Is Freestyle Cruising For You?

We are fresh off the Norwegian Cruise Line's newest ship, the EPIC.  My husband has wanted to sail this ship since we first heard about it.  I have heard mixed reviews and was anxious to see what the real deal on this cruise really is.  People seem to either love it or hate it, not much in between.  My opinion?  People are buying someone else's perfect vacation instead of their own.  Sometimes it's because of price, other times it's because a friend went and loved it.  If someone hasn't taken the time to find the right experience at the right time you are heading for disaster if you're not a flexible person. One person I met on board complained that they had been on 16 cruises and this one just did not measure up to x,y or z line.  Well, the ones she mentioned were all traditional cruise lines with a generally older crowd.  If you want the over the top service on NCL, go for one of The Haven suites where you'll get butler service and still have access to the awesome entertainment for the kids or grand kids.  If you know you want a quiet ship 24/7 then EPIC is not for you at all.

    I heard the exact opposite from younger cruisers that had sailed on those other lines and hated them.  Yes, most ships  have kids clubs, but EPIC offered plenty of activities outside of the club for families to enjoy together.  My son loved Blue Man Group and wanted to go again. There was a family White Hot Party that began just a little before the adults and Nickelodeon shows at the pool for them 2 days.
Lots of people figure Disney or Carnival are the only cruise lines with great kids activities.  I personally don't care for wall to wall Disney and need a break from kids on vacation.  When we pulled into port beside the Disney Magic in Nassau and could hear Disney movies blasting from their pool deck on our balcony I thought I am so glad I don't have to hear that every day!  (Not to mention no casinos on any Disney ships)  One day we will give them a try, but most families that have asked to book Disney thought that was their ONLY option.
 If you enjoy set table mates and dining times Freestyle is probably not going to work for you.  If you have small children that you want to enjoy dinner with you in the dining room, a traditional 2 hour long dinner may not work for you.   That doesn't mean you can't change from one vacation to the next.  I have done both and enjoyed the formal dinner on Celebrity, but appreciated the relaxed dining this time on NCL.  We were able to eat early one day,  then enjoy a late dinner alone the next while my son enjoyed the activities in the kid's club.  We didn't have the same server each day, but you can request one if you like.
One other sticking point with people is the charge for the specialty restaurants.  It seems the perception is if there are so many paid dining options, the main dining rooms must be horrible.  No true at all!  We ate all of our meals in the free dining rooms, except one dinner at the Cirque Dreams show.  Before the cruise we intended to try at least one specialty restaurant, but we checked out the menu at Taste before going to dinner each night and always found something we wanted so we ended scrapping the specialty restaurant plans.   I've heard other complaints about the perceived nickel and diming, my husband included!  When I pointed out that to sail on the other new ship we would have spent at least $300 more per person before we even sailed he realized that it really did balance out if someone chose to eat in the specialty restaurants more often.
My only complaint is the way seating is done for Cirque Dreams.  The line for 'premium' seats wrapped around the corner 45 prior to show time, while the standard seats walked right in.  Basically there are only a handful of standard seats that are sold out early, then everything else is premium....so it's not really premium, just regular tables and a few booths with slightly obstructed views.

The stars of the cruise were definitely the crew in Recess and the Nickelodeon team.  My son was absolutely exhausted by the 4th day, but still begged to go back.  I did not hear one single family say their kids did not enjoy the activities....from the 2 year olds to teenagers.

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