Breakaway Review May 1st

Breakaway Review May 1st- Wow –it’s a big ship!

Back a week from the Breakaway and finally having a chance to put down my thoughts on our first mega ship cruise and first to Bermuda.

First of all- the size of the ship dominates everything. So many venues, so many activities, so many people, and so many areas to hang out in. I never truly felt that I knew what I really liked about the ship because it would take weeks just to enjoy things a few times. The weather was spotty at best throughout the trip with day 2 and 3 in Bermuda basically a washout. The Celebrity Summit high tailed it out the night before it was scheduled to leave.

Here is a never possible to complete list of many good things and some serious opportunities.

The Good-

Cruise Critic M and G- huge crowd of almost 70 people. We had a lot of fun with some Trivia and what seemed like the largest slot pull in history. Crew was in and out in a flash and did not stick around for even a few minutes to take some questions. A little disappointing.

Group Activity liasons who helped with M and G- Anne and Lucille- wonderful “faces” of NCL who couldn’t have been kinder and more accommodating as the week went on.

The Breakaway is incredibly clean with a beautiful interior. Not a cruise ship look at all.

While the pool area is surprisingly small and without good weather was hard to tell if it works with a crowd, we were able to get a little sun and enjoy the lower area.

16th Floor aft deck by the big screen- again weather kept the crowd away but a great quiet area for tanning and reading.

Spa Balcony Room. Very comfortable room without garish colors. Muted sand colors and woods made for a relaxing environment. By far and away the best shower we have ever had (not as good as the Jacuzzi spa on the Spirit) but with 2 strong jet streams on your body and a rain like shower head delivering real hot water, a joy. Best perk of all- free access to Mandara spa area.

Mandara Spa- with the weather not cooperating, the spa area became an oasis and was the go to place daily. Huge picture windows, heated tile beds, large Jacuzzi pool, saunas, and some sort of waterfall thing that you stand under and get pounded by the water. Without suites available as a level, the spa balcony is the closest thing to the suite life without paying a fortune for the Haven.

Specialty Dining-We had the 3 meal option and it worked well. The upscaling of NCL dining continues as La Cucina, which in the past was a family friendly Olive Garden with pizzas and a very light atmosphere is now a fine dining Italian establishment. Cagney’s was Cagney’s but the Breakaway’s dining area was so big that you did get a steakhouse feeling. You get into Le Bistro through an al fresco area and heavy doors. Again a restaurant atmosphere with some old and new dishes. Ocean Blue was the highlight of the specialties. While Zakarian is no longer affiliated, the attention to detail on service, food prep, menu originality and overall experience was flawless. We did not get to Moderno which we have not favored in the past or Teppenayaki which looked pretty much the same.

MDR’s and no charge restaurants- Taste and Savor sit across from each other serving the same menu daily. We had embark lunch and sail away breakfast there as well as a lunch during the week. Without Cagney’s as a suite option, Taste and Savor were very good as quiet small room dining as opposed to the Manhatten MDR.

Had a good meal in Manhatten Room with live entertainment on the front stage. Dinner was very good and consistent with attention given to meals even with the mass envirionment.

Garden Café-As part of what we perceived as the toning down of crew “fun” the washy washy girls are still at the front but now it’s a perfunctory activity rather than a smiling welcome sing song to the Café. Just seemed like a little joy was missing. 2 identical serving lines with very few waits (except at the omlette station) held the usual array of standards with interesting dishes always available.

O’Sheahan’s- what was an enjoyable first meal experience changed as the days went on and it became a disjointed mismanaged noise machine. No one getting served by an understaffed overwhelmed crew with soda coming from the bar? where there never were enough bartenders. Great promise but someone needs to look at the operation and logistics.

Entertainment- way better than your standard cruise ship shows. Rather than 45 minute production shows, Cirque, Rock of Ages (almost 2 hours) and Burn the Floor were top notch and with the small rooms used to house them, it made for a fantastic experience. Cabaret show with Carla Sticker whose Broadway chops included a multi year run as Elphaba on Broadway perfomed a strong set. Wine tasting lunch was entertaining and far better than a sommelier dryly reading a list of the wines that are being tasted. Dining at Cirque and Wine Lunch were to be forgotten meals.

Howlin’ at The Moon- Great nightly fun when they play. 3 performers who rotate in and out of dueling pianos so that there is literally never a break.

Fat Cat’s- loved the nights that New Orleans inspired blues was played by Les Getrex and his Creole band but like most NOLA bands, breaks are long and often but the music is worth the wait.

Hot Dog Carts- Big time Yes

2nd City- timing never allowed to see a show

Bermuda- 1st visit and sad that the weather did not allow for more exploration. A 5 hour van tour gave a great overview and despite the almost comical stretches of truth about Bermuda’s residents and the Island, we had a great time. We wanted to see the zoo and spend time at a beach but that was not in the weather plans. Hamilton was an enjoyable town and we had a lovely late lunch overlooking the street at The Pickled Onion. Clean does not begin to describe Bermuda. Its varied coast lines and natural beauty make it a place that we will need to revisit. Wednesday nights brings out Harbour Nights in Hamilton and while our long day did not allow us to stay very late, the street shopping, entertainment and general fun made for some nice local flair.

Opportunities-

Embarkation- exactly the experience you would expect for offloading and then boarding 42000 people in NYC. Landing on the moon is probably an easier task so maybe they should get some NASA folks to help. UGH.

Leaving the ship- not much better than getting on board.

Freestyle ain’t so Freestyle anymore. The Breakaway does not lend itself to spur of the moment decisions. We were 6 people as always. On day 1 we were pretty much locked out of desired dining times and had to negotiate and alter our plans so that we could get seating for the whole week. Shows are in small venues with waiting lines for those who decided to freestyle and not get reservations early. If you want to see the things- you have to plan.

Staff- overwhelmed is the only word I can use. No other way to describe it. There were wonderful pockets of quality (Ocean Blue, Front Desk staff) but the ship is drowning in people.

Other than Djamel (Hotel Director) who I enjoyed talking to, our usual ability to spot senior staff walking the ship seemed lacking. The ship is huge so I am sure they were about but it seemed that senior presence allowed for some service lapses.

What happened to the TV channels? 15 ship channels loaded with shopping tips with just MSNBC, CNBC and Fox News competing to make you never watch political shows again. No ESPN but boy if you like tennis, you will love the sports station they have.

Cagney’s service disaster- tying back to the overwhelmed staff issues, our experience of service at Cagney’s was (while an outlier) one that was a true misfire. 45 minutes after seating we still did not have drinks from our server who was clearly undertrained and, combined with a difficult grasp of English, unable to discern request s for items well. This continued for almost another 30 minutes until we had no food, remade drinks and (with great reluctance as we truly love the NCL staff) a request to Robert the manager in charge to remove the waiter from our table. His replacement saved the day as thing s miraculously started to appear (albeit in a rushed manner to make up for lost time). We were encouraged by an apologetic visit from the chef in charge as a special order Kosher chicken (preordered) arrived in let’s generously say a less than fully cooked state. Rough experiences happen and overall leadership was attentive in trying to resolve but the big error was putting an employee in a situation where he could easily fail.

All in all- a wonderful trip with wonderful friends. So glad we tried the Big Ship experience. However I think our next cruise will be on one of our past favorite home away from homes.. Hope to see you on the Gem in January!!!

Thank you so much for your detailed review!! We will be on the BA to Bermuda in August and am alittle nervous about such a huge ship but also looking forward to it! Glad you enjoyed it despite not having the best weather. Nothing you can do about that but make the best of it, which sounds like you did!

Thank you for your review!

Excellent, in-depth report, thanks.

Thank you so much for your detailed review!! We will be on the BA to Bermuda in August and am alittle nervous about such a huge ship but also looking forward to it! Glad you enjoyed it despite not having the best weather. Nothing you can do about that but make the best of it, which sounds like you did!

Don't be nervous about the size. My best rec is to do a little more homework than might be usual prior to boarding. Be open to the exploration process but knowing the lay of the land ahead of time is helpful.

Don't be nervous about the size. My best rec is to do a little more homework than might be usual prior to boarding. Be open to the exploration process but knowing the lay of the land ahead of time is helpful.

Sounds like good advice. Thank you!

Great review!

Thanks for the review.

Thanks for sharing. It's helpful! We are Bermuda Bound in August on the BA!

Enjoyed your very detailed review.

Keith

Enjoyed your review!

We returned from Breakaway today and apparently had polar opposite weather from your cruise -- warm and sunny the entire week -- and it made a big difference. This was our 2nd time on BA (we previously did the Bahamas run) and we had a lot of fun, but the service is definitely more impersonal on BA than on other ships / lines... probably because they're a bit overwhelmed as you observed. Fortunately though, we had excellent service in all 5 specialties we dined at.

Happy cruising!

Wanted to add an addendum regarding NCL's attention to specialty diets. We traveled with a gluten free friend and all staff weretotally tuned in and incredibly sensitive to the needs.

Enjoyed your review!

 

We returned from Breakaway today and apparently had polar opposite weather from your cruise -- warm and sunny the entire week -- and it made a big difference. This was our 2nd time on BA (we previously did the Bahamas run) and we had a lot of fun, but the service is definitely more impersonal on BA than on other ships / lines... probably because they're a bit overwhelmed as you observed. Fortunately though, we had excellent service in all 5 specialties we dined at.

 

Happy cruising!

My DW is not "happy" that you got her sun but we are glad the trip was great.:)

I was on the Breakaway on May 1- May 8, as well. This was my first cruise and I had all the anxiety that comes with cruising for the first time. I must tell you all if there is a meet & greet, please attend and be on time...:). You get to meet amazing people you wouldn't otherwise have a chance to meet. After the M&G, I had friends!! Granted we spoke (mostly screeched and waved) in passing, but at one point I couldn't find my hubby and when they did see him, they passed on the message that I was looking for him...no walkie talkie needed when you know other passengers.

I really enjoyed sea days - we did everything and nothing at all. Hanging out at Spice H2O with Norman the bartender or just laying in the sun when it appeared was amazing. I celebrated my birthday, made new friends and great memories. Loved it!

I'm hooked and am looking into booking our next cruise....