We Just returned from a cruise to Alaska on the Sky. We have cruised on several cruise lines. The cruise itself, scenery and ports of call were wonderful, but this Freestyle cruising is terrible. Why should a passenger(s) have to pay to eat in a special restaurant when they are paying thousands of dollars for a cruise, and to have to put your name in at the main dining room and have to wait about 20 minutes to a half hour to get a table is ridiculous. The service was slow and we found the food not up to other ships that we have been on. The buffet was terrible, the food was not hot and people were bumping into the buffet line passengers to get their drinks from the machines. Poor design there. Not enough seating in the buffet dining area and at some point you had to go outside to find a table where it was cold and windy, by the time you ate, everything was really cold. Couldn't make use of the swimming pool because it is exposed to the elements, why they didn't put a retractible roof or an inside pool on a ship that cruises to Alaska is beyond me. Not enough activity on board to keep you busy. I would not recommend this ship and Freestyle dining. This cruise seemed like a "NO FRILLS". Glad we did the cruise to Alaska, but wish we were on another line.

I gue ss it depends on point of view. My brother-in-law and his father just returned from the Alaska on the NCL Sky (I assume it was the same cruise). He is a veteran of 23 cruises, and his father has been on 27. They both ranked this cruise as a top 5, and as far as value for the dollar is concerned, my brother-in-law put it in the top 2.

I should say that they both love Freestyle, and would choose it over traditional. I like both, but most older cruisers I've interviewed prefer the traditional style. Freestyle seems to appeal more to a younger crowd and those cruising with kids.