TRIP REPORT Fresh Off Breakaway to Bermuda {First Time NCL, Upsell, Spa, Vibe}

[Viva_la_Vida]

Here was the view while eating in the Garden Cafe. It was a beautiful day!

 

 

We did a post-cruise stay at Row NYC. It’s a newer hotel, or at least sort of. It was formerly the Milford Plaza Hotel. It had been given a modern makeover. I was unfortunately really disappointed in the facility. Pros: location on 8th ave between 45th and 46th street, luggage held for no fee (at least prior to checking in, not sure post check-out), good bar and restaurants within the building. Cons - crowded, common areas and hallways dirty, tiny rooms and bathrooms, small beds.

 

Sorry it’s kind of messy, but the pics on the website make the rooms seem so much bigger than they are in reality, and I wanted to provide the real perspective!

 

 

The elevators are also bizarre. You have to punch in your floor number and it assigns you an elevator door. Sounds fine, but people get impatient or forget what they’ve been assigned and enter in their floor again. So, you end up in an elevator you can’t control making all of these stops where nobody is getting on or off. I guess that can happen in any elevator, but it happens more frequently in these.

 

We had a nice view south. The tall building is The Westin a couple blocks down.

 

 

We skipped the more touristy midtown food and went uptown for some delicious BBQ with friends at one of our favorite stops. If you want some authentic and amazing food, head up to 125th street stop on the 1 train to Dinosaur BBQ. It is a chain that started in Syracuse, NY and has a few locations now. It’s got delicious BBQ, appetizers, and a fantastic beer selection. We were craving that good beer after lack of it for a week ;-) Then we went across the street to the new Harlem Beer Garden Bierstrasse NYC. It’s very good and has a lovely, large outdoor seating area with nice Hudson breezes. It’s very accessible from the subway.

 

We headed back to the hotel. 4 Times Square was lit in honor of the Orlando massacre. What a horrible tragedy to come home to :(

 

 

We had an 11:30 flight out of Laguardia and a connection in Charlotte. It was actually less expensive to stay the night in NYC and fly home on Monday instead of flying home on Sunday, believe it or not!

 

Bye, NYC!

 

 

We were back in Atlanta by 4:00.

[ilovewdw]

Thanks so much for sharing your VERY detailed review. We have cruised to Bermuda many times and it's my ABSOLUTE favorite port! We live the Breakaway and have sailed her 4 times already. I just talked DH into booking another Bermuda cruise on the BA for October! Can't wait!!! :cool:

[JimnSuzie]

Thank you Viva la Vida for the absolutely awesome review. I am SAD it is over! I hope we have as wonderful a vacation as you did! Although I believe it is all what you make of it and you made the most of it!!! Safe future travels and I will keep an eye open for anymore reviews from you! Have a wonderful summer!

[Sizzlechest]

I know the feeling when your vacation is over and you don't want it to end. You described it beautifully. So many people get homesick and are glad it's over. Not me. I'm about to embark on a 9-day cruise on the Breakaway. I hope the extra two days make it easier to say goodbye.

[TestingH2O]

Great review. Thanks!

 

I hope you'll do more in the future!

[stephysoda]

Thank you very much for your detailed review. What was the Upsell phone number that you called? I can't seem to find it. I love your determination to get the best out of your vacation.

[Viva_la_Vida]

I want to share a few reflections on the whole trip, a lot contributed by my DH, Marc. I’ll probably post just this portion in the forum for those that don’t want to wade through all the details.

 

The Freestyle Concept:

 

We were looking forward to this after the sometimes-too-structured feel of Celebrity. I actually enjoy dressing up, but DH does not! Turns out, even I love to be able to go to a MDR dinner in shorts every once in awhile! Thumbs up to NCL for a nice balance with the freestyle wardrobe requirements - you’re required to be more dressed up for Ocean Blue, but other places it’s relaxed.

 

Freestyle entertainment is another story. Right after booking and researching, I was dismayed at the hype around reservations. . . .to everything! That, to me, kind of defeated the whole purpose of freestyle. I booked a lot of things that I ended up cancelling. I would always cancel within an acceptable window, but I hate feeling like I need to book stuff. DH will not even touch this process, it’s all up to me, which makes it more of an agitating task. I know you don’t “have” to reserve, but the HUGE line outside the comedy we went to drove the need for reservations home. I don’t want to spend my vacay time standing in a line because I didn’t plan in advance. Maybe smaller NCL ships are different? Somebody fill me in.

 

Freestyle dining was OK because we only did specialty dining one night - our best meal by far - at Ocean Blue. We reserved it 90 days ahead of time and still couldn’t get anything other than 8:30. If we had wanted more specialty dining, we would have been SOL. We heard the maitre d’ turning people away in front of us at Ocean Blue because of it just being too booked. Again, makes it not really “freestyle”, or it’s at a high cost of a long wait.

 

Food:

 

The food was never bad, but sometimes the sides didn’t seem well thought out or well done. The stacks of food in the MDRs were disconcerting and reminded you that you were essentially eating in a big cafeteria.

 

It’s hard going on Celebrity first if you’re a foodie, because you have the expectation there for the food. I liked the relaxed feel of the boat, but I wanted the food to be something less like a chore like they had to give it to you and ore like they enjoyed giving it to you. Case and point, at Ocean Blue, they took pride in telling you all about what you ordered and how it was prepared. Everywhere else it was just like at McDonald's, here’s what you ordered.

 

Buffet was not as good and no sense of direction as far as where you needed to walk. Very crowded. People cutting in and out, bumping into people. Yes it’s freestyle, but there needs to be some order with how you’re getting the food. Otherwise there is no structure. Celebrity has them beat on the buffet food “big time”.

 

The buffet was essentially the same every day, at least for breakfast and the one time we went for dinner, it was essentially the same as lunch. This was disappointing. The food that was there wasn’t bad, but it lacked variety and there wasn’t anything too exotic. There was usually a curry dish of some kind and also an asian dish, but not much to choose from. I missed Celebrity’s excellent indian food and also the sushi available at the buffet itself.

 

With desserts specifically, Carnival wins by a good amount, followed by Celebrity, then NCL.

 

I will say that NCL’s specialty dining prices are much better than Celebrity’s. We ate for half the price at Ocean Blue than we would have eaten at any of X’s major specialties, even with a discount they often offer. That being said, the quality of the “free” stuff on X is miles better, so you don’t really need to go as often.

 

Service:

Service was was excellent, better than Celebrity, especially the bartenders. NCL is the best so far for bartenders.

 

Drinks:

We shouldn’t have to go hunting for wine; again, spoiled with this from Celebrity where there was a sommelier at every meal pairing your food with a wine from the beverage package. Wine on NCL was not drinkable, at least not the merlot.

 

I missed Cafe al Bacio on the Summit. The Atrium cafe is not a relaxing space at all.

 

Entertainment:

NCL has this one hands down. I really enjoyed “Burn the Floor” and the improv comedy troupe was something different than other lines offer.

 

We obviously had a wonderful vacation. Our highlights were the wonderful service of the NCL team. They really took care of us, especially sending us chocolate covered strawberries and champagne for no reason that we could figure out. We loved spending time in the luxurious Vibe and the outstanding service and attention that came with, as it was put on our bill, “The Vibe Experience”. The relaxation of the spa was fabulous. Bermuda was terrific, even with some rain. We loved the new feel of the boat and our large room and bathroom.

 

All and all, we spent a lot more money on our vacation this year on NCL vs our vacation two years ago on the Summit, and from looking at both this year and following the prices, it would have been cheaper this year as well to go on Summit. We also had a balcony on the Summit that was roughly 3x as big, but we weren’t suite, aqua, or concierge class on X, just regular folk ;-). I think our spa mini-suite on NCL was for sure nice, but I can’t see paying that much again for that small of a balcony and to not have special dining like on Celebrity with their Aqua (spa) class restaurant "Blu".

 

We loved NCL and will certainly go back when we have kids, but Celebrity was less expensive and offered more value. The things that made our NCL voyage so awesome were Vibe and the spa, both added cost and at least for Vibe, not at all a guarantee until you walk on the boat and have the passes in hand. I have no regrets at all and would absolutely purchase spa and Vibe again, but maybe not on the same sailing unless the spa was included like it was for us this time. We did feel nickel and dimed a bit more on NCL. For example, no sodas, water, or coffees with the beverage package and having to pay the service fees on the beverage package and the taxes while in NYC. It adds up and when other lines offer the packages without these extra fees, it helps. That all said, we'll go wherever the best value is. A cruise will be enjoyable to us no matter what line it's on, so we'll be strategic with our hard-earned money.

 

It’s a bit tough to compare the two cruises since they were so different, but DH and I both agree that for Bermuda next time, we’d choose Breakaway ONLY if it was the same price or less than Celebrity. Our reasoning is that the “extras” we paid for (vibe, spa) are basically included in your fare for X. There is no Vibe area, but there is a whole free adult only solarium thalassotherapy pool that was never crowded.

 

When we have kiddos that are old enough to want to do children’s activities, I’m sure we’d want to pay more for NCL, but until then, we’ll shop around. And if the opportunity comes at the right price, would we sail NCL again? In the words of my awesome hubs, “heck yes”!

 

Thanks for sticking with me until the end and all of your kind words and encouragement. Please let me know if I can answer any questions at all.

 

Happy sailing, everyone!

[LrgPizza]

Thank you! I enjoyed your information.

[Viva_la_Vida]

Thanks so much for sharing your VERY detailed review. We have cruised to Bermuda many times and it's my ABSOLUTE favorite port! We live the Breakaway and have sailed her 4 times already. I just talked DH into booking another Bermuda cruise on the BA for October! Can't wait!!! :cool:

 

Thank you so much, I'm glad you enjoyed! Have so much fun on your next trip! :D

[Viva_la_Vida]

Thank you very much for your detailed review. What was the Upsell phone number that you called? I can't seem to find it. I love your determination to get the best out of your vacation.

 

Thanks for reading! The # is 1-800-625-4309. Best of luck!

[Viva_la_Vida]

Thank you Viva la Vida for the absolutely awesome review. I am SAD it is over! I hope we have as wonderful a vacation as you did! Although I believe it is all what you make of it and you made the most of it!!! Safe future travels and I will keep an eye open for anymore reviews from you! Have a wonderful summer!

 

 

Thank you! I so agree, so much is about attitude and what you make out of it.

[Viva_la_Vida]

I know the feeling when your vacation is over and you don't want it to end. You described it beautifully. So many people get homesick and are glad it's over. Not me. I'm about to embark on a 9-day cruise on the Breakaway. I hope the extra two days make it easier to say goodbye.

 

What's homesick? Lol! 9 days, how fun! I'd love to do that! I would love to see longer cruises in the summer when I can actually go!

[Viva_la_Vida]

Great review. Thanks!

 

I hope you'll do more in the future!

 

I definitely will, thank you :)

[TestingH2O]

I think you'll like the dress code for DCL too. Most nights are cruise casual, and you can certainly wear shorts. Palo would be more formal.

[Viva_la_Vida]

I think you'll like the dress code for DCL too. Most nights are cruise casual, and you can certainly wear shorts. Palo would be more formal.

 

Ok good! DCL is not my first choice (ahh no drink package that includes fruity girly tropical pool drinks!?), but I'm tagging along with my cousin and she has two kids that I love :) It will be awesome to see them enjoy their first cruise and I will just have to make do paying by the drink. :D

[Aldeya]

We've been on Breakaway twice but this is the first time I'm reading about free breakfast and lunch in Moderno.

 

Is it listed in Fun Times or you have to be a member of secret society to enjoy them?:D

[Momofcandk]

When u get on board you are allowed to go to your room and drop off your things. You do not need to wait for an announcement. They just don't want u hanging out in your room. The stewards still have work to do.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Momofcandk]

We've been on Breakaway twice but this is the first time I'm reading about free breakfast and lunch in Moderno.

 

 

 

Is it listed in Fun Times or you have to be a member of secret society to enjoy them?:D

 

 

Moderno is listed in your daily for breakfast and lunch. It's so nice bc it's not crowded like the buffet. Been eating there since 2013

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[LrgPizza]

Moderno is listed in your daily for breakfast and lunch. It's so nice bc it's not crowded like the buffet. Been eating there since 2013

 

Is the Moderno breakfast/lunch small buffets, or are they menu meals? I'm hoping for a buffet, because I don't have any patience for a sit down meal during my busy days! :D

[meatball_nyc]

Moderno has a small buffet for breakfast and lunch on sea days at the beginning of the cruise. It's listed in the dailies so check it out when you board.

There is also a small collection of Danish and coffee and tea located starboard side deck 8 on the Waterfront outside Malting's in the early mornings.

Happy Sailing!

 

P.S. Nice report Viva :)

Edited July 3, 2016 by meatball_nyc

[Viva_la_Vida]

Is the Moderno breakfast/lunch small buffets, or are they menu meals? I'm hoping for a buffet, because I don't have any patience for a sit down meal during my busy days! :D

 

Buffet. We wish we had caught the other themed lunches earlier in the week.

[MoyCoy]

I am Celebrity fan who is sailing NCL for the second time. We are sailing to Bermuda in a Haven. We sailed on NCL Escape last year with the kids. We were disappointed in the food. I TOTALLY agree with your comparison. We are hoping the Haven experience will tip the scales. We are also booked on the Summit in a suite in 2017- Bermuda. I heard good and bad about the Summit. In your opinion , is the lively vibe on the Breakaway more to your liking than the vibe on the Summit? Do you think the spa would be worth 179 PP

 

We were wondering if the Vibe pass is worth it. You compared it to the solarium on Celebrity. Does the vibe have a more special feel than the free solarium?

[Maraprince]

Any idea of the cost for a gelato? By the scoop or by the dish? Is a gratuity added to the price?

 

Thanks!

 

MARAPRINCE

[Viva_la_Vida]

Any idea of the cost for a gelato? By the scoop or by the dish? Is a gratuity added to the price?

 

Thanks!

 

MARAPRINCE

 

I'm not sure about that. Anyone else know?

[Viva_la_Vida]

I am Celebrity fan who is sailing NCL for the second time. We are sailing to Bermuda in a Haven. We sailed on NCL Escape last year with the kids. We were disappointed in the food. I TOTALLY agree with your comparison. We are hoping the Haven experience will tip the scales. We are also booked on the Summit in a suite in 2017- Bermuda. I heard good and bad about the Summit. In your opinion , is the lively vibe on the Breakaway more to your liking than the vibe on the Summit? Do you think the spa would be worth 179 PP

 

We were wondering if the Vibe pass is worth it. You compared it to the solarium on Celebrity. Does the vibe have a more special feel than the free solarium?

 

 

Great questions. Overall, yes, I would say that the lively vibe was more to our liking on Breakaway although we didn't take advantage of it as much as we could have. I think that going later in the season on the Summit would probably help a bit with that though. I will say that we met a couple that was well over 50 and partied pretty hard with them at Ice Martini Bar on the Summit :p So older does not automatically mean less lively! I highly suggest meeting up with people via the roll call forum if you like the lively vibe. We did that for Summit and that's how we met up with our Ice friends.

 

The solarium on Summit is like a combination of Vibe and the Thermal Spa Suite. There is no bar, no heated loungers, but it is adult only and was never crowded on our sailings. We loved the pool and the bar is very close by. It was also quiet and relaxing like the thermal suite. That's good and bad. We had a bad experience a few times on our sailing with a really really really loud person in Vibe. Obnoxiously drunk loud, like we heard her over the waves, wind, and music. We did overall like the vibe of vibe though ;) It's nice sometimes to feel like you don't need to be really quiet. We loved our cabana though for an escape from the loud people.

 

Would I pay $179 for a spa pass? If it was a sailing where inclement weather was likely or cold weather, yes. If I didn't have Vibe, yes. I don' know that I would pay for both at the same time again though. Of course, the catch is that vibe is not guaranteed and the spa passes are $20 more once on board. I would probably risk it and try for vibe and only buy spa if I couldn't get vibe.