USA TODAY’s Cruise Editor Gene Sloan is onboard Norwegian Pearl this week and gives a first-hand account of all the Freestyle 2.0 enhancements and the positive impact it is having on our guests experience onboard.

ABOARD THE NORWEGIAN PEARL — Soon after Apollo Management took a controlling stake in Norwegian Cruise Line last year, executives at the famed private equity firm swooped in to examine every aspect of the mass-market line’s business.

Their conclusion: the road to greater profits lay in spending more — not less — on the customer experience. By December the line was unveiling Freestyle 2.0, an across-the-fleet upgrade of everything from bed linens to the steaks in the dining rooms.

Ten months later is the difference noticeable?

In a word, yes — and in a big way.

A year ago, when passengers stepped on board a Norwegian ship they were swarmed by waiters pushing high-priced umbrella drinks — the beginning of a hard sell that never let up. Today the arrival process is much more refined, with waiters handing passengers complimentary champagne even as stewards move in to help carry their bags.

In cabins, more comfortable beds boast crisp, white-on-white duvets, and the bathrooms have notably fancier Elemis soap and shampoo in dispensers. In the restaurants, meanwhile, the food is significantly improved (NCL has said it is spending $50 million more on food over two years).

After the press conference announcing the changes last December, Apollo Management executive Adam Aron told several cruise writers he was shocked to learn NCL wasn’t even using Grade A beef in some restaurants. Those days definitely are gone. The filet mignon in the Norwegian Pearl’s Cagney’s Steakhouse now is top notch.

Lots of other things, big and small, have changed to give the ship a more sophisticated feel. The endless shipwide announcements touting art sales and poolside events have been scaled back (though one could argue there still are too many). Some of the blaring music has been toned down. And at night, the casual Garden Cafe buffet is being transformed into a surprisingly elegant space with white tablecloths and candles on tables.

But the changes to the NCL product go beyond better amenities, policies and food. Perhaps the biggest difference is with the crew, who seem genuinely friendlier and more energetic than on Norwegian ships of old (even as they sport more casual, stylish outfits that change with each day’s theme).

At the time Norwegian announced the upgrades, Apollo’s Aron told USA TODAY the firm was confident the extra money the line planned to spend would pay off in higher ticket revenue. With this year’s economic downturn causing softness in cruise bookings, it’s unclear whether that is, indeed, the case. But, for now at least, the changes are resulting in a new and improved Norwegian Cruise Line.