Gave NCL another shot - Breakaway Review 01/17/2016 - 01/31/2016

[Le Cruisester]

Great Review, have sailed the breakaway before in 2013 and will be back on in September. I like getting on here and checking out all the most recent reviews. This is a great one, looking forward to more...

[zencruisers]

Enjoying your review!

[Cruisin KLS]

Thanks sooo much for taking the time to journal your cruise. It was wonderful. People like you make Cruise Critic work, cruisin' kls, !!

 

Please take a bow!

 

This made my day! I have been on cruise critic for a number of years but this is my first review! Glad you are enjoying it.

 

-Kristi

[Cruisin KLS]

Barbados - 01/25/2016

 

We again had an excursion planned today so up early, to the buffet and off the ship by 8:30. Caught the shuttle to the port and off to wait for our pick up.

 

Like St. Maarten, Barbados is one of our favorite ports. For about the past 6 years we have booked a sailing excursion with Calabaza. Gina and her crew are amazing! Every time we sail with them it is like coming home for us. They only book 12 people to each catamaran, and they have 2. The provide transportation from the port to the boat and back. Pick up is at 9:00am and you are usually back between 2:30pm and 3:00pm.

 

You are greeted on board with coffee, juice, fruit skewers, banana bread and this year we had mini croissants with egg, cheese and bacon. After a few rules and information about the catamaran you are off. They stop at two separate spots to snorkel. One with the turtles and the second is a shipwreck. The turtles are always the highlight of our trip for me. They are such amazing, gentle creatures. They feed them and make sure that you get the full experience with touching their shells and taking pictures. Their is a guide in the water with you at all times and snorkel equipment as well as water noodles are provided.

 

After snorkeling you sail over to right in front of the Sandy Lane resort, where Tiger Woods got married. On the sail over, they point out interesting spots and give you some facts about the island. On the way over lunch is prepared. They anchor off shore so that you can enjoy lunch, swimming and just enjoying the sun. Lunch is always delicious but changes all the time. Typically some type of fish, bbq chicken, macaroni pie, coleslaw, corn salad, couscous, green salad, garlic bread and rice. For dessert there is a combination of brownies, oatmeal cookies, cheesecake and whipped cream with strawberry syrup. During the whole day beverages are provided; local Banks beer, rum punch (amazing), mixed drinks, juice, water and soda. You are waited on all day and scolded for taking care of things yourself. There are clean bathroom facilities and a ladder into the water. They do document the day by taking pictures of everything and they send them to you via email after the sailing with recipes included. The money spent for the day is money well spent!

 

Back on board we took a quick nap, cleaned up and headed to the theater because we had reservations for Rock of Ages. DH was not really looking forward to it due to the uncomfortable seats but we both ended up having a good time. I love the classic 80's hair band music and ROA did not disappoint. It was funny, even if the story was a little predictable. After the show we headed to the Noodle Bar for dinner. Take 2 - this night was much better. DH had the Char Shui with rice noodles and enjoyed it much better than the Singapore noodles. After dinner we met up with friends at Maltings for drinks and then hit the buffet for late night snacks.

 

Next...Martinique 01/26/2016

[Cruisin KLS]

Martinique - 01/26/2016

 

This was our second time in Martinique. We had not gotten off the ship the first time that we were there. This time we did research excursions, looked at what the ship was offering and still came to the conclusion that there really wasn't anything that we were overly interested in. Knowing ahead of time that you needed to exchange your currency, we just decided to spend this day on the ship relaxing and exploring.

 

We had coffee on the balcony and then decided that we would head to Savor for breakfast. We both had the crocque Madame sandwich, peaches and blueberries and DH also tried the biscuits and gravy. Food was good and it was a nice relaxing start to the day. After breakfast we headed to the Waterfront to read for a little while. It turns out that there are not only chair hogs by the pool but also on the Waterfront. We sat for a few hours enjoying the outdoors and people watching. Since our balcony was so small, this was a nice alternative to being outside but not on the pool deck.

 

We decided to play mini golf again and had the course to ourselves. Then we headed to the buffet to have an early lunch since we had dinner reservations at Moderno and didn't want to spoil our appetites. We headed over to O'Sheehan's to play some air hockey then back to the cabin to read/take a nap.

 

We met up with friends at 5:30 for drinks outside at Shaker's. We really enjoyed the Waterfront outside bar areas. Tonight I enjoyed a few Lemon Drop Martinis. Then it was off to Moderno for our 6:45 reservation.

 

Moderno was fairly empty the whole time that we were there. They have a decent salad bar with sushi and soup offered as well. We started off with a few caipirinhas and then the meats started to arrive. You get what looks like a coaster that is green on one side and red on the other. Keep the green showing to keep the food coming; turn to red to stop. You can go back and forth if you need a little break.

 

The offerings were grilled filet, garlic beef, chicken wrapped in bacon, chicken leg, chorizo sausage, ribs, grilled pineapple, lamb chops, and sirloin of beef. There were a few fish items listed on the menu but we did not see any that night. They also bring sides; sweet plaintains, garlic mashed potatoes, rice and beans. For dessert we had the coconut flan and the mango rice pudding. Our favorites were the garlic beef and the chicken wrapped in bacon.

 

After all that food, all we wanted to do was lay down and relax so we turned in early and watched a movie.

 

Next up....St. Kitts - 01/27/2016

[Amaya042605]

When does the buffet close at night?

[Cruisin KLS]

When does the buffet close at night?

 

 

Dinner ended at 9:30 then they opened again at 10:00 for late night snacks. I think that they are open until at least 12:00.

[RN Cruiser1]

You are doing a great job for a first timer!

I am interested in the Calabaza excursion, what is the cost? Please!

 

Thank you

[Cruisin KLS]

You are doing a great job for a first timer!

I am interested in the Calabaza excursion, what is the cost? Please!

 

Thank you

 

Thank you so much for your kind words! Calabaza is amazing. The cost in January was $110pp. Totally worth the money.

[Birdnutty]

Overall' date=' yes! We really enjoy cruising. Service on the Breakaway was great. Food was decent. The buffet, to us, was boring. Loved the waterfront area. Specialty dining was enjoyable. Rock of Ages was very well done. 6 sea days were too many for us.

 

The one downside, that we noted on our last NCL cruise, was there seem to be a lot of up charges. You have the drink package but if you want to do any of the cocktail tastings there is an extra charge. Behind the scenes tour - extra charge. Being harassed every time we tried to walk on the pool deck near the spa because they were trying to sell you something. You pay extra for the specialty restaurants but if you want lobster - another extra charge. That is ridiculous!

 

With a 14 day cruise we fully expected an older crowd. This was over the Top though. We had never seen so many walkers, wheelchairs and scooters in one place. There was also a lot of foreign people who seemed to have left their manners at home. They would push you, cut you off and never think twice about it.

 

So I guess that you could say, this was not our best cruise but it was not the worst either. We met a lot of nice people that helped to pass the time.[/quote']

 

Hey, there! Enjoying your review. I can't believe your attention to detail. How do you remember them all? It was so nice talking to you on the boat in Tortola. :)

 

That's so funny how everyone has a different take on things. I find the buffet food to be much more varied than RCCL, and always found different things in Garden Cafe every time I went. However, the desserts for the most part have never been great (except for the bread pudding, which I LOVE) I did learn early, however, to walk AAALLLL the way around all the stations before choosing, because sometimes, an item could be found in only one station, when others were repeated several times. It was the only way I could find enough veggies for my taste. I'm a veggie nut (not just salads - they get boring) Did you catch the Seafood extravaganza on Saturday night? They even had lobster!

 

I agree about the up-charges. Some of the recent changes on NCL have not been passenger-friendly. We've sailed NCL well over 20 times, and there are subtle differences each time - most of the time in a negative way, which I find very unfortunate.

 

Also agree about the diversity of people, although we never ran into any rude or pushy ones. And I think they should have scheduled walker/scooter races - could have been lots of participants for that!

 

I've got a review going too. I focus on somewhat different things. I love to see others' opinions. Here's the link if you want to check it out. Unfortunately, I gave mine a really boring title. I like yours much better.

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2318054

[Cruisin KLS]

Hey, there! Enjoying your review. I can't believe your attention to detail. How do you remember them all? It was so nice talking to you on the boat in Tortola. :)

 

That's so funny how everyone has a different take on things. I find the buffet food to be much more varied than RCCL, and always found different things in Garden Cafe every time I went. However, the desserts for the most part have never been great (except for the bread pudding, which I LOVE) I did learn early, however, to walk AAALLLL the way around all the stations before choosing, because sometimes, an item could be found in only one station, when others were repeated several times. It was the only way I could find enough veggies for my taste. I'm a veggie nut (not just salads - they get boring) Did you catch the Seafood extravaganza on Saturday night? They even had lobster!

 

I agree about the up-charges. Some of the recent changes on NCL have not been passenger-friendly. We've sailed NCL well over 20 times, and there are subtle differences each time - most of the time in a negative way, which I find very unfortunate.

 

Also agree about the diversity of people, although we never ran into any rude or pushy ones. And I think they should have scheduled walker/scooter races - could have been lots of participants for that!

 

I've got a review going too. I focus on somewhat different things. I love to see others' opinions. Here's the link if you want to check it out. Unfortunately, I gave mine a really boring title. I like yours much better.

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2318054

 

I have been following your review as well! This is my first try at a review. I really enjoying reading others thoughts before we cruise so I thought that I would throw my ideas out there for other people. I made sure to make notes each night of what we did/ate that day so that I could refer back to it!

 

It was wonderful to meet you too. I wish that the cruise critic dinner was in a quieter venue so that we could have mingled more!

 

-Kristi

[Cruisin KLS]

St. Kitts - 01/27/2016

 

This being our last port we wanted to make a point to get out and enjoy the sun and water. I had tried to book a catamaran excursion with Leeward Island Charters because they were highly rated on tripadvisor but I never got a response from them after 4 separate emails. We decided on just having a beach day.

 

Last year we went to Carambola Beach resort. We did not reserve chairs but were able to rent some when we got there. The resort is nice, very calm beach and the facilities are clean. There is a beach bar and restaurant also. Umbrellas are also for rent but it was too windy that day to use them. It was really H-O-T!!

 

This year we decided to try Cockleshell Beach. Woke up, coffee on the balcony and hit the buffet for breakfast. The taxi drivers and tour guides were ruthless! Everyone shouting to get your attention. We finally ended up walking through the crowd over to a bar so that we could get some wifi. We were approached by a taxi drive who said that he already had a group going to Cockleshell. He gave us bracelets, which was a sign that we were with his group and the rest of the drivers left us alone. His name was Le Matt. Cost was $14pp round trip. We paid when he dropped us off; that made me a little nervous. He agreed to come back and get our group at 3:00pm. This gave us 4 hours at the beach.

 

We were dropped off right at Reggae Beach Bar. It was $15 for 2 chairs and an umbrella. The beach was not very deep. Chairs were crowded together so if you were not in the front row, there was not much of a view. There was another smaller bar down the way but we opted to stay near the rest of our group. They had waiters and waitresses going around to bring food and drinks. Frozen drinks were $6.50. Beers were $4 each or a bucket of 6 for $20. DH and I shared a chicken roti for lunch with was really good. Swam a little and just relaxed and enjoyed the sunshine.

 

Le Matt arrived a little before 3:00pm to round us up and bring us back to port. Had a late snack at the buffet and headed back to the cabin to clean up.

 

Met up with friends at 6:00 for drinks at Shaker's. Headed to dinner at O'Sheehan's to a changed menu. I love wings and up to this point had not had any. Enjoyed the Thai Chili wings and the Pub Dog which came with saurkraut and bacon. DH tried the Coney Dog which had chili/onions/mustard and the Pub Dog. Our tablemates had the chicken fajitas and the Pub Dog also. Everything was good.

 

Went to see the comedic juggler in the theater. He was okay but we cut out early to get some late night snacks and head to bed.

 

Next up...Sea Day

Edited February 23, 2016 by cruisin' kls

[Cruisin KLS]

Trying to get the hang of posting pictures

Edited February 24, 2016 by cruisin' kls

[Cruisin KLS]

I think that I figured out the pictures. Here are a few of Cockleshell Beach in St. Kitts.

 

Cockleshell Beach St. Kitts

 

Cockleshell Beach St. Kitts

 

Cockleshell Beach St. Kitts

Edited February 24, 2016 by cruisin' kls

[Cruisin KLS]

some pictures of Coki Beach in St. Thomas

 

Coki Beach in St. Thomas

 

Coki Beach in St. Thomas

 

Coki Beach in St. Thomas

[Cruisin KLS]

View at Orient Beach in St. Maarten looking towards Club Orient

 

Orient Beach St. Maarten

 

new buildings at Orient Beach

 

new building at Orient Beach

[Cruisin KLS]

Sea Day - 01/28/2016

 

No rush to wake up today, although we had trouble sleeping in any of the days. Enjoyed coffee on the balcony before it got too chilly and then headed to the buffet for breakfast. Spent time reading on The Waterfront again today so that Manuel could have time to make up our room.

 

Headed to Uptown Grill for lunch. Had our bleu cheese/bacon/carmelized onion burgers again. Walked around the ship for a little while then headed back to the cabin for a relaxing afternoon of reading/napping.

 

Had a few predinner drinks at Mixx Bar then headed to Le Bistro to make our 7:15 reservation. I mentioned it before, but the upsell in the specialty restaurants really pisses me off. I think that it is ridiculous to spend $20pp for dinner only to have to pay an additional fee for lobster or champagne - considering we had the drink package. For dinner I had the escargots, mussels, grilled salmon and creme brulee. All of the food was very good although the portions were not very big. Maybe it was because of the French cuisine.

 

DH is not a big fan of fish/seafood and felt that the choices for him were limited here. He had the onion soup (He commented that whoever is making the broth at Le Bistro needed a lesson from whoever was making it in the dining room), duck salad, filet mignon and chocolate hazlenut napoleon. We also ordered coffee because we saw them bringing around the french press and were excited. Only to be disappointed when we discovered that it was not actual "french press" but regular coffee served in a french press (no grounds). Overall he would have gladly paid another $10pp to go back to Cagney's.

 

After dinner we headed to the theatre for our 9:30 reservations for Burn the Floor. Having seen a preview earlier in the week at our CC dinner in the Manhatten room, we were excited for the show. After about a half hour we were both ready to leave since we felt like the full show was really repetitive (and the seats were killing us).

 

Next up....Sea Day - 01/29/2016

[Cruisin KLS]

Sea Day - 01/29/2016

 

Woke up to cooler air today so no coffee on the balcony :( Decided to head to Taste for breakfast. I had the peaches and blueberries and croque madame again and DH had the eggs benedict. Headed back to the cabin for some packing and just a relaxing day of reading, napping and watching t.v..

 

For lunch we headed to O'Sheehan's for more wings and fries. We shared all of the flavors; Thai Chili, Jerk, BBQ and Buffalo. The Thai Chili and Jerk were our favorites. Had to get some sweet so we headed up to the buffet for ice cream.

 

Met up with friends for drinks at Shaker's then Mixx Bar. Dinner tonight was at Taste. I had the steamed clams :) , spring rolls :( , and sirloin strip (that is always on the menu). It comes with onion rings and potato wedges and I really ordered it mostly for the sides. Dessert was a very delicious black cherry tart. DH had the onion soup, caesar salad, spaghetti bolognese and tia maria cake. He enjoyed everything except the dessert.

 

Most of the day and into the night we had pretty rough seas. 15-19 ft. waves and a pretty good wind. Made for a lot of rocking, bumping and creaking in our cabin later that night. No one on the ship could walk in a straight line and getting up in the middle of the night was challenging. We ended our day by closing down Mixx Bar and then had some late night sweets at the buffet.

 

Next up...last sea day 01/30/2016

[Cruisin KLS]

Sea Day - 01/30/2016

 

Last day on the Breakaway. Headed to the buffet in the morning for breakfast where finding a table was challenging. It was cold outside so no one was sitting out there and there seemed to be a lot of people camped out at tables reading and playing cards while you circled trying to find someplace to sit and eat.

 

Packed up the rest of our things early in the day so that we could spend the rest of the day just relaxing. We had lunch again at O'Sheehan's. I had the black and bleu burger with bacon and DH had the corned beef reuben.

 

Dinner was our last time at the Noodle Bar. I ordered the shrimp spring rolls again and instead I got the pork dumplings. We tried to tell the waitress that they weren't right but she told us that they ran out of some of the ingredients for the shrimp rolls and this is what they made instead. Strange!

 

We ended the evening at Maltings with one last Elder Fashion for me. Said our goodbyes to Leslie and wished her a safe trip home. Then it was back to the cabin to turn in early.