Breakaway Review - Sailed with 3 and 6 year old, comparing to Disney Cruise.

Just off the ship today - we sailed from NYC to the Bahamas.

Husband and I used to cruise Princess before kids and loved it - that was 10 years ago. Last cruise we took after that was Disney Dream earlier this year.

I was debating going based on the kinda crappy reviews and only booked it because of a great price (Mini-suite, for four of us, under 2700$, plus a few hundred in on board credits ($280?), 10 photo package (my favorite perk!) Unlimited alcohol (my husbands favorite perk.) 300 Gig's wireless. It was the week of teachers convention - so didn't have to pull kids out of that much school. Flying the four of us to the bahamas or Turks cost nearly as much as the whole vacation.

I think the price is important here, as comparing to disney cruise of same length, it's pretty much 1/3 of the price - and even less if you include the drinks. I had read multiple bad reviews, so I went into it expecting... well... not nearly as much as I went expecting on the Disney Cruise. And maybe that's why I was so pleasantly surprised here. Was it as good as Disney? In many ways, no, in some ways, yes. Disney has a magic factor that no one can replicate. But did my kids love NCL as well? Yes - they totally did.

Kids Club - I was shocked by this. They preferred NCL kids club! (Granted, they were 8 months older than when we did the disney cruise in February, maybe that played into it... ) but I worried about them being separated and turns out, i think they might have preferred it that way. the activities really catered to the age groups. So, this was a pleasant surprise. My 3 year old took some warming up to it but by end of cruise asked to go. They went max 2 hours a day 4x of the cruise (last day they were in the kids show so were there longer.) Other kids loved going at night but my kids were too tuckered out - we finally let them go to the pajama party last night for a bit and they loved it. But - where Disney in my opinion is way better - is they can EAT at kids club. So you can have dinner with your spouse while the kids are taken care of. I really didn't like NCL closed for meal times. It made for long lines when dropping them off, and just kinda inconvenient if you ever wanted to do a normal time date night. (You could drop them off at 7pm and go have dinner, but that wouldn't work out for my tired 3 year old.)

SO Disney wins in theory. But since my kids rarely wanted to go, NCL wins for my kids in this case.

The Entertainment.... The two NCL shows were amazing. Burn the floor and Rock of Ages. Kids couldn't see the latter, but they loved the former! But Disney has appropriately timed shows good for everyone, and the kids loved watching one before bed each night (and the free popcorn.) And obviously that disney magic factor comes into play here with the characters, meet and greats, and the TV programming (really wish NCL had a kids channel so that you could put on a show or movie for them for some downtime while getting ready for dinner. Seems like an easy thing to do. ON NCL My kids thought the NCL magician was boring - he played more for an older crowd. Singers on NCL were wonderful. We sadly didn't get to go to howl at the moon (I get why its 9pm, just wished my kids could stay up!)

So - with kids, disney entertainment. Without kids -NCL.

Service. I was expecting so much at Disney and was disappointed with servers, etc. They were just ok. Some better than others, but nothing stood out. NCL- I wasn't expecting much - and didn't get much. I don't blame the servers, I think the industry is different than back when we were on Princess. You developed a repore, they knew you were going to tip them... on NCL, you don't get slips after dinner (with the free booze package anyway) and I don't blame them for not taking the time to schmooze as 1) they are working hard already 2) they are probably not expecting people to tip them (I'm sure some do, but my guess is that when you never see the server again, you are less inclined to tip.) Our Room steward was fine - however the room steward up the hall was amazing. He always stopped to talk to my kids, and even made them extra towel animals. I want to write someone about him (forgot to when we left today.) Gotta figure out how too.

Service- Disney wins. They better at 3x the price.

Food. Hit or miss. I found a lot of it really salty for some reason. But I liked the variety - and LOVED the Manhattan room. We were seated right next to the dance floor during dinner and a Burn the Floor show was happening. It was so great- they winked at our girls, blew kisses. My kids LOVED this (so did we!) Other nights they had a singer and we could dance (Kids loved this too.) Great place to eat with kids - ask to sit near dance floor. Taste and Savor were good too - we did breakfasts there and a lunch (cajun shrimp salad was good!.) Service took a while-even when we asked if they could speed it up as my 3 year old was exhausted one night (at 6:30pm... ) Teppanaki was really fun and good. Italian was ok - but great service there (and all the specialities.) Cagneys no longer has the tomahawk. Ambiance is nice there. We didn't do ocean blue or moderno. Worst dinner was the cirque surf and turf. But I didn't care, we weren't there for the food (and the show was worth the price.) Disney has free room service - which was kinda awesome.

Pool deck - Ok, so everyone complains about the cramped pool deck on breakaway. Yup - it was busy. Super busy - our sailing had a ton of kids. And yup - hard to get deck chairs. But when one kid needs you in the pool and the other wants you up on the slides, you don't get much time to notice. Frankly - I was most surprised to find I liked the cramped pool deck that everyone doesn't like as much as I did. On Disney, only two little pools for the kids, and one was always closed. now, not sure if NCL isn't as 'clean' as Disney, but the pools were NEVER closed - and the kids loved them. And the slides were awesome for my 6 year old. Sadly we never got to do rock wall or ropes course (lines kinda long and wind closed them some times.) Mini golf was cute. Kids loved the hot tubs. If you are an adult wanting to use the hot tub, best check out the adult only deck as they were overrun with happy kids.

Outdoor Shows/Entertainment - Disney hands down. NCL seemed to have nothing fun outside for kids their age in the evening. Now obviously Disney would win this category - but this mattered the most to me. NCL could have something... like outdoor movie under the stars around 7pm (Princess did that, and I think all other lines do.) Now, maybe I missed some kid related activities on the outdoor decks at night as my kids do go to bed on early side - but I saw nothing worth keeping them awake for.

Rooms-Disney wins. The balcony on NCL is super tiny - I will never go without getting a large balcony. IT was my least favorite part. Maybe its ok with two people, but with four impossible (and two of them are well under 50lbs.) Disney also has a separator curtain you can close when the kids go to sleep. Makes a big difference!

NCL room itself was very nice though - no complaints there. Mini-suite bathroom is nice and big. But next time I'd go large, balcony room and forgo the mini-suite.

Decor and General Feel - Breakaway is crowded. Not so bad when its warm out - but tons of people. That said I thought crowds were handled well (except maybe at restaurants where the service was so slow.) Pretty ship, but Disney was WAY more attractive. Like others, I didn't love the location of the casino on NCL and it was smokey. I was prepared of the smokiness thanks to all the reviews though.

WE had awesome weather and getting on/off ship was just fine (takes a while to get to private island as you have to tender, but so worth it!) We got on the ship around 1pm and the line was ok by then - got off easy this morning.

I feel like I have been rambling but I won't return to disney cruise (I kinda like the parks better anyway) and I would totally go on NCL again at this price point. Disney is not even worth double let alone triple the cost.

But I also wouldn't mind paying a little more and getting better service - some more activities for kids (like outside movies!) and better beer (forgot that there are no craft beers.) So we may try Royal Caribbean next out of NJ (nothing beats getting on vacation in an hour and not having to fly!)

Sorry - long winded. But hopefully this helps someone with little kids!

 

Rooms-Disney wins. The balcony on NCL is super tiny - I will never go without getting a large balcony. IT was my least favorite part. Maybe its ok with two people, but with four impossible (and two of them are well under 50lbs.) Disney also has a separator curtain you can close when the kids go to sleep. Makes a big difference!

NCL room itself was very nice though - no complaints there. Mini-suite bathroom is nice and big. But next time I'd go large, balcony room and forgo the mini-suite.

 

Only the Breakaway and Getaway ships have tiny balconies. When Breakaway came out people were shocked and aghast with the size that they complained. Getaway was already being built so no changes could be made. Escape was built after so she got the regular sized balconies.

The Escape is better than the BA and GA, and I would suggest you book Escape for the Bermuda cruise out of NYC. Bermuda has great beaches and Aquarium and your kids will have a ball. The kiddo pool area on Escape is great.

Your comparison review is great - yes, NCL is a lot cheaper than Disney (and RCCL in some cases). We just went on our 19th NCL cruise and still enjoyed it - we knew what to get and expect, but still we had a ball. We are still afraid to try other lines .... lol ... because NCL suits us.

Finding a large(ish) non-Haven balcony for 4 on BA/GA takes some work but it can be done. Escape (different class than BA/GA) has larger standard balconies but not everything is a direct carry-over between the 2 classes (Breakaway and Breakaway Plus).

As the Haven prices continue to rise, many (myself included) have taken a look at MSC's Yacht Club. MSC isn't in the NY/NJ area but even with flights to Florida, a Yacht Club suite can be done for a reasonable price.

Only the Breakaway and Getaway ships have tiny balconies. When Breakaway came out people were shocked and aghast with the size that they complained. Getaway was already being built so no changes could be made. Escape was built after so she got the regular sized balconies.

 

The Escape is better than the BA and GA, and I would suggest you book Escape for the Bermuda cruise out of NYC. Bermuda has great beaches and Aquarium and your kids will have a ball. The kiddo pool area on Escape is great.

 

Your comparison review is great - yes, NCL is a lot cheaper than Disney (and RCCL in some cases). We just went on our 19th NCL cruise and still enjoyed it - we knew what to get and expect, but still we had a ball. We are still afraid to try other lines .... lol ... because NCL suits us.

Thanks for the tip on Escape and the balconies! I was actually looking into that vs Anthem of The Seas as it goes to bermuda that first week in November (really the only week I feel comfortable going because less school to miss for the kids - we visit family in florida every year as well so try to avoid missing too much. And summer is not a good vacation time for us sadly.)

One thing that stood out for me when comparing NCL to Disney (or even to Carnival) is that Disney is pretty awful when it comes to adult fun. I had a bad feeling on the first night when, while in the 18+ area, one of the cast members accidentally said "hell" and then gasped when it slipped and she said to her coworker "oh geez, I hope I don't get fired" ... maybe she was joking, but it never got better. Hugely disappointed there.

But I did love their sailaway party, and our waiter was awesome. I told him on the first night how much I love coconut and he actually called our room one night when they were serving it to be sure I knew.:)

I was on this cruise too....much of what you said I agree. I was mainly a Carnival cruiser prior to this first cruise on NCL mostly impart to Carnival being able to fit 5 in some of there cabins. This trip it was me, my husband and my two girls 13 & 11. I will add a couple of things also... The smell of the smoke was horrific in the casino...we are non smokers. We learned how to navigate it but the stench carries far outside of the casino. I had the bump out balcony 13290 and we all fit perfectly on it and gave the added room needed for a family of 4. I agree there is no repore with the staff and I always enjoyed that on Carnival...I felt they were getting tipped so no reason to work extra hard for it...these people do work very hard. The dining areas especially the buffet are well kept and nothing is left long on the table as they are constantly cleaning. The Tv in the room is horrible...one channel played a movie and the other channel was playing big bang theory, two broke girls etc...mostly inappropriate shows for the kids...every now and then we saw doc mcstuffins....a lot of repeat shows. Food in the main dining rooms was monotonous. Service in the main dining room was super slow....close to 2 hrs from start to finish. We ended up favoring Taste and Savor....smaller dining room and faster service. Great Stirrup cay was great and Blue lagoon was even more great....Port Canaveral is a waste honestly...we did the shopping...we should have stayed on board. Shows were great..also magic and Mayhem was a hit with kids. My biggest tip for avoiding waits is get there early...we were at dinner as soon as or shortly after dining room opened....at the tender as soon as they would let us off....self disembark..we were on the line 715 when the tag said 8am.....we did NOT wait for anything.... when you have a ship of 4,000 all having the same idea to have dinner at 630...your gonna wait. Overall it was a great time. I paid around $2500 with the same perks, UBP, OBC....live an 1.5 hrs from the port. Hope this helps!

Thanks for the comparison. We were on Disney for the past three years and we did one NCL cruise years ago. My son (age 14) has grown out of Disney (cruises at least) and we are leaving on the Getaway in 7 Days. I caught the little balcony problem early on and booked an aft balcony which is maybe twice the size of the standard balcony, so not massive, but probably bigger than Disney. Eager to see how my son likes the kids club too. Maybe I’ll come back with another comparison from a teen perspective.

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And Escape has The District Brewhouse....check it out. If you want beer!

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Why not go back to Princess ? better than NCL and cheaper than Disney ?

Why not go back to Princess ? better than NCL and cheaper than Disney ?

I would totally try it but we need either week long cruise in nov or April and princess doesn’t have it. Is it good for kids too?

I really enjoyed your review. We did the same as you, Princess pre-kids, one Disney Cruise and now trying the Breakaway. We are trying a family ocean view; I wanted a tub and that porthole to sit by and watch the water. We’re bringing a portable DVD player to make up for the lack of tv options. Like you said, nice for getting ready in the evening! My LO isn’t old enough for Splash but I’m looking forward to playing with her at Guppies. We’ll be sure to request dance floor seating at MDR...when LO there be dancing/music around 5:00? My oldest will really enjoy if that’s the case. Thanks

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Sorry, that’s will there be dancing.....

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Thanks for the review. We'll be on Breakaway with our 3 year old in February, and some of your tips (like the Manhattan Room) never would have occurred to me.

Thank you so much for writing such a thorough review and it was terrific to get your perspective between your NCL cruise and Disney.

Keith

Most nights there is at least a band, only a few nights the burn the floor dancers are there. Once in ship, you can check the schedule for future days on the iconcierge app so you can plan accordingly! It’s worth it!

:)

I really enjoyed your review. We did the same as you, Princess pre-kids, one Disney Cruise and now trying the Breakaway. We are trying a family ocean view; I wanted a tub and that porthole to sit by and watch the water. We’re bringing a portable DVD player to make up for the lack of tv options. Like you said, nice for getting ready in the evening! My LO isn’t old enough for Splash but I’m looking forward to playing with her at Guppies. We’ll be sure to request dance floor seating at MDR...when LO there be dancing/music around 5:00? My oldest will really enjoy if that’s the case. Thanks

 

 

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Forgot to mention, we went to the melia on Bahamas day. So fun! It was quiet, pool was perfect for my age kids (we brought swimmies for the three year old and she used them every day.) there is a zero entry pool and it’s not too deep so the 6 year old was fine by herself. We got to relax. The beach was lovely and we could use paddle boards, kayaks, snorkel gear (didn’t see much snorkeling though).

On the private island we got off around 1030 and walked to the third beach (long walk with the Little’s back to buffet). Rent a raft on your way there if you are going to.

Beach was great, and much quieter. We got a covered cabana too. Lunch was bleh. But didn’t feel like walking all the way too taco bar.

There was a bar near third beach and some servers walking around.