Keep reading bad things about Breakaway...

[Cafedumonde]

Should we stay away from this ship?

[babynurse06]

Nope. It’s a great ship. My theory for some time has been that Breakaway gets bad reports based on her location/demographics. I’m actually really curious to see what happens to Escape’s reviews when she moves to NYC, since they’ve been glowing overall since day one. I’m guessing based off your screen name that you’re going out of New Orleans? So it’ll be a very different crowd than NYC. Try it, and have a great time :)

[Moby0215]

Love the breakaway.

 

 

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[BirdTravels]

Should we stay away from this ship?

Don't believe everything you read.

 

The Breakaway is a great ship. We just sailed on her for the 3rd time and have sailed on -away class ships 9 times (soon to be 10).

[Son of a son of a ...]

I think this class of ship feels “small” on the inside during inclement weather. By design, there just seems to be too much concentrated in 6-7-8 area for 4,000 people to circulate.

[wdsted]

Nope. It’s a great ship. My theory for some time has been that Breakaway gets bad reports based on her location/demographics. I’m actually really curious to see what happens to Escape’s reviews when she moves to NYC, since they’ve been glowing overall since day one. I’m guessing based off your screen name that you’re going out of New Orleans? So it’ll be a very different crowd than NYC. Try it, and have a great time :)

 

 

 

Couldn’t agree more. BA’s twin sister, the Getaway, garners about 5% of the gripes you read about the Breakaway. The only differences are their home ports and the long, often cold sea days on the first and last days with the BA. Whether or not you enjoy any cruise is up to you.

 

 

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[newmexicoNita]

We sailed her last year. The worst part was the rudeness of many of the guests and the number of unruly children, but it was spring break for many. The BA was the first of her class so I am sure corrections have been made. Not only did we have many kids, we also hit bad weather for the first 1/2 of the cruise which added to the crowded conditions.

 

All that said, we may take her again when she moves to New Orleans. She isn't a bad ship by any means and for those who like the mega ship idea I can't think why the reviews are so bad

[fightness]

I love the Breakaway....do not be afraid, you will enjoy her SO much!!!! We travel from NYC (via Canada!) And we miss her already!

 

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[Cafedumonde]

Nope. It’s a great ship. My theory for some time has been that Breakaway gets bad reports based on her location/demographics. I’m actually really curious to see what happens to Escape’s reviews when she moves to NYC, since they’ve been glowing overall since day one. I’m guessing based off your screen name that you’re going out of New Orleans? So it’ll be a very different crowd than NYC. Try it, and have a great time :)

 

Yes, we were originally scheduled on the Gem out of New Orleans and got switched to Breakaway. We were very excited about trying the Gem, but we are having trouble getting excited about the Breakaway and can't decide if we should keep the cruise or not. It is a more expensive cruise over Christmas, so we don't want to spend the Christmas premium on a "bad" ship. Lol. Overall, the ship looks great-- I think it is the reviews that are making us think twice. It seems to be the one ncl ship that gets consistently bad reviews. Interesting points everyone is making about sailing out of NYC and having to deal with cold sea days.

[CPT Trips]

Definately too small and inadequate public spaces when the outside decks are closed or uncomfortable due to weather.

 

The recent conversion of Fat Cats from a blues club with top notch artists to a venue for a mediocre ship cover band didn't help reviews. The change is really mistimed for a ship destined for the Crescent City. The "makeover" of the room during dry dock won't matter if the quality of the band and sound mix aren't addressed.

 

Also, rumor had it that the ship is a "training ship" for crew destined for the expanding Asian/Chinese market ships. That would explain the obvious differences in service we received and the lack of English fluency by a number of waitstaff.

[jrsegrl]

Recently returned from a 14 day BA cruise and there were definite issues. This was our 63rd cruise / 23rd on NCL /6th on the BA. and the first time I have ever had anything negative to say. BA was my favorite ship just so you know where I'm coming from.. But although this cruise was less than stellar every cruise is different and there are a lot of great things about the ship She is beautiful and easy to get around. Love the Specialty restaurants and usually food is good in mains. Shows are good, Escape the Big Top fun and a lot to do onboard. We do this particular cruise every year so know this was not a typical experience. Maybe the crew was just a bit worn out - they had that storm a few cruises ago, a rude group on our cruise which made things difficult for everyone. Ran out of food items, cranberry juice, wine, etc which I have never had happen before. Getting coffee at the buffet in the morning was difficult. Errors on our bill, errors when booking excursions, internet difficulty....Bad behavior by the person in charge of one of the small restaurants to his staff and just service not up to usual. First time I've actually wanted to get off a ship and never cruise NCL again. Did mellow on that point though. But having said this I wouldn't worry about future cruises on the Breakaway. Drydock will take care of some things (our mini suite had broken closet door, 2 shower spigots didn't work and mattress had a big dip in the middle) and new re-energized crew and passengers should resolve the rest. Within the last few months we have also cruised on the Epic and Escape - no issues there so assume the problems on the Breakaway were not due to recent changes made by NCL.

[City Island Cruiser]

Yes, we were originally scheduled on the Gem out of New Orleans and got switched to Breakaway. We were very excited about trying the Gem, but we are having trouble getting excited about the Breakaway and can't decide if we should keep the cruise or not. It is a more expensive cruise over Christmas, so we don't want to spend the Christmas premium on a "bad" ship. Lol. Overall, the ship looks great-- I think it is the reviews that are making us think twice. It seems to be the one ncl ship that gets consistently bad reviews. Interesting points everyone is making about sailing out of NYC and having to deal with cold sea days.

 

We are from NY and have sailed the Breakaway 6 times, we have always enjoyed our time on board, it's my DH fave ship.We have sailed her 4 times between November - February (recently returned from the 2/2, cruise) and it can be very challenging durning the first sea day or two if the weather is not favorable. That is one of the things you take into consideration sailing out of the NE durning winter months. We have sailed twice to Bermuda with perfect weather conditions both ways and people are better able to spread out right from the start.

 

We are on the repositioning cruise that will bring the BA to NOLA, we had booked when it was still the Gem relocating. We were happy to learn of the switch to the Breakaway for this 15 day trip, although sad since we have so many great memories from our time aboard.

Go and Enjoy - you will have a wonderful time :cool::tropical-drink:

[trician24]

I have to agree with the demographic being the main issue with the BA. I live in NY and would never said out of NYC or NJ even. I always hear how easy it is and how you can save money ....blah blah blah. I simply do not want to be on a ship with 4000 other people who are 90% from the NY area. I see too much of them everyday and that is no vacation for me. On our last cruise (the Epic) we met so many nice people from the mid-west and south. It was very refreshing!

[armwinder]

We just experienced a 14 day cruises on the Breakaway, our first time on the ship. It was not quite what we expected but was ok. The smoke is a real problem around the inside of Maltings and it permeates all the way aft to Ocean Blue and across to la Cucina. The noodles bar is unusable for us as the smoke from the casino if overwhelming. The ship is extremely busy especially on sea days when the outside decks are closed. It was interesting spending some time on the Breakaway but for now we will sail on the smaller ships.

[pattycakes]

I sail out of NY most of the time. I've sailed NCL, Celebrity and Carnival. One cruise was horrendous -- back in 2003. Otherwise, I've met some really good people and have had very pleasant experiences. But I do avoid anything in winter or during school breaks.

[Njkrewzer]

I love the breakaway

[mking8288]

OK, inhale/breath in slowly & hold - exhale slowly - now, think for a few moment:

 

What's bad: is it the ship, or being the sailing from New York City, or where some/most of the passengers are from, or, a combination of all of the above, or a matrix of all the good & bad elements blended.

 

Has anyone sailed both the BA and the Gem recently ? noticed anything similar or different about these ships - 2 different class in itself with different "personalities" ?

 

Hold those personal biases, stereotypes and beliefs aside - could some of the "bad" encounters happened in another cruise port city, a different time of the year - sailings with a higher # of families cruising with kids, children and teens, and immature adults, etc. tend to give a bad "rap" to the unlucky vessels during its passage.

 

BA obviously not considered by some as one of the better "ship" in the NCL fleet, but with just 5 sailings returning to NYC as homeport before doing its T/A to repo to Europe, next 2 upcoming sailing is full, sold out and the one close to Easter is going to be sold out soon ... obviously, there are others who are booking and boarding, regardless.

 

We don't necessary love the ship and prefer the Gem/similiar class ships for its different layout & design - but, we've sailed the BA .... 4 times, about once a year - in part, out of convenience with DW's work schedule & timing. Nothing is perfect in this world we live in and share with others. A vacation, a good cruise is how we set our expectations and live with the up's and down's instead of being miserable, and, if it rain on the parade, put on a raincoat and go dancing.

 

As for that sometimes ... chaotic, disembarkation processed inside the cruise terminal ... go blame & scream at CBP and Homeland Security. And, don't forget to talk to your Congressional delegation's staff liaison about it. Frequent travelers & flyers alike, I much rather deal with the port vs. landing at or flying out of area airports, even if the Global Entry lines are open & staffed by uniformed blue shirts.

 

If NCL would just fix a minor problem, replaced the worn out & sagging mattress in Room 8xxx, that would be perfect - just 1 of 2 was bad, reported already. Just remember, life is a beach ... just don't get sunburn and the tendering ride is ALWAYS rocky to GSC, with a coin toss. :halo: