Live from the NCL Breakaway May 6-16, 2023 – Spring in Italy, Greece, Malta and France Roundtrip from Rome

[Happycrafter123]

They updated daily activities due to the unexpected sea day

 

 

[southern reader]

4 hours ago, Happycrafter123 said:

Virtual queues is currently empty.

 

folks started booking Cannes tenders yesterday .  I took a look just now 11am day 6 and it’s already  at group 17 so you really want to be on top of this and book as soon as it pops up.

Thank you again.  Any idea if the Santorini tender can be booked prior to boarding?

[hawkeyetlse]

6 hours ago, Happycrafter123 said:

we cancelled a couple tours and booked new ones to replace them, trying to get shorter and easier ones, and they took back the $50 dollar credits on those we had originally booked but did not reapply the credits on the new ones, so we are out $200 USD, so we will be in the OBC line too soon to get that fixed.

For excursions booked on board, the $50 credit applies after you do the excursion. Either that night or sometime the next day. So I wouldn't bother standing in line for that now (and anyway they would probably send you back to the Shore Excursions Desk for this question).

 

Sorry to hear about Malta!

[southern reader]

On 5/8/2023 at 1:02 AM, Happycrafter123 said:

Saw a group heading off on the behind the scenes tour, today was for the higher latitudes level only, and apparently the only paid offering for lower latitudes levels was yesterday (first day of cruise.). I guess you snooze you lose on planning and booking things.  If you want to do this make sure to inquire and register on embarcation day.

Hi there, any idea what time we can book The Behind the Scenes tour  on embarkation day and is there a fee?  Do we book it at shore excursions?  Thanks

[southern reader]

5 hours ago, Happycrafter123 said:

Very sad day today - strong winds have prevented us from docking at Malta, so we have a sea day.

 

had a “go local” excursion planned to visit a lake and learn about the cultivating of moluscs, very disappointed but luckily it is sunny and a good day to lounge and work on my tan.

 

 

 

Sorry to hear about Malta.

[debenson0723]

4 minutes ago, southern reader said:

Hi there, any idea what time we can book The Behind the Scenes tour  on embarkation day and is there a fee?  Do we book it at shore excursions?  Thanks

The BTS tour is booked at the CruiseNext desk. If you are Platinum or above, there is a fee tour. If you want the paid one, it is approximately $89 to $129, depending on the ship. There is an informative thread on this forum about the BTS tour you should read for more information.

 

[southern reader]

@debenson0723 thank you

[laudergayle]

8 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

I’ve not seen any reports of the new menus on any ship other than the Prima.

 

We will know when it happens as there will be a 10 page long thread on this board within a few hours of the first report.

As of 4/30 Prima has gone to the rotating dinner menus.

[Mississippian]

Just curious, are they still "out" of the Veuve Clicquot and Pommery Brut rose champagne? They ran "out" after about eight days on the April 20-May 6 transatlantic. When the supply wasn't replenished in Cannes, I started to suspect that they just had a quota of how much they were going to allow people on one cruise to drink.

[Skjhoward]

5 hours ago, Happycrafter123 said:

Virtual queues is currently empty.

 

folks started booking Cannes tenders yesterday .  I took a look just now 11am day 6 and it’s already  at group 17 so you really want to be on top of this and book as soon as it pops up.

Off topic question.  We are huge water drinkers and we'll be bringing collapsible water bottles.  

Are water and ice available in the buffet? 

And will the room stewards provide daily ice in buckets?

Thank you.

[hawkeyetlse]

It was ridiculous how much we had to fight for champagne on the TA! And once it was gone, it was gone. Except that they somehow found one or two more bottles the next day. But that was it, no more! Until the next day… It got to be a joke with some of the bartenders, which could have been fun, except the joke was on me.

[Mississippian]

1 minute ago, hawkeyetlse said:

It was ridiculous how much we had to fight for champagne on the TA! And once it was gone, it was gone. Except that they somehow found one or two more bottles the next day. But that was it, no more! Until the next day… It got to be a joke with some of the bartenders, which could have been fun, except the joke was on me.

The waiters never knew the status of the champagne, and it was almost always listed on the menu as available and recommended. They would substitute the Chandon, which was fine with me, but on the last night they served me something truly dreadful. I didn't know I had that fancy a palate, but I guess it developed.

[Happycrafter123]

The wine and champagne options seem to be thinning each day, the last two nights at dinner they had to find substitutes for both champagne and wine we’d had at the beginning of the trip.  They seem to work hard to find reasonable substitutes.  I am curious to see what will happen by the last night.  This also happened on our last cruise, I guess inventory only stretches so far.

[KeithJenner]

3 hours ago, laudergayle said:

As of 4/30 Prima has gone to the rotating dinner menus.

That's interesting. Do you know whether that is permanent?

[laudergayle]

27 minutes ago, KeithJenner said:

That's interesting. Do you know whether that is permanent?

The waitstaff said it was going to continue rotate as far as they knew. I was surprised that everything at dinner service went very well—food prep, serving time snd temp, considering this was the first week they switched.

[Sunsher28]

3 hours ago, Happycrafter123 said:

The wine and champagne options seem to be thinning each day, the last two nights at dinner they had to find substitutes for both champagne and wine we’d had at the beginning of the trip.  They seem to work hard to find reasonable substitutes.  I am curious to see what will happen by the last night.  This also happened on our last cruise, I guess inventory only stretches so far.

Are you encountering the same issue with wine and champagne at the bars too?

[LGinPA]

 

@Happycrafter123Thanks for your amazing posts. We'll be on the Breakaway in July from Civitavecchia also! 

 

Questions about embarkation day (if you can remember back that far!):

1. Approximately what time was your cabin ready? 

2. And what time did your luggage arrive at your cabin?

 

Thanks! 

Edited May 11, 2023 by LGinPA

[sherrihall128]

5 hours ago, Skjhoward said:

Off topic question.  We are huge water drinkers and we'll be bringing collapsible water bottles.  

Are water and ice available in the buffet? 

And will the room stewards provide daily ice in buckets?

Thank you.

 

Yes, water and ice are available at multiple points at the front, middle, and end of the buffet. Just be sure to use one of their cups to fill up your water bottle.

[Skjhoward]

9 minutes ago, sherrihall128 said:

 

Yes, water and ice are available at multiple points at the front, middle, and end of the buffet. Just be sure to use one of their cups to fill up your water bottle.

Ty so much. 

[southern reader]

3 hours ago, LGinPA said:

 

@Happycrafter123Thanks for your amazing posts. We'll be on the Breakaway in July from Civitavecchia also! 

 

Questions about embarkation day (if you can remember back that far!):

1. Approximately what time was your cabin ready? 

2. And what time did your luggage arrive at your cabin?

 

Thanks! 

Hi @LGinPA, we are also on the July sailing, and I am looking forward to hearing the times for the cabin and luggage. 🙂

[Happycrafter123]

I don’t recall the time of our room, it was mid afternoon—we got on, went for lunch at the pub, then went up to the vibe and it was a couple hours after that.  
 

we did not have any checked luggage only our carryon which we had with us, but when we went to our room I noticed lots of suitcases in the hallways at that time.

[Happycrafter123]

A beautiful day as we approach Sicily 

 

wound up spending yesterday afternoon and evening in bed with motion sickness, and used 2 more gravol to make it through dinner.  Almost out of gravol but still 3 days to go, feeling anxiety.  The anti naseau pills you can get at front desk and in the duty free are a different drug than gravol and I am worried about trying some new as I have a lot of drug allergies.  Let’s all cross our fingers for smooth seas!!!

 

we had planned to go to Taormina and Castelmola today and had been very excited for that, but given hubby’s knee issues and my lack of grip on my running shoes we cancelled that and booked an alternate (I thought this was yesterday but it is today). Hopefully it is good!

 

 

 

 

 

[QuattroRomeo]

Seafood in Sicily....sounds like a winner! Hope you enjoy.

[Happycrafter123]

tour review, Messina Sicily , NCL Ganzirri Lake's & Messina $149 pp less $50 credit so $100 net.  4.5 hours

 

I would skip this if I had the chance to take it again, though we had a good tour guide.

 

we were one bus with a group of 37 people.  We drove around Messina with a couple stops to take photos and go in a church, and learned of the history of the region.  We then drove along the seaside and learned about the the fish industry in the area.  We stopped for lunch and walked around an urban area with a small lake.  

Be clear, this is like a small town at home with a city park in the middle with a little lake and a few boats on it.  
 

lunch was not great and if you have any food allergies skip it.  Also while they advertised a meal of clams they then said they were not in season and served tomato pasta with some eggplant and tiny bit of fish in it.  
 

the tour part was good but the lunch took up a full hour and a half and was neither entertaining, picturesque nor delicious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cruiseny4life]

4 minutes ago, Happycrafter123 said:

Also while they advertised a meal of clams they then said they were not in season and served tomato pasta with some eggplant and tiny bit of fish in it.  

I noticed the shore excursion description stated local seafood was "likely" to be served. I laughed and thought that you may not see any of that local fish. I'm sorry I was right. The eggplant would have made me gag!

 

Hopefully the tour was an alright experience though. 

Edited May 12, 2023 by cruiseny4life