NCL Breakaway Vs. Celebrity Equinox

[trish4bruce]

I am looking at booking a cruise for May 2021.   We really like cruising on NCL and are 33 points away from platinum.   Our favourite Ncl ships have  been he  Escape, Bliss and Getaway.  We just did the Dawn this past March and found it a little too small for us.

I have narrowed it down to two cruises.  Both are nine days and have a very similar Southern  Caribbean itinerary.   Ncl getaway interior with the gets all 4 perks plus gratuities is $4700 Canadian. Celebrity Equinox interior including classic drink package and gratuities  included comes out to $3030 Canadian.   That is a huge difference and is seriously making me consider trying Celebrity. Anybody have any thoughts on comparing the two cruise lines? We do enjoy sitting at different bars in the evening having drinks. We’re not big on shows. We do like to participate in trivia and different games throughout the cruise. And we are in our mid 40’s and early 50’s.

[paulajj]

I’ve been on both of these ships. I find pros and cons for both. Celebrity is smoke free inside.  Breakaway you can really smell the smoke from the casino. Celebrity service is better. Ncl entertainment is a little better. The food is better on celebrity. If I was choosing a girls week I would go breakaway. Me and my husband, celebrity. But all this is only my opinion. Everyone’s tastes are different.  

[kwokpot]

9 minutes ago, trish4bruce said:

I am looking at booking a cruise for May 2021.   We really like cruising on NCL and are 33 points away from platinum.   Our favourite Ncl ships have  been he  Escape, Bliss and Getaway.  We just did the Dawn this past March and found it a little too small for us.

I have narrowed it down to two cruises.  Both are nine days and have a very similar Southern  Caribbean itinerary.   Ncl getaway interior with the gets all 4 perks plus gratuities is $4700 Canadian. Celebrity Equinox interior including classic drink package and gratuities  included comes out to $3030 Canadian.   That is a huge difference and is seriously making me consider trying Celebrity. Anybody have any thoughts on comparing the two cruise lines? We do enjoy sitting at different bars in the evening having drinks. We’re not big on shows. We do like to participate in trivia and different games throughout the cruise. And we are in our mid 40’s and early 50’s.

It depends on what type of cruise experience you're looking for. The Equinox cruise will be a much more laid back, upscale experience. There's no waterslides or kids water park. Rooms are larger. Food is better on Celebrity. Pool and sunning areas better on the Equinox. While there are organized activities on Celebrity that's not the prime focus on a Celebrity cruise. I have sailed both ships and given your choices I would choose Celebrity hands down. But I generally don't participate in most ship activities and enjoy 'doing my own thing'. I enjoy not having lots of kids running around. The pooldeck on the Getaway is not the most ideal for relaxing and enjoying the ship. It's a tight,small area. Here's a picture of the Equinox's pooldeck when I was last on the ship. Look how nice it is!

[jaapie]

I agree with paulajj. We have been on both Breakaway and Equinox several times and would be happy to go on either. We enjoy Syd Norman's on the Breakaway but the food on the Equinox is far superior to the MDR on Breakaway. Usually Equinox is more expensive than Breakaway so because for the cruises you are looking at the Equinox is cheaper I would in this instance choose the Equinox.

[kwokpot]

There some great bars on the Equinox. Martini Bar, Ensemble lounge,Sky Lounge are my favorites. 

One plus for the Getaway is a better spa Thermal suite. While Equinox also has a Thermal suite with heated tile loungers it's not as large and doesn't have a hottub within the spa. There's also no area with regular loungers to relax on within the Thermal suite,so it's not conducive to spending a whole afternoon there.

[backsbanny]

I have cruised 2 times with celebrity and more than 10 times with NCL.With these prices,it would be equinox hands down for me for sure.Way better service and dining on celebrity.I have also booked equinox on may 21 the 12 night caribbean.Very good prices when i booked.


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[MaryZ]

We are elite on Celebrity and Platinum Plus on NCL  I would always choose Celebrity over NCL. 

[4774Papa]

22 hours ago, trish4bruce said:

I am looking at booking a cruise for May 2021.   We really like cruising on NCL and are 33 points away from platinum.   Our favourite Ncl ships have  been he  Escape, Bliss and Getaway.  We just did the Dawn this past March and found it a little too small for us.

I have narrowed it down to two cruises.  Both are nine days and have a very similar Southern  Caribbean itinerary.   Ncl getaway interior with the gets all 4 perks plus gratuities is $4700 Canadian. Celebrity Equinox interior including classic drink package and gratuities  included comes out to $3030 Canadian.   That is a huge difference and is seriously making me consider trying Celebrity. Anybody have any thoughts on comparing the two cruise lines? We do enjoy sitting at different bars in the evening having drinks. We’re not big on shows. We do like to participate in trivia and different games throughout the cruise. And we are in our mid 40’s and early 50’s.

We cruise Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and NCL.

Our preference for cruising is in that order.

 

Celebrity is superior in dining and ship design as well as many intangibles.  Royal and NCL have superior entertainment.

 

Prior to picking a cruise, we always compare these three lines as well as Princess.  We have done 11 on Celebrity 2 on Royal and 7 on NCL.

NCL was more competitive prior to price bundling with promos that we don't want.  We prefer basic cruise pricing without promos.   We always book early and NCL doesn't allow booking without promos until very late.  In the past three years, NCL has priced itself out of our market.

 

We are moderate drinkers and have the benefit of being Elite on Celebrity, Diamond on Royal and Platinum on NCL.

Platinum gets you some free laundry and free meals at specialty restaurants.  Elite and Diamond you get the free laundry, but a great free happy hour that significantly cuts down the cost of alcohol.

 

Celebrity  has select dining, which is anytime dining, similar to NCL's dining policy.  

 

NO WAY would I pick NCL for a price more than 50% higher than Celebrity.

 

Also, if you pick Celebrity and the classic drink package, soda, bottled water and more are included in the package, NOT so for NCL.

[3CanadianBears]

We sailed NCL twice, tried Equinox last year, then went back to NCL Escape early this year.   We prefer NCL, enjoy Howl at the Moon, the comedy club, find there is always something to watch/see.   We never do the main shows.

 The main difference we found was food (which is always subjective).  We found ourselves eating at the buffet on Equinox at lunch most days, because the alternative was the main dining room or the very small burger grill.   We missed O'Sheehans for the casual drop by and grab a snack or a quick lunch, or as another alternative for breakfast.  The breakfast menu in the main dining room on Equinox was the same every day, unlike NCL where there are some different things each day.   We did not find the food in the main dining room any better with Celebrity.    Also, many more bar options on NCL.  Outdoor bars - we love the waterfront - indoor bars, many more options on Escape.  We did enjoy the martini bar on the Equinox, but good luck getting a seat at the bar. 

 

That's a huge price difference, as much as we prefer NCL, not sure any cruise is worth that price difference! 

 

 

[Georgia_Peaches]

Have been on both ships.  Equinox is a nice ship and I agree with others on food quality and service.  Breakaway is much bigger than Equinox and has better evening entertainment IMO and more bars/social hot spots.  Equinox has the solarium (adults only pool) and to get something similar on Breakaway, you have to purchase a thermal suite pass.

 

All things being equal regarding itinerary, I'd go with Equinox for the price.  However, if I was traveling with my twenty-something adult children, we go with the Breakaway for the more varied entertainment options.

[kwokpot]

One thing that hasn't been emphasized is the size of the cabins. One thing that is a negative for NCL is the size of their inside cabins; they are notoriously small. Here are panoramas of the Inside cabins on both ships. You'll see the Getaway is so small there's not enough room for a single chair, there's just a stool. Other the other hand the Equinox inside cabins has a full size couch!

https://www.cruisecritic.com/photos/ships/norwegian-getaway-651/inside-cabin-119478/inside-cabin--v34962/

https://www.cruisecritic.com/photos/ships/celebrity-equinox-382/inside-cabin-203485/inside-cabin--v79570/

Edited April 16, 2020 by kwokpot

[Cruising Lynne]

1 hour ago, kwokpot said:

One thing that hasn't been emphasized is the size of the cabins. One thing that is a negative for NCL is the size of their inside cabins; they are notoriously small. Here are panoramas of the Inside cabins on both ships. You'll see the Getaway is so small there's not enough room for a single chair, there's just a stool. Other the other hand the Equinox inside cabins has a full size couch!

https://www.cruisecritic.com/photos/ships/norwegian-getaway-651/inside-cabin-119478/inside-cabin--v34962/

https://www.cruisecritic.com/photos/ships/celebrity-equinox-382/inside-cabin-203485/inside-cabin--v79570/

Wow! The difference in the cabins is significant. I will definitely be looking into the Equinox for Southern Caribbean. My cancelled cruise was supposed to be Southern itinerary on Star, ABC islands. I took the refund option so I would have more flexibility. I would consider NCL, Celebrity, or Royal Caribbean. Love the adult only solarium on Celebrity and Royal, but do prefer freestyle dining on NCL. We also enjoy the friendly vibe from the crew on NCL, but are open to other options.

[kwokpot]

2 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Have been on both ships.  Equinox is a nice ship and I agree with others on food quality and service.  Breakaway is much bigger than Equinox and has better evening entertainment IMO and more bars/social hot spots.  Equinox has the solarium (adults only pool) and to get something similar on Breakaway, you have to purchase a thermal suite pass.

 

 

Definitely worth repeating. ALL Celebrity Ships have an adults only indoor pool in the Solarium(avaible for no fee) which also include an food area serving healthy breakfasts and lunches. I used to patronize that area alot more but over the last few years they have streamline the menu and I don't like the choices as much. They used to have hot made to order simply grilled salmon or chicken breast but that's no longer offered.

Contrast that with NCL NONE of their ships have an indoor pool. Some might have a very small lap pool or thalassotherapy pool in the Thermal Spa area but that's at an extra cost and it's not at the scale of Celebrities Solarium areas.

[Lineaway]

Been on both lines multi times.  Really have to agree with all that has been mentioned but will add that standard balconies on Celebrity are a lot larger.  Breakaway balconies are so tiny you really can't sit unless you sit sideways.  NCL also has more passengers on board which is really noticed in the public areas because the Haven takes up a lot of room.   

 

We usually go on NCL when our kids were on Spring Break but as of this year they are on their own.  NCL is only better for Families.  I have Cruise Next deposits to use up then I am back to Celebrity.    Celebrity doesn't nickle and  dime as much.

[jaapie]

1 hour ago, Cruising Lynne said:

Love the adult only solarium on Celebrity and Royal, but do prefer freestyle dining on NCL. 

Both Celebrity and Royal have the option of freestyle dining. When doing online bookings, if freestyle (called Select dining on Celebrity, MyTime dining on Royal) is showing as already booked up, I do not complete my online booking but call an agent and tell them my cruise reservation is contingent upon getting freestyle dining at the time of making the cruise reservation and of course they always find space in the freestyle option. Once when making a cruise reservation on Royal and the freestyle spots were no longer available, I was told to speak to the maître d once on board the ship to get moved to freestyle. I did speak to him on day one and he said he waitlisted me but never moved me so I learned my lesson and now only will accept freestyle as part of my original booking. 

[ellasmomanddad]

I haven’t been on the Breakaway since 2014, is the salad place still next to the pool? We found it on day six of a seven day cruise and my wife still says it was the best lunch on a cruise she has ever had.

[luvincruising]

  If the cost of both cruises was within a few dollars of each other, Celebrity wins.  With this price difference, I cannot see any substantial benefit to picking NCL.  You will have a great time on the Equinox.

 

[deliver42]

The Equinox is a great ship, and you'd be foolish not to try it, especially with this price difference. You will notice, right away, when on board, what a premium line is. If you look at my signature, you will see that I've been on almost all the major lines, including NCL, and Celebrity, in my opinion, blows them all away. Our first cruise, hopefully after the virus, in March of 2021, is on the new Apex, which we already have booked.