What exactly is wrong with the Breakaway?

[Surrealistic]

OK, Carnival cruiser here looking to jump ship and do a 14 day on the Breakaway out of NY in 2018. So far everything I have read is negative and I wonder if this is a good move. I've never been unhappy on any cruise.........love Carnival.......but prices have gone up and itineraries out of NY gone down with Carnival. Just want to cruise out of my home port and have a great cruise. Any advice or info appreciated.

[triptolemus]

Advice: Stop reading reviews.

 

If everything you have read is negative then you're doing it wrong.

[uneamie]

OK, Carnival cruiser here looking to jump ship and do a 14 day on the Breakaway out of NY in 2018. So far everything I have read is negative and I wonder if this is a good move. I've never been unhappy on any cruise.........love Carnival.......but prices have gone up and itineraries out of NY gone down with Carnival. Just want to cruise out of my home port and have a great cruise. Any advice or info appreciated.

We are booked on the Breakaway for Jan 19th Western Caribbean cruise. Although we've never sailed on the Breakaway we've sailed on NCL 2 times so far and loved each cruise ( Dawn and the Gem ). I've cruised on Carnival Legend and our cabin was that mini suite on the aft with the wrap around balcony so of course we had a great time. :). That said, I know the Breakaway's capacity is almost double the other ships so the only thing I am concerned about is the crowds. The food on NCL is a 10 in my book. Never had any complaints about it. The cabins are always nice, however the balcony's on the Breakaway are smaller than the other ships and are very very narrow and small. I can adjust to that knowing it ahead of time. The Breakaway has more entertainment and things to do than other NCL ships and other ships in general. I read reviews with a grain of salt. Everyone has different things that are important to them. I think there are a ton of positive reviews from people who loved their cruise on the Breakaway.....and there there's those who are not happy with that big of a ship. And then there are those very special people who can't seem to be pleased no matter what. I tend to go on any cruise with a happy feeling that I am on a vacation and that I am going to over look the small stuff cause you will find something small you don't like on any ship.

[Mike C]

OK, Carnival cruiser here looking to jump ship and do a 14 day on the Breakaway out of NY in 2018. So far everything I have read is negative and I wonder if this is a good move. I've never been unhappy on any cruise.........love Carnival.......but prices have gone up and itineraries out of NY gone down with Carnival. Just want to cruise out of my home port and have a great cruise. Any advice or info appreciated.

 

My wife and I are in the same boat (pardon the pun) as you. We are Platinum on Carnival, but started sailing NCL after Carnival stopped sailing year-round from NY. We were on the Breakaway for 14 nights this past January and are booked again for Feb. 2018. We loved it. As the previous poster said, the balconies are smaller, but you can't beat sailing out of NY.

 

Good luck,

 

Mike

[mkmaj]

Go read my review. We had a fantastic time. You can make that ship anything you want it to be.

 

Negative people can make any situation negative. Take those reviews with a grain of salt.

 

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[luvtheships]

The open air casino allows the smoke to invade the deck above and below it where there are numerous venues to eat and drink. Makes it uncomfortable for non smokers

 

Also the atrium and pool is minuscule for a ship this size

 

The seats in the theatre are uncomfortable

 

I've done the 12 day and don't gamble or drink or swim on the ship

 

I took the cruise for price dates and ports. Nothing more

 

 

 

 

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[tl12356]

My wife and I sailed on the Breakaway a couple years ago....very disappointed on food, dining setup, pool size, and balcony room setup .

Not bashing NCL in any way...we had many great cruises on smaller Gem Class ships that hold memories we will never forget.

Bottom line ship is to big, great for the cruise line, but something must give...Service, food, space, lacking. We won't sail on any big ships because of this trip.

[lenquixote66]

I was on a 14 day Breakaway cruise 2 months ago . I cannot stand casinos where people are allowed to smoke .My wife has asthma.Neither of us had any problem with the casino .We had no problems with the seats in the theater .

 

The only negative for us was disembarkation . Our color was called at 8:45 .At 10:10 we were still on line for the baggage area .One of our suitcases was missing and the NCL people could not give a ..... I literally forced an employee to search for the luggage .At 11:15 we exited the terminal . We had arranged a pickup for 9:30 and had to continually call and change the time .

[Two Wheels Only]

The problem of small balconies is solved by selecting a stateroom with a large balcony.

[triptolemus]

The problem of small balconies is solved by selecting a stateroom with a large balcony.

 

[Surrealistic]

My wife and I are in the same boat (pardon the pun) as you. We are Platinum on Carnival, but started sailing NCL after Carnival stopped sailing year-round from NY. We were on the Breakaway for 14 nights this past January and are booked again for Feb. 2018. We loved it. As the previous poster said, the balconies are smaller, but you can't beat sailing out of NY.

 

Good luck,

 

Mike

Thank you, this is the kind of input I was hoping for. Just a little shy about pulling the gun and booking.;) . Any other tips you can offer are appreciated.

[Surrealistic]

Go read my review. We had a fantastic time. You can make that ship anything you want it to be.

 

Negative people can make any situation negative. Take those reviews with a grain of salt.

 

Sent from my SM-N900V using Forums mobile app

 

Is there a link to your review? I would love to read it.

[rfendt]

Is there a link to your review? I would love to read it.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2481498

 

To the OP - my wife and I cruised on the Breakaway 2 years ago and then re-booked this past March and brought our "kids". The ship is big, a lot of passengers, but we had a great time. We would definitely book on the same ship, but not the itinerary. As a matter of fact we are booked on the Escape for September, and that is a Breakaway Plus ship.

[ncklhaus]

We have cruised on the Breakaway 3 times so far and have one more cruise booked. Once was a 7 night Florida and Bahamas (mini suite large balcony - not Haven), and the other two were 13 and 14 night Southern Caribbean cruises (2 bedroom Haven suites). For the most part, we have had nothing but excellent experiences on Breakaway. I also have like links to my reviews below my signature.

[darlene62]

I hate hate hate flying so my past few cruises have been out of NYC. My fav ship has been the carnival Miracle....easy to maneuver around...no going to deck 10 down to deck 7 to get to deck 8 (I am exaggerating) to get to where I want to be. Out of NYC I have been on Carnival Miracle, Splendor and NCL Breakaway each a few times. In my opinion the cruise lines have been more similar then different. I am not a foodie so that was equal on all the ships....same with entertainment for me...in general cabin and balcony bigger on Carnival......but I had haven suite on NCL and not close to comparing suite on Carnival as far as service but the price tag much higher. At end of day....YOU make the cruise..not the cruise line. each has its perks and down fall......you can choose to say let it go let it go let it go......and find your fun :)

[Terri and Peter]

I just traveled on The Breakaway on March 26 2016. We had a fantastic time on the ship. Yes the Balcony is small but that didn't bother us and we knew it ahead of time. We also traveled in The Haven and just loved it. It has a larger price tag but I believe it was a great value for this trip. We are scheduled to go to Carnival in October. I would go on the Breakaway any time but I would also book The Haven just because of personal service and how easy it is to get on and off the ship. The food is great on the Breakaway with so many options.

[Surrealistic]

Thanks to all who responded. It seems like there will be more similarities than differences on the Breakaway, with the added convenience of sailing out of NYC making it a winner! :cool:

[BirdTravels]

OK, Carnival cruiser here looking to jump ship and do a 14 day on the Breakaway out of NY in 2018. So far everything I have read is negative and I wonder if this is a good move. I've never been unhappy on any cruise.........love Carnival.......but prices have gone up and itineraries out of NY gone down with Carnival. Just want to cruise out of my home port and have a great cruise. Any advice or info appreciated.

 

Absolutely nothing wrong with the Breakaway. We have sailed on the breakaway twice with a total of 6 cruises on Breakaway class ships. Love them all.

 

We are booked on the breakaway again in a few weeks for a week to Bermuda. Looking forward to it.

[BostonGal35]

she's a great ship. you just need to do research before you sail, and plan some stuff out in advance that you may not need to do on other lines and./or other NCL ships. for example, we book ALL SHOWS and ALL DINING at the 90 day mark, as soon as we are able to. if you dont do this, you will be disappointed when you try to just show up to something the day or night of. also, yes, there are crowds. but prepare for this, and dont try to do things at peak times.

[dramatech]

I went on the Norwegian Jade and I'll say this about any cruise I have or will ever be on. Do not go into expecting perfection. If you do you will be disappointed. We had some issues on our cruise but never once did I let it get us down. We had a blast. Don't read the reviews of every single cruise ship because from what I have learned from those reviews is people mostly post their bad times and not the good ones. They just wanted a venue to complain. This site has some people that genuinely review and tell you what their full experience is. So final advice just go into this with an open mind and have fun. Then you won't have to worry about those reviews.

[OBSESSIVEWORLDTRAVELER]

I've been on the Bvreakaway twice. I would ignore the reviews unless you are looking for specific information. Some people are complainers, some people have legitimate complaints, and others like me choose to make the best of a situation. If you are seeing complaints about the food, realize there are many different places to eat, different food, and different atmospheres. If you are seeing complaints about the casino, stay away from the casino. If you are seeing complaints about the smell of smoke, stay away from areas where there is smoking (Cigar lounge, casino). Or if you like the casino, but don't like smoking go when it is less crowded. If you see complaints about the size of the room, buy a room with the dimensions that fit your needs. Don't pick a guaranteed room and then complain about the room you get. If you don't like kids, (me) go during the off season. If you see complaints about the seating in the theater, stand up. If you see reviews about a bad situation on the boat and the customer had problems getting it resolved it can be because they are not persistent or don't have the right people involved. I have taken ocean cruises, river cruises, guided tours, travelled by air, train, etc... There will always be problems, but how you handle it will ultimately determine your happiness. You can only control your actions and no one elses. By the way I loved my two cruises on the Breakaway. Leaving out of NY is a huge plus for me.:D

[MCAT48]

Been on the breakaway a few times now and going again in May. I'm looking for relaxation. Spend most of the days just lounging in spice H2O reading a book. It all depends on what you are looking for in a ship/vacation. There is a great kids program. Ropes course bouncy thing. Mini golf. Some good shows. Great cruise staff.... much of the downside is the pool area which is too separated IMO and shows being in atrium with lack of seating.

 

 

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[caddykid12]

Based on research I booked the 14 day BA for 2018. Cannot wait. Have the Escape 14 days for 2019 for itinerary. Carnival got skimpy with casino offers after taking 3 free in 1 year

 

I ask all you breakaway fans on here. What's some tips of the ship u can share. Quiet spots. How many shows repeat on 14 nighters!? What times are better to book shows 7 or 9? Does MDR menu differ from taste and savor even ever so slightly? Does Moderno still do complementary breakfast or Margrittaville.

[untailored bostonian]

The problem of small balconies is solved by selecting a stateroom with a large balcony.

 

 

Most seem small even in some of the premium cabins. The larger balconies come at a larger price, and not everyone has that luxury. We sail the Getaway this fall and most balconies are 32 sq ft. On the Carnival Legend which we sail in 2018 are 40 sq ft, and on the Dream their Cove balcony was 45 sq ft. On the Caribbean Princess which we have said in the past the balconies are 46 sq ft.

 

The 45/46 sq ft is a lot larger feeling than I expect the 32 sq ft.

[newmexicoNita]

OK, Carnival cruiser here looking to jump ship and do a 14 day on the Breakaway out of NY in 2018. So far everything I have read is negative and I wonder if this is a good move. I've never been unhappy on any cruise.........love Carnival.......but prices have gone up and itineraries out of NY gone down with Carnival. Just want to cruise out of my home port and have a great cruise. Any advice or info appreciated.

where are you reading nothing but negatives? when I see postings like this, I have to wonder if the poster should even try the line. I think, if you see only negatives you might want to stick with Carnival. I will only say one one more thing: Carnival does have larger cabins and balconies; otherwide NCL has them beat in my book.