Review: Breakaway August 23-30, 2015

[mizLORInj]

Just back from another cruise on Breakaway: 8/23–30. Here is our experience. :cool:

 

We arrived at the terminal around 11:20am. Lines weren’t too bad and we were processed through the platinum lines and onboard quickly. We had a forward B6 large balcony cabin. While I liked the cabin a lot and loved the balcony, I do think storage and closet space for a longer than 7 day cruise could be challenging for two people. The bathroom is small but functional and had lots of storage space. Dispensers for shampoo and body wash in the shower. Our shower had a very light stream of water most times. Our friends booked a balcony guarantee about three weeks before we cruised, and they ended up with a far forward angled balcony cabin.

 

We ate in all the fare-included restaurants and always found something we enjoyed. I like the variety the buffet offers. Love the soft-serve ice cream. We chose Moderno for our platinum dinner and it was very good. View of the wake at the stern of the ship, delicious variety at the salad bar, and the meats were done nicely. The other 2 upcharge places we did were the Waterfront where I had a very small but tasty lobster roll, and sushi at Wasabi that was very good.

 

Attended our CC M&G on Monday, and it’s always nice to see the various NCL leaders who show up and chat for a bit. This does seem to be the standard time that M&Gs are held. I had read in other reviews that the M&G would likely conflict with the platinum Behind the Scenes tour, and indeed this was the case as that was at 10:15am on Monday. Note the platinum BtS tour does not include the bridge or backstage areas.

 

There was a silver/gold/platinum Latitudes party at Spice H2O one of the evenings.

 

We didn’t get to Rock of Ages as we’ve seen it on the ship before. There were some odd schedule changes you learned about once onboard—show times and dates had changed for some reason so our friends did not get to it either since we had an excursion planned at the time for which their tickets were rescheduled. Second City was just ok—it was not able to be booked before we cruised and even once onboard I checked on the tv and their performances were all full, but we showed up 8 minutes before one show and could still get good seats. Burn the Floor in the theater is fabulous and my favorite show by far. Howl at the Moon was good—depending on the crowd and your taste in what they were playing. The parties at Spice H2O were fun though I wouldn’t have minded if it was an adults only crowd. “70s music trivia” should have been called “name that disco tune” but it was fun even though I thought the host played way too much of the song which made identifying it too easy. Paulo at the Shakers bar was entertaining as were other performers around the ship.

 

Attended the martini and margarita tastings which were both good and hosted very well. There was also a beer tasting.

 

We went into the Ice Bar this time ($20 but includes 2 drinks in an ice “glass”). Should have done this on a past winter CTN when we had long sleeves and pants on!

 

We had the UBP and it worked out easily. Service was still good. I think it’s odd that you sign a slip as if you are paying the full price, but it all works out and you’re not charged. Note you do pay NYC tax on all drinks while you’re in the NY area. We booked this cruise in June so we had to pay the UBP gratuities up front with final payment.

 

CD was Silas and he was very engaging and visible. We did see CD Julie Valeriote coming into the NYC cruise terminal as we were leaving the ship. She’s a very good CD too.

 

Smoking on balconies. Hopefully NCL will more widely publicize (and enforce) their no smoking in cabins and on balconies policy which went into effect last year. I do believe some people just don’t know, and it seems the only place you’ll find this info is in tiny font on the Freestyle Daily. People still smoke on their balcony—even in plain sight of cameras and the bridge. NCL needs to announce no smoking verbally on each cruise or post a sign in the cabin somewhere. Other cruise lines announce the fire hazard and reminder of no smoking on balconies or in cabins at their muster drill. NCL needs to do more in this area. I know I'm not the only one who feels this way. At the Officers' Q&A one person asked when ships will become non-smoking. (no clear answer was offered)

 

Bermuda. We moved ahead one hour the second night to be on Atlantic time. Upon arrival in Bermuda the 4 of us shared a taxi to Coco Reef resort for which we had already reserved day passes. We enjoyed our day on the beach and stayed till evening. Free wifi. Thursday we ferried and bussed around the various points on the island and enjoyed our walk through Blue Hole Park. Stopped for an ice cream cone at Baileys (across from east end’s Swizzle Inn) and it was ok but way too much $$ for one tiny scoop (yes, I know I was in Bermuda). Also did an evening sail Thursday from Hamilton which was great (not through NCL). On Friday since NCL has cut our time in port, we took a 3.5 hour catamaran (Restless Native) trip. You could also book this cat through NCL at a higher cost. We enjoyed the sail across the bay and the time we had to snorkel, paddleboard, and kayak. The water was calm and very warm. Checked out some caves there too.

 

As departure time approached, we saw various pier runners. Some even showed up AFTER 3pm, but the ship had already pulled away. The next day we attended the Q&A with Ship Officers and the Captain said 4 had not made it back in time, but 2 paid the St. George’s pilot boat to take them to the ship. It was very interesting to see facts about the building of the Breakaway, new ships, and other various questions were answered. Someone also asked about the change in departure time from Bermuda and the Captain said that was a decision from Corporate.

 

We had the most fabulous weather and calm seas that created just a gentle roll for the ship. The water was so calm on the return trip that it was shiny—and reportedly 87 degrees! Got some great photos of the sunset, and also later of the full moon which was reflecting nicely off the ship’s wake.

 

The captain’s announcements on Saturday told us the NYC pilot would board at 4:45am on Sunday and that we would be docked around 7. I think the lines were secured a little after 7 and self-assist debarkation was called around 7:35. We headed to deck 7 around 7:50. After the lines we encountered which moved at an ok pace, I would say it was about 25 minutes from the time we left our cabin till we reached the other side of customs/immigration in the terminal.

 

Here are some random observations in no particular order:

 

-We saw lots of flying fish and a dolphin or two.

-If you book a deck 9 M6 mini-suite, note that the 2 balconies closest to the bow have a fence blocking you from the side edge of the ship—the fence is about 2’ in. The front view is also blocked somewhat by the bow area.

-The gym is large and has sufficient equipment. Bonus was you could view the sea while using the machines.

-Photo packages: 10 for $149, 20 for $199. Got some really nice photos. Staff wasn’t the most helpful.

-Kids pool area was closed down several times.

-Shuffleboard area can get quite loud and there are cabins right above it.

-Pool area way too small for this many passengers

-Love the coffee maker in our cabin.

-I have a new love of Spice H2O.

-Other guests’ names were on the cabin phones (not the person currently staying in the cabin) so you weren’t quite sure if you were calling the right cabin.

-Ropes course was fun.

-Wish people would stop leaving used plates in the hallways and elevators.

-Tons of kids on this sailing and they would run up and down hallways and loiter in various locations. Even found several of them camping out in an elevator one morning as we headed to breakfast.

-Came back to our unmade cabin one evening and there was a note saying our Do Not Disturb light was on and that our door was double-locked. Yes, it was our mistake the DnD was on, but since we were not in the cabin it surely was not double-locked.

-This ship I have found to have the most noise from surrounding cabins, particularly toilets flushing.

-And the smoking on balconies

 

---

 

We did enjoy our cruise a lot and so did our friends. We don’t expect perfection on any cruiseline and we have fun anyway.

 

Happy cruising!!

Edited September 2, 2015 by mizlorinj

[Gershep]

Thank you for your great review. We will be going on the Breakaway for the second time next year. Last time we were on her we could only make reservations online for Specialty Restaurants, Cirque Dinner Show, Burn the Floor and Rock of Ages. Do you remember what else you can make reservations for now?

[mizLORInj]

Thank you for your great review. We will be going on the Breakaway for the second time next year. Last time we were on her we could only make reservations online for Specialty Restaurants, Cirque Dinner Show, Burn the Floor and Rock of Ages. Do you remember what else you can make reservations for now?

 

That sounds right, and I recall some kind of Wine Lovers show for an upcharge as well. We didn't go to it.

[meatball_nyc]

Thanks so much for your review. We will be on in 60 days and can't wait.

Your info was helpful.

Happy Cruising.

[nyfltraveler]

 

Our shower had a very light stream of water most times.

 

I found that the water pressure in our cabin (Deck 14) was surprisingly good-- even better than my own home.

 

 

We chose Moderno for our platinum dinner and it was very good. View of the wake at the stern of the ship, delicious variety at the salad bar, and the meats were done nicely.

 

What did you like about the meats and the variety of the salad bar? I was quite disappointed with this restaurant. I was expecting much more. Other than the garlic infused steak, the meats we were served were nothing special (and in fact cold) and the salad bar was not that impressive.

 

There were some odd schedule changes you learned about once onboard.

 

Yes, I was annoyed by this. Schedules (UDP reservations) and time off the ship were formed around the pre-reserved shows. BY changing the show dates it wreaked havoc on having to reschedule reservations etc.

 

Second City was just ok

 

We were quite disappointed by the comedy offerings on the ship. We went into the "Improv" show and found it wholly boring and unfunny.

 

CD was Silas and he was very engaging and visible.

 

Agreed. He was visible but not overbearing in your face as some cruise directors tend to be.

 

Smoking on balconies. Hopefully NCL will more widely publicize (and enforce) their no smoking in cabins and on balconies policy which went into effect last year. I do believe some people just don’t know, and it seems the only place you’ll find this info is in tiny font on the Freestyle Daily. People still smoke on their balcony—even in plain sight of cameras and the bridge. NCL needs to announce no smoking verbally on each cruise or post a sign in the cabin somewhere. Other cruise lines announce the fire hazard and reminder of no smoking on balconies or in cabins at their muster drill. NCL needs to do more in this area. I know I'm not the only one who feels this way. At the Officers' Q&A one person asked when ships will become non-smoking. (no clear answer was offered)

 

Agreed. Many of the smokers on board had no consideration for the other passengers. Very often smokers were smoking in areas other than the designated areas including around kids. Hopefully one day they will make these ships totally non-smoking. People may balk and gripe at first but they will get used to it just as this has become the norm in restaurants, airplanes and even many public facilities.

 

We had the most fabulous weather and calm seas that created just a gentle roll for the ship. The water was so calm on the return trip that it was shiny—and reportedly 87 degrees! Got some great photos of the sunset, and also later of the full moon which was reflecting nicely off the ship’s wake.

 

Yes, we were very lucky with the weather, particularly with the touch and go forecast just before the sailing. With the exception of a 10 minute rain shower the weather was great.

 

 

Here are some random observations in no particular order:

 

-Kids pool area was closed down several times.

 

Yes, there were a couple of "accidents" in the pool.

 

-Pool area way too small for this many passengers

 

Agreed. They should do away with the center bars and make one large free form pool.

 

-Tons of kids on this sailing and they would run up and down hallways and loiter in various locations. Even found several of them camping out in an elevator one morning as we headed to breakfast.

 

Yes, many teenagers would loiter in the stairwells in the evenings. As I mentioned in another post, I heard a handful of complaints that there was not much for teenagers (15-18) to do on the ship.

 

-This ship I have found to have the most noise from surrounding cabins, particularly toilets flushing.

 

Yes, very noisy at all hours of the night.

[mizLORInj]

I found that the water pressure in our cabin (Deck 14) was surprisingly good-- even better than my own home.

 

I guess it depends on where you cabin was located. We were aft on deck 12 last year and the pressure was fine. This was a very weak stream on deck 9 forward.

 

What did you like about the meats and the variety of the salad bar? I was quite disappointed with this restaurant. I was expecting much more. Other than the garlic infused steak, the meats we were served were nothing special (and in fact cold) and the salad bar was not that impressive.

 

Wow, our meats were fresh and hot. I figured since we were at the farthest end of the restaurant they'd be cold, but they weren't (this night anyway). I thought it was great the salad bar had a golden beet salad; something you don't see very often and I love golden beets. The prosciutto and cheeses were good, and off the top I don't recall what else but the 4 of us filled our plates with relatively healthy and tasty stuff before the meat-fest. I thought the meats were flavored nicely, and we liked the plain tenderloin better than the garlicky one. They can skip the sirloin IMO if there is filet. The bacon-wrapped chicken was good too. I didn't try the chorizo. Grilled pineapple good. I did think there would be more offered since when we first tried out Moderno on the Star years ago I recall more meats being offered, or maybe I am not recalling accurately. Could be. :p I realize everyone does not enjoy the same foods and that's ok. :cool:

Edited September 3, 2015 by mizlorinj

[froggykat]

We were also on this sailing. Thank you for organizing the Meet and greet Met some really nice people. We had a great time. Having been to Bermuda many times, we wanted to relax and just enjoy this ship. Which we did. Highly recommend the Vibe and thank you to those who talked about it. Well worth the money. Unfortunately you have to be almost the first ones on the ship and then run to guest services. It was sold out in 5 minutes. The ship was very crowded and if we had't had passes to the Vibe probably would have avoided the pool deck altogether.

 

We had a mini suite and was very comfortable with plenty of storage and if I could have taken anything home it would have been the shower. We had body jets - awesome. Balcony was small but really didn't care.

 

We had the 3 dinner package - Le Bistro (unfortunately they don't change their menu so probably won't go again - but was very good) Cagney's (excellent) and La Cucina - (terrible - calamari was cooked nicely but served with a mayo based dip instead of marinara and the chicken parm was dry with very little sauce and seemed like it was reheated)

 

We also had the Beverage Package. Excellent service from all crew. Enjoyed Rock of Ages and Burn the Floor and highly recommend Dueling Pianos.

 

All the negative reviews we've seen about this ship was not what we found at all. My suggestions is to try for yourself. We've always felt that if you don't have a good time on a cruise you must be doing something wrong.

[mizLORInj]

We were also on this sailing. . . .

 

We had the 3 dinner package - Le Bistro (unfortunately they don't change their menu so probably won't go again - but was very good) Cagney's (excellent) and La Cucina - (terrible - calamari was cooked nicely but served with a mayo based dip instead of marinara and the chicken parm was dry with very little sauce and seemed like it was reheated)

 

We also had the Beverage Package. Excellent service from all crew. Enjoyed Rock of Ages and Burn the Floor and highly recommend Dueling Pianos.

 

All the negative reviews we've seen about this ship was not what we found at all. My suggestions is to try for yourself. We've always felt that if you don't have a good time on a cruise you must be doing something wrong.

 

I agree about La Cucina. We tried it on Gem. I don't get why this is an upcharge restaurant. Or maybe drop the price to $10.

 

Glad they changed Noodle Bar to "included in fare" now even though we didn't make it there, what they offered looked good.

 

The other weird thing is all the times the upcharge restaurants show as full, but they are usually actually not full.

 

 

And I agree it's best to try things out for yourself! :) Haven't had a bad cruise yet. Not perfect, but still a lot of fun!!

Edited September 3, 2015 by mizlorinj

[Mack704]

We were also on this sailing.

 

We had the 3 dinner package - Le Bistro (unfortunately they don't change their menu so probably won't go again - but was very good) Cagney's (excellent) and La Cucina - (terrible - calamari was cooked nicely but served with a mayo based dip instead of marinara and the chicken parm was dry with very little sauce and seemed like it was reheated)

 

At La Cucina, at the time you were served the calamari, could you have requested marinara sauce, and did you? And when you were served the chicken parm, again, could you have requested additional sauce, and did you? Or even send it back for a fresher, more moist entre'? Just curious if the restaurant offered you those options.

 

I had a chicken parm sandwich for lunch at Carrabbas once. It seem a bit dry. I requested additional sauce and they gladly brought some.

 

Harvey

[hansolosmom]

Thanks for the review.

 

I always love the random thoughts, because those always have some of the best tips.

[NLH Arizona]

 

Here are some random observations in no particular order:

-Wish people would stop leaving used plates in the hallways and elevators.

 

Looks like NCL still hasn't solved this issue.

[mizLORInj]

Originally Posted by mizlorinj View Post

 

Here are some random observations in no particular order:

-Wish people would stop leaving used plates in the hallways and elevators.

 

 

Looks like NCL still hasn't solved this issue.

 

 

Unfortunately I've seen this on various cruise lines. In this case I'd say it's the passenger, not the cruise line.

[froggykat]

At La Cucina, at the time you were served the calamari, could you have requested marinara sauce, and did you? And when you were served the chicken parm, again, could you have requested additional sauce, and did you? Or even send it back for a fresher, more moist entre'? Just curious if the restaurant offered you those options.

 

I had a chicken parm sandwich for lunch at Carrabbas once. It seem a bit dry. I requested additional sauce and they gladly brought some.

 

Harvey

 

They were very busy and by the time the server came back - we had had enough. I guess I could have sent back the chicken parm or asked for more sauce but at that point I really couldn't be bothered. We had this our last night - reservations were pushed back to 7:45 due to shows changing their times. Maybe if we had eaten there earlier in the weeek it might have been different.

[Mack704]

They were very busy and by the time the server came back - we had had enough. I guess I could have sent back the chicken parm or asked for more sauce but at that point I really couldn't be bothered. We had this our last night - reservations were pushed back to 7:45 due to shows changing their times. Maybe if we had eaten there earlier in the weeek it might have been different.

 

I probably wouldn't have bothered either. It just seems a bit unfair to not give the restaurant a chance to to rectify the situation, but then come on CC and complain about it. Especially the sauce for the calamari. In restaurants in my town, marinara is usually served with calamari. I guess in your town too.

 

Harvey

[NLH Arizona]

Originally Posted by mizlorinj View Post

 

Here are some random observations in no particular order:

-Wish people would stop leaving used plates in the hallways and elevators.

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately I've seen this on various cruise lines. In this case I'd say it's the passenger, not the cruise line.

Yes, true it is the passenger, but NCL noticed the issue and then instituted the no food back to the cabin policy which they reversed and I thought they were going to put signs or something to tell folks to either leave the plates in the cabin or call the Room Steward to have them removed, instead of putting them out in the hallways. Edited September 4, 2015 by NLH Arizona

[Askmelanie]

What time can you actually walk off the ship in Bermuda on the first day of arrival there? We have a private excursion booked and I would like to plan accordingly. Thanks!

[mizLORInj]

What time can you actually walk off the ship in Bermuda on the first day of arrival there? We have a private excursion booked and I would like to plan accordingly. Thanks!

 

We were in a taxi at 8:30 and we were not the first ones off the ship. I'd say people were getting off the ship just after 8am.

 

 

I WANT TO GO BACK THERE! :cool:

[nyfltraveler]

I probably wouldn't have bothered either. It just seems a bit unfair to not give the restaurant a chance to to rectify the situation, but then come on CC and complain about it. Especially the sauce for the calamari. In restaurants in my town, marinara is usually served with calamari. I guess in your town too.

 

Harvey

 

The food in La Cucina was downright awful. The Olive Garden is better. Certainly should not be a UDP/upcharge restaurant.