Breakaway 8/30 to 9/6 - random thoughts

[garnet115]

Just off the Breakaway this morning. This was my 4th time on the ship and 2nd trip to Bermuda, so rather than a full review, I thought I'd post some random thoughts and observations. I'm happy to answer any specific questions.

 

Embarkation was organized, quick and relatively painless. We were in boarding group 18 and were on the ship by noon. We had a quick lunch in O'Sheehan's.

 

Stayed in an angled balcony room on deck 10. Room was fine, extra balcony space was nice, but not exponentially more than in a standard balcony. Room steward was visible throughout the cruise and did a nice job keeping the room stocked and tidy.

 

Had the UBP, although it was wasted on me (didn't get more than 2 or 3 drinks per day max). No problem with service at the bars when I went up. As expected, charged tax in NY, but all other charges were zeroed out (although they gave me a check for inventory purposes every time I placed an order).

 

On sea days the pool area was crowded (to be expected) and chair hogs out in full force. Dd enjoyed the water slides, even when there was a line. Never had to wait too long to get on the ropes course. Didn't do rock climbing this trip, so don't know how the waits were there.

 

Lucked out with weather in Bermuda, although it looked ominous two of the mornings, it cleared quickly. Had a great day at Horseshoe Bay, and also did the Restless Native catamaran cruise, which was the highlight of our time in Bermuda.

 

Ate breakfast in the buffet most mornings, although it was crowded. Selection was good and staff was great about clearing tables quickly. Had 2 breakfasts in O'Sheehan's. The portions there were incredibly small and service was spotty.

 

Had 5 dinners in the MDRs. Service was friendly, but slow. Although there were often long lines, we never really had to wait long for a table. Only once did my server ask if we wanted drinks with our meals. Enjoyed the food for most of our meals. Had one dinner in La Cucina which I enjoyed, a service there was great. Had one dinner in Moderno (which I had never tried before) and was very disappointed. Although our waiter was very nice and stopped by often, we were seated towards the back, and the servers with the skewers of meat hardly came by, even when our cards were turned to green.

 

Thoroughly enjoyed entertainment - went to Burn the Floor, Rock of Ages, Howl at the Moon, and several of the "game shows" held in the atrium in the evenings.

 

All in all, another great trip on the Breakaway, and the week flew by.

[Cruise-mom]

Enjoyed your review, thanks :)

[mizLORInj]

. . .

 

and the week flew by.

 

I hear ya. I wish our time on Breakaway 2 weeks ago went by slower! :cool:

 

I also agree about UBP. If given as a perk, great, but a lower price and my paying for 2 drinks a day works as well. Although now that I think about it I did get a soda or two too.

Edited September 7, 2015 by mizlorinj

[Mack704]

Just off the Breakaway this morning. This was my 4th time on the ship and 2nd trip to Bermuda, so rather than a full review, I thought I'd post some random thoughts and observations. I'm happy to answer any specific questions.

 

Embarkation was organized, quick and relatively painless. We were in boarding group 18 and were on the ship by noon. We had a quick lunch in O'Sheehan's.

 

Stayed in an angled balcony room on deck 10. Room was fine, extra balcony space was nice, but not exponentially more than in a standard balcony. Room steward was visible throughout the cruise and did a nice job keeping the room stocked and tidy.

 

Had the UBP, although it was wasted on me (didn't get more than 2 or 3 drinks per day max). No problem with service at the bars when I went up. As expected, charged tax in NY, but all other charges were zeroed out (although they gave me a check for inventory purposes every time I placed an order).

 

On sea days the pool area was crowded (to be expected) and chair hogs out in full force. Dd enjoyed the water slides, even when there was a line. Never had to wait too long to get on the ropes course. Didn't do rock climbing this trip, so don't know how the waits were there.

 

Lucked out with weather in Bermuda, although it looked ominous two of the mornings, it cleared quickly. Had a great day at Horseshoe Bay, and also did the Restless Native catamaran cruise, which was the highlight of our time in Bermuda.

 

Ate breakfast in the buffet most mornings, although it was crowded. Selection was good and staff was great about clearing tables quickly. Had 2 breakfasts in O'Sheehan's. The portions there were incredibly small and service was spotty.

 

Had 5 dinners in the MDRs. Service was friendly, but slow. Although there were often long lines, we never really had to wait long for a table. Only once did my server ask if we wanted drinks with our meals. Enjoyed the food for most of our meals. Had one dinner in La Cucina which I enjoyed, a service there was great. Had one dinner in Moderno (which I had never tried before) and was very disappointed. Although our waiter was very nice and stopped by often, we were seated towards the back, and the servers with the skewers of meat hardly came by, even when our cards were turned to green.

 

Thoroughly enjoyed entertainment - went to Burn the Floor, Rock of Ages, Howl at the Moon, and several of the "game shows" held in the atrium in the evenings.

 

All in all, another great trip on the Breakaway, and the week flew by.

 

 

Just a couple of reactions to what you've stated here: in O'Sheehan's, if portions were incredibly small, on the second visit I would've ordered doubles. And in Moderno's, after a few minutes of the meat servers hardly coming by, I would've alerted the Maitre'd. I'd bet that situation would've been remedied in a hurry.

 

No reason to be so accepting, and then complaining here afterward. It's your vacation. And they want to take care of you...for you to be happy.

 

Harvey

[cruisin0504]

Is there a buffet option in Moderno for breakfast and lunch? I read about it in the past, but haven't seen it mentioned in a while.

[garnet115]

Is there a buffet option in Moderno for breakfast and lunch? I read about it in the past, but haven't seen it mentioned in a while.

 

I think on sea days they had buffets available in Moderno's. We never went there, but I do recall seeing it as an option.

[garnet115]

Just a couple of reactions to what you've stated here: in O'Sheehan's, if portions were incredibly small, on the second visit I would've ordered doubles. And in Moderno's, after a few minutes of the meat servers hardly coming by, I would've alerted the Maitre'd. I'd bet that situation would've been remedied in a hurry.

 

No reason to be so accepting, and then complaining here afterward. It's your vacation. And they want to take care of you...for you to be happy.

 

Harvey

 

In Moderno's, the maitre'd came by to check on us, and I told him that I was waiting for at least one of the meats to come by. He went off to search for the server, who STILL never came. About 15 minutes later, he came back and asked if I'd gotten what I was looking for, and when I told him no, he went in search of the server and made sure that they came by. My point being - the maitre'd was aware, and still not very effective in remedying the situation - at least not on the first try. And Moderno's was not overhelmingly crowded that night - there were many empty tables. I was just not impressed with the restaurant overall. Even going up to the salad bar, many of the dishes sat in need of refurbishment. In general, the restaurant was just not well attended to.

[Mack704]

In Moderno's, the maitre'd came by to check on us, and I told him that I was waiting for at least one of the meats to come by. He went off to search for the server, who STILL never came. About 15 minutes later, he came back and asked if I'd gotten what I was looking for, and when I told him no, he went in search of the server and made sure that they came by. My point being - the maitre'd was aware, and still not very effective in remedying the situation - at least not on the first try. And Moderno's was not overhelmingly crowded that night - there were many empty tables. I was just not impressed with the restaurant overall. Even going up to the salad bar, many of the dishes sat in need of refurbishment. In general, the restaurant was just not well attended to.

 

 

Sorry you had less than a great experience there. I would have thought they'd fix the problem(s) quickly. No excuse for not attending to the buffet. Apparently, the entire restaurant was having an off day.

 

Also, I've seen several complaints about small portions in complementary restaurants on these boards. Puzzling to me. Didn't mean to offend you.

 

Harvey

[garnet115]

Sorry you had less than a great experience there. I would have thought they'd fix the problem(s) quickly. No excuse for not attending to the buffet. Apparently, the entire restaurant was having an off day.

 

Also, I've seen several complaints about small portions in complementary restaurants on these boards. Puzzling to me. Didn't mean to offend you.

 

Harvey

 

No offense taken. Yes, definitely not a good night in Moderno's when I was there. The only time I thought there were small portions was in O'Sheehan's. Other than that, I always had more than enough food (and then some!).

 

I hope my review didn't come off as too nitpicky - as I said, I had a great week aboard the Breakaway. There was nothing that was so terrible as to mar and otherwise wonderful cruise. I love the ship - clearly, or wouldn't have booked so many trips on her. I was, however, generally disappointed in dining room service. I don't know if that is an area where they have cut back, but it was a visible difference to me over past cruises, which is unfortunate.

 

I wouldn't hesitate to sail on the Breakaway again, but I would skip Moderno's next time around.

[Addicted to travel in OH]

are there very many options for chaise lounges in the shade? I think someone said by the kids pool but anywhere else on ship?

[dman72]

are there very many options for chaise lounges in the shade? I think someone said by the kids pool but anywhere else on ship?

 

Not loungers. Chairs at tables outside the buffet and at the uptown grill, yes. The loungers are all taken by chair hogs by 5:30am. Most of what is available is after that is in the sun.

[cruzkitty]

Thank you for your Review. Did you book the Restless Natives excursion thru the Ship? TIA.

[garnet115]

Thank you for your Review. Did you book the Restless Natives excursion thru the Ship? TIA.

 

I did. You can probably get it for cheaper independently, but I was very happy with it as a ship excursion.

[jf3284]

I know you guys are speak of Moderno and certain shortcomings, but we were on the same week ask you (i believe 8/23-30) I had a big issue with cold food at the Garden Buffet. Especially for breakfast but even at lunch. I mean it was a constant problem. Is it just me or ??? Also, we even some cold food 1-2 throughout the week at the Manhattan Dining Room. The other big issue, and please don't take this the wrong way, was that the waiters in the main dining room as well as Taste and Savor, seemed to have a poor use of the English language. Again i mean this in the nicest possible way. They often spoke way too fast, and misunderstood my order. One small example was i ordered a "Peroni" beer and received a Corona. Whenever i would ask a question abour how something was prepared, etc, they didn't know what i was saying. I mostly ended up telling them it was ok, and nevermind. Just my 2 cents. I feel the food and its consistancy, was the area that needs the most improvement. Did any others here have any similar issues ? Thanks

[Keith1010]

Enjoyed your review.

 

Keith

[Cauzneffct]

I've seen the crowded pool deck/chair hogs issue a lot concerning Breakaway. Is it crowded as in packed/no place to move, or that all the chairs are taken? Is there room (and is it allowed) to bring our own chairs? We've got a couple of small beach chairs we could bring, but curious if it would make sense or even be permissible.

[rogue 35]

I know you guys are speak of Moderno and certain shortcomings, but we were on the same week ask you (i believe 8/23-30) I had a big issue with cold food at the Garden Buffet. Especially for breakfast but even at lunch. I mean it was a constant problem. Is it just me or ??? Also, we even some cold food 1-2 throughout the week at the Manhattan Dining Room. The other big issue, and please don't take this the wrong way, was that the waiters in the main dining room as well as Taste and Savor, seemed to have a poor use of the English language. Again i mean this in the nicest possible way. They often spoke way too fast, and misunderstood my order. One small example was i ordered a "Peroni" beer and received a Corona. Whenever i would ask a question abour how something was prepared, etc, they didn't know what i was saying. I mostly ended up telling them it was ok, and nevermind. Just my 2 cents. I feel the food and its consistancy, was the area that needs the most improvement. Did any others here have any similar issues ? Thanks

 

 

This has to be a parody, right?

[garnet115]

I've seen the crowded pool deck/chair hogs issue a lot concerning Breakaway. Is it crowded as in packed/no place to move, or that all the chairs are taken? Is there room (and is it allowed) to bring our own chairs? We've got a couple of small beach chairs we could bring, but curious if it would make sense or even be permissible.

 

I'm not sure where you would put extra chairs. The do a pretty good job of packing in as many as they can and just leaving walk ways clear. At one point we pulled up a few chairs from the outdoor Garden Buffet area to sit in next to the water slides so we could keep track of the kids, but even that was a bit of a stretch. It's a nice thought, but I would bother schlepping extra chairs.

[garnet115]

Enjoyed your review, thanks :)

 

Enjoyed your review.

 

Keith

 

Glad you enjoyed it. I find these boards so helpful when planning trips, and I always read reviews, even when I've been on the ship before. Although not the most artful or comprehensive review, I wanted to "give back" since I know every little tidbit helps.

[mizLORInj]

I did. You can probably get it for cheaper independently, but I was very happy with it as a ship excursion.

 

We cruised 8/23 week and we booked it through Restless Native directly for ~$18 less per person.

 

We enjoyed the excursion.

Edited September 9, 2015 by mizlorinj

[mizLORInj]

We enjoyed Moderno's and had decent service, and I agree I have never seen this restaurant full on any NCL ship yet it is difficult to get a reservation there. I guess they like empty tables! :rolleyes:

[Mrs. H.]

garnet115.....I really enjoyed your 'random thoughts and observations.'

Thanks!! :D

[Nyc2tropics]

I too was on this cruise. It was my second time on the BA and I have to say the last. I can't deal with the pool situation. It is way too crowded and the lounge chairs are so squeezed in they are all touching without an inch between yours and the person next to you (if you can even find one). Whoever designed that pool area is a moron. I was on the Carnival Breeze past year and the Lido deck was wide open and we always found a chair. There also should have been an aft pool like on Epic. It's all about $ now. Rather than design a nice pool deck they just had to put the "Market Place" and take away from deck space. One pool for a few thousand adults simply is not enough. Other than that we had a nice cruise.

[jf3284]

Nobody brings their own beach chairs. Except a few people brought them to the beach. Very few. Hope that helps. Joe

[jf3284]

No, seriously its not. And what would cold food be parodied at the buffet or in any of the restaurants. But I realized that the other comments may not be received well. I was just trying to be honest about my experiences. THats all.