Did the Breakaway feel crowded to you?

[mnjcruiser]

I just got off the Breakaway today with my husband and son (10). We had a great cruise. Very nice ship. We absolutely loved Bermuda!

 

One complaint we had was that the ship felt very crowded. Speaking to other guests on board, they felt the same.

 

I'm wondering if this had to do with the kids sale free deal. We had a full ship. Or is this typical of NCL cruises? We've sailed with Disney and Princess before. Although busy, neither of those ships felt overcrowded.

 

I'm hesitate to try NCL again because of this. It was very difficult to find quiet place on the ship to relax.

 

Anyone experience this?

[rednose83]

Only in the buffet.

[Valen9]

If you spent most of your time in the buffet or on the pool deck then yes, you'd find it crowded. Go up a deck and it might be a lot less busy. I also found the Waterfront area generally peaceful and nice.

 

I would have liked the Atrium but most things in there were amplified to be much much too loud... and louder towards the end of my cruise than they were at the beginning.

 

Sometimes the gift shop zone was pretty crazy when a drawing or other event was going on, but otherwise it was a fine distraction on the way forward or aft.

[*Luv2Cruz*]

Feeling crowded in March was not problem with the other itinerary!;)

[sugarnyc]

Lots of kids on my 5/11/14 sailing. Only felt crowded on the 1st day when everyone was boarding and trying to get into the elevators at the same time.

 

After that it was better.

[Granny DI]

Only felt crowded the first day, but never went to buffet or pool area. I knew from the Epic to avoud those areas.

[conandrob240]

The elevators that first day were so crowded last week, I almost wanted to leave. They were fine after that all week with the one exception of fireworks night.

 

Pools/decks were ridiculously crowded. Way too few lounge chairs and the ship needs another pool. It was mayhem on the pool decks the two sea days before Bermuda.

 

We found lunch at 12 to be the only time the buffet felt overcrowded. We learned to snack at Uptown each day & go to the buffet later. O'Sheehans was always crowded but in a busy pub sort of way, not a claustrophobic way.

 

Yes, the gift shop on windy sea day after Bermuda was like a zoo.

 

So, ship was crowded but in general, it handles it well except for described above.

[Winchester Ranger]

We sailed on Getaway which I assume has the same layout as Breakaway and the ship felt horribly over-crowded but we were saved by virtue of being in the Haven which was paradise by comparison.

 

The first time I tried to walk the length of the ship on a main interior deck I quickly realized that I couldn't.

 

I think it's the design, these ships have very limited internal space compared to other ships, it's a pity really, but I think they screwed up badly.

[2Cruise4Ever]

We sailed the Cruise To Nowhere on the Breakaway.... which was full to capacity. The only time I felt crowded was at the Buffet and embarkation/disembarkation time. We found lots of quiet places around the ship.

[VickiD59]

These were the complaints from the Breakaway's first year as well. The May reviews were great, everyone loved everything - then June came, and little negatives began.. and by July.. the sky had fallen, no one could get a lounge chair unless they slept in it from the night before.. tiny balconies... layout of ship isn't good.. not enough pools..not enough elevators (that's nuts), and terrible smoke from casino. Other than adding more chairs they can't really do much with the other stuff, accept maybe better ventilation in the casino area.

By the time these reviews began rolling in, we were already booked, and now we're leaving in 7 weeks.. in JULY :eek:

But all kidding aside, I'm curious as the weeks roll on and the sailings become more crowded, and school ends, and the ration of adult:kids begin to multiply before our very eyes, if they have listened to the complaints of the previous June-Aug season and tried to fix, or at least tweak that which can be corrected.

[Winston Wolf]

These were the complaints from the Breakaway's first year as well. The May reviews were great, everyone loved everything - then June came, and little negatives began.. and by July.. the sky had fallen, no one could get a lounge chair unless they slept in it from the night before.. tiny balconies... layout of ship isn't good.. not enough pools..not enough elevators (that's nuts), and terrible smoke from casino. Other than adding more chairs they can't really do much with the other stuff, accept maybe better ventilation in the casino area.

By the time these reviews began rolling in, we were already booked, and now we're leaving in 7 weeks.. in JULY :eek:

But all kidding aside, I'm curious as the weeks roll on and the sailings become more crowded, and school ends, and the ration of adult:kids begin to multiply before our very eyes, if they have listened to the complaints of the previous June-Aug season and tried to fix, or at least tweak that which can be corrected.

 

Just my opinion of course, but much of those issues are overblown. Is the pool deck crowded and loud? Yes, but there are other areas to go if you want peace and quiet. The buffet is horribly crowded during main meal times, but what buffet isn't? The biggest zoo on the ship is Tradewinds when they're doing their massive sales on the last day of the cruise. What a disaster. It's worse than Black Friday.

[dalgirl]

We were on it two weeks ago and the only time it felt crowded was when we had the drill the first day - otherwise I was very pleased that it did not feel really crowded. Lots of places to sit (even a library and game/sitting room). This was the first time on a ship we did not have to "hunt" for a place to sit in the Garden Café - very large on this ship. The only place I noticed that they needed more seating was in the Atrium when they had something going on in the evening. People were standing room only at some of the activities. They need to have more seating set up in the evenings if they insist on using this open area for performances and game shows. But otherwise, pleasantly surprised with so much space.

[cv322]

I was on the 5/4 Breakaway, and when I got home, one of the comments I made to my friends & family is how NOT crowded it seemed to me! It was expected-type crowded boarding the ship...with everyone walking toward the elevators...but other than that - nope! I think there were way less kids on our cruise. I had some angst before cruising on this ship re: size & pax count...but I was very pleasantly surprised! So much so, that the week I came home I booked 3 more BA cruises for September this year & January and October next year!

 

Maybe it's the cruise date that's the problem? :confused:

[TravelDiva88]

I was on the BA last September and I was surprised at how NOT crowded it was.

 

I'm on her again next week. We'll see how it compares since many kiddos will be out of school

[sebas030]

Just my opinion of course, but much of those issues are overblown. Is the pool deck crowded and loud? Yes, but there are other areas to go if you want peace and quiet. The buffet is horribly crowded during main meal times, but what buffet isn't? The biggest zoo on the ship is Tradewinds when they're doing their massive sales on the last day of the cruise. What a disaster. It's worse than Black Friday.

 

This was going to be my comment...it is UNBELIEVABLE :eek: horrific... was a crazy setup they have... OMG .... the worst thing I saw is when they had to 2 or 3 piece watch box set... at 80% off... or something like that...

 

For the rest, we had a full ship also and it did not feel crowed at all.

[jenny105]

We sailed in October on the Breakaway. I'm so glad we had Vibe passes because everywhere else on the ship felt mobbed with people, especially the atrium!

[graphicguy]

Only other similar ships I could compare it to would be the Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas. Now, that ship felt crowded. But, they try to move the passengers inward.

 

The Breakaway is the opposite. They have all the outdoor decks, where I spent a lot of time just hanging out and reading. Granted, I didn't hang out around the pool areas much as I preferred to hit the beautiful beaches in Bermuda, instead.

 

Epic is similar, except they outdoor, Waterfront dining areas on the Breakaway are better.

 

My one nit pick is that those who are unable to walk on their own and had to get around with a scooter, wheelchair or stroller were very frustrated by how difficult that was. But, that was confined to the cabin hallways. Plenty of room ouside to stroll (roll?) on the Waterfront.

[SissasMomE]

I never felt crowded on the Getaway; however, a common complaint from those who have sailed both Epic and the Getaway was of the "narrowness" of the Getaway. The Epic is definitely more spread out, and that may be the reasoning for the crowded feel of the Getaway. I definitely like the buffet setup on Epic better!

Edited June 2, 2014 by SissasMomE
spelling error

[spidybabe]

Twice on the Breakaway--No problems ....There are A LOT of people on the ship, so sometimes there are bottlenecks of people....Crowded when shows/events let out. Normal and expected.

The pool area TINY TINY TINY and always way overcrowded. Only room for toes in the pool. We didn't go near this area.

Only other time it was crowded was during events in the atrium.... (too small an area to hold large loud events), and most venues smaller than on other ships. Although there are many beautiful outdoor areas, I really miss the large window seats around the older ships where you can see out, even though you are indoors.

Safe sailing

[Winston Wolf]

this was going to be my comment...it is unbelievable :eek: Horrific... Was a crazy setup they have... Omg .... The worst thing i saw is when they had to 2 or 3 piece watch box set... At 80% off... Or something like that...

 

 

so.....much......shouting....

[meatball_nyc]

Note to self:

Stay away from the Atrium.

Stay away from the pools.

Migrate to higher decks.

Beaches in Bermuda.

My Balcony :)

 

 

~Robin

Norwegian Breakaway July 2014

Carnival Miracle 2010

Carnival Legend 2006

[jusstice]

I have been on the BA four times, and am booked again for July. I have only felt "crowded" briefly at the aforementioned:

 

1. buffet at meal time ( I don't buffet anyway)
   
2. halls/elevators when shows let out
   
3. bingo in teeny-weeny room on first cruise:eek: (don't know if it is better now as I never went back)
   
4. Atrium during event hours
   
5. Tradewinds during mad sales or bad weather days
   
6. Elevators during de-barkation
   
7. Spice H2O during the fireworks during the first cruise. After that I found I could see them from my balcony. :)
   

I did Vibe once, and used the hot tub area and deck area up front the other times. The pool area is small and crowded, but they usually are.

 

 

Most of the time, it is amazing to me how not crowded it feels, considering the number of passengers.

[bingo3]

Just got off yesterday and felt no more crowded to me than other ships I have been on and she was full. Yes, at times are crowds; when all coming back on board, after shows let out, sales, etc. But this is typical on any ship/line I have been on. I was able to find quiet places on upper decks, the waterfront, etc. The pool area was crowded, but always is on any ship I think. Atrium could get crowded. I enjoyed it overall and crowds were not overwhelming to me! I have pretty much only sailed larger ships though, so may be more used to it. I personally do not like smaller ships. It is good there are so many options out there for people to choose.

debbie

[dread_pirate]

I did feel crowded on the Breakaway - maybe because I find the ship so LOUD. Being in a solo studio was nice, but I couldn't really find a quiet outdoor space on deck regularly (I didn't pay for Vibe). Waterfront is lovely, but too few comfy chairs - I don't consider sitting at an outdoor restaurant table to be a worthwhile substitute.

 

I also found all of the performance spaces very crowded, and very small - particularly the Theater & Headliners. I've been on smaller ships in which the theater was twice the size. And having to make reservations for shows kind of flies in the face of Freestyling, no?