I am a seasoned cruiser, over 35 cruises 6 lines.
Dining room. Freedom does well with many meats, filet mignon, ribs, lamb, and chicken. It is not so good with fish. Try the sea day brunches, really pretty good. Service will depend on waiters. If your not happy tell them early. Formal nights are 2 on a 7 day cruise. Many people wear shorts. It's kind of a joke.
Lido buffet. About average. Good on omelets, great deli sandwiches, and their made to order Mongolian cafe.
See comments above
Galveston has a lot of character, good food, and history. Repeat visitor here.if you haven't been there before, try the visitor center downtown for ideas.
For a great beach experience, take a group taxi to casino, Lucaya marketplace, half a block walk, grand lucaya, resort, $15 per person, great beach, beach chairs, pools. Free good wifi.
Good shopping. That is really all we did. I understand that cable beach was good by my friends, cabbage beach, way too rough. You can take a bus for $1.25 to cable beach
Try a tourist train to see the history here like the Hemingway house. Walk up and down Duval st. Lots of interesting stores, bars, and interesting shopping. Margaritavil is a fun spot for food and drink.