Brief NCL Breakaway Review. (12/11-12/18)

[Ben100014]

Hey all,

 

 

Waiting in Newark right now for our (3 hour!) delayed flight back to Las Vegas. We got off the Breakaway this morning, and I must say, the parents and I had a pretty good time. By far the largest ship we've ever been on, but over time, we got pretty used to the size. The crew, was, as expected, excellent! Alvin, the CD for the week (I guess Dan-Dan was off for the week) was decent.

 

As for the food, I thought it was pretty good on the Jewel last summer, but NCL seems to have really stepped up the quality in the MDR. In fact, we found many our meals in the MDR/Garden Cafe to be of the same or higher quality than the specialty restaurants. Not sure if anyone else had this experience, but almost every meal on-board was delicious and high-quality-definitely on a different level from the AWFUL food we had on RCCL Adventure of The Seas last year.

 

Entertainment was excellent as well, with great performances from the Burn the Floor and Rock of Ages Cast, and an incredible performance from Broadway performer Carla Stickler.

 

Disembarkation was awful! :eek: This could be because of the size of the ship or because of our decision to self-assist, but it took nearly 2 hours to get from the ship to the taxi curb. On the Jewel last summer, for instance, we were able to get off right away with little to no wait.

 

Alas, we finally were able to make it out. (Watch out for the unlicensed and shady 'taxi' solicitors standing outside of the cruise terminal who will try to bait and switch you, btw.)

 

 

Anyhow, curious to hear the thoughts of anyone else who was on the cruise, or anyone who might have any questions! Looking forward to cruising on NCL again soon!

Edited December 18, 2016 by Ben100014

[shof515]

Disembarkation was awful! :eek: This could be because of the size of the ship or because of our decision to self-assist, but it took nearly 2 hours to get from the ship to the taxi curb. On the Jewel last summer, for instance, we were able to get off right away with little to no wait.

 

disembarkation is always a mess. NYC terminal is my local terminal and whenever i cruise out of NYC, embarkation is a breeze while disembarkation is a pain in the arse. I really really wish both the city and the operators update the terminal so it is better suited to handle 3000+ passengers getting on and off the ship . The biggest delay i usually see is there is only one way to get to the lower level where the custom hall is located and it jams up quickly with only 1 elevator and 1 escalator.

Edited December 18, 2016 by shof515

[Ben100014]

disembarkation is always a mess. NYC terminal is my local terminal and whenever i cruise out of NYC, embarkation is a breeze while disembarkation is a pain in the arse. I really really wish both the city and the operators update the terminal so it is better suited to handle 3000+ passengers getting on and off the ship . The biggest delay i usually see is there is only one way to get to the lower level where the custom hall is located and it jams up quickly with only 1 elevator and 1 escalator.

 

Yep, that's the exact experience we had. My parents are older and we didn't even realize we were in the line for the escalator before it was too late, forcing them to take their heavy luggage down with them. No signs or anything indicating that there was an elevator to the customs area! Embarkation was fine, as you said.

[Pugzila1022]

 

As for the food, I thought it was pretty good on the Jewel last summer, but NCL seems to have really stepped up the quality in the MDR. In fact, we found many our meals in the MDR/Garden Cafe to be of the same or higher quality than the specialty restaurants. Not sure if anyone else had this experience, but almost every meal on-board was delicious and high-quality-definitely on a different level from the AWFUL food we had on RCCL Adventure of The Seas last year.

 

Alas, we finally were able to make it out. (Watch out for the unlicensed and shady 'taxi' solicitors standing outside of the cruise terminal who will try to bait and switch you, btw.)

 

 

I just got off the same cruise (finally home after delays all day at the airport). Totally agree with both of these points. I found the food at complimentary restaurants improved, especially at the Garden Buffet. The Prime Rib there was better than the Prime Rib in the Haven (although both were very good).

 

The taxi solicitors were much worse this time than I have experienced in the past. They were swarming around people as they crossed the street. I had a car service already arranged and they kept telling me to cancel it and go with them for $40. Luckily my car was already pulling up so I didn't have to put up with them for long. I did see them really taking advantage of people who had arranged Uber - they said "We are Uber", cancel your ride. They were relentless.

 

Had a great time again this cruise. The first sea day was pretty bumpy but after that it wasn't bad the rest of the week. The weather slowed things down and arrival in Port Canaveral was a little late, so Orlando excursions were canceled. I know that disappointed some people but weather isn't something that can be controlled.

 

Loved Rock of Ages. This cast just started a couple of months ago (with a couple of remaining holdovers), and I thought this was the best ROA Breakaway cast I have seen. Cirque Dreams was excellent as always as was Burn The Floor. I have seen them all many times, and am never disappointed. Entertainment is an area where Breakaway really delivers. Only complaint is that the seats in the theater are the most uncomfortable seats imaginable. Hopefully that gets fixed in dry dock. It's brutal and my back is killing me!

 

Getting ready to book next year's pre-Christmas cruise. It's a perfect week for me, and can't wait to do it again next year!

[meatball_nyc]

Welcome home and thanks for the review.

[Ben100014]

I just got off the same cruise (finally home after delays all day at the airport). Totally agree with both of these points. I found the food at complimentary restaurants improved, especially at the Garden Buffet. The Prime Rib there was better than the Prime Rib in the Haven (although both were very good).

 

The taxi solicitors were much worse this time than I have experienced in the past. They were swarming around people as they crossed the street. I had a car service already arranged and they kept telling me to cancel it and go with them for $40. Luckily my car was already pulling up so I didn't have to put up with them for long. I did see them really taking advantage of people who had arranged Uber - they said "We are Uber", cancel your ride. They were relentless.

 

Had a great time again this cruise. The first sea day was pretty bumpy but after that it wasn't bad the rest of the week. The weather slowed things down and arrival in Port Canaveral was a little late, so Orlando excursions were canceled. I know that disappointed some people but weather isn't something that can be controlled.

 

Loved Rock of Ages. This cast just started a couple of months ago (with a couple of remaining holdovers), and I thought this was the best ROA Breakaway cast I have seen. Cirque Dreams was excellent as always as was Burn The Floor. I have seen them all many times, and am never disappointed. Entertainment is an area where Breakaway really delivers. Only complaint is that the seats in the theater are the most uncomfortable seats imaginable. Hopefully that gets fixed in dry dock. It's brutal and my back is killing me!

 

Getting ready to book next year's pre-Christmas cruise. It's a perfect week for me, and can't wait to do it again next year!

 

 

Hey Pug!

 

 

Glad to hear I wasn't alone in making some of these observations! Yes, those solicitors are awful. My dad made the brief mistake of asking for a price from one of them, and they quoted him $65 for a ride to EWR. After ushering over one of his 'colleagues,' who then said the price was $75 plus a $25 'fee,' we got out of there quickly.

 

The entertainment really was excellent! The seats were awful; they felt like cardboard. The Jewel-class seats are far more comfortable.

 

Booked two deposits onboard with the CruiseNext program. Goal right now is to go on the NCL Bliss when it debuts in 2018 and maybe to Hawaii or Canada/New England next year.

 

We'll have to book The Haven one of these days! Always have wanted to try it!

[Pugzila1022]

Hey Pug!

 

 

The entertainment really was excellent! The seats were awful; they felt like cardboard. The Jewel-class seats are far more comfortable.

 

 

We'll have to book The Haven one of these days! Always have wanted to try it!

 

The seats really are the worst. There's a metal bar of some kind towards the back of the seat that is the main problem. As much as I love Breakaway, I despise those seats!

 

The Haven is awesome, but addicting. I thought I would treat myself a few years back, and have been in the Haven ever since.

[ryarger]

 

 

 

We'll have to book The Haven one of these days! Always have wanted to try it!

 

 

I'm also off the same sailing and had a wonderful time. I'll say that the Haven addressed your one complaint. It took a grand total of 15 minutes to go from stateroom to taxi.

 

DW said that alone was worth the price of admission for Haven! Now the difficult part is going to be finding Haven deals as good as this one was!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RareBird]

I'm also off the same sailing and had a wonderful time. I'll say that the Haven addressed your one complaint. It took a grand total of 15 minutes to go from stateroom to taxi.

 

DW said that alone was worth the price of admission for Haven! Now the difficult part is going to be finding Haven deals as good as this one was!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Can confirm the Haven debarkation was a breeze. It was the fastest we've ever gotten off the ship and I've never seen such a crowd before in This terminal and we are residents of the city. It was literally 15 minutes from the Haven courtyard to the street.

 

This was our first Haven experience and it was incredible. The cost is very high though and we may not be able to do it again for a while.

Edited December 19, 2016 by RareBird

[easyboy]

Thanks for your feedback Ben100014 and Pugzila1022

[clarkg]

Love hearing that NCL MDR food has improved. It was some of the best at sea when I started cruising, it had a long downhill slide after that.

[luckyinpa]

the location of the elevator is hidden and its a shame. i was traveling with someone who is blind and the guy posted near the end of the gangway saw this and told us make a right inside the door to the elevator. otherwise no way for you to see it unless you are at the top of the escalators and turn around. they did open up 2nd escalator but even with someone waving for them to go to it, people preferred to wait in line for some reason. really weird.

 

to OP who took 2 hours to get ship to curb. do you mean time you stepped off the ship or time waiting in line on the ship. we were to disembark though the theater and our room was aft. i made a HUGE mistake by doing the aft elevators then across 7 to the theater. NEVER EVER do this! with my friend and her 2 kids in tow and the luggage it was mayhem. i told her keep her right shoulder stiff and dont worry about running into anyone. no choice as people block the tiny aisle. one guy with a double stroller was nuts for trying it.

 

also people may not know this but if you let a porter take your luggage you go to the front of the customs line and you are seen right away. so anyone who is aware of this yet chooses to wait in the long line has only themselves to blame. 10 or 20 bucks is worth that agony in line i'm sure. you just spent over 4 figures for a cruise. also if your car is upstairs he takes you right to it and i have used this service 2x and its wonderful.

 

i arrived to my car to 2 solid blocks of ice in my water bottles. i guess with 30 Plus degrees for 2 days it still wasnt enough to melt the ice. but the walkways etc were fine there.

 

so does anyone know what time they really line up for self assist, despite many warnings not to do anything before we are cleared, it seem these people must have been there since 6am!

[luckyinpa]

Can confirm the Haven debarkation was a breeze. It was the fastest we've ever gotten off the ship and I've never seen such a crowd before in This terminal and we are residents of the city. It was literally 15 minutes from the Haven courtyard to the street.

 

This was our first Haven experience and it was incredible. The cost is very high though and we may not be able to do it again for a while.

 

the cost on this trip was very cheap lol. no upsells were available and i checked every day. i did haven in october and so i can compare haven vs non haven and will do that in my review. but unless you have the green, haven just isnt an option every time.

 

regarding the big crowd: in october i got to the terminal early and no one was in the customs line at all. so haven didnt even matter

 

last week i got to terminal 915 and customs line was almost out the door to where the porters were. insane.

[jimdicap]

I agree about the food. Seems like the reviews (i.e. the ones not on the boards here but in the reviews section of CC) are much harsher with regards to food. I felt it was surprisingly good. We did a mix of MDR and Specialty. MDR food was very solid, and Cagneys was great. Moderno, to me, was a disappointment, but every other meal was good, and a few dishes were superior. The food gets a bad rap--it's not Radisson Seven Seas, but very good for a mainstream line.

[luckyinpa]

agree with the cagneys review above. and the service is sooo much better my guy got a hero card.

 

taste/savor is mininum 90 min for any of the 3 meals i've discovered. not a bad thing, just be aware if you are in a hurry.

 

regarding the MDR etc stuff. i am not a foodie so dont even know what half the stuff is but i have to say that i found the menus very limiting and so did my friend. however, since we did find 'something' to get. had swordfish for the first time and did not even get cut

 

also i'll freely admit while the burgers and pizza in the buffet suck, some of the other stuff like the asian and italian was actually pretty decent.

 

they really need to get new soft serve machines and more. the kids were disappointed a lot when they went to one then had to walk all the way down to the other :)

[cruise pup]

I just got off the same cruise (finally home after delays all day at the airport). Totally agree with both of these points. I found the food at complimentary restaurants improved, especially at the Garden Buffet. The Prime Rib there was better than the Prime Rib in the Haven (although both were very good).

 

The taxi solicitors were much worse this time than I have experienced in the past. They were swarming around people as they crossed the street. I had a car service already arranged and they kept telling me to cancel it and go with them for $40. Luckily my car was already pulling up so I didn't have to put up with them for long. I did see them really taking advantage of people who had arranged Uber - they said "We are Uber", cancel your ride. They were relentless.

 

Had a great time again this cruise. The first sea day was pretty bumpy but after that it wasn't bad the rest of the week. The weather slowed things down and arrival in Port Canaveral was a little late, so Orlando excursions were canceled. I know that disappointed some people but weather isn't something that can be controlled.

 

Loved Rock of Ages. This cast just started a couple of months ago (with a couple of remaining holdovers), and I thought this was the best ROA Breakaway cast I have seen. Cirque Dreams was excellent as always as was Burn The Floor. I have seen them all many times, and am never disappointed. Entertainment is an area where Breakaway really delivers. Only complaint is that the seats in the theater are the most uncomfortable seats imaginable. Hopefully that gets fixed in dry dock. It's brutal and my back is killing me!

 

Getting ready to book next year's pre-Christmas cruise. It's a perfect week for me, and can't wait to do it again next year!

 

The theatre seats were torture over 2 years ago. Can't believe they still haven't been replaced.

[luckyinpa]

i think they should cancel one week of shows and put new seats in. i intentionally did not tell my friend of the seats before boarding so she wouldnt want to avoid the shows lol.