Great cruise, more than I had anticipated!

Norwegian wasn't my fist pick as a cruise line. I had read reviews and articles that claimed that Norwegian was the "budget" cruise line. I found that not to be the case. While the line doesn't have the glitz and the shine of the other ships I've been on, it puts it's money where its mouth is. The room we booked was clean, comfortable and better set up than any of the others I have been in (we had an ocean view cabin.) The bathroom was much better organized and set up than anything I had experienced before. The room itself was a decent size with out being extravagant. We tried the two main dining rooms and both were very good, with great service and very appealing food. The Lido deck Garden Café was well set up with none of the lineups I had experienced in the past on cruises. There was really good food, some that I didn't recognize. The pastry products weren't all that good, in my opinion. Many of the rolls, pastries and even the pizza available in the Garden Café seemed to be from a box and formerly frozen. This wasn't the case for the pastry in the main dinning rooms. It all seemed fresh that day.

The ship had plenty of activities and the cruise director (I'm assuming that he is responsible) deserves recognition for the organizing of these activities. Other cruises I've been on had activities that were disjointed and seemed to be individually planned. On Carnival the DJ's were responsible not only to keep the music going, but to keep the crowd going as well. This never seemed to work well and the dance bars often remained empty. On the Norwegian Dawn the cruise directors staff was present at every activity, engaging the crowd, drawing the people and making one activity flow into another. This resulted in a large crowd at every activity, every bar, every dance floor. It made for a lot of fun in the evenings.

The cabin and restaurant staff were exceptional. They did their job, were polite, helpful and professional. I would like to also point out that we weren't constantly being remained to "remember" the staff with our pocket book. The last few cruises I've been on were pretty steady with requests for more tips than the standard daily rate.

The entertainment onboard was exceptional in many ways. There was a Caribbean rock band on the main pool deck that was exceptional. A duo in the atrium that held a crowd of over 100 people daily, another band that played classic music and was very entertaining. The theatre shows were ok, but the final "Elements" show was very well choreographed, and exceptional. There was also a comedian that we thoroughly enjoyed.

One thing we both noticed on this cruise was how smooth the ship sailed, even in 15 foot seas. I have been on 8 cruises and many rocked and bobbed. A couple times there were people ill from the motion of the ship. The Dawn never seemed to even move with the waves. We heard noise off and on, but never felt we needed to get our "sea legs" as the ship was level and calm throughout the voyage.

For a trip to a place like Bermuda, where the cost can be prohibitive for many people, this is a great way to visit.

Given the experiences onboard the Norwegian Dawn to Bermuda we have a new appreciation for NCL and would definitely book with Norwegian again. Our experience with was outstanding and we would definitely call them again as well to do the booking for us.

SM