Norwegian Dawn
Sail date: June 10, 2006
This was my second cruise and my boyfriend's fourth. We had high expectations after sailing on one of the new Royal Carribean ships last year but we were not disappointed. The Norweigan Dawn is a beautiful ship. We especially enjoyed the Freestyle Dining program where you can eat in either of the three main dining rooms or choose from specialty restaurants that require a reservation. Two of the specialty restaurants do not have an additional fee. The one that we tried, Salsa's, was a Mexican/Meditteranean mix. The food and service were both great and we almost went back for a second night. The other free option was Italian called La Trattoria. The only other specialty restaurant we tried was the French restaurant, Le Bistro. Most notable is its collection of four Impressionist paintings by Monet, Van Gogh, Matisse and Renoir. The $15 per person fee was well worth it to dine amongst these masterpieces. The food and service was also great and I especially loved the chocolate fondue for dessert! All of our other dining experiences were wonderful. We enjoyed being able to eat at whatever time we chose. Also, 2 of the 3 main dining rooms (Impressions and Aqua) had a small restaurant feel so we did not feel like we were dining on a massive cruise ship, but rather at a cozy restaurant. The food at all of our meals was tasty and well presented. The only negative comment I had was that the selection in the main dining rooms was sometimes not varied enough, probably because you have so many other options of where to eat. Also, because you can make reservations early on in the cruise I suggest going to the main reception desk and ask for a copy of the week's menus for the main dining rooms. This way you can pick a night to eat at the specialty restaurants when you know theres nothing you'll want to miss.