Good for you. What you need to know depends on what ship you are considering. if you ar looking at one of NCLs ships designd for for freestyle I think will will be happy and surprised at how well it works. If you are looking at one of the 2 older ships, that could be a little different.
I am the first to say, freestle isn't for everyone but is gaining in ppularity all the time.
The Pros: yes, you will have so many more dining chouces, a few come with sur charges, just like the other lines, but there are still many options and we love being able to eat when we want. debarkation is much better on NCl. The dress code makes packing less of a hassle but you can still bring that special outfit if you choose to dress more formally one or two nights. The auto tipping, which has been adopted by many lines is so much easier than running around looking envaloped and getting the right change that last night.
Drawbacks, yes, just like your favorite land restaurant that doesn't accept reservations: if you choose to eat from 7pm to around 8pm you many have a 10 or 15 minute wait. No, you will not build that phoney report with your wait staff and you will not be spending X number of nights with the same dinner companions. This can be a pro or a con. We normally choose to dine with another couple and have made more friends on freestyle cruises than traditional ones.
I really can't think of any unglies and have only mentioned a few of the differences between traditional and freestyle cruising, I haven't given the total run down on NCL ships.
Nita
