Breakaway Waterfront.... A ghost town

[Bobloblaw11]

I was on the breakaway last week and dined about 7 times on the waterfront. My wife and I were by ourselves out there 6 of the 7 times. It was wonderful having a massive balcony to ourselves almost nightly.

 

Even maltings and shakers were relatively quiet. It was the perfect place for the sail away, dinner, fireworks a morning coffee and pastries or just sitting down outside.

 

It was the polar opposite of the crowded pool area.

 

Has anyone else found the same thing on their trips on the BA or GA?

[meatball_nyc]

I was on the breakaway last week and dined about 7 times on the waterfront. My wife and I were by ourselves out there 6 of the 7 times. It was wonderful having a massive balcony to ourselves almost nightly.

 

 

 

Even maltings and shakers were relatively quiet. It was the perfect place for the sail away, dinner, fireworks a morning coffee and pastries or just sitting down outside.

 

 

 

It was the polar opposite of the crowded pool area.

 

 

 

Has anyone else found the same thing on their trips on the BA or GA?

 

 

The Waterfront was one of our favorite places to just chill and watch the ocean go by on our July 6th sailing.

Never crowded and even saw two schools of dolphins racing us on the way back to NYC.

Perfect place for after dinner drinks outside either Malting's or on the other side at Fat Cats. Awesome.

Wish we were there right now!!!

Happy Sailing!

P.S. It wasn't exactly a ghost town though. Our favorite bar waiter Nacho kept us in good company.

 

~Robin

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

Edited August 5, 2014 by meatball_nyc

[Coastalbreezes]

On my last cruise in May, I dined outdoors at Cagney's and had the entire outdoor area to myself. I ordered an expensive bottle of wine and ate dinner leisurely. Thoroughly enjoyed the experience even though I was alone.

 

Tracy

[VickiD59]

We walked the waterfront most mornings, and sat outside Moderno's to eat on embarkation day. The most time we spent "hanging out" on the waterfront was on our last night, just outside Maltings - we coined it Smokey Joe's Cafe <cough cough. The lifeboats kinda obstruct the view a bit, but it was nice place to unwind. The best (not really) was when someone from a deck above through the remnants of their ice from the cabin ice bucket over the balcony and it hit one of the lifeboats :eek: scared the bahjeeeeezes outta of us - very uncool.

I believe the deck 9 mid-ship minis are above the waterfront - not sure I'd want that obstructed view, or the smoke from the bars wafting up. Maybe that's why they threw the ice :rolleyes:

[CasinoCruzGirl]

I expect the area around maltings on the waterfront won't be to lonely come November 1 when the new smoking rules come into effect.

[js]

My co-worker came back from your sailing on Sunday.

She had a wonderful time on the Breakaway but said it was always very, very windy.

Did you find this may have been an issue on the Waterfront?

We were on last July and it was very much utilized in the evenings.

I'm back on Sunday and hope to have a few cocktails and possibly a dinner out there one evening.

Hope you had a great trip!

[sparkey2030]

I was on the breakaway last week and dined about 7 times on the waterfront. My wife and I were by ourselves out there 6 of the 7 times. It was wonderful having a massive balcony to ourselves almost nightly.

 

Even maltings and shakers were relatively quiet. It was the perfect place for the sail away, dinner, fireworks a morning coffee and pastries or just sitting down outside.

 

It was the polar opposite of the crowded pool area.

 

Has anyone else found the same thing on their trips on the BA or GA?

 

What about all the reviews, Big Ship, crowds, lines, too many people.

Edited August 5, 2014 by sparkey2030

[mcsb11]

What about all the reviews, Big Ship, crowds, lines, too many people.

 

I just posted part of my review on a diff breakaway thread. The lines and crowds arent as bad as people make them out to be. The pool will always be crowded. There is no way around this, it is what it is. Go into your cruise expecting this and youll be fine. Just make sure you claim loungechairs by 830am or youll be all the way up on deck 17.

 

The main buffet crowd was always there, but never bad. Also, there was better food upstairs @ the Uptown grill. While the omelet line may have been 7 people deep at the buffet, I never had more than 1 person in front of me @ the Uptown.

 

Decks 6, 7 & 8 never got too bad, crowd wise, except for when a show got out of the theatre. Avoid the front of the ship on those decks at that time.

 

As I said in this thread, the waterfront was our own quiet oasis. Hardly ever a crowd!

 

As far as lines go, be smart about what you do. Dont do the ropes course or the water slides the last day, you will wait. The buffet was always manageable. We never waited to eat in a restaurant.

 

The ship is big, but I really dont get the people who complain its too big. In reality, everything is on decks 6,7,8 or 15 & 16. With my room being on deck 5, I never took the elvator to get to 6, 7 or 8. Only to get to the pool area.

 

If I would go on this again, I would stay on deck 5 or go to deck 8. For ease of ship navigation, it seems like a much better option than the middle/upper decks.

[Kenlorz]

I just posted part of my review on a diff breakaway thread. The lines and crowds arent as bad as people make them out to be. The pool will always be crowded. There is no way around this, it is what it is. Go into your cruise expecting this and youll be fine. Just make sure you claim loungechairs by 830am or youll be all the way up on deck 17.

 

The main buffet crowd was always there, but never bad. Also, there was better food upstairs @ the Uptown grill. While the omelet line may have been 7 people deep at the buffet, I never had more than 1 person in front of me @ the Uptown.

 

Decks 6, 7 & 8 never got too bad, crowd wise, except for when a show got out of the theatre. Avoid the front of the ship on those decks at that time.

 

As I said in this thread, the waterfront was our own quiet oasis. Hardly ever a crowd!

 

As far as lines go, be smart about what you do. Dont do the ropes course or the water slides the last day, you will wait. The buffet was always manageable. We never waited to eat in a restaurant.

 

The ship is big, but I really dont get the people who complain its too big. In reality, everything is on decks 6,7,8 or 15 & 16. With my room being on deck 5, I never took the elvator to get to 6, 7 or 8. Only to get to the pool area.

 

If I would go on this again, I would stay on deck 5 or go to deck 8. For ease of ship navigation, it seems like a much better option than the middle/upper decks.

 

It's probably just me, but I avoid the pool areas altogether as if it's the plague. I honestly can not understand why everyone hoards around the pools anyway. There is so much to do on these megaships. I'd much rather be doing the things I CAN'T do at home. There's always someplace on land I can find to swim in a pool, so I just don't even consider that a part of my cruise vacation. I would much rather find a quieter place to sit out & enjoy the sea than the crowded pool area.

 

I venture to believe that most of the people who DON'T find megaships crowded are those who do their homework and research the best ways to avoid them. There's oodles of hints and tips on these boards on how to have a quieter cruise vacation on a crowded ship. When we were on the Allure of the Seas, the ONLY time we felt crowded was getting out of a show, immediately after Muster Drill, the buffets early in the morning and lining up to watch the parade. Other than that, we managed to barely run into more than a handful of people at a time. IT WAS AWESOME!

[Cruiser Bruiser]

I just posted part of my review on a diff breakaway thread. The lines and crowds arent as bad as people make them out to be. The pool will always be crowded. There is no way around this, it is what it is. Go into your cruise expecting this and youll be fine. Just make sure you claim loungechairs by 830am or youll be all the way up on deck 17.

 

The main buffet crowd was always there, but never bad. Also, there was better food upstairs @ the Uptown grill. While the omelet line may have been 7 people deep at the buffet, I never had more than 1 person in front of me @ the Uptown.

 

Decks 6, 7 & 8 never got too bad, crowd wise, except for when a show got out of the theatre. Avoid the front of the ship on those decks at that time.

 

As I said in this thread, the waterfront was our own quiet oasis. Hardly ever a crowd!

 

As far as lines go, be smart about what you do. Dont do the ropes course or the water slides the last day, you will wait. The buffet was always manageable. We never waited to eat in a restaurant.

 

The ship is big, but I really dont get the people who complain its too big. In reality, everything is on decks 6,7,8 or 15 & 16. With my room being on deck 5, I never took the elvator to get to 6, 7 or 8. Only to get to the pool area.

 

If I would go on this again, I would stay on deck 5 or go to deck 8. For ease of ship navigation, it seems like a much better option than the middle/upper decks.

 

Any impressions of Spice H2O? It seems like I'm always reading about how busy the Aqua Park (main pool) is, but no one ever comments about Spice H2O. It seems like initial impressions were that it's not quite as nice as on Epic, but other than that...

[mcsb11]

Any impressions of Spice H2O? It seems like I'm always reading about how busy the Aqua Park (main pool) is, but no one ever comments about Spice H2O. It seems like initial impressions were that it's not quite as nice as on Epic, but other than that...

 

We were in Spice the second day. It was very quiet and there was plenty of chairs available. Honestly, we got bored and the 20 minute torrential downpour was our impetus to get up & leave. We wound up by the pool, with tons of spots to choose from because the rain sent everyone packing. If you want a quiet spot, spice is for you!

 

Kenlorz... for my wife & I (35 & 29y/o) we wanted to have some drinks during the day and have fun outdoors. The pool was the spot to do so! I had read the 5,000+ complaints about getting a chair, so I knew to get there and knew what to expect. And because of that, we had an absolute blast!

 

Obviously, what works for us isnt for everyone.

[time2cruise1]

I suspect the Waterfront will become much busier after Nov 1 when it becomes the only outdoor smoking area on the BA and GA. 😥

[dolphin lady]

My husband & I were on the BA last Dec & Feb and both times enjoyed H2o

on sunny days..Liked the waterfall you can sit under if it's hot....The bar was always opened and for lunch we would go to the Uptown Grille (very handy) for deli sandwiches and bring them back... One day we ordered a pizza and had it delivered to H2o for pizza and a cold beer.. A few times they came around with cool towels for you.

In fact, the first time we bought Spa passes and then discovered H2o and found we enjoyed that better...

[VickiD59]

What about all the reviews, Big Ship, crowds, lines, too many people.

 

 

I was nervous about this as well when we sailed this past July, but honestly...we never felt the crowds. I'm sure if you tried to get a lounge chair on top of the pool you may feel the squeeze, but we only spent time at H2o where lounge chairs were plentiful, and children 17 and under we're not allowed (this was enforced) - it truly never felt crowded ever.

[Coastalbreezes]

New policy clearly states for waterfront: On ships with The Waterfront, smoking is permitted on the starboard side excluding any food service areas.

 

Not wanting to get flamed or start another smoking discussion, but I do enjoy my pre-dinner cocktails and cigarettes on the Waterfront. Glad I will still be able to do that after November 1st.

 

Tracy

[jakeT]

It's very windy out there. Wind blowing over your hot food. Doesn't go together.

Also people just don't want to pay for the "special" Restaurants. I think this is one of NCL biggest failure. People just don't want to pay for food when they can get it for free.

[Jacy613]

I am so happy to read this about the BA! My husband and I are going on the 14Th and we cannot wait! We are not "sit by the pool" people so I am hoping the Waterfront and the upper private decks will give me the peace and quiet I am searching for!. My husband is more apt to be in the casino! Good, I say! Gives me more time to enjoy my book, and do a bit of people watching.

 

This is what I love so much about a cruise, there is something for everyone, no matter what you may be craving. I can't wait to check out Spice and the Waterfront and all the BA has to offer!

 

J

[Bars7816]

What about all the reviews, Big Ship, crowds, lines, too many people.

Totally not true in our experience. We thoroughly enjoyed the Waterfront on BA and spent a lot of time there, and often pretty much by ourselves. We loved that! I'm thinking why pay for a balcony, when the Waterfront is so great? The seating is way more cushy.:)

[smeck]

I was nervous about this as well when we sailed this past July, but honestly...we never felt the crowds. I'm sure if you tried to get a lounge chair on top of the pool you may feel the squeeze, but we only spent time at H2o where lounge chairs were plentiful, and children 17 and under we're not allowed (this was enforced) - it truly never felt crowded ever.

 

How did you like the cruise?

[VickiD59]

How did you like the cruise?

LOVED IT! Beautiful ship... would recommend. We had aft facing balcony cabins, which were HUGE (the balconies that is.. not the cabins). Being docked in Bermuda for 3 days was really nice as well - no rushing back to the ship after only a few hours in port.

[Nalagh]

New policy clearly states for waterfront: On ships with The Waterfront, smoking is permitted on the starboard side excluding any food service areas.

 

Not wanting to get flamed or start another smoking discussion, but I do enjoy my pre-dinner cocktails and cigarettes on the Waterfront. Glad I will still be able to do that after November 1st.

 

Tracy

 

Me too! :)

[mcsb11]

I am so happy to read this about the BA! My husband and I are going on the 14Th and we cannot wait! We are not "sit by the pool" people so I am hoping the Waterfront and the upper private decks will give me the peace and quiet I am searching for!. My husband is more apt to be in the casino! Good, I say! Gives me more time to enjoy my book, and do a bit of people watching.

 

This is what I love so much about a cruise, there is something for everyone, no matter what you may be craving. I can't wait to check out Spice and the Waterfront and all the BA has to offer!

 

J

 

Jaycee...you'll love it! It's super quiet on the waterfront. It's like having your own massive private balcony. Also, deck 17 is quite quiet, and last week, they were working on expanding the sun deck on 17. It should be done by the time you cruise.

[St. Louis Sal]

I thought the Waterfront looked very nice until I realized it was full of smokers. Same with H2O-sat in the bar area, smokers. So I avoided those spots. Same with LeBistro-thought the "outdoor" café area was cute but could smell the smoke drifting down from the casino. Also the BA was the first casino I ever saw that put slot machines in the hallway. I realize that they have tried to utilize every possible space but didn't care for that setup or the smoke so for the first time on a cruise I never set foot in the casino.

 

This was my 21st cruise and I've never done a review but I am considering doing it for this one.

 

St. Louis Sal

[Kenlorz]

Jaycee...you'll love it! It's super quiet on the waterfront. It's like having your own massive private balcony. Also, deck 17 is quite quiet, and last week, they were working on expanding the sun deck on 17. It should be done by the time you cruise.

 

I had no idea they were working on deck 17. How exactly are they expanding the deck? Can you give details on this?

[mcsb11]

It may be deck 18. Whatever the uppermost deck is....

 

While at the pool last week, we saw them on top of the ship, near where the two round gps or westher domes are. Men were measuring and drilling for several days, and on the next to last day, we saw white posts go up, similar to the posts holding the glass and railings around the ship.

 

I went up there and it seemed pretty obvious that they were set to expand the sun area up there. Sorry I didn't snap a pic.

 

And I'll reiterate again, the smoke wasn't that bad on deck 6. It was very very very faint. And on the waterfront you would occasionally get a smoker by maltings but it was never bad. I'm someone who doesn't smoke and hates second hand smoke in my face.