Breakaway

[WolfpackFan]

I feel like I'm coming back home after sailing on Princess for a while. We've been on three NCL cruises and thinking about booking the Breakaway out of New Orleans for April 2022. This will be for our 50th anniversary. We have previously sailed this itinerary on the Spirit and really love it. Any words of wisdom regarding the Breakaway? I notice on the NCL website it says 2 for 1 deposits and 30% discount on 2nd person ends today. So I'm kind of trying to decide today whether to book or not. Surely this Covid mess will be much better by then. Thanks.

[MeHeartCruising]

34 minutes ago, WolfpackFan said:

I feel like I'm coming back home after sailing on Princess for a while. We've been on three NCL cruises and thinking about booking the Breakaway out of New Orleans for April 2022. This will be for our 50th anniversary. We have previously sailed this itinerary on the Spirit and really love it. Any words of wisdom regarding the Breakaway? I notice on the NCL website it says 2 for 1 deposits and 30% discount on 2nd person ends today. So I'm kind of trying to decide today whether to book or not. Surely this Covid mess will be much better by then. Thanks.

 

While the 30% discount promo is "ending" today, it has been extended for several weeks now.  They just keep renaming it... Christmas Promo... New Years Eve Promo... New Years Day Promo.... Best Promo... etc.   However, they certainly could change up the promo for real this time.   But for a 2022 cruise, it doesn't really matter which promo you buy it with.  You can always have them adjust pricing/terms to a better promo that comes along up until your final payment due date.  That said, I think the 2 for 1 deposits has been a part of every promo for the last 9 months.  If the 30% discount goes away, they will also reduce the base price of the cruise about 30%.

Edited January 18, 2021 by MeHeartCruising

[hallux]

Words of wisdom on Breakaway.  Well, not really Breakaway specifically, but that class of ship...

 

COVID passenger limits not withstanding - seriously consider pre-booking your theater shows and specialty dining.  Bookings open 120 days prior to sailing, 130 days for Haven.

[mtrancher]

@WolfpackFan  We booked our 2022 cruise during the cyber sale (Dec3) -- 30% off. So as MeHeartCruising says, the sale keeps getting extended. Where I disagree I wouldn't trust the fare to go down by 30% when the sale ends. In our case the base fare has risen by $1400 dollars (14%) since we booked. My understanding is this is a result of our fare class rooms being booked up and consequently in shorter supply. When the 1st price increase came NCL offered an additional $600 OBC so the increase was essentially flat; however now the fare is up and no additional offer has been extend.

So my advice; book as soon as you feel you can pick dates and itinerary and then watch the fares or have your TA watch and then rebook/reprice if the rates make it favorable to do so.

[CarolinaMamma]

I’ve been watching prices and it seems that NCL is just playing games and the various “offers” are not changing the actual prices much. I think suite and higher-end cabin categories are selling , so don’t expect fares to go down on those. If you book a lower cabin category, keep an eye out for price drops. If you are ok with not having the beverage package, you can sometimes get some good deals without the free at sea perks after final payment, but maybe with an anniversary cruise, you don’t want to chance it. 
 

Getting elevators on the breakaway, especially the aft elevators,  can sometimes be a problem on the middle decks, because they are full by the time they get to you, so consider staying up high or down low. On our last cruise we actually stayed right under the buffet (we were not bothered by noise) and loved that we could easily get an elevator going down or walk up one flight of stairs to the buffet and pool. On another Breakaway cruise we had an aft balcony lower down and loved it. 
 

I highly recommend the thermal spa on Breakaway, Consider booking a spa suite or buying a pass for the week. 
 

i also recommend booking your theater shows and specialty restaurants ahead of time. They fill up, and I saw a lot of frustrated passengers. This may be less of a problem now that they give 2 nights specialty dining instead of 3 for the “free at sea” perks. 

[HowardK]

I went on the ship twice (2013 and 2014) and really enjoyed it. However, I just wouldn't give NCL any deposit money right  now until we know more about how things turn out. No evidence yet of prices going up or down.

[sid_9169]

Even though the Breakaway has a few years on her now, I still wouldn't hesitate to book again... It has most of the bells and whistles of the away plus class, and a few things that none of the newer ones have, such as the themed lunch in Moderno... Also, the Raw Bar, if you're into seafood...

[BigEasyCC]

Breakaway was my last cruise (Jan 2019) and just booked again for Jan 2023. We loved all the options on the Breakaway. We had booked every night in a specialty restaurant and we won't do that this time. We'll stay with the 2 nights in our package and explore other venues spontaneously. We won't worry about booking shows either, the one show we really enjoyed was the circus themed dinner show. Food was forgettable, but we really enjoyed the show. This time we'll take it a bit easier and spend time on our aft balcony. First aft balcony and really looking forward to it. We will probably do Teppanyaki and Cagney's for our 2 specialty restaurants. Anyway, follow the cues to book when available and you shouldn't miss out on anything. Hope you have a blast!

[HBCcruiser]

We really enjoyed the Breakaway (2016). We were in the Haven, which I highly recommend if you can afford it or can win an upgrade bid. That aside, though, we loved Ocean Blue, Teppanyaki and Cagney's. We also enjoyed the Cirque de Soleil styled dinner show. The other dinner show offered by NCL is the Wine Lovers - that was great fun as well. Two of our favorite venues were the Ice Bar (GREAT vodka drinks) and Howl at the Moon - dueling pianos. 

 

We are booked July 2021 on the Breakaway (if it sails). Right now it does not show the Cirque show. It has been replaced by the Velvet Dinner Show. New?? Some venues say that they must be booked onboard. My guess is that some venues and shows may change due to COVID.  Let's hope we all get to find out SOON! 🚢🙏

Edited February 18, 2021 by HBCcruiser

[HBCcruiser]

[katiecat]

We did the Breakaway in New Orleans a couple years back and absolutely loved everything about our cruise. Stayed at Hilton downtown riverfront and just walked through the mall in the morning right to the ship. Our first big ship experience and loved it. The prices for cruises I've been watching have only gone up even with the 30% special that keeps extending.

[katiecat]

[brovol]

Wife and I have the Breakaway booked for end of March 2022; after our bookings for the same cruise in both 2020 (Getaway) and 2021were cancelled.  We are hoping the third time is the charm. 

 

We booked the same spa club-mini-suite, for the same exact week, each of the three cruises, and both the second and third bookings were fully covered, and then some, with the FCC we got from the first cancellation.  (Actually were also able to prepay all gratuities, and streaming internet, as well as a few other things with leftover FCC, and still have almost $200 left).  I booked the new cruises right after each cancellation, but have had my TA check each time the new deals come out to see if I should get some adjustment.  So far any difference has been de minimis or minute at best, so we haven't needed to adjust at all.  Contrary to what some on this forum have stated, I dont think the pricing has gone up much post-covid, and think it is actually fairly reasonable, all things considered. 

 

I am more concerned about the covid related restrictions for the cruises once they sail.  I want to experience an enjoyable cruise, and if logic-defying rules destroy the experience, then why bother.  Not opening up the debate, but suffice to say I fall within the minority, I think, believing that business closures, and mask laws, conflict with liberty, and folks should decide on their own what to do.  But I'll digress on that point.

 

I hope the Breakaway is a great choice, for you, me, and others who book.

[prov2727]

3 hours ago, brovol said:

Wife and I have the Breakaway booked for end of March 2022; after our bookings for the same cruise in both 2020 (Getaway) and 2021were cancelled.  We are hoping the third time is the charm. 

 

. . . .

That happened to me too! I've about decided I am just not meant to sail out of New Orleans and moved on to Miami (hopefully!) for 2022.

[FLAHAM]

On 1/18/2021 at 12:58 PM, CarolinaMamma said:

I’ve been watching prices and it seems that NCL is just playing games and the various “offers” are not changing the actual prices much. 

My “solo” club balcony on the Dawn’s 16-day transatlantic in April 2022 has gone up from $4.8K last spring to $20.5K now (and the latter is after the “30 percent off”).  

Edited February 19, 2021 by FLAHAM

[jethrojam]

I was on her Jan 2020, so one of the last to do so.   It's a great ship, and we had a fantastic time.   We loved the Spa and highly recommended getting the package, as it is a great place to relax in relative privacy pending you are not in a suite (in fact we got the spa balcony which if getting the spa and the balcony will save you a few bucks).

I will be willing to bet the shows are different than what we saw (hated six but to each their own), but we had trouble booking the shows both at home and while on the ship.   They just sell out way too fast.    Oh well, back to the thermospa we went 🙂

[jetact]

Beings it looks like my Alaska cruise is going to be canceled I am leaning on the Breakaway out of New Orleans in January 2022. Looks like a nice ship.