Does anyone like The Breakaway?

It's been non stop disaster after disaster of reviews for this ship and it's sister ships, complaints, crying, horror stories, and more. People waiting hours for tables at all the restaurants, no hot water in cabins, cold food, bad service, it's endless.

Considering I am getting on in under two weeks I was wondering if anyone actually likes the BA or are people just sailing on it out of duty?

I sailed solo on BA two years ago and loved it, so much so that I'm sailing her again next month. My worldview is that we can always find something to critique or complain about in any situation, and on a board like CC it can seem like those criticisms are outweighing the good. People are less inclined to write about the "I had a nice time and nothing bad happened" situations than their personal episode of "Gordon Ramsey's Cruise Ship Nightmares" (not a real show, but in case Gordo happen to lurk on cruise ship message boards: Call me, we'll make it happen!). People then tend to comment on those disaster stories, pushing more of them to the top.

When I was on Breakaway, I found the staff to be incredibly friendly and helpful, my cabin was comfortable, the food was very good (as far as cruise fare goes) and my wait for a table was minimal. I was kept well-imbibed, entertained, and the best part was that I got to spend nearly 3 days in one of my favorite places on the planet: Bermuda. My only criticism was that my room was located next to a housekeeping closet, so there was a bit more hustle and bustle noise than I expected in the morning, but nothing too bad. Cruise reviews are like belly buttons; almost everyone has them, and they're all bound to be different from yours in some way. Enjoy your cruise and come to your own conclusions...

...and if all else fails, ask the bartender to make you a Bermuda Triangle. After 3 or 4 of those you won't have a care in the world!

I had a blast on the Breakaway! The food was fine - not amazing, but I'm not expecting five star dining to be included in my cruise fare. It was chain-restaurant level or better at each meal in the MDR (Taste, Savor or Manhattan Room). The vast majority of staff members I interacted with were friendly and helpful. I had one occasion where service just completely fell apart, but the person in charge of the restaurant did his best to make it up, and it worked out in the end. My cabin steward, the solo host and the cruise director were all great. I wasn't particularly interested in most of the entertainment, but what I saw, I enjoyed - especially Howl at the Moon!

Is the smoke from the casino an issue? Yes, to some degree. But I didn't find it utterly intolerable, and I'm asthmatic. Is the ship large? Yup. Do the elevators get backed up sometimes? Yup. But...you wait five minutes and there's another. It's not the end of the world. It's a big ship. Sometimes it's crowded, sometimes you wait for things. I was really hesitant after reading some reviews. I'm glad I went anyway.

I booked another cruise on the Breakaway for 2018. I liked the ship enough to go back!

I've only been on the Breakaway one time to Bermuda and loved it!! Everything was excellent and I would sail on her in a heartbeat!!!!

I had a great cruise in BA 2 1/2 years ago. Maybe things have changed but it exceeded my expectations. Now don't get me started with Epic. :(

I loved it!! People only come on here to moan, most people who go and have a happy cruise don't lurk around cruise critic :-)

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I loved it!! People only come on here to moan, most people who go and have a happy cruise don't lurk around cruise critic :-)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I was on her for thanksgiving and had a great time and would definitely sail her again. One thing I would not do is go when the weather is cold. I like the heat when I am on vacation and being on a cruise ship and shivering do not go well together. IMHO.

Yes, we love Breakaway. We have cruised RCCL, HAL, and Celebrity. Food comes in last unless you do the specialty dining, and we love that. Breakaway has by far the best night life if you like this. It is a priority for us. Not the best for pool but we are happy with just going to H2o.

Some people nit-pick and complain just to complain.

There are legit complaints and there is moaning....it's best to know the difference when on CC.

We love the Breakaway. Was on it August 2016. We are also not picky people. We go with the intention of having a great cruise and that is what we do.

We were on the BA 3 times in the past year. The first time, fantastic. The second time, OK. The last time, time for a change.

It's not that the cruise was bad, but the entertainment seemed to go downhill. I've seen all "the shows" 3 times, and the lounge musicians/singers were just not up to par.

Also, the last time the Atrium really seemed more crowded than before. It may be because there was a huge group that was visibly absent from the "paying venues". So, this was probably a "specific sailing" thing.

The service was excellent, despite what others say. And the food was very good.

We were on it almost a year ago and had a great time. It was only our 2nd cruise. The ship was beautiful, though the balcony room was quite tight for 4. We only ever ate at the buffet and were never hungry. I would have liked to kidnap the woman who was there making fresh crepes every night so she could make me those crepes at home!

There were some things I enjoyed more about our first cruise, an older Carnival ship, but they were both great vacations.

I love cruising and have been on about 10-12 cruises on various lines. I have enjoyed most of the cruises I've been on. My cruise on the Breakaway was one of my least favorite, though. I didn't like the way the ship was laid out. Although it is a "mega ship", it didn't feel like it, and not in a good way. The public spaces were too small and crowded and not designed to accommodate the number of passengers aboard. The pool area was too small. There was no solarium for regular guests (only for Haven people who pay a lot more). It was too noisy of a ship...too many loud speakers blaring, too few quiet areas to chill, the Atrium was always jammed packed with too little seating, volume way too loud. Cigarette smoke wafting around the ship because the casino is open to other public spaces.

I did think the food was good overall, with some exceptions, and the big shows were excellent. The cabin was the smallest I've been in, but the beds were comfortable. Service was pretty good across the board.

I wouldn't sail on Breakaway again, even though it's very convenient for me to sail out of Manhattan (I live in NJ).

I'm sailing in March and have agonized a bit over the reviews myself... But then I think about it and can't imagine that the things people gripe about will really bother me that much. On our land based vacations we've dealt with all of the mentioned issues at one time or another. Did it ever ruin our vacation? Nope. We've waited for restaurants, waited for elevators, had some crappy service, dealt with crowds, etc.

I do keep things in mind for planning purposes (ie dinner early to avoid waits and hopefully get to the pool deck attractions while everyone else is doing dinner) but my general opinion is that complainers are the most vocal group.

Your vacation is always what you make of it, as is life!

Please post a review and let us know what you thought of it compared to reviews!

Sent from my SM-N900V using Forums mobile app

Love the breakaway. I have been on her twice. Never had any problems at restaurants or bars.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just got off my 6th Breakaway cruise yesterday and we are already booked for the Western Caribbean cruise next January.

I have never had a bad cruise. Sure there are little things that go wrong but never anything that would discourage me from sailing the BA.

Don't listen to the complainers. Some people just can't be satisfied no matter what is done for them.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We sailed the Breakaway June 2016 to Bermuda, we had 2 other families with us and they were new to NCL. I can tell you we had lots of tweens with us and everyone had a fantastic time!

We had a wonderful room..mini suite with large balcony, always had hot water, service was fantastic in the main dining room and specialty places. Drinks were wonderful and just a few minute wait, rarely saw any kids, as they have a teen club and hung out in there, or were eating at the buffet.

The howl at the moon was ok, it was better on the Getaway. The piano player at the martini bar was awesome~! Every bar tender at each bar that we met was wonderful....the bar tenders by the pool are not as nice. The waterfront was always welcoming and a great place to people watch, as was the atrium. The shows in the atrium are always entertaining, get there early to get a seat, they fill up fast, but service was great in the atrium.

Tip your room steward on the first day and you will always have a clean room, ice and sometimes they bring you snacks!

Treat the employees well and always approach them with a smile on your face, you will be amazed how far a little kindness goes to make your vacation a good time!!

Just relax and enjoy! i would also recommend going to the dining room for lunch on the day you board...there are way to many people in a hurry at the buffet. Start it off right, and relax, your going to have a great time:D

The pool area is really horrible-- WAY too small!! And the atrium is very overcrowded, especially when it's cold outside.

Other than those, it's fine-- was it my favorite cruise? No. But I had a good time-- good food (old UDP), a bit of sun, and lots of drinks. Nightlife good, too-- that WAS better than other cruise lines.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We have sailed the breakaway twice. The only problem is the passengers. The ship is great.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

We have sailed Breakaway 3x and will sail it again this year. Every trip is what you make it!

Go on your vacation, expect to have a wonderful time and you will!

We had a figurative CTN due to Hurricane Matthew. With a delayed departure and some crappy weather days, all of the passengers were indoors a good chunk of the time. The BA is not a cold/foul weather ship insofar as crowding. If you have a few indoor days, then you start to get a bad perspective. YRMV

Just got off the Breakaway on Jan 15th -- great sailing to the Southern Caribbean! Loved the 7 ports. Some outstanding staff members. We enjoyed the food in MDRs and Specialty restaurants. Love the free style. While I understand the disappointing experiences, I experienced the positive comments above.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I love cruising and have been on about 10-12 cruises on various lines. I have enjoyed most of the cruises I've been on. My cruise on the Breakaway was one of my least favorite, though. I didn't like the way the ship was laid out. Although it is a "mega ship", it didn't feel like it, and not in a good way. The public spaces were too small and crowded and not designed to accommodate the number of passengers aboard. The pool area was too small. There was no solarium for regular guests (only for Haven people who pay a lot more). It was too noisy of a ship...too many loud speakers blaring, too few quiet areas to chill, the Atrium was always jammed packed with too little seating, volume way too loud. Cigarette smoke wafting around the ship because the casino is open to other public spaces.

 

I did think the food was good overall, with some exceptions, and the big shows were excellent. The cabin was the smallest I've been in, but the beds were comfortable. Service was pretty good across the board.

 

I wouldn't sail on Breakaway again, even though it's very convenient for me to sail out of Manhattan (I live in NJ).

I agree with almost everything except for the food part but that is always subjective.

You said something that I have been saying since we cruised on Breakaway in late Sept. The ship although huge feels small and not in a good way. Explorer of the seas which is a much older and a smaller ship feels bigger. You can walk forever on Explorer. Breakaway felt cramped and small at times and when you cut out walking in or near the stinky casino you lose a large part of the ship. Sorry but every critique is not "nit picky", sometimes it legit. I go into every cruise with such a bias, I am easy to please and love everything. The things I did not like about Breakaway I could not simply overlook. Layout, casino and smoke, crowded and bottlenecks. Sorry if this offends, but that was my experience.

Now we had a great time, food was excellent from free to pay we thought. Loved our AFT balcony with a HUGE balcony. Loved the location of our room. Bermuda was incredible as always. That is my take.

I am a big fan of the Breakaway! I cruised on the Pearl with my hubby and children along with a bunch of family members a couple years ago...then went on the Breakaway last Spring. I will always hold a special place for the Pearl in my heart as she was my first cruise and I enjoyed the smaller ship as well as a convenient layout.

However, last Spring when I cruised on the BA to Bermuda, it was just myself, my sister and my Dad. We left our families at home as we were celebrating my sister and I receiving our BSN degree and it was a last minute trip. I loved the BA so much I booked a cruise to the Bahamas for this fall mainly because I think my husband and kids will enjoy it as much as I did!

My opinions of the BA:

Pros---big ship, lots to do. Atrium is beautiful, promenade deck was my favorite place to sit and nap or just relax. Can't say enough good things about Rock of Ages, lots of activities to keep you busy. No complaints here about the food...in fact, I am a huge fan of the Chocolate Lava Cakes that are served in the MDRs. (Its a running joke in my family to see who can eat the most of them during a cruise). Casino was great and I actually won a decent amount. Loved Second City (in Headliners), loved the art "gallery," loved the music and dancing in the Manhattan Room. LOVE the Noodle Bar. Lots of bars and places to sit and socialize. I didn't find the smoking areas to be a problem--well ventilated in my opinion.

Cons--Not a ton of variety in food choices in MDRs, but for me--when I find something I like I tend to eat it again so this wasn't a big deal for me. Seating in the theater was not great, as mentioned by others. Pool was small but I don't care for swimming so no big deal here. There could be more hot tubs...Finding our room was difficult at times because everything looks the same but I am terrible with directions so that's partly on me. We didn't see our room steward as much as we would have liked, and for some reason when ordering coffee each morning even though I wrote "for 3" on our slip, they always brought only 2 cups. Layout of the ship is a bit strange, IMO. No mid-ship elevators kind of stinks but one can understand that the layout doesn't really allow for that. We never waited long for elevators anyhow.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my week on the BA and can't wait to go back in October! She is a great ship! Yes, very big and with that comes lots of people. This can be a challenge for the crew to personalize their relationship with many people, which is understanding. But, there is so much to do and I highly recommend a trip on the Breakaway!

It's been non stop disaster after disaster of reviews for this ship and it's sister ships, complaints, crying, horror stories, and more. People waiting hours for tables at all the restaurants, no hot water in cabins, cold food, bad service, it's endless.

 

Considering I am getting on in under two weeks I was wondering if anyone actually likes the BA or are people just sailing on it out of duty?

we've sailed her twice, going for the 3rd time in May.

we love the ship, although our general preference is for the smaller ships.

you have to remember that this ship is predominanly New Yorkers. New Yorkers are generally very particular, very opinionated, and very demanding. I have never seen passengers treat the crew as horribly on any ship as i do on Breakaway. If you can get past that, go with the flow, and do you homework/research ahead of time you will have a great time.