We cruised on the Norwegian Dawn Sunday, Jan 23-28 and I have to say overall we had a good time but I was definitely not overly impressed and would not take a trip on this particular ship again, though I may try NCL again. There were a few things they did really well but other items we didn't care for. For us as first time cruisers, I've only heard reviews of people loving cruises, how much food there is, how much fun etc. and I have to say, it was a letdown for us overall. One other thing - despite the ship being giant, you do feel the boat sway occasionally - and we had smooth seas. Bring motion sickness pills with you - I did and popped them the second it seemed a little rough - felt great the entire trip but could see how people may get sick. My husband and I are 40 and we went with another couple. Here's our review:

The positives - the checking in process at the ship wasn't too bad. There was a long line but it went rather smoothly and we were able to get into our cabin right away so that was a nice feeling. We went upstairs to the Bimini bar by the pool and had some cocktails. Later that day, we went to the pub to watch the Jets game - I was relieved the satellite coverage worked because my husband would have wanted to jump overboard if he didn't get to watch the playoffs. We had received a free upgrade to a balcony when we booked and we liked our room - the balcony was terrific to have - I was worried I'd feel claustrophobic and this prevented that. Bathroom while small was clean and functional. We never saw the people who tend to your room really but they kept it clean so no complaints there. Food was good, not great. The few exceptions were the dinners we had at Cagney's and Teppenyaki (though we found it frustrating you had to pay $50 extra per couple for each, especially since alcohol isn't included). The breakfast buffets at Garden Cafe were good as well. The Venetian was nice but I didn't think there was much difference in the food vs. the buffet for breakfast, just nicer ambiance. Aqua was fine as well. The spa looked great but I did not use the services. We loved our day in Grand Cayman and enjoyed the snorkeling in Cozumel.

Here's what we found disappointing - the overall feel of the ship felt dated. Not dirty by any means, but just old. I think we'd prefer to be in a better/newer ship. Also, in terms of the excursions, I found it very touristy where all the ships came in - I don't want tee shirts etc. I'd rather have a diverse group of shops but that's just our personal feeling - we enjoy going to a destination rather than only have a few hours in one spot. The pool on the ship was very small too - though we were thrilled the kids pool was way on the other side - kept it nice and relaxing for the most part. Before I forget, we hated the entire transfer process from the airport. We wanted to fly direct from Long Island and so we had to fly to Ft. Lauderdale instead of Miami. Flight was great and we had pre-purchased transfers from NCL. I wish we had shared a cab instead. By the time we finally left to head to Miami, we'd been waiting an hour. We then stopped a few times at the airport before heading to the port. Not a good way to start the trip off - just a waste of time when we could have been getting on the ship. In terms of entertainment, bingo was fun in the afternoon and the casino was enjoyable (though very smoky - we're from NY where you can't smoke anywhere anymore so for non-smokers, it was a little annoying but we still had fun.) I'd heard great things about Josie and his wife - she wasn't feeling well the first night of the cruise and he played solo in the Atrium and was terrific! Upbeat, great voice - the crowd loved it. I didn't go to their Neil Diamond show and then the next showing his wife was back but I have to say I didn't care for her or them together. It was much more low key and seemed geared toward the older crowd. And I mean OLDER crowd. :) Read more