Breakaway 12 day: 1/5/2014

[CTCruiser28]

It was so hard to get off the ship today. We had a great 12 days on the beautiful NCL Breakaway. We had booked a m6 balcony cabin and loved it. No noise and very little motion. The balcony was massive and we had the best views coming into ports. Our family has been on 10 NCL cruises and this one may have been our favorite. The ship looks gigantic when arriving at the pier. However, when walking on decks 6, 7, and 8 it feels similar to the size of the Gem. The public spaces never felt crowded and we really liked the layout of the ship. Our favorite spot was on deck 8 on the waterfront. It was a great location to hang out and walk around. The only day the ship felt crowded was on Day 1. There was a lot of congestion around the elevators. After Day 1 we never noticed it again. The hallways felt narrower than other ships we have been on. We could not use the baby stroller because the stewards cleaning carts would block a good portion of the hallway.

 

Crew:

 

I have to give the crew of the ship a huge thanks for making this cruise so spectacular. They did everything they could to make it the best possible. So many hard working men and women for such a large group. They treated my son like one of their own. They all went out of their way to make it special for him. We were so fortunate to have Adrian Bica as our concierge. He is our favorite and always goes well above and beyond. We already miss him! Ignore all negative reviews that you may have seen. Too many complainers and a lot of rude people!

 

Ports:

 

We chose this itinerary because of a great list of islands. Many of them our favorites and even some we haven't been to. They all were great beach days. For those on the next 12 day look into getting a day pass at the Marriott in St.Kitts. It was $35.00 and it had a great beach and nice pool area. The food was good and drinks were well priced. We didn't need to make any prior reservations. Just show up.

 

Entertainment:

 

Since we had a 1year old on this cruise it was a little different than past cruises. We weren't able to make a lot of shows. One piece of advice is to make reservations for the entertainment the first or second day and show up at least 15 to 20 minutes early to grab your seats. Howl at the moon and Slam Allen stood out as our favorites. The cirque show was our favorite and well worth the 40.00 charge. It is a must see!

 

Food:

 

Food is always subjective. We have no complaints. Don't miss the lobster and shrimp dinner and the Prime Rib in O'Sheehans. Food was average to above average. I noticed the desserts weren't as good as those on the Gem. We visited Le Bistro and Cagney's and they were very good. We never experienced a wait in the main dinning rooms as we would always go to eat around 5:00-530. Service was excellent as usual.

 

Disembarkation:

 

After disembarking the ship I have one piece of advice. Do the walk off!!! You'll thank yourself later.

 

A lot more people and lots of congestion. This was a great cruise and if you're going on the breakaway, ignore the complainers, make the best of your vacation. The Breakaway is our new favorite Norwegian ship. Your truly going to love the Breakaway!

[meatball_nyc]

Thank you for your review!

Sounds like you had a really great cruise on a great ship.

 

169 days to go till it's our turn.

 

Happy Cruising!

 

 

 

~Robin

Norwegian Breakaway July 2014

Carnival Miracle 2010

Carnival Legend 2006

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

[welove2cruise232]

Thanks for the review! We are on board in 59 days! Any idea how long Adrian will be on board?

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[jakeT]

Happy for you that you had a great cruise

[carsaw]

We will be on the Breakaway in a couple weeks and it's so nice reading positive reviews. There are so many negative reviews, had me a little nervous that I made a big mistake with NCL. Thanks :)

[champagne123]

Thank you for your review. This was our first NCL cruise...on the Breakaway, this past September. We loved everything about it and did not understand all of the bad reviews either. I really think people just like to complain. :eek:

[Nightengale212]

You made my day sharing your positive experiences as I am leaving on this same cruise tomorrow:):)

[champagne123]

You made my day sharing your positive experiences as I am leaving on this same cruise tomorrow:):)

 

Can you please go to the bakery (Carlos?) for me and eat a lobster claw? OMG....amazing.

Have a GREAT time. Loved this ship.

[snorklinbarb]

We board tomorrow so thanks for the very timely comments! Glad you had such a great time.

 

A couple of questions:

 

Do you happen to remember what nights the "shrimp and lobster" and "prime rib" were in O'Sheehans? We've read that on night #2 they serve lobster tails in the Garden Cafe.

 

How did you get to the Marriott? What was included in the $35pp day pass? I've read there's a casino there with 1-way transportation offered and the chance to use the beach (but nothing included). Did you see that being offered or hear of anyone who did it?

 

Agree Adrian is a lovely young man and we are looking forward to seeing him on the ship. Sounds like an excellent team onboard.

 

We've got the Cirque Jungle show booked for the first night. Good to know it was your favorite!

[ranchette]

It was so hard to get off the ship today. We had a great 12 days on the beautiful NCL Breakaway. We had booked a m6 balcony cabin and loved it. No noise and very little motion. The balcony was massive and we had the best views coming into ports. Our family has been on 10 NCL cruises and this one may have been our favorite. The ship looks gigantic when arriving at the pier. However, when walking on decks 6, 7, and 8 it feels similar to the size of the Gem. The public spaces never felt crowded and we really liked the layout of the ship. Our favorite spot was on deck 8 on the waterfront. It was a great location to hang out and walk around. The only day the ship felt crowded was on Day 1. There was a lot of congestion around the elevators. After Day 1 we never noticed it again. The hallways felt narrower than other ships we have been on. We could not use the baby stroller because the stewards cleaning carts would block a good portion of the hallway.

 

When is the lobster and shrimp,prime rib served at

 

Crew:

 

I have to give the crew of the ship a huge thanks for making this cruise so spectacular. They did everything they could to make it the best possible. So many hard working men and women for such a large group. They treated my son like one of their own. They all went out of their way to make it special for him. We were so fortunate to have Adrian Bica as our concierge. He is our favorite and always goes well above and beyond. We already miss him! Ignore all negative reviews that you may have seen. Too many complainers and a lot of rude people!

 

Ports:

 

We chose this itinerary because of a great list of islands. Many of them our favorites and even some we haven't been to. They all were great beach days. For those on the next 12 day look into getting a day pass at the Marriott in St.Kitts. It was $35.00 and it had a great beach and nice pool area. The food was good and drinks were well priced. We didn't need to make any prior reservations. Just show up.

 

Entertainment:

 

Since we had a 1year old on this cruise it was a little different than past cruises. We weren't able to make a lot of shows. One piece of advice is to make reservations for the entertainment the first or second day and show up at least 15 to 20 minutes early to grab your seats. Howl at the moon and Slam Allen stood out as our favorites. The cirque show was our favorite and well worth the 40.00 charge. It is a must see!

 

Food:

 

Food is always subjective. We have no complaints. Don't miss the lobster and shrimp dinner and the Prime Rib in O'Sheehans. Food was average to above average. I noticed the desserts weren't as good as those on the Gem. We visited Le Bistro and Cagney's and they were very good. We never experienced a wait in the main dinning rooms as we would always go to eat around 5:00-530. Service was excellent as usual.

 

Disembarkation:

 

After disembarking the ship I have one piece of advice. Do the walk off!!! You'll thank yourself later.

 

A lot more people and lots of congestion. This was a great cruise and if you're going on the breakaway, ignore the complainers, make the best of your vacation. The Breakaway is our new favorite Norwegian ship. Your truly going to love the Breakaway!

Nice review!

When is the shrimp,lobster and prime rib served in O'Sheehans?

[3DBeach]

Very nice review. Thank you for sharing!

[CTCruiser28]

To follow up on some of the questions that were asked, especially for the lucky ones who leave tomorrow. After speaking with Adrian, he told me that he will be on the ship until his vacation in April. I also had a great time catching up with his new assistant concierge Kadek from the Gem. Many of you may remember him, as he was the butler on that ship.

 

If my memory is correct lobster and shrimp night was the first or second night. We had this meal in O'Sheehans and it wasn't crowded at all. It was our favorite meal of the cruise. Prime Rib night was towards the latter half of the cruise around day 8 or 9. We also had this meal at O'Sheehans. We found it to be less busy. I would definitely recommend eating here over the buffet.

 

After talking to a lot of the crew on board, many left for vacation after the end of the last 12 day cruise. We noticed many crew members training the new staff on board.

 

For those who may not know, there is a private sun deck area. Take deck 16 from the aft and walk forward until you reach the stairs. It takes you all the way to the front of the ship where there are day beds and a lot less people. Be sure to try try out the ropes course and walk the plank if you're not afraid of heights. We had a blast.

 

For those going to St. Kitts. We had a group of 10 in our party. We walked to the taxi area and took a taxi to the Marriott that cost $3.00 per person one way. We asked to be picked up at 4pm. Once at the resort, the $35.00 day pass includes the following. Use of the beach, lounge chairs and cabanas, use of the pools. You also received a 10 dollar voucher per person for the casino and 50% off spa treatments. My wife ended up getting a massage on the beach. She said it was well worth it. You can purchase drinks and food as well with a 10% discount. I highly recommend going here. It was my favorite day pass resort. Hope you all have a great time and enjoy the cruise!

[CTCruiser28]

Correction. The spa treatments at the Marriott are 15% off with the day pass. My wife got a 50 minute massage in a cabana on the beach for roughly $135. That may sound expensive but she said it was by far the best massage she has ever had.

[bob brown]

We were on that same cruise, and agree with the review....a great ship, great staff, better MDR food than on earlier NCL cruises, and the best entertainment at sea, by far, that we have experienced. Slam Allen was great. The performers at the 'Cirque' show also. The Impac party band was also good. Loved the 'Slam Allen and Friends' jam session which had to be moved from Spice H2O into Fat Cats due to the weather...

Especially loved the performance from the 'Arsenal' band, performing in the "Rock of Ages" show. Their guitarist seemed 'world class', to me.

 

My only complaint was the lack of an indoor "Spinnaker" observation lounge, as on the Gem.....

[snorklinbarb]

DH has a question about the football playoffs. Besides the public spaces, are the games shown on cabin TV?

 

bob brown - one of our favorite things was the jam sessions in Fat Cats whether a guest performer or one of the onboard entertainers. You never knew who might show up.:)

 

Bags just about ready to go tomorrow. Can't wait!:D

[MsJ]

Thank you for your positive review on the Brreakaway. We booked for next month on the NYC to Bahamas route. It seems like there are so many negative reviews it is nice to see a positive one. I don't let negative reviews stop me from booking a ship.We are really looking forward to the Breakaway.

 

Marianne

[dongordon]

I just returned from the same cruise on the Breakaway.

 

Like all cruises and ships, there are "good" and "not so good" points to be made.

There has not been a cruise that I have been on that I did not have a great time.

That being said, some are better than others.

 

These are my opinions of the Breakaway and please note everyone views things differently. :)

 

In a "Nut Shell".......

 

Good:

 

The Specialty Restaurants with outdoor venues were great as were the different foods.

We ate at a specialty restaurant every night and each offered something different and something that I particularly enjoyed.

They were all so good, I cannot tell you which one was my favorite! :)

 

The two shows "Rock of Ages" and "Oh What a Night" along with Slam Alan were not only good, but fantastic. We viewed Slam twice in the Fat Cats and once in the theatre...he is by far the best entertainment on the ship and after the first night, you might have trouble getting a seat since he is very popular once people see his performance.

 

Crew, Service and Friendliness: Always great on NCL! :)

 

Buffet: Very good, wide variety of different dishes. The soft ice cream was fantastic and probably paid a big part in my added weight coming home. I had at least 4 cones/day! :D

 

Plenty of physical activities (Rope Walk, Water Slides, Miniature Golf (must pay!)

Pool although small was heated and I even swam the last morning at sea.

 

Ports: Fantastic ....each one was great in its own way.

 

Roll Call Group: One of the Best Roll Calls I have ever been on with plenty of activities planned.

 

Now, Not So Good:

 

No Great Outdoors for enjoying breakfast each morning in the aft.

 

No Spinaker Lounge which I really enjoyed so much on the other NCL ships.

 

Cabins: Smaller than what I was used to, not too much storage space. More than two people could be a challenge keeping everything neat and in order.

I had an aft-facing balcony so I was fine with the size of the balcony, but if I were in a side balcony, I would have been greatly disappointed in the size.....really small for my liking.

 

Reservations required for certain shows because there are so many people onboard and not a real big theatre. If you do not get there 30 minutes before showtime you might miss out.

Twelve other people and I missed a show because we arrived 15 minutes before the show and all seats were given away. I was told it was posted a few times in different venues, but others and myself were not aware of it. I did get tickets for the next night, but had to rearrange dinner plans.

 

Disembarkation: A COMPLETE DISASTER!!! This could be because it was the first 12 day cruise on the Breakaway and all the luggage everyone brought with them and perhaps NCL was not proepared for this.

It took us 3 hours to get off the ship.

The colored luggage tags system is useless. It doesn't matter what color you are, everyone (except walk offs) get off at the same time. This is a very poor system and one NCL should look at carefully for the future.

For Example, I supposedly had Priority dismbarkation because of my Platinum Lattitudes status (Yellow)...believe me, I was on line with the Blue, Salmon, Brown, etc. tag people and everyone is equal. :)

 

Overall, the Breakaway is a beautiful ship, but I think my next few cruises will be on smaller NCL ships. :)

 

I am looking at the GEM for next winter and perhaps the Star for a transatlantic in April 2015.

 

Don

[antsnanny]

DH has a question about the football playoffs. Besides the public spaces' date=' are the games shown on cabin TV?

 

bob brown - one of our favorite things was the jam sessions in Fat Cats whether a guest performer or one of the onboard entertainers. You never knew who might show up.:)

 

Bags just about ready to go tomorrow. Can't wait!:D[/quote']

 

 

Hi Snorklin'barb, I traveled with you on the Jewel last winter. I traveled on the Breakaway in October and I agree with everything in this review. Have a great time, your going to love the Breakaway.

Oh, Deck 8 Port side is an awesome place for the fireworks.

Edited January 18, 2014 by antsnanny

[antsnanny]

I just returned from the same cruise on the Breakaway.

 

Like all cruises and ships, there are "good" and "not so good" points to be made.

There has not been a cruise that I have been on that I did not have a great time.

That being said, some are better than others.

 

These are my opinions of the Breakaway and please note everyone views things differently. :)

 

In a "Nut Shell".......

 

Good:

 

 

The Specialty Restaurants with outdoor venues were great as were the different foods.

We ate at a specialty restaurant every night and each offered something different and something that I particularly enjoyed.

They were all so good, I cannot tell you which one was my favorite! :)

 

The two shows "Rock of Ages" and "Oh What a Night" along with Slam Alan were not only good, but fantastic. We viewed Slam twice in the Fat Cats and once in the theatre...he is by far the best entertainment on the ship and after the first night, you might have trouble getting a seat since he is very popular once people see his performance.

 

Crew, Service and Friendliness: Always great on NCL! :)

 

Buffet: Very good, wide variety of different dishes. The soft ice cream was fantastic and probably paid a big part in my added weight coming home. I had at least 4 cones/day! :D

 

Plenty of physical activities (Rope Walk, Water Slides, Miniature Golf (must pay!)

Pool although small was heated and I even swam the last morning at sea.

 

Ports: Fantastic ....each one was great in its own way.

 

Roll Call Group: One of the Best Roll Calls I have ever been on with plenty of activities planned.

 

Now, Not So Good:

 

No Great Outdoors for enjoying breakfast each morning in the aft.

 

No Spinaker Lounge which I really enjoyed so much on the other NCL ships.

 

Cabins: Smaller than what I was used to, not too much storage space. More than two people could be a challenge keeping everything neat and in order.

I had an aft-facing balcony so I was fine with the size of the balcony, but if I were in a side balcony, I would have been greatly disappointed in the size.....really small for my liking.

 

Reservations required for certain shows because there are so many people onboard and not a real big theatre. If you do not get there 30 minutes before showtime you might miss out.

Twelve other people and I missed a show because we arrived 15 minutes before the show and all seats were given away. I was told it was posted a few times in different venues, but others and myself were not aware of it. I did get tickets for the next night, but had to rearrange dinner plans.

 

Disembarkation: A COMPLETE DISASTER!!! This could be because it was the first 12 day cruise on the Breakaway and all the luggage everyone brought with them and perhaps NCL was not proepared for this.

It took us 3 hours to get off the ship.

The colored luggage tags system is useless. It doesn't matter what color you are, everyone (except walk offs) get off at the same time. This is a very poor system and one NCL should look at carefully for the future.

For Example, I supposedly had Priority dismbarkation because of my Platinum Lattitudes status (Yellow)...believe me, I was on line with the Blue, Salmon, Brown, etc. tag people and everyone is equal. :)

 

Overall, the Breakaway is a beautiful ship, but I think my next few cruises will be on smaller NCL ships. :)

 

I am looking at the GEM for next winter and perhaps the Star for a transatlantic in April 2015.

 

Don

 

Im so confused, I loved the Breakaway but I love the Great Outdoors so much I missed it. I will say that Deck 8 was very special, with the Cigar lounge, bars, restaurants, gelato, not to forget to mention the hot dog cart. Im thinking when I sail the Gem again, Im going to miss deck 8 just like I missed the Great Outdoors while I was on the Breakaway. My conclusion, I have 2 awesome ships to choose from sailing out of NY. Im happy you had a good experience on the Breakaway and thanks for your review.

[xcell]

Did I read it correcetly? You have to "pay" for the minature golf??? Or should it be, you have "play" minature golf?

Edited January 18, 2014 by xcell

[sjbdtz]

had to rearrange dinner plans.

 

Disembarkation: A COMPLETE DISASTER!!! This could be because it was the first 12 day cruise on the Breakaway and all the luggage everyone brought with them and perhaps NCL was not proepared for this.

It took us 3 hours to get off the ship.

The colored luggage tags system is useless. It doesn't matter what color you are, everyone (except walk offs) get off at the same time. This is a very poor system and one NCL should look at carefully for the future.

For Example, I supposedly had Priority dismbarkation because of my Platinum Lattitudes status (Yellow)...believe me, I was on line with the Blue, Salmon, Brown, etc. tag people and everyone is equal. :)

 

 

Don

 

Yikes! REALLY glad we did the express walk-off. We met Adrian at 7:20, took the elevator down to 7, swiped-out, and were in the Custom's Hall about 8 mins later (it's a long walk).

 

Walked right up to the custom's officer, got my passport stamped, and was looking about for a taxi by 7:45.

 

 

We've been very lucky this way, this is our typical experience disembarking in NYC.

 

 

Stephen

 

 

.

[Bluewake]

We also just returned from the 12 nt. Breakaway and loved both the ship and the cruise. A long (only for those who don't mind the length) review follows:

 

Embarkation - I advise anyone headed to the Manhattan Cruise terminal to allow plenty of time. Obviously not an NCL issue but we encountered a bad traffic jam coming into NYC through the Lincoln Tunnel. After we got out of the tunnel it took almost an hour to get to the ship. At one point, I was scared we'd be late and miss the cruise! Once we were at the pier, as for the process of getting on the ship, it was really painless. We breezed through the check-in process and proceeded directly to our cabin. It actually beat getting there early and fighting for a table in the buffet waiting for the cabin to be ready.

 

Ports:

 

San Juan - Have never quite figured out why San Juan is always a late afternoon to midnight stop...there must be a reason. It's always fun to walk around Old San Juan and hit the shops but getting in so late makes more interesting excursions a challenge. I wish the ships could make it a full day to allow more exploration.

 

St Thomas - We'd been to St. Thomas several times so we didn't bother with a tour...just walked around, shopped and enjoyed the wonderful weather. We did explore Blackbeard's Castle and chatted with some very nice staff members at the bar. The rum factory was a bit of a disappointment (I think we expected a bit more) but the views of the bay made for some great photos. If you aren't a shopper, skip the downtown and head for Megan's Bay or St. Johns.

 

St. Maarten - Did a private tour of St. Maarten to see the French side, Orient Beach and a couple other stops that were good photo ops and fun. We got some great shots of planes landing at Maho Beach...what an usual party scene! Shopping in Phillpsburg is always a "must" for us so we spent some time doing that and getting drinks at a beach bar. Next time we are there, I think we want to spend more time exploring the French site beyond the flea market area.

 

St. Lucia - This was our first time in St Lucia and we loved it. St Lucia is so lush in terms of the landscape...one of our fellow excursion members (great group of folks from CC) said it reminded him just a bit of Hawaii. We did a private Land and Sea excursion which was absolutely excellent...although we almost were late in getting back to the ship only because everyone was enjoying themselves and wanted to do so much. Only unfortunate aspect of St Lucia was when one of our family members thought a local citizen had tried to reach into his pocket for his wallet at an excursion stop...not saying that definitely was the case, but it was his impression. It seems to be kind of a poor island so perhaps that was a factor.

 

St Kitts - We booked a private excursion on St. Kitts to tour the island and also enjoyed it very much...it's a very pretty island, although not quite as bountiful as St. Lucia in terms of the flowers, plants and trees. The Brimstone Hill Fort/Park was an interesting stop and the Batik factory site was beautiful. Probably could have done without the 15 minute stop at the beach club but I do have to say it was nice. We still had plenty of time to explore the many shops at the pier. Of course, there are a lot of souvenir shops but among the usual stuff was some interesting things. Great group of dancers entertaining the tourists.

 

Barbados - Seemed to be a relatively more wealthy island than St. Lucia and some of the other stops. Since it was our first time there, we took a ship's tour of the island...not the best choice, I think. We usually find private tours to be more interesting and active. I'd recommend doing something more adventurous here for there isn't a whole lot of sites of interest to see on the tour...it's nice, just not full of unique things to see. It was a Sunday so none of the stores were opened. Our bank account was pleased for that reprieve!

 

The Ship -

 

Cabin - I agree with other posters about the size of the cabins. The three of us were in a family oceanview which is significant larger than a regular oceanview. We are not particularly large people but the way the beds are placed in the room, it was occasionally a bit narrow getting past the beds into the back part of the room. I cannot imagine being in a regular size oceanview with three. Did love the large bathroom with the tub, however!

 

Ship - The Breakaway is a pretty ship and thoughtfully laid out..relatively easy to navigate. We spent a lot of time walking around decks 6-8 midsection which seems to be the center for activities, restaurants and lounges. I have mixed feelings about the huge TV screen and so many activities in the Atrium, however. I guess it's supposed to be the "heart of the ship" but it also made it a center for crowds and noise.

 

Activities - We agree with other posters that the entertainment was the best we'd had on our 12+ cruises...plenty of activities and a nice variety. (although I always hope for a few educational sessions such as history of the islands, etc which we rarely find). We especially liked the Oh What a Night show and the Graffiti Classics group. Rock of Ages was good and although we are not especially fans of dancing, we thought Burn the Floor was okay...although our friends thought it was excellent. We didn't find Second City to be all that funny but that's a subjective thing. The music in the lounges also was really good. The sports area is quite nice...great basketball, mini-golf and ropes/zipline course...the latter is a definite must if you are at all adventurous. One interesting thing was that we eventually realized almost 6 of the 12-15 people in the show we saw with the hypnotist were cast members in some of the shows. I am a dubious of hypnotism and that added to my doubts. Still, the show was fun. Each of the lounges has great musicians and it was relaxing just hanging out listening. A word of advice about the shows. Make reservations and arrive at least 30 minutes before any show. Prior posters are right about getting shut out if you get there only a couple of minutes before the show and even if you have reservations. People tend to leave empty seats here and there and also save them for family members who never actually arrive. Get there early!!!

 

Food - the food in the main dining rooms (Manhattan, Taste and Savor) was good and there was a decent variety. We have always thought the food on NCL dining rooms isn't quite "up to" what some other lines offer and that opinion remains. But, it still is fine. Went to Ocean Blue (good but not worth the surcharge) and Teppanaki (fun and tasty). And although we aren't dancers, we found that having a dance floor and orchestra in the Manhattan room at dinner was an inspired decision. It was fun to watch some of the older couples who really know their way around a dance floor do their thing! Only negative was that one family allow (actually encouraged) their small child to run around the dance floor in between the dancers who were forced to have to avoid stepping on him. I thought that was really rude. The buffet is, as always, decent and functional. There were plenty of choices but by the end of a 12 day cruise, I don't want to see another omelet for a while! The service in Manhattan and Savor was really good but we did eat in Taste one night and it took from 6:15 until after 8:30 before we were done because it took so long between courses. Perhaps there was something going on of which we were unaware.

 

Disembarkation - Pretty disorganized. We had blue tags which was supposed to be the first group off after the priority groups. But, I think that they handed out as many blue tags as people wanted instead of limiting the number of tags in each color. It sure seemed that when the colors started to be called, everyone went at once. NCL really needs to re-think their procedure for Breakway and other larger ships.

 

Overall - We loved the Breakaway, the itinerary and the overall cruise experience. I am, however, mixed on whether I prefer the larger ships with all of the unique options or the smaller ships that seem more intimate. To each his/her own.

Edited January 19, 2014 by Bluewake

[all4gizmo]

My group just got off the BA as well.

 

The food and service in main dining rooms were hit or miss. We has stone cold food, tasty but cold. I hated O'sheehans but I deviated from their famous pot pie. I disliked that there weren't proper drawers to put my clothing in, but the was a lot of storage. I loved, loved, loved Spice H20, probably one of my favorite spots on the ship. I liked the concept of the Waterfront, bit walking side by side for a romantic stroll was difficult because it was too narrow. Uptown grill was our go to for breakfast and lunch. The food in the buffet was very good. I did see some areas that showed wear already. The cooling center in spice had missing plaster and mold, there was rust and warping flooring on our balcony and fraying carpets in the hall on deck 11. The decor of the ship was beautiful and very tasteful. I did notice the cutback in the staff and a lot of new staff. The servers in the Manhattan room were walking around with maps to find the stations to seat us. Some venues were extremely understaffed. Our server from Cagneys was sweeping floors in the uptown grill the next morning. But, everyone worked very hard and always had a smile for us!! Another thing I noticed is that although the ship is larger some of the venues are smaller like Shakers and Maltings. Rock of Ages was a must see!! Excellent performance!!! I liked the BA, but loved the people I sailed with. I finally sailed with Sinan!!! He is as wonderful as everyone on CC has said!! If you are on a sailing on the BA make a point of going up to Spice and meeting Curly.. He is wonderful!!

[antsnanny]

It was so hard to get off the ship today. We had a great 12 days on the beautiful NCL Breakaway. We had booked a m6 balcony cabin and loved it. No noise and very little motion. The balcony was massive and we had the best views coming into ports. Our family has been on 10 NCL cruises and this one may have been our favorite. The ship looks gigantic when arriving at the pier. However, when walking on decks 6, 7, and 8 it feels similar to the size of the Gem. The public spaces never felt crowded and we really liked the layout of the ship. Our favorite spot was on deck 8 on the waterfront. It was a great location to hang out and walk around. The only day the ship felt crowded was on Day 1. There was a lot of congestion around the elevators. After Day 1 we never noticed it again. The hallways felt narrower than other ships we have been on. We could not use the baby stroller because the stewards cleaning carts would block a good portion of the hallway.

 

Crew:

 

I have to give the crew of the ship a huge thanks for making this cruise so spectacular. They did everything they could to make it the best possible. So many hard working men and women for such a large group. They treated my son like one of their own. They all went out of their way to make it special for him. We were so fortunate to have Adrian Bica as our concierge. He is our favorite and always goes well above and beyond. We already miss him! Ignore all negative reviews that you may have seen. Too many complainers and a lot of rude people!

 

Ports:

 

We chose this itinerary because of a great list of islands. Many of them our favorites and even some we haven't been to. They all were great beach days. For those on the next 12 day look into getting a day pass at the Marriott in St.Kitts. It was $35.00 and it had a great beach and nice pool area. The food was good and drinks were well priced. We didn't need to make any prior reservations. Just show up.

 

Entertainment:

 

Since we had a 1year old on this cruise it was a little different than past cruises. We weren't able to make a lot of shows. One piece of advice is to make reservations for the entertainment the first or second day and show up at least 15 to 20 minutes early to grab your seats. Howl at the moon and Slam Allen stood out as our favorites. The cirque show was our favorite and well worth the 40.00 charge. It is a must see!

 

Food:

 

Food is always subjective. We have no complaints. Don't miss the lobster and shrimp dinner and the Prime Rib in O'Sheehans. Food was average to above average. I noticed the desserts weren't as good as those on the Gem. We visited Le Bistro and Cagney's and they were very good. We never experienced a wait in the main dinning rooms as we would always go to eat around 5:00-530. Service was excellent as usual.

 

Disembarkation:

 

After disembarking the ship I have one piece of advice. Do the walk off!!! You'll thank yourself later.

 

A lot more people and lots of congestion. This was a great cruise and if you're going on the breakaway, ignore the complainers, make the best of your vacation. The Breakaway is our new favorite Norwegian ship. Your truly going to love the Breakaway!

 

 

Great review. We sailed on the Breakaway in October we loved it so much were going again in Feb. So glad you had a good time..

[bob brown]

Have to agree with all4gizmo on that couple allowing their child to run amok around the dance floor...and that couple didn't even dance themselves, so yes, they were 'rude' to allow that behavior.

 

Since the Breakaway has three main dining rooms, I believe that they should make the Manhattan Room an 'adults only' venue. Perhaps designate either Taste or Savor as a 'family' dining room, or if there is a large number of families aboard, both of those as family rooms....

 

As for no 'Great Outdoors'....the Uptown Grill could sort of fill in somewhat, although not with the nice aft view.....