The Breakaway - 12/15 - 12/22 - a review

[msky44]

This is my review of my week on the NCL Breakaway 12/15 – 12/22. While this is my only my opinion and your opinion may be different, I want to add that it may be clouded by two things – 1. I haven’t been on a cruise in almost 20 years. I remember cruises as a place where elegance and fine dining and amazing service were the norm and I know that cruises, in general, are no longer the same. 2. I had an accident 5 weeks prior to my cruise and had a double shock ankle sprain and was on a crutch/2 crutches throughout my cruise. Instead of going through all the minute details of the cruise, I will just focus on the top 5 things I enjoyed about our cruise and the 3 things I did not enjoy.

 

First the good (in order of appreciation):

5. the drinks!! Wow – how we enjoyed the ultimate beverage package. NCL did not skimp – the drinks were made in real glassware with the appropriate amount of alcohol and ingredients. For instance, I love mojitos and I had several. They were always served with several large lime slices and copious amounts of mint leaves. There was no skimping on these ingredients and I thought they were awesome. We loved Shakers martini bar and thought even with the surcharge, the espresso and chocolate martinis were some of the best we have had anywhere. The Mango Meltdowns and Painkillers hit the spot at the pool bar and I loved the Buena Vista Irish coffee at Prime Meridian – just like the restaurant in San Francisco. The bartenders were quick, attentive and remembered what you liked. Many of the drinks were complicated and specialties of the particular bar you were at, which made finding a favorite very fun. Also, I would like to add that the empties were usually picked up promptly. The way the drinks were flowing you would think you might run into tons of empty glasses everywhere on the ship but the staff was always on top of that and we rarely saw an empty glass. The servers were great too. THIS was the highlight of the cruise IMHO even though I am not really a heavy drinker. It was just nice and relaxing to have a drink before dinner or out by the pool without worrying about what your bill was going to be at the end of the cruise.

 

4. the entertainment – I loved the entertainment on NCL ships long ago and I still thought it was great. Burn the Floor and Rock of Ages were very good and I thought the musicians on board including Charlie Love and his band, Melvin and the Howl at the Moon Dueling Piano bar were great. I loved the Reggae Band Soulful Pleasures and I applaud NCL for giving us real jazz and reggae bands and not just bland stuff they think will appeal to everyone. We went to the comedy show too and that was funny. My friends just saw Rock of Ages in Las Vegas this past fall and spent $65 each for tickets so I think the cruise ship entertainment was a great bargain in addition to adding to a fun vacation.

 

 

3. The specialty dining package – We went to Cagney’s, Teppanyaki and Moderno’s as part of our SDP and thought all three were great. I would like to add that I am an excellent cook and fussy about restaurant food (usually I can make it better myself) so the fact that I found these three to be very good even though I wasn’t expecting much, surprised me. We went to Cagney’s the first night on board and it was largely empty. I thought my steak was as good as the one I had at Michael Jordan’s in Mohegan Sun for $55 a la cart the previous week. I want to add, however, we ran into a couple from our meet & greet a couple of nights later and they had a bad experience at Cagney’s with overcooked, dry steak. We had a great time at Teppanyaki and I thought the food was very good for that type of restaurant. Our chef was cute and very funny but a little soft spoken so it was hard to hear him sometimes over the more raucous chef that was cooking nearby. For Moderno’s, I had read such mixed reviews that I almost changed our reservations but I am glad that I didn’t. The salad bar was very good and included sushi, smoked salmon and shrimp salad. I didn’t care for the lobster bisque but I loved the cheese bread that was delivered to the table and enjoyed the filet, bacon wrapped filet, lamb chops and pepper sirloin that I tried out of all the meats delivered to our table. Putting our card to red to stop meat delivery didn’t seem to matter because the servers came with everything they had on the skewers lol.

 

2. The cabin – Cruising 20 years ago meant an inside cabin for me. There wasn’t as many balconies to be had and as such, these were not affordable and I never really saw the point of paying an extra couple hundred dollars for a porthole. Also, I remember the cabins as closet-sized, with barely enough room to turn around in – especially the bathroom. Our balcony cabin on the ninth floor was so spacious and that balcony was just the bomb. We ordered breakfast every warm morning and enjoyed eating it on our balcony – it was such a treat, I think it was probably the second highlight of our trip. I thought it was well worth the $7.95 delivery fee although a few more choices would be nice so you don’t have to eat the same omelet every day.

 

1. The staff – Overall I thought the service ranged from very good to excellent. Almost everyone on the staff was courteous and smiling and tried their best. Sometimes, the food service was slow and incorrect, particularly in the dining rooms but I would chalk these up to language barriers and new staff as opposed to a lack of trying or bad attitude like we usually run into back home. Out of all meals we had, we found O’Sheehan’s to have the worst service overall and the Manhattan dining room to have the slowest service. Our cabin steward, Julie Ann, was efficient and quick and kept me loaded up with ice in the ice bucket so I could ice my ankle a couple of times a day. Twenty years ago, I remember the cabin steward as being full of personality and really organizing your stuff for you in surprising ways like putting your shoes back in the closet, hanging up your clothes you left on the bed or stacking your loose change you left out but I realize times have changed. Julie Ann cleaned our cabin as a hotel staff would, not touching our personal stuff. We didn’t meet her until the end our second day. They work very hard with long hours though and I am going to chalk up the difference to changing times and not any fault of hers. We tipped her extra at the end of our cruise because of the ice and her stealthy way of servicing our cabin, never inconveniencing us. She also kept us in towel animals even though we did not have kids too.

 

 

 

And now the bad and the ugly (in order of annoyance)

 

1. The buffet – OMG I was almost scared when we went up there at breakfast time on the second day. It was a madhouse – noisy, crowded and kind of gross with people swarming everywhere with huge plates of food like it was the last meal they were going to ever eat. Maybe it was the crutches and my inability to handle my own plate and fear of being knocked over but I absolutely hated that buffet. I will admit to going up there a couple of times at off peak times later in cruise for an ice cream and once for a late night snack and while it was still kind of crazy, it was not as bad. Everything I had from the buffet I would describe as mediocre, particularly the desserts - I would describe almost all the desserts on the ship as bleh. We did go a couple of times to Margaritaville for coffee and had a few things at that breakfast buffet which overall was a much more enjoyable experience.

 

2. My fellow passengers – I struggle with how to describe this without sounding like a jerk but I feel like this issue was a detriment to my cruising experience so here goes. There was a large population of non-English speaking passengers and also a lot of kids on board this cruise. There was a lot of pushing to get on and jumping in front of me for the elevators (which I took for even one floor thanks to my injury) and they jumped in front of others already at the buffet and other lines which bordered on rude. Also, you never got on an elevator without extra buttons being pushed and older kids would run the corridors chasing each other. One time at Savor, a family of two dads with two toddler girls was having lunch nearby and one of the dads kept a running commentary at full volume with his daughters over every bite they ate and everything they said. The kids were actually fine but the adults were obnoxious! The first two days (at sea) were the worst – crowded and pushy – after that things got more relaxed and spread out and were better although I never totally got rid of the feeling that I was at a Walmart the week before Christmas.

 

3. the ship – I am on the fence about my feelings on the Breakaway. I didn’t feel the love like I have for other ships I have been on in the past. Despite its size, the Breakaway feels small and closed in, loud and obnoxious many times of the day. The atrium combined with O’Sheehan’s made for a loud environment with the Karaoke, pool, pinball machines, music, bowling, crowds and slots all going on at the same time. The outdoor spaces are small and not well designed. Too much space is wasted on the waterslides which looked under-utilized, Margaritaville – which was rarely open and the jogging track is so tiny for the amount of people. I missed the promenade deck! Getting an elevator takes too long and the two banks of elevators seem too close to each other with mostly everything jammed in between them. I was sad to see the limited shopping available as I have enjoyed going to the cute boutiques and souvenir shops in the past and there was very little of this on the Breakaway. While I was not bothered by the smoke as many people have said, there was a lot of noise coming from the outdoor bar areas near Maltings until late at night (3am) and drifted up so that keeping the balcony door open at night was impossible. Getting on and off the ship was a PITA with the lines and crowds. Getting off in Nassau was a disaster and then coming back we had to wait in a long line while the staff entertained us with a welcome back party which did not take my mind off the wait lol. I did get to skip all the lines with my crutches on boarding and also going through customs so my injury did help me to miss all that annoyance. Lucky me!

 

In closing, I had a great time on my vacation. Cruising is not what I remembered but it is more affordable with a lot more options for ship sizes and home ports. The food, while not the be all and end all of cruising it used to be, was adequate to very good. The highlights were the specialty restaurants and the breakfast on the balcony and the lowlights for me was the buffet. The private island was wonderful. We happened to get fabulous weather and lounge chairs under the palm trees and we enjoyed our strawberry daiquiris and the beautiful blue ocean water. I didn’t feel nickeled and dimed with the exception of a $9.95 charge for movies in the cabin. The music and entertainment was plentiful, the drinks were delicious, the staff were so nice. In spite of the crowds, I got off the boat feeling relaxed and refreshed like I really had a vacation (and this is for someone with a painful foot which says a lot). I bought 4 cruise next deposits and hope to be back on board a ship soon. :)

[Sixtytwo]

Good review, thanks for sharing your thoughts.

 

 

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[easyboy]

In some cruises we had, we have also encountered some rude passengers. Those with mobility issues seem to be invisible to some who raced to enter the elevators. Appreciate your objective feedback.

 

 

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[Manbo]

Great review...I understand your comment about the ship feeling overcrowded. I think both "Away" ships feel narrow and as a result, too congested.

I am curious about the dis-embarkation? did it go smoothly?

[Two Wheels Only]

Our balcony cabin on the ninth floor was so spacious and that balcony was just the bomb.

Were you in an aft-facing balcony?

 

I missed the promenade deck!

How did you feel about the Waterfront which is Breakaway's version of a promenade?

[NYcruzzer]

Welcome home. Thank you for taking the time to write a very fair, balanced, and informative report. Leaving this Friday for 3 time aboard the BA. First time in Haven (on BA) thanks to accepted bid. Plan to avoid the Buffet at all costs...

[msky44]

In response to questions:

The debarkation went well. It was a long line that moved swiftly through the ship. We were in the first group with people who walked off with their own luggage. I think we were out of the terminal by 8:30.

 

The waterfront is a strip of outdoor seating of restaurants with a take out window for ordering from Ocean Blue and a gelato stand. Forgot to mention we got the lobster rolls and they were dinky. I think the name "Waterfront" conjures up more than what it actually is.

 

We were midship on deck 9. The aft balconies from the land looked beautiful. There was a vibration that could be felt on upper decks and more towards the back of the ship on this sailing. I think the BA is going in for some repairs.

[TracyESQ]

We were on this cruise with you and I have similar feelings as yours, but more negative. I think this will probably be our last cruise with NCL. My husband and I had cruised on NCL twice prior to this cruise, the most recent was 6 years ago on the Gem for our honeymoon. This was our first time on one of these "mega" ships, and I can definitely say the size is too big for my liking. The ship is lovely, but designed very poorly, and there lacks a comfortable flow, and more practical space, especially on cold weather cruises, where half the time you need to be inside.

 

We were also on deck 9 (aft) and for the most part our cabin was quiet and comfortable, though there was a bit of nighttime "groaning", knocking and popping noises that were hard to explain. It was almost like the ship was adjusting to the different temperatures. I think we also heard some galley noises on one night as we were roughly under Cagney's/Moderno.

 

We also thought the entertainment was top notch, though we were traveling with young children so my evenings were mostly in the cabin reading while they slept. We did see Burn the Floor and Rock of Ages (the first 40 minutes). I'd seen it on Broadway, but it was getting late and the kids needed to eat dinner. Show times were slightly inconvenient. Cirque Dreams was awesome. I loved it.

 

The food overall was good. Some things better than others. We dined at Cagney's, Moderno and La Cucina, and my mother and I also dined at the Cirque show. Service in the dining rooms was slow, and lunchtime was the worst. We also had a terrible experience with the service at O'Sheehans.

 

Definitely agree with you on the fellow passengers. My 4-year old knows how to say excuse me, but most of the adults on the ship did not. Pushing into the elevators and not moving to let people in or out was very common. The buffet was mosty horrible (food was pretty decent though), but too crowded. We only went on port days and off peak times.

 

The waterfront area was nice, except for the smoking side. I don't like having to walk through clouds of smoke. We were also treated to the sight of a used condom one morning that was still out there by late in the afternoon.

 

Embarkation and disembarkation was chaos. We arrived at the terminal at 12:30 and didn't get on board until nearly 2:15 and then had to immediately rush to the muster drill. We were VIP disembarking and by the time they called the yellow tags, the line to disembark was wrapped all the way through 7 and up to deck 8. Too many people carry their own luggage off the ship and they are permitted to leave first. It doesn't really make sense that priority people aren't first. Either way, we left our cabin around 9:00am and were in the car service van by 10:15. Picking up our luggage took literally no time.

 

Overall we weren't pleased with the service and value of NCL. It has declined significantly since we last cruised with them and I'm not sure we'll cruise them again after this.

[Keith1010]

Really enjoyed the review and the additional poss.

 

Happy Holiday.

 

Keith

[msky44]

TracyESQ, I do agree that some of the perks of a mega-ship such as mini-golf, rock wall, water slides, rope course are not things I would be interested in so a smaller ship would probably be a better fit. I am not sure which ship is coming to NYC to replace the BA but a mid-sized ship would be nice.

[TracyESQ]

TracyESQ, I do agree that some of the perks of a mega-ship such as mini-golf, rock wall, water slides, rope course are not things I would be interested in so a smaller ship would probably be a better fit. I am not sure which ship is coming to NYC to replace the BA but a mid-sized ship would be nice.

 

I do enjoy having some of those perks on the ship, but on a cruise in cold weather, the practicality of having them is lost. There were so few days to use them, and/or such limited time when they were actually open, that we weren't able to do much.

[Two Wheels Only]

I think the name "Waterfront" conjures up more than what it actually is.

 

There was a vibration that could be felt on upper decks and more towards the back of the ship on this sailing. I think the BA is going in for some repairs.

I use the Waterfront as an alternate route to avoid the crowd when going from point A to B.:D

It's usually a nice place to relax. Sadly, smokers can put a damper on things when smoking is allowed. On Escape (and hopefully, Bliss) smoking isn't allowed on the Waterfront.

 

 

The deck 9 aft-facing balconies are huge. I highly recommend them if/when you go back to Breakaway.

 

 

The vibration has been reported by others. It seems to be mechanical and should be fixed when Breakaway gets a refresh.

[BirdTravels]

Thanks for taking the time to write a wonderful review.

[RareBird]

We were on same sailing! We love NCL, sail every December.

 

Positives were our Haven experience. we were also Haven guests last year and it was amazing as always. Getting quickly on the ship and off the ship was great, we didn’t experience any delays. 15min on and off. The food in Haven restaurant was amazing we didn’t even go to the garden café or the main restaurant. We did dine in Cagney‘s and Maderno, both were good. We did get under cooked steak at Cagney‘s which was a sour note.

 

Negatives for us were two things. First, Our cabin was aft and it vibrated pretty much nonstop, which was incredibly annoying. Sleeping more than 6hrs was not possible. It was not like this last year. We had the same class cabin last year. Second negative was the crowds and aggressiveness of the nonspeaking passengers. Especially using the elevators and walking around the ship. They completely disregarded any proper etiquette.

[uneamie]

We were on same sailing! We love NCL, sail every December. ��

 

Positives were our Haven experience. we were also Haven guests last year and it was amazing as always. Getting quickly on the ship and off the ship was great, we didn’t experience any delays. 15min on and off. The food in Haven restaurant was amazing we didn’t even go to the garden café or the main restaurant. We did dine in Cagney‘s and Maderno, both were good. We did get under cooked steak at Cagney‘s which was a sour note.

 

Negatives for us were two things. First, Our cabin was aft and it vibrated pretty much nonstop, which was incredibly annoying. Sleeping more than 6hrs was not possible. It was not like this last year. We had the same class cabin last year. Second negative was the crowds and aggressiveness of the nonspeaking passengers. Especially using the elevators and walking around the ship. They completely disregarded any proper etiquette.

An undercooked steak is far better than overcooked....I always order on the medium rare side and send it back for a bit more cooking if it's too rare. It's hard to get it perfect.

[msky44]

I do enjoy having some of those perks on the ship, but on a cruise in cold weather, the practicality of having them is lost. There were so few days to use them, and/or such limited time when they were actually open, that we weren't able to do much.

 

Very true! The Margaritaville restaurant was only open one afternoon the whole cruise. I think it was open for breakfast buffet 3 or 4 days too.

[Giantfan13]

We are on the Breakaway next Friday (Jan 5th) for a 14 day cruise. We haven't aisled NCL in about 10 years and never on a ship this size.

A couple of questions if you don't mind. If I read this correct, there is no Prom anode Deck? We always enjoyed sitting on the Promenade Deck, away from a lot of the noise of the upper decks. Is that kind of scenario available on the Breakaway. Myself, I have had 2 cases of melanoma and try and avoid sitting in the sun, AT ALL. Are there places to sit in the shade on the Breakaway that are readily available and away from the hub bub of the main parts of the ship?

How are the main dining rooms? and the food there? Is there a place to get, say a pizza, later at night?

Thanks for any help with these?

Cheers

Len

 

[Clarea]

Enjoyed he review/report. Happy Holidays!

[Two Wheels Only]

A couple of questions if you don't mind. If I read this correct, there is no Prom anode Deck? We always enjoyed sitting on the Promenade Deck, away from a lot of the noise of the upper decks. Is that kind of scenario available on the Breakaway....Myself, I have had 2 cases of melanoma and try and avoid sitting in the sun, AT ALL. Are there places to sit in the shade on the Breakaway that are readily available and away from the hub bub of the main parts of the ship?

Breakaway, Getaway, Escape, Joy, and Bliss have the Waterfront.

It's about 270 degrees around the ship (can't complete a full lap). There is seating around that acts as outdoor eating areas when the restaurants are open but during the day when the restaurants are closed, the seats are empty. There are also bars. The amount of sun/shade will depend on ship location, time of day, angle of the sun, etc but there is shade.

GCY7VZCbRgA

Edited December 27, 2017 by Two Wheels Only

[Sand and Seas]

Thank you for your review! I spent a few months on crutches after a couple of surgeries. It does make it interesting to travel, doesn't it?

 

It has been a couple of years since we were on the Breakaway. Back then we especially enjoyed the Jazz in Fat Cats and the Burn the Floor dancers. Good to hear the update as we are booked on her out of New Orleans next year. Have fun planning your next cruises with those great CruiseNext certificates. You can usually use two certs if you are booking a balcony or above at least six months in advance. Great deal!

Thanks for sharing:cool:

[TracyESQ]

A couple of questions if you don't mind. If I read this correct, there is no Prom anode Deck? We always enjoyed sitting on the Promenade Deck, away from a lot of the noise of the upper decks. Is that kind of scenario available on the Breakaway. Myself, I have had 2 cases of melanoma and try and avoid sitting in the sun, AT ALL. Are there places to sit in the shade on the Breakaway that are readily available and away from the hub bub of the main parts of the ship?

How are the main dining rooms? and the food there? Is there a place to get, say a pizza, later at night?

Thanks for any help with these?

 

 

As mentioned, the outside of Deck 8 is the Waterfront. It makes almost a complete loop around the ship, and there are cool portholes in a couple places on one end (both sides). There is outside seating for the specialty restaurants (Cagney's, Moderno, La Cucina, Ocean Blue) and bars (the bar side is smoking) but in the other areas, there are comfy chairs to lounge or read. The restaurant seating is only used by the restaurants in the evenings, weather permitting. Our experience on the Breakaway last week was that when one side is sunny, the other is not, but all of the seating is under cover. Also, if you did want to be on the pool decks (15/16), there are still plenty of places in the shade, unless you encounter the same chair hogs that we did.

 

We ate at Savor/Taste every morning for breakfast and it was fine. The food, in my opinion is the same food as is served at the buffet, just more civilized. Lunch time in Savor/Taste is the same menu every day and the service was routinely terrible, though I think that largely depended on the waiter. My parents and my family ate lunch once in the same dining room at the same time at different tables and had completely different experiences. Manhattan Dining room is only open for dinner. We ate there twice. First was fine, second was a little slow and disjointed. Again, I believe it depends on the waiter. Quality of food in all three dining rooms was fine. Skip the lava cake and get the chocolate mousse.

 

Late night pizza...I'm not sure. The only place I saw pizza was at the buffet, and it's availability would depend on the times it is open.

[msky44]

There was pizza on the buffet which I believe was open till 11 pm.

[Giantfan13]

Breakaway, Getaway, Escape, Joy, and Bliss have the Waterfront.

It's about 270 degrees around the ship (can't complete a full lap). There is seating around that acts as outdoor eating areas when the restaurants are open but during the day when the restaurants are closed, the seats are empty. There are also bars. The amount of sun/shade will depend on ship location, time of day, angle of the sun, etc but there is shade.

GCY7VZCbRgA

 

 

Thanks for the reply.

Cheers

Len