pattycakes

whales have been back outside the harbor for the last 8 years or so-we even have whale watching tours out of Breezy Point/Rockaway. in fact an NCL ship caught one on its bow 2 or 3 years ago. hope everything works out for the ship. Guess they got the extended SoL viewing time.

I was wondering about this. She even got a salute from the fire boat. In fact further down the Narrows, the Breakaway got one also.

cha cha slide:

cupid:

Fair Warning: Chair Hogs dwell in the Spa as well.

Duh! I was on 10!

It really was faint -- I wouldn't be concerned about it; but if you are take a room on 11. Though you have the advantage having the lounge on the same level on 10. If anything I would suggest getting a room without a connecting door to try to cut down on the sliding closet noise -- though that might just be a continuous wall issue.

I thought there was a ton of deck space -- just not by the pool. Poorly configured yes, but not necessary to take away free adult only space.

good luck getting one. they were gone in 20 minutes.

I guess all the previous hype has cause them to be the thing to get.

on the other hand Spice H20 is kid free and low key.

you can buy a wifi/internet package onboard.

******

don't ask me how but there is music that filters into 9 forward. I stated in an earlier post that I had a studio and it was audible.

Thank you for sharing your review & photos! Great pictures!

 

My husband & I will be on the Breakaway in a couple of weeks & found this very helpful. We are also photographers.

 

We are also going to tour the island on our own & plan on getting the 3 day transportation passes. Were the lineups long to purchase the passes?

We were off the ship about 9:15 and there were 4 ppl ahead of us. There is also a kiosk (small yellow bldg) by the ferries before the tour kiosks.

The best hint I can offer if you is to get a Vibe Beach Pass if you don't mind not being near the pool/loud music. It was well worth the money, and gives you a "private" bar/shower/2 hottubs and loungers for all who have the pass. They pass around fruit skewers, cold towels, and squirt you down if you are hot. We spent hours there every day, and didn't have to fight for loungers.

They were sold out by 11:30. I don't regret not getting one at the end of the day. I never had an issue getting a chair at Spice and at least they have the waterfalls to cool off in. Food and drink was easily accessible at Spice and there was no blaring music and it was also a kid free zone as well.

The smoking really sucks. This week was really full -- I think they said 4700 passengers with triple and quad counts. I don't mind outdoor smoke -- it's the enclosed area smoke that bothers me so I avoided the casino and the bars in that area and hung out outside which I really enjoyed. They do not allow smoking at the bar but they do within 10 feet. All of the outside tables at Fat Cats have ashtrays so plan accordingly.

Spice is the way to go for adults only quiet (but crowded) space. Get there by 10. If you prefer the entertainment at the pool sleep there overnight ;) Also, if you want a cabana head up to 17 forward early where there are also some cushioned beds and chairs. There are about 6 of them near the Haven in public space. There is also a large shower (to cool off) and bar on that level -- there is access to an additional sundeck from 17 that is great for taking pictures of the sunset.

If you want to avoid the crowds, watch the fireworks from Shakers outside bar on 8 or anywhere nearby on the open deck.

If you really like the ship photos, insist they take your room number! Too many people were finding strangers in their photo bin and too many weren't getting the photo they ordered. Serious mess. I had one photo of me and one of someone else and that was it!

Download the iconcierge app in port or before! Once you are at sea and don't have access you can not do it unless you buy their internet package (I was told this by Customer Service so if anyone had a different experience, please advise). Also turn off your wifi at the NY port -- the NCL wifi interferes with your regular internet access while in port and jams it up (at least it did mine). Otherwise, bring a highlighter for the daily and set a phone alarm to notify you if there is an event you really want to go to. Manually change your phone time settings (Hamilton Bermuda) to ensure you're in sync with the ship and keep your phone in airplane mode to avoid charges.

Spa Pass isn't worth it in my opinion. If you'd like a general spa day do the one day pass in port. It was crowded with chair hogs. There were times when 1 or 2 chairs were empty with a total of 12 people in the spa including the sauna/steam and salt rooms. This ship is the first I've been on that didn't have steam and sauna access for gym users. Classes are steep -- Spin/Fly is $30 per.

I had a studio on 9. The lounge was nice and they coordinate solo events like dinner and the Ice Bar -- the studio is functional but as someone said I could hear the music -- if I turned on the bridge channel though it covered it and I wasn't in the room enough for it to bother me. The worst thing about the studios is the closets. You can hear others opening and closing -- so if next door gets up at 5:30 a.m. and can't figure out where their stuff is between the 2 closets and opens and closes them 20 or 30 times, you will be woken up.

Lobster tails -- just the tails -- at the Garden Cafe on dress up night (Monday). The Garden Cafe is crowded -- but it's manageable -- again it depends on what time you go. There are wine dispensers and a bar so you can enjoy a cocktail with your mac and cheese ;) - they have a carving station at lunch and dinner, plus an Asian station and they had a German station for lunch on Saturday. The nicest thing about Cuccina was the outside table -- we experienced no smoke and the sunset was beautiful; even if the food was simply mediocre the service was great. The Manhattan Room food was salty when it came to the main dish as others have said. I also found it dark. Cirque was excellent -- the food was fine but I hated trying to eat and watch a show in the dark! It was impossible to cut your food and not miss something above. Bistro was hit or miss: 2 in our group didn't eat their entrees (lobster (extra fee) and duck) and service was mixed. Savor was ok -- better than Manhattan in my experience.

Bring a portable beach chair! Horseshoe is jammed packed and if you don't get there early even the coves are taken. Bring your own water and muffins from the ship and head over to Warwick or Stone Hole down the road or the public beach at Elbow which doesn't have chairs (I think I read you can pre-reserve chairs at the resort -- check the destination boards). If you have the bus pass, you can do Elbow (or any south shore beach) and take the bus into Hamilton for a walk about and then catch a ferry back to ship :)

Wifi: you can purchase the TBI in dockyard for $15 for 3 days or most bars and restaurants will give you the access code. The TBI signal is the best by the convenience and yogurt stores. Not the most convenient way to access wifi but doable.

Cemetery-man: go to Spice H20 -- on the first level there are wicker chairs with cushions and tables that you can hang in instead of lounge chairs. And the Uptown Grill is nearby for breakfast and lunch or just take the stairs down one for direct access to the Garden.

Added: You can use any card to keep your electric on when not in the room -- I used a AAA card when I needed to charge my phone.

I did it way back in 2004 or 2005. We used to go to John Smith's Bay where there wasn't a rental stand anymore If you'd rather spend your money on other stuff go for it. We just tagged them and dropped them off with luggage.

If I recall correctly they changed the category on those rooms a couple of years ago -- they weren't always sold as a junior suite.