Breakaway March 4 review

[alicia68]

Just returned from the March 4 Breakaway. Good and bad on this particular NCL cruise. The ship is lovely and well kept. Tons of things for people to do.

 

This was a spring breaker cruise so it was extremely busy but expected. Cruise was mostly made up of local NY/NJ and French Canadians. A ton of kids but most were well behaved. Saw some issues with a few of them but security guard was posted on deck 8 top of the atrium for the last few days to get after kids playing on the main stair cases. Life guard/pool attendant posted at the pool the few times I was out there seemed to be keeping an eye on things which was great too see.

 

Entertainment- Reserved Escape the Big Top. Was placed with a very nice group of young people from Montreal. This experience was a lot of fun and enjoyed by all. Wont go into more detail as we were sworn to secrecy when leaving lol

 

Rock of Ages- I thought the show was fantastic! My travel partner did not. She thought it too be a bit on the vulgar side, so did I but they give plenty of warning before the show so if you are on the prudish side be prepared. Also if you are a parent, please respect the age limit of the show. I saw a ton of kids under 10 being brought into the show then the parents getting mad about the content. My second warning would be to use the bathroom before you go to the show as it is almost 2 hours!

 

Burn the Floor- While I thought it was entertaining it did get a bit boring but thats just my personal taste For me this show has no repeat value.

 

Levity comedy shows- I really enjoyed the two shows I saw. The comedians were quite good.

 

Cirque Dreams- The enjoyed the show very much definitely worth seeing. I do think the price would be more in line with say the $30-$35 pp cost rather than $47.99 pp. The food was ok but nothing to write home about. On the most part you wont walk out thinking "wow that was a great meal"

 

Onboard activities- There is a lot too do during the day. Like any other ship there is an abundance of things to do during the day from bingo to trivia to art auctions. Something for everyone.

 

Music- Always a place to watch live entertainment. For me it was just too loud. Alvin and Emily in the atrium were great but I dont think the volume needs to be that loud. They are playing an atrium not a stadium. Impossible to talk to your table mates if eating at O Sheehans. Pool music again pretty good but overly loud to the point of distortion. Fats Cats had a band with a female singer that was just bad. She was loud and screechy. The first night we saw here she was doing a Tina Turner "impression" that led to her falling and knocking over a table. Maybe she was having an off week who knows.

 

Dining- always subjective.

Le Bistro was fabulous. The french onion soup was some of the best we have had. Filet was cooked perfect. Little skimpy on the potato but thats ok. Best coffee on the ship.

 

Main Dining room- tried at 6 pm, 7 pm and 8 pm for the Manhattan room never got in waiting upwards of 45 minutes each time and just couldnt wait any longer we were too hungry

 

Did go to Taste one night waiting and hour and 15 minutes and finally got in. Service was fair. Food was ok.

 

Savor Breakfast- Were seated very fast which was great. Waitress took our order. Simple bacon eggs and toast. When it arrived it was delivered to the table by a different waitress. Toast didnt show so I asked about it and she said she would get our waitress. When our waitress arrived I asked again about the toast. She sighed heavily and said that was in another kitchen and stood there. I looked at her and she said do you really want me to get it. I said yes please. When she did finally bring it it was cold and not buttered. Butter is on the table but was too hard to spread.

 

Buffet- Well its buffet and not expected to be top notch food but it was ok. There are plenty of things to choose from. I find the stations are spaced too far apart and broken up so much that when you think you have seen everything if you walk a bit further you will find something else you didnt see before. Biggest tip here is find a table first. If you dont by the time you get your food and find one food will be ice cold. No waiters walking around offering coffee or juices so be sure to get those if you want them. Tables were not cleaned very fast. Also when you are on a full ship please keep in mind that when you are done eating chances are there are other people waiting for a table. Please socialize elsewhere so someone else can enjoy a meal.

 

Cabin 13790 MA minisuite. Personal opinion dont waste money on a mini suite they are small and the balcony is a joke. A standard balcony would suffice. The only difference really is a larger bathroom.

 

Itinerary- We left NYC 4 hours late due to currents or something along those lines. Captain did make announcements but you really couldnt hear them. Majority of the passengers did not seem to care what he was saying and just talked louder to their group to drown out the announcement. Same with the muster drill. Guess they already knew what they are supposed to do in the case of an emergency because they had better things to talk about. Seas were a bit rough but I have had worse. Missed Great Stirrup as it was not safe to tender. Alot of people disappointed in this but I would rather be safe. Late getting into Port Canaveral. Again lots of disappointed passengers that couldnt do the Disney things they planned. We went to Kennedy Space Center. Granted we didnt get to stay very long but we were able to see some of the things we wanted to and will make that a destination unto itself on a later non cruise trip. The drive to Kennedy was interesting in that we saw many alligators, some type of little shark or fish with fins jumping in the water and a wild boar!

Nassau well its a been there dont that day for us. Weather wasnt the greatest so didnt support a beach day. Just a bit of shopping and a Starbucks coffee. Sad that Starbucks seems like great coffee after being on a ship! We did end up in Nassau early arriving the early evening before. Shops and casino were allowed to stay open on the ship that night.

 

Staff- This is the first time on any cruise that the staff seemed subpar and unhappy. No good mornings when passing crew in the hallways, no smiles. They all seemed over worked and I get that it was spring break but it was almost impossible to get a drink at any bar. Bars were filled with people who spent the whole day sitting in one spot and yelling drink order to the bar tenders. If you were a casual customer you were over run by the "regulars"

 

The Escape pulled in beside us in Nassau and I was appalled to see a mom on the balcony who sat her daughter on the balcony railing. Many letting their small children play on the balcony unsupervised. This is why bad things happen.

 

All in all we were away from home so that was great. I think whatever team designed this ship needs to rethink layout. 1 large dining and 2 smaller restaurants is not enough room to feed that many people in a timely fashion. Best tip is book ahead with the dining and drink plan. That way you can go to the specialty restaurants for good food and better service.

[dexddd]

Thanks for the review. When you mentioned the late departure and then late arrival into PC a couple people made mention of that here on the boards. PC is already tough day getting in at 1.

 

Did they still have the chicken and beef kabobs at the buffet? It has been awhile since we were on the BA but those were really good.

[jdvmd]

Thanks for your comments! Agree with you completely about Burn the Floor, Rock of Ages and Le Bistro.

[cruis247g]

Thank you so much for your review. It was very informative and helpful.

[Keith1010]

Thank you for your very well written review.

Keith

[alicia68]

They did have a grill night at the buffet with lots of options however I didnt see any kabobs. There really is plenty to choose from though from Asian to Indian (for Indian food you need to go right to the very end of the buffet). Biggest thing with buffet food and this is every cruiseline/ship is not to expect piping hot. Lots of people complaining about cold food. Even in the Taste and Savor food was always warm but not hot. OSheehans food was prepared the hottest out of the places we chose to eat.

 

I will not likely repeat this itinerary as I prefer an Eastern or Southern when it comes to Caribbean but for anyone going it is wise to not tell your children if you plan on doing the Disney excursion. Let it be a surprise should you make it and not a disappointment should you not be able too. There were alot of sad faces from kids and parents because of it.

 

We loved the Waterfront area to sit and have a drink.

 

There was no where other than your stateroom to get away from noise and just read a book or relax without the craziness of the people on this voyage. We went to the library a few times but it was too busy with no seating available.

 

The card room did get good use on this ship.

 

The Ice Bar- Didnt see many people utilize this space on this or previous Breakaway cruises. Maybe they will rethink this space when she goes in for a refurb.

 

Wasabi/ Ocean Blue and the Raw Bar were also places that only very very few people seems to try. Empty most times.

 

Teppanyaki was always busy as was the noodle bar.

 

I would love to see the Manhattan Room be open for breakfast and lunch somewhere for a more relaxing experience.

 

I understand that many people like the freestyle aspect of NCL but it would be nice to have the option of freestyle or traditional dining. With freestyle it seems waiters are rushed trying to turn over the table so quickly. I dont need a waiter that dotes on us but would prefer one who had time to smile

 

Casino is fairly large but smoking and non smoking areas are not marked or not clearly marked at least and you could always see smokers bewildered as to where they should be. Not having a proper bar in the casino is also a drawback on this ship. A main bar inside the casino I think would be a better option than Bar 21 on your way out of the one end of the casino.

 

The Iconcierge app. If you are going to pay the $9.99 pp to use this app for text/talk be prepared that it will not always work. It worked about half the time. Its good when it does but frustrating when it doesnt.

 

This was out 7th NCL and our least favourite. It just didnt have the service we have received on other NCL ships. We personally dont need the bells and whistles of the newer ships and prefer the Gem/ Jewel ect.

[sfrisina]

Hi, I am going on this cruise this Sunday, I was just curious if they had any "theme" nights. I recall a few years back on a cruise i was on, they had 80's night one night. Do you recall any theme nights like that?

[joyful1nh]

Hi, I am going on this cruise this Sunday, I was just curious if they had any "theme" nights. I recall a few years back on a cruise i was on, they had 80's night one night. Do you recall any theme nights like that?

 

I just returned from the March 4 sailing as well. I agree 100% on the OP's review of the shows - we loved Rock of Ages, and found that Burn the Floor was a bit boring. My experience was a bit different as I was in the Haven (and reading this I believe it was worth every extra penny we paid). I'm starting to work on my review now, but hopefully the OP won't mind that I jump in and answer your question on theme nights - on our cruise they had the following parties:

Day 1 - 70's Disco Groove dance Party

Day 2 - Norwegian Night Out Party

Day 3 - Sizzle Latin Party

Day 4 - Awesome 80's Party

Day 5 - GLOW Party

Day 6 - Throw Back 90's Party

Day 7 - Farewell Toga Party

 

While I had originally planned on attending these - we didn't make it to any of them so I cannot comment on how they were.

[oenophilemoose]

Hi Joyful....sailing on Breakaway in August. How late does The Haven Restaurant serve dinner? Some of the shore excursions do not get back to the ship until 900 pm. Also, do you know the dinner hours of the specialty restaurants?

 

The Moose

[joyful1nh]

Hi Joyful....sailing on Breakaway in August. How late does The Haven Restaurant serve dinner? Some of the shore excursions do not get back to the ship until 900 pm. Also, do you know the dinner hours of the specialty restaurants?

 

The Moose

 

Hello!

 

The Haven was open until 9:30pm each evening for dinner on our itinerary. I don't know if they adjust the schedule for various itineraries or if it is standard. The Haven Restaurant was one of our favorites. Most of the specialty restaurants served until 10pm.

[oenophilemoose]

Thanks Joyful. Hopefully they will seat us if we walk in near "closing time". If not, may those will be the nights we go to the specialty restaurants.

 

Cheers!

 

The Moose

[konthego]

I too got off same cruise and the OP is right on in her review. Great review. The noise level in the Atrium combined with O’Sheehans restaurant Above it and these 2 decks being the main thoroughfares, is way too loud. Many passengers said they would not sail at this time of year again and I agree. Wait for warmer weather when sailing from NYC. Wife and I went to Manhattan dining room twice, once at 6:00 and once at 7:00 and got seated right away. We did 3 specialty dinners Le Bistro, CAgneys, and Moderno. CAgneys was ok but the other two were much better.

[BirdTravels]

Very nice review. Thank you.

[Sotermarler]

Thanks for your review.

I agree with you, I sailed that itinerary last year and I wouldn’t do it again either.

 

 

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