Review — Breakaway 4/8-4/15/2018 NYC to FL and Bahamas

[SwimAruba]

NCL — Breakaway — 4/8-4/15/2018

 

Hi all! These boards are always so helpful, and thought I would share my thoughts on a few areas in question that were in my mind ahead of the trip as we are now wrapping up a wonderful vacation!

 

Our scoop... my husband and I are on this cruise with our 2 daughters, about 6yrs and 18months. We were crazy lucky to score an incredible deal on a Haven aft Suite when we first booked (not a bidding upgrade). First time on NCL, have previously sailed Royal and Celebrity.

 

Here it goes... random list of topics in no particular order...

 

Parking at NYC port — while not inexpensive, very reasonable for being in the middle of Manhattan. So beyond easy off the Henry Hudson, it was great!

 

The Haven — Yes, it is downright magical. Quiet, serene, comfortable. Restaurant is delicious, bar welcoming and available, pool area never too crowded, and sun deck nice and big with plenty of seating. Wonderful to have a true Haven to retreat to. If you ever have the opportunity to commit to it, I highly recommend.

 

Our room (Haven aft) — balcony, balcony, balcony! 4-top table AND 4 loungers with plenty of room to spare. We brought a blow-up kiddie pool and it was great! It was a trek to the Haven each time, but no big deal.

 

Rock of Ages — simply floored by the talent and commitment of the performers! It was EXCELLENT!! My husband went to Burn the Floor and said the same thing. Terrific talent on board!

 

Teppanyaki hibachi — delectable! We debated skipping as we have hibachi at home, and so glad we did not as it was delish!

 

Pool area — seemed small for amount of folks on board. We followed the rules of not having our non-potty-trained daughter in the pools, but cannot say the same for all on board.

 

Onto the ports....

 

Port Canaveral — we made a game time decision the day before to go to Disney Magic Kingdom. We are Disney fans, and enjoy any chance we get to be immersed in the magic. We had about 4.5hrs in the Park, and it was excellent! We got through everything we wanted to and at a leisurely pace. Crowds (thank you touringplans.com) and weather (on and off drizzle) both worked in our favor. It’s doable for the Disney-going experts, but by no means cheap.

 

Great Stirrup Cay — Beautiful! We brought our stroller onto the island and it was easy to navigate the thin layer of sand until getting to the actual beach. Go early, as we saw many folks trying to find seats as the later tenders arrived. Water shoes would also be helpful, it was rocky in some spots.

 

Nassau, Bahamas — we reserved a day pass at Melia resort. We thoroughly enjoyed the pools and beach. It was very quiet, especially considering 4 ships were in port! The resort could use a refurb, but was great for our purposes of a relaxing swim day.

 

First NCL and won’t be the last... boy do I hope it’s not the last Haven either, ha! :-)

 

Holler with any questions, happy to share more, I recognize this is a little haphazard and random, but so it goes with little ones! :-)

 

 

 

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[Shidah]

Sounds like a perfect vacation! Thanks for sharing.

[JusticeisKey]

Hey! It’s Joe and Virginia from the Haven and Rock of Ages! Glad you all had a good time. It was nice chatting with you.

[Pandot]

Glad you had such an awesome trip!

[livetocruise2005]

Glad you had a grest cruise. I am waiting in the terminal to get on can you tell me why your cruise is disembarking so late?

[rmurray847]

Glad you had a grest cruise. I am waiting in the terminal to get on can you tell me why your cruise is disembarking so late?

 

 

 

Yes, I am standing in a non-moving security line. Would like to know as well!

 

 

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[SwimAruba]

Hey! It’s Joe and Virginia from the Haven and Rock of Ages! Glad you all had a good time. It was nice chatting with you.

 

 

 

Hi there!! So great meeting you both! Thanks for keeping me company while my hubby was in the room with our girls :-) We missed the dueling pianos, but definitely on the radar for a future cruise! All the best!

 

 

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[SwimAruba]

Glad you had a grest cruise. I am waiting in the terminal to get on can you tell me why your cruise is disembarking so late?

 

 

 

We were told it was the first time some port authority inspector was waiting and either stopping waves of guests or inspecting bags more closely. Not sure exactly what it was, but very obvious the crew was frustrated by the delay, too.

 

Have a wonderful trip!! Great ship! :-)

 

 

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[Tniel183]

Are any of the activities extra charge?

What are some of the activities?

I saw mini golf, ropes, maybe bowling, some sort of walk the plank lol.

Thanks!

 

 

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[SwimAruba]

Are any of the activities extra charge?

What are some of the activities?

I saw mini golf, ropes, maybe bowling, some sort of walk the plank lol.

Thanks!

 

 

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We were not charged extra for anything we did...

Mini golf

Basketball

Ropes course (very, very impressive and has the plank you are referring to!)

Bungee trampoline

Spider climbing thing with slide

Water slides

Kids water play area

Shuffle board

Arcade (which was actually a blast, though wracked up about 2 pages of incidental charges,so yes, that was extra $$$)

 

I think that covers it! We had a blast, highly recommend!

 

 

 

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[Tniel183]

Wow thanks so much for the reply.

Thinking about booking out of New Orleans

 

 

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[Clarea]

Appreciate the feedback.

[portofrome]

Thank you for the review!