What is going on with Breakaway? So many bad reviews.

[AdoraBelle]

Yeah, I’m doing the last-minute review freakout thing.

 

Here, in posts and reviews, and in a high-traffic cruise app I’m sure I’m not allowed to name, the same theme is emerging over and over: overworked, understaffed, disorganized, unhappy crew members. 3 hour dinners, 30 minute waits for a drink at the bars, and every one of the poor reviews mentions how unhappy and unfriendly the crew is.

 

Now, many of these are from spring break cruises, which I’m sure is crunch time for an already exhausting job. The thing is, Escape and Getaway aren’t having these themes emerge in their recent reviews. Escape’s main “bad” recent reviews are about the listing issue.

 

Breakaway also recently failed their health inspection. (No, I am not worried about it, but do wonder if it’s an extension of management and staffing problems.)

 

This will be my first cruise on BA, after many on GA, Escape and one on Bliss. I have the typical “concern” because it’ll be my husband’s first NCL cruise and we’re dumping a ton of money on it, but intellectually I’m also curious to see if the vibe is really that different. (Have been on Bliss and Escape in the last 12 months.) 

[AdoraBelle]

Some random unscientific numbers. From the first full page of recent reviews on CC, I counted the number of “two stars or fewer” reviews for each ship.

 

Getaway: 2 bad reviews 

Bliss: 3 

Escape: 4, but at least one was due to “listing”

Epic: 5

Breakaway: 7

 

[CruisingNole]

It is most certainly a recurring theme. I feel sorry for anyone who spent their hard earned money to cruise Epic in the future.

[AdoraBelle]

1 minute ago, CruisingNole said:

It is most certainly a recurring theme. I feel sorry for anyone who spent their hard earned money to cruise Epic in the future.

 

Yeah, I just read something (not sure if here or in the other cruise app) about what sounded like a nightmarish disembark from a recent Epic. (I know Epic’s been having other problems too.)

[BirdTravels]

23 minutes ago, CruisingNole said:

It is most certainly a recurring theme. I feel sorry for anyone who spent their hard earned money to cruise Epic in the future.

Why is that? A maintenance issue? A medical emergency?

[worktocruise610]

I've read some of those reviews & am also curious. I was on the Breakaway 2x & really enjoyed it. I found the staff to be really friendly, the wait time in the dining room was a bit slow but to be honest I noticed that on the Escape too. Not sure if it's a staff issue or what because going to other restaurants, buffet & even O'Sheehan's they're wait time was better. Maybe it's a management thing? I had 2 different Hotel Directors when I was on her & they were both very good (in my opinion) so maybe they get the crew working better? 

[x2tpd]

We just got off the Breakaway so here’s my two cents... No crew member EXCEPT the bartenders were cranky or rude.  The PBP is causing some bars to be slow but not all and I never had a 30 minute wait all cruise.  The meals all were efficient and nothing other than teppanyaki (which is meant to take long) was delayed or slow.  We went over spring break as well so it was sold out ofcourse. 

 

The only things we didn’t like were some r-rated game shows in the Atruim.  There’s no Spinnaker lounge where these were always out of the way on the smaller ships.  For the first time in lots of cruises the meat in Cagneys was not yummy at all.  Moderno was amazing andI usually find it just so so.

 

Enjoy.. 

[Sand and Seas]

We were on the Breakaway in November out of New Orleans and had a great time.  We will be back on her again in May out of Miami.   I also agree that although we had tired of Moderno on prior cruises,  we thought Moderno on Breakaway great too!  

[Dr. Jack Daniels]

I keep reading about unhappy crew members on various ships but in over 20 cruises I have yet to experience this issue. 

[worktocruise610]

5 minutes ago, Dr. Jack Daniels said:

I keep reading about unhappy crew members on various ships but in over 20 cruises I have yet to experience this issue. 

I agree. You always find those couple of crew members that maybe are not as friendly as the others, but I always chalk it up to bad day, whatever, and move along. They work long hours, long contracts, lots of time away from their families,  so I think they deserve those off days sometimes

[Sand and Seas]

1 minute ago, Dr. Jack Daniels said:

I keep reading about unhappy crew members on various ships but in over 20 cruises I have yet to experience this issue. 

Good point-   Thinking back on several people I have worked with over the years there were some that people thought were grumpy but once you got to know them you could see they were shy or had some non-work issues that were bothering them.   Ok....once in awhile they were unhappy, but I could understand that!  

A crew member might be tired or homesick and someone might take that as unhappy.   If you chat with them, smile when you pass them, and simply say thank you when they do something for you it can go along way.....they just might smile back!

[worktocruise610]

2 minutes ago, Sand and Seas said:

A crew member might be tired or homesick and someone might take that as unhappy.   If you chat with them, smile when you pass them, and simply say thank you when they do something for you it can go along way.....they just might smile back!

exactly! on my last cruise there was a guy who worked in the shops, very quiet, came off as kind of stand-offish, smiled rarely. He didn't seem mean or to not care, just a little unapproachable. For some reason I had it in my head I was going to make him smile, a real smile not just doing my job smile. Anyway, got him talking & it turned out he had a bit of a stutter, I think that's why he tried to stay back & not engage people. Turns out he was the sweetest person & I made it a point to walk by the shops every day & say Hi because his smile was great & made me smile. You just never know, but you're right, sometimes you need to take the time & effort to try also.

[nltc]

I was on the Breakaway in Oct/Nov for a 15 day cruise and it was the best cruise I’ve been on (out of 7). I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary compared to the Getaway or Escape.

[NLH Arizona]

2 hours ago, AdoraBelle said:

Yeah, I’m doing the last-minute review freakout thing.

 

Here, in posts and reviews, and in a high-traffic cruise app I’m sure I’m not allowed to name, the same theme is emerging over and over: overworked, understaffed, disorganized, unhappy crew members. 3 hour dinners, 30 minute waits for a drink at the bars, and every one of the poor reviews mentions how unhappy and unfriendly the crew is.

 

 

I was on the Breakaway in December and didn't noticed it being understaffed or unhappy or unfriendly crew members.  I only ate in the specialty restaurants, so maybe it was the MDR with the long waits.  The only time I waited for a drink was at the pool; there were three or four servers, but many times they stood around talking with each other in the shade.  This was my first time on one of the mega ships and I've decided they are not for me....too many people onboard.

[KeithJenner]

I’m due to be on the Breakaway in a couple of weeks, and I wonder whether this is my fault.

 

Very often, before I cruise, I see comments on these boards about how people are worried because they have heard how bad that specific ship is. The concerns are usually the same. Miserable staff, bad food, slow bar service.

 

Oddly enough, every single time I go on the cruise and find the same things. Approachable and friendly staff, adequate food and no queues at the bars.

 

I’m  not suggesting that the reviews were inaccurate (I wasn’t there so I can’t comment). However, my experience is always completely different.

 

Maybe the bar service is better for me because I tend to frequent different bars to the other reviewers (I rarely use the pool bars for example). Maybe the staff are friendly to us because we approach them differently. I don’t know, other than to say that I have years of experience on NCL ships and I will change my opinion when I experience an issue personally, not due to the comments of a random stranger on the internet.

[slugg]

I’ll be on Breakaway on the 21st of April. I sure do hope that the staff and crew are cheerful. I’ve been on another cruise in the past (Carnival Paradise - to which I gave it a 1 star review here on Cruise Critic) with an unhappy crew/staff and it was a disaster. Easily the worst vacation I’ve ever had. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

9 hours ago, Sand and Seas said:

We were on the Breakaway in November out of New Orleans and had a great time.  We will be back on her again in May out of Miami.   I also agree that although we had tired of Moderno on prior cruises,  we thought Moderno on Breakaway great too!  

Same.  November Breakaway Thanksgiving cruise was amazing.  Loved it so much that I booked another for June out of Miami.  Not discounting the experiences of those who leave negative reviews, but with 4000+ passengers on Breakaway at any given time, I would imagine that, statistically speaking, the range of reviews from poor to excellent would start to look like a bell curve after a while.  Enjoy your cruise!

[sid_9169]

I just returned from the Breakaway a little over a month ago, and everything went just fine... (Sorry, I don't know how to copy and paste the link to my review on my phone... Just Google "Breakaway / live / solo) I believe that people get all worked up over poor reviews, and believe they'll suffer the same situations as the reviewer... Just go into with an open mind and have a great time...

Edited March 28, 2019 by sid_9169
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[ColeThornton]

People tend to complain on public forums more than they praise.  Just look at the general tone of this forum. 

Edited March 28, 2019 by ColeThornton

[AdoraBelle]

7 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

People tend to complain on public forums more than they praise.  Just look at the general tone of this forum. 

I do understand the nature of online reviews generally, which is why I provided some minor comparison of Breakaway reviews to reviews coming off of GA, Escape, Bliss and Epic in the same time frame. Context and all that.

[ColeThornton]

9 minutes ago, AdoraBelle said:

I do understand the nature of online reviews generally, which is why I provided some minor comparison of Breakaway reviews to reviews coming off of GA, Escape, Bliss and Epic in the same time frame. Context and all that.

I saw that post but honestly I put very little thought in to those reviews.  I'm sure you have seen it on the boards yourself but it's sometimes quite amusing when Cruiser "A" posts about his ungodly cruise from hell and Cruiser "B" on the same cruise says they are now hooked on cruising for life.   🙂

Edited March 28, 2019 by ColeThornton

[davy jones]

We sailed BA twice in the last 15 months, once from NYC and once from NOLA.  Both cruises were fine.  It is not our favorite ship, but it is good.  

 

The issues that I see coming up in the reviews (and my experiences) are

1.  Odd layout with casino open to other passenger decks, hence smoke.  I agree that the layout is a bit odd and there can be a little smoke odor at times, but I may be less sensitive to smoke than some.  It is really not that bad.

2.  Odd layout with over use of atrium.  This is true.  Use the theater a lounge for trivia games and presentations.

3.  Reservations for shows and dining rooms.  Do your homework, or you may have to wait.

4.  Waiting for drinks.  I have never waited more than a few minutes.

5.  Nickle and diming.  That is a common belief across NCL.

6.  Service.  I find it to be fine across the mainstream cruise lines and NCL is no different.

 

We are sailing BA again this summer from MIA.  I am a little concerned about the effect of summer crowds, but otherwise expect to have a good time.  (We already have show and dining reservations.)

 

[graphicguy]

1 hour ago, sid_9169 said:

I just returned from the Breakaway a little over a month ago, and everything went just fine... (Sorry, I don't know how to copy and paste the link to my review on my phone... Just Google "Breakaway / live / solo) I believe that people get all worked up over poor reviews, and believe they'll suffer the same situations as the reviewer... Just go into with an open mind and have a great time...

Agree....some review(ers) have self-fulfilling prophecies.

 

I've been on both the "-Away" ships.  Both were wonderful.  Service was great, across the board.  Love, love, love "WaterFront", shows were great.  Ocean 678 is the hub of the ships and where most activity happens.

 

I'm Platinum on NCL, so have sailed them quite a bit.  But, have sailed other lines frequently, too.  I consider the "Away" ships some of my favorites at sea.

[spanishguy1970]

I was on the Breakaway last October and we had a great time, friendly crew. I have been on the Epic 3 times and a 4th one coming up in 30 days and I have always liked the Epic. I suggest you stop reading complaints, they are subjective, but if you have to read them  take customer complaints with a grain of salt. I read them and then figure out for myself what works and does not.  My only real complaint has been with the Epic disembarkation at Port Canaveral so much so that we decided to avoid disembarking from there again, I don't think they have figured out how to have a smooth, well organized disembarkation. We are leaving out of Port Canaveral on our next cruise and hopefully it will be ok.

[RedRover96]

OK I admit because I have only in the past 6 years been on NCL and because of this I only visit the NCL CC board. However, if I was a betting man, if I visited the Carnival, Royal Caribbean and other "mainline" cruise boards I would probably find about the same level of criticism and people refusing to ever cruise again or switch to NCL.  Thoughts????