Breakaway w/ pics and comments, June, Haven

[graphicguy]

Architecturally, the Breakaway is a beautiful ship. Having been fortunate enough to sail on most of the newest, biggest, best on mainstream lines, it's interesting to note the differences.

 

While The Allure of the Seas is a beautiful ship, I came away feeling like I was sailing on the "Mall of America". That's not bad if you like the sort of thing, and I indeed have a good time. But, if I'm sailing on the water, I want to know it. And, I'm really not all that interested in elevator bars, merry-go-rounds, etc. There were times I thought..."how in the world do I find my way back to a water view?", while walking around the Allure. I know plenty who like that "vibe", though.

 

Carnival Breeze...another beautiful ship, probably the best I've experienced with Carnival. She does have the "outdoor on the water" areas, and plenty of them. And, Carnival is moving into a different era with Funships 2.0. It gives off another vibe.....one of "there's something going on all the time, everywhere. Again, not a bad thing, but there's still a little of that "Spring Break" atmosphere. If that's what you're looking for, you'll get it. I know some say it's the "cheaper" alternative. I've found that given dates and itineraries, RCCL and CCL tend to map pretty closely as far as total cost of the cruise is concerned.

 

NCL, as we know, kind of goes their own way....particularly with Freestyle. You dine when and where you want. You find entertainment when and where you want. You dress how you want. I know there has been much hand wringing on the RCCL and CCL boards about dress. Although I think it's much to do about nothing, I've yet to see tank tops, flip flops, etc in any of the NCL formal dining venues. Granted, we only ate once in the Manhattan Room. But, everyone was dressed appropriately for the venue, and the food was promptly served and good.

 

Architecture is also different than the the others. From the "mall look" of the Allure to the "party look" of the Breeze, NCL isn't as "in your face".

 

If you are used to one of the other lines, and like it, NCL won't offend. It won't have cars in the main atrium or dramatic high views of lanterns/elevators either. Not saying one is better than the other. Just my observation. If you can't tell, I like NCL's "style".

Edited July 8, 2014 by graphicguy

[graphicguy]

The ever changing main chandelier.....

[js]

Hi. Thank you again. I so appreciate your review.

I have a couple (OK, a few or more) questions:

 

Where are the concierge and assistant housed? Are they on Deck 16, right in the Haven?

 

Did the Haven ever feel too crowded? We don't need to sit and face the Haven pool, we much rather be facing out to the ocean. If we were up on Deck 17 in the Haven, facing the ocean, can we always find a lounger?

 

How did you have breakfast in the Haven? Did you eat in the restaurant? If you were out by the pool or the tables, did you go to the restaurant and they delivered it or did you call the butler and he delivered it? We had the butler deliver our breakfast on the Sky but it is a much smaller ship so not sure of the procedure on the Breakaway. I am very interested in this information since I think it would be nice to not have to sit in the restaurant for breakfast each morning.

 

Did you use the gym? If you did, was there a place to shower and get dressed? I get up early to work out and it would be great to workout and then get dressed without having to go back to the cabin and wake up everyone. I guess I could even eat a small breakfast while I wait for all to get up and then have a second one with everyone depending on my workout LOL

 

Was there anything special in the Haven at Sailaway. I'll have two 20 year old girls and a 16 year old ds so I think they will be by the pool for sailaway but it may be nice for my dh, my mom and I to be in the Haven with a drink away from the crowds.

 

Did you utilize the Haven lounge/bar? If so, was it open in the morning for bloody marys and how late was it open in the evenings? Was it always open each day?

 

Thank you very much again!

[graphicguy]

You can find "glitz"....if you're looking for it...

[graphicguy]

We never felt crowded (Wasabi Sushi Bar). There are lots of open areas.

 

Yes, the main pool areas were crowded on sea days, but if you can't really swim in the pools anyway (this is true of every main pool area of every ship I've been on in the last 3-4 years). To me, that's why having an area you can sit, relax eat some snacks, have a meal, have a drink, overlooking the water, is so important. Breakaway has that (as does the CCL Breeze).

[Traveller20074]

Lileebird....done the NYC to Bermuda cruise twice. First time (jue of 2013) the Atlantic was a tad rougher than this last time. That said, I'm not real succeptible to nausea. The Breakaway is probably the most stable ship I've ever sailed (and I've sailed the Carnival Breeze and Royal Allure). The first one was a bit rockier than the 2nd one. Neither was what I'd call rough or in any way upsetting in the least.

 

Hope that helps.

 

More posts/pics to come.

 

So, it was a bit rocky...most of the time? Or, just part? I am very succeptible to motion, but love sea days, so that itinerary sure sounds good (Bermuda)

thank you for the review and congratuations!

[Traveller20074]

Got to give a tip of the hat to NCL. I've sailed them 3 times in the recent past. They have the best beds at sea. They are uber comfortable and their bedding is luxurious.

 

Shower pressure is good and the water is hot, too. That's not something I've always experienced on other cruise lines.

 

Storage space in the cabin was plentiful. My wife, being this was her first cruise, way overpacked....even though she only had carryons.

 

There were people who had told her she had to pack more dressy type clothes for the "formal dinners". As I was watching her unpack, and saw what she had brought, marveling how she could fit the amount of clothes she did in carry ons, I congratulated her on her resourcefulness. But, I also explained to her that "formal nights" were all but obsolete in the entire cruise industry....particularly with Freestyle on NCL.

 

She found a place for all of her clothes in the cabin closets and drawers, with room to spare.

 

it might be because the Breakaway is newer than the Pearl, but my son in law said his was like sleeping on the floor lol I found them a bit harder than mine at home, but I found them pretty comfortable :)

[js]

Thank you.

Were you answering my question (I posted at the same time you did and have a bunch of questions). I was actually asking about the Haven pool area, not the Main pool area.

Thanks again!

[graphicguy]

So, it was a bit rocky...most of the time? Or, just part? I am very succeptible to motion, but love sea days, so that itinerary sure sounds good (Bermuda)

thank you for the review and congratuations!

 

Hi...thanks for reading.

 

if you're very succeptible to sea sickness, I would imagine any rough waters on any ship might be a problem. I guess what I'm saying is that my first Breakaway Bermuda cruise a year ago we enoucounterd some rough Atlantic waters on the first day at sea, and on the last day as we returned. Yes, you could feel some slight ship motion. It didn't bother me. I never found anyone I spoke to on board who said it bothered them.

 

The cruise I'm writing about now, we didn't encounter any rough waters. So, no issues.

 

This was my wife's first cruise. She said she is very succeptible to motion induced nasea. She had no issues, whatsoever. And, she had dramamine that she was going to start taking a week or so before we left, but forgot. So, she sailed "drug free" witn no problem.

 

Not sure there's a difference in bedding from the Pearl to the Epic or Breakaway. But, I found the bedding on both ships to be superlative.

Edited July 8, 2014 by graphicguy

[graphicguy]

Hi. Thank you again. I so appreciate your review.

I have a couple (OK, a few or more) questions:

 

Where are the concierge and assistant housed? Are they on Deck 16, right in the Haven?

 

Did the Haven ever feel too crowded? We don't need to sit and face the Haven pool, we much rather be facing out to the ocean. If we were up on Deck 17 in the Haven, facing the ocean, can we always find a lounger?

 

How did you have breakfast in the Haven? Did you eat in the restaurant? If you were out by the pool or the tables, did you go to the restaurant and they delivered it or did you call the butler and he delivered it? We had the butler deliver our breakfast on the Sky but it is a much smaller ship so not sure of the procedure on the Breakaway. I am very interested in this information since I think it would be nice to not have to sit in the restaurant for breakfast each morning.

 

Did you use the gym? If you did, was there a place to shower and get dressed? I get up early to work out and it would be great to workout and then get dressed without having to go back to the cabin and wake up everyone. I guess I could even eat a small breakfast while I wait for all to get up and then have a second one with everyone depending on my workout LOL

 

Was there anything special in the Haven at Sailaway. I'll have two 20 year old girls and a 16 year old ds so I think they will be by the pool for sailaway but it may be nice for my dh, my mom and I to be in the Haven with a drink away from the crowds.

 

Did you utilize the Haven lounge/bar? If so, was it open in the morning for bloody marys and how late was it open in the evenings? Was it always open each day?

 

Thank you very much again!

 

Hi JS.....sorry about that. We must have been posting at the same time and I didn't see your questions.

 

-Yes, Concierge and his assistant are in the main Haven area just as you walk in on deck 16. Our Spa Suite was near the elevators (we never used them) and steps. We came out of our cabin, up one set of stairs (deck 15), to the Haven entrance key card area. Opened it, and took some back stairs to the main bar area. It couldn't have been any easier. Cabin to Haven took 2 minutes.

 

The Haven pool area never felt crowded....even on sea days. Roof was closed at night, and here, very early in the morning.....

 

 

....and open during the day (previous pics).

 

 

We ate breakfast either in the Haven courtyard or in the Haven restaurant. Either way, there was waitstaff service. Menu is the same, except the Haven restaurant also had things you could grab quickly as "serve yourself" items like yogurt, cereals, toast, bagels, smoked salmon, etc. Service was great in either area. We only had our Butler deiver breakfast one morning because we were feeling lazy and wanted to see what having a Butler felt like. We came to the conclusion it was nice, but not something we really flet the need to do much more than that.

 

We did use the gym, every morning, but not the one in the Haven, as it's small. The main gym has more of what we were interested in using. If you just want to do some cardiom the Haven gym is probably fine. First sea day I waited for a "stepper" but my wife found an eliptical immediately. It was no issue, as I just hit the weights until a stepper opened up. All the other days, we didn't have any problems finding what we wanted in the gym. Since spa passes are included with the HAven Spa Suites, we would head to the spa to hit the steam room then the salt room (we really loved that). My wife said the salt room helped her skin. Not sure how or why, but it seemed to refresh me, too. There were never many people in the Spa pools, so no issues there. Boy, I thought I took pictures of the Spa area, but it must have been with my wife's camera. I'll see if we can find them. We loved the spa. So glad it was included in the Spa Suites.

 

For Sailaway, there's a "get-together" in the Haven. We didn't attend as we had found the perfect place to see the NYC sites and decided to wander a bit as we were leaving. I kind of wished we had done the Haven sailaway, though. As we were sailing away, it seems there were some passengers who showed up at the last minute thought it would be OK to elbow and shove us out of their way, without even a small "excuse me", so they could get their pictures. That, however was the worst that happened. I felt good about that.

 

I can't remember any time that the Haven bar wasn't open, all day, every day. Granted, we weren't there at 6:30 a.m. or even 2:30 a.m. But, every time we were in teh Haven, there either was a bartender there to serve or setting up for some event or another. Never had any problem getting drinks.

 

Matter of fact, a couple of times, we were getting ready for dinner, and as my wife showered I would go to the bar to get drinks, only to find my Butler anticipating our routine, and had already had the drinks mixed, on his way to deliver them to our room, without us asking. Nice touch!

 

Having the UBP, it seems like we would try every bar on the ship to see which ones we preferred. Haven bar was first as service was quick and it was a less frenzied atmosphere. Plus, we really were able to meet AND ACTUALLY TALK TO some of our fellow passngers. We also liked the bar right outside "FAT CATS", as it was easy to float in and out of the bar when the band took a break.

 

Hope that helps. Let me know if you have more questions.

Edited July 8, 2014 by graphicguy

[js]

Thank you very much!

Your post about the Haven Gym is the first I heard there was an actual gym in the Haven area, even if small. For vacation, having a treadmill and some weight machines for arms, abs and legs would be great. I am sure I can find these in the main gym, is that correct?

I am on Deck 16, is the gym on 15 or 14? I think I read somewhere once that there are some back/hidden steps that will take me right to the gym? That would be nice.

 

Is it correct you are saying there are waitstaff in the Haven area taking drink/food orders even in the morning? That would be great for breakfast and lunch :)

 

We, too, all have the UBP and UDP. Did you get your stickers on your card when you checked in at the pier or did you have to do this once you boarded? Once you boarded, did your concierge take care of it or did you get it done at the Haven bar?

 

Thank you very much! I thought I read all I could on the Haven but there are some new tidbits I'm learning from your review. Thanks!

[CruisingCamper]

We have a Haven Spa Suite booked in August.

 

A question - In the Haven Suites or bar Area, do you know if Haven guests are charged for soft drinks? I assumed they charged your account when you ordered them, but I had read somewhere that Haven guests aren't charged for soda.

[graphicguy]

Thank you very much!

Your post about the Haven Gym is the first I heard there was an actual gym in the Haven area, even if small. For vacation, having a treadmill and some weight machines for arms, abs and legs would be great. I am sure I can find these in the main gym, is that correct?

I am on Deck 16, is the gym on 15 or 14? I think I read somewhere once that there are some back/hidden steps that will take me right to the gym? That would be nice.

 

Is it correct you are saying there are waitstaff in the Haven area taking drink/food orders even in the morning? That would be great for breakfast and lunch :)

 

We, too, all have the UBP and UDP. Did you get your stickers on your card when you checked in at the pier or did you have to do this once you boarded? Once you boarded, did your concierge take care of it or did you get it done at the Haven bar?

 

Thank you very much! I thought I read all I could on the Haven but there are some new tidbits I'm learning from your review. Thanks!

 

 

JS....I know I was able to get a Bloody Mary at 9:00 a.m. at the HAven Bar. Not sure how much earlier they were there, though.

 

Yes, waitstaff takes orders in the HAven Restaurant for every meal. They do the same in the Haven "outside" area, too. I saw some people eating a burger at the Haven Bar. So, I'll assume the waitstaff will serve you at the bar, too. Not certain of that, though.

 

The stickers were applied when we checked in. My wife lost her key card once and our concierge issued her another one. He put new stickers on it for Spa, UBP and UDP.

[graphicguy]

We have a Haven Spa Suite booked in August.

 

A question - In the Haven Suites or bar Area, do you know if Haven guests are charged for soft drinks? I assumed they charged your account when you ordered them, but I had read somewhere that Haven guests aren't charged for soda.

 

Camper...not sure if they charged for soft drinks. We had the Ultimate Beverage Package, so softdrinks were included in that. Sorry I couldn't help.

[welove2cruise232]

Yes you pay for soft drinks in the haven if you don't have a soda/drink sticker.

[jfried8]

Wait.. Is there really a Haven gym?

 

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

[welove2cruise232]

I don't remember a gym in the Haven?

[graphicguy]

Look at deck 15 deck plans on the NCL Breakaway site for the spa and gym layouts, including the areas accessible with a spa pass (Haven Spa Suite).

 

I didn't find the wife's pics of the spa/gym, yet. Still looking!

Edited July 9, 2014 by graphicguy

[CruisingCamper]

Thanks for the replies regarding soda in the Haven. I am pretty sure that NCL serves Pepsi, so I hate to add the soda package until I knew if they Dr Pepper.

[graphicguy]

Hi Camper...wish I could be of more help. But, glad to provide as much info as I have.

 

A little clarification, the Spa area (heated loungers overlooking the water, steam rooms, salt room, etc) is extra cost......UNLESS you're cabin is a Haven Spa Suite. This area is connected to the gym and the massage/salon area.

[graphicguy]

The entertainment on the Breakaway (and the Epic) is the best I've experienced on any cruise ship, any cruise line, bar none. The shows are broadway/Vegas caliber as are the entertainers.

 

Carnival has much smaller productions (which are fine in their own right), but the entertainers are not the same caliber as NCL.

 

Royal has the large productions, but again, the entertainers aren't of the same high caliber as I've experienced with NCL.

 

I had seen Rock of Ages last year on my previous Breakaway cruise. The players were different, but the production was top notch, again. It's raw. It is vulgar. It features the thinnest of plots, is funny as a result.. But, man oh man.....can they ever perform the metal and hair band music. I loved it.

 

 

 

If you're easily offended, if raw language makes you cringe, if loud head banging music causes you migraines, skip this show. Everyone else? Party on!!!!!!!:D

Edited July 9, 2014 by graphicguy

[graphicguy]

A quick word about Haven guest seating. You get your own "section". Seats are good to great. BUT (speaking from experience), make sure you have your concierge make reservations for you....AND....be at the door at least 15 minutes before the show starts....otherwise, you'll only be able to get whatever seats are open.

 

This is particularly true of the Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy Dinner Show. We met Adrian, our concierge, in the main Haven lounge 30 minutes before showtime. He took us to what I considered the best seats in the venue. We were probably 10 feet from all of the performers, and actually interacted with them.

 

I've seen Mystere in Vegas....big, huge production. This Cirque show trumped it. Not only was it high quality, but what the performers did, in such an intimate setting, on a sailing ship, defied belief. As a quick tip, if you go to the show the first night at sea, it's included in the price of the UDP.

 

This is by far, not only one of the best shows I've seen on a ship, but also one of the best shows I've ever seen, in any venue, anywhere....easily top 5. That includes seeing Jersey Boys in NYC and Wicked in Chicago's entertainment district.

 

Outside the theater.....

[graphicguy]

Inside the Cirque theater.....

 

 

 

This pic was taken from our seats, which shows how close we actually were.

Edited July 9, 2014 by graphicguy

[graphicguy]

Another shot from our seats looking at the main stage.....

[graphicguy]

The dinner portion of Cirque, we could take or leave. Matter of fact, we preferred watching the show and only had a salad and drinks. We ate at the Haven Restaurant before the show, anyway.

 

They had steak and I think salmon. The others at our table seemed to like the food.