How Freestyle is NCL?

Last May I had the privilege of going on the NCL Gem for 7 nights around the western med. I must admit when I was on the plane, I had pretty much pictured NCL being an Ocean Village type cruise with an American accent.....
 I could not have been further from the truth. NCL is not exactly penguin suits and dickey bows but, it is not string vests and shorts either. What I found was a happy medium, a cruise where staff and other passengers did not frown upon you for wearing comfortable clothes, you could eat when you wanted and where you wanted ,without the hassle of long queues. For the more traditional cruiser they also had the grand pacific and magentas restaurants, both of which had the same feel as a main dining room on a P&O ship . On my 7 night cruise, I had Italian, Mexican, French bistro, Chinese, Teppanyaki, and finally my favourite Cagney’s Steakhouse. These restaurants did have a small cover charge, but were worth every penny. To conclude, I came off the Norwegian Gem with a large smile on my face, 10 pounds heavier, but most importantly an Norwegian Cruise Lines convert