cafe (buffet), and I believe 5 specialty restaurants for a cover charge. All are rich in color and have a wonderful ambiance.

There is SO much to do on the ship. I refer you to the NCL website for a run-down is this supposed to be a review, not an advertisement. Even when it was abit windy to lay outside, we found things to do such as lose money in the casino, eat between meals, watch movies at the cinema, etc. If you are crazy enough to workout on vacation, they have an impressive gym. The pool is smaller than I expected...but I never used it. Nice hot tubs, although usually full of people. Its also abit hard to find an open deck chair. Bingo was fun, although be wary of spending $50-80 on a chance to play because even if you win and have to share the $250 pot with 5-6 other people...you lose. I found that the various means of gambling were the easiest way to feel cheated and like you had been nickel-and-dimed. We don't drink alcohol, but that's probably another area. Read more