Breakaway Review Oct 1st 2017, Yes..previous reviews were unfortunately right!

[craigers]

We have been on the Breakaway and loved it; I am thinking that the vibrating happens when a ship is at sea and there really is no control how a ship 'responds' to it. We have had vibrations off and on pretty much every ship we have been on, IMO it is a ship at sea after all and moves with the waves & wind. Bound to be some vibrations and creaking no matter how well it is built. JMHO.

 

Secondly, we are not pool on a cruise ship people; we have pools at home or when we stay in a hotel etc. so the pool is not important to us. Can someone explain to me why people complain that there is the need to have a big pool on a cruise ship; it is a cruise ship after all? I have seen some very disgusting things go on in a cruise ship pool so we avoid them. Do people want to swim laps in them? There seems plenty of room to just jump in and just cool off. What is the big draw with the need to be right next to the pool even though you may or may not be using it?

 

As far as the deck; what is the need to be right next to the pool if you are just laying there? It doesn't appear everyone is in the pool at the same time? There usually plenty of room on upper decks or decks near by to lay out and then walk to the pool to cool off.

 

We saw lots of deck room to lay out on the Breakaway.

No bad intent with my question; I just don't get the complaints about the pool and the decks especially when there is more than one pool and plenty of decks to relax in the sun.

 

Safe sailing al!!:)

You're not a pool person on the ship but you have a pool at home.So you don't think other people should use the pool because you don't get it.It is a cruise ship afterall.No i don't want to swim laps but I would like to be able to fit in the pool.Have you ever been on this ship?I never said I wanted to be near the pool,I just wanted more room,not more lounge chairs.If you like crowds then this ships for you.Safe Cruising

[Cruisercl]

You're not a pool person on the ship but you have a pool at home.So you don't think other people should use the pool because you don't get it.It is a cruise ship afterall.No i don't want to swim laps but I would like to be able to fit in the pool.Have you ever been on this ship?I never said I wanted to be near the pool,I just wanted more room,not more lounge chairs.If you like crowds then this ships for you.Safe Cruising

 

Hmmmm, no reason to be disrespectful. I really wasn't speaking to you directly though you answered as if I was. It really is questions in general. I never said people should not use the pool; we just don't.

 

The pools at home are our local recreational pools, not at my home so you made the wrong assumption there.

 

Why can't you fit into the pool on the ship; has it been so full that you can get into it? I have not seen this, has anyone else? Since you don't do laps etc., how much room do you need; there always seems to be room because people are getting in and out all of the time?

 

Again, I stated I have been on the Breakaway so no need to ask.

 

I agree it is a cruise ship but it is not a 'pool ship', so they offer all sorts of options for everyone, not just a pool. No one thing on any cruise ship offers room for all of the people on the ship at one time.

Safe cruising!! :)

[BostonGal35]

we are notorious overpackers. never have any issue finding room for all of our things in a breakaway balcony room.

[Buford T Justiice]

OP, thanks for your review.

[fridaythe13th]

Oh boy, now I'm questioning the 14 day TA I've booked.....:eek:

[RaiderDuck]

Oh boy, now I'm questioning the 14 day TA I've booked.....:eek:

Remember that, by definition, your cruise will have a completely different set of passengers.

[newmexicoNita]

Breakaway...October 1st – 8th 2017

 

First night impressions.

Hmmmm...things that make you go "hmmmm".

For such a big ship...it feels very closed in.Public spaces are much smaller than the other ships of comparable size that I've been on. The Atrium is much smaller than the Royal Princess or Anthem of the Seas or any ship I have ever been on for that matter! There is a decent sized pool and bandstand, but no deck around it. Where are the big open decks? They are usurped by the Haven and Vibe and kid's water park. [Cool unto themselves, but at the expense of a vast majority of the passengers] Ceilings seem lower everywhere giving a closed in feeling. I am 5’3” and can touch the ceiling of my cabin?

 

Many reviews here on Cruise Critic brought up what I thought were silly things....things I thought I wouldn’t care about...but guess what! They're true!

1) This is the smokiest casino I have ever been in ona ship and it DOES permeate the surrounding areas. Bad ventilation system?

2) The folks who complained about back trouble because of the theatre seats...I thought "really? c'mon!!!" They're right! There was this weird wooden bar piece at the back of most of the seats and you DO have to wiggle around to get comfortable. I sat down the first night and “Ouch! What on earth is that?” I changed seats to investigate…some you felt it more than others.

3) The Atrium is really tight! I can't believe they are going to hold events that on other NCL ships are held in the theatre. We'll see how that goes. This is the smallest, least attractive atrium I have ever seen on a ship. The Jewel Class atriums put this one to shame.

4) The pre-booked tours that are on my $50 off per port promo....are not the same price as when I reserved on the phone like I was required to do. The Kayaking at Manatee Bay was advertised on the NCL site for$99…then on special for $89. It is on my account bill for $109. I went to shore excursions to inquire though I knew it would be useless....and it was useless.

5) Definite vibration from "Engines"? Up here on deck 13? Enough that things rattle! Glasses in the bathroom are vibrating on the shelves…door of the locked safe is rattling away…though these are fixable with moving them around or putting them on towels…but why should I have to do that?

6) There seem to be some very elegant touches like the amazing color changing chandelier...but a high percent of really bland decor.The casino is the most boring decorating scheme I've ever seen on a ship!

7) Chair Hogs around the pool…well, there’s only one row of loungers around the pool! THERE’S NO POOL DECK AROUND THE POOL!

 

Balcony cabin 13888 is very nice... Bed is great! Bathroom is Great! Cabin Attendant Excellent!

However I don't know why people say there is plenty of storage. I am solo and it is "just right". If there were two people in here....no way! There is one closet [which is blocked half by the side of the couch] with shelves on one side and one clothes rod on the other.Though the desk is very large which is nice...there are no drawers. There are shelves under the tv, but they are only 5" deep.

 

Embarkation lunch in Savor was delicious. Dinner in Manhattan room was also very good. Decent service for my "table for one". I had an appetizer size portion of the main course Breaded Eggplant with Gorgonzola and Marinara followed by Pappardelle with Duck. The best was the Pistachio crème Brulee. Really good!

On my last two sailings [Celebrity Summit and RCL Anthem] I stopped buying specialty coffeesbecause the free coffee had improved sooo much! Alas the coffee in the buffethere is awful. So back to the specialty coffees at the patisserie in the atriumwhich were EXCELLENT!

 

First Night…no sleep! The room is still rattling...Severely! And no…I am not talking about the SERIOUS rocking of the ship from the wind and waves. So let's see if I can sleep...

 

Nope...I went to sleep around 11:30 pm and noticed the vibrations as mentioned above...and thought "It will lull me to sleep!" WRONG! The vibrations from the engines coming up the aft were so strong and they came and went and they felt like minor tremors which were magnified by the bed frame and things were rattling away.... I opened the safe and put a shirt in and that stopped. I finally looked at the clock when I thought "I can't sleep in here" and it was 3:15 am. I called the desk and they sent someone up to investigate and he agreed that this was extreme. He made a call and said that guest services would call me back in a little while.I took 4 mg of Valium and lay in bed in my clothes. They never called and about 4:30 am I think I dozed off and dreamt that I met Sally Field...and she wasn't very nice. Hmmm... I awoke about 8:30 am and stayed in bed very unhappy until10. I dressed and went down to guest relations and found that quite a few others had complained and there was a waiting list to switch cabins in Port Canaveral...but I was now on the list. More valium tonight? [seas had calmed and vibrations on night #2 were cut by about ½ and I did sleep]

 

SeaDay 1 - At the Garden buffet I had some crispy hash browns and very fresh raisin whole wheat bread and smoked salmon. YUM! I took the Cha Cha class and the teachers were actually good! Of course with Burn the Floor on board they had better be! I went to Spice H2O and there were quite afew empty loungers to be had and laid out on a perfect day for an hour...then went to watch Deal Or No Deal which was fun. Back to the cabin to work on a script for a wee while, then to the gym...but no locker room to change or shower. All facilities are in the for-pay Thermal Suite…argh!

 

Burn The Floor...OMG! Best dancing I've ever seen on a cruise ship...though I have seen other good shows on cruise ships...this was outstanding.

Dinner...can't review dinner tonight...I met someone and made a dinner date and was stood up. Went to the buffet…but then got over the “stand up” and went to the Manhattan Room and had dessert…delicious.

 

Quickly moving on…

 

Port Canaveral: Excursions were canceled due to the rainy weather.[This was post hurricane…just crappy weather: No fault of anyone] I didn’t REALLY want to go kayaking and drown anyway.

 

 

 

 

Note:I did get a call from guest relations saying that they did have an alternate cabin for me and I could check it out. However it was soooo far from the elevators and the seas had calmed down now that we were in the Caribbean that I decided to keep my cabin.

PrivateIsland: Completely canceled due to weather. [This was post hurricane…just crappy weather: No fault of anyone] I didn’t REALLY want to go Parasailing and drown anyway.

Nassau: Arrived a day early due to skipping the private island and spent over night…but who is going to go out at night in Nassau? Weather next morning was fair…took a tour of Atlantis which was nice…but not overwhelming.

Entertainmentwas great. Burn the Floor was excellent. Rock of Ages was well produced and performed…it just isn’t a really good show. Cirque Jungle-ness had amazing performers in it, beautiful costumes and I did like the food….but it’s just not a “Cirque Du Soleil” show. It’s more like a European traveling one ring circus compared to “Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Three Ring Extravaganza!” It was good…just don’t call it Cirque.

Service and Food in the MDR’s was great! LOVED the Manhattan Room’s atmosphere with the band and singer and dance performances. That MADE the cruise for me.

TheShip:I was totally underwhelmed by the ship’s very small public spaces and boring décor. Hallways are narrow…buffet corridors are narrow…it’s a very big ship…but it’s all cabins and for pay restaurants…

Conclusion:It’s a ship for people with kids…or lots of money to be in the Haven. For the rest of us who can only afford a balcony or a lowly suite [and not the haven]….I think that says it all?

sorry it wasn't what you had hoped. We sailed her last April. We are not mega ship lovers, but of the 3 we have been on, 2 on NCL the Breakaway was our favorite. I have a bad back and never noticed it being any worse than usual. As for the vibration our only problem was the cloths and hangers kept bangint together, and the closet doors did some moving. We got that problem solved the second day by checking to see what was wrong and reorganizing while making sure we had the doors going the right direction. Our biggest problem with the ship was the elevator situation and we had crappy weather almost the entire cruise. Thus everything seemed more crowded as people were forced to stay inside. Another problem, we cruised when some schools were out for spring break and the ship had over 2200 kids on it. still overall we were happy with the cruise and the Breakaway.

[geegee1]

Why should he buy a spa pass?A ship this size should have at least three big pools.There is no deck around the pool area.What were they thinking when they designed this ship.Is there anybody that has been on the Breakaway thinks one pool is adequate?

Really don't like the pool area on Breakaway, especially after being spoiled by the setup on the Gem.

 

...Secondly, we are not pool on a cruise ship people; we have pools at home or when we stay in a hotel etc. so the pool is not important to us. Can someone explain to me why people complain that there is the need to have a big pool on a cruise ship; it is a cruise ship after all? I have seen some very disgusting things go on in a cruise ship pool so we avoid them. Do people want to swim laps in them? There seems plenty of room to just jump in and just cool off. What is the big draw with the need to be right next to the pool even though you may or may not be using it?

 

As far as the deck; what is the need to be right next to the pool if you are just laying there? It doesn't appear everyone is in the pool at the same time? There usually plenty of room on upper decks or decks near by to lay out and then walk to the pool to cool off.

 

We saw lots of deck room to lay out on the Breakaway.

No bad intent with my question; I just don't get the complaints about the pool and the decks especially when there is more than one pool and plenty of decks to relax in the sun.

 

Safe sailing al!!:)

 

I enjoy sitting in the pool and enjoying a drink or two. I also enjoy getting out of the pool and being able to go to my chair that is somewhere close to the pool. Don't want to get out of the pool and have to walk up stairs or somewhere else out of the way.

[LrgPizza]

I'm thinking you must have missed some of the storage. Unless you packed about 10 large suitcases full of clothes and such, there is no way you couldn't find room for it all. We stuff 4 large suitcases for the 3 of us, and we still have plenty of space left over.

[craigers]

Some of our most fun cruises have been on Breakaway. It always amazes how many negative reviews it gets. Just doesn’t resonate. Now, any HAL cruise on the other hand..

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According to Cruise Critic the Breakaway is the lowest rated ship in the NCL fleet.

[3forfl]

Did you buy and internet package? How was the internet connection on the ship?

[HLR]

Some of our most fun cruises have been on Breakaway. It always amazes how many negative reviews it gets. Just doesn’t resonate. Now, any HAL cruise on the other hand....

 

 

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And that Sir...is what makes the world go round!

[HLR]

We have been on the Breakaway and loved it; I am thinking that the vibrating happens when a ship is at sea and there really is no control how a ship 'responds' to it. We have had vibrations off and on pretty much every ship we have been on, IMO it is a ship at sea after all and moves with the waves & wind. Bound to be some vibrations and creaking no matter how well it is built. JMHO.

 

Secondly, we are not pool on a cruise ship people; we have pools at home or when we stay in a hotel etc. so the pool is not important to us. Can someone explain to me why people complain that there is the need to have a big pool on a cruise ship; it is a cruise ship after all? I have seen some very disgusting things go on in a cruise ship pool so we avoid them. Do people want to swim laps in them? There seems plenty of room to just jump in and just cool off. What is the big draw with the need to be right next to the pool even though you may or may not be using it?

 

As far as the deck; what is the need to be right next to the pool if you are just laying there? It doesn't appear everyone is in the pool at the same time? There usually plenty of room on upper decks or decks near by to lay out and then walk to the pool to cool off.

 

We saw lots of deck room to lay out on the Breakaway.

No bad intent with my question; I just don't get the complaints about the pool and the decks especially when there is more than one pool and plenty of decks to relax in the sun.

 

Safe sailing al!!:)

 

Hello! Original Poster here....you SO missed my point. I was commenting on the reviews I had read about the Breakaway and folks complaining about chair hogs. My point is....you can't have chair hogs if there are no chairs around the pool! Please note that I said I went to Spice H2O and had no trouble finding a lounger.

 

HLR

[HLR]

Did you buy and internet package? How was the internet connection on the ship?

 

I can't help you there...however trying to use the NCL App...it worked at first ..then kept saying "This App has stopped working"....

[HLR]

I'm thinking you must have missed some of the storage. Unless you packed about 10 large suitcases full of clothes and such, there is no way you couldn't find room for it all. We stuff 4 large suitcases for the 3 of us, and we still have plenty of space left over.

 

You're so funny! How could I have missed a closet? LOL! I had one garment bag and a carry-on....and as I said in my post . I am solo and it is"just right".

[Letsgo 2]

Breakaway...October 1st – 8th 2017

 

First night impressions.

Hmmmm...things that make you go "hmmmm".

For such a big ship...it feels very closed in.Public spaces are much smaller than the other ships of comparable size that I've been on. The Atrium is much smaller than the Royal Princess or Anthem of the Seas or any ship I have ever been on for that matter! There is a decent sized pool and bandstand, but no deck around it. Where are the big open decks? They are usurped by the Haven and Vibe and kid's water park. [Cool unto themselves, but at the expense of a vast majority of the passengers] Ceilings seem lower everywhere giving a closed in feeling. I am 5’3” and can touch the ceiling of my cabin?

 

Many reviews here on Cruise Critic brought up what I thought were silly things....things I thought I wouldn’t care about...but guess what! They're true!

1) This is the smokiest casino I have ever been in ona ship and it DOES permeate the surrounding areas. Bad ventilation system?

2) The folks who complained about back trouble because of the theatre seats...I thought "really? c'mon!!!" They're right! There was this weird wooden bar piece at the back of most of the seats and you DO have to wiggle around to get comfortable. I sat down the first night and “Ouch! What on earth is that?” I changed seats to investigate…some you felt it more than others.

3) The Atrium is really tight! I can't believe they are going to hold events that on other NCL ships are held in the theatre. We'll see how that goes. This is the smallest, least attractive atrium I have ever seen on a ship. The Jewel Class atriums put this one to shame.

4) The pre-booked tours that are on my $50 off per port promo....are not the same price as when I reserved on the phone like I was required to do. The Kayaking at Manatee Bay was advertised on the NCL site for$99…then on special for $89. It is on my account bill for $109. I went to shore excursions to inquire though I knew it would be useless....and it was useless.

5) Definite vibration from "Engines"? Up here on deck 13? Enough that things rattle! Glasses in the bathroom are vibrating on the shelves…door of the locked safe is rattling away…though these are fixable with moving them around or putting them on towels…but why should I have to do that?

6) There seem to be some very elegant touches like the amazing color changing chandelier...but a high percent of really bland decor.The casino is the most boring decorating scheme I've ever seen on a ship!

7) Chair Hogs around the pool…well, there’s only one row of loungers around the pool! THERE’S NO POOL DECK AROUND THE POOL!

 

Balcony cabin 13888 is very nice... Bed is great! Bathroom is Great! Cabin Attendant Excellent!

However I don't know why people say there is plenty of storage. I am solo and it is "just right". If there were two people in here....no way! There is one closet [which is blocked half by the side of the couch] with shelves on one side and one clothes rod on the other.Though the desk is very large which is nice...there are no drawers. There are shelves under the tv, but they are only 5" deep.

 

Embarkation lunch in Savor was delicious. Dinner in Manhattan room was also very good. Decent service for my "table for one". I had an appetizer size portion of the main course Breaded Eggplant with Gorgonzola and Marinara followed by Pappardelle with Duck. The best was the Pistachio crème Brulee. Really good!

On my last two sailings [Celebrity Summit and RCL Anthem] I stopped buying specialty coffeesbecause the free coffee had improved sooo much! Alas the coffee in the buffethere is awful. So back to the specialty coffees at the patisserie in the atriumwhich were EXCELLENT!

 

First Night…no sleep! The room is still rattling...Severely! And no…I am not talking about the SERIOUS rocking of the ship from the wind and waves. So let's see if I can sleep...

 

Nope...I went to sleep around 11:30 pm and noticed the vibrations as mentioned above...and thought "It will lull me to sleep!" WRONG! The vibrations from the engines coming up the aft were so strong and they came and went and they felt like minor tremors which were magnified by the bed frame and things were rattling away.... I opened the safe and put a shirt in and that stopped. I finally looked at the clock when I thought "I can't sleep in here" and it was 3:15 am. I called the desk and they sent someone up to investigate and he agreed that this was extreme. He made a call and said that guest services would call me back in a little while.I took 4 mg of Valium and lay in bed in my clothes. They never called and about 4:30 am I think I dozed off and dreamt that I met Sally Field...and she wasn't very nice. Hmmm... I awoke about 8:30 am and stayed in bed very unhappy until10. I dressed and went down to guest relations and found that quite a few others had complained and there was a waiting list to switch cabins in Port Canaveral...but I was now on the list. More valium tonight? [seas had calmed and vibrations on night #2 were cut by about ½ and I did sleep]

 

SeaDay 1 - At the Garden buffet I had some crispy hash browns and very fresh raisin whole wheat bread and smoked salmon. YUM! I took the Cha Cha class and the teachers were actually good! Of course with Burn the Floor on board they had better be! I went to Spice H2O and there were quite afew empty loungers to be had and laid out on a perfect day for an hour...then went to watch Deal Or No Deal which was fun. Back to the cabin to work on a script for a wee while, then to the gym...but no locker room to change or shower. All facilities are in the for-pay Thermal Suite…argh!

 

Burn The Floor...OMG! Best dancing I've ever seen on a cruise ship...though I have seen other good shows on cruise ships...this was outstanding.

Dinner...can't review dinner tonight...I met someone and made a dinner date and was stood up. Went to the buffet…but then got over the “stand up” and went to the Manhattan Room and had dessert…delicious.

 

Quickly moving on…

 

Port Canaveral: Excursions were canceled due to the rainy weather.[This was post hurricane…just crappy weather: No fault of anyone] I didn’t REALLY want to go kayaking and drown anyway.

 

 

 

 

Note:I did get a call from guest relations saying that they did have an alternate cabin for me and I could check it out. However it was soooo far from the elevators and the seas had calmed down now that we were in the Caribbean that I decided to keep my cabin.

PrivateIsland: Completely canceled due to weather. [This was post hurricane…just crappy weather: No fault of anyone] I didn’t REALLY want to go Parasailing and drown anyway.

Nassau: Arrived a day early due to skipping the private island and spent over night…but who is going to go out at night in Nassau? Weather next morning was fair…took a tour of Atlantis which was nice…but not overwhelming.

Entertainmentwas great. Burn the Floor was excellent. Rock of Ages was well produced and performed…it just isn’t a really good show. Cirque Jungle-ness had amazing performers in it, beautiful costumes and I did like the food….but it’s just not a “Cirque Du Soleil” show. It’s more like a European traveling one ring circus compared to “Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Three Ring Extravaganza!” It was good…just don’t call it Cirque.

Service and Food in the MDR’s was great! LOVED the Manhattan Room’s atmosphere with the band and singer and dance performances. That MADE the cruise for me.

TheShip:I was totally underwhelmed by the ship’s very small public spaces and boring décor. Hallways are narrow…buffet corridors are narrow…it’s a very big ship…but it’s all cabins and for pay restaurants…

Conclusion:It’s a ship for people with kids…or lots of money to be in the Haven. For the rest of us who can only afford a balcony or a lowly suite [and not the haven]….I think that says it all?

 

 

 

 

 

I wonder, did you ever go up to H20 ? no kids allowed all day it has two Hottubs and a very nice Waterfall to cool off, plenty of sating and a nice bar.

[HLR]

I wonder, did you ever go up to H20 ? no kids allowed all day it has two Hottubs and a very nice Waterfall to cool off, plenty of sating and a nice bar.

 

See "Sea Day 1"...I wrote --> I went to Spice H2O and there were quite a few empty loungers to be had and laid out on a perfect day for an hour..

 

 

HLR

[Sotermarler]

Just off the Breakaway 2 weeks ago, 21 NCL cruises and our 5th time on the Breakaway, and we couldn't believe the vibrations on the ship this time. Felt like we paid for a vibrating bed!! Buffet was funny with drinks shaking in your cups. Hope they fix whatever's wrong soon.

Safe sailing

 

 

 

I was on the same sailing as you and we were midship balcony on 14 and the vibrations were so prominent.

My kids thought they were fun, but I hated that my head was vibrating and teeth chattering most of the night. I didn't realize so many others were also affected. It did go away after a few nights as others have stated.

 

I was chastising myself for bidding and winning that "upgrade". Lol. Lesson learned.

 

 

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