Thoughts about Breakaway cruise June 22-29

[Liz]

I've just returned from the June 22 sailing on Breakaway. There were a few things I thought I'd share, since I rarely have time to do a review. I do not have the Cruise Dailies and have no information about the kid's programs - those are the usual questions that people have so I figured I'd clarify up front 😊.

I booked a studio (I traveled solo) and there was plenty of room but I don't think I'd want to spend more than a week in that cabin. There is no refrigerator in the studio cabin, regardless of the NCL brochure description. The studio lounge was very nice. There is a daily gathering from 5:00-6:00 for all solo travelers in the lounge, hosted by Jovan; Maricel is the bartender. Drinks are not free but there is a cappuccino machine 24/7 as well as pastries, orange juice and fresh fruit. Jovan organizes different activities during the week like Cirque Jungle Fantasy and dinner as a group. He is terrific.

There is no lobster. Apparently ours was the first cruise without lobster and there were quite a few upset people. The "replacement" was a lobster pasta dish that was okay at best.

Do not miss the shows! I missed Rock of Ages but really enjoyed Cirque and Burn the Floor. If you take younger children to Burn the Floor you might want to sit near the aisle so you can leave if the kids get bored. I saw several groups exit during the performance. All of the performers in the atrium are excellent.

Moderno was just okay at dinner. I prefer to have rare or medium rare beef, but almost all of the beef I was served was medium well to well done, and the chicken was overcooked and very dry. The ribs were too tough to eat. The only other specialty restaurant I visited was the noodle bar, and it was very good.

There is a very interesting history museum inside the Commissioners House. Admission for adults is $12. If you go to the top floor you will have a nice view of the ship.

Hamilton hosts a street festival, Harbor Nights, on Wednesday nights from 7 until 10. I took the 5:30 ferry and arrived around 5:45 - plenty of time to wander around a bit before the festival started. If you stand outside the Spinnaker shop you might see the Gombey dancers line up before they parade down the main street; it's especially fun because most of the dancers are little kids!

I hoped to get a Vibe pass but arrived too late (at the port around11:15, and on board about an hour later). It was okay though; I had no problem finding a lounge chair on deck 16 or deck 17 (right outside Vibe) every day. You can't hear the poolside music up there but there is some music piped in and a bar close by.

The internet program has changed, apparently. You can pay $.15 per MB without buying a package or buy one of the three package plans. The small package costs $9 for 100 MB, medium costs $19 for 300 MB and the large package costs $39 for 1000 MB. If you are a silver Lattitudes member you'll receive 20 free MB's when you purchase 1000 MB or 10 free MB's if you purchase 300 MB. I purchased the $9 package and blew through it very quickly by checking two email accounts. Translation: connection is slow, plan accordingly.

Goslings rum is the big deal, since it is made in Bermuda. Check their website before you sail, to see if there is a distributor near you. Remember, you cannot carry bottles on your return flight! You will have to check the bottles or pack them in your luggage.

Overall, it was a fun week. The ship is very nice and the crew is quite pleasant. I think I may change my mind about NCL after this one!

 

Liz

[Keith1010]

Thanks for taking the time to right your report/review.

 

Keith

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[wasiii]

.....The internet program has changed, apparently. You can pay $.15 per MB without buying a package or buy one of the three package plans. The small package costs $9 for 100 MB, medium costs $19 for 300 MB and the large package costs $39 for 1000 MB. If you are a silver Lattitudes member you'll receive 20 free MB's when you purchase 1000 MB or 10 free MB's if you purchase 300 MB. I purchased the $9 package and blew through it very quickly by checking two email accounts. Translation: connection is slow, plan accordingly.....

 

Liz

 

.....if they changed the plan to MB's instead of minutes, I don't understand what you mean by your statement above? Even if it is a slow connection the MB's should be the same.

 

:confused:

 

wasiii

[BermudaBound2014]

Thanks for sharing your experiences :).

[Liz]

.....if they changed the plan to MB's instead of minutes, I don't understand what you mean by your statement above? Even if it is a slow connection the MB's should be the same.

 

:confused:

 

wasiii

 

I'm no techie but it seemed like I blew through the allotted MB's much faster than I "should" have. I was online for less than ten minutes and the meter said I had used 70 MB. I complained to the internet manager and she reset my account, but the second use had pretty much the same result. There must be something wrong because every crew member I mentioned it to said the new system was much more expensive. Your results may vary....

 

Liz