I took my first cruise almost five years ago, and instantly fell in love with the experience. I'm 36, single, gay, and have been on Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Celebrity and Carnival (just once). I met CruisinMaterial -- a fellow cruise enthusiast -- on a cruise about three years ago, and we've remained friends. CruisinMaterial had planned this 11-night voyage on the Norwegian Dawn with his mom; but when she had to cancel only a few weeks before the trip, he asked me if I could take her spot. I reluctantly said yes. (Just kidding! I jumped at the chance!)

This would be my fifth cruise on Norwegian (and 17th overall); previously I've sailed the Pearl twice, the Spirit and most recently the Epic in the Mediterranean. I've always thought that Norwegian has the friendliest staff and crew in the industry, and I was confident that an 11-night cruise on a mid-sized ship would offer a lot of interaction with them.

Day 1 -- Embarkation Read more