NCL's Waterfront - I wish Celebrity had thought of that!

[fortinweb]

I am not an NCL fan, but I find the Waterfront idea on their Breakaway to be fantastic. http://malcolmoliver.wordpress.com/ncl-breakaways-waterfront/ What I really like about this concept are the dining areas that are nearer to the water than is typical, with great views to enhance the experience.

 

I so wish that Celebrity had thought of this idea for the S-class ships. Imagine how stunning the already great S-class would have been with this concept! Now that NCL has already done it, I doubt it will ever be incorporated in a Celebrity ship, new or old.

 

 

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

When I see that drawing I think of outdoor seating at Royal Caribbean Johnny Rockets on Freedom Class ships and the SeaView Cafe on Radiance Class ships. I remember one time on Radiance, ss I sat at an outside table at the SeaView, each piece of lettuce on my salad blew away one by one. The wind was so strong I could barely eat.

 

Similar things can happen at Johnny Rockets on Freedom Class ships if you sit at the outside booths. The wind can get really strong.

 

So I wonder about those nice restaurant scenes on NCL Breakaway and Getaway. At least the seating isn't right next to the rail so perhaps there is some protection from strong winds, but I do have to wonder of it will be as nice in practice as it looks in the drawing.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

On Celebrity S-Class ships, you can sit outside on a large porch behind the buffet and eat. Hubby and I sat out there every night and enjoyed it immensely.

[mcrcruiser]

On Celebrity S-Class ships, you can sit outside on a large porch behind the buffet and eat. Hubby and I sat out there every night and enjoyed it immensely.

 

Yes that is the answer & it works well:D

[kjaooo]

im guessing the next celebrity ships will have something similar to the boardwalks that there sister line has

[LetsGoDutch]

But you can't use it when it's windy.

 

When I did the Epic from Miami in March, it was so windy outside, I was afraid I was gonna do a 'Mary Poppins'.

[CRUZBUDS]

Wind can be a factor at any outdoor venue, a couple of weeks the cheese blew off DW's cheeseburger while still in line at the burger place by the pool of the Century. It was the funniest thing :D

 

We loved the Seaview on the Radiance class as well, but there were lots of times eating outdoors wasn't an option

[fortinweb]

I remember one time on Radiance, ss I sat at an outside table at the SeaView, each piece of lettuce on my salad blew away one by one. The wind was so strong I could barely eat.

 

Similar things can happen at Johnny Rockets on Freedom Class ships if you sit at the outside booths. The wind can get really strong.

 

So I wonder about those nice restaurant scenes on NCL Breakaway and Getaway. At least the seating isn't right next to the rail so perhaps there is some protection from strong winds, but I do have to wonder of it will be as nice in practice as it looks in the drawing.

 

Wind can be a factor at any outdoor venue, a couple of weeks the cheese blew off DW's cheeseburger while still in line at the burger place by the pool of the Century. It was the funniest thing :D

 

We loved the Seaview on the Radiance class as well, but there were lots of times eating outdoors wasn't an option

 

But you can't use it when it's windy.

 

When I did the Epic from Miami in March, it was so windy outside, I was afraid I was gonna do a 'Mary Poppins'.

 

Didn't think of that. Thanks for the reality check.

 

Maybe it's not such a good idea after all. Will be interesting to read reports from passengers.

[6andy6]

I think it's not only somewhat tacky looking...but in some respects may have problems. I hope they have plenty of seating areas inside and the serving areas are also inside. Imagine how I appealing it would be in a storm, rough days, cold days. Basically designed for warm weather cruising full stop.....

[Cruising89143]

I don't like it for several reasons. That deck causes all of the cabins above to look down on the Waterfront. I would not like that. I have ready plenty of complaints from those cruising Carnival's Dream class with the same type setup of the promenade deck. As stated weather is going to be an issue. I think the ship looks nice interior wise but I don't see us trying it. We are not huge fans of NCL. Here is a link to some photos of the ship.

 

http://www.shipparade.com/az/Norwegian_Breakaway/Norwegian_Breakaway_cruise_ship_review.htm

[hansolosmom]

Man you guys are a bunch of 'half empty glass' people.

 

I think it's a fantastic idea. I would think they've considered the wind & weather especially since its sailing from NYC.

[fortinweb]

I did an image search on the web to see how the Waterfront was incorporated into the ship. I take back my comments that I thought it was a good idea. Check out the photo at this link http://ww1.prweb.com/prfiles/2013/03/28/10582934/Breakaway.jpg (you can enlarge the image for better detail) and you will see that almost the entire length of the so-called Waterfront has obscured views due to the lifeboats being just below that deck. Not only are the lifeboats blocking the view of the water below, but the arms used to lower them will be visible even when looking straight out.

 

That, and the fact that the roof of the Waterfront blocks the view down to the water alongside the ship from most balconies, especially those on the deck immediately above, makes this feature a non-starter for me.

 

I'm now embarrassed that I brought this up in the first place.:o

[CI66774]

I think it's a great idea. Ideal for nice weather - not so much for bad weather. I haven't cruised on NCL yet (booked for September) but I'd love to sit out there and watch the ocean.

[miched]

Isn't that ship scheduled to sail year round out of NY?

 

Will be interesting in the winter months. Do you think they will supply fur coats and hats while using that area?

 

 

.

[Cruising89143]

Man you guys are a bunch of 'half empty glass' people.

 

I think it's a fantastic idea. I would think they've considered the wind & weather especially since its sailing from NYC.

 

No we just happen to be realistic. Also it's called expressing an opinion. Glass half full or empty, I don't like it.

[DrivesLikeMario]

When I see that drawing I think of outdoor seating at Royal Caribbean Johnny Rockets on Freedom Class ships and the SeaView Cafe on Radiance Class ships. I remember one time on Radiance, ss I sat at an outside table at the SeaView, each piece of lettuce on my salad blew away one by one. The wind was so strong I could barely eat.

 

Similar things can happen at Johnny Rockets on Freedom Class ships if you sit at the outside booths. The wind can get really strong.

 

So I wonder about those nice restaurant scenes on NCL Breakaway and Getaway. At least the seating isn't right next to the rail so perhaps there is some protection from strong winds, but I do have to wonder of it will be as nice in practice as it looks in the drawing.

 

Exactly what I was thinking. We had a bad case of bold seagulls eating aat the table right next to us at the Seaview Cafe on the Radiance.

[kkorman]

Where do you lay in the sun on this ship... That top dci sure is full.

 

I like the concept, but did not realize where it would be located and think it is terrible idea for winters out of NY.

[Lsimon]

On Celebrity S-Class ships, you can sit outside on a large porch behind the buffet and eat. Hubby and I sat out there every night and enjoyed it immensely.

 

The Silhouette and Reflection also have "The Porch" in the same deck as the lawn. It is an extra cost venue with a fixed cover charge of $5 but very nice.

[skittl1321]

I've seen a few pictures of the walk way looking EXTREMELY crowded, there were chairs on both sides of the divider, which made walking look even harder.

 

 

But this review made me think it would have been better on Celebrity:

http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/captain-greybeard/2013/05/whats-hot-and-whats-not-about-.html

. They are particularly popular among smokers.

 

I'm actually a bit surprised that NCL allows smoking out there. It would be a turn off for a lot of passengers wanting to use the space. I know on Carnival, smoking is fairly restricted in the outdoor buffet area, just one side of the ship...

[sledhead]

I did an image search on the web to see how the Waterfront was incorporated into the ship. I take back my comments that I thought it was a good idea. Check out the photo at this link http://ww1.prweb.com/prfiles/2013/03/28/10582934/Breakaway.jpg (you can enlarge the image for better detail) and you will see that almost the entire length of the so-called Waterfront has obscured views due to the lifeboats being just below that deck. Not only are the lifeboats blocking the view of the water below, but the arms used to lower them will be visible even when looking straight out.

 

That, and the fact that the roof of the Waterfront blocks the view down to the water alongside the ship from most balconies, especially those on the deck immediately above, makes this feature a non-starter for me.

 

I'm now embarrassed that I brought this up in the first place.:o

 

The first thing I thought of when I saw the video that was posted was how ugly the lifeboats are and how they will take away from the view in that area. I love how ncl photo impression leaves that out! Plus I can imagine all the extra charges to use all those venues! Great idea but probably not too well planned out.

[Dave85]

I don't like it for several reasons. That deck causes all of the cabins above to look down on the Waterfront. I would not like that. I have ready plenty of complaints from those cruising Carnival's Dream class with the same type setup of the promenade deck. As stated weather is going to be an issue. I think the ship looks nice interior wise but I don't see us trying it. We are not huge fans of NCL. Here is a link to some photos of the ship.

 

http://www.shipparade.com/az/Norwegian_Breakaway/Norwegian_Breakaway_cruise_ship_review.htm

 

Having booked my NCL Breakaway cruise just 3 short months after sailing on the Carnival Breeze, I learned my lesson and booked a balcony away from the "Waterfront" to avoid just what you described. Fortunately, unlike on the Carnival Dream class ships where the "Lanai" extends the entire length of the ship, on Breakaway there's a large portion of the ship (forward, if memory serves me) where the balconies aren't affected by that.

 

It was very annoying on the Carnival Breeze -- the noise drifting up more so than the impeded view -- and I was determined to avoid it on the Breakaway. I'm glad Celebrity doesn't have something similar.