Our first "Freestyle" cruise and don't think we can go back to traditional. The ability to select between 10 restaurants at the times we choose to eat is incredible. Also, one optional formal night on a 7 night cruise is the way to go. We have cruised often in the past, but this was the best of all.

On to the review of the 6/1 - NCL DAWN out of New York to Florida and the Bahamas.

We found the food to be excellant, lots of variety, well prepared and high sanitary standards. The vegetarian Indian buffet was great, a real surprise since I never eat vegetarian. The Italian and Mexican food leave a bit to be desired. We sampled all three main dining rooms and liked Impressions the best, mainly because of the ambiance. The Venetian was our second favorite, especially for lunch on sea days, the view from the rear of the ship is amazing. We also enjoyed Aqua but if I have to rank it, it comes in third of the three.

Le Bistro was fantastic, it took some juggling to get a 7PM reservation, but it was worth both the juggling and the extra charge. We ate amidst priceless works of art.

We never made it to Cagney's, La Trattoria or Bamboo. Cagney's: Since our group were not steak eaters, and the restaurant was tied up with a private party on Saturday evening, which was when we wanted to go. Bamboo: Not into Asian/Fusion. La Trattoria: The Italian food in the dining rooms was not up to New York standards.

Salsa was okay Mexican, but not great. Nice live music though.

The entertainment was top notch. Even for shows we were'nt thrilled with, the production values were impressive. We enjoyed the Jean Ann Ryan group, but contrary to most reviews, we liked the South Beach and Music of the Night shows better than Bollywood. But to each his own.

The staff and service were great, we gave extra tips (over and above the $10 per day automatically added) to the cabins stewards, most of the restaurant staff, and generally added an additional tip to the drinks.

The casino was bright and lively, and I witnessed a couple of large payoffs. Unfortunately not me.

We took the Canaveral tour and the shuttle bus to South Beach. Both were fine, about what we expected.

The tenders to Grand Stirrup were a nice change, and the shopping and BBQ were fun.

The weather was great, the ship was great, and the embarkation and dembarkation went smoothly.

What more can you ask for.

Freestyle RULES!

Glad to answer any questions you may have

Frank,
Thanks for the post. Do you know if there are quads on this ship, or if a mini-suite would accommodate 4? How are the rooms in general?

I was also curious about the health club and kid's activities, if you had experience with those.

Thanks.

Very nice post Frank. Thank you, wish more people would do these.

I've tried everything but Free Style, you make it sound very tempting. Thanks again.

Great review...wonder how the ship will do gong south from NYC during the winter months..always nice to see something positive about NCL...

My husband and I have been on NCL, Holland, Princess, RCCL, and Orient. You are RIGHT on, Freestyle RULES. Once they converted to freestyle, that was it for us. We never take the formal clothes anymore. We're older and enjoyed it when we were younger, but my husbands first question when I wanted to cruise was, "Do I HAVE to wear a suit?" No more.
We live in Nevada and do the Pacific Coastal every year now. LA to Vancouver, or it was Ensenada to Seattle. 5 days and wonderful. Jeans and sweatshirts rule and resort casual for evening. If you don't want to change, eat at the garden buffet for dinner. Good buffet. We loved the food. Better than any other line we cruised on, except for Holland, but we've heard they have changed drastically.
NCL casino payout is better than Vegas and I live here. Of course that is Vegas after 9/11. Definately different now. Anyways, we cannot say enough good about NCL. We liked the Sky, but we LOVE the Sun, cruised on her twice this year already. First time was this years Pac. Coastal, then just had to go back, so we did the Inside Passage earlier this month and it was even better.
We heard the Star is the best so far and next year that ship leaves Hawaii and does Alaska and then Mexico. We will go. Everyone we talked to that had sailed her just raved about her. We cannot wait. They said you won't want to get off at the ports because it is such a wonderful experience.
We are always first to dinner and always got a table for two by the window. I just want to go back. Liz

Joey: The mini-suite might be a stretch for 4, but there was a pull out in the sitting area and it might accomodate 2 pre-teens. Check directly with NCL for info on the Dawn. The health club will not disappoint, but as to children's programs, I would again suggest you check directly with NCL or check their website.

Liz: I agree with your entire post and have also heard great things about the Star, it's the sister ship to the Dawn. We hope to take the Star next year to Alaska.

We generally use cruise411.com for bookings, great price and service combo.

To The Top for JoeyJoJoJr....

To the Top for Terry.

Out of the 10, how many was an addtional charge?

TTT for Starfish and me.

I've not cruised Freestyle on NCL and have wondered if there is a surcharge for every restaurant and if not, which ones?

I have only been on the Star (sister ship to the Dawn) but will try to give you an idea at least of what is included and what's extra.

Included:
2 main dining rooms serving a slight variation in menus (so slight I didn't even notice until the 3rd or 4th day) one dining room leans toward more traditional preparations while the other is more contemporary.

Buffet

Trattoria which is a converted portion of the buffet area in the evening with table service

One specialty restaurant - on board the Star it was Hawaiian but I'm sure it's something different on the Dawn

Then there were a few other dining options like a fast food type eatery and a tapas bar which I don't really consider restaurants but you can get a snack or light meal.

Extra charge:
On board the Star there were 3 extra charge restaurants which started at $10pp and up. The Bistro, an Asian, and a Pacific Rim restaurant.

This page gives a good overview of the restaurants on board the Dawn and what's included and what's extra: http://www.ncl.com/fleet/dawn/dining.htm

Hope this helps.

Patty,
Thanks for the link to Freestyle Dining. It was just what I needed to know.
Did you happen to eat at the alternate restaurants which had a cover charge, and if so, what was your impression?

Brahmama: 3 restaurants had extra charges, Le Bistro, Cagney's Steakhouse and Bamboo (Asian/Sushi). The charges varied from around $12 to $15 per person. We only sampled Le Bistro of the 3 and it was well worth the additional charge. It was top notch French/Continential food, with service and ambiance to match. A small and intimate venue much like you might find at a fine restuarant on land.

The Dawn additionally has 3 main dining rooms (Aqua,Venetian & Impressions), plus Salsa for Mexican, Trattoria for Italian, Garden Cafe for buffet and Blue Lagoon for fast food, all of these choices are no charge.

I've eaten at Le Bistro on at least 3 NCL ships and have always found it well worth the cover charge. If you're a chocolate lover, you must try the chocolate fondue for dessert!