Breakaway July 19th Review (including food allergy experience)

[bangzoom6877]

We r scheduled for Breakaway to Bermuda in about 2 weeks. We had heard that it was to change menus possibly in July in the dining rooms, restaurants, do you know if that was the case. We know we can look at a website " beyondships" and get that information on menu choices, we had heard however, that menus were to change?

 

The menus in the Manhattan Room were identical to the ones I found on "beyondships"! I had read the thread from the Gem with the newer, more cut down menus and we didn't have any of those. The French onion soup was still an appetizer every single day, along with Norwegian smoked salmon, garden salad, Caesar salad and beef burger slider. There are, however, 11 different dinner menus listed on beyondships so you might not have the same exact menus we did. But the same number of choices as long as they don't change the menus before you sail.

[bangzoom6877]

Interested in the answer to this. I thought BA was the first adopter of the new menus about 8 mths ago and that the rest of the fleet was slowly switching over. Meaning the menus you see on beyond ships are the more recent ones that BA switched to last fall

 

Yes, they are the same menus as you see on that website. However, someone recently posted newer menus from a recent cruise on the Gem, and the menus had fewer choices. I believe French onion soup was also no longer on the new Gem menus.

[bangzoom6877]

I received a reply to my email, from the NCL Access Desk. I had informed them of our experience with Philip's allergies not being taken as seriously as they should have. The reply said exactly this:

 

"Good day.

 

Thank you for your email.

 

I will forward it to the department that can assist."

 

What? Such a cold response without even as much as an "I'm sorry for your trouble"? Maybe I'm asking too much or being too sensitive, but this response just feels cold and callous to me, and very cookie cutter. Not to mention that when they poorly handle food allergies, someone's life is being put at risk, literally. My hope was for another family not to have to go through this, or even worse. And there was a signature at the end so it was actually from an individual person, and not an automated response. Unreal.

Edited July 29, 2015 by bangzoom6877

[piginmud]

Thanks for the great review so far, looking forward to more of the review!

 

debbie

[russianmom]

I received a reply to my email, from the NCL Access Desk. I had informed them of our experience with Philip's allergies not being taken as seriously as they should have. The reply said exactly this:

 

"Good day.

 

Thank you for your email.

 

I will forward it to the department that can assist."

 

What? Such a cold response without even as much as an "I'm sorry for your trouble"? Maybe I'm asking too much or being too sensitive, but this response just feels cold and callous to me, and very cookie cutter. Not to mention that when they poorly handle food allergies, someone's life is being put at risk, literally. My hope was for another family not to have to go through this, or even worse. And there was a signature at the end so it was actually from an individual person, and not an automated response. Unreal.

 

I'm bummed about this for you. I also have allergies to shellfish, peanuts and tree nuts. NCL has always handled me better than the other lines I've sailed.

 

I'm sailing in 7 weeks and this is not good. I'm a nurse and super careful about what I choose to eat on board but if the MDR can't follow the protocol they've had in the past this will not sit well with me.

[bangzoom6877]

We enjoyed the food at breakfast in the MDR. We ate breakfast there 4 mornings of the cruise. We never ate breakfast in the Garden Cafe buffet, because we avoid the buffet during the busy breakfast hours since we don't find it relaxing at all. We also went to Uptown a Grill two mornings, and to O'Sheehan's another morning, but I will review those venues separately.

 

When they first seat you in the MDR, they offer you coffee and ice water...we had both each time, with the exception of me once when I ordered a cappuccino...more on the cappuccino later in this very post. They give you a small pot of coffee so you can refill your own, sort of like IHOP does. While we did like the convenience of this, the better way to serve customers is for servers to come and refill their coffee, in my opinion. This was one of the ways NCL cut back on service in this cruise without it being too obvious, but I notice everything. Still, this wasn't a big bother to me, just something I noticed. As for the taste of the coffee, while it was drinkable it wasn't great. I've had better coffee on past NCL cruises and was pretty disappointed in this coffee. DH didn't like it at all and only had one small cup per day, very unusual for him who usually drinks 3 large mugs at home.

 

I informed the server of Philip's allergies each time. The servers went to the kitchen to check on certain items for us, which I did include in my email to the Access Desk, as well as when I reported the food allergy experience at GS onboard. They apologized, saying it would be a moment for them to find out, but that never bothers us. We would rather wait and have him be safe, and we are used to this anywhere we go. We're very patient with restaurants, as we know it isn't easy for them to deal with allergies either. Philip was happy to be able to eat a bagel, one of his favorite breakfast items. Twice I had the smoked salmon eggs Benedict and this was a delicious dish, consistent in quality both times I had it. They're not too heavy on the hollandaise sauce, which I prefer to eat a little less of and don't like my eggs Benedict drowning in it. DH also enjoyed this dish one morning. The boys enjoyed pancakes, cheese omelettes, and Philip loved the hash browns, as did I. They reminded me of potato latkes! They were well seasoned, crispy and delicious, and I ate them every morning even at Uptown Grill and O'Sheehan's breakfasts! Twice in the MDR, including the last morning, I enjoyed pancakes with bacon. DH found the bacon to be too salty the one morning when he ordered it with his waffle, but it was ok for me. I only ate a couple of pieces, and they give a very generous portion of bacon!

 

The fruit at breakfast was delicious, very sweet. I enjoyed the diced tropical fruits two mornings. Sliced banana was also terrific, and my younger son Jonathan enjoyed some cantaloupe. Each morning we also had a basket of Danish and croissants brought to us. One morning we requested just plain and chocolate croissants and they brought us a basket of those. Philip was able to eat the plain and chocolate croissants anywhere on the ship, as we found out one morning from a chef at Uptown Grill.

 

On Saturday morning, I decided that instead of regular coffee, I wanted to treat myself to cappuccino at breakfast. I ordered it as soon as we sat down and gave the waiter my cruise card. I went through a fruit course, a croissant and my entree of smoked salmon eggs Benedict with hash browns before he brought me my cappuccino. This was the poorest service we received at breakfast in the MDR the whole cruise. The cappuccino tasted fine, but I really preferred to have my coffee with my breakfast, not afterwards, which is why I ordered it as soon as we sat down.

 

Overall, we did enjoy breakfast in the MDR. The food was delicious, and always tasted nice and fresh. Yes it takes longer than other venues for breakfast, but we were on vacation and not in a rush to be anywhere most of those days, so we chose to have a leisurely breakfast and have them serve us breakfast in a nice atmosphere. Sometimes fellow cruisers at neighboring tables would strike up a conversation with us too, and they were always very friendly. We love meeting new people on cruises and getting their perspective. For example, one lady asked me how I liked Bermuda, and I said that although the weather could have been better, it is still my favorite island. She was so surprised and said Nassau, Bahamas is her favorite. That is actually my least favorite! We compared stories and it was interesting and nice to talk to her.

 

Stay tuned for more...I still have to review other dining venues, Bermuda, and my overall feel of how the ship was built in relation to accommodating 4,000 passengers! :)

[bangzoom6877]

I'm bummed about this for you. I also have allergies to shellfish, peanuts and tree nuts. NCL has always handled me better than the other lines I've sailed.

 

I'm sailing in 7 weeks and this is not good. I'm a nurse and super careful about what I choose to eat on board but if the MDR can't follow the protocol they've had in the past this will not sit well with me.

 

I hope it turns around for you by the time you cruise in 7 weeks. All of it doesn't sit well with me either, and knowing they have so many passengers on their fleet on a daily basis, and how common food allergies are, I seriously hope they tighten the reins on this one. There are also other food issues people have, like diabetes, high blood pressure (so low sodium), etc. Those passengers could easily be affected by their practices as well.

 

And again, after our terrific experience on the Jewel a few years back with regard to how they handle food allergies, I was expecting it to be the same. It was a complete let down to say the least.

 

Perhaps I could have been more persistent or even aggressive in my approach while in the MDR. I could have been more persistent in demanding the following night's order be taken, but they just kept making empty promises.

[VonChap]

I have Celiac so absolutely no gluten. I always go to the Meet and Greet. I make sure to have a face-to-face with the F&B Manager there and let them know. Works very well. I've even had GF surprise treats delivered to our cabin for me to taste. (Like pizza). Also, I always send an email to the access desk at least a month before sailing. When you arrive in your cabin, there should be a note AND you will receive a phone call from someone in the F&B Department offering assistance. If you don't get that call or VM the first afternoon, you aren't flagged. Go to Reception and request to speak to someone in F&B. I've only had one problem--and it was kinda funny. Somehow, I got flagged as GF, low sodium, low fat and sugar free. It took me two days to find out why they kept taking the chocolate ice cream away!

[bangzoom6877]

I have Celiac so absolutely no gluten. I always go to the Meet and Greet. I make sure to have a face-to-face with the F&B Manager there and let them know. Works very well. I've even had GF surprise treats delivered to our cabin for me to taste. (Like pizza). Also, I always send an email to the access desk at least a month before sailing. When you arrive in your cabin, there should be a note AND you will receive a phone call from someone in the F&B Department offering assistance. If you don't get that call or VM the first afternoon, you aren't flagged. Go to Reception and request to speak to someone in F&B. I've only had one problem--and it was kinda funny. Somehow, I got flagged as GF, low sodium, low fat and sugar free. It took me two days to find out why they kept taking the chocolate ice cream away!

 

I'm glad to hear you had such a positive experience and that NCL took care of your Celiac.

 

I emailed the Access Desk a few months before our cruise. They sent me the special needs form and I emailed it to them at the end of March. They also directed me to speak to the Maitre D when we boarded the ship. I did everything I was told to do by NCL. They didn't do as promised however.

[VonChap]

I'm glad to hear you had such a positive experience and that NCL took care of your Celiac.

 

 

 

I emailed the Access Desk a few months before our cruise. They sent me the special needs form and I emailed it to them at the end of March. They also directed me to speak to the Maitre D when we boarded the ship. I did everything I was told to do by NCL. They didn't do as promised however.

 

 

I've been cruising celiac with NCL for the past 10 years. If you don't have a letter and a VM waiting when you first enter your cabin, then the process was not fully completed by the Special Needs Dept. (In addition to the emails from them before you cruise). We cruise 2 or 3 times a year, and that has happened to me twice. And yes, you are then chasing your food on the cruise and it's not fun. One reason why I always sign up and go to the M&G. Speak to the F&B Manager.

 

(The last time it happened was on the Getaway last December...maybe it's a big ship problem, but it was fixed shortly after the M&G)

 

Thanks for posting this review. For those with food allergies, nothing is more of a vaca killer than having to chase your allergy-free food.

[buzzygirl1]

OH,no sorry, the date of sailing is August 16th a little more than 2 weeks away.

appreciate that others have replied to my question on the menus, possibly it is, in fact, that a change was made to menus on the Gem.

[bangzoom6877]

This review of the shopping will be short and sweet, I promise! ;)

 

I always like to look around in the shops on my cruises, on the first evening onboard. And so I did this on the first night of our Breakaway cruise. The boys were at the Splash Academy from 8pm until 10:30, so we had some time to browse the shops. The shops on the ship are not open while in port, so they will close for 3 days straight on the Bermuda cruise, until a couple of hours after the ship sails on Friday.

 

The Beauty Shop immediately got my attention, as well as my 14-year-old niece. We went into there together and looked around. They have the popular department store brands, like Clinique, Lancôme, Estée Lauder, and Smashbox. They sell makeup, skin care, and perfumes. They had some gift sets which I always look for to find the best deals on this stuff. I'm a beauty product junkie and love to browse this stuff, although I don't particularly enjoy shopping in general. I didn't buy anything because the one item that truly appealed to me and I would need was the Clinique Chubby Stick (a lip gloss/balm that I love and am running low on). The combos they had each only had one color I cared for, so I passed on buying a set. I can't even remember the price, it was the first day of the cruise and I forgot. So sorry not to be able to report the price here. I do remember telling my niece that we would be better off seeing what specials Macy's will run in the Fall, and also look into what Sephora has. I remember not being impressed at the prices.

 

The salesman in the beauty shop asked me if I had received a raffle ticket yet, and I hadn't. He gave me two...one for me and one for my husband. I never win raffles, but I figured I might as well attend, plus the tickets were free so sure, why not? Maybe there would also be something of interest they'd be selling later in the cruise that I could buy for someone, and I could maybe begin my holiday shopping on the cruise.

 

I went to the raffle with my sister, brother-in-law and my niece (other niece was with Philip and Jonathan at Splash). My parents and DH were hanging out with my baby nephew just outside of the shop where the raffle took place.

 

We watched them give away a beautiful watch set, a bracelet, and a couple of other items I can't remember at the moment. I kept thinking to myself that there was no point in attending, and it would end up being a waste of time because I never win these things.

 

They got up to the final raffle. They were giving away an NCL tote bag filled with some gift items, which they didn't identify when showing the bag to everyone. They started calling the numbers...wait, that's MY number!!!!!!!! I just finally won a raffle, and I actually got the "grand prize"! Ok, it was no cruise for two or cash jackpot, but it was filled with some very nice items. Inside the bag was a Bella Perlina bracelet, a box of Rum chocolates, a travel coffee mug, an NCL towel, a sailor hat which I gave to my baby nephew, a rhinestone lanyard, a Norwegian Breakaway magnet...I think I covered everything that was in there! :)

All things I surely could use. And DH loves rum chocolates! They were rum chocolate turtles and we opened them when we got home. Delicious!

 

There is some very expensive shopping on the ship. Good deals if you are into more high end stuff, good deals on liquor but we didn't need to buy any, and I'm sure they have good deals on cigarettes but none of us smokes, so we didn't really pay attention to those. One thing I didn't like though, is that we were told that Gosling's Bermuda rum cannot be bought in the USA. DH and I came close to buying a bottle of it because of that, but then we remembered that we have Bacardi Gold at home, and we aren't rum connoisseurs so we wouldn't know the difference anyway in a mixed drink, the odd time we make one at home when we have a celebration at our house. Well, I came home and discovered that they sell Gosling's Bermuda rum on Fresh Direct! Don't believe everything they tell you!

 

I didn't do any shopping on the ship. They had your usual run of the mill souvenirs like shirts, mugs with the ship's name, etc. We had told the boys they could each buy a souvenir, but they should wait to see what they have when we go to Bermuda because then they could make a decision whether to get the souvenir on the island or on the ship.

 

On our last day in Bermuda, we were to set sail at 3:00 instead of 5:00. We went to the Clocktower Mall, a short walk from the ship, at 10am. The boys each bought a souvenir there and I bought a Bermuda magnet. Philip bought himself a chrome sculpture of a musician playing the trombone (he started lessons this summer and will continue with it), and Jonathan bought an interesting maraca type item (that's the only way I could describe it!). Both very nice choices for the boys. We bought a gift for my neighbor as well, who took care of the Mail while we were away, and also for Philip's trombone teacher. A decorative kitchen towel for my neighbor, and a coffee mug for the trombone teacher.

 

Ok I know this shopping review didn't end up being short, but I hope it was sweet for everyone, and that even with the little shopping we did, it offered some perspective for everyone!

 

Stay tuned for more... ;)

[bangzoom6877]

On the first full sea day, I had gone to the thermal suite around 10:30 in the morning, while the kids were at the Splash Academy. DH said he preferred to go in the afternoon, so I went by myself while he explored the ship some more. We went to pick up the boys at noon when SA closed (it reopened at 2:00 each sea day). We walked around a bit, and the boys said they were hungry. DH wasn't, so I suggested he go to the thermal suite at that point, and I could bring the boys to eat lunch. Off he went, and the boys and I decided to try O'Sheehan's for lunch.

 

OS has the feel of a pub restaurant at home. It really doesn't feel like a typical cruise ship restaurant. We thought that was a nice, unique touch. Of course it depends which way you're looking, because the front of it is open and you could see the big screen from the atrium! In fact, during our lunch there was a Cha Cha class that began at 1:00, and they kept playing the beginning of "Uptown Funk" every time they taught a new move to the group. We love that song, but it became a bit repetitive, although didn't bother us.

 

My boys were thrilled that mozzarella sticks were on the menu. Something they love but I don't allow them to eat often at all, so this was a real treat for them! I asked our server rite away about Philip's food allergies. She was attentive. I told her what he would like to eat and she went to the kitchen to make sure there was no cross contamination, especially with the fryer oil. Now that's what I'm talking about! Not just assuming that if the food isn't obviously present, it cannot cause a reaction, but taking a minute to check on cross contamination. She asked if I would mind waiting a few minutes for her to find out, and of course this was fine. I'll wait as long as I have to in order to keep him safe.

 

She came back a few minutes later, and said the fish for the fish & chips is fried in the same oil. Philip is not allergic to regular fish, only shellfish. He eats regular fish with his allergist's approval, as he tested negative for being allergic to different types of fish. There is no cross contamination between the fish they fry at OS and any shellfish, so Philip was happy to be able to eat mozzarella sticks and fries. Many times at restaurants he cannot eat the fries because they're fried in the same oil as shrimp. He's used to this, so when he can eat the fries, it makes him very happy.

 

Jonathan ordered mozzarella sticks for an appetizer and a hot dog for an entree. He opted for chips instead of fries with his hot dog. They're just plain old potato chips, nothing out of the ordinary, but he enjoyed them. Another food they don't eat often, so a novelty. Philip ordered mozzarella sticks with French fries. Both boys enjoyed their food very much.

 

They have hit spinach & arichoke dip on the appetizer list served with tortilla chips. I decided to try it as an appetizer. It was good, but a little bland for my taste. I make my own hot spinach & artichoke dip every New Year's Eve, and I season it well. I felt like this could have used some garlic and it would have been tastier. I also ordered buffalo wings with fries. I ordered the wings mild because although I like some medium spice to my wings, I wasn't sure how spicy their hot version would be. I figured I was safe with the mild. It had barely a kick to it, it was very tasty and I enjoyed the wings very much. There were 6 wings in the order. They give you blue cheese for dipping, as well as celery sticks which were fresh and crisp, and I enjoyed dipping those in the blue cheese as well. The fries were the shoestring type, crispy and delicious! We loved OS. Great food, great service, nice atmosphere. I had to tell DH how good it was and I knew we would return.

 

The following morning, we ended up going to OS for breakfast. Although they have a much more limited menu than the MDR, there are choices for everyone. When we first checked in with the hostess, she informed us that they didn't serve fruit, cereal or yogurt. That was fine with us.

 

DH and the boys all ordered the French toast. I was considering it as well, then I asked the server if it was made from raisin bread and he said yes. So I declined. I don't like raisins very much, and I don't like them in French toast. I really only eat them in raisin bran or in a cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese, that's it. Instead I ordered the corned beef hash with two fried eggs. I haven't had corned beef hash in ages and I was really looking forward to it!

 

I had informed the server right away of Philip's allergies, and when he wanted the French toast, he came back to ask if it was ok if we wait for them to make him a fresh batch because there may be sesame in it, but they could make him some separately without any sesame. I explained that he is not allergic to seeds at all, and he eats sesame seeds in bread all the time. This was the only possible issue, so I told them to go ahead and bring him the one they usually prepare. I was impressed this time with the level of service, and willingness to prepare something special for Philip if this wasn't safe for him. And of course we would have gladly waited for it!

 

We also ordered a basket of Danish and croissants. They were delicious, same ones as in the MDR and I'd imagine the ones at the buffet are also the same.

 

By the way, on a side note...I forgot to add that the day before in the MDR at breakfast, I also had a bran muffin. NCL has the best bran muffins I've ever eaten in my life! And no raisins, which is hard to find in a bran muffin. They give you two of them when you order a muffin, and they're just spectacular. Not dry at all, and tasty all by themselves! Just as great as they've been for years on the NCL ships I've sailed. If you like bran muffins, these are a must for you! :)

 

DH and the boys enjoyed their French toast. Philip also ordered hash browns with it. He really loved those hash browns! My corned beef hash was delicious, and also very unique. Like no other corned beef hash I've ever tried. Instead of it being finely chopped up and mixed with diced potatoes, this was more like home fries, and the corned beef was actual chunks of corned beef! It was absolutely wonderful. The eggs were perfectly done as I ordered them, fried eggs over medium. This was a wonderful breakfast! Everyone enjoyed it. DH also lived the atmosphere at OS.

 

That same night, my parents were going for dinner at Ocean Blue, which my sister and I arranged for them as their anniversary gift a few weeks ago, along with a bottle of wine. So we all decided we would dine separately that night, with our respective immediate families. My sister was planning to go to the noodle bar with her family, and DH and I said we would take the boys to OS for dinner, which of course thrilled the boys!

 

We got to OS around 6pm, and were seated right away. The ship was pretty rocky at that point and Philip was nervous. But he turned out to be fine. Shortly after we were seated, in walked my sister and her family! She said they didn't eat at the noodle bar for two reasons. One, it was right by the casino and stank of cigarette smoke. And two, the chairs are all high up and her baby wouldn't be sitting on the same level as them in a high chair. So they decided on OS.

 

The dinner special at OS that night was fried chicken. None of us got that though. DH decided to try the wings as his dinner, with a Heineken and fries. He ordered a double order of hot wings with fries. Jonathan and Philip had the same things they did at lunch the day before. They really loved those mozzarella sticks! I ordered chicken tenders as an appetizer to share with Philip, and chicken pot pie as my entree. All was safe for Philip! The chicken tenders were excellent. Crispy but not greasy, fresh and hot. Delicious honey Dijon for dipping too!

 

DH said the wings were tasty, but not great. He said they weren't hot at all. He gave me one to try, and they tasted exactly the same as the mild ones I had the day before. He would have preferred more heat to them. He loved their fries. Please bear in mind though, that DH went to SUNY Buffalo for college and practically lived on wings there. So he has much higher standards than most people when it comes to buffalo wings!

 

The boys of course enjoyed their food once again. When the chicken pot pie was served to me, it didn't have a crust on top, and it was supposed to have one (indicated in the menu). I started eating it and it was very good, so is was ok. About a minute later, the server came over and placed a round thick pastry next to my chicken pot pie. The pastry was separately served to me, so I placed it in top. It was good, but not the best pastry. However the flavor of the pot pie filling made up for it. I ate the whole thing! My nieces also ended up ordering chicken pot pie, but theirs was served with the pastry already placed on top. My server apparently forgot to do this and brought it separately.

 

Overall, we enjoyed OS very much. We didn't have dessert there, although they had a few free choices, as well as an ice cream menu for a fee. We ended up going to the buffet for crepes instead (more on that later!). Unfortunately, with all the other great choices for dining, we didn't make it to OS again after that night. We did enjoy all 3 meals in there though.

 

More to come of course! Stay tuned... ;)

[bestbudz]

Thanks for this great review!

[cheryl525]

Loving this review! We just booked the Breakaway to Bermuda for April 2016 last night. DH and I are teachers, also, and we spend our spring breaks cruising! This is our first to Bermuda - can't wait to read the rest of your thoughts. (And last year, when we were on the Breakaway, DH and I were rather disappointed in the wings at OS - they were ok, but we are from Syracuse...we like our wings HOT and CRISPY!:))

[Mrs. Squirrel]

I'm sorry you had the same experience on your NCL cruise. Perhaps this is no longer the cruise line for us, unless they seriously change their practices regarding food allergies. My son's safety is our first concern when we go anywhere.

 

I could not agree more, and it saddens me, because NCL has been my favorite cruise line prior to this sailing. :(

[Mrs. Squirrel]

I've been cruising celiac with NCL for the past 10 years. If you don't have a letter and a VM waiting when you first enter your cabin, then the process was not fully completed by the Special Needs Dept. (In addition to the emails from them before you cruise). We cruise 2 or 3 times a year, and that has happened to me twice. And yes, you are then chasing your food on the cruise and it's not fun. One reason why I always sign up and go to the M&G. Speak to the F&B Manager.

 

(The last time it happened was on the Getaway last December...maybe it's a big ship problem, but it was fixed shortly after the M&G)

 

Thanks for posting this review. For those with food allergies, nothing is more of a vaca killer than having to chase your allergy-free food.

 

Thank you for posting this. I did not have a letter or VM in my cabin on embarkation day, so maybe this is why I had such trouble with my GF/Celiac. There was no M&G on this cruise, but I'd agree that getting the contact info for all the officers is one of the benefits to attending.

[bangzoom6877]

Hi everyone! Sorry I've been MIA for a few days...we are leaving Friday morning to drive up to Ottawa, Canada to visit relatives, and I've been cleaning and getting everything ready, plus we had a busy weekend. We went to a block party at my in-laws' which was all day, and then Sunday DH and I went to see "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder" on Broadway (his birthday gift to me back in June!), and we ate dinner at the Rock Center Cafe in Rockefeller Center, while my parents watched the boys and took them out for pizza. DH and I love Broadway shows and we try to go see a show a couple of times a year.

 

Anyway. I'm going to review Uptown Grill. Let me start by saying that before the cruise, I had read about the burgers being the best on the ship at Uptown, so it was on my "Breakaway Bucket List" of things to try! I enjoyed lunch here twice, and breakfast twice. Let's start with breakfast in this part of my review...

 

Our first day in Bermuda, we all decided we would go to Snorkel Park Beach, but we didn't want to go too late so it wouldn't be too hot. We also didn't want to wait to get off the ship when we first docked with all the masses of people, so we decided to all meet at Uptown for breakfast when it opened at 8:00.

 

When we got there, it was empty. Nice! Surely the majority of people were waiting to get off the ship. They still hadn't announced clearance to get off the ship yet, but said it would be soon. We weren't in a total rush and we said if it takes a little longer, we could just sit and wait where we were.

 

For breakfast, they set up a small buffet. The chefs are cooking right behind the counter so you could ask them any questions if necessary. Everything there was safe for Philip to eat, but I didn't trust the granola in the yogurt parfaits...better safe than sorry. They had plain and chocolate croissants (and some other Danish, but the croissants ar my favorite), smoked salmon, bagels, a few different flavors of cream cheese (chive, carrot, caper, and plain), diced mixed fruit, cinnamon buns with 3 choices of icing on them (vanilla, lemon, or chocolate), scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, and a variety of breakfast sandwiches including egg and cheese on English muffin, a hero roll with eggs and veggies, and ham and cheese puff pastry (no eggs inside that one).

 

I had a croissant and chocolate croissant, a ham and cheese puff pastry, smoked salmon with sliced tomato and carrot cream cheese, hash browns, a cinnamon bun with vanilla icing, and a cup of coffee. The highlight of all this for me was the ham and cheese pastry. Wow was that delicious! Pastry was flaky and not soggy at all. Ham was smoky and delicious, not too salty. The cheese was melted just right. Perfection in a pastry I called it! Flaky and melty, gooey and oh so good! I knew I had to have another one of these on another day of the cruise too.

 

The smoked salmon with carrot cream cheese and tomato was delicious. I didn't have the bagel because I knew I wouldn't have room for it and I would rather eat the croissants and pastry. The hash browns were crispy and just as good as in the MDR at breakfast. The cinnamon bun was good, but if you are expecting one of those gooey cinnamon buns like at Cinnabon, you will be disappointed. I expected them not to taste good at all, so I was pleasantly surprised that I liked them. They were more cake-like, and the icing could have used a little more sugar in it. Philip enjoyed a lemon iced one and liked it, and Jonathan, my little one, enjoyed a chocolate iced one and he liked that. DH had the lemon one and said it was ok. He ate about half of it.

 

Philip also had scrambled eggs and a bagel with plain cream cheese. He liked everything. Jonathan had the cinnamon bun, some sausage, and half a bagel. He liked everything. DH had a hero breakfast sandwich with veggies. He said it was ok. The coffee was the same as in the MDR. Not great but fine for that needed morning caffeine.

 

Everyone else in the family loved Uptown Grill for breakfast. My mom loved the caper cream cheese with lox and a bagel, and she loved the fruit salad too. We had a leisurely breakfast and while eating, they did announce that we cleared customs and everyone could get off the ship. We waited until 9:00 and walked right off with no crowds or waiting!

 

We decided that the next morning, when we were planning to go to the caves, we would also go to Uptown for breakfast. We went when they opened at 8:00 and again, it wasn't busy at all! We were pleasantly surprised, as this wasn't the first day in Bermuda so we thought for sure it would be more crowded.

 

I went straight for a chocolate croissant and a ham and cheese pastry again! Oh that heavenly ham and cheese pastry...did I mention how much I loved it?! ;)

It was divine once again. Perfectly flaky and melty inside with just the right amount of everything! I also decided to try a fruit and yogurt parfait, which had granola in it. I took two bites, but it was way too sweet for me. I'm used to eating plain Greek yogurt with fresh berries, but this was sweet vanilla yogurt and the strawberries tasted like they had added sugar as well. I know most people prefer this, but it just wasn't for me. No problem, I could grab another chocolate croissant! ;)

 

I also had smoked salmon again, this time with chive cream cheese. Delicious! And I tried the scrambled eggs but they weren't hot, and I didn't care much for those. It's ok, the ham and cheese pastry and chocolate croissant are all I really need!

 

Overall, Uptown Grill was excellent for breakfast. Although small and limited compared to other venues, there is something for just about everyone to enjoy, and the food was delicious. The breakfast sandwiches really are the highlight but if you like lox and bagels, you could also enjoy them there without the buffet crowds which we always avoid at breakfast.

 

More Uptown Grill coming up...still have to review lunch there! :)

[VickiD59]

It took me two days to find out why they kept taking the chocolate ice cream away!

That was the best laugh I've had in a long time :D

[bangzoom6877]

Good morning all! I'm back to review the lunch at Uptown Grill.

 

Each afternoon, Uptown Grill was open for lunch, I think the hours were 12-4pm but it might have been until 5pm. The only day I recall them not being open for lunch was the day we first docked in Bermuda.

 

The Thursday of our cruise, our second day in Bermuda, we had gone to the caves with my brother-in-law and my two nieces in the morning...more on that later in a port review! After returning, we were ready for lunch. We met up with my sister, my nephew and my parents for lunch, who had stayed on the ship while we toured. We all decided to go to the Garden Cafe buffet since we enjoyed it the day before for lunch. More on the buffet later on too! ;)

 

There were a lot of empty tables in the Garden Cafe so we grabbed 3 of them and took turns getting our food. While DH was at the buffet with the boys getting food, I was at the table. My parents and nieces had returned to the table and I asked one of them to sit at ours, and I decided to go upstairs to the Uptown Grill and try a burger there. My sister had tried one earlier in the cruise and said it was delicious, plus I had read about them here on CC and as I said in my breakfast review, it was on my Breakaway Bucket List!

 

There was no line at Uptown, and there were many empty tables. There was a few member taking the burger orders when you stepped up. There was a sign next to her with th choice of patty (beef, turkey or veggies, and also children's smaller burgers available), bun (country bun or Italian bun), and an array of cheeses and other toppings! All burgers come with Boston lettuce and sriracha slaw on them, with a side of waffle fries. I asked the lady how long it would take and she said maybe 10-15 minutes. I ordered a beef burger on a country bun (plain bun...Italian has herbs in it and a little cheese baked on top), with Monterey Jack cheese, bacon and guacamole. She took my order, gave me a number and informed me to place the number inside the silver holder at any table I want.

 

I walked to the left where there was a crew member making fresh chopped salads to order. In my salad I had cucumbers, chick peas, tomato, carrots and 1000 island dressing. Simple and delicious to eat while I was waiting for my burger. Less than 5 minutes after I sat down, they served me my burger. I brought the burger and my salad downstairs to meet the rest of the family.

 

When I got to the table in the Garden Cafe, everyone in the family looked at the burger I had, and immediately said we should go there the following day for lunch! I took one bite of the burger and I was in heaven! This was the very best burger I've ever eaten on a cruise ship! It rivals the burgers I get at home in local Brooklyn, NY diners, which I love and always say are the best burgers. It was juicy, not dry at all, the country bun was soft and simple (no seeds on this), the guacamole complemented the burger, and came together with tons of flavor with the cheese and bacon. The waffle fries were crispy and delicious. Yes, I had to have a second one but on a different day...these burgers are huge!! 8 ounces of beef! But oh so good and a necessity on this ship for any burger lover.

 

The following day, after doing some shopping on the island, the whole family went to Uptown for lunch. The only two that didn't have a burger were my nephew (he had pizza from the buffet), and my younger son Jonathan who had a hot dog from the buffet. Everyone got various toppings on their burgers. I had the same as the day befor, except without bacon and on an Italian bun instead, to try something slightly different. Delicious burger once again! The Italian bun added some nice flavor, filled with just the right amount of Italian herbs so it wasn't overpowering yet was tasty, and just a small sprinkling of cheese baked right into the top of the bun. Philip was able to get anything he wanted here, no allergy issues, so he had a burger with mozzarella cheese, his favorite. Everyone loved their burgers. We didn't have a long wait either, maybe 5-10 minutes tops! We are still joking about it sometimes, and we say, "Let's head to Uptown a Grill for one of those amazing burgers!" I also had a chopped salad there again, and so did my mom and she loved it too!

 

I highly recommend Uptown Grill for lunch for those who love burgers. You won't be disappointed!

 

Uptown Grill was excellent as far as helping with Philip's allergies. We felt safe there for both breakfast and lunch. They were tied with O'Sheehan's for the best service regarding food allergies, with Cagney's coming in a close second. I will review Cagney's separately though!

 

Tomorrow we leave for Canada for 5 nights. I will continue my review when we get back. Still to come:

 

Cagney's

Le Bistro

Garden Cafe

Carlo's Bakery

Bermuda attractions!

Fireworks at sea

Entertainment

And possibly more!

 

Stay tuned... :)

Edited August 6, 2015 by bangzoom6877

[cruisin0504]

Great details - can hardly wait to experience it too! Thank you!