NCL Breakaway poor reviews

[tallvine]

I know there are people out there who will complain about everything but I'm getting nervous reading all the poor reviews on this ship! My husband & I will be on the May NY to Bermuda Breakaway cruise. We love to cruise but have only been on 5 other cruises - 3 on RCCL, 1 on celebrity & 1 on Carnival. we loved thema all. Since we live in New england we thought a cruise fron NY would be easy to drive to and we love Bermuda having spent our honeymoon there 30 years ago. But... reading the recent reviews of this ship has me getting nervous - especially the complaints of overwhelming cigarette smoke everywhere. I'd love to hear some positive experiences!!

[amydandrea]

We loved it! It's beautiful with great entertainment and the spa is amazing. Cabin was nice but next time I'd go balcony, had an inside. Dining in Manhattan room always a pleasure. Don't worry you will have a great time

 

 

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[spidybabe]

Whole ship not smokey....just casino at times.

Ship is wonderful, although public spaces are small(pool, theater)

Go and enjoy... its a wonderful modern new ship

[aquarianne11]

We had an amazing time on the Breakaway. Bermuda is stunning!

[aquarianne11]

We are non smokers but the smoke never bothered us. Have a great cruise.

[*Luv2Cruz*]

Luved it the first time and booked 2 more!! :cool:

 

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Edited February 24, 2015 by *Luv2Cruz*

[MsJ]

Hello,

 

I think every cruise ship we have gone on there have been many negative reviews. We have cruised on NCL,RCCL,HAL,Celebrity and Princess on 18 cruises. We have never had a bad cruise and found that for us those negative reviews were far different from what we experienced. It seems every ship has the same issue Ie: bad smells, out of control kids, poor service, bad food, unfriendly staff on on and on and on. I think the worst one was the NCL Wind which we did in 2005 I think. It was almost all negative reviews and I was getting really worried.We has a wonderful time and enjoyed every minute of it. I don't really give them any thought anymore when booking a cruise on a ship and itinerary that I am interested in. We have had some irritating things happen but not anything ever to ruin a cruise.

 

We sailed on the Breakaway last February and sailing again this coming Sunday. It's a beautiful clean ship. Service was wonderful, food was delicious entertainment was enjoyable.I won 900.00 on the quarter slot machine:)

 

 

Have fun on your cruise. Nothing beats having someone pick up after you and make your bed, bring you clean towels etc, wait on you each night at dinner and just sailing along on the beautiful ocean listening to the the sounds of nature.

Edited February 24, 2015 by MsJ
add info

[meatball_nyc]

Stop reading reviews and go enjoy Breakaway to Bermuda.

She's a big beautiful ship and Bermuda is a fantastic place.

We went last year and loved both.

We are booked for this fall again.

It's your vacation...make the most of it. Life is too short.

Have fun!

 

 

~Robin

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

[Cruisegirl6]

Two years ago I went on the Breakaway and yes, I had an abundant of "negatives" to tell about that ship BUT its a cruise and not every cruise line or ship is perfect. I think it all depends on what you like to do and what is important to you. Although I did find this ship to feel very crowded where the Allure of the Seas holds 2k more people and we NEVER felt crowded on that ship, its not going to make you not have a good time. I did mention a huge list of things I disliked about the Breakaway but I didn't have a bad cruise! I am currently booked for next year on the Getaway because we have family that have booked on her and we want to be all together this is important to me but I may not like the Breakway but would I rather be home or be on the Breakaway you know the answer. Just have a wonderful cruise there are positives also in the Breakaway and just form your own opinion when you come home, but right now focus on a wonderful cruise.

[SliceOfLife]

The Breakaway is a wonderful cruise, in fact, I'm book for my second cruise on her this May.

 

Gambee did a fantastic long and detailed review on the Breakaway and he's sailed several cruise lines so he compares and contrasts his experiences.

 

I also have a review and pictures with links in my signature.

 

Have a great a cruise!!

[Medtech2]

I know there are people out there who will complain about everything but I'm getting nervous reading all the poor reviews on this ship! My husband & I will be on the May NY to Bermuda Breakaway cruise. We love to cruise but have only been on 5 other cruises - 3 on RCCL, 1 on celebrity & 1 on Carnival. we loved thema all. Since we live in New england we thought a cruise fron NY would be easy to drive to and we love Bermuda having spent our honeymoon there 30 years ago. But... reading the recent reviews of this ship has me getting nervous - especially the complaints of overwhelming cigarette smoke everywhere. I'd love to hear some positive experiences!!

While we did notice the smoke smell coming from the casino permeating all of the areas near it, we just avoided those areas. It was NCL's loss as we did not gamble, do any specialty restaurants or shop on board.

 

However we had a wonderful time. There are so many other things to do and spaces to explore! The waterfront was nice and 3 days in Bermuda made the visit relaxing. If you honeymooned there that will make this visit all the more special! We spent our money in Bermuda rather than the ship.

[Kenlorz]

We are doing the May 31st Breakaway to Bermuda cruise and couldn't be more stoked. Have I ever cruised NCL before? No. We have only cruised RCCL before. I am nervous? No. Perhaps I wear rose colored glasses to often, LOL, but I believe you have to take most complaints with a giant grain of salt. Remember, most people have a great time someplace and go home and tell their friends and family about it. OTOH, when people have a BAD time, they get home and tell THE WORLD about it... and will find the anyplace on the internet to do it. Have we read the many bad reviews? Yes. What are our thoughts? We looked at the top 4 most mentioned complaints and decided to make a plan ahead of time on how to overcome it.

 

Most mentioned complaints:

1. Smoke wafting out of the casino. Plan? Having worked as a server for years in my younger years when smoking was legit in restaurants, I'm pretty sure it won't bother me. If it does, I won't be hanging out near the casino. There are so many other places on the ship to enjoy.

 

2. Food in MDR lower quality or cold. Plan? We bought the UDP. Technically, we would have bought it regardless because we enjoy a smaller, quieter venue than the MDR. But, we figure either way, now we don't care what the food quality in the MDR is, LOL.

 

3. Pools are crowded. Plan? We don't plan on using the pool. We have Bermuda beaches to enjoy for half of the trip where we will do most of our swimming and sunbathing.

 

4. Atrium and other areas of the ship are crowded. Plan? Find places to be quiet and relax. We will buy the spa passes and relax there. If we weren't spending so much time on land, we would have bought the VIBE passes. And we made sure to secure a big balcony in our cabin where we will spend a good deal of our time.

 

So, don't worry about the debbie downers. There is SO much about this ship to enjoy and celebrate... great shows, great venues, great restaurants, great slides, great sports complex, great spa, great waterfront. Look at the complaints that seem to repeat and decide if they would affect you. If they would, come up with a plan to counteract it.

[SAILPRO]

I know there are people out there who will complain about everything but I'm getting nervous reading all the poor reviews on this ship! My husband & I will be on the May NY to Bermuda Breakaway cruise. We love to cruise but have only been on 5 other cruises - 3 on RCCL, 1 on celebrity & 1 on Carnival. we loved thema all. Since we live in New england we thought a cruise fron NY would be easy to drive to and we love Bermuda having spent our honeymoon there 30 years ago. But... reading the recent reviews of this ship has me getting nervous - especially the complaints of overwhelming cigarette smoke everywhere. I'd love to hear some positive experiences!!

 

You wanted us to sugarcoat or to tell you the truth, only kidding.

 

Like some already said, 'A bad cruise is better than a day at work'. :D

[lisara]

My husband and I were on the breakaway in Oct. We were really impressed. One complaint was the dreaded muster drill. Other than that it was fantastic so much so we are going this May with our kids. Youngest son is graduating college one day and the next we are traveling on the breakaway. We told the kids last year we would go on Disney but this is a nice ship within driving distance. You will have a good time.

[geegee1]

...But... reading the recent reviews of this ship has me getting nervous - especially the complaints of overwhelming cigarette smoke everywhere. I'd love to hear some positive experiences!!

 

We have sailed on Breakaway twice. Most recently last week. While you notice the smoke by the casino and the cigar bar by Maltings, we did not notice it any where else that it would cause a problem. Especially not in the specialty restaurants, even La Cuccina, which is across the hall from Maltings.

[bedfordmom]

We have sailed on Breakaway twice. Most recently last week. While you notice the smoke by the casino and the cigar bar by Maltings, we did not notice it any where else that it would cause a problem. Especially not in the specialty restaurants, even La Cuccina, which is across the hall from Maltings.

 

 

Just sailed the Breakaway two weeks ago. Though not my favorite ship, it was fine. It is what you make of it. Yes the casino smelled smokey, so I stayed away from it. I loved the outdoor areas especially the ropes and slides. The problem with a winter sailing is that 2-3 days (5 in our case on a 12 day) you are stuck inside. I thought that the ship was designed poorly to accomodate 4000 passengers indoors for that amount of indoor time.

[albean99]

We went a yr ago Sept and was our favorite cruise ever. We're non-smokers and mostly avoided the Casino but I've been in worse. I watched my DH play for some time without a problem and I don't do well around smokers.

 

I thought the food was fine in the dining rooms and only ate at one pay restaurant. Admittedly we're not foodies. There's lots to do on the ship and I liked the Waterfront a lot.

 

I can recommend the tastings if you're a drinker. They had martini, Mojito, & Margarita ones plus probably beer & wine. It was $15 plus tip and you could share. It's fun.

 

The only complaint I had was the coffee. Am hoping they've changed it.

[NeurosurgeryNP]

We have sailed on Breakaway twice. Most recently last week. While you notice the smoke by the casino and the cigar bar by Maltings, we did not notice it any where else that it would cause a problem. Especially not in the specialty restaurants, even La Cuccina, which is across the hall from Maltings.

 

Were there any covered pool areas - such as the Vibe area? We are sailing Sunday and want to get the most use of the pools. Not sure if we should buy the passes for the week.

[MsJ]

Gambee did a fantastic long and detailed review on the Breakaway and he's sailed several cruise lines so he compares and contrasts his experiences.

 

 

I highly recommend Gambee's review. He has tons of info and pictures and videos on UTube.

[geegee1]

Were there any covered pool areas - such as the Vibe area? We are sailing Sunday and want to get the most use of the pools. Not sure if we should buy the passes for the week.

 

The only "public" covered pool area that is usable when it's cold is in the Spa. We bought Spa passes in the terminal before boarding in order to use it. It's not your typical pool, you don't swim in it. It's heated and has jets that you can turn on.

Edited February 24, 2015 by geegee1

[meatball_nyc]

Gambee's review helped us plan our first time on Breakaway. I agree with MsJ on that.

http://www.cruisewithgambee.com/breakaway-review-2/

 

Also, I studied the public deck plans well before we boarded. Especially decks 6, 7, 8 and 15.

This way I had a very good idea of where we wanted to go and the best way to get there.

Embarkation day there will be one MDR open for lunch. O'Sheehan's and Uptown Grill were also open. Didn't go near the buffet the first day at all. They do have very good hand scooped hard ice cream there with sauces. Don't miss that!

Have fun!!

[nancynana9950]

We sailed on Breakaway 9/13 and are booked again for October this year. We loved this ship best of all six different ships of three different lines we have sailed on. Not everything was perfect but we had very few complaints. We found that while the smell of cigarette smoke was obvious in and around the Casino, the ventilation was sufficient to filter out the actual smoke. I am bothered by second-hand smoke and I didn't have any problems beyond the unpleasant odor. We were more bothered by a cigar smoker on the balcony next to us but smoking is now prohibited on balconies now. We are very glad of that! (Sorry smokers. I know you are not happy about that and I have no wish to rehash that debate again). I think NCL tries to filter the air and mostly succeeds.

Yes the pool is too small, but we don't use it. Don't need a lounger right by the pool either. There are plenty on upper decks. We had some great meals at the included options for dining. We had a few misses as well. We found we preferred dining in the up-charge venues, but there is plenty of very good food on board. Can't beat the entertainment and activities. We were never board and ran out of time to try everything so we are going back again to beautiful Bermuda!

[bbryan5]

Breakaway to Bermuda is awesome! We did it last May, and will be doing it again this May. I'm a non-smoker, and the smoke never bothered me at all. :D:D:D

[MsJ]

Gambee did a fantastic long and detailed review on the Breakaway and he's sailed several cruise lines so he compares and contrasts his experiences.

 

 

I highly recommend Gambee's review. He has tons of info and pictures and videos on UTube.

 

I am not sure what happened but I thought I was quoting SliceofLife who was the person who originally recommended Gambees reviews.The first quote on this post was from SliceofLife. The second one was my response to SliceofLife. I can't figure out how to use just part of a post so I usually copy it all and then delete the parts that are irrelevant.

 

SliceofLife I didnt want to you think I was plagiarizing your excellent advice about Gambees reviews. I just meant to agree with you. Sorry.

 

Marianne

[Freckle53]

My husband and I were on the breakaway in Oct. We were really impressed. One complaint was the dreaded muster drill. Other than that it was fantastic so much so we are going this May with our kids. Youngest son is graduating college one day and the next we are traveling on the breakaway. We told the kids last year we would go on Disney but this is a nice ship within driving distance. You will have a good time.

 

Can I ask what was bad about muster (other than it just being what it is)? I thought I had read some reviews that NCL/Breakaway has you gather in various inside venues and it's short and sweet. We had a rough go of it on our first cruise last year with Carnival. We had to line up pretty close on a deck (that part wasn't bad because it was nice out), but it went on FOREVER and we had to hold our very heavy and squirmy 2 year old who didn't grasp the 'be quiet and pay attention' thing and kept trying to play peek a boo and say hi to everyone standing behind us.

 

I did learn something absolutely hysterical about my SIL though. She cries at every muster drill. She said it just starts getting her worried and thinking about all the what-ifs and something happening to her kids. I had to bust her chops about that because I find that so funny. Maybe she's a reincarnated Titanic passenger or something. ;)