Breakaway review Oct 9-16, first cruise with teens

[amybeth28]

Great review! We leave in 14 days and traveling with our 7 year old. We also did the Dawn last August. How was the weather? I'm guessing it will be cool the day we leave long range forecast say 60ish. Any suggestion on anything you wish you packed but, didn't?

 

Hi,

I do wish I had packed some more sweatshirts, it was very chilly on deck for the first few days and the last day. I am really glad that I brought a power strip because there was only one outlet.

[amybeth28]

 

Garden Café:

 

I thought it would make sense to review all of the dining options at one time, rather than day by day.

 

The Garden Café is the complimentary buffet located on deck 15, near the pool area. The café is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night snacks. There is a huge variety available in the buffet. There are many different sides to the buffet that offer the same things. There are also special stations that offer made to order omelets, crepes, pasta and carving stations. These special stations can become very crowded and create a back up in the lines. We often found that if one part was very crowded, we would just walk past the crowds and circle around and eventually we would find a part that was much less crowded.

 

There are several beverage stations, and a few bars inside the café. They serve juice in the mornings and flavored water at other times. There is also coffee and tea available at all times. I also saw self service wine dispensers. I did not try them because we had the UBP and the dispensers are not included in the package.

 

 

There is indoor and outdoor seating available. On the cooler days, indoor seating was hard to find during peak times. The staff are plentiful in the café and they quickly clear tables. I was amazed at how they kept the place so clean and the dishes filled and hot when serving so many people!

 

We ate breakfast in the buffet on most days. They had everything from yogurt and cereal to eggs Benedict. They offered pancakes, French toast, pastries, hot cereal, breakfast meats and much more. For lunch, they always have sandwiches, hot dogs and burgers, but they also have a wide variety of other foods. For dinner, they had themes such as seafood or Caribbean night. We really liked being able to try different and unusual foods. I thought the food was very good, in general. The kids really liked the buffet. The Nutella crepes were a favorite, as was the hard and soft ice cream.

[amybeth28]

 

The first night I did not book a show because I wanted to attend the welcome show and it was open seating. I am not sure if all ships have it, but on the two cruises I have been on so far, the first night has a welcome aboard show. It has a brief appearance from all of the performers on the ship. It is kind of like a preview of the entertainment offered during the week. It was entertaining and made us really look forward to the other shows, especially Rock of Ages. I would recommend making time to see it if it fits your plans!

 

On the Breakaway there are some shows that you can reserve online before you sail or reserve them on board the ship, like Cirque dreams, Burn the Floor and Rock of Ages. There are some shows that you can reserve once you are on board, like the second city comedy shows. There are also some like the welcome show and the Broadway singer that are open seating. Even if you don’t have reservations, you can try to get into a show by joining the standby line.

 

If you want to get good seats you need to get to a show at least 30 minutes early. When you make reservations, you reserve your space but not a specific seat. Also, as many have said, the seats in the theater are a little uncomfortable, you may want to fold a sweater and put it over the bar at the back of the chair seat. They have servers in the theater so you can order drinks while you wait. They also have a bar at the entrance.

[easyboy]

I love the way you wrote about all the restaurants. It was detailed and very descriptive of what it offers. Can't wait to read how you explored the ports on your own.

[thistimeplease]

Enjoying your review can't wait to hear more. Thanks for posting. :)

[amybeth28]

 

Cirque Dreams dinner show:

 

I reserved this show for the second night of the cruise because we were very excited to experience a cirque type show. I have never seen anything similar, so I can’t compare this show to other cirque type shows. I believe the cost to reserve online was about $4o per person.

 

A staff member at the box office near the theater, advised me to get in line for the show at least 30 minutes before start time. We arrived 40 minutes before the show and there was already a line forming. For the best seating, I would say you need to get in line 45 minutes early. I’m not sure if this is true for shows later in the week. Everyone in your party needs to bring their ship card because they will scan each one at the door.

 

Everyone of the staff member, from the hostess to the wait staff is dressed in beautiful bird like costumes. They will tell you to “follow the bird” to your table. The inside is decorated in an elaborate jungle theme and there are long rectangular tables. The shorter end of the table is near the stage and they fan out like sun rays. There are some booths around the edges, but I think that may be premium seating. They will seat you with other people.

 

The people who are at the end of the table, closest to the stage have a wonderful view. I found that, as the third seat into the table I had to keep moving my head around and tried to view the show in between my children’s heads. I think the tables near the sides probably have better views for everyone than the very middle table. The stage does rise up, so I think it helps to be taller if you are at the far end of the table. There are also characters that roam around the entire room.

 

The show was wonderful, and a lot of it was aerial work with people doing acrobatic routines on a giant ring or ropes. There was juggling and some magic as well. The costumes were animal themed and beautiful and it was hard to take your eyes off of the performers. The lighting and music really added to the show and provided a mysterious “jungle” feel.

 

The show included a 3 course meal, from a set menu, which was served during the performance. The main course was surf and turf with filet and shrimp. I thought the food was ok, maybe a bit overcooked. I would have been happier if the show did not include a meal and took place in the theater. The performers were so entertaining that we didn’t want to glance away to eat, and my kids barely touched their meals.

 

Overall, I am glad that we went to the show. The kids really loved it! Knowing what I know now, I would get there earlier and try to get a table with a better angle. I would also arrange my children so that the shy one was not seated next to people she did not know. I would also stagger my family with the shortest ones closest to the stage. (all of my teens are actually taller than me!)

[amybeth28]

 

Rock of Ages:

 

This was definitely our favorite show! It is a musical featuring singing and dancing with an 80’s theme. The music, hairstyles, costumes and stage were absolutely perfect. The story was engaging, basically a love story with comical twists perfectly synced with the appropriate 80’s song.

 

There are many announcements and warnings about the adult nature of this show. In fact, they ask kids under 13 not to sit in the first 3 rows, and give plenty of time for parents to leave with their children if they choose.

 

I was really undecided about whether I would allow my teens to see this show. I didn’t want to be disruptive and leave halfway through if it got too disturbing for them. I read the reviews on these boards and talked to my kids, and finally we decided that they could go.

 

My children were ok, and thought it was hysterical. However, they are pretty mature and have seen some rated R movies. There were some blatant sexual references and innuendo, and some graphic humor. Some of the costumes were revealing, but no more so than some other Broadway type shows. There were two moments when I looked at DH and winced a bit, and my son did repeat some of the more colorful parts later that night. My children are convinced that we made the right decision to let them attend; I am a little less convinced. I think it depends on the family and individual teen, but in general, I would say the show is 15-16+ for most families.

 

Overall, I am glad we saw the show. Knowing what I know now: I definitely would attend and would be fine with my 16 year old attending, I am still not sure about my 13 year old twins. (My twins are reading my review and would like me to add that they thought is was hysterical!)

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[sharona211]

Enjoying your review

[amybeth28]

 

Burn the Floor:

 

I also reserved this show online before we sailed. My girls dance on a competition team, and I knew they would love to see some professional dancers. We got there 20 minutes early and still found good seats. We developed a bit of a show routine, we would get there early and send DH and DS up to get drinks from the theater bar. My children developed a mild addiction to Shirley Temples. Some of the bartenders would have one ready when they saw my son in line They even insisted that we make some at home. This also helped with them both from getting a bit restless waiting for the shows to start. Neither one of them like to sit still for very long.

 

The dancers were very talented and the costumes were beautiful. My daughters and I really enjoyed the show. DH and DS said it was “ok, better than sitting through dance competitions”. I thought it was interesting since they both loved Rock of Ages, but it may have been the humor and stronger story line. This show is very much a showcase for talented dancers.

[amybeth28]

 

Second City Comedy Shows:

 

You cannot make reservations for the second City shows online before you cruise. When you get on board you can make reservations, either at the box office or through the interactive screens. I think you can do it on your stateroom TV, but ours didn’t work very well. I made reservations at the box office for one show and on the touch screen for another, both worked well. The comedy shows are in Headliners, a small venue near the art gallery. All of the shows seemed to be full, and it seemed like they were sold out toward the end of the cruise.

 

Scriptless:

This was an improve show which had a family friendly and an adult version. We attended the family friendly one. There were several comedians who made little improve sketches based on the suggestions from the audience. DH and I saw Second City on the Dawn and thought the kids would find it funny.

 

We followed our routine and went early, then sent the guys to the bar. There is a small bar in Headliners. They also have servers walking around as well. The seats are close together and hard, kind of like unpadded dining room chairs. They have small side tables scattered among the chairs.

 

We thought the improve show was pretty entertaining. My son really enjoyed it and yelled out several answers. I am always amazed at how people can think so quickly and come up with such funny skits! I actually met a woman in the elevator who said her 12 year old daughter does comedy improv. That is better than Second City. I can’t imagine how hard that must be.

 

Second City: At sea

 

After seeing the improv, the kids asked to go see more Second City, so I used the touch screen and reserved the at sea show. This show was some improv, but mostly sketch comedy about being on the cruise. I actually liked this show even better. Although some jokes touched a little close to home, especially the ones about being re routed to the Bahamas and missing Bermuda. This show was also family friendly, and the kids loved it.

 

We ended up seeing the cast at a nearby table in the buffet. The kids acted like they were having a movie star sighting!

[amybeth28]

 

Broadway Singer:

They had a Broadway singer from Wicked on the last night. I’m sorry, but I can’t remember her name. It was open seating and we had no trouble finding good seats. She sang a lot of songs from wicked and some other popular hits. She had a lovely voice and I enjoyed the show. The kids thought it was ok, but prefer more active shows.

 

Howl at the Moon, Dueling Pianos

 

This show is open seating as well, and goes on for quite a few hours, with folks coming and going. It takes place in the Headliners comedy club, a few evenings during the week. The kids did not have any interest, by DH and I went in for an hour or so. The piano players were very good and they had fun entertaining personalities. I enjoyed the show and would recommend checking it out if your plans allow.

 

Other entertainment:

 

The kids LOVED watching deal or no deal. They looked for it in the dailies and would organize their time to make sure they could attend. I could take it or leave it, but it was one of their favorite things. They enjoyed all of these type of things, like dancing with the stars, or other game show like events.

 

The Breakaway shows movies in both the Atrium and Spice H2O. We watched some of Captain America and Now You See Me 2.

 

There is music playing almost everywhere on the ship. If you wander around you will definitely be able to find something playing that you like!

[easyboy]

Enjoying your review.

 

 

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