Help us with a Breakaway cruise!

Hello everyone,

This is our first post and we are hoping you folks 'in the know' can point us in the right direction!

Couple years ago we tried to cruise to Bermuda on the Dawn but the weather diverted us to the Bahamas,

Now we are going to try again, this September, this time on the Breakaway..

Couple questions...

After surfing the web, and getting as confused as I person could get...is there really a place that gives a better deal than anybody else? Suggestions?

Second, some sites seem to let you choose your room yet when I go direct to NCL they seem to only let me choose the category of room....huh?

And lastly [for now] I'm shooting for a entry level balcony room. Perhaps deck 8 or 9....Seems from reading here some rooms are much better choices than others in the same categories...can anyone make suggestion on room choice?

Thank you all in advance Jim and Suzie Massachusetts...

Hello everyone,

 

This is our first post and we are hoping you folks 'in the know' can point us in the right direction!

 

Couple years ago we tried to cruise to Bermuda on the Dawn but the weather diverted us to the Bahamas,

 

Now we are going to try again, this September, this time on the Breakaway..

 

Couple questions...

 

After surfing the web, and getting as confused as I person could get...is there really a place that gives a better deal than anybody else? Suggestions?

 

Second, some sites seem to let you choose your room yet when I go direct to NCL they seem to only let me choose the category of room....huh?

 

And lastly [for now] I'm shooting for a entry level balcony room. Perhaps deck 8 or 9....Seems from reading here some rooms are much better choices than others in the same categories...can anyone make suggestion on room choice?

 

Thank you all in advance Jim and Suzie Massachusetts...

1) There are a number of sites that track pricing, big-box travel agents, etc. A google search will bring you to them quickly. Mentioning specific travel agents and certain sites here on the cruise critic forum is not allowed. To start looking at online travel agents (TAs) to see if they offer better deals or perks, just think of the usual suspects you see advertised for hotels, flights, vacations, etc. They make themselves easy to find.

2) You can choose your room with NCL, unless you choose a "guarantee" category, in which case NCL chooses for you. You have to move further along in the booking process to see the room selection screens.

3) Best advice is to look at deck plans on NCL.com - pay attention to what is above and below your cabin. Stay out from under or above, theaters, bars, buffets, pool decks. Look for a cabin with another cabin above and below. Pay attention to the location in relation to elevators and stairs if being centrally located is important to you.

Lots to look at. Planning is half the fun!

Thank you for all the help. Just curious do you know what designates the bed being by the balcony doors or the couch being by the balcony doors?

On the "away" ships and Epic, balcony cabins generally have walls between the cabins that are curved or not straight. The bathroom is always near the hall. The wider part of the rest of the cabin denotes where the bed is located. In a Breakaway example cabin 8154 is bed near balcony, 8156 is bed nearer bathroom. All rooms are the same size.

When you look at the NCL site and get to the point where it lists cabins available - click on a specific cabin and under "room details" click "view more" and it should say in there "bed near entrance" or "bed near balcony door". Also I believe if you look at the deck plans, if the cabin layout has an indentation in the center of the room, that's where the bed is, if there is a bump out in the center, the bed is near the balcony.

Thank you!! I will check it out! That was very helpful!

Is there a particular week in September that you are looking at - for this entry level balcony cabin on the BA ? Rates for a BD category is slightly lower for mid/late September from what I just saw, if your travel plans are flexible.

As for the odds of running into hurricane storm & getting diverted, odds are pretty slim sailing out of the NE - in recent years, I can only think of Sandy in 2012, and I don't remember if the Dawn was diverted. Ships homeport in NY couldn't return safely & the harbor was closed and rode things out in Boston. There's no guarantee against mother nature and sometimes, ship Captains will navigate & go around these approaching storms & Nor-easters & you might end up with an extra sea day and shortened time in calling on Bermuda - keep in mind maritime safety first. We sailed on the smaller GEM (similar to the Dawn) right after Sandy to Caribbean & did just fine, except for the first 18+ hours with gale force cross wind against a Nor-easter but that was first week in November, past Bermuda cruise season ... in blinding wet snow shower out of Manhattan with a slight delay.

On the BA, I think - given a choice & prices being equal, look for a midship and/or AFT cabin location on deck 9 instead of 8, as you will have staterooms above & below you, whereas deck 8 might be somewhat noisy: location-wise if it's above one of the bar/lounges. Balconies on deck 8 are mainly FWD, some are extended/large balconies and a few have angled ones, etc. - look at the deck plan carefully. NCL can do a courtesy HOLD on your stateroom for up to 24 hours and/or you can CANCEL free at no charge within 24 hours after making your deposit/full payment. For most September sailings, you are already in the partial "penalty" & full payment immediately required phrase - if you change your mind & cancel, you will likely forefeit 25% of the booking fees/payment.

We tend to do cruise a lot in the early Fall & done a few sailings out of NY in September-October ... seas can be sometimes rough, especially on the Bermuda ... it is 700 n.m. into the big Atlantic and not a coastal run down to Florida & Bahamas - however, a midship stateroom on deck 9 is going to be pretty good against motion sickness, unless the ship sail heads into 30' 40' + seas without warnings.

Typically, your odds find more fare drops are better for the off-season with the younger crowds back to schools & campuses - so you might want to keep your eyes on more drops in rates, and wait-n-see. Instead of making full payment within 24 to 48 hours now after making a hold/courtesy reservation now - downside, you might lose out on a specific cabin (i.e. some folks "must" have those AFT or corner extended/large or angled balconies, etc. on a specific deck) Frugal travelers like us don't care and we don't mind doing a GTY stateroom & take our chances ... as long it's a clean one with everything working, while saving money - and, not caring for most of the "Free At Sea" promotional perks.

Some like the *Away class balconies with the bed next to the small balcony (room for 2 chairs, not loungers & a micro-sized end table) and the sofa next to the bathroom ... as it has a wider entry/opening to sit around during the day & evenings; and, access to the closet is much easier (otherway around, folks "complained" of 12" to 18" of foot space only & sitting on bed while unpacking, getting clothes out, etc.) Bermuda being a 2.5 days overnight stop ... ask yourself how much time you plan to spend in the stateroom while docked & on the balcony while at sea. There are a good # of Youtube videos on various balconies on the *Away class ships, they are basically all very similar, if not identical - in addition to some of the CC reviews here - to aid you in doing the research.

If you do not book directly with NCL, some of the major TA will possibly still offer OBC's with your reservations - whereas, that's no longer the case with NCL. Disadvantage is that if you need to make changes, negotiate for upsell & upgrade after full payment, etc. - you will need to go thru your TA and not call NCL directly. OBC & deals given by independent TA's are combinable with those available from NCL at the time of booking, but NCL will not match those from the TA's.

Somewhat related, coming from MA into NY for the cruise, the East Coast sub-forum here has tons of helpful info, tips & FAQ including hotel & travel/driving ... depending on your plans. Hotel occupanies & rates tend to be higher for the month of September, mid/later in the month is somewhat better ... but, if you have a place to stayover - you are good.

Part of the fun is planning, it's over quickier than you realize once embarkation day arrive :D

All great info above. Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Hi Jim n Susie

Breakaway deck plans can be found here. I suggest studying them before boarding.

https://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship/breakaway/deck-plans

We were in a deck 10 stateroom on our first BA trip and loved it. Port side, aft, right by stairs/lifts. Last time we were forward, deck 8. That was convenient for bar and restaurant access.

Can't predict weather in the northeast especially in September. I hope you have a great cruise!

Cheers!

P.S. Coffee, tea and Danish are set up on deck 8, starboard side at Malting's in the mornings. Quick caffeine fix before buffet or MDR breakfast tips :)

All of your posts have been so very helpful. This is our third cruise, second with Norwegian. The first one was on the Dawn to Bermuda in 2014, but we got diverted because of a hurricane and went to the Bahamas. Hoping that does NOT happen again. I am truly enjoying Cruise Critic and wish I had known about it sooner. You learn so many wonderful tips and we love reading about everyone's experiences. Thanks again for all the info!

You can sometimes save a lot of money on a balcony guarantee BUT you don't get any of the promos - no drink package etc. We saved a TON on the Breakaway in January and loved the location of our balcony. If you can get an angled balcony they are bigger than the norm and the aft are biggest on decks 9, 10 and 12 but are usually more expensive than a standard balcony where an angled would not be. All the different categories of balconies depend on deck and location with mid-ship and higher decks usually being more. As others have advised - try for one with cabins above and below. But on Breakaway we were under the buffet and never heard a sound but we were under the open air section. Good luck!!! We loved the Breakaway and loved Fat Cats at night with Charlie Love & the Silky Smooth Band. Not sure if he's still on.

When you look at the NCL site and get to the point where it lists cabins available - click on a specific cabin and under "room details" click "view more" and it should say in there "bed near entrance" or "bed near balcony door". Also I believe if you look at the deck plans, if the cabin layout has an indentation in the center of the room, that's where the bed is, if there is a bump out in the center, the bed is near the balcony.

amazing info about 'view more' . i had thought i had done exhaustive research and never clicked on view more for my MA room . i just looked at the indentation. i also found first hand info that contradicted what the indent meant in that persons room. but since my room has the balcony having the indent and less space in the middle of the room i really hope its bed by the balcony. this does matter to me.

details for my room say:

Room Details Desk Telephone Television Sitting Area Tea and Coffee Maker Internet access Midship Section Port Side Refrigerator Clothes Line in Bathroom Sprinklers Pier midship Shower Convertible Single Sofa Bed Private Balcony

which as you can see does not delineate where the bed is. however the indent is near the balcony so maybe i'm ok.. i hope

also the 5 or 6 port MA rooms that i just looked up have no bed info either more than what is above. but starboard has the info. weird.

Hello everyone,

 

This is our first post and we are hoping you folks 'in the know' can point us in the right direction!

 

Couple years ago we tried to cruise to Bermuda on the Dawn but the weather diverted us to the Bahamas,

 

Now we are going to try again, this September, this time on the Breakaway..

 

Couple questions...

 

After surfing the web, and getting as confused as I person could get...is there really a place that gives a better deal than anybody else? Suggestions?

 

Second, some sites seem to let you choose your room yet when I go direct to NCL they seem to only let me choose the category of room....huh?

 

And lastly [for now] I'm shooting for a entry level balcony room. Perhaps deck 8 or 9....Seems from reading here some rooms are much better choices than others in the same categories...can anyone make suggestion on room choice?

 

Thank you all in advance Jim and Suzie Massachusetts...

I think my sister (moonieelf) and I were on that same cruise on the Dawn. Was it October of 2014? I remember the ship pitching pretty badly, but as long as I wasn't at work, I was perfectly happy!

You can sometimes save a lot of money on a balcony guarantee BUT you don't get any of the promos - no drink package etc.

Just a FYI, we booked a Guarantee balcony room a couple months ago. we got two promos (Ultimate drink package and dinner package).

Not only are guarantee rooms a little cheaper than picking your specific cabin, your also more likely to get a free upgrade. In our case, we got bumped up to a Spa balcony (B9) for free.

I think you were lucky to get the promos at that time but I think it has changed recently that any of the guarantee cabins aren't eligible for the promos. Score for you!!!

It was in October 2014...that last night was pretty rough for me. I was pretty scared but my husband just slept right through it. WE were a rockin and a rolling!!!