NCL Breakaway, 4/24-5/1, 2016

Review for NCL Breakaway, 4/24 – 5/1, 2016

 

Sailed on NCL for the fifth time, second on the Breakaway. Although it has many perks due to it's size, it is still the least favorite of the NCL ships I have sailed due to the set-up compared to the smaller ships. However, I still enjoyed the NCL experience and would continue to sail them again, just preferably on the smaller ships (the Gem being my favorite, the Dawn being my sister's).

 

Hints you might not know:

- Download the NCL iConcierge app BEFORE you get on board. Impossible to download once on the ship. Downloading the app is free, to activate it is $7.95 per user - the best $7.95 the ship charges. You can text or call anyone who has the app, to their phone or to their cabin. Don't "swipe" out the app or you are considered "off-line" and you will not get the messages until you reopen the app. Otherwise, it worked for us 95% of the time, and on a ship that large, it was extremely convenient to communicate with each other. You can also access the daily events and menus of the specialty restaurants and O'Sheehan's on it (not the regular dining rooms). You can also book tickets using this app.

- The "fish" on the floors of cabins are all swimming to the front of the ship. That's how you can tell to which part of the ship you are walking to.

- Selfie-machines to send pictures back home are a cute free addition on the seventh and eighth floors.

- If you have the unlimited drink offer, you can only get one alcoholic drink at a time, but can also get a soda with it.

- Inquire at the front desk for "Vacation Hero" cards to write positive notes for the staff who you feel go above and beyond. They are able to earn merit based on good reviews, and for only a few minutes of your time, it is a kind way to show thanks to those who made your trip a little more memorable.

 

 

Leaving NYC:

We were late to get on board due to coast guard drills being performed on the boat. The terminal was extremely crowded and not enough seating space for the number of passengers. However, this was not a fault of NCL, but it did create tension before boarding. Once on ship, O'Sheehans, the buffet, and Taste were all open for lunch. Rooms were ready as soon as we were on board to drop off carry-on's. Our luggage was in our room by 4pm.

 

Cabin:

5th floor, window. Much more spacious than our friends on the 11th floor interior, and any interior we saw on our floor. I never compared prices for interiors vs. windows, but I would take our room over again in a heartbeat compared to the interiors for storage and floor space. Our steward never introduced himself to us, yet our rooms were always impeccable, ready / maintained while we were out. The only "complaint" we had was that we were Latitude members and should have had chocolates every night, but once we mentioned that at the front desk, they called housekeeping and it was rectified immediately (including "make up" chocolates for nights missed!). Although some people prefer to be higher up, we actually prefer the lower floor for the lack of movement you feel. Our parents had a balcony on the 14th floor, which was a great room, minus the swaying.

 

Restaurants:

We only ate at Taste, O'Sheehan's, the Garden Cafe, Uptown Grill (those four all complimentary), Teppanyaki, La Cocina, and Cagney's (those three for fees).

- Book Teppanyaki BEFORE you get on board. It books up immediately. The whole experience here takes about 2 hours, but is very much worth it.

- Cagney's - WORTH it. If you have the meal package, you can order as many apps and sides as you wish. They are small (definitely for only one person), so don't feel ashamed for ordering more than one side (ex. onion rings were three small rings).

- La Cocina was our least favorite "pay" meal, but much better this time than previously on this ship or others. It's just not "Italian" compared to NY food. However, my mom ordered the steak here and said it was just as good as it was at Cagney's.

- The best burger hands-down on board was at Uptown Grill. It was worth the wait for it. If this turns to a "pay" restaurant as noted in another thread, it really would be a shame on NCL's part for numerous reasons, number one being the penny-pinching of the passengers. Three years ago, it used to also feature meatballs, but the burgers alone (and waffle fries) were absolutely delicious. It was one of our favorite restaurants.

- Buffet - Food always fresh, but I do think NCL should have more staff monitoring the how sanitary the "help yourself" stations are maintained. For example, (and I realize this is a parenting issue), I saw a pre-teen completely lick his ice cream cone and then stick it completely up the "sprinkle" machine leaving his germs all over the inside for everyone else who uses it. Also, staff were only housed at two entrances of the cafe for hand sanitizer, and even though the others had machines and sinks, no one was enforcing it. The staff were very busy keeping the food out, clearing the tables, etc., but I do think they were under-manned at all times. Breakfast was my favorite meal to eat there, although I do understand you can get the complimentary buffet at Moderno on at-sea days.

 

Entertainment:

- Pools - Parents need to watch their children. Plain and simple. There are no life guards, the floors get very slippery, the pools can get rough. Parents need to watch their own children. There are staff members who float around for safety reasons, but they are not life guards.

- Slides - For the "freefall", you must be between 99-300 pounds and no jewelry at all. The twisted slides have a height requirement.

- Ropes course - It is great but scary. Be prepared!

- Jogging path - Ridiculous location. Very poor design on this ship. It goes around wet parts of the ship, as well as through narrow parts that are easily congested (by the rock climbing wall, also in a poor location).

- Gym - Still confused why they designed it so that the treadmills face the side of the ship, as opposed to facing the back of the ship like on the Dawn and Jewel. Not good for sea sickness.

- Second City - We love their scriptless acts and shows. Free, and fill up fast. Book even if you are unsure you want to see it to guarantee a seat. There are more family friendly versions at 7pm, but I don't think children under 10 or so would really enjoy them.

- Rock of Ages - Be very aware that this is not for children. It is a great show, very true to the Broadway version, and we found it to be quite enjoyable. However, we did see a lot of people walk out (mostly families) and complain that it is in appropriate for children. It IS - and they make that announcement very, very clear both in the Freestyle Daily and before the show begins. Again, not the fault of NCL! Passengers need to read the Freestyle Daily!

- Carla Stickler - Broadway star and VERY enjoyable performance. What a treat.

- Staff Talent Show - Very enjoyable.

- Game shows in Atrium - NOT enough seats for the guests. This too is a downfall to this ship. It's missing a "Spinnaker Lounge" like it's smaller ships, which can hold more people comfortably. Unless you arrive extremely early to get a seat in the middle of the sixth floor OR manage to get a seat around the edge of the 7th floor looking down, you are standing to watch it, and they are very, very popular. It's really a shame on the design of the ship, but they are worth it to attend if you can get a good spot to watch.

- We didn't attend any of the dance parties or night events other than the ones mentioned above, so I cannot comment on them.

 

Bermuda:

- Buy bus / ferry pass in gazebo right at the dockyard. Hint - don't "wave" at the bus to stop it. Apparently this means to "keep going" in Bermuda.

- To return to ship from Hamilton or St. George's, get to the ferry station in plenty of time or you will be waiting for the next one.

- Snorkel Park - five min walk from the boat. Cheap, close to the boat, fairly clean (although we did see quite a bit of broken glass). If you want a prettier beach, head to Horseshoe Bay or Tobacco Beach. (BRING CASH to all)

- Crystal Caves - enjoyable

- Aquarium / Zoo / Museum - If your expectations are very, very small, go. Otherwise, skip it.

- GET BACK TO THE SHIP WHEN YOU ARE TOLD.

 

Staff:

- You do not NEED to tip extra for most things, as you are charged a daily fee, plus an 18% gratuity is included. However, just because you don't need to does not mean you don't have to, especially for those who go above and beyond.

- Write the vacation hero cards (see above). Make a difference for someone who made one for you.

- I still feel that this ship has the most impersonal of the staff of any NCL that we've been on, but I attribute it to its size, or lack of training that those on other ships may have received previously. They simply can't remember 4000 passengers. However, we had a few staff who we felt went above and beyond, and we wrote out the vacation hero cards, as well as tipped them extra. We also saw a few who seemed down-right scared of their managers and / or chefs, which was upsetting to see. We only experienced one rude / surly crew member.

 

Leaving the Ship:

- Disembarking was a NIGHTMARE. Out of five cruises, this was the worst I've ever experienced. I don't know if it was the fault of NCL or customs, but the system was a disaster. Passengers were crowding the stairwells, wrapped in long lines, blocking floors for over 2 and a half hours. It was a total disaster. Plus, the cafe stopped serving at 9, you had to be out of your rooms by 8:30, so there was literally nowhere else to go. You were trapped, and it honestly felt like a huge fire trap. If this is how it is all the time, then the ship needs to rethink its procedures big-time. It was the only sour spot in our trip, but unfortunately as it was at the very end, it stuck with you.

 

Customs:

Do not use your phone in the building. It's quite simple. Do it and you will get yelled at. I don't understand why so many adults were belligerent about this. It was made quite clear. As well as the adults arguing with customs agents that they didn't know they needed to fill out the declaration papers. They are left in your room the night before you get off the ship with very clear instructions that you must fill them out. Read the instructions. It's very simple.

 

Overall, we had a very good time and would still continue to cruise with NCL. However, we do feel that this was probably our last time on the Breakaway. It's too impersonal of a ship for us, and very poorly designed structurally. They tried to shove too much in, yet, location wise, so much of it doesn't work. We've had such wonderful experiences on the smaller ones, we'd go back to them in a heartbeat.

Thank you for the review

 

Did you happen to go sit up on h20 spice ? Just wondering if it was busy, and if I needed to get up at 6:00 am for a chair ?

Edited May 3, 2016 by ann41
Added more

We didn't as we wanted to be near the slides for children in our group. It's not a huge space. There is also a very large quiet area near the front of the ship that also did not have a lot of children in it, but it is not near the pools / bars, etc.

Great review Cruiser1978. Can you book your seats for the shows before you get on the ship??

For some, yes. They open up a few of the Rock of Ages shows, as well as Burn the Floor and the others, but not all. They do not open all of them for booking until you are on board.

 

Glad you liked it!

Thanks for your review. We are going on the Breakaway again but my favorite ship is the Gem. By any chance do you know if they were selling Sheradins in the liquor store?

Same with me :)

No, I don't know.

Thank you for this review. Rather than posting all the dailies, assuming you kept them, could you just list the day and times for the Rock of Ages shows and the Burn the Floor shows during the week? That would help me plan dinner reservation times for the nights we want to see those shows. Thank you.

By any chance do you know if they were selling Sheradins in the liquor store?

 

They were not.

Nice report.

Thank you for this review. Rather than posting all the dailies, assuming you kept them, could you just list the day and times for the Rock of Ages shows and the Burn the Floor shows during the week? That would help me plan dinner reservation times for the nights we want to see those shows. Thank you.

 

Just sign into the NCL website and all of the dates/times for those shows as well as Cirque are available.

Nice breakdown. Thank you.

A good read, thank you.

Thank you for this review. Rather than posting all the dailies, assuming you kept them, could you just list the day and times for the Rock of Ages shows and the Burn the Floor shows during the week? That would help me plan dinner reservation times for the nights we want to see those shows. Thank you.

 

 

You can't find all the times of the shows posted online as they don't open the "tickets" to all ahead of time. I believe Burn the Floor was Sun, Mon, Fri but can't swear to it as we didn't go to it. Rock of Ages was definitely Tues, Wed, and Thurs. It had two shows on Tues and Wed nights, but only one on Thursday. I didn't keep the dailies so I can't swear to the times, but believe the earlier shows were at 6:30 or 7 and the later ones were at 8:30 or 9. Carla Strickler was on Saturday night only for two performances at 7pm and 9pm. I have no idea when the "Wine" musical or Cirque shows were as we had no interest in attending those pay-for shows when so much was free.

 

According to the NCL rep I spoke to a few weeks before sailing, they only open 25% of reservations before sailing. The rest open once you are on board, which is why they don't show the availability of all show times ahead of time. Get the app to activate it right away, and you can book the rest of your tickets once on board.

Edited May 3, 2016 by Cruiser1978
Additional information

Great review!

We agree that one of the biggest problems on the BA is the lack of Spinnaker Lounge (and the tiny pool area, but we don't use it). I love to participate in the dance classes, but NOT on the BA in the atrium with everyone looking at us trying to learn a dance. I'm not the ships entertainment, and forget trying to get to a good event in the atrium.....no seats. ...standing room only. Do like the Jazz club and cigar bar on BA.

Glad you enjoyed

Edited May 3, 2016 by spidybabe

Cruiser1978 - did they have the 'dueling pianos' in the comedy club on your cruise? That was one of my favorite things to do in the evening when we were on our cruise on the Getaway. I talked that up a lot with my DH - so hoping it is still one of the entertainment options.

 

Thank you for your review!:)

The disembarkment issue is most likely a NYC issue, as we had that problem a few years back on the Jewel, and it's been reported her on some Gem sailings. We had no issues getting off our Breakaway cruise, NCL could handle it better with more communication.

 

I agree with all of your negatives, but also has a great time on our last BA cruise.

Great review. We are sailing out on May 8th. Were you able to purchase a multi day transportation pass at Kings Warf? I saw on previous posts that Bermuda Transportation Authorities would only allow purchases of daily passes from now on. It was so nice to purchase a 3 day pass.

 

Also, did you purchase the wi-fi package when you were in port?

one of the best reviews ive read so far. very succinct. and touches on the stuff that i find important. the best advice was waving at the bus. that made me LOL!!!

Nice review!!! I also was on that cruise and had a fantastic time.

 

- If you have the unlimited drink offer, you can only get one alcoholic drink at a time, but can also get a soda with it.

 

Arnold at O'Sheehans got to know our party quite quickly on Sunday so we were able to get a beer and a shot at the same time, he offered everytime, which we quite enjoyed!!! Of course your mileage may vary.

 

- Cagney's - WORTH it. If you have the meal package, you can order as many apps and sides as you wish. They are small (definitely for only one person), so don't feel ashamed for ordering more than one side (ex. onion rings were three small rings).

 

Without a doubt the BEST signature restaurant on the boat.

 

- Disembarking was a NIGHTMARE. Out of five cruises, this was the worst I've ever experienced. I don't know if it was the fault of NCL or customs, but the system was a disaster. Passengers were crowding the stairwells, wrapped in long lines, blocking floors for over 2 and a half hours. It was a total disaster. Plus, the cafe stopped serving at 9, you had to be out of your rooms by 8:30, so there was literally nowhere else to go. You were trapped, and it honestly felt like a huge fire trap. If this is how it is all the time, then the ship needs to rethink its procedures big-time. It was the only sour spot in our trip, but unfortunately as it was at the very end, it stuck with you.

 

Agreed big time. What a mess disembarking was. There really need to be NCL staff at the stairs and elevators to direct. It was the wort part of the trip.

Cruiser1978 - did they have the 'dueling pianos' in the comedy club on your cruise? That was one of my favorite things to do in the evening when we were on our cruise on the Getaway. I talked that up a lot with my DH - so hoping it is still one of the entertainment options.

 

Thank you for your review!:)

 

I was on the same cruise as Crusier1978 and yes, Dueling Pianos (Howl At The Moon) was there at Headliners. Went twice...very enjoyable!!!

We were on this cruise as well. We were actually married on the ship and I plan to attempt to do a review this weekend..Def agree disembarking was a nightmare but overall amazing ship..amazing time..and we will be going on the same cruise next year for our anniversary..just without the family this time haahaa :)

We were on this cruise as well. We were actually married on the ship and I plan to attempt to do a review this weekend..Def agree disembarking was a nightmare but overall amazing ship..amazing time..and we will be going on the same cruise next year for our anniversary..just without the family this time haahaa :)

 

Congratulations!

 

Cruiser1978 - did they have the 'dueling pianos' in the comedy club on your cruise? That was one of my favorite things to do in the evening when we were on our cruise on the Getaway. I talked that up a lot with my DH - so hoping it is still one of the entertainment options.

 

Thank you for your review!:)

 

Yes - They had shows on the nights that Second City was not performing.

Great review. We are sailing out on May 8th. Were you able to purchase a multi day transportation pass at Kings Warf? I saw on previous posts that Bermuda Transportation Authorities would only allow purchases of daily passes from now on. It was so nice to purchase a 3 day pass.

 

Also, did you purchase the wi-fi package when you were in port?

 

We didn't inquire about anything other than a 1-day pass, so I'm not sure about that.

 

We did purchase the wi-fi package onboard (separate from the texting / messaging iConcierge). The wi-fi is very slow. The bar by the dock in Kings Wharf does have free wi-fi apparently, though.

For example, (and I realize this is a parenting issue), I saw a pre-teen completely lick his ice cream cone and then stick it completely up the "sprinkle" machine leaving his germs all over the inside for everyone else who uses it.

Hopefully you alerted a staff member to this so that they could remove the sprinkles. I've done this a number of times when someone is touching the food at a buffet and the staff has always removed the items. If we don't speak up when we see something like this (and I do it loudly, so the offending person hears it) these ill-mannered folks get away with it and put everyone's health in danger of getting sick.