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

[Viva_la_Vida]

I would say that we preferred the food and the service at the Crown Grill (a specialty steak house on Princess ) over the meals we had at Cagney's and Moderno on the Breakaway.

I think the buffet offerings on the Regal Princess (our last two Princess cruises were on this ship ) were comparable to the buffet selections on the Breakaway.

We enjoy the specialty coffees,baked treats and gelato at the International Café on the Princess ships.

For some reason,we did not get any specialty coffee on the Breakaway.

The reason for this may have been that the café on the Breakaway is located nearby the atrium entertainment area that we found to be small and noisy at times.

As to the wine selections, I can not give you much insight as my DH and I do not drink alcohol.

However,I do know that Princess allows passengers to bring a bottle or two of their favorite wine aboard the ship.

You would have to check with Princess about the details of this policy.

I have always found the Princess reps to be helpful whenever I call with a question or to make a cruise reservation.

As to cruising to Alaska, Princess does a very

good job with cruises and cruise tours there.

However, I am not certain that the ships going to Alaska have covered pool areas. We sailed on the Sapphire Princess in 2004 and I do not recall a covered pool area on the ship.

Again,a call to Princess would be a way to get information about the pool areas.

We sailed on the Summit to Bermuda several years ago and found the Solarium pool area to be a very relaxing place.

Celebrity.may be a good choice for you and your hubby if you decide on a trip to Alaska.

I hope this information is helpful to you.

Again, thank you for your pleasant review.

Your youthful perspective of the Breakaway has caused me to consider another cruise on the ship.

After all, it does leave from our home port of NYC and it sails to one of our favorite places!

 

Thank you so much for your insights. I completely agree with you about the atrium cafe. It's poorly located and you have to fight your way through crowds to get over there when the events are going on. Thanks for the reminder to put that in my review :) Happy sailing to you and update us all if you end up doing BA again to Bermuda!

[Burrata]

thank you again Viva la Vida for taking the time to write and post your reviews and photos!

 

your furbaby is very cute! :D

[Viva_la_Vida]

thank you again Viva la Vida for taking the time to write and post your reviews and photos!

 

your furbaby is very cute! :D

 

Awww, thank you so much :D

[kayakgranny]

It's funny you called it quiet, because it definitely wasn't! In fact, there was one particular group at the bar that I could hear from the other side of Vibe over the piped in music, wind, and seas, lol! Adults are often louder than children. The quiet area was the spa. I like some action as well.

 

 

 

It's true there is a free area, but it's not quiet I wanted, it was a lounge chair next to my husband that we didn't have to fight for, a hot tub that was always available, and a bar without a line. We met some nice people in vibe. You see the same faces over and over, so it's easy to meet people if you want to. :)

 

 

 

So is it $99 pp for Vive entrance plus additional for cabana?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Viva_la_Vida]

Saturday, June 11th - At Sea

 

Reality was really setting in with the arrival of this daily :-(

 

 

 

 

Here are the disembarkation instructions:

 

 

 

We woke up early to make the most of our last day of fun! We were excited to try Moderno for Breakfast. It was essentially like the buffet at the garden cafe, except it was much less crowded and a much nicer atmosphere. I recommend going there any morning it’s offered!

 

]

 

[Viva_la_Vida]

So is it $99 pp for Vive entrance plus additional for cabana?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

Yes, if you don't get a cabana, it's $99 per person. The cabana is a flat $325 and includes 2 vibe passes for the occupants. You also get a $100 OBC if you get a cabana. It's for food and beverage technically, but we are pretty sure based on our bill that it was applied on other things as well.

[Viva_la_Vida]

They did seem to have a few different pastries. They had a guava danish (my fav) and also a coconut filled croissant which was excellent.

 

 

 

We sat next to the windows looking down into the Manhattan Dining Room.

 

 

We had an extra cup of coffee (OK, and another couple of pastries) and decided to take it out on the waterfront. It was much more utilized this morning, I was happy to see!

 

 

We walked all the way around the waterfront after breakfast and got some pictures.

 

 

I love watching the wake from the aft of the ship. An aft balcony is for sure on my bucket list.

 

 

I love how the waterfront has these glass cutouts in the floor you can look through.

 

 

 

[Viva_la_Vida]

Here are some more pics from around the ship:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After breakfast and our walk, I we did a little browsing in the shops. DH looked at the watches, and I wanted to get a t-shirt and a ship ornament. It was super crazy crowded because of jewelry sells. I got out of line due to it being so long. I just didn’t want to waste my precious vacation time on a store line.

 

Instead, I went out to the outdoor side of Maltings whisky and beer bar. It being a beer bar, I had high hopes for getting something different from the not good beer (IMO) on the regular menu. I asked the bartender if they had any different beers from the rest of the ship, and he just handed me the regular find-at-every-bar menu. Thanks but no thanks. They did have 3 beers on tap, one of which was newcastle so I asked for one, but he said it was empty. Sheesh! I went with a bottle but wish I had saved the calories.

 

I would love to find a cruise ship that has good beers, which for me means nice belgians or microbrews. There was a place on the Reflection that served great beer until they took it out to put in a suite-only hospitality room, ugh. I’ve heard the Escape has a beer bar. Maybe we’ll try her next!

[tinkr2]

I am not a beer drinker but my sil brews beer and he was super disappoimted in the beer list on Getaway. I hope Escape will be better also!

[Viva_la_Vida]

A couple more from around the ship:

 

 

 

On to Vibe. It was very sunny and pleasant with a nice breeze. It was pretty empty. I had both hot tubs to myself. I went back downstairs to at 12:30 to get ready for some lunch.

 

We had lunch at Moderno, this time for Bavarian feast! There was a band with piano, drum set, and guitar playing German songs and it was a very lively atmosphere! It was fantastic food, best in a buffet and some of the best overall all week! We had cheesy casserole, amazing red cabbage, amazing fresh carved pork leg, german potato salad, pretzels, veal schnitzel and maybe the best part, a waiter coming around serving german beer! Yay! Franziskaner yum!

 

 

 

 

They also had special desserts - apple strudel and donuts. Don’t miss the free themed lunches in Moderno. We really wish we’d tried the other feasts in there!

[Viva_la_Vida]

We went into the shops to accomplish our earlier shopping and also ordered a couple of pictures. FYI, the same deals that were available earlier were still available. We tried to hit the library but couldn’t check out books. Instead, we spent a little time in the atrium watching the crew talent show on the big screen. As others have noted, the atrium is often host to game shows, movies, and other activities that would be better suited to another space. They really clog up the area, which serves as space to guest services, the atrium bars (the main one for coffee beverages), and the internet cafe. It was tough to get around and navigate through even during that low-key show.

 

It was back to Vibe for me while DH stayed back to rest. I had wanted to try something new and lemony, and Richard suggested a “Cherry Lime Aid”. It did not disappoint!

 

 

It tasted like very sweet pink lemonade.

 

I finished my book in vibe and enjoyed the sun and wind. The cabana provided some shelter from the wind, which was nice. I left a few hours later and enjoyed some time in the spa.

 

We enjoyed some nice time in hot tub, salt room, and therapy pool and then it was back to 14168 by 6:45 pm to get ready for dinner.

 

Back in the room, DH opened our champagne bottle, which we enjoyed on the balcony as the sunset. It was gorgeous and the sky and ocean were like a golden mist.

 

 

 

We tried to go to deck 7 forward to see the sunset, but no luck. Same with 8. We went back upstairs to try where I had seen it the night before up on 16 and 17, but the doors were blocked off as well as the stairs due to wind.

 

We had dinner in the Manhattan room. We didn’t have reservations and it was an extremely long line, albeit handled beautifully by the skilled maitre d’ and her team. We were seated right next to the dance floor at a 4 seater within 10 minutes. Let me warn you, if you are shy or don’t want to be put on the spot while eating, don’t opt to sit near the dance floor when shows are going on!

 

We had attentive service but everything came out so slowly! We knew the Burn the Floor dancers were going to perform in the dining room at 9, but thought we would be about finished by the time it started. Well, we didn’t even get our entrees until it started and we were so close to the action that it was awkward to eat while it was going on. The tables on the dance floor (which we were just behind) were incorporated in the show. Some of the dancers would plop into the laps of the men who were dining. I noticed a table on the dance floor had the same issue we did, they didn’t even touch their food the whole show because they were right in the action and lights. We at least nibbled at the food during applause.

 

It was nice seeing the dancers up close and their talent was even more obvious when you could see the foot work up close.

 

I love the menu cover and this dining room in general.

 

 

 

 

Our food was good! I had cesar salad, chicken parmigiana, and snickerdoodle pound cake. The cake wasn’t very good and I don’t understand why it was called snickerdoodle because it just seemed like plain old pound cake.

 

DH had asparagus soup with smoked salmon, prime rib, and chocolate lava cake. He said everything was really good.

 

We headed back to the room to pack up and have our bags out by 11, then went up to try our luck one more time at the casino. It was intolerably smokey at times and I hate how it clung to our clothes. I think the casino design is absolutely awful. You have to walk right through the middle of it to go from one side of the ship to the other.

 

We went to the photo place to pick up photos. They said they were on their way to be delivered to our stateroom and indeed, they were hanging on our stateroom door when we returned.

 

We came back to no towel animal, which was kind of sad. I mean, I know it’s really silly but this was our first time having towel animals in our room and we liked it a lot. It just kind of made us feel like they were onto the next group of people already :-( That being said, we had made sure to tip our cabin stewardess extra as she had done a really good job in the cabin.

 

I’ll have disembarkation tomorrow as well as some final wrap up thoughts about the cruise.

[ccc321]

Thank you so much. I loved every bit of your review. We sail in just under 3 weeks and you've made me even more excited.

[Viva_la_Vida]

Thank you so much. I loved every bit of your review. We sail in just under 3 weeks and you've made me even more excited.

 

Yay! I'm so glad :)

[julescruisin]

What a fantastic review and pictures, they were just beautiful!! It has given me so many great ideas for our upcoming Breakaway cruise, so excited to see this ship and get back to our favorite port Bermuda!!! We have never been on a ship this big and can't wait to see what the Breakaway has to offer. So glad you enjoyed your cruise and thank you again for such an informative review!! Happy Cruising:p:):D

[meatball_nyc]

Thank you for your review. Breakaway to to Bermuda is really a great trip.

The Manhattan Room dinners were our favorites as well as Cagney's. Too bad there is no more Mac n cheese there or chicken pot pie at osheehans :(

Cheers!

[christinalvt]

 

 

 

 

 

 

I would love to find a cruise ship that has good beers, which for me means nice belgians or microbrews. There was a place on the Reflection that served great beer until they took it out to put in a suite-only hospitality room, ugh. I’ve heard the Escape has a beer bar.

Maybe we’ll try her next!

 

 

The new Carnival Vista has its own brewery, the first at sea! Thank you for a great review!

 

Christina

Edited June 30, 2016 by christinalvt

[christinalvt]

Thank you for your review. Breakaway to to Bermuda is really a great trip.

The Manhattan Room dinners were our favorites as well as Cagney's. Too bad there is no more Mac n cheese there or chicken pot pie at osheehans :(

Cheers!

 

 

What??! No more chicken pot pie?!?! That was their most popular item! Why would they take it off? Oh wow, I was so looking forward to that next week!

[CruiserRob]

 

I would love to find a cruise ship that has good beers, which for me means nice belgians or microbrews. There was a place on the Reflection that served great beer until they took it out to put in a suite-only hospitality room, ugh. I’ve heard the Escape has a beer bar. Maybe we’ll try her next!

 

Check out the District Brew House on NCL Escape. Menu on this review.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2307885&page=11

[Viva_la_Vida]

The new Carnival Vista has its own brewery, the first at sea! Thank you for a great review!

 

Christina

 

It's own brewery!? How cool! I'll definitely check that out! :D

[Viva_la_Vida]

What??! No more chicken pot pie?!?! That was their most popular item! Why would they take it off? Oh wow, I was so looking forward to that next week!

 

Yes, I don't remember seeing those options at all or I would have gotten them. The mac and cheese in the buffet was not good.

[Viva_la_Vida]

Check out the District Brew House on NCL Escape. Menu on this review.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2307885&page=11

 

Thanks so much! Wow, that's a good menu! Funky Buddha looks delicious and Hoegaarden is my #1 all time favorite. I think we need to sail the Vista and the Escape next. DH would for sure agree based on this beer selection.

[Viva_la_Vida]

Thank you for your review. Breakaway to to Bermuda is really a great trip.

The Manhattan Room dinners were our favorites as well as Cagney's. Too bad there is no more Mac n cheese there or chicken pot pie at osheehans :(

Cheers!

 

We want to try Cagney's next time! Thanks for reading :)

[DPurcell58]

just booked today with friends for Aug. Did you miss not having a pool in the Vibe?? Still reading, your review and pics are great!

[Viva_la_Vida]

Sunday, June 12th

 

I felt like crying like a child when we had to leave the ship! We had decided to take the lavender luggage tag, indicating the last group to leave the ship. Our thought was that we couldn't check into our hotel until 4, and at least the common spaces on the ship provided a space to rest and relax, if just for a little while longer. Also, I had read really frustrating reports of major delays getting off the boat and I’d much rather be sitting than standing in some line holding my carry on luggage.

 

You pick up your own luggage tags and so get to decide which boarding group you want to be in. You get the tags in the guest services lobby starting two days before debarkation. We didn't pick ours up until Saturday afternoon and it still seemed there were plenty of every color.

 

You’re asked to leave the stateroom by 8:30, however with the breakfast times, they pretty much force you out earlier. The dining room stops serving at 8:30. The buffet says it stops, but it went on until probably 9:30. We opted to eat at the garden cafe. We were out of our stateroom by 7:45 and had finished eating by 8:15 easily, but saw people getting food much later than the closing time listed.

 

At first, the boarding groups were called fast, but after three were called together, there was a large gap of time. The cruise director came on and explained there was a back up and to please be patient. For some groups the estimated time was probably a little off, but for us, they called lavender right on time. Overall the boarding for most of the previous groups was earlier than the estimated time. The worst part was actually leaving the ship and walking past the windows of the terminal and seeing everyone checking in and waiting to cruise. I seriously almost cried, despite common sense telling me how extremely lucky and blessed I was to have just had such an amazing vacation that many in the world will never get to experience.

We worked hard all year for it, and enjoyed it to the fullest. I guess it’s just human nature to always want more than you already have!

 

The port agents were friendly enough and there was plenty of structure to keep everyone from running over each other. They only let so many go search for their bags at the same time, which was helpful even if it was annoying to have to wait when you could plainly see your bag.

[Viva_la_Vida]

just booked today with friends for Aug. Did you miss not having a pool in the Vibe?? Still reading, your review and pics are great!

 

 

I always want a pool, but the "hot" tubs were pretty warm instead of being hot and so were more refreshing than one would think. Carnival's Serenity area doesn't have a pool either, so I was used to it.