Some tips for Breakaway!

[camp85]

I enjoyed your tips. We were on the 8/18 sailing, and also had a large balcony. (9728 - right near you!) I also felt the gym was too small, and this was the first ship gym that had no shower facilities attached, (unless you bought the spa pass) which was a pain for us. There is also coffee and danishes set up in the casino, so you can grab a to go cup there.

The only problem I had with my cabin was the fact that I was standing on my balcony at 8 a.m. the first morning in Bermuda, watching the people stream off the ship - when I got totally soaking wet! I looked down, but it wasn't raining on the dock - so I looked up - and waaay up towards the top deck was a scaffold with a window washer doing his job! Since our balcony was extended beyond the others, I got a good shower! My dh and dd were cracking up, and I was laughing also! After I changed, I called guest services and told them what happened - laughing the whole time. The woman kept apologizing, offering to take my clothes for cleaning, etc. Again - I was laughing, and just said that the other ships (CCL and Disney) put notices in our mailboxes when they were going to clean the balconies - could the guy at least have shouted "heads up!" After we left the ship and explored Bermuda a bit, we came back to our room and sitting on my bed was a bottle of wine and chocolate-covered strawberries. My dh called guest services to thank them, and say it wasn't necessary. I was very impressed with the gesture.

 

I was on the same sailing and we did receive a notice the balconies and windows would be washed.

[NYFirstTimeCruiser]

There was smoke but not as bad to be needing nose plugs if you bypass the casino when going around the ship. I've read this smoke issue through previous posters so i made it a point to walk on the waterfront or the 8th deck above the casino. The only time it bothered me was when I was actually playing in the casino and a smoker lit up beside me. Otherwise, it wasn't that bad. There will be some who are more sensitive to it but it's a small percentage. Most on my cruise on Aug 18 enjoyed it. I saw a few disgruntled cruisers. That's normal. You can't please everyone. There was an announcement via the PA that they will be powerwashing the ship while at port. If the poster that got wet while on her balcony had it videotaped, that would have gotten viral :).

There are ways to enjoy the cruise if you know the negatives and try to work around them. We are definitely going again.

[Starry Eyes]

I guess we missed it somehow - but even Guest Services didn't know there was a notice anywhere! Either way, no harm, no foul - and Guest Services definitely was on top of the situation!:D

 

I am not sure I'd have caught the notice myself, but DH is a real detail guy. The notice warned items on the balcony could get wet; it did not warn that people on those extended balconies could get soaked:eek:. The way the ship is configured, those likely got much more water than others, so those cabins might deserve extra notice.

 

I guess it that leads to more tips:

-Watch out for the balcony and window washing in Bermuda. Do not leave stuff (or people;)) outside as they could get wet, especially on extended balconies.

-Keep your sense of humor, as exemplified by pe4all and family.

-Polite calls to guest services when you note room for improvement may (or may not) result in said improvements or a kind gesture.

[roe2ship]

I did the same thing...went with and open mind and was excited about sailing on the Breakaway!! A lot of the things people complain about on here aren't as bad as they make it out to be. A little bit knit picking ;) have a great time! You will enjoy the ship.

I somewhat agree with you however if one stays in a haven cabin I would imagine there is nothing to complain about. Perhaps if you were hunting for lounge chairs, waiting in lines for the dining rooms or some of the other common compaints about the Breakaway you wouldn't comment that others are "knit picking".

[cemetery-man]

Maybe NCL needs to reconsider how many passengers they cram onto their ships. I have seen many posts where past cruisers have voiced opinions that the Breakaway is overcrowded for its size. The more I read it sounds like maybe they are true. When we traveled with RCCL we never had to wait in lines for food or shows and there were always plenty of loungers to go around. We never had to wait or reserve one. And am I hearing right? Are the only chairs/tables available located in the lounge at the rear of the ship in a no children allowed area? So much for enjoying my grandchildren as they play in the pool. Sounds like NCL isn't really handicapped friendly.

Edited September 2, 2013 by cemetery-man

[shadowlover]

Maybe NCL needs to reconsider how many passengers they cram onto their ships. I have seen many posts where past cruisers have voiced opinions that the Breakaway is overcrowded for its size. The more I read it sounds like maybe they are true. When we traveled with RCCL we never had to wait in lines for food or shows and there were always plenty of loungers to go around. We never had to wait or reserve one. And am I hearing right? Are the only chairs/tables available located in the lounge at the rear of the ship in a no children allowed area? So much for enjoying my grandchildren as they play in the pool. Sounds like NCL isn't really handicapped friendly.

 

Unfortunately this is true. If you want to enjoy your grandchildren while they are in the kid pool then you will need to stand by them because there are not seats right by the kid pool anyway. The chairs by the kid pool are closer to the windows...it's a strange design but you can't see the kid pool if you are sitting in the lounge chair area. The nicest place to sit in my opinion is spice h2o but no kids under 18. The other areas are the front of the ship or upper decks nowhere near a pool. I do not think this ship was designed for the sole enjoyment of the passengers. I believe the ship is designed to make money. The areas that we enjoy on other ships we have sailed were well thought out and not so restricted.

I did not wait in line for any show even the ones I did not pre-book. I only had to wait one time to 7 of us) at various times all week. We did wait a long time for our food because service was a bit chaotic. Forget getting drink refills. All of the food we ordered did come correctly and was not cold or anything like that. I saw from previous posts that the food was not hot in the buffet and I will agree with this. It seems that they have a hard time keeping the food hot in some cases. Get the food that is being made to order fresh-most times it is delicious.

[Godiva830]

I somewhat agree with you however if one stays in a haven cabin I would imagine there is nothing to complain about. Perhaps if you were hunting for lounge chairs, waiting in lines for the dining rooms or some of the other common compaints about the Breakaway you wouldn't comment that others are "knit picking".

 

I did go to the buffet at times and did have dinner in the Manhattan room. There were plenty of lounge chairs on the upper decks. I avoided the crowds by doing all the sport activities on port days. No waits. Walked right on to everything numerous times. I didn't feel the need to cram everything there is to do on the ship the first day onboard.

[kerrydee]

Just off the break away and wanted to share some things I wish I had known so perhaps can be of help to someone else! For sailaway we went to deck 16 after eating lunch and sat all the way to the right on a comfy bed. It was shaded and a great spot! Make sure you save it quickly after boarding.

We booked a large balcony cabin on deck 9 and were sooo glad we did. There aren't any quiet comfy places to sit like I remember from the allure. Spent a lot of time on the balcony so very worth the investment!

Think like you would in disney and do things opposite what most do...eat at off hours. Get to the ropes course 30 minutes prior to open and you will be first in line. You can stay on it for as long as you like which is why the line is so slow! Go on the water slides late afternoon and you will have no line.

The pool is so small so I don't understand why people want to get a chair right near it...sit in spice h2o which is much nicer and quiet!!

Bring a nose plug if you hate smoke-I'm really serious.

Bring a pillow to sit on the uncomfortable chairs- your bottom will thank you.

Cash is needed in Bermuda to buy the transportation passes- no credit accepted!

DO NOT rely on your tv for your room statement. Get a hard copy of your charges and credit early in your sailing. On the tv it appears that all on board credit goes directly to the daily service charges making you think you have no credit left to spend and more reluctant perhaps to spend. We found out the last night that we had 80 dollars of NON REFUNDABLE credit that had to be spent or lose. Son had no trouble spending it in the gift shop but still...I thought this was deceptive and misleading.

Found a free wifi hot spot in Hamilton!! It is at a french bistro down the street from the ferry dock. I think it's called Bouchee. It was closed but we sat outside at their tables and enjoyed catching up.

Do not accept inside cabins on deck 9 forward. You can hear the noise/music from the shows in the theatre all afternoon and night long as though you were sitting in the show. Sister had cabins 9441 and 9445. Thought it was disgusting that they sold these cabins knowing full well we couldn't be the first to complain.

Don't worry about finding seats in the garden cafe- never a problem. Food is great.

I can not stress how poorly designed the ship is with the casino smack dab in the middle of the atrium. The noise and horrid stale smoke smell is such a shame you could cry. Quite clear to me that this ship was mainly built to make money not for the pure enjoyment of the paying guests. All the restaraunts have "outdoor" seating right below the casino which, again, is open to everything allowing the smoke to drift down while eating. We are just not used to this in this day and age. Does NCL just not know the dangers of second hand smoke??

Go to the gym late afternoon-it's empty at that time. The gym is way too small for the ship.

Try not to be bothered by the lack of enforcement on kids not being in the hot tub etc. They don't enforce any rules on the ship, good or bad. Oh, but they did enforce the no one under the age of 16 in the health club to exercise. Really? My poor athlete neice had to have her mom fight for this at guest services.

We had a great time because of our room and being on vacation to bermuda however I will never sail this ship again. I LOVED the allure...I was totally spoiled on her. sigh...

 

i looked at the deckplan. deck 9 fwd has cabins above and also cabins below (deck 8). the theater music is down on deck 6. explain the noise to me please?

[Dspcentury]

The yogurt place gives you 30 min free with a purchase and you need to use the 30 min from when you sign in. It's a better deal at the Bermuda Arts Center. It's across from where you get the busses. It's $2 for 2 hours or $5 for 12 hours. They give you a username and password and you log in and out of their wifi. The connection was good. We FaceTimed back home and went on the web.

Thanks for the heads up!! Can you tell me my wife has a kindle fire..is there wifi on the ship so that she can use it or is there a charge....

 

David...

[shadowlover]

i looked at the deckplan. deck 9 fwd has cabins above and also cabins below (deck 8). the theater music is down on deck 6. explain the noise to me please?

 

Like I said...cabins 9441 and 9445 had the noise issue not mine. The noise is as clear as if you are sitting in the theatre itself. My cabin was very quiet.

[pattycakes]

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.

[Godiva830]

Thanks for the heads up!! Can you tell me my wife has a kindle fire..is there wifi on the ship so that she can use it or is there a charge....

 

David...

 

There is wifi and there is a charge. It's expensive onboard and you don't get a lot of time for the price. I can't remember what the prices were but I do remember it was not worth it. If I needed wifi for business purposes I'd have no choice but for leisurely surfing I think it's not worth it. They do rent nooks onboard.$2.50 a day.

[dandmtemple]

Thanks for sharing your tips! I sail soon room 9804 praying for a room that has solitude!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[OceanBlue123]

I somewhat agree with you however if one stays in a haven cabin I would imagine there is nothing to complain about. Perhaps if you were hunting for lounge chairs, waiting in lines for the dining rooms or some of the other common compaints about the Breakaway you wouldn't comment that others are "knit picking".

 

I think a big part of the crowding problem on Breakaway is due to the large amount of space reserved for the Haven. I know the Haven folks pay extra for it, but it does not seem fair to take away so much from so many to satisfy only a few.

 

The Adult only Vibe and Spice/H2O make the matter even worse for families. There is so little deck space remaining.

[LMaxwell]

I have read a few reviews now of this ship / itinerary. I would like to do a Bermuda trip in the future (within next year or two). I have never sailed NCL, so I have been lurking on these boards a lot to learn more. It seems like NCL really nickle and dimes you to death on this ship; everything is optional/upcharge. Is my impression correct about this? I've read many reviews of the dining rooms being so busy that people HAD to go to pay venues. Not thrilled at the idea of the adult section requiring separate payment also.

 

I guess I'm trying to compare overall costs and amenities compared to any of the Royal ships that go to Bermuda too. That said, I don't read a lot of complaints about NCL....it just doesn't seem as relaxing to me; a little too much trying to beat the crowds of not pay a fee for this or that. I could be totally wrong since I haven't tried them; always willing to listen to more opinions on the matter.

[camp85]

I have read a few reviews now of this ship / itinerary. I would like to do a Bermuda trip in the future (within next year or two). I have never sailed NCL, so I have been lurking on these boards a lot to learn more. It seems like NCL really nickle and dimes you to death on this ship; everything is optional/upcharge. Is my impression correct about this? I've read many reviews of the dining rooms being so busy that people HAD to go to pay venues. Not thrilled at the idea of the adult section requiring separate payment also.

 

I guess I'm trying to compare overall costs and amenities compared to any of the Royal ships that go to Bermuda too. That said, I don't read a lot of complaints about NCL....it just doesn't seem as relaxing to me; a little too much trying to beat the crowds of not pay a fee for this or that. I could be totally wrong since I haven't tried them; always willing to listen to more opinions on the matter.

 

I sailed Breakaway a couple weeks ago and it was my first NCL cruise. We didn't have any trouble with the MDR but we tend to eat around 8:30 or later. I remarked to my wife about half way through the cruise that the PA system had been pretty quit in regards to trying to sell stuff. I had a completely different experience with that on Carnival. We did pay for specialty restaurants but it was because we wanted to not because we needed to.

[OceanBlue123]

i looked at the deckplan. deck 9 fwd has cabins above and also cabins below (deck 8). the theater music is down on deck 6. explain the noise to me please?

You need to look at the deck plans more closely. The cabins mentioned (9441 & 9445) are directly above the large, open white space on the deck 8 plan, and also directly above the middle of the theater on deck 7. There are no cabins in between. Probably just open space for theater lights, etc.

[OceanBlue123]

Thanks for sharing your tips! I sail soon room 9804 praying for a room that has solitude!

Cabin 9804 looks to be right above the wall separating Fat Cats Jazz & Blues Club and the Maltings Bar. Remember to turn the white balcony door handle up to make the tight seal that will, hopefully, keep out the sounds of the waterfront. As sounds go though, some background jazz does not seem too bad.

[karoo]

Sailing on Breakaway in a little under 4 weeks. I saw it mentioned that it was a good idea to do all the sporting activities on port days to avoid lines, get a lounger etc. That sounds a good plan, but what do you do on sea days. Do they have free organised activities eg line dancing or ballroom classes. Things to do etc. I'm not one who likes lining up or sitting around doing nothing. I can do that at home.

Also is the waterfront restaurants smoking areas? Are people allowed to smoke in the outdoor restaurants? (A foreign concept to me as all our dining areas, casinos etc are totally smoke free. Smoking is only allowed in outdoor areas, a certain distance away from doorways and definitely not where people are eating. I think the distance is 20 metres, approx. 60 feet)

[OnTheGoMom921]

Karoo~

On our sailing, we found no lines for the ropes course and slides on sea days when we went around 4:30 - 5 pm. If the ropes or slides open at 2 pm, go at 5 pm, when the lines die down. We walked right up to both slides and ropes every time. You will see staggered hours for those in your dailies. Just check them out at least 2.5 hours after they open. There were also no lines on ropes/slides during evening hours (they are open some nights until 10 pm)

There are always events/things to do scheduled in your dailies. You won't find yourself bored, in fact, you probably won't get to do everything you want to.

The smoking situation was spotty, and I'm sure depends on how many heavy smokers are on your sailing. Both DH & I are non-smokers. Sometimes we saw smokers on the Waterfront in the bar areas smoking, but never in the restaurant areas. I can tell you we were never bothered by smokers around the Waterfront area, there is such a lovely breeze while at sea. Just beware if you are downwind from a bar area on the waterfront, otherwise you shouldn't have a problem. The hardest place was IN the casino, but you don't have to stay there if you choose not to. And you can walk through areas on both deck 8 & 6 to avoid Casino. No worries! :) Enjoy your cruise!

[The P]

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.

Studios are on decks 10 and 11; I have one booked on 10. Would you please tell me your cabin number; I'd like to avoid "the music" if I can. Thanks!

[meglet]

LMaxwell -

 

I think a lot of what you're reading has to do with the time of sailing. Ships are full to the gills during school summer vacation. You probably won't run into the same need to "plan around" to avoid crowds.

[roe2ship]

I think a big part of the crowding problem on Breakaway is due to the large amount of space reserved for the Haven. I know the Haven folks pay extra for it, but it does not seem fair to take away so much from so many to satisfy only a few.

 

The Adult only Vibe and Spice/H2O make the matter even worse for families. There is so little deck space remaining.

I agree with you. Breakaway was the first and only ship that we actually had to change plans one afternoon because we could not find any loungers available.

 

I have read a few reviews now of this ship / itinerary. I would like to do a Bermuda trip in the future (within next year or two). I have never sailed NCL, so I have been lurking on these boards a lot to learn more. It seems like NCL really nickle and dimes you to death on this ship; everything is optional/upcharge. Is my impression correct about this? I've read many reviews of the dining rooms being so busy that people HAD to go to pay venues. Not thrilled at the idea of the adult section requiring separate payment also.

 

I guess I'm trying to compare overall costs and amenities compared to any of the Royal ships that go to Bermuda too. That said, I don't read a lot of complaints about NCL....it just doesn't seem as relaxing to me; a little too much trying to beat the crowds of not pay a fee for this or that. I could be totally wrong since I haven't tried them; always willing to listen to more opinions on the matter.

On my sailing we never had a problem getting into the dining rooms. We normally went from 6:00 to 7:15pm. In my opinion, the quality of food in the MDR is what may force you to go to the specialty restaurants. As for comparing Royal ships that go to Bermuda, that is a hard comparison as those ships are WAY smaller (besides Explorer) and all are much older. My deciding factor had much to do with the ships themselves, so I chose the Breakaway to go to Bermuda. If you do wait two more years, rumor has it that Royal's new Quantum of the Seas will go to Bermuda. However it will most likely do a 5 day Bermuda and 9 day Caribbean with one port day in Bermuda for the summer. Comparing the Quantum and the Breakaway would be an easy choice for me as Royal Caribbean is the leader in big ship design.

[Demonyte]

Do not accept inside cabins on deck 9 forward. You can hear the noise/music from the shows in the theatre all afternoon and night long as though you were sitting in the show. Sister had cabins 9441 and 9445. Thought it was disgusting that they sold these cabins knowing full well we couldn't be the first to complain.

 

There are similar cabins on every ship, we were just on Jade in a fwd suite on deck 9 and had similar "issue" and never figured out where the sound travelled to our cabin as the hallway outside our cabin door was completely quiet. However this isn't a problem to many people who do other things onboard than stay in their cabin all the time - and the shows were usually over shortly after 10pm.

[nkwoman]

The wifi package is 100 minutes for $55... you get 10 minutes free if you sign up at the beginning of the cruise. There is a larger package of 200+ minutes but I can't remember the cost.