Live from Breakaway 3/7 -VERY FRUSTRATED-DISAPPOINTING TRIP-WON’T DO THIS AGA

[LAXLOVERLIZARDS]

We are currently on the Breakaway sailing from NYC to Florida ?Bahamas- staying in Haven Couryard Penthouse suite- Family of 3.

1. We left late out of NYC7 pm and I pre booked dinner reservations so we pretty much missed the sights leaving (Lady Liberty and Verazano Bridge Manhattan Skyline). You can’t really get up from the Teppanyaki table in the middle of the “show”. Also lots of charges for drink taxes while in port 3 extra hours.

2. Pre booked lots of entertainment for beginning of cruise- all cancelled and moved to the end of the week so we are now waiting and HOPING to finally have some fun end of the week.

3. Arrived late to Port Canaveral. Our tour to KSC...arrived at 330pm...too late to do any bus tour to launch pad and final shows to many imax already over for the day so rocket garden and Atlantis exhibit were all my son (age 12). got to see...boring and pretty pricey for 2.5 hrs at $360. No real thing as priority embarkation with return to ship here...crazy numbers of people piling up at the end of a running escalator...dangerous really.

4. GSC cancelled less than 1 hr before arrival-so bummed but could have predicted it based on other’s stories I read pre- cruise....$24 credit per person ...not really making me feel any better.

5. Discover Scuba now cancelled for tomorrow ....weather though it is typical island weather. NOW WHAT...we tried to book a Segway tour at Blue Lagoon and that too is cancelled...

6. Paid for unlimited WiFi- works occasionally definitely not worth $179.

7. I concierge- $9.99 x 3 people- yes even if you have unlimited package you still need to pay this fee.

8. Spa- paid for thermal suite- great if you go very off times like 8 pm...try showing up middle of the day heated tile loungers you have to wait like a vulture to get one when someone gets up.

9. Pools in Haven and in Thermal spa cooler than you’d like really ok for kids but grown ups like it warmer.

 

Not sure how the rest of this will pan out but for sure this will be my first and last NCL cruise....spent a lot of cash to sit around and eat and drink....

Oh by the way did I warn you that Shanghai Noodle Bar reeks of smoke from the casino...actually a lot OT things in the vicinity of the casino are not tolerable if you are a non smoker. And the best view lounger on the haven private deck are in the “smoking area” ruining it for anyone else who would rather not inhale second hand smoke blown back by the breeze!!!!

Calgon....take me away!!!

[rtkenmore]

We are currently on the Breakaway sailing from NYC to Florida ?Bahamas- staying in Haven Couryard Penthouse suite- Family of 3.

1. We left late out of NYC7 pm and I pre booked dinner reservations so we pretty much missed the sights leaving (Lady Liberty and Verazano Bridge Manhattan Skyline). You can’t really get up from the Teppanyaki table in the middle of the “show”. Also lots of charges for drink taxes while in port 3 extra hours.

2. Pre booked lots of entertainment for beginning of cruise- all cancelled and moved to the end of the week so we are now waiting and HOPING to finally have some fun end of the week.

3. Arrived late to Port Canaveral. Our tour to KSC...arrived at 330pm...too late to do any bus tour to launch pad and final shows to many imax already over for the day so rocket garden and Atlantis exhibit were all my son (age 12). got to see...boring and pretty pricey for 2.5 hrs at $360. No real thing as priority embarkation with return to ship here...crazy numbers of people piling up at the end of a running escalator...dangerous really.

4. GSC cancelled less than 1 hr before arrival-so bummed but could have predicted it based on other’s stories I read pre- cruise....$24 credit per person ...not really making me feel any better.

5. Discover Scuba now cancelled for tomorrow ....weather though it is typical island weather. NOW WHAT...we tried to book a Segway tour at Blue Lagoon and that too is cancelled...

6. Paid for unlimited WiFi- works occasionally definitely not worth $179.

7. I concierge- $9.99 x 3 people- yes even if you have unlimited package you still need to pay this fee.

8. Spa- paid for thermal suite- great if you go very off times like 8 pm...try showing up middle of the day heated tile loungers you have to wait like a vulture to get one when someone gets up.

9. Pools in Haven and in Thermal spa cooler than you’d like really ok for kids but grown ups like it warmer.

 

Not sure how the rest of this will pan out but for sure this will be my first and last NCL cruise....spent a lot of cash to sit around and eat and drink....

Oh by the way did I warn you that Shanghai Noodle Bar reeks of smoke from the casino...actually a lot OT things in the vicinity of the casino are not tolerable if you are a non smoker. And the best view lounger on the haven private deck are in the “smoking area” ruining it for anyone else who would rather not inhale second hand smoke blown back by the breeze!!!!

Calgon....take me away!!!

 

Have you ever taken a cruise before?

[PTC DAWG]

What’s wrong with eating and drinking?

[pieshops]

1. We left late out of NYC7 pm and I pre booked dinner reservations so we pretty much missed the sights leaving (Lady Liberty and Verazano Bridge Manhattan Skyline). You can’t really get up from the Teppanyaki table in the middle of the “show”. Also lots of charges for drink taxes while in port 3 extra hours. - why didn't you cancel dinner and then re schedule fr another night? Concierge would have taken care of this no problem.

 

2. Pre booked lots of entertainment for beginning of cruise- all cancelled and moved to the end of the week so we are now waiting and HOPING to finally have some fun end of the week. What cancelled - if rough seas are the reason, not sure what you would have wanted them to do?

3. Arrived late to Port Canaveral. Our tour to KSC...arrived at 330pm...too late to do any bus tour to launch pad and final shows to many imax already over for the day so rocket garden and Atlantis exhibit were all my son (age 12). got to see...boring and pretty pricey for 2.5 hrs at $360. No real thing as priority embarkation with return to ship here...crazy numbers of people piling up at the end of a running escalator...dangerous really. - there is no such thing as priority embarkation other then on day one - where was the escalator? if in the port that has nothing to do with NCL - did you ask for some money back on the excursion for the late departure?

4. GSC cancelled less than 1 hr before arrival-so bummed but could have predicted it based on other’s stories I read pre- cruise....$24 credit per person ...not really making me feel any better. - again not sure what you wanted them to do they dont like cancelling but if the weather is not compatible with tendering then thats the way it is.

5. Discover Scuba now cancelled for tomorrow ....weather though it is typical island weather. NOW WHAT...we tried to book a Segway tour at Blue Lagoon and that too is cancelled... - as an experienced scuba diver it is no fun for us when the seas are high, for a newbie this can be extremely dangerous so be glad they cancelled.

6. Paid for unlimited WiFi- works occasionally definitely not worth $179. - wifi on a ship is not the same as on land, never very good

7. I concierge- $9.99 x 3 people- yes even if you have unlimited package you still need to pay this fee. - this has nothing to do with the internet and is 100 percent optional, we have been cruising with our kids for 18 years and never used this, cell phones go in the safe on day one and come out on day 7 - better to just disconnect.

8. Spa- paid for thermal suite- great if you go very off times like 8 pm...try showing up middle of the day heated tile loungers you have to wait like a vulture to get one when someone gets up. - There is plenty of other things to do in the spa, yes there can be a wait but we have never waited any longer then 20 minutes even during the holidays, if I remember correctly there is a sign up stating time limits on the chairs

9. Pools in Haven and in Thermal spa cooler than you’d like really ok for kids but grown ups like it warmer. - what was the temperature?

[ksmcdonald]

When sailing out of the northeast in March, you have to expect weather could be a problem. It is not NCL's fault the weather is bad, they have no control over that. With that said many other cruise lines have experience less than stellar cruises when there was foul weather. Remember the Anthem out of NJ? Actually the Breakaway had a bad run last month as well. We were on a cruise out of Miami last Feb. and it was only 40 degrees in St. Thomas! Rained the whole time and the outside decks were closed off due to wind the 1st half of the cruise. And guess what? It was not an NCL ship we were on!

 

I can totally see you being disappointed about a planned vacation that didn't go as you'd like, and I'm sorry for that. But saying it was all NCL's fault and never booking with them again is a little much. I'm sorry the weather did not cooperate with you. I'm sure if the sun was shining the whole time, all of those mishaps would not of taken place.

[mking8288]

OP, sorry about the disappointment but we knew what not to expect, having done this run on 5 different NCL ships over the years.

 

Looks like ship will be arriving into Nassau by early evening for an overnight visit, maybe one can make the most out of it.

 

Mother nature ruining the day again here in NY, Nor-Easter #2 this month ... much rather be on a ship & not shoveling snow on the steps.

 

Interesting criticism on it's satellite WiFi being not so reliable ... isn't the new 3 tier social media plans available? Did you upgrade to the unlimited plan? If it's that bad, speak nicely to the I Cafe manager for an OBC refund.

 

via Nexus 5X Oreo 8.0 w Tapatalk, VPN secured.

[Peachypooh]

If you are still on the ship make a list of your concerns like entertainment venues and dinner reservations. The Concierge should be able to help you with that. As for the weather NCL really can't help that. The fact the Captain waited 1 hour before to make a decision about tendering might be because he wanted to be absolutely sure before cancelling not to disappoint. As for the spa, talk with the spa personnel and maybe they can work something out.

[PTC DAWG]

When sailing out of the northeast in March, you have to expect weather could be a problem. It is not NCL's fault the weather is bad, they have no control over that. With that said many other cruise lines have experience less than stellar cruises when there was foul weather. Remember the Anthem out of NJ? Actually the Breakaway had a bad run last month as well. We were on a cruise out of Miami last Feb. and it was only 40 degrees in St. Thomas! Rained the whole time and the outside decks were closed off due to wind the 1st half of the cruise. And guess what? It was not an NCL ship we were on!

 

I can totally see you being disappointed about a planned vacation that didn't go as you'd like, and I'm sorry for that. But saying it was all NCL's fault and never booking with them again is a little much. I'm sorry the weather did not cooperate with you. I'm sure if the sun was shining the whole time, all of those mishaps would not of taken place.

 

It just felt that cold...

 

The lowest temperature recorded was 52 degrees in November 1999 on St. Thomas, followed by 55 degrees in March 1991 on St. John and 57 degrees on April 1997 on St. Croix.

[NYcruzzer]

Lesson learned. Sailing the 7 day FLA/Bahamas itinerary in the Winter is always a gamble. Better to fly/cruise from Miami or sail the Gem's longer cruises to the Caribbean out of NYC.

[Motegi]

Two weeks ago we sailed out of Miami and Great Stirrup Cay was cancelled by the Captain the day before we were scheduled to go. So the Captain just kept the ship in Nassau overnight instead. We talked to some cruisers on Junkanoo beach who were on the Breakaway and also had GSC cancelled so they were brought to Nassau a day early for an overnight stop as well. Royal Caribbean made the same choice as well with Coco Cay that week so the port in Nassau was at capacity overnight. Would we have liked to have gone to GSC instead of an overnight in Nassau? Of course. But if the tendering process was going to be potentially too dangerous then I think the Captain made the right decision. Turns out the weather ended up being spectacular that day with minimal wind also we probably could have gone to GSC but I don't fault the Captain for making the decision that he had to make.

 

As others have said the internet services at sea are never very good. You are better off saving your money and just seeking out free wifi at one of your ports of call if you want to check your email and social media. On the other hand if one needed a consistent high speed connection to do work during a vacation then perhaps a cruise is not the best choice.

 

If you felt that sailaway from NewYork was so scenic I'm not sure why you chose to book dinner to overlap during that time. As others have said I'm sure your Suite concierge could have easily rescheduled it for you. We had a similar issue when we were on the Pride of America in Hawaii last year and had a specialty dining reservation during the time when the ship was to sail past Kauai's Napali cliffs. The concierge took care of it very quickly for us.

Edited March 7, 2018 by Motegi

[mom2tcdx2]

So this person is complaining of leaving during a horrible storm, that a large portion of the east coast had no power on Friday and Saturday, but they at least could get out of the port. The winds were horrible here in Virginia as well as all up and down the coast.

 

Personally I like to do a cruise - for the food and drinks. We often could care less if we even get off the ship in some ports. I have missed ports and understand the disappointment. The Breakaway has been one of our more favorite cruises in terms of the bartenders and drinks. Spent more time at the bar between Cagney's and Moderno, than we did anywhere else on the entire ship.

 

My last cruise on Disney we didn't make it to Canada and instead had an extra night in NYC.

[Bkstylez]

A few years ago I sailed the same itinerary on the Breakaway in Nov. We also sailed in the Haven. When we got to FL it was in the mid 30s and raining. We also skipped GSC and stayed overnight. We made the best of the trip and the Haven experience but didn't blame NCL. Can't control the weather. We just told ourselves we won't sail during this time of the year again. Hope you enjoy the rest of your cruise as you are on vacation.

[dd likes to cruise]

Have you ever taken a cruise before?

 

I looked at their previous posts and this is their first cruise.

[ksmcdonald]

It just felt that cold...

 

 

 

The lowest temperature recorded was 52 degrees in November 1999 on St. Thomas, followed by 55 degrees in March 1991 on St. John and 57 degrees on April 1997 on St. Croix.

 

 

 

You are right, it really did feel like 40 though, being wet and adding wind chill! Lol

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mizLORInj]

I agree the Noodle Bar smells of smoke from the casino. We wanted to go to it on Getaway last month but it was 1) very crowded with a wait, and 2) reeked of smoke.

[Bklynjo]

Do you honestly think it was only NCLs ship that was affected? I don't think so....

[Kfamilycruise]

Not sue why we have to endure this every year. The Atlantic Ocean is rough ... we've had two Bomb Cyclones since the beginning of 2018 and those are supposed to be once in a century storms. Winter (mid-November through the end of March) can be very rough with lots of storms. That's why the rates are better. Sailing down the east coast to the Caribbean can be very rough this time of year. Every US sailing from port you have to pay taxes on your drinks -- no matter how long you are in port. It's like 30 to 40 cents a drink and you are in a Haven suite.

 

I wish people would do more research.

 

Having said all of that, I hope you go to your Concierge because he/she can do an awful lot for you if you are nice and express your disappointment -- but do it now, not at the end of the cruise, because at the end you will get nothing.

 

In the end, you are on a beautiful ship and your trip will be what you make of it -- you are in the Haven and if you wanted to book on another cruise line in a suite, it would be exponentially more expensive.

 

If the smoke, is a problem, the Haven restaurant is awesome -- we ate almost every meal there. If there are disappointments, talk to your concierge.

 

Enjoy, have fun and gloat that you are on a cruise while the NE is being hit by snow and many are without power.

[BirdTravels]

If you are still on the ship make a list of your concerns like entertainment venues and dinner reservations. The Concierge should be able to help you with that. As for the weather NCL really can't help that. The fact the Captain waited 1 hour before to make a decision about tendering might be because he wanted to be absolutely sure before cancelling not to disappoint. As for the spa, talk with the spa personnel and maybe they can work something out.

All of the lizard's concerns deal with weather. Leaving late due to high currents in NY harbor, therefore missing the sailaway, weather along the way cancelling shows, late arrival at their first port, weather at GSC. We have sailed in many suites and never had a concierge that could (1) fix the weather or (2) stick the ship in a transporter tube and get it to a port on time. They left very late and sailed around a nor'easter that basically took out the entire north east of the country.

[lcpagejr]

Cruising out of the NE and even Baltimore during the winter months is a huge gamble. The huge nor'easter last weekend was so strong the waves and unsettled ocean was impacted past Grand Turk.... So even the cruises which cruised out of Florida were impacted . Even with calm weather....you lose atleast 2 1/2 days of warm weather when cruising out of NY.

 

IMO....cruises out of NY should be seasonal or 10 dayers so you can enjoy some warmth and go further into the caribbean. I realize their is a huge population base that supports year round cruising out of NY..... and until ships begin to sail partially empty, they will not discontinue during winter months.

[Motegi]

While I stand by my initial comments on this thread, I do feel bad that they missed GSC since this was their first cruise and it seems like they had really high hopes for this vacation. They should blame the weather for this and not NCL.

 

Also I’m sure every one of us made some mistakes or felt that they missed out on something on their very first cruise. But we learned from the mistakes and now most of us are avid cruisers.

 

Inexperience and over expectation are the underlying factors in most of their issues.

 

Excursions get cancelled quite frequently for any number of reasons. I’ve had this happen many times before. You just need to be flexible and have a backup plan.

 

Hopefully they can learn from this cruise and spend more time on the forum to try to make their next cruise a better one!

[Keith1010]

Sorry about the issues.

Keith

[Son of a son of a ...]

Sorry your first cruise stunk. IMO, this is one of the worst seven-day cruise routes offered.

[ksmcdonald]

Sorry your first cruise stunk. IMO, this is one of the worst seven-day cruise routes offered.

 

 

 

I disagree! Leaving in a couple weeks for our third cruise on the Breakaway out of NYC in the last three years!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[rmurray847]

My wife and I are sailing on the Breakaway's Transatlantic in mid-April...our first time on the ship. So I've been keeping up with the boards and anything related to Breakaway. It certainly does seem like these cruises out of NYC at this time of the year are problematic. More so, perhaps, than sailing from Florida during hurricane season. The temptation for anyone anticipating a vacation is to set expectations quite high...and when we book months and months in advance, they can even get unreasonably high. It's a shame when it APPEARS that having cold, rough weather, missing planned destinations, etc. are quite likely on these NYC cruises in the winter; and yet the vacationers seem to have no awareness that flexibility is going to be the order of the day in order to enjoy the cruise.

 

I know I'm over-simplifying, And I'm not one to speak knowledgibly about NYC cruises (never having done one before), but so many of the recent negative Breakaway reviews seemed at least somewhat tainted by things outside of NCL's control. Could they do a better job apologizing and communicating? No doubt. But when the weather is rough, why do some folks seem to think NCL should have done something about that, like refunding half their cost? I've found that trying to read reviews of the ship from the past 3 months or so is almost useless. Almost everyone is ticked about weather and cold. It's tough to get a honest, RECENT appraisal of the Breakaway.

 

I know these comments really added nothing to this conversation. Just venting a smidgen. And, as many say, "Hey, you're on a cruise. How can that be a bad thing?" To the OP, who has apparently fled his own thread...sorry for the issues you're having, but as others have said...go to Guest Services NOW and politely express your disappointments. They'll likely do something for you.

[proll267]

I remember my first cruise....