My Breakaway December 6th cruise - good, bad and ugly

[NLH Arizona]

Overall, had a wonderful cruise, but not sure I would cruise on one of the mega ships again, it is just too big and way too many people for my taste.

 

The good

• My aft-penthouse was awesome.  Unlike the ones I’ve been in on the smaller ships, this cabin had a living room, a bedroom, two bathrooms and an extremely huge balcony.
• Concierge, Bowen, was totally awesome.  First time I’ve ever tipped the Concierge more than my Butler.
• Cabin Steward, Ulysses, was the best.
• Dining.  Ate at Cagney’s a number of times and it was fantastic, same for the Teppanyaki restaurant.  The Manager at the Teppanyaki restaurant was the best Manager I’ve seen.  When it got busy, she wasn’t afraid to help out and clear tables, bring drinks, etc.  Also had a couple of lunches at Margaritaville and it was very good….put some salsa in the queso and it is great.
• Spa.  Had two services by Ireana and they was great.

The bad

• Safe in cabin was very, very small.  You couldn’t even lay down an Ipad flat, you had to put it in at a diagonal, which took up a lot of space.
• Playing a guppies video in the atrium one morning.  There was one child and some adults waiting for it to finish.  This just seemed strange to me.
• La Cucina changed their menu, nothing interested me. 
• The pool deck drink servers didn’t seem to want to work.  There were three servers and they spent most of their time standing around talking.  One stood in the bar about 10 minutes and then made some drinks and took them to deliver them.  One day, they noticed the Captain coming past and boy did they scatter, but unfortunately after he was gone, they went back to standing around talking. 
• Other than the Cabin Stewards, Haven crew and specialty restaurant staff, many of the crew didn’t seem that friendly and would actually look down as they passed. First time I’ve encountered this.
• Drink service in the casino was pretty much non-existent.
• Embarkation was the worst I’ve ever seen in New Orleans.  You couldn’t tell where the embarkation line was versus the disembarkation line and the port staff didn’t have a clue where to send folks.  I had to ask four people where the suite check in was.  Not to mention that there was construction, which made everything worse. 

The ugly

• Diapered and non-potty trained kids in the splash zone.  Even though the signed said no diapers or no non-trained children, parents took them in.  One grandmother kept trying to tuck in her grandchild’s diaper into her bathing suit, so you know she knew the rules.  When I asked the lifeguard, her first comment was that was not her area and that it was hot and there was no place for children to cool off.  Then she said, if a parent tells her, even though the child is wearing swim diapers, that they are potty trained, she will let them in the pool she is responsible for.
• The smoking section on the pool deck is great, but unfortunately some would stand outside it and the smell of smoke was awful when in the lounger area around the area. I would put a door on the smoking cube, so folks had to stay inside to smoke.
• Folks would be smoking in the non-smoking section of the casino.
• Unfortunately the ship had an outbreak of the norovirus.  On about day six or seven, they took the ketchup and salt & pepper off the tables in the buffet.  Many numbers have been bantered around, as to how many had the norovirus, but who knows.  Folks also complaining about getting colds, etc., but then again it is the cold and flu season.  Saw lots of folks coughing and sneezing without covering their mouths spreading their germs to everyone.  Luckily, I didn’t get either the virus or a cold.
• Disembarkation was a cluster.  Suites were allowed to disembark and then the port personnel made is stand there for 20 to 30 minutes before we could go in and get our luggage.  I spoke with a lady who was not in a suite and she said they had them standing in this huge line forever, before they let them in.

Misc

• Never received a straw in any drinks, but also never asked nor did I hear anyone complaining about not getting one.  Didn’t miss them.
• There was no ribeye steak my first night at Cagney’s (first day of cruise), but by my next visit, two days later they were back in stock and folks were ordering it.
• I did bring back the dailies.  I won't post them, but if you have any questions, I'll try to answer them.

Edited December 18, 2018 by NLH Arizona

[gooch47]

I forgot to mention Teppanyaki in all my comments about our cruise just before this one.  Strange to say, but my husband had the best FIlet Mignon we have ever tasted there.   And our "chef" was fantastic.

[Alan C]

Thanks for the post, we are sailing on 1/27, and appreciate your thoughts.   Happy Holidays.

 

 

[newmexicoNita]

1 hour ago, NLH Arizona said:

Overall, had a wonderful cruise, but not sure I would cruise on one of the mega ships again, it is just too big and way too many people for my taste.

 

The good

• My aft-penthouse was awesome.  Unlike the ones I’ve been in on the smaller ships, this cabin had a living room, a bedroom, two bathrooms and an extremely huge balcony.
• Concierge, Bowen, was totally awesome.  First time I’ve ever tipped the Concierge more than my Butler.
• Cabin Steward, Ulysses, was the best.
• Dining.  Ate at Cagney’s a number of times and it was fantastic, same for the Teppanyaki restaurant.  The Manager at the Teppanyaki restaurant was the best Manager I’ve seen.  When it got busy, she wasn’t afraid to help out and clear tables, bring drinks, etc.  Also had a couple of lunches at Margaritaville and it was very good….put some salsa in the queso and it is great.
• Spa.  Had two services by Ireana and they was great.

The bad

• Safe in cabin was very, very small.  You couldn’t even lay down an Ipad flat, you had to put it in at a diagonal, which took up a lot of space.
• Playing a guppies video in the atrium one morning.  There was one child and some adults waiting for it to finish.  This just seemed strange to me.
• La Cucina changed their menu, nothing interested me. 
• The pool deck drink servers didn’t seem to want to work.  There were three servers and they spent most of their time standing around talking.  One stood in the bar about 10 minutes and then made some drinks and took them to deliver them.  One day, they noticed the Captain coming past and boy did they scatter, but unfortunately after he was gone, they went back to standing around talking. 
• Other than the Cabin Stewards, Haven crew and specialty restaurant staff, many of the crew didn’t seem that friendly and would actually look down as they passed. First time I’ve encountered this.
• Drink service in the casino was pretty much non-existent.
• Embarkation was the worst I’ve ever seen in New Orleans.  You couldn’t tell where the embarkation line was versus the disembarkation line and the port staff didn’t have a clue where to send folks.  I had to ask four people where the suite check in was.  Not to mention that there was construction, which made everything worse. 

The ugly

• Diapered and non-potty trained kids in the splash zone.  Even though the signed said no diapers or no non-trained children, parents took them in.  One grandmother kept trying to tuck in her grandchild’s diaper into her bathing suit, so you know she knew the rules.  When I asked the lifeguard, her first comment was that was not her area and that it was hot and there was no place for children to cool off.  Then she said, if a parent tells her, even though the child is wearing swim diapers, that they are potty trained, she will let them in the pool she is responsible for.
• The smoking section on the pool deck is great, but unfortunately some would stand outside it and the smell of smoke was awful when in the lounger area around the area. I would put a door on the smoking cube, so folks had to stay inside to smoke.
• Folks would be smoking in the non-smoking section of the casino.
• Unfortunately the ship had an outbreak of the norovirus.  On about day six or seven, they took the ketchup and salt & pepper off the tables in the buffet.  Many numbers have been bantered around, as to how many had the norovirus, but who knows.  Folks also complaining about getting colds, etc., but then again it is the cold and flu season.  Saw lots of folks coughing and sneezing without covering their mouths spreading their germs to everyone.  Luckily, I didn’t get either the virus or a cold.
• Disembarkation was a cluster.  Suites were allowed to disembark and then the port personnel made is stand there for 20 to 30 minutes before we could go in and get our luggage.  I spoke with a lady who was not in a suite and she said they had them standing in this huge line forever, before they let them in.

Misc

• Never received a straw in any drinks, but also never asked nor did I hear anyone complaining about not getting one.  Didn’t miss them.
• There was no ribeye steak my first night at Cagney’s (first day of cruise), but by my next visit, two days later they were back in stock and folks were ordering it.
• I did bring back the dailies.  I won't post them, but if you have any questions, I'll try to answer them.

Our feeling about mega ships: they certainly are not for everyone but I have heard from a few friends and our TA that the Bliss is the exception. I don't think I am going to ever find out.

 

As for Nora we were on one ship that had a breakout the sailing before and some carry over. It as the biggest pain in the you know what. I give the crew and the staff credit on how they handled it, but it still was an experience I hope never to have to deal with again.

 

Kids, when we were on the Breakaway about 18 or so months ago it was Spring break for many, plus 2 days of crappy weather. I never witnessed such misbehaved kids in my life. Even our daughter who has more patience than I ever had, couldn't get over how rude the kids were. She would have killed her kids or grandkids if they acted the way a lot of these kids did. 

[Pauser]

Thanks so much for taking the time to write this review. We're not megaship people either, but it's good to have new experiences! Sounds like you had a great cruise.

[ggTexasGal]

Thank you for the well worded review!  Glad you went home well!

gg

[Barb Nahoumi]

I'm not a mega ship fan either.  As long as the Jewel or Dawn class ships are available to where I want to go, I will continue to book them.

[Tenderpaw]

We were on this cruise and agree with the OP's comments.  And i picked up a bad cold on the last day and my wife was hit with NORO and 102 fever the night we got home.  Thank goodness we were home.  Enjoyed the cruise otherwise.

 

 

[esm54687]

Fantastic review...... just curious because a poster on another forum / app is reporting that on your week there were "3 - 4 deaths" and "passengers being burned by flaming embers coming out of the smoke stack falling down on the deck" .......  any of this happen? 

Edited December 19, 2018 by esm54687

[BirdTravels]

Thanks for the good, bad, and ugly. Noro is definitely an ugly thing to have on a cruise.

[Tenderpaw]

14 minutes ago, esm54687 said:

Fantastic review...... just curious because a poster on another forum / app is reporting that on your week there were "3 - 4 deaths" and "passengers being burned by flaming embers coming out of the smoke stack falling down on the deck" .......  any of this happen? 

I don't know if anyone died, but the ship was met by ambulances in at least 2 ports and there were 3 waiting for the ship in NO.  Regarding the burning embers, i think that is an exageration, but apparently one night a lot of sparks were coming from the stack due the the engines carboning up in the Mississippi River.

[esm54687]

3 minutes ago, Tenderpaw said:

I don't know if anyone died, but the ship was met by ambulances in at least 2 ports and there were 3 waiting for the ship in NO.  Regarding the burning embers, i think that is an exageration, but apparently one night a lot of sparks were coming from the stack due the the engines carboning up in the Mississippi River.

Yikes!!! 

 

Thanks

[richstowe]

9 hours ago, NLH Arizona said:

The good

• My aft-penthouse was awesome.  Unlike the ones I’ve been in on the smaller ships, this cabin had a living room, a bedroom, two bathrooms and an extremely huge balcony.

Why did you sail this cruise ? Wouldn't a Breakaway aft-penthouse be similar in cost to a suite on a premium cruise line .

[fmrlkr]

DH and I were also on this cruise.  I got hit with noro on Monday night, DH on Wednesday night.  I agree, lots of cases but who knows exactly how many.  We did not report it, just dealt with it.  Rumor on the ship (rots) was there were 4 deaths, among them a heart attack on an excursion in Cozumel and an elderly man who choked at dinner.  We were in the casino when we heard a frantic announcement "code alpha, zone seven" and assume this was what happened.

 

We were not able to tender in Grand Cayman, the Captain said it was the high waves, rots said it was the noro which kept us on the ship.  One person was taken off the ship there for a medical emergency.

 

Most annoying was the evasion (lying) of the crew.  

 

This was the best food we have ever had on NCL.  We ate at La Cucina 4 times.  I cannot say enough about the osso bucco.  Also the filet with blue cheese ravioli.  A new item was the shrimp ravioli, we loved it, and the carbonara.  Tiramisu for desert.

 

We go to LeBistro for the escargo.  DH ordered 2 both times.  I had the scallops 2 times.  

 

We are giving up on Cagneys.  This was the 4th cruise we have eaten there.  The service is always like an afterthought.  The food mediorce.  The lobster bisque was ruined by a too dark roux.   I had the ribeye, the quality was not great.  It was cooked perfectly medium rare.  Sides were Applebys like.  The 7 layer cake was dry and too sweet.  The cheesecake was great.

 

I agree that the staff was not overly friendly, but we found a few, shout out to Queenie at La Cucina.

 

Embarcation and debarcation were horrible.  Nobody knew what was going on.

 

Not the best cruise ever, however we will cruise again.

[AllAmericanAmy]

10 hours ago, NLH Arizona said:

 

• I did bring back the dailies.  I won't post them, but if you have any questions, I'll try to answer them.

Hello!  I appreciate your review very much!  Was Melvin Howard, acoustic guitarist/singer on this sailing?  Heard great things about him & hoping to see him Jan 6 when we sail!

 

Thanks - Amy

[AllAmericanAmy]

21 minutes ago, fmrlkr said:

This was the best food we have ever had on NCL.  We ate at La Cucina 4 times.  I cannot say enough about the osso bucco.  Also the filet with blue cheese ravioli.  A new item was the shrimp ravioli, we loved it, and the carbonara.  Tiramisu for desert.

 

Appreciate hearing positive things about the food... I was tempted to disregard LaCucina as an option, but hearing the things you enjoyed makes me think we'll give it another look in January.  The filet w/ blue cheese ravioli sounds good, as does the osso bucco, so thanks for that!

 

Take care...

[chong67]

I was on this ship too. First 2 nights did the fine dining, then we just eat buffet food.

 

Sad we cant tender at Georgetown.

 

For the price I paid with the sail away rate, I get a family room.

 

 

[NW Pacific]

what time did you get to the Port in New Orleans. trying to figure out a good time to arrive for our Feb sailing , how was the  Haven area.  We sailed the Breakaway to Bermuda  several yrs ago and had Haven access, hoping it is still the same.  We were on the Bliss in Oct., the Haven experience was the very best.  the observation lounge was over the top for atmosphere, view and never   more than 15 people at a time in there on our cruise.  realize Breakaway does not have that feature.  How  was the entertainment?  Besides the 2 shows you have to make reservations for.  Any meals in the Haven restaurant?  Getting sick onboard surely puts one big downer on a vacation.  

[NLH Arizona]

10 hours ago, richstowe said:

Why did you sail this cruise ? Wouldn't a Breakaway aft-penthouse be similar in cost to a suite on a premium cruise line .

I did this cruise, because the cost was right and I cruise out of New Orleans evey year.  Because of CAS, I only paid $1,800 for the 10 day cruise in a Haven aft-penthouse.  Why wouldn't I take this cruise?

[NLH Arizona]

11 hours ago, Tenderpaw said:

I don't know if anyone died, but the ship was met by ambulances in at least 2 ports and there were 3 waiting for the ship in NO.  Regarding the burning embers, i think that is an exageration, but apparently one night a lot of sparks were coming from the stack due the the engines carboning up in the Mississippi River.

I've heard that 3 or 4 died.  One that died was a gentleman who went on a scuba excursion and then came back to the ship and had a heart attack.  Not sure about the others.  With the age of many cruisers, it is not abnormal for their to be deaths on a cruise.

 

Edited December 19, 2018 by NLH Arizona

[NLH Arizona]

10 hours ago, fmrlkr said:

 

We were not able to tender in Grand Cayman, the Captain said it was the high waves, rots said it was the noro which kept us on the ship.  One person was taken off the ship there for a medical emergency.

 

 

They did send a tender off, with some crew that were going home, and when they got to the dock, a friend of one of the crew members who left, said that her friend said it was really rocky when they went to get off the tender and one person fell and had to go to the hospital for stitches.   

[NLH Arizona]

9 hours ago, NW Pacific said:

what time did you get to the Port in New Orleans. trying to figure out a good time to arrive for our Feb sailing , how was the  Haven area.  We sailed the Breakaway to Bermuda  several yrs ago and had Haven access, hoping it is still the same.  We were on the Bliss in Oct., the Haven experience was the very best.  the observation lounge was over the top for atmosphere, view and never   more than 15 people at a time in there on our cruise.  realize Breakaway does not have that feature.  How  was the entertainment?  Besides the 2 shows you have to make reservations for.  Any meals in the Haven restaurant?  Getting sick onboard surely puts one big downer on a vacation.  

We got there before I woke up at 7:00.  I wouldn't get there until after 12:00 or so.  I got there at about 11:00 and it was a total cluster.  Port employee told me to get in one line, which was the disembarkation line.  The next employee gave be a boarding number 7 card and when I said, where is the suite check in, she just looked at me.  I finally found someone who knew what they were doing. 

 

The Haven area was great.  I didn't use it much, except for breakfast and lunch on some days and on the day to get away from grumpy folks because we couldn't tender in Grand Cayman.  The restaurant and  bar staff were awesome and if you are lucky enough to have Bowen as your Concierge, you won't want for a thing.  One thing Bowen did.  He came in when I was at La Cucina and was asking for veal and a side of spaghetti bolognese.  La Cucina doesn't serve the spaghetti bolognese anymore.  Bowen had them bring up the spaghetti as a side dish for veal the next day at the Haven restaurant.  Haven restaurant breakfast and lunch were very good, I just wish they would change up the menu a little.

 

I don't do the entertainment, but some folks said it was great.

 

Glad I didn't get the norovirus; I know one day it will come, but so far 60 cruise and I haven't gotten the virus. 

[NLH Arizona]

10 hours ago, AllAmericanAmy said:

Hello!  I appreciate your review very much!  Was Melvin Howard, acoustic guitarist/singer on this sailing?  Heard great things about him & hoping to see him Jan 6 when we sail!

 

Thanks - Amy

I quickly scanned the dailies (I have to leave for an appointment) and didn't see his name.  I will look better when I get back home.

Edited December 19, 2018 by NLH Arizona

[richstowe]

27 minutes ago, NLH Arizona said:

I did this cruise, because the cost was right and I cruise out of New Orleans evey year.  Because of CAS, I only paid $1,800 for the 10 day cruise in a Haven aft-penthouse.  Why wouldn't I take this cruise?

Makes sense . Very good deal .

[AllAmericanAmy]

1 hour ago, NLH Arizona said:

I quickly scanned the dailies (I have to leave for an appointment) and didn't see his name.  I will look better when I get back home.

Thanks so much - I appreciate your willingness to help! 

When you're taking a 2nd look at them, can you also please let me know the exact days & time Escape the Big Top escape room was offered?   We are doing this same itinerary as you did, so ours should be the same.  I'm trying to coordinate a group from my roll call and it'd be great to know ahead and be able to plan it before we get onboard.

Thanks again ---   btw, do you have your next cruise planned already?   If so, go ahead and tell me so I can be all jealous!     I live vicariously thru others!