Just off the Breakaway--brief review

[travelerblue]

Thanks traveler. Though it's 2x the price of Vibe, I think it's a viable option. What did you like best?

 

I love to spend my day relaxing and reading. It is so peaceful in the spa (other than the sound of the water bubbling). I could sit there and read and nap and watch the view all day long. We especially love those heated loungers and we never had a problem getting them and there were 3 of us. My sister and my DH loved the salt room. It is really nice having a place to relax if the weather is not so nice outside. We are going on the BA in May. I am trying to decide if I want a spa pass or not just because it is so expensive but my DH is definitely getting it. He has a lot of medical issues and those pools and heated loungers are the ultimate relaxation for him. I guess since it's our 25th anniversary cruise, I should probably join him! :)

[mrobstad]

Dog, as a NYer, I'd say you can sit outside in May, possibly poolside in June.....

[conandrob240]

Great review! We're going on the Breakaway in July and can't wait. This will be our 5th time on NCL, but my 16th cruise overall. We don't have the UDP or UBP but we will eat at Cagney's one evening with our group of 11, and at Le Bistro one evening just me and DH for a date night. And we love our drinks on a cruise, just that the UBP isn't worth the cost for the amount we drink, we have maybe 2 or 3 drinks each per day and that's it and we don't drink soda. The kids don't drink soda either and everyone in the cabin has to be on a drink package. So we just pay as we go.

 

Glad the food in the dining room was great! Did you by any chance have the chocolate volcano dessert? That's one I'm looking forward to!

 

UBP is free right now. Call your TA and get it added.

[bangzoom6877]

Bonnie, did you at least take the on board credit? Otherwise the beverage and dining packages are free right now. Or you can get your daily service charges paid for.

 

We did get onboard credit when we booked back in September, and it was more than the amount we would get for our cabins if we had waited and booked under the current promotion.

 

UBP is free right now. Call your TA and get it added.

 

Inside cabins do not qualify for the free UBP. We have 2 connecting inside cabins. Upgrading to 2 balcony cabins is out of our price range, and would cost more than purchasing the UBP anyway. We will pay for our drinks as we go.

Edited March 5, 2015 by bangzoom6877

[Nola26]

I'm booked for 12/27 and thinking of getting the spa pass so that I have a place to go on cool days. I'm not really a bingo kind of girl. I usually get Vibe. What's your opinion, cuz it's expensive at $199 for the week....

 

You'll be sailing in cold weather so I think the inside respite of the thermal suite would be well worth the money. If budgeting is an issue, skip Vibe and just use Spice H20 and the thermal suite as your respite areas.

[Nola26]

We did get onboard credit when we booked back in September, and it was more than the amount we would get for our cabins if we had waited and booked under the current promotion.

 

 

 

Inside cabins do not qualify for the free UBP. We have 2 connecting inside cabins. Upgrading to 2 balcony cabins is out of our price range, and would cost more than purchasing the UBP anyway. We will pay for our drinks as we go.

 

 

A step up to ocean view would qualify you for free UBP or UDP or OBC or DSC. Perhaps call to see how that would price out for you. I upgraded to a balcony and it is a significant fee. I did so from a discounted inside rate so we only qualify for the $25 and sail free, but those both help defray the upgrade fee.

[bangzoom6877]

A step up to ocean view would qualify you for free UBP or UDP or OBC or DSC. Perhaps call to see how that would price out for you. I upgraded to a balcony and it is a significant fee. I did so from a discounted inside rate so we only qualify for the $25 and sail free, but those both help defray the upgrade fee.

 

I tried this too and there are no connecting ocean view cabins available.

 

Two connecting balcony cabins would cost us $1300 more than we are currently paying, more than it would cost to add the drink package and pay for it out of pocket! A mini suite upgrade, with all 4 of us in the same room, would cost $800 more. That is the "cheapest" upgrade to give us the "free" drink package. DH and I decided that having the privacy of two cabins and also having two bathrooms, are more important than paying $800 more for all of us to stay in the same cabin and have the drink package. I know a mini suite is bigger than a regular cabin, but we really love having two connecting cabins with the kids. We've been cruising like that since we've been a family of four, and we always say it's the best way for us to cruise! We will pay for drinks as we go, like we've done in the past. And we still have our onboard credit from when we booked in September. Nothing else we could do since we're really at our max for what we can afford to pay for the cruise.

Edited March 7, 2015 by bangzoom6877

[bangzoom6877]

I tried this too and there are no connecting ocean view cabins available.

 

Two connecting balcony cabins would cost us $1300 more than we are currently paying, more than it would cost to add the drink package and pay for it out of pocket! A mini suite upgrade, with all 4 of us in the same room, would cost $800 more. That is the "cheapest" upgrade to give us the "free" drink package. DH and I decided that having the privacy of two cabins and also having two bathrooms, are more important than paying $800 more for all of us to stay in the same cabin and have the drink package. I know a mini suite is bigger than a regular cabin, but we really love having two connecting cabins with the kids. We've been cruising like that since we've been a family of four, and we always say it's the best way for us to cruise! We will pay for drinks as we go, like we've done in the past. And we still have our onboard credit from when we booked in September. Nothing else we could do since we're really at our max for what we can afford to pay for the cruise.

 

Never mind, I checked the deck plans again and there are connecting oceanview rooms, my mistake. So I called to see how much it would cost to switch to those. The same price as the mini suite for 4 people, so again, we aren't going to change our cabins.

[mrobstad]

I always book a studio, and always purchase UDP. On the Getaway, UDP gets you the Illusarium for free. Does UDP get you anything like that on BA or Escape?