As a novice cruiser, I fell in love with NCL and freestyle dining with my first cruise last year on the Majesty. The Spirit leaving Florida on 12-12-04 was my second cruise and I expected no less.
The ship itself was very clean and the crew worked well on maintaining it. The ship and its Asian influences were beautiful. The crew was always helpful and attentive. They do go a little overboard pushing drink sales. You don't need to lead a horse to water. I'm sure most people know when they are thirsty.
The Captain was very friendly and made many rounds about the ship including checking on the crew. I thought this was great leadership. I even saw him in the salon sitting and chatting with the guests. I never saw that before.