The Dawn is showing signs of wear and tear but is in quite good condition for it’s age. Our cabin 10072 was a reasonably sized balcony cabin. I think we were a little unfortunate with the condition of the balcony as there seemed to be something housed in the roof space and it was a mess and there was also a drain there which smelt on occasions. I also didn’t like the bathroom configuration. Although it was a decent size there were sliding doors on the toilet and shower which I constantly banged my elbows on. There was however, plenty of storage space and the bed was reasonably comfortable. It was also nice and quiet, with no noise coming from above or opposite.

The food was generally of a good standard. We used the buffet and Venetian for breakfast, which was good in both. On sea days we used the Venetian for lunch, my only issue here is that it was the same menu every day so it soon felt limited. For dinner we preferred the Aqua main dining room which has a much more intimate feeling. We purchased a 4 dining package and used The Bistro twice (very nice both times) and Cagney's twice (excellent food both times, excellent service the first, but I think our server was having an off night the second time we went as the service was markedly inferior to our first experience).

Our cruise was extremely casual, with many people not bothering to change our of their shorts and vests/T shirts for the evening. In my opinion NCL are in danger of allowing this to go too far. Shorts are not supposed to be allowed in The Bistro or Venetian restaurants in the evening, but we saw both men and women wearing them going into the Venetian. I think if standards continue to slide this will be the one thing that will eventually stop us cruising with NCL. I don’t expect people to dress formally, but a change of clothing and a smart casual dress code would be preferable to me. The experience of sitting behind a guy wearing a vest top and shorts that he has obviously been wearing all day in the theatre, when my husband has showered and changed into long trousers and a clean shirt, is off putting. Read more