I love sea days. The itinerary originally had 5 ports in the 11 day itinerary. The Tampa Terminal #2 is very small. Embarkation was slow. It really didn't bother me. It was very smooth and it seemed like the port employees worked as hard as they could to keep the line moving.
The Dawn is old. I think she is showing her age a bit. It was very windy for most of the cruise. The ship did roll back and forth quite a bit. It's no way a slight on NCL.. they can't control the weather. Many people complained about the smoke from the casino. I don't dispute their complaints, but this is something I expect on a cruise ship, and it is not something that bothers me. There is a cigar room near the casino and Gatsby's. It was supposed to be cigars only, but due to the high winds, they let people smoke cigarettes in there. Their only other option is Deck 13. I think the big problem is it seems to me like there was little to no filtration.
There was no safe in my room. I was told they "expire" and most of them were not working and were taken out. I googled it. Safes do not expire. Again, this was something that upset a lot of people. I don't worry about stuff being stolen. The safe is somewhere I put things so I don't loose them. I think the ship should have informed us before we boarded.
Great location. It's foward. One floor down and you are at the Stardust Theater. It was easy to find. Quiet.