codered

Ship - Escape

Deck - 15

Stateroom # - 15830

Stateroom Category – BA -- balcony

Starboard or Port Side - starboard

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – Yes

 

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - No

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – full view

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - It's an angled balcony which is much roomier. It has a lounger, two regular chairs and a small table. 

Was wind a problem? - No

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - N/A

 

Any specific problems with this cabin? - No.  

 

Any other comments? - Short walk to aft elevator 

I can't answer the question about parking because I didn't park at the terminal.  

We cruised on the 4/28/19 sailing.  Our plan was to arrive around 10 but the day before we received a call from NCL asking us to not come before noon.  The message said there was an inspection going on that morning.  Once we arrived, embarkation went smoothly and we were onboard in about 20 minutes.  

The cruise was great!  Check out the Choir of Man show if possible.  

We used the stay/park/cruise at the Hilton Garden in Ridgefield Park last October.  The hotel was nice, parking was safe and the case service was awesome.  Highly recommend!

Ship - NCL Pride of America

Deck - 4

Stateroom # - 4510

Stateroom Category – Oceanview

Starboard or Port Side - Port

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – No noise from adjacent cabins or the theater above. There is a service hallway entrance across the hall. We occasionally heard noise from carts being rolled through that entrance. The last night was noisiest because of luggage being collected.

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - No

Balcony View - We didn't have a balcony, rather a window. The window was not clear due to salt spray and fogginess.

Was wind a problem? - No

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - N/A

Any specific problems with this cabin? - Aside from the noise mentioned above, there are two pull down beds which, even when folded up, made getting into bed a little cumbersome.

Any other comments? - Short walk to the elevator, stairs and gangway.

As of tonight, the April cruise tours are back on the website. :D

I'm wondering the same thing. A week or so we were able to view cruise tour options in Hawaii with dates that ranged through early May, 2018. Today the date range only goes through early January.

Thanks for posting such a detailed and balanced review.

We were on Breakaway when a medical evacuation took place. The Coast Guard helicopter winched the patient while hovering over the bow of the ship.

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I was on the same cruise. Nice job on the review(s). I agree on many points and enjoy hearing your perspective.

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Great review!

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Mr. Worldwide was our favorite.

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It's hard to pick a moment but I'd say I've been hooked since our first cruise 14 years ago. It helped being upgraded (not up-sold) from an oceanview to a suite on our very first cruise!

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We depart in two weeks, have never been on NCL or BA. Seems like everyone recommends O'Sheehan's on departure for lunch. If so isn't it quite crowded? Also, can you advise on the comedy shows, I am confused. There are two shows, an early that allows children and a later adult show? And you should book once on board? Thanks!

Most people seem to head to the buffet or their cabin after boarding. O'Sheehan's was busy but we were seated right away and didn't have to fight the masses.

The Second City comedy shows do have a family-friendly and adult version. We have only seen the former. It is skit comedy, supposedly improvised, and we enjoyed it. We are going again in a few weeks and haven't seen an option to book in advance. I'd recommend booking as soon as you board.

greetings, it was pleasurable to read your review for recent trip. i am going to bermuda in 2 weeks. my hubby and i are very excited. i have actually been on the breakaway 2 years ago. with a girlfriend. we had such a lovely time.

 

most staff was very courteous, sailing was good no sickness for me. my husband and i were on the gem 3 years ago for our first trip. the weather was not intestinal-friendly. hence why it has taken him a couple of years to go again.

 

me, i love cruising 7 nights of having the bed turned down for me --no phones -no job - no cooking. and the activities! oh boy.

 

im working on the next cruise already. hoping for our children and grandkids to go with us as a family. now THATS goingto be spectacular for us.

Thank you! I hope you and your hubby enjoy your upcoming cruise.

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My experience in NY, on 5 cruises so far out of that terminal, is that it is more than worth it to tip a porter 15-20 or so to take your luggage to the curb, even if your are more than capable of carrying it, because the porters or their union seem to have some special relationship with customs, so that the porters, and you with them when they have your luggage, wiz right thru and bypass the insufferably long customs lines.

 

Last time, my husband and I only had two carry-ons, and I had a big tote bag -- easily handled by us. Nonetheless, my husband flagged down a porter, gave him a 20. loaded our luggage and tote bag onto the cart. Porter asked if we minded if he loaded another couples as well, and we didnt The 4 of us sailed thru. The people we were traveling with (but who thankfully had their own pick-up arrangements) were too cheap to pay a porter. We all got off the ship together at about 9AM. We were back in Philly before noon. Our friends called us from the NJ turnpike and said they had just gone thru the tunnel at 11:45. At least to me, it was well worth 20 bucks. And we do it that way every time. In many cases, it isnt that people are too cheap, it is just that no one has ever told them about this little trick.

Good advice. Next time we'll try the porters. Thanks.

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great review..was on the same cruise.

 

 

my review is here.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2406573&highlight=breakaway

Thanks! I enjoyed reading yours, too. I agree with your comments about the atrium. It is a nice area but becomes crowded pretty quickly.

First, a little about us. This is our 13th cruise, second on Breakaway.

Pre-Cruise/Embarkation

We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Elizabeth, NJ, and drove in to Manhattan on Sunday morning. We got a call from NCL the week prior letting us know that the UN was in session and traffic might be impacted. This coupled with a bomb explosion in Chelsea on Saturday night had us expecting the worst in terms of NYC traffic. Fortunately we encountered no problems getting to the cruise terminal. We parked on the upper deck adjacent to the ship.

We arrived around 10 am and checked-in. We were in boarding group 8. I think we began boarding around 11:40 am. The gangway was on deck 7 which was convenient to O'Sheehan's where we had lunch. We went to our cabin afterward to drop off our carry-on items. The cabin steward was still working on our room. The cabins were ready by 2 p.m. One piece of luggage was there when the cabin was ready. The other didn't show up until after the ship sailed.

Cabin

We stayed in 12878, a balcony on the starboard aft. On our last cruise we stayed in a family mini-suite which had a large balcony. The balcony for 12878 was large enough for two chairs and a small table. The cabin's location was convenient to the stairs and elevator. The cabin was quiet.

Our cabin steward did a nice job. We were short on wash cloths on the first day but had them brought in later the first night. After we left a note for the steward letting him know we need extra towels every day, he took care of us.

UBP/Bar Service

This was our first time using the Ultimate Beverage Package. We got it as an incentive for booking. It wasn't really free in that we had to pay a service charge at booking. Though some have complained about the selection of “free” booze, I found it to be adequate. The bar service was best at Mixx on Deck 6 and the bar at Spice H20.

Dining

We only ate at one specialty restaurant (Moderno) on this cruise. It is our favorite. I actually liked the chicken legs best of all of the meats. The salad bar is incredible. For other dinners we ate at Manhattan, Taste, and Savor. The servers were all attentive though some seemed to be spread a little thin. Sometimes the amount of time between courses seemed long. We weren't in a hurry so this wasn't a huge deal.

We had several lunches and breakfasts at O'Sheehan's. Service was usually quick and the quality of the food was good. The buffet is among the best I've seen on cruise ships. We had one lunch and breakfast there. Other reviewers recommended trying the lobster roll from Ocean Blue so we indulged. The roll was soft and buttery and there was an adequate amount of lobster.

Entertainment

We spent most nights at Fat Cats and Headliners. We really enjoyed the blues/jazz music of Les Getreaux and the Creole Cookin' Band. At Headliners we enjoyed Howl at the Moon more than Second City. The musicians at Howl at the Moon are really talented entertainers who knew how to get the audience involved (and on their feet).

We skipped Rock of Ages because we saw it on Broadway and on the Breakaway last year. We did see Burn the Floor for a second time and continued to be impressed by the dancing, music, and vocals.

The vocal duo in the Atrium were enteraining.

Bermuda

This was our fifth visit to Bermuda and it never disappoints. We arrived on Wednesday morning and left early Friday afternoon. Departure was a few hours earlier than originally scheduled because of Tropical Storm Karl coming nearby. I applaud the Captain for keeping us updated on the weather and his plans and for putting safety above all else.

On the first day there were torrential rains. These weren't the usual passing storms/showers that one normally encouters on the islands. Fortunately we brought rain jackets. We took the ferry to Hamilton to do a little shopping then a bus to the Swizzle Inn. The Inn was on our Bermuda bucket list from previous visits. We tried the Rum Swizzle and wahoo burgers. Everything was great. We went to a small ice cream shop across the road then took the bus to St. George. The rain mostly ended by then and after doing a little shopping, we took the ferry from St. George to the Dockyard.

On Day 2 we went back to Hamilton in the morning and explored two new beaches in the afternoon. Though we loved Horseshoe Bay during previous visits, this time we wanted to try some smaller beaches. Warwick Long Bay and Jobson's Cove were a bus stop or two away from Horseshoe Bay and were much quieter.

On Day 3, we did some shopping at the Dockyard before the ship left at 12:30 pm.

Disembarkation

I like that you can choose the time approximate time you leave the ship. We were scheduled for around 9:20 am and were called to leave around 9:10. From there, things went awfully awry. It took about 90 minutes to get from the ship to my car. The lines in the terminal were horrible. The long lines were solely due to not having enough customs and immigration officers to handle the 4000+ people leaving the ship. At one point, there were only 4 officers handling the throngs of people trying to leave. Lines were growing and the patience of the former passengers was quickly running out. Once whoever was running the show decided to bring out 3 more officers, the pace picked up dramatically. While I understand that NCL doesn't control the actions of the government, the cruise line needs to know that this situation was entirely unacceptable and they need to provide feedback to avoid it from happening again.

Overall this was a great cruise and we really enjoyed our time on Breakaway and on Bermuda.

Les Getreux and his band are fantastic. We just sailed on the Breakaway and went to Fat Cats two nights to hear them. Howl at the Moon also was great.

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We've cruised on Celebrity many times including the Summit to Bermuda. We prefer the Breakaway because of the variety of entertainment and dining options.

Great video!

I went on my first NCL cruise last fall and liked it so much I'm going again this year. Every cruise line has its strengths and weaknesses. People who don't like crowds and having lots of kids around shouldn't cruise on the mega ships during the summer. I liked the vast amount of entertainment and dining options on Breakaway. Hope you enjoy your cruise.

Thank you for your review! I can't wait to sail Breakaway next month!

 

Did you have a really long wait at Uptown Grill for lunch? What days did you eat there?

I was in a line with about ten people ahead of me but the food comes in a few minutes once you order. I think the ordering process takes linger because there are so many options and people can't make up their minds... I think we ate there on Weds and Fri.

Hope you enjoy your cruise!

Thanks for you review. Do you recommend your pre cruise hotel the Hampton inn in Elizabeth ?

It was OK, not spectacular, but I would probably stay there again. The price seemed pretty fair for being 40 minutes from the port. You might want to see the reviews on Trip Advisor.

Nice review! What did you think about the fishing trip? Was it the reef trip? :)

It was fun! The boat was called the Jolly Roger and was docked at King's Wharf. A half day was $100. There were about 20 people onboard and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

This was our fourth trip to Bermuda, 12th cruise and first with NCL.

We drove from Virginia and stayed at the Hampton Inn Elizabeth NJ the night before the cruise. The drive from the hotel to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal was about 40 minutes (with light Sunday traffic). We arrived at the terminal at about 10 a.m., paid our $280 to park and there was only a short walk to the terminal elevator to drop off our luggage. After checking in, we waited in a large holding area for about an hour before being let onto the ship. I recall that we were able to board around 11:30 a.m. One of the things I liked about the boarding process on this ship was that we were able to drop off our bags in our stateroom as soon as we came on board. We were told that we could only enter the room for the purpose of dropping off the luggage. Our steward was cleaning our cabin when we did so.

Our cabin was a mini-suite with a large balcony on deck 8 (8130). We were port side. Staying with my wife and me were our 12 year-old nephew and 9 year-old niece. The rest of our family (6 adults) stayed on deck 9.

Pros:

The ship was remarkable in terms of its size and the number of things to do. We also liked the appearance, cleanliness and décor.

Though we mostly read negative to unenthusiastic reviews of the food, we found it to be very good overall. We liked Moderno the most and La Cucina the least though the food at the latter wasn't bad, it just wasn't worth the up-charge. The Manhattan Room was the best of the free dining venues. The live entertainment and dance floor were nice. O'Sheehan's has a fairly limited menu and appetizer portions are small. The Garden Buffet was the best ship buffet we have encountered thus far. The variety of food was definitely broader than the other cruise lines and the quality of the food was superior. Though it seemed crowded at times, we never had problems finding a table, often for a group of 6 or 8. We had lunch at The Uptown Grill twice. The burgers and waffle fries were great. They also offer salads but we were never able to get past the burgers.

The wait time at the main/free dining rooms was pretty short, even at traditional dinner times. All in all we liked the flexibility of Freestyle Dining compared to being assigned the same table, same time, same restaurant, same server and same table-mates every night.

There are countless entertainment options. We saw Rock of Ages, Burn the Floor, Cirque Jungle Fantasy and really enjoyed Howl at the Moon. Howl at the Moon is mostly family-oriented, even at night, and always had a festive atmosphere. We saw Rock of Ages on Broadway several years ago and didn't remember it being quite as raunchy as the on-board version. Nevertheless, the music was great. We also saw the Second City Improv group (the family version) which was fun.

Though the kids in our party only took limited advantage of Splash Academy, their parents and we were impressed with the facilities and the calibre of the staff there.

We made good use of the large balcony which easily held 2 lounge chairs, 2 standard chairs and a small round table. The bathroom had a full-sized shower with multi-directional shower heads, double sink and plenty of floor space. The kids had a pull-down bed and a sofa-bed and actually enjoyed the pull-down. As other reviews have mentioned, you have to put some kind of card (we used a Costco card) in a slot near the door in order to keep the lights/AC on. We left ours in place for the entire cruise. Our location on deck 8 was convenient to a number of restaurants, bars and shopping.

The recreational areas are outstanding. The kids liked the ropes course, the bungee-trampoline, mini-golf, water slides and pools.

Other than the room steward, the service was on par with what we encountered on Celebrity and RCL. It wasn't quite to the level of Disney.

We booked a snorkeling excursion through NCL and did two others on our own. This is the first cruise on which we've been able to purchase Bermuda Transportation Passes on board. This saved quite a bit of time standing in line on shore plus it was charged to our ship account. We booked the Hartley's Helmet Dive and a fishing trip aboard the Jolly Roger on our own. This is our second time on the Helmet Dive excursion and we can't say enough good things about it. We did some day trips to Horseshoe Bay and Hamilton and others in our party did excursions to St. George.

Disembarkation was as smooth as embarkation. Unlike most cruises in which you are assigned a time, you can pick your time with NCL. The ship docked ahead of schedule and though our chosen departure time was 9:30, we were off the ship by 9:00. There were no unusual delays in getting luggage or going through Customs and Immigration.

Cons:

We tried room service for breakfast 3 days and the order was correct on only one of them. Two days we were shorted silverware and other times we were missing food. With tip I spent about $11 per breakfast. If NCL is going to charge extra for room service, they could improve the menu and definitely improve the attention to detail.

Our room steward covered the basics but was not personable. I didn't expect him to be our best friend but he really didn't seem to enjoy what he was doing.

The seats in the Breakaway Theater are quite uncomfortable. They dip downward and there is some kind of a bar at the back of the seat.

The cabin AC control was a little counter-intuitive in that pressing the snowflake button and illuminating it actually seemed to turn it off. Storage was a little tight for 4 people. Others have mentioned using the space under the couch but ours had pillows and blankets in it.

The iConcierge app needs a lot of work. The reception/signal was terrible, there were only limited views of activities on the ship and text messages/calls went through only some of the time. If the bugs get worked out, it would be a great tool and the cost is certainly reasonable.

The casino area was smoky and we skipped the Noodle Bar in that area because of smokiness.

Though I wouldn't consider this a con, it pays to plan ahead and book your dining and shows before sailing. We attempted to go back to Moderno on a second night, without a reservation, and found that they were 100% booked.