''Price was the reason,'' said Cathy McLane of Orange County, Calif. She and daughter Jamie, 23, were celebrating Jamie's college graduation. She had sailed on this ship before, in Hawaii, and liked the ship's recent upgrades of fresh carpet and room furnishings. She hadn't liked the Freestyle approach when she traveled with her entire family of five and was glad to learn that reservations are now offered for the ship's main dining rooms.

Value, too, was a factor for first-time cruiser Patrick McCord of Fort Lauderdale. By the end of the trip, he was a devotee -- especially of Le Bistro, where he ate two nights in a row. The $15 additional fee for the specialty restaurant was well worth it, he said, after gobbling down three portions of tender lamb.

But Norris Anderson of West Palm Beach, a regular cruiser on NCL and Royal Caribbean, is a Freestyle fan and praised the service aboard this weekend cruise. ``I work very hard. This is the only way I can get away from the phones and let myself relax.''

FREESTYLE

And it turned out that we, too, were Freestyle fans.

On most cruises, guests are assigned a dining time and table partners. And though we've usually enjoyed the tablemates assigned, we relished one of the hallmarks of the Freestyle concept: Dining when we wanted, with whom we wanted. In our case, that meant cozy dinners alone. For a nearby group, it meant putting the entire extended family at a single table.

Early Freestyle cruisers had two worries: Snagging a spot in a restaurant without a long wait, and getting good service. For us, neither was a problem. Twice we ate in one of the ship's two main dining rooms, without reservations -- and with no wait. One night we dined in Le Bistro, making reservations the day before at a desk in the atrium. (Reservations for the ship's grill restaurant, Cagney's, booked up early we learned; snag a reservation as soon as you're able, 24 hours in advance.)

As for service, our Balinese waiters were so attentive and charming that when we returned to the restaurant a second time, we asked to be seated in their area again.

Other Freestyle benefits included picking up library books at will -- the shelves were unlocked, so we didn't have to wait for an attendant -- and disembarking when we wanted, without having to gather first in a lounge. (This was possible with carry-on luggage.)

If I'd been looking for nonstop action, I might have been disappointed. Here there are fewer shipboard games then on some other lines, and no hairy-leg contests (though there was Bingo). But since I tend to avoid group activities, NCL's laid-back approach worked well.

What didn't win top marks was the food. Breakfast and lunch in the casual buffet restaurant were crowded, with limited selections and preparations that weren't going to win any James Beard awards. Though our selections in the main dining room exceeded our expectations -- the pasta alfredo was truly notable -- a friend dubbed the shrimp cocktail ''inedible. '' My husband loved his Le Bistro steak, but I found my duck confit there greasy.

Still, when we considered the value, we were reasonably satisfied. Even with so many travel bargains around these days, we would have been hard-pressed to get a three-night getaway with three meals daily for the same price -- and with so few hassles.

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