Breakaway complaints we read about before Bermuda

[wbehlert@comcast.net]

NCL Breakaway What the forums were saying

 

DW and I, seniors, cruised NYC to to Bermuda 9/25. This cruise put us into Platinum. I spent a lot of time reading the boards before departing and found so many of the complaints to be generally justified. We don't like these mega size ships, and I think most of the expressed dissatisfactions are due to ship size.

 

1. The Pool. About the size of a living room. For 4000 people, a joke. Consistently overcrowded, both in the water and outside it.

For this reason I made sure to book a spa balcony. While this does not have a swimming pool, the indoor Thermal Suite does have a warm pool with air jets and other bubbly features. Also a separate and warmer hot tub. Nice lounging chairs, robes, mens and womens locker room with showers, hair dryers, hot and cold drinks. Quite a treat and often not crowded.

 

2. Slow dinners: We took our dinners about 6:30 all nights. Specialty and complimentary dining rooms took 1.5 to 2 hr for dinner. Lots of waiters and bus people, but seemingly slow out of the kitchen. All staff was very busy looking. One dinner at Taste was particularly slow. One night at Manhattan, I looked around and found more than 50% of tables with seated patrons to have no food at all. At both 7 and 8 oclock people were waiting and waiting.

 

3. Lack of outdoor seating for early morning coffee. This ship had no aft outside tables. The rear of the buffet was indoors. The only outside place to have coffee and watch the sun rise was deck 8, the promenade. Coffee was available inside at one of the bars if you were lucky to spot it early in the cruise. On this deck, you need to choose port or starboard because it does not wrap around. Pretty nice area with comfy seating. But may be wet in the early am.

 

4. Atrium too small. Very true.

 

5. Uptown Grill is now gone, replaced by a pay for food Margaritaville. That leaves OSheehans as the only place to eat other than the buffet and sit down restaurants. And OSheehans is great.

 

6. Casino: BAD video poker pay tables. Slot machines were the tightest we have experienced in our 11 cruises. We were not able to find a single penny machine that kept us going enough to be fun.

 

7. Embarkation in NY. Lucky we got there very early and were ushered to a seating area. A thousand people spent 1.5 hour standing in line waiting for boarding to begin at 11:25

 

8. Breads: At no sit down restaurant did we get warm bread or anything interesting. Same 3 items every night. Nothing better than at a neighborhood diner.

 

Bill B

 

Celebrity Horizon 1995 Southern Caribbean

Carnival Legend 2005 Caribbean

Disney Magic 2008 Caribbean

NCL Jewel 2010 Western Caribbean

NCL Pearl 2012 Western Caribbean

Carnival Pride 2013 Bahamas

Carnival Glory 2013 New England & Canada

Celebrity Summit 2014 Bermuda

NCL Getaway 2014 Caribbean

Celebrity Summit 2015 Bermuda

NCL Spirit 2016 Caribbean

NCL Breakaway Bermuda 2016

[BirdTravels]

I am alway curious about people who complain about the pool. Who big a pool would you put in for 4000 people?

[luckyinpa]

just got back from 2nd cruise on BA and i still dont understand why a new pay restaurant is open just 5 hours a day. there were 2 or 3 times i wanted to pay but they didnt have hours that suited me. thats lost opportunity for them. 5 hours a day makes no sense to me.

 

taste/savor i always plannned 1.5 but that wasnt a bad thing sometimes, kept the kids busy lol

 

i had the thermal spa in october and did enjoy it 2 times. i've never been in the adult pool but we all did enjoy the kiddy hot tubs later at night for 3 nites. but the one we were in had cold water coming out of the seat

[richg35]

I've been on the Breakaway twice. Here are my thoughts on each point.

 

1. Pools are crowded on every cruise ship. From an engineering perspective, there's only so much volume of water you can put on the top of a huge ship and maintain stability. I just kinda feel like people who are intersted in giant pools should do land vacations at all inclusive resorts in Cancun. I did a tour of the thermal spa and it looked really nice, but I have to spend all day at the pool w/ kids, so it didn't make sense to pay for a pass. I would if I thought I would actually be able to spend time in there though.

 

2. I've only eaten at the speciality restaurants for dinner, never the main dining rooms. Sometimes dinner service was long, sometimes not. Honestly, I like not being rushed at dinner so wouldn't be a complaint for me.

 

3. I don't drink coffee, and don't really care about eating/drinking outdoors in the morning. We have kids, so we go to the buffet and eat together by a window. I guess if this is a concern for you it would matter.

 

4. This is one point I will agree with. The lack of a large atrium area was a big design misstep with this class of ship. Most of the "game shows" and things take place in the atrium, and it's just jam packed with people when things are going on. For this reason we mostly avoided it.

 

5. When I cruised last, still had Uptown Grill, but we never ate there.

 

6. Cruise ship casinos aren't a draw for me. There are any number of land based casinos I can visit if I'm interested in gambling. Nobody should ever go to any casino with any expectation of winning. My biggest complaint about the casino is that it isn't smoke-free.

 

7. Never had a problem with embarkation. If you get there early, you get seats. Check in was easy and smooth. Obviously it's not an auditorium where they can seat 4,000 passengers. I've cruised out of Port Canaveral and it's not like they have seats for everyone down there either. Even airports don't have seats at the gate for every person on a mid size jet like an Airbus 320 or Boeing 737. Another complaint I don't really understand.

 

8. Complaining about a breadbasket just seems like some nitpicky bull****. The ship has limited room for storage, they can't stock 10 different kinds of breads for people who are impossible to satisfy. I mean, really someone actually complained about the types of bread in the breadbasket at dinner? Give me a break.

Edited December 21, 2016 by richg35

[richg35]

just got back from 2nd cruise on BA and i still dont understand why a new pay restaurant is open just 5 hours a day. there were 2 or 3 times i wanted to pay but they didnt have hours that suited me. thats lost opportunity for them. 5 hours a day makes no sense to me.

 

 

This bugged me about dolce gelato. I don't understand why they have these places on the ship if they don't want to or can't staff them for extended hours.

[LrgPizza]

3. Lack of outdoor seating for early morning coffee. This ship had no aft outside tables. The rear of the buffet was indoors. The only outside place to have coffee and watch the sun rise was deck 8, the promenade. Coffee was available inside at one of the bars if you were lucky to spot it early in the cruise. On this deck, you need to choose port or starboard because it does not wrap around. Pretty nice area with comfy seating. But may be wet in the early am.

 

The Waterfront on Deck 8 does indeed wrap around the aft of the ship. You are correct that there are no aft tables, but the deck certainly wraps around.

[Eleteace]

I am alway curious about people who complain about the pool. Who big a pool would you put in for 4000 people?

 

 

You'd have to fill the ship with a LOT of water... which is never a good idea!!!

 

Haha

 

 

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[wdsted]

I've never had anything but a good time on any cruise. That includes 3 on the BA, most recently in October. If you look for something to make you unhappy, you'll find it. To each their own but please don't make this a topic of conversation with strangers while on board. This only resonates with others similarly inclined.

 

 

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[TifffanyD]

It looks like you have previously cruised on the Getaway. Since this is a sister ship, why were you surprised at the size of the pools and the atrium?

[detroitlions]

The only problem I see on this post is there are none of the things I enjoy or the folks I cruise with enjoy on this list.

For instance I liked the shows or did not. I like half of them which I think is good enough.

 

Did you enjoy the bars or entertainment in them like karaoke, live bands, comedy shows, you get the point.

 

Did you visit the adult area in the back of the ship this is my favorite place to go during the day and at night some times for the NCL parties.

 

Did you have a good meal on the ship? I have way more good dinners then bad ones I am good with that cant please everyone on some of the dishes.

Breakfast and lunch I eat simple so Eggs, bacon, sandwiches and burgers are fine for me and I do not have any complaints in that area.

 

Also I stopped going in the pools for the most part I may go in 2 to 3 times on a cruise and not for long I don't need a Olympic size pool.

 

Since I live in Florida I rarely will sit around the pool deck so that area being crowded I could care less I hang in the adult only areas when I am out side. My teen age son always plays in the sports deck or club with the kids he meets on the ship so he has a blast. He wont even go in the pool maybe the hot tub a few times.

All in all that is why I like cruising the way you can preaty much make it all inclusive with drinks and food there are no worries and always a good time if you let it happen. I work a lot so I enjoy the time off.

[thistimeplease]

Love the BA. We sat outside at Modernos for coffee on sea days, it was wonderful.

[ryarger]

just got back from 2nd cruise on BA and i still dont understand why a new pay restaurant is open just 5 hours a day.

 

Do you mean Margaritaville? Same situation here so we toughed it out Friday and had lunch there shivering in the 60F windy weather! They gave us free Key Lime pie and one of the burgers free to apologize for the "slow service". Honestly, I thought the service was just fine, it was just COLD!

[khaide612]

It looks like you have previously cruised on the Getaway. Since this is a sister ship, why were you surprised at the size of the pools and the atrium?

 

Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!

[grouchomarx]

I am alway curious about people who complain about the pool. Who big a pool would you put in for 4000 people?

 

Royal Caribbean Anthem of the seas has a great pool deck that really seems to accommodate a similar number of passengers much better. There is an outdoor pool/hot tubs and kids pool, an indoor pool/hot tubs and kids pool, and an adults only Solarium that has hot tubs and wading pools. None of it was ever overly crowded and chairs were always available. So it can be done right, Breakaway just doesn't do it right. Although, it still is a great ship.

[cage keeper]

Just booked Breakaway. Second time. Very sad to hear Uptown Grill is gone. Love it there. But plenty of other great places to eat. Cruised 4 lines and breakaway has by far the best night time entertainment. A priority for us. I guess we all look for different things in a cruise. Did not like the thermal spas on Breakaway but everything else was amazing. :)

[Vyhanek]

I think the OP is trying to say about the pool and it is important to all, is that there are way more passengers on these mega ships and the pools and pool deck areas are getting smaller and smaller. Not only is the pool itself ridiculously small for enjoyment on a sea day but the deck space has been so dramatically reduced. More passengers and less pool and pool deck space is an issue for most cruisers!

 

Then he's saying that there isn't adequate places to enjoy coffee or breakfast outdoors. On this class of ship they have made the outdoor dining section part of the pool deck, as in mingling directly with the sun loungers! There is no separate "Outdoor Cafe" place as with many other ships like on the aft deck to enjoy either a Buffett breakfast or lunch. You are literally sitting now on the pool deck. Back to the above issue^^^ of way less pool deck space for far more passengers.

 

If you've cruised at all......^^^^^This is pretty obvious. The OP has some very legitimate points.

 

Talk about a legitimate point....A 2 hour meal is unacceptable. This has been an NCL mantra for years and years. They get absolutely paralyzed and like the OP said, 80 percent of the guests are sitting around with no food in front of them while they wait for 2 hours for a meal. How is this not relevant to every one ^^?! It gets to the point where you have to leave before dessert because you will miss your show time. If you arrive by 6pm for dinner you should be able to reasonably expect to be finished by 8pm. It should be unacceptable to more than just the OP.

 

Then regarding the bread basket. In this day of health consciousness, people don't want to eat cold dinner rolls. Modern customers want dinner rolls but they want good dinner rolls and they want them warm. The mid grade steak houses on land (Outback, Longhorn, etc.) can manage to serve warm rolls. And NCL competitors serve warm rolls. NCL can make that effort.

 

I don't understand why posters even comment if not one of the issues is relevant to them. Why waste our time with....."We don't eat in the main restaurants" or "We're from Southern California and don't sit on the pool deck" or "We have kids and don't drink coffee"......Well then why are you bothering to even post on this thread because who wants to hear that all the OP's issues are irrelevant to you.

[ryarger]

I don't understand why posters even comment if not one of the issues is relevant to them.

 

Because when NCL does read these threads, they should know if people think these complaints aren't worth waiting valuable resources on.

[TifffanyD]

Then regarding the bread basket. In this day of health consciousness, people don't want to eat cold dinner rolls. Modern customers want dinner rolls but they want good dinner rolls and they want them warm. The mid grade steak houses on land (Outback, Longhorn, etc.) can manage to serve warm rolls. And NCL competitors serve warm rolls. NCL can make that effort.

 

Warming bread up makes it healthier? Huh. Learn something new everyday.

[TheManitoban]

Perhaps I am missing something. if you dont like using the pool, then it wont matter. But certainly OTHER cruise lines have larger or more pools. Its not just about having one giant pool, but better use of multiple pools and ofcourse, pool-side area.

 

Pool is important to many and the sardines experience isnt a great one.

 

Am I correct that the BA pool is basically the same size as the Dawn? Because I enjoyed the Dawn but on the best Sea Day it was CROWDED. Can't imagine adding a couple thousand more people to the same space.

 

If other lines can manage this better, then it is a failure on the part of NCL. It might not bother you personally, which is great, but its relevant to other passengers.

[darlene62]

I've been on the Breakaway twice. Here are my thoughts on each point.

 

1. Pools are crowded on every cruise ship. From an engineering perspective, there's only so much volume of water you can put on the top of a huge ship and maintain stability. I just kinda feel like people who are intersted in giant pools should do land vacations at all inclusive resorts in Cancun. I did a tour of the thermal spa and it looked really nice, but I have to spend all day at the pool w/ kids, so it didn't make sense to pay for a pass. I would if I thought I would actually be able to spend time in there though.

 

2. I've only eaten at the speciality restaurants for dinner, never the main dining rooms. Sometimes dinner service was long, sometimes not. Honestly, I like not being rushed at dinner so wouldn't be a complaint for me.

 

3. I don't drink coffee, and don't really care about eating/drinking outdoors in the morning. We have kids, so we go to the buffet and eat together by a window. I guess if this is a concern for you it would matter.

 

4. This is one point I will agree with. The lack of a large atrium area was a big design misstep with this class of ship. Most of the "game shows" and things take place in the atrium, and it's just jam packed with people when things are going on. For this reason we mostly avoided it.

 

5. When I cruised last, still had Uptown Grill, but we never ate there.

 

6. Cruise ship casinos aren't a draw for me. There are any number of land based casinos I can visit if I'm interested in gambling. Nobody should ever go to any casino with any expectation of winning. My biggest complaint about the casino is that it isn't smoke-free.

 

7. Never had a problem with embarkation. If you get there early, you get seats. Check in was easy and smooth. Obviously it's not an auditorium where they can seat 4,000 passengers. I've cruised out of Port Canaveral and it's not like they have seats for everyone down there either. Even airports don't have seats at the gate for every person on a mid size jet like an Airbus 320 or Boeing 737. Another complaint I don't really understand.

 

8. Complaining about a breadbasket just seems like some nitpicky bull****. The ship has limited room for storage, they can't stock 10 different kinds of breads for people who are impossible to satisfy. I mean, really someone actually complained about the types of bread in the breadbasket at dinner? Give me a break.

OMG Number 8 gave me a twing...Now I love bread...however that wouldn't make or break a cruise for me. I took my mom on a cruise with me on the breakaway this past May and I learned something I never realized about mom..when at a restaurant she wants her bread! And the Breakaway was sorely lacking in her opinion. Everyone has their important issues. Mom passed away in August...I'm still grieving for her so at least today I say I regret not fighting tor her bread.

[Valen9]

Just booked Breakaway. Second time. Very sad to hear Uptown Grill is gone. Love it there. But plenty of other great places to eat. Cruised 4 lines and breakaway has by far the best night time entertainment. A priority for us. I guess we all look for different things in a cruise. Did not like the thermal spas on Breakaway but everything else was amazing. :)

 

I'm also sad to lose Uptown Grill. It was my favorite place to grab breakfast, most particularly because they had better bagels than the buffet. (They were still sad, just less pathetic than the plain wimpy things they serve elsewhere.)

 

I'll check the area at breakfast time, perhaps there is still something there when the pay restaurant is not open?

[ryarger]

I'm also sad to lose Uptown Grill. It was my favorite place to grab breakfast, most particularly because they had better bagels than the buffet. (They were still sad, just less pathetic than the plain wimpy things they serve elsewhere.)

 

 

 

I'll check the area at breakfast time, perhaps there is still something there when the pay restaurant is not open?

 

 

Margaritaville has breakfast, just like the Uptown Grill did (no additional charge). Also, Moderno has a breakfast buffet most days.

 

 

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[luckyinpa]

Love the BA. We sat outside at Modernos for coffee on sea days, it was wonderful.

 

i finally got around to walking entirely around deck 8 and saw all the 'pretty chairs' they have outside to enjoy the views. wish i had done that last cruise when it was warmer

 

Do you mean Margaritaville? Same situation here so we toughed it out Friday and had lunch there shivering in the 60F windy weather! They gave us free Key Lime pie and one of the burgers free to apologize for the "slow service". Honestly, I thought the service was just fine, it was just COLD!

 

yes i mean Mville. i was happy they had a bfast buffet because it was so much easier than the main buffet. soo wait, was mville crowded when you went. i am assuming so because otherwise theres no reason for slow service :)

 

i really wanted to try the nachos but their hours suck.

[luckyinpa]

The Waterfront on Deck 8 does indeed wrap around the aft of the ship. You are correct that there are no aft tables, but the deck certainly wraps around.

 

the aft tables are in cagneys and the windows have great ledges for kids to crawl around on:p

 

also they have cool windows to look down into the ocean on the aft deck

[ryarger]

soo wait, was mville crowded when you went. i am assuming so because otherwise theres no reason for slow service :)

 

 

Naw, I think there was two other tables occupied before we sat down and almost no-one came while we were there except the poor musician who prepped and started his set, playing to an empty restaurant in the chilly wind!

 

Really though, I thought the service was fine. It took maybe 15 minutes from order to food. They may have expected us to be upset because I kept darting into the arcade to warm up!

 

 

 

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