Breakaway Full Capacity…tips for maneuvering the crowds, please.

[laudergayle]

We have cruised twice since restart, first was around 38% occupancy and it felt like a ghost ship. Second was around 50% occupied and that was a nice amount of people.  We are on The Breakaway mid-October for NE/Canada…and it looks like it is near capacity.  For those of you who sailed recently on a full ship…any tips, tricks, thoughts.  We don’t have Lattitude status and are in a club balcony.  

[graphicguy]

10 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

We have cruised twice since restart, first was around 38% occupancy and it felt like a ghost ship. Second was around 50% occupied and that was a nice amount of people.  We are on The Breakaway mid-October for NE/Canada…and it looks like it is near capacity.  For those of you who sailed recently on a full ship…any tips, tricks, thoughts.  We don’t have Lattitude status and are in a club balcony.  

Sailed the Getaway (Breakaway’s sister ship) in July.  It was near capacity.  

 

Frankly, I’ll give NCL credit.  It never seemed crowded except at the pools on sea days.  Typical bottle necks (like the Garden Cafe buffet) were handled efficiently, keeping things moving.  Even those who were “reserving” pool chairs with towels or trying to reserve tables in the buffet were given little leeway that cause bottlenecks.  So, things flowed well.

 

No lines that I ever saw in any of the MDRs.  The Noodle Bar had a bit of a wait during lunch and dinner.  So, if that’s on your radar, might want to go earlier or later than typical lunch or dinner times.

 

All venues were open (including MDRs).  Shows in Syd Norman’s got crowded, but the key there was to get to the show 30-45 minutes early.

 

I’ll be on the Breakaway end of October/first of November.  It will be the last sailing of the season for that itinerary.  Prices have been really good.  So, I expect my sailing to be at capacity, too…..also in a Club Balcony (particularly good deals on those in OCT).

 

Latitudes status didn’t matter except for embarkation and a few special events.  So, that shouldn’t be an issue.

 

Good luck.  I’m certain you’ll have a great time.

[laudergayle]

9 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Sailed the Getaway (Breakaway’s sister ship) in July.  It was near capacity.  

 

Frankly, I’ll give NCL credit.  It never seemed crowded except at the pools on sea days.  Typical bottle necks (like the Garden Cafe buffet) were handled efficiently, keeping things moving.  Even those who were “reserving” pool chairs with towels or trying to reserve tables in the buffet were given little leeway that cause bottlenecks.  So, things flowed well.

 

No lines that I ever saw in any of the MDRs.  The Noodle Bar had a bit of a wait during lunch and dinner.  So, if that’s on your radar, might want to go earlier or later than typical lunch or dinner times.

 

All venues were open (including MDRs).  Shows in Syd Norman’s got crowded, but the key there was to get to the show 30-45 minutes early.

 

I’ll be on the Breakaway end of October/first of November.  It will be the last sailing of the season for that itinerary.  Prices have been really good.  So, I expect my sailing to be at capacity, too…..also in a Club Balcony (particularly good deals on those in OCT).

 

Latitudes status didn’t matter except for embarkation and a few special events.  So, that shouldn’t be an issue.

 

Good luck.  I’m certain you’ll have a great time.

Thanks…it’s good to hear your thoughts after being on a near full ship.  I am expecting the worst and will be grateful for everything better.

[Two Wheels Only]

It might be a bit chilly based on the date and itinerary but use the Waterfront whenever possible to avoid the bottleneck in the middle of the ship. Certain parts such as deck 6 will be crowded at times but what works for me is walking down to deck 5 and travelling through the mostly empty hallways. Even going down a deck to catch an elevator going up can be better than waiting with a mob of people near the elevator. 

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, laudergayle said:

We have cruised twice since restart, first was around 38% occupancy and it felt like a ghost ship. Second was around 50% occupied and that was a nice amount of people.  We are on The Breakaway mid-October for NE/Canada…and it looks like it is near capacity.  For those of you who sailed recently on a full ship…any tips, tricks, thoughts.  We don’t have Lattitude status and are in a club balcony.  

You can’t social distance. You can’t avoid crowds. Elevators will be packed. Dining rooms will be full. Theaters will be shoulder to shoulder. No tips or tricks to avoid that. So just enjoy the cruise as if it were a pre-pandemic cruise.
 

We were on the Encore above double occupancy capacity and a RCCL super mega ship at capacity. And just enjoyed being at sea again. 

[ChiefMateJRK]

2 hours ago, laudergayle said:

We are on The Breakaway mid-October for NE/Canada…and it looks like it is near capacity.

Why do you think this sailing is near capacity?

[cruiseny4life]

2 hours ago, laudergayle said:

We have cruised twice since restart, first was around 38% occupancy and it felt like a ghost ship. Second was around 50% occupied and that was a nice amount of people.  We are on The Breakaway mid-October for NE/Canada…and it looks like it is near capacity.  For those of you who sailed recently on a full ship…any tips, tricks, thoughts.  We don’t have Lattitude status and are in a club balcony.  

I cruised on a full ship in April. My September sailing was 1,200 on the Getaway which can hold about 4,000 (same as Breakaway). I'd be surprised if your sailing is full, but it's certainly possible. We were privileged to be in the Haven, so did not have to mingle with as many guests as you might be around (buffet, main dining room, etc.). 

 

In April we avoided the pool deck and carried masks in our pockets for elevators, or used the stairs. When we checked in we had a mask on, when we disembarked we should have had a mask on, but did not. Be patient as full occupancy sailings means lines. We also avoided entertainment (more because we didn't think we'd enjoy, than due to safety).

 

In September, we didn't wear a mask at all, anywhere, including check-in, theaters, or other crowded places. Even in Nassau, which was wall to wall people (three ships were there at once), we didn't wear a mask. Some guests did wear their mask. Most didn't. 

 

Otherwise, just cruise as you cruised before. COVID is now a part of our everyday life and will be. We'll all get it at one point or another. I've somehow not had it yet, but I am certain it'll catch up to me. Don't fret too much. 

[2bc cruisers]

Check the touch screens as soon as you board and book any available entertainment you are interested in.  
and I agree, enjoy the waterfront as much as possible.  If you just want to hang out and relax, Ask your room steward for a deck blanket or take your beach towel if it’s chilly

use smaller dinning rooms as well as the main one breakfast and dinners 

[laudergayle]

1 hour ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Why do you think this sailing is near capacity?

Just conjecture on my part…maybe mentally preparing for worst case scenario. Lol.   Regardless, there are some good tips here and a little reassurance that a full ship is just fine for many.

[pickle11]

5 hours ago, laudergayle said:

We have cruised twice since restart, first was around 38% occupancy and it felt like a ghost ship. Second was around 50% occupied and that was a nice amount of people.  We are on The Breakaway mid-October for NE/Canada…and it looks like it is near capacity.  For those of you who sailed recently on a full ship…any tips, tricks, thoughts.  We don’t have Lattitude status and are in a club balcony.  

Maybe the same way you handled the occupancy capacity before covid. Always waiting in line for something.

[laudergayle]

6 minutes ago, pickle11 said:

Maybe the same way you handled the occupancy capacity before covid. Always waiting in line for something.

Actually we rarely cruised pre-pandemic…mostly international travel by air, so I don’t have a reference point.  But we’re patient so lines will be fine. 

[ChiefMateJRK]

26 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

Just conjecture on my part…maybe mentally preparing for worst case scenario. Lol.   Regardless, there are some good tips here and a little reassurance that a full ship is just fine for many.

You may be pleasantly surprised.  

[pickle11]

It is all about patience.  Make early reservations to shows as they do fill up quickly.  

[Turtles06]

7 minutes ago, pickle11 said:

Make early reservations to shows as they do fill up quickly.  

 

When you board, book reservations for SIX immediately.  🙂 

[PATRLR]

5 hours ago, graphicguy said:

 Even those who were “reserving” pool chairs with towels or trying to reserve tables in the buffet were given little leeway that cause bottlenecks.  

I'm curious what this means.  Is it possible that what you are saying is the "chair hog" problem was being addressed by staff?

[Nclgetawaymenhoney]

1 hour ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

You may be pleasantly surprised.  

Yes I just checked currently 338 cabins at least available including category BA which shows 100 plus available, now havens been sold out for weeks, i cabin just opened but I’m sure that will be snapped up, almost all club balconies gone too, we shall see but right now it’s certainly not at capacity 

[laudergayle]

3 minutes ago, Nclgetawaymenhoney said:

Yes I just checked currently 338 cabins at least available including category BA which shows 100 plus available, now havens been sold out for weeks, i cabin just opened but I’m sure that will be snapped up, almost all club balconies gone too, we shall see but right now it’s certainly not at capacity 

Thanks for the update. 16 cabins a day till sail date would fill her, but heck, anything >85% occupancy will likely feel the same.  So now I will turn my attention to…hurricanes, hurricanes blowing the leaves off the trees before we arrive…oh yeah, and ArriveCAN or not.  JK…I’m really not that neurotic!

[graphicguy]

5 hours ago, PATRLR said:

I'm curious what this means.  Is it possible that what you are saying is the "chair hog" problem was being addressed by staff?

Yep…I saw staff removing towels from loungers that had been vacant for around 45 mins.  Warmed my heart!

[phillygwm]

12 hours ago, laudergayle said:

…any tips, tricks, thoughts.  We don’t have Lattitude status and are in a club balcony.  

Just randomly cough periodically.  The crowds will part like the Red Sea.

[suennorm]

Was recently on the Joy and it had probably 75% or more capacity. While it didn't really feel crowded, we stayed away from the small venues (which are enclosed and got very crowded). Pool area was crowded too. We tried to stay away from cramming Into elevators and I would have felt more comfortable if the staff had been wearing masks. We did at certain times; we still came home with Covid, as did lots of other passengers. Since we tested negative at boarding, we got it either onboard or in one of the Canadian ports. Not complaining, we chose to cruise, but the two previous post-covid cruises we took which were much less crowded, posed no problem, to us at least. Breakaway is a large ship (we've been on that) but have always been able to find less crowded areas. Be prepared that you WILL be mingling with a lot of other folks..

[laudergayle]

3 hours ago, suennorm said:

Was recently on the Joy and it had probably 75% or more capacity. While it didn't really feel crowded, we stayed away from the small venues (which are enclosed and got very crowded). Pool area was crowded too. We tried to stay away from cramming Into elevators and I would have felt more comfortable if the staff had been wearing masks. We did at certain times; we still came home with Covid, as did lots of other passengers. Since we tested negative at boarding, we got it either onboard or in one of the Canadian ports. Not complaining, we chose to cruise, but the two previous post-covid cruises we took which were much less crowded, posed no problem, to us at least. Breakaway is a large ship (we've been on that) but have always been able to find less crowded areas. Be prepared that you WILL be mingling with a lot of other folks..

Thank you for your insights. Yeah so I hear you about Covid..we actually missed half of our May cruise on the Bliss due to Norovirus, then arriving home with Covid.  So…we are really looking forward to being ahead of the odds..lol.  We did just boost again as we believe it will eventually be part of an annual virus *****.  I just hope we are ok with the crowds..  I think some of the tips here will help us. Thanks again!

[PatandStu]

Pre-pandemic, my sister, parents & I cruised on breakaway in January. All cabins were sold and we were able to move around fairly well. My brother took his 3 teens during a school break & he said “never again”. My nephews couldn’t get onto the basketball court or any other activities due to huge lineups. The buffet was crazy! 
So, there’s a difference between all cabins sold with an average of 2 per cabin, and all cabins sold with 3-4 per cabin. 
Luckily, we can avoid school holidays. 

[RocketMan275]

22 hours ago, suennorm said:

We tried to stay away from cramming Into elevators and I would have felt more comfortable if the staff had been wearing masks. We did at certain times; we still came home with Covid, as did lots of other passengers. Since we tested negative at boarding, we got it either onboard or in one of the Canadian ports. 

It can take up to 5 days from exposure to testing positive.  IOW, your infection could have been the result of an exposure well before embarking on the cruise.   Did you fly?

[suennorm]

RocketMan: no, we did not fly, we live close enough to take a limo to the port. We tested negative two days before boarding and neither one of us had symptoms until about eight/nine days later (we were on a ten day cruise). Timeline is right for getting it onboard, or in Canada. But you are correct, there is really no way to know. I was simply pointing out that you will be around a lot of people on a near- or full capacity ship.