Everything Breakaway!(LIVE on 4/28)

[time2cruise1]

58% is definitely not great, but that includes only two Bermuda cruises. I would ignore this number and monitor people's opinions of the Bermuda cruises. The algorithm is maybe a little goofy too; there's a guy who did the NY two-day who rated everything five stars except getting on board, and that translated into a three-star rating.

 

Really most of the 27 total cruises are from the 2day, 1day , and transatlantic. I believe the educated NCL passenger can completely dismiss most of the negative reviews. There are a few legitimate complaints but no show stoppers. Looking at just the 58% who loved it and not taking time to read the few reviews will not give anyone a true picture of the BA. Lets see what the numbers look like once there are 100s of reviews.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk - Jim

[tiffygirl]

Really most of the 27 total cruises are from the 2day, 1day , and transatlantic. I believe the educated NCL passenger can completely dismiss most of the negative reviews. There are a few legitimate complaints but no show stoppers. Looking at just the 58% who loved it and not taking time to read the few reviews will not give anyone a true picture of the BA. Lets see what the numbers look like once there are 100s of reviews.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk - Jim

 

*like

[capp]

So is cruise critic the only source you all go by? Have you read some of the ridiculousness that have been written folks were complaining about in these cruise critic reviews?:rolleyes: During last weeks sailing many folks were tweeting live off the ship ..they were travel agents and travel blog writers and travel writers for cnn, and usa today. Anyway one after the other they were all saying the same thing. Breakaway great ship, fabulous time, blah,blah blah..my point is dont make cruise critic your ONLY source for research and reviews.its still early and expect things may not be where thet should be, and some communication breakdown is inedible early on. Also, You may not be getting the full pictures in its entirety.

 

Hell, how many times you bought or heard of new cars.that were put on the showroom ready to be sold and find out later there's been a recall on make and model due to bad part, ect. .it happens, right?...new does not necessarily means everything will be perfect... In any business...imho

 

My point is dont jump ship just yet. Let them work on some corrective actions first to improve the situations.

 

Anyway, Have a great cruise!#:D

 

Love your attitude Tiffy!:D

 

Mimi:)

[capp]

Really most of the 27 total cruises are from the 2day, 1day , and transatlantic. I believe the educated NCL passenger can completely dismiss most of the negative reviews. There are a few legitimate complaints but no show stoppers. Looking at just the 58% who loved it and not taking time to read the few reviews will not give anyone a true picture of the BA. Lets see what the numbers look like once there are 100s of reviews.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk - Jim

 

Your's too time2cruise1.;)

 

Mimi:)

[SissasMomE]

And to be honest, NCL does not want those people cruising on their ships anyway, all they will do is put negative information out there. More space for people who love NCL like we do.

 

One person mentioned 60-90 minute wait, I have not read one review that said anything other than an hour wait. Maybe I missed it but some people read one bad thing and turn everything worse and exagerate. Not the kind of people we want to cruise with.

 

I'm a little confused here. Gambee reported that the waits were 60 minutes, and I don't for a second think he was exaggerating. I'm gold with NCL - will be platinum next cruise, and I can tell you that I find an hour wait on a cruise ship to be unacceptable. We've never had to wait an hour. I can certainly understand 20 minutes, maybe even 30, but 60?! Uh no. I really haven't read anything on here, and I am on here every day, of anyone exaggerating. Why people are jumping on these posters (who want to cancel) is beyond me... AND, if we are truly being honest, the ship does not have a high approval rating as of yet. It simply doesn't. CC puts it at 52%, the last time I checked .... I definitely don't think it's people just putting out negative information. I think it's cruisers giving honest opinions of a new ship. You really need to wait a month or two and then read the reviews -once the ship is established. But I never would accuse someone of lying or putting out negative information just for the hell of it.

[time2cruise1]

And Tiffy's right: We're likely to have a better experience in June than the inaugural Bermuda sailing people did.

 

The only 2 reviews from the inaugural Bermuda sailing published so far in the CC review section are 5 stars. How does it get better.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk - Jim

[SissasMomE]

Really most of the 27 total cruises are from the 2day, 1day , and transatlantic. I believe the educated NCL passenger can completely dismiss most of the negative reviews. There are a few legitimate complaints but no show stoppers. Looking at just the 58% who loved it and not taking time to read the few reviews will not give anyone a true picture of the BA. Lets see what the numbers look like once there are 100s of reviews.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk - Jim

 

No one should be judging just yet. You need to wait a good month or two. If the reviews are still bad, then .... by all means even the most "educated" cruiser should decide how they wish to proceed.

[time2cruise1]

No one should be judging just yet. You need to wait a good month or two. If the reviews are still bad, then .... by all means even the most "educated" cruiser should decide how they wish to proceed.

 

I agree the sample is too small but I disagree the reviews are bad. Read them.

 

 

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[time2cruise1]

I'm a little confused here. Gambee reported that the waits were 60 minutes, and I don't for a second think he was exaggerating. it.

 

What Gambee did not say was when that was. If everyone keeps showing up at 7:00 the long waits will continue. He did post no wait at 5:30 and I bet the same is true at 8:30. No different on any Freestyle ship. If you can show some flexibility anyone can avoid the possibility of extented wait times.

 

 

 

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[SuiteCruiser]

I'm a little confused here. Gambee reported that the waits were 60 minutes, and I don't for a second think he was exaggerating. I'm gold with NCL - will be platinum next cruise, and I can tell you that I find an hour wait on a cruise ship to be unacceptable. We've never had to wait an hour. I can certainly understand 20 minutes, maybe even 30, but 60?! Uh no. I really haven't read anything on here, and I am on here every day, of anyone exaggerating. Why people are jumping on these posters (who want to cancel) is beyond me... AND, if we are truly being honest, the ship does not have a high approval rating as of yet. It simply doesn't. CC puts it at 52%, the last time I checked .... I definitely don't think it's people just putting out negative information. I think it's cruisers giving honest opinions of a new ship. You really need to wait a month or two and then read the reviews -once the ship is established. But I never would accuse someone of lying or putting out negative information just for the hell of it.

 

The other thing is, and I too love me some Gambee, that he has not eaten in the MDR once this week. I think he is basing his information on others who have told him they waited an hour. I know if I'm standing in a line for a while it feels like an hour too.

 

I've been given a pager a few times on other cruises and am happy to have a bevvy while waiting for a table. I don't see it as such a big deal.

 

What I would be worried about was if Gambee was eating in the MDRs every night and couldn't get into any of them for an hour each night, then I might think there is a big issue. I don't know where he's getting his info from, if it's from the screens, people in line, or actually approaching the podium and asking, but we know it's not from him waiting in line and then eating.

[Michie78]

I was on The Oasis of the seas last May and one day we went to dinner alittle later and we waited almost an hour. There are going to be lines during prime times.

[bear3412]

We have looked there. We are puzzled that the S-5 balconies are listed as 48 to 69 square feet. Our TA advised us (after speaking with Norwegian) that the S-5 balconies are 54 square feet. We are familiar a 54 square foot balcony because that is the size of the balconies on the Celebrity Solstice class ships. We will be uncomfortable with anything that is smaller. Also, we are interested in the depth of the balcony.

 

The range is listed at 48 - 69 because those are the ranges discovered from varying sources. The balcony for your cabin could very well be 54. I will say the 69 is for the two port side aft S5 cabins on both levels as those have slightly larger balconies. The HC S5 is the same as the S4, or very close, as best I can tell.

 

Since the S5 HC is listed separately now, perhaps I will raise the lower range on the S5. That lower range initially represented the S5 HC. Also if the S4 is 43, than the S5 is definitely not 48. So tweaks on the way.

 

By looking at images I'll guess the depth is 4.5 feet. All these side Haven balconies are obviously the same depth. So how wide is the cabin? I don't know. If a typical S5 balcony is 54, and you divide by 4.5 depth you get 12. So, is the S5 cabin width 12 feet? Perhaps, sounds plausible to me.

 

Hope that helps explain things. I'm comfortable with 16118 having a 54 sqft balcony with dimensions 4.5' x 12'.

 

Also, I feel these sqft #'s given out by cruiselines/shipyards are w/o railings, and don't count the gutter. So it's possible the total deck space is 54, but the railing and gutter eat up 6" x 12'. So you lost 6 sqft right there. 54 - 6 = 48 sqft. Just a theory.

 

As I continue to state, I was trying to post values found from various sources, not makeup #'s, or exaggerate. :) Even though in some cases it would have been easier and more accurate. lol.:D

 

Thanks for the inquiry, which leads to adjustments, and therefore accuracy. :)

[time2cruise1]

My favorite reviews are from those on the first cruise 2 night British Isles. Value for money 3 stars and it was FREE :D

 

 

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[capp]

My favorite reviews are from those on the first cruise 2 night British Isles. Value for money 3 stars and it was FREE :D

 

 

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Hah!:D

[rkgdmd]

So is cruise critic the only source you all go by? Have you read some of the ridiculousness that have been written folks were complaining about in these cruise critic reviews?:rolleyes: During last weeks sailing many folks were tweeting live off the ship ..they were travel agents and travel blog writers and travel writers for cnn, and usa today. Anyway one after the other they were all saying the same thing. Breakaway great ship, fabulous time, blah,blah blah..my point is dont make cruise critic your ONLY source for research and reviews.its still early and expect things may not be where thet should be, and some communication breakdown is inedible early on. Also, You may not be getting the full pictures in its entirety.

 

Hell, how many times you bought or heard of new cars.that were put on the showroom ready to be sold and find out later there's been a recall on make and model due to bad part, ect. .it happens, right?...new does not necessarily means everything will be perfect... In any business...imho

 

My point is dont jump ship just yet. Let them work on some corrective actions first to improve the situations.

 

Anyway, Have a great cruise!#:D

 

 

I conceded that it was early yet and that things may yet get resolved, but thanks for the car analogy...it really helped me understand the situation better.:rolleyes: As a matter of fact, I do rely primarily on CC reviews. Articles and pieces by CNN or USA Today are often "puff pieces" written to create buzz and excitement and often have little to do with an actual cruisers experience. Same for TA's...their looking to sell vacations. That's not to say I rely entirely on one source or review either...I don't.

 

My concern is that perhaps Breakaway is a departure from the typical NCL cruise experience. We are now having to pay for some entertainment. The entertainment that is complimentary comes with the caveat that we might want to make reservations to ensure we get seating. Reservations at speciality restuarants appear harder to get than on my previous NCL cruises. This may all turn out to be unnecessary worrying on my part, but considering the premium I'm paying for this trip, I don't think a little concern on my part is unreasonable. It just seems that the Breakaway requires a little too much prep work for my liking. I've never had a bad time on a cruise, and I'll be damned if this #$%&^*#@*&^ Breakaway is going to ruin this #@%$@#&*^ trip!:D:D

[rkgdmd]

They only release 33% of the reservations prior to the cruise. That means that two-thirds of dining and show reservations are still available to be booked when you board. Don't stress! :)

 

Thank you....that's what I thought but the concierge wouldn't confirm that!

[rkgdmd]

You will be able to make the changes you want onboard with the concierge. Only a percentage of reservations are available for advanced bookings and always some head for the concierge onboard.

 

 

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Thanks Jim

[swim13]

IMO we should all just relax! The fact of the matter is that there is something extremely unique about Earth, it's filled with over 7,000,000,000 human beings and not one of them is exactly the same. Therefore we all have our own opinions! I don't know I just hate having to read a bunch of animosity on a forum about vacation, bliss!

 

Its kind of becoming the Android vs. Apple "fight" ughh! Truth is, we shouldn't judge a ship until we have been on it or there have been 1,000's of reviews that say the same thing, or if Gambee says something! :p

 

If I ever get the chance to take psychology, I hope to study why the human brain possesses something and protects it so strongly. Trust me, I am even victim of this! Just like how I used to fight with anyone who said something bad about RCI, I've learned to look at their viewpoint and to not get so upset, naturally. I'd love to give every line a chance now, just like Gambee!

 

Sorry, I just wanted to stop the debate before it got too HOT! :o

[bear3412]

.... Sorry, I just wanted to stop the debate before it got too HOT! :o

 

But what else are we going to do, ..... until more reports come in? :p

[swim13]

But what else are we going to do, ..... until more reports come in? :p

 

Especially since Gambee won't be reporting until he gets back to NYC, haha!! :p

[tiffygirl]

I'm a little confused here. Gambee reported that the waits were 60 minutes, and I don't for a second think he was exaggerating. I'm gold with NCL - will be platinum next cruise, and I can tell you that I find an hour wait on a cruise ship to be unacceptable. We've never had to wait an hour. I can certainly understand 20 minutes, maybe even 30, but 60?! Uh no. I really haven't read anything on here, and I am on here every day, of anyone exaggerating. Why people are jumping on these posters (who want to cancel) is beyond me... AND, if we are truly being honest, the ship does not have a high approval rating as of yet. It simply doesn't. CC puts it at 52%, the last time I checked .... I definitely don't think it's people just putting out negative information. I think it's cruisers giving honest opinions of a new ship. You really need to wait a month or two and then read the reviews -once the ship is established. But I never would accuse someone of lying or putting out negative information just for the hell of it.

 

First of all, no one is jumping on anyone for wanting to cancel. At the end of the day Its their money, do what you have to do. MY position is dont let what you read see on cruise critic reviews be the reason why and especially after a few sailings. A low approval rate on cruise critic means what??? all honesty i could care less actually, because im still going on my breakaway vacation and have grand time...low cruise critic reviews or not. nor i do need another persons review to be the determining factor on whether i cruise or cancel my breakaway cruise. But hey to each his own.

 

Secondly, yes a 60 minute wait time is too long..but we don't know if i was for ALL 3 resturants or is just Manhattan. Or what time frame is it. If it is just Manhattan then folks "choose "to wait. i refuse to believe that taste, Manhattan and savor EACH have a 60 minute wait time dead solid from 5:30 pm to 9:30pm for 7 nights straight. Reallly???????this is not ncl's first rodeo. Epic only has 2 mdr and epic has more passengers. Breakaway has 3 mdr and less passengers...im just saying.:rolleyes: Manhattan had the wait times while taste did not.

[BrueDragon]

Jebus, it sounds like everyone has there panties in a bunch over the MDR situation.

Y'all need to go get pliers and pull your panties outta your arse, apply ice to the inflamed area and CALM DOWN!!!! :cool:

 

Give them some time to fix everything.

 

I bet the MDR thing is cuz of that female dog ( that's witch with a b ) Peter Max :D

[KeithJenner]

My concern is that perhaps Breakaway is a departure from the typical NCL cruise experience. We are now having to pay for some entertainment. The entertainment that is complimentary comes with the caveat that we might want to make reservations to ensure we get seating.

 

This doesn't make it a departure for NCL. You have had to pay for Cirque Dreams on the Epic since it launched. The only entertainment you pay for (as far as I'm aware) is when it comes with food, as on the Epic.

 

The majority of entertainment doesn't require a reservation. It's really only the two big shows (Rock of Ages and Burn The Floor) that you have to reserve, and it is possible to get into those without a reservation if you wait for unused seats to be me available. Again, this is the same as the Epic.

 

Regarding the reviews, I would certainly take them with a massive pinch of salt at the moment. There just aren't enough of them to trust them. Also, a number of them seem to be focused on service issues which I'm sure will be improved as time passes.

 

A few are concerned with issues which just won't be relevant. I've read reviews (and spoken to people) on the Transatlantic where people were upset that there was no fuss made about it being the first cruise. Ignoring the fact that I thought this was made very clear before we left, this is unlikely to be of relevance to future cruises.

 

I rated the Breakaway 5 stars. Yes there are a number of venues (such as Bliss) which are a bit small, the balconies are tiny, and I noted in my review about the slow service, but I am confident that this is just as they are getting used to things and, as someone mentioned earlier, getting to know how customers use the various areas.

 

The biggest mistake that NCL have made, in my opinion, is sailing so full so early.

 

Lets see what the reviews are like in a couple of months time. Having seen the ship, I'll be amazed if it isn't significantly higher than where it is now.

[gambee]

We are rocking and rolling really good! Fun fun fun, feels like a roller coaster. Waves not too high 8ft, but I think this is the most motion I've ever felt. That is odd considering that the Silli is a smaller ship and we sailed 16ft waves. Either way not complaining, movement helps me remind myself that I am on a ship.

 

Also remember I am aft, I wonder how mid is bearing this.

 

I think a few people are going to be sick today. My guess is that waves will only get bigger as we sail into Manhattan.

[Tyron]

We are rocking and rolling really good! Fun fun fun, feels like a roller coaster. Waves not too high 8ft, but I think this is the most motion I've ever felt. That is odd considering that the Silli is a smaller ship and we sailed 16ft waves. Either way not complaining, movement helps me remind myself that I am on a ship.

 

Also remember I am aft, I wonder how mid is bearing this.

 

I think a few people are going to be sick today. My guess is that waves will only get bigger as we sail into Manhattan.

Enjoy your day @ sea! :D :cool: