Breakaway Review June 7-14, 2015

Here’s my review of our first Norwegian cruise on the Breakaway on June 7, 2015. I’ll start by saying that it was me, my hubby, and our 2 boys ages 10 and 12 years old. We are pretty easy going and aren’t picky about things. This was a pretty big trip for us as we are from California so we planned some time in NY also. I am very OCD when it comes to planning and it’s not like I like to have every minute planned, I just like to make sure I find the fun things that our family likes to do. This forum helped me tremendously.

The day before:

Since we were visiting my family in upstate NY prior to the cruise, we took the Amtrack train from Albany to NYC. The train was a half hour late however we had no specific plans in NYC so it was no big deal. The train ride was relaxing and very comfortable. I would take it again in a heart beat. We made sure to sit on the side of the Hudson River so we had great views during the ride. TIP-If you are traveling by Amtrack and you have luggage, get the luggage helpers to help you. Not only do they take your luggage for you but they also escort you down to the train before anyone else so there is no standing in line. With 2 kids in tow and 5 pieces of luggage, that paid for itself. We did this at Albany and Penn Station on our return trip and it was totally worth it. We tipped $10 each time.

We arrived at Penn Station and grabbed a taxi right away to our hotel-the Crown Plaza Times Square. This hotel was amazing. It was right across the street from the M&M store in Times Square and it was a nice, big, clean hotel with a restaurant and a bar. We arrived around 1pm and our room wouldn’t be ready until 3pm so we left our baggage with the bell hop and went sight seeing in Times Square. We tried to check in around 4pm and our room still wasn’t ready so we sat in the bar and had drinks. We were given 2 drink coupons by the front desk employee so that helped. Our room was finally ready at 5pm so we checked out the room for a bit and then continued out sight seeing and dinner in the city. The room had updated decor with very comfy beds. I paid extra and got a Time Square view which was pretty neat at night. We were on the 21st floor and the window actually opened partially which was nice for pictures.

Day 1:

The next morning was the day of our embarkation and we decided we wanted to see the Intrepid Air and Space Museum prior to embarking on the ship. We took a taxi to the pier and arrived at the pier at 10am. The hotel was only a 10 minute ride or so to the pier. We easily left our bags with the porters (There was no wait) and went to see the Intrepid-a 5 minute walk. We were there until about 12:30pm then went back to Pier 88 to embark on the Breakaway.

The check in went pretty smoothly and we didn’t have to wait at all. I made a comment to the Norwegian representative while checking in that I thought it was better to come later as we were having a very smooth check in process. The representative told me that it was better to be there earlier because there were less people. I couldn’t believe that since it was going so easy for us.

We boarded the ship right after we were through with checking in. I believe we boarded on deck 7 forward. We decided to head to the dining room right away because I wanted to have a nice sit down relaxing lunch and the dining room was going to close soon. An employee from Savor tried to steer us toward the buffet because the dining room was full but I decided to try anyways so I put our name in to wait. I was told the wait would be about 20 minutes which was fine. Our name was called only after 5 minutes and we were seated at a nice window seat.

I am not a picky eater and neither is anyone in my family and we thought all the food throughout the trip was good; some things better than others (I’ll elaborate later). I can’t remember what we ordered but it was all good and arrived at our table in decent time.

After we were through, we headed to our room, balcony mid ship #9850. The room was ready and I believe it was around 2pm. We were starboard, above the Waterfront. The room ended up being very quiet and we never heard any noises from the Waterfront. In fact we never heard any of the parties or even the fireworks (We ended up falling asleep). When we entered the room, I was pleasantly surprised at the nice size of the room. We are not small people and we had 5 pieces of luggage (not including backpacks) and we had room to move around. Later after sail away, I unpacked all of our clothes and stored 4 pieces of luggage under the bed (3 were 22” and 1 was 28”) and one in the closet. I was able to fit all of our clothes in the shelves/closet. I did roll up our everyday clothes on the shelves to create more space and I hung up the nicer clothes. A few things that I learned from here that I brought with me and thought were very handy were additional water bottles (I brought the insulated kind), highlighters, sticky notes, Ziploc bags, and an extension cord and surge protector. The shower had a clothes line in it but I did bring small hangers with clips to dry wet clothes.

The balcony is small but it was still nice to have. There definitely is no privacy as the lady next to me would often lean over her balcony and say hi to me. I know she was being friendly but at 7am when I look like hell and I’m drinking my coffee I really just want to be left alone.

Our room steward was good..not exceptional. I didn’t see him for the first day or so and he never introduced himself. I would leave him sticky notes and he would complete what I had asked. I figured he was busy with other rooms and we’re really not high maintenance people so it didn’t really bother us.

The last time we sailed was in 2003 with Carnival and the muster drill was so much easier this time than what I remember. We met in our designated area at Shanghai’s and sat around for what seemed like 20 minutes. I have to say it was pretty lame. A crew member showed us how to put the life vest on (we did not need our own) and that was pretty much it.

We watched the sail away from the upper deck by the pool. The actual sailaway party was somewhere else (Spice H20 I think). We didn’t leave the pier until 5 so it was a lot of standing since we wanted to hold our spot along the railing to watch the skyline. The bars were madhouses as you can imagine and it took forever to get a drink. Our kids went into the pool.

I’m glad we maintained our spots in front for the sail away on the port side. The view of the skyline was breathtaking and we couldn’t ask for better weather. We moved to the other side for the Statue of Liberty and as you can imagine we were in the back behind a bunch of people but we still got an awesome view. We could’ve gone to our room balcony for the SOL but we wanted to be on top as we passed under the Verrazano Bridge. We moved to the highest top deck as we passed under the bridge and it was really cool and I’m glad we stayed. We went back to the room and the kids explored the ship so I could unpack.

We had the UDP so I booked the Cirque Dinner Show for 9pm which was free for us on the first night (I made reservations as soon as I was able to prior to the cruise). My hubby and kids found the buffet so they brought back “appetizers”. We got to the Spiegal Tent around 8:45 pm and were seated in pretty good seats at a table by ourselves facing forward toward the stage. At this point the kids were pretty much done and I had to drag them to the show. My hubby and I were pretty tired too. My hubby and kids were still full from the “appetizers” so they didn’t eat all their meals. The show was really cool and better than I thought it would be. The kids and hubby didn’t like the appetizer which consisted of tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil, with balsamic vinegar and ham on the side (I can’t think of the name but it’s thinner than ham). I liked it so I ended up eating most theirs which of course filled me up. The steak was awesome it was a good size and very tender and it came with grilled shrimp. Overall I would pay for the show to see it but I would see it earlier than 9pm. we went to bed right after the show.

Day 2:

Here’s the thing about reserving lounge chairs. Yes it sucks and we shouldn’t have to do it. But the truth is, you pretty much have to if you want to lay out. The cruise line doesn’t enforce the policy (After 60 minutes they will remove your stuff) and almost everyone does it so you’re pretty much screwed if you don’t do it. With all the research I did here on Cruise Critic, I knew I had to partake in being a chair hog so I sent the boys early to reserve our chairs around 8am. No one messed with our stuff and I’m glad we did it because when we finally made it to the chairs it was around 10am and there were no free chairs. People were walking around looking for chairs and I could tell they were pissed.

We went to a sit down breakfast at Savor and the kids hit the buffet-yes again. Service and food was good. It’s pretty much stuff from the buffet but it was always warm and it was nice to be served. I tried to stay away from the madness of the buffet except for snacks here and there and breakfast on port days.

I wanted to be in Spice H20 however the waterfall was all boarded up so I wanted to be near a pool to cool off since the weather was perfect…almost too hot. We were on the upper deck facing the ocean where I could get to the pool easily if needed. I have to say that I agree with a lot of people on here and the design of the pool area sucks as well as the size of the pools. It would be nice to lay out by the pool but really the only place is under the walkway in the shade. Good for some people but not most. I wanted to be in the sun. There were however waiters and waitresses that came around taking drink orders and they were around often.

The kids played on the slides most of the day and ate at the buffet-they were obsessed with the buffet. Hubby and I ate at the Uptown Grill and they were the best burgers I think I’ve ever had. You order your burger in a “build-your-own-burger” style then they give you a number to place on the table where they deliver your burger. While you’re waiting they have another line where you can get a salad. It’s a salad bar but they have a worker making your salad as you tell him what you want in it. We had a burger and salad and I couldn’t finish the burger.

After laying out a majority of the day we went back to the room to get ready for dinner which I reserved in the Manhattan Room at 6:30. Even though we had the UDP, I wanted to try the dining room one night. We were seated right away and the service was very good. I’m not sure if we got lucky or if they improved but the service was great and not slow at all. I had actually warned my husband about the reviews of the service being slow so I was pleasantly surprised. The food was good as well and the meat lasagna was fantastic.

We had reserved Burn the Floor but were tired again so we didn’t do a whole lot and we went to bed early.

Day 3:

I sent the kids to reserve our lounge chairs again this time in the shade near the pool because we got fried the day before. TIP-make sure you reapply sunscreen more often then you normally would because the sun is intense! My kids almost didn’t find chairs and they went around 8am.

We tried the buffet at Moderno’s this morning and sat on the Waterfront and ate breakfast. The buffet was nice and not so crazy and I liked eating on the patio on the Cagney side.

The kids did their own thing which consisted a lot of watching cartoons in the room. We spent 4 days sightseeing and visiting family prior to the cruise so they needed a day to relax-and go to the buffet hahaha.

My hubby and I laid out for a few hours then toured the ship. We played Bingo at 4pm and didn’t win of course but it was fun nonetheless. They had different options to purchase the squares so we paid $40 for 6 sheets which consisted of 6 cards each. We split the cards so we each played 3 sheets (3 games).

After Bingo, we got ready for dinner which was 6:30pm at Cagney’s. Cagney’s was my favorite restaurant. Once again, I had it my mind that it wasn’t going to be that god because of the recent reviews but it turned out to be my favorite. t ordered prime rib and paid extra for the Lobster entree. The lobster was small and it came with a noodle dish. My prime rib was perfect and we all enjoyed our meals.

I originally booked Rock of Ages for all 4 of us even though there was adult content. I feel our kids have a pretty good sense of reality however I decided against bringing them since there were strong warnings and I didn’t know what to expect. So my husband and I went while our kids chilled int he room and went to bed. I absolutely loved the show! My husband liked it too even though he’s not real a “show” person. Norwegian did a great job with that show from the stage to the actors. After seeing it, I felt I could’ve brought my kids.

Day 4 (Bermuda):

I’ve never thought about going to Bermuda. We were looking for a cruise that left out of NYC since we would be there visiting family and it just so happened that Bermuda was on the itinerary. I wasn’t sure how I would like being at the same port for 3 days and I didn’t know enough about Bermuda. But we decided to do it especially because of the half price for the kids and the choice of the UDP or UBP offer (I’ll review the ship itself later).

I did a ton of research mainly on Cruise Critic and saw that most people loved Bermuda over the Bahamas and in fact everyone seemed to love Bermuda a lot. So I pretty much figured I’d love it too. We are not “excursion” people and we like to venture out on our own. So we didn’t book any excursions.

I was worried about the weather as the week before the forecast showed rain and clouds the time we would be there. A few days before thought he weather changed and it showed it was going to be sunny and no rain! This day it seemed a little bit overcast but not bad and it was hot. The dockyard was very clean and very Caribbean looking (I know it’s not the Caribbean but it had that feel). None of the stores were open that early.

We rented a Boston Whaler for 6 hours on our first day through Somerset Bridge Watersports for 10am (I reviewed Somerset on Trip Advisor). We ate at the buffet for breakfast and were off the ship about 8:30 am. The taxis were lined up waiting and we took a taxi to Somerset. The cost was $20 and it was about a 15-20 minute ride. The view of the island from the taxi was great! It made me want to jump out and explore. We passed beaches, cute bright colored homes and shops. The island appeared very clean and our taxi driver explained different sights as we passed them.

Renting the Boston Whaler was the best thing we could’ve done. We also rented a few fishing poles since my hubby and oldest like to fish. We brought our own snorkel equipment and I brought a floaty that twists to fold/unfold and you blow up the headrest and foot rest. We went to the Vixen which was unreal. We fed the fish and snorkeled. There were a lot of excursion boats so we left and anchored around Daniel’s Head. It was awesome snorkeling and my son and husband caught a bunch of Bermuda Bream. I floated in my little raft after snorkeling and we were there for a few hours.

We left and cruised the west side of the island near Mangrove Bay and we went under the Waterford Bridge. We planned on making a huge circle to eventually go under the Somerset Bridge upon returning back but we ended up finding a secluded beach on the opposite side of King’s Point west of Mangrove Bay. We beached the boat and snorkeled, fished, and I floated on my raft again. My husband caught a Barracuda and my son caught more Bream. The snorkeling was good too. After a few hours it was time to return the boat. TIP-If you’re going to rent a boat and you plan on snorkeling and motoring around, really consider a full day. The time flew by and we wished we rented it for a full day not 6 hours.

We flagged a taxi back to the ship and it let us off at the Clock Tower Mall per our request. My husband took the kids back to the ship and I shopped for a little bit at the mall. I went to the Dockyard Pharmacy and bought a few things we needed. They had a lot of everyday essentials among a ton of souvenirs.

Our dinner reservation was for 7pm at Tappenyaki. We have a Hibachi Grill near our house that is phenomenal so I knew it would be hard to top that one. The food was ok but our chef was fantastic. The waitress ended up confusing me. I ordered the steak but I ordered an additional entree of the seafood which came with calamari, lobster, scallops, and shrimp so it would be a surf and turf. The surf and turf on the menu only came with shrimp and steak and I wanted the other stuff. We didn’t eat much during the day and I was starving. I told the waitress I would pay but somehow she screwed it up. In her defense, she was trying to save us money but it kind of caused a mess. We didn't make a big deal of it and the chef was excellent and pretty much fixed it.

We were wiped out so we walked around explored some more and went to bed.

Day 5 (Bermuda):

We planned for Tobacco Bay today so we ate a quick breakfast at the buffet and we made sure we were in line for the ferry about 8:15 after I saw people lining up. I bought tokens 8 tokens for the ferry (for our return trip too). The ferry was filled to capacity and some people were left behind. The ferry was very clean and comfortable. We chose to sit inside because we wanted to be near the exit.

We chose to take a taxi to Tobacco Bay because we wanted to beat the crowd. St. George is absolutely beautiful! I’m glad we took a taxi because we ended up being some of the first ones there and we had our choice of chairs to rent (they were already laid out). The chairs had covers/awnings on them and the price was 1 for $15 or 2 for $25 for the day. They had floaties to rent and since I left mine on the cruise I thought about it. I chose against it since I knew I’d be snorkeling for awhile.

I loved Tobacco Bay. Yes it is a small beach and it gets crowded but there’s a calm vibe there and it actually didn’t bother me. It didn’t seem like they ran out of room or anything t loved the bar, the fact that there was a snack bar, and it was just gorgeous. I didn’t see any trash on the beach and there were plenty of workers that helped with chairs or whatever. They also had a duo playing caribbean style music on the deck by the bar. It was perfect and not too loud or obnoxious. I could’ve spent another day there. I wish Bermuda had a later ferry leaving from St. George.

We pretty much went in to snorkel right away and we brought the small packaged cereal from the ship to feed the fish. The “bay” part of Tobacco Bay isn’t great for snorkeling although there are a ton of the Bream in there and a few small black and white angel fish. We swam to the rocks and literally snorkeled for hours! We even went along the rocks towards Achille’s Beach. The snorkeling was fantastic! We took a break and ordered food from the snack bar. It was typical snack bar food and I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich and the kids ordered chicken strips and fries. I ordered my first Rum Swizzle from the bar and I got hooked! My husband got hooked also and we ordered a few. We left Tobacco Bay around 3pm because I wanted to go to the perfumery and the unfinished church. We took a taxi to the perfumery and the hubby and kids stayed outside while I went inside to shop.

We ended up not going to the unfinished church because we were hungry and beat and wanted to eat before catching the last ferry back at 5:30. I remember hearing about Wahoo’s Restaurant on the water near the pier so we walked there to eat. We had a seat on the patio overlooking the water and it was beautiful! We ordered more rum swizzles and food. The food was great and it was $114 for 4 meals, 2 swizzles and the the tip. They even brought a small bucket of bread for my kids to feed the fish below.

We walked to the ferry which was about a 5 min walk and got in line at 5:00pm. I heard the last ferry fills up and sure enough there were a lot of people already lined up. I was worried we wouldn’t make it but worse case scenario we would take a taxi to Hamilton then jump on the ferry from there. Everyone made it though and this ferry was bigger and took an hour to get to the dockyard. We had dinner reservations at 7pm for Moderno’s which we didn’t make. Once we returned to the ship I called and scheduled our reservations for later.

SAND: So the ship does not allow sand to be brought back to the ship. Now that kind of upset me because I have a jar at home that I layer with sand from the different places we’ve been too and I label the sand. So I tried to sneak in a small ziplock back with some sand. Yes I got caught and I had to throw it away. But My husband was able to salvage enough from our beach bag for my jar. We had to think of plan B for the next day when we went to Horseshoe Bay because I HAD to have some pink sand for my jar.

The kids didn’t want to go to dinner with us so I allowed them to do their own thing. Our new reservation was at 8:45pm which gave us plenty of time to relax and get ready. I wasn’t really aran of Moderno’s. It was good but to me it was just ok. I don’t know if it was because I was tired or what but it was probably my least favorite restaurant. We sat at the back with a great view of the other cruise ship in port from Celebrity. The service was good and we tried not to overdo it at the salad bar but like I said it was just “ok”.

Again we explored the ship before heading to bed.

Day 6:

Today we went to Horseshoe Bay. We ate another quick breakfast at the buffet and we grabbed a taxi to to the beach in order to get there quicker. We had to be back to the ship at 4:30pm so we wanted to spend as much time there as possible. I believe we got to Horseshoe at about 8:45am. There was hardly anyone there and we went to the right of the beach where there is a small bay. We snorkels again and even though I knew Horseshoe Bay wasn’t known for snorkeling, the snorkeling was awesome! There was this spot that was swarmed with fish of all kind even parrot fish. It was almost like I was feeding them that’s how crazy they were! I had a GoPro and when I showed my husband he thought I was feeding the fish! In the bay, there is also a rock that boys were jumping off of. It wasn’t too high at all but they were having fun. At about 10am we walked around the corner to the normal beach and left our stuff by the little bay thinking we would come back. Well low and behold we had a blast in the ocean so I brought our stuff over to the normal beach. Everyone was right and pictures do not do that beach justice!! I brought my floaty and and enjoyed laying in it with a rum swizzle (yes I bought more from the bar lol). The waves were perfect for the kids just big enough for them to play in but not too big. They alternated with snorkeling out in the rocks in the distance and playing in the water. My hubby and I enjoyed relaxing in the water. We were going to leave early to go rent some fishing poles back at Somerset and the boys could fish but we were all having such a great time that we didn’t want to leave. They have a snack bar too same as Tobacco Bay and they have a bar. They have a nice clean patio eating area with picnic tables. There are nice bathroom facilities and outside showers. We grabbed a bite to eat and went back to the beach.

There were taxis waiting so it was easy to grab one. My original plan was to go to the Swizzle Inn before heading back to the beach but we spent so much time at Horseshoe that I didn’t want to chance it. We left Horseshoe at about 2:30pm so we finish up some shopping at the dockyard. I wanted to buy some swizzle mix so the taxi stopped at a liquor store. I found Swizzle mix which included the rum made from the Swizzle Inn for $17.95 a bottle so I bought 3.

After shopping at the dockyard, we had time to kill so we went to the Bonefish Restaurant which is the last restaurant before the cruise ships. They have a nice patio that overlooks the ships. We sat on the patio and I ordered another swizzle and my hubby ordered a large beer and they both came in souvenir glasses. We ordered calamari for an appetizer and the boys ordered cheeseburgers. The calamari was the best I have ever had and it came with a lot. My hubby ordered another beer because he had to have matching beer glasses lol. I knew the restaurant was good because I saw a lot of locals coming to the restaurant. Again it was almost $100 for an appetizer, 2 meals, and 3 drinks with souvenir glasses. The tip was also included.

Back to the ship and we had a dinner reservation at 6:30pm for La Cucina. It was nice to relax on the balcony while leaving port. We were starboard so we got a good view of the island as we were leaving. The coral reefs were also really pretty to look at and it was weird to think we were so close to them.

La Cucina was one of my favorite restaurants. I requested an outdoor table however after we were sat at the table, the sun was shining too brightly and we were blinded and cooked. The hostess sat us inside next to a window without hesitation. The waiter was extremely nice and talkative and the food was good once again. The tiramasu was to die for. I actually got 2 desserts..vanilla ice cream with a shot of espresso poured over top and a tiramasu. Both very tasty.

We chose to play miniature golf after dinner and some bowling. The bowling was a rip off at $5 per person, per game. The ball is smaller so it makes the game more difficult and we flew threw the game. The golfing was fun and it was pretty at night with all the brightly colored lights.

Day 7:

Debarkation:

We chose to leave our bags out the night before and debark at 9:30, leaving us time in the morning for breakfast in the dining room. I’m glad we chose this time because we had a very nice relaxing breakfast then went back to the room to get our belongings and then we waited for a half hour or so until they called our luggage tag color. You have to be out of your room at 8:30am and since we had an earlier start then we anticipated, we had to wait after breakfast for about a half an hour. to debark. We found a nice spot on the Waterfront where we waited. They did begin calling our color earlier than 9:30. TIP: Debark at the forward part of the ship!! The line to debark at the aft part of the ship was crazy! It was long and people were cutting and it was craziness. A guy in line was telling people to go to the forward part of the ship (By O’Sheehan’s) since there were a lot less people. I went to check it out and sure enough there was hardly no one there and it was quick!

The whole debarkation process was pretty smooth..yes you will be in lines but for the most part they went pretty quickly. The luggage is grouped together by colors and we found ours pretty quickly. There are porters there to help if you need assistance with your luggage. Taxi’s are all line up if you need them and we had no problem finding one. We were at our hotel by 10:45. I remember years ago on a Carnival cruise the whole debarkation process sucked and this time it wasn’t bad at all.

The ship:

There is no doubt about it the ship is beautiful. It doesn’t flow well though IMO. It seems likes it’s broken up and doesn’t really flow. I agree with a lot of reviews and the pool area is very poorly designed. Yes we made it work and had a great time but I’m not sure what they were thinking when they designed it. We didn’t go to Spice H2O until the last day because the waterfall area was boarded up and I wanted to be near water. I will say that Spice is the way to go. The vibe was much calmer and it wasn’t as crowded. I wish I would’ve gone there the other days as we aren’t big on the party crowd. The smoke from the casino didn’t affect me and didn’t seem bad in the other areas of the ship. Personally, I would rather go on the smaller ships as it really did seem crowded. But with kids in tow, the Breakaway was perfect as there was a lot to do. We didn’t participate in a lot of activities however many of them seemed fun.

When coming back from the port for the day, Norwegian had ice water, lemonade, frozen popsicles, and cold wet hand towels that they were handing out to the passengers.

I loved your review; it's nice to see someone telling it like it is. My husband & I are sailing on Breakaway over Thanksgiving week and I, too, am a bit frightened by all the negative reviews. We're going on this ship without high expectations, we're easy to please, and we're not ones to complain. If we don't like dinner in one place, trust me, we won't go hungry.

Our itinerary is Port Canaveral & Bahamas, so we'll be staying on the ship mainly, which we've never done before. Really looking forward to that. Considered high-tailing our butts onto the ship in the hopes of securing VIBE passes, but having a cold day sailing out & most likely another chilly day at sea as we approach Florida, there won't be a heck of a lot of warm/sun time. We'll deal with the masses at Spice H20 and with any luck, the waterfall will be in operation. We do like to dip into a pool, but cooling off at the waterfall will be fine.

Did you try O'Sheehan's? Isn't that where the bowling alley is? I've heard mixed reviews about their wings & their chicken pot pie. We've got the UBP and I'm looking forward to trying every martini that Shakers makes!!!

I'm glad you enjoyed Bermuda. Bermuda was my first ever cruise & I loved it. Went again on NCL Star in 2012 and thought I'd never sail NCL again. You see, I'm giving NCL a second shot.

Hope Plan B got you enough soft, pink sand for your collection.

Thanks so much for writing such a detailed review! I just love Bermuda and your account of your days there has me so excited for my cruise in a few weeks.

I loved your review; it's nice to see someone telling it like it is. My husband & I are sailing on Breakaway over Thanksgiving week and I, too, am a bit frightened by all the negative reviews. We're going on this ship without high expectations, we're easy to please, and we're not ones to complain. If we don't like dinner in one place, trust me, we won't go hungry.

I can say that this review is genuine because a lot of it rang true based on my Bermuda trip on the Breakaway last year. (I did a similar thing at Teppanyaki by ordering Lobster, Filet Mignon, Scallops, and Udon Noodles with Rice. The waitress got confused, but it all worked out for me. Unlike Cagney's and Le Bistro, there ought to be no surcharge for "additional" main courses under the UDP.) Of course, there are some parts that I disagree with it, but that's only because most things are subjective. (For example, I found the Breakaway's layout extremely easy and navigable.) The Breakaway isn't a bad ship, but it can lead to issues that can be overcome if you plan accordingly.

 

SAND: So the ship does not allow sand to be brought back to the ship. Now that kind of upset me because I have a jar at home that I layer with sand from the different places we’ve been too and I label the sand. So I tried to sneak in a small ziplock back with some sand. Yes I got caught and I had to throw it away. But My husband was able to salvage enough from our beach bag for my jar. We had to think of plan B for the next day when we went to Horseshoe Bay because I HAD to have some pink sand for my jar.

 

I don't think it's the ship that doesn't allow you to take the sand, it is Bermuda that doesn't allow you to remove it from the beach.

Glad you had fun.

I loved your review; it's nice to see someone telling it like it is. My husband & I are sailing on Breakaway over Thanksgiving week and I, too, am a bit frightened by all the negative reviews. We're going on this ship without high expectations, we're easy to please, and we're not ones to complain. If we don't like dinner in one place, trust me, we won't go hungry.

 

 

 

Our itinerary is Port Canaveral & Bahamas, so we'll be staying on the ship mainly, which we've never done before. Really looking forward to that. Considered high-tailing our butts onto the ship in the hopes of securing VIBE passes, but having a cold day sailing out & most likely another chilly day at sea as we approach Florida, there won't be a heck of a lot of warm/sun time. We'll deal with the masses at Spice H20 and with any luck, the waterfall will be in operation. We do like to dip into a pool, but cooling off at the waterfall will be fine.

 

 

 

Did you try O'Sheehan's? Isn't that where the bowling alley is? I've heard mixed reviews about their wings & their chicken pot pie. We've got the UBP and I'm looking forward to trying every martini that Shakers makes!!!

 

 

 

I'm glad you enjoyed Bermuda. Bermuda was my first ever cruise & I loved it. Went again on NCL Star in 2012 and thought I'd never sail NCL again. You see, I'm giving NCL a second shot.

 

 

 

Hope Plan B got you enough soft, pink sand for your collection.

Yes forgot to mention O'Sheehans! I never tried the pot pie because it always seemed too filling for me. But I had the grilled chicken sandwich which was super plain. The mozzarella sticks were good but they were your basic sticks. We did pay for sundaes one evening after Tappenyaki and they were huge and delicious:) And as far as sand yes I got some on. My hubby put handfuls inside our water shoes and on the bottom of the beach bag.

The cable car is the best martini!

Great review! Do you recall the price for a taxi to Tobacco? :)

Great review! Do you recall the price for a taxi to Tobacco? :)

About $23-25 for 4 of us total. The way home was a bit more because we stopped at a liquor store.

Thanks for the review! I wonder why the spice waterfall was boarded up?