I have sailed on Norwegian several times and have never been disappointed. This one was on the Dawn from Quebec City to Boston. We arrived in Quebec City the Wednesday before the cruise and stayed at the Hotel Port Royal, just minutes from the embarkation point.Took a taxi from our hotel to the port and embarkation went smoothly. Of course I'm sure the fact that we had priority boarding played some part in that. When I booked the cruise, i chose a balcony cabin. When the opportunity arose to upgrade, I didn't hesitate. I had sailed in a penthouse suite in the past and enjoyed the perks so much that I wanted my sister-in-law to experience it. She was duly impressed. Our suite came with a wonderful room steward name Paul Navarro, and a fantastic butler named Jane. We were so spoiled!

Free-style dining has its pluses and negatives, but I think the former outweighs the latter. While it's nice to sit with the same people every night and perhaps start new friendships that last beyond the cruise, and get to know your wait staff, I enjoy going to dinner when I feel like going rather than when I have to go. You can still request to share a table and thus meet new people. And since the entire crew is wonderful, it doesn't matter that you encounter a new wait staff each night. The food in the main dining room was great. We experienced dining in three of the specialty dining venues and they were fabulous, also. It's nice to have so many choices - French, Italian, Brazilian, Mexican, Steak and Seafood - and you can't go wrong with whatever you choose.

We didn't take in any of the shows in the theater, but did enjoy the live entertainment throughout the ship. Read more