Live from the Breakaway March 17-31, 2024

[www3traveler]

Minus the weather, I hope you have a wonderful adventure.

Can not wait to hear what you have to say about The Breakaway and Her staff.

BIG BIG BIG BIG BIG HUG

 

[YVRteacher]

Thanks Mandy! I’m excited!!

[www3traveler]

Just now, YVRteacher said:

Thanks Mandy! I’m excited!!

I think my friend Charlin is on board as either Group Services or Guest Services.

 

I also have a "Cruise Ship Kid" on board as a waiter.  I think he is in the Manhattan Room for dinner and the Local for breakfast.  Very tall from Myanmar (Burma). 

[SenatorsFan]

I love all your New Orleans pictures! 😻 I did not realize there were sweet potato pralines.

Bon Voyage.

[NikiPinkston]

Your photos brought back such great memories! Thank you for that. Last time we were there, it absolutely poured for three days. I do love me a good NOLA thunderstorm but it does slow you down. I was going to tell you not to miss the pralines, but the ones I make at home contain cream. BTW, the pronunciation is regional, so it's okay to say PRAY-LINES, just not in New Orleans LOL. Happy embarkation day!

[ceilidh1]

Inquiring minds need to know...

 

1. Did you see a gator

2, Did you eat a Beignet

 

Very important info

[laudergayle]

1 hour ago, YVRteacher said:

It really is a lightning storm now!!

 

I did not pack a jacket but I do have one of those dollar store emergency raincoats in my travel bag. Should I use it on myself to keep my hair dry or over my luggage to keep my new dress dry? Such a dilemma.

Wear the dress and the poncho🤣

[schmoopie17]

On 3/16/2024 at 9:52 AM, YVRteacher said:

 

Ignoring the warnings that advise not to use

hotel coffee makers because people wash their underwear in them, I made coffee and watched the sunrise over the Mississippi. 

I never use hotel coffee makers.

Or underwear,

So if you get the room after I check out, you're good.

[YVRteacher]

1 hour ago, ceilidh1 said:

Inquiring minds need to know...

 

1. Did you see a gator

2, Did you eat a Beignet

 

Very important info

The only gators I saw were the dead ones for sale.

 

I did not eat a beignet. I hate powdered sugar.

 

There was a big parade yesterday and the lady at the concierge desk mapped out the location of the place I wanted to try, Vintage NoLa, and said I wouldn’t be able to get there due to the parade route and streetcars not being able to pass through. Even the guys doing the horse and carriage tours (not that I would ever do that) were restricting their routes.

 

 

[YVRteacher]

The hotel at which I stayed is the Hilton Riverside.

This hotel is like the mega hotels in Vegas where you think you can relax because you’re back at your hotel but the reality is you have to trek another 3km from the lobby before you find your room which isn’t even in the same building as the lobby.

Things I like about this hotel:

Comfortable bed (super comfortable!)

Crisp clean sheets

Walking distance to port

Pool looks nice

There are Crabtree and Evelyn products

PJs  coffee for the coffee pot

 

Things I don’t like about this hotel

Walls in bathroom are COVERED IN HAIR. So gross.

 

The room obviously hasn’t been vacuumed 

 

I can hear the people next to me and above me when they use the bathroom. This morning I could smell it too.  This is the clincher and I definitely won’t stay here again.

 

Walks and doors are thin. Very noisy.

 

They assigned two of us (strangers) to the same room at the same and we both arrived with our keys, both thinking this was our room. 

 

Prices in the coffee shop are ridiculous and there is meat in all the food.

 

It’s old, run down and dingy with rust leaking from the sink and toilet pipes, creaking escalators and elevators that take so long to open you’re pulling out your phone to call the emergency stuck in an elevator number when the doors slowly pry themselves open.

 

Nothing special. Would not recommend other than for the convenience of location to the cruise port.

 

Fake flowers

 

If you like free gumbo, the Hilton has you covered

 

[YVRteacher]

From the time I left the hotel room to the moment I set foot on the Breakaway was 17 minutes. Port operations were smooth with 55 agents doing check in. At the time I arrived (11:10am) they did not have any priority line ups for Latitudes but they did have a Haven check in line. 

 

Even though I was discreet, a wily-eyed port person saw me taking photos and yelled at me. I was in the wrong though. I tried to explain that I’m a writing a live report for Cruise Critic but that didn’t help. Some people just don’t understand the cruise life.

 

It was thunderstorming but I stayed completely dry because access to the port is through the outlet mall. It’s a sensible set up and I was extremely impressed with the ease of check in and boarding.

 

A couple moments after I arrived in the waiting area priority boarding for Latitudes was called. Ship security had the entry key card swiping stations inside so there was minimal standing in the rain.

 

 

 

 

 

[YVRteacher]

If you haven’t made dining reservations you can do so in Headliners. They have place settings and menus set up to represent each restaurant.

 

 

 

The only entertainment that can be prebooked is Burn The Floor and this is done at the Box Office which is located at the end of a maze. I asked 4 crew members and received 4 different answers (one person said deck 6, one person said deck 7, one person said there wasn’t one and the fourth person tried to scan my key card for the safety drill.)

 

 

If you want to sign up for paint class you can do so at the box office. These are the options:

 

Want to change your cabin? Not happening on this cruise.

 

I went to the front desk to pick up my seasick pills. The front desk guy said that as of today NCL has changed their policy and they are no longer giving out free anti-seasick tablets. He told me to go to the medical clinic and buy them from a vending machine. I asked if they had any left and was told no. This one little thing may be my breaking point with NCL. I have already booked another cruise line for the summer due to NCL’s lack of entertainment that I prefer.  I was going to write “don’t judge me” but feel free to judge. I’m just expressing how I feel. Different cutbacks impact different people.

 

I haven’t had a proper meal since Thursday evening so I went to Taste for lunch. The waiter was delightful and I definitely enjoyed the meal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

pro tip: on embarkation day if you eat a Savor you will have a Mississippi view. If you eat at Taste you will have a shoreside port operations view, as I did. Every single pallet was sniffed by a security team. Well, the dog did the sniffing, the handler did the stickering.

 

 

Who knows what the guys ate last night but it must have been a lot! We haven’t even set sail and this happened:

 

Edited March 17 by YVRteacher

[YVRteacher]

After lunch I took a non-crowded elevator to deck 15 with the intention of walking up to deck 18 and doing a deck by deck explore but the spa lady employed her tactics and now I’m relaxing on a heated ceramic lounger, orange infused water in hand.

 

Edited March 17 by YVRteacher

[laudergayle]

34 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

said that as of today NCL has changed their policy and they are no longer giving out free anti-seasick tablets. He told me to go to the medical clinic and buy them from a vending machine

Shortsighted for sure.  I guess NCL would rather spend their (our) precious $$$ on more barf bags and cleanup.  Shame, shame NCL.  

[AKR2011]

13 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

Shortsighted for sure.  I guess NCL would rather spend their (our) precious $$$ on more barf bags and cleanup.  Shame, shame NCL.  

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I always pack seasick pills just in case. I would never expect them to be provided. I guess it's a nice gesture, but I throw them in my suitcase along with other "just in case" meds like Excedrin, Pepto Bismol, Emergen-C packs, and some kind of cold meds. Anyone else do the same?

[kjquilts]

31 minutes ago, AKR2011 said:

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I always pack seasick pills just in case. I would never expect them to be provided. I guess it's a nice gesture, but I throw them in my suitcase along with other "just in case" meds like Excedrin, Pepto Bismol, Emergen-C packs, and some kind of cold meds. Anyone else do the same?

 

We always take a bottle of Rugby Travel Sickness, 100 Tablets  currently $6.41 on Amazon.  Meclizine HCl 25 mg   Without medication I can get sick standing on a dock and in all our cruises have never been seasick when using these.  One tablet in the morning and I'm good.  Also use these when flying, riding in back seat of car or seated anywhere on bus or van.  

Edited March 17 by kjquilts

[laudergayle]

I believe many of us come prepared.  Some of us who’ve never been sick or are newer cruisers may not.  I can’t imagine that not offering seasick pils will really make a dent financially.  Geez NCL.  Really?

[zqvol]

1 hour ago, laudergayle said:

Shortsighted for sure.  I guess NCL would rather spend their (our) precious $$$ on more barf bags and cleanup.  Shame, shame NCL.  

It’s not NCL’s responsibility to provide you sea sick meds. That is something personal that you need to bring with you. 

[YVRteacher]

17 minutes ago, zqvol said:

It’s not NCL’s responsibility to provide you sea sick meds. That is something personal that you need to bring with you. 

They have been provided since I started cruising with NCL 14 years ago.

[vswan]

Enough talk about sea sick meds. I would rather hear about YVRs travels. Thanks for the review. I leave a week from today and this will make that week go faster.

[YVRteacher]

Tour of a studio cabin:

 

The curved wall is magnetic

 

 

[YVRteacher]

I have an idea for a cost-cutting measure that would allow NCL to bring back production musicals:

 

reduce the paper!!!

 

I suspect the page below is specifically for Spring Break cruises. Can anyone confirm?

 

 

 

[vswan]

Have you stayed in a studio before? I am now solo also and have booked my second in a solo balcony cabin for next January. Neither of the ships have had a studio lounge/rooms, so that wasn't an option. Looking forward to your opinion of the studio on this ship.

[YVRteacher]

Yes, I stayed in a studio on the Bliss last year for the first week of a B2B. I wrote a live from that trip that you can search.

 

Studios are great if you don’t spend a lot of time in the cabin. I also recommend getting the thermal spa pass and showering there instead of in the cabin.

[vswan]

Thanks!