I was very excited to go on Norwegian for the first time - we thought the Free Style Cruising would be great (especially traveling with a 3 yr old). LEAVING MIAMI - it was a LONG trip to get on the boat, lots of escalators, people movers, long hallways, etc. but we finally got there and the reception was very nice -champagne and OJ (for the kids). I want to preface my review by saying we LOVE cruising and usually have minor complaints (doesn't everyone) but I really struggled the entire week on this cruise. I overhear a lot of passengers telling stories of disappointment and one women told me that "It's not usually like this". DINING -one word, awful. The 2 main dining rooms could not accommodate everyone and there were usually waits to get in (as long as 1.5 hrs). We ate dinner in the main dining room once -mainly because the selection was really lack luster. The night we did eat in the dining room was disappointing. I ordered a sirloin -it came with no vegetables and instant potatoes (think Stouffer's tv dinner). My husband ordered an artichoke appetizer that included 2 paper thin slices of canned artichoke and his Beef Stroganoff was nothing to write home about. The BUFFET - it was a buffet. Very little variety for lunch. Breakfast was ok, dinner also ok. They did not have drinks available for lunch and dinner other than unsweetened tea or milk - other lines usually have fruit punch or lemonade..oh well. Specialty Restaurants -we ate here 5 nights because we wanted to get something food wise that felt like it was worth our cruise fare -even though we paid between $15-25 per person each meal. CAGNEY'S Steakhouse ($20 p/p)was akin to the main dining room -slightly better steak -no seasoning, you'd do better at Outback. They did have a good cheesecake though! SALSA (Tex Mex $15 p/p) had very good guacamole, chutneys and salsa and very good margaritas/ I ordered Beef Fajitas that came looking kind of soggy (no sizzle), but the flavor was good. The tortillas were rock hard -I requested a fresh one, but didn't get it until I finished my meal. I would have eaten at this restaurant again. TEPPANYAKI (Japanese Steakhouse $25 p/p) Food was very good, not enough vegetables and HUGELY overpriced. BAMBOO ($15 p/p Asian Fusion) -we actually ate here twice -really enjoyed it. Very diverse menu and taste selection. Nothing bad to say - the staff was really helpful and courteous -our best experience on the entire ship by far. STATEROOM - Our room was beautiful. Our cabin steward couldn't seem to get the hang of the fact that we have a 3 year old and come back to the cabin by 9 to put her to bed. We missed night cabin service 2 nights because of this and only got 2 towel animal total -this was a bummer because my daughter was delighted and refused to unfold them and she put them on a shelf to "keep". Our steward was very friendly and knew us by name. CUSTOMER SERVICE - also not good. I found that many of the staff spoke little english or it was broken english. It was very difficult to find places, help, directions, procedures without going and waiting in line at the customer relations desk. Additionally, we were being sterilized everywhere we went with hand sanitizer to prevent a GI outbreak (which inevitably happened). I think it had less to do with the people and more to do with the freshness and quality of the food. My husband became violently ill for approx 24 hours after eating "funny tasting" salad dressing. Overall, I just didn't feel like most of the staff really cared about trying to interact with the guests -several times we "interrupted" conversations between staff to ask a question. LAST TOPIC - Automatic $12 p/p daily service charge . THey have taken away your ability to give tips as you see fit. Basically you pay $12 per day and they figure out who gets it. Given my experience, this seemed excessive. Not a fan of freestyle cruising if this is what it entails..My husband who is also an experienced cruiser commented that we should probably take a break from cruising for a while and come out with something else to do. Sad .