Have cruised before but on Royal Caribbean. Was not sure about the Freestyle Cruise but our friends wanted to try it out. I must say I prefer the Freestyle to the set dining schedules on other ships. Although the our only meal at one of the main 'free' dining rooms - Seven Seas left a bit to be desired. Our dinner experienced seemed 'rushed' and the food was only ok.
The main buffet was very good and provided a wide assortment of food including a multitude of fresh fruit, for breakfast/lunch and dinner. We also ate at 4 of the specialty restaurants. Our favorite one being Le Bistro. Pacific Heights had food for the calorie conscious and was flavorful. Best deal for drinks was the football helmut of beer that you could buy at the pool bar. Buy 5 get 1 free worked out to about $3/beer for domestic and $3.50 for imported.
Our room had a balcony and made a big difference in the look & feel of the cabin. It would be hard to go back to even an outside room now.