Breakaway to Bermuda - Fantastic Family Cruise!

Hi everyone! We were on the Breakaway from Aug 31-Sept 7 and this is my review.

Our small family included myself and my husband (DH) and our 7 year old daughter (DD7). This was our 6th cruise and our 3rd time with Norwegian. I am not an expert cruiser by any means, but I will try to relate our experiences the best I can.

We are big Disney fans! So I guess the crowd and the noise does not bother us too much. We go to Disney World almost every year including last July 2014. Our Disney Wonder cruise remains my most favorite. Unfortunately, DCL prices have become too much for us.

We love sailing with NCL because it is very kid friendly and because of Nickelodeon. We have only been on NCL ships with Nickelodeon Programs (Gem and Jewel). NCL prices are very reasonable, in my opinion. Not cheap, but reasonable.

As a summary, it was a fantastic family trip! We had a great time on the ship and Bermuda was amazing! I can surely say we had a great time and we will definitely sail NCL again.We didn't end up spending much on extras on the ship like cover charges in the restaurants or drinks or casino. There were so many fun complimentary activities on the schedule every day to keep us busy. We really enjoyed anytime dining and freestyle cruising.

We ate when we were hungry and around show schedules. It was so relaxing not to have to be on the dot.

Let me mention the negatives first as there are only a few:

The pools are small and therefore overcrowded. We used the pool in the morning (around 8AM) and during the port days to avoid the crowd. Embarkation day is also a good time to use the pool. I have seen some people during the night too, and it was also not crowded.

The Atrium is too small for the shows they do in this bar/eatery area. It is hard to find a place to sit down and watch.

We were a little disappointed with the food. I will talk more about that later. During our last NCL cruise on the Gem last December, the food was very good the whole trip even we did not pay for any specialty restaurant.

Now for the details...

Making the Reservation

We booked May 2014 and got the BOGO cruise promo. We are now booked on Norwegian Sky because of the promotion. We just booked the 4N cruise and we only paid for the 3rd passenger and all the taxes.

I just want to mention that less than a week after we made our final payment, they had the Kids Sail Free promo. We would have paid $500 less if we waited…but it is what it is.

I still prefer the promotion that we got. But I know that for some people Kids Sail Free promo would be really great.

The Ship

It’s new and beautiful! It is not perfect but I love it! I know not everyone likes the hull art, but I think it’s wonderful. It’s FUN not boring! You will know it is the Breakaway even from a distance.

Embarkation

We arrive around 10:30 AM. We like to go early. No line to check in and at the security area. We were in boarding group number 6. They started boarding around 11:30 AM. It was announced that we can also drop off our carry-on bags in our rooms.

We were able to eat lunch, tour the ship, take pictures and use the pools before the ship became crowded.

Food

Like I have mentioned earlier, we were a little disappointed with the food. The some food was pretty bland and not enough variety. The food in the MDR's was just average even below average at times. They have Indian and Thai food in the menu but they were not spicy. The macaroni and cheese that DD ordered was tasteless. But I have to say that I enjoyed all the desserts that I’ve ordered. My favorite is the Warm Chocolate Volcano. This is similar to Carnival's Warm Chocolate Melting Cake.

I’m hoping that everything will improve since they just rolled out the new menu.

The Garden Café buffet was fine. More choices so if you don’t like the one you got, just get something else. We had dinner there during port days (in Bermuda) since we had a long day ashore, we were tired and didn't feel like dressing up nicely. Sometimes, we have early dinner in the MDR around 5:30 and visit the Garden Cafe for a little snack, some crepes or desserts. They had themes during some nights Seafood Night, Asian Night, and Mexican Nights are all I can remember.

Our last NCL cruise was on the Gem last December (9 nights Eastern Caribbean) and I can still remember that the food was very good on that trip.

Spa and Gym

DH got the Spa Pass and he thinks it is worth the money. He totally loved the Thermal Suite in the spa and used it every day. It was never crowded except on the first sea day, everybody wanted to try it out that day. During the first sea day, there were a lot of chair hogs at the Spa! They would put towel on one of those heated tile loungers reserving the heated tile loungers for them when they finished in the pool or Jacuzzi or steam room. He said everything was GREAT aside from that.

The Gym is also nice to have but narrow. It is divided into two rooms, one room for the cardio equipment and the other room for the weights. They provide dry and cold towels.

It is near our stateroom so very easy to go to since it is just 2 floors up. I only went during the sea days. The first sea day it was crowded around 10:30 AM but I only waited maybe 2 minutes to get a treadmill.

Splash Academy

DD7 loves the Splash Academy and begged to go every day and as often as possible. These were taken during the open house (embarkation day). You can go in with your kids during the open house. This is very helpful especially if you have younger kids who are hesitant to try Splash Academy.

The kids also performed in a circus show during the final sea day of the cruise. It was fun for everyone.

10-12 years old (Dolphins)

6-9 years old (Seals)

3-5 years old (Turtles)

I'm really enjoying your review. I hope there's more to come! Lynn

Room

We had Balcony Cabin on Deck 13. Mid-ship balcony stateroom number 13162. The bed was by the balcony. The room is narrow so unpacking and packing 2 bags were challenging. But it was ok aside from that. The bags fit under the bed.

I guess I over packed so I was not able to fit all our stuff in the shelves. We had to keep some clothes in the bags.

Love the location! Very near the Splash Academy, Spa and the Gym. We can use the stairs most of the time. The room was a little small, but clean, new, and totally adequate. Bathroom was great! We spent lots of time on the balcony and even though it was small. Wonderful view.

One of the biggest hits was coffee in the room.

We miss this!

Staff/Service

The staff was eager to please, professional, helpful and genuine. Not as great as DCL but we are happy with the service. Everyone displayed good manners (Please, Thank You, Enjoy…) and not once did anyone display a bad attitude. We had a little issue about our Latitudes benefits but it was resolved fairly quickly. The staff and crew really made the cruise wonderful for us.

Activities

There were so many fun complimentary activities on the schedule every day to keep us busy.

Nickelodeon Activities

Breakaway Bounce

Slide Spider Mountain

Slides

More Activities

Pool and Splash Area for the little ones

Mini golf - our favorite! It is open even in the morning so we always play mini golf just after breakfast!

I'm really enjoying your review. I hope there's more to come! Lynn

Thank you very much. Still working on some of the pictures. I hope to finish everything today.

There were so many fun activities on the schedule every day to keep us busy.

The Waterfront

Chess was fun!

Free group exercise during sea days (at the Sports Court)

We did not even the try the ropes course. Maybe next time! ;)

Entertainment

The entertainment on the Breakaway was incredible. From Rock of Ages to Burn the Floor. Fire and Ice was also great.

Michael Jackson Tribute

Arvin and Emily

The Atrium is too small for the shows they do in this bar/eatery area. So sorry fof the photos. It was actually hard to see unless you arrive there very early.

The big shows like "Burn the Floor" and "Rock of Ages" are held at the Breakaway Theater and you just need to make reservations for the shows and get there about 15 mins early and there was no problem with seating. There was a comic/magician Martin Brock and the Second City and the shows were fun.

DD can’t stop laughing during the Second City Show at the Headliners (Breakaway Theater).

Rock of Ages

The show's content is not for kids. Most of them would NOT even enjoy! They will probably be much more happier in Splash Academy. We have a reservation for our 7 year old to watch Rock of Ages with us but I'm glad Splash Academy was open at 6PM (instead of 7PM) for people to drop their kids off to watch Rock of Ages. They have multiple warnings before the show that ROA is a rated R show and not suitable for children.

Bermuda

Arriving in Bermuda

We loved Bermuda! This was our first time in Bermuda so we were very very excited. The people are friendly and the public transportation is easy to use. We used the buses and the ferries.

Horseshoe Bay was spectacular! We stayed in this area because it was safer for kids.

And we found this!

We found lots of huge blue parrotfish and lots of other colorful fish at Horseshoe Bay. You don't even need your snorkeling gear. The water was very clear. They love Cheerios! :)

Main beach area at Horseshoe Bay was crowded but spectacular. This was taken around 2PM.

It was very hot and sunny so we were not able to explore more. We even planned to walk to Warwick Long Bay but we decided to save that for another trip.

I just want to mention that we took the #7 bus from the dockyard w/o any problem. That was around 8:45AM.

Going back to the ship we took the bus with the sign "special". Two "special" buses arrived around 3pm. We were back in the ship around 3:45PM

We skipped Harbor Nights festival in Hamilton since we were tired from the beach day. We just walked around the port after dinner.

For the 2nd day, we took the 9AM ferry to Hamilton.

For our second day in Bermuda, we enjoyed great history in St. George and shopping in Hamilton.

Hamilton

St. George

Loving the review! Can't wait to hear more. We will be on the Breakaway to Bermuda in May :D

We also spent some time in the dockyard.

These were taken at the Dockyard Glassworks & Bermuda Rum Cakes.

They have samples of the Rum Cakes. This was my favorite.

Loving the review! Can't wait to hear more. We will be on the Breakaway to Bermuda in May :D

Thanks! I'm sure you will have a good time!

We hope to sail on the Breakaway again in the future. :)

We went to Snorkel Park during our last day in Bermuda.

There are so many wonderful places to visit in Bermuda rather than this place. But this place was very convenient. Near the port but ugly beach. Snorkeling was very good and they have other water sports available.

These are the underwater photos I took at Snorkel Park. I did not go anywhere to deep. So I guess this place is good for kids who just learning to snorkel like my DD.

You can walk to it, very near. You can also rent chairs and umbrellas there.

It's very rocky in the water. Our whole family wore water shoes. I'm so glad we did.

There were a lot of fish when we were there, they are not afraid of people. We fed them cheerios and they swam around us!

You can also pedal boats, kayaks, jet skis, equipment to snorkel... The cost is $5/pp to get in. Children 12 & under are free. Bring your water shoes especially for the kids.

Just outside Snorkel Park, you can find this.

The spray park and the playground are open to all. Good options for families who are hanging around the Dockyard.

This was our view of the Summit leaving Bermuda.

Now for sad part... :(

Disembarkation

Smooth and very easy. You pick the time you want to disembark and tag your bags accordingly. We stayed in our stateroom until around 8:15AM. You can stay in your stateroom until 8:30AM.

We stayed here while waiting for our group to be called.

Our group was called at 9AM. We were off the ship, through Customs/Immigration and with bags in hand by 9:45. Home before 11AM - Very easy and more relaxing!

Last December, (Gem Cruise) we did the easy walk-off. The option to debark by carrying your own luggage seemed like a good idea, until you get to the gangway and find out that a lot of people had the same idea. Not very easy!

Nice review and pics.

Welcome home. Glad you had a good cruise.

Love Breakaway and Bermuda.

Happy Sailing!

~Robin

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

Overall, we had a fabulous family vacation on the Breakaway! :D

We had calm seas and amazing weather. We enjoyed every single minute of our vacation.

We had great experiences on the ship and we didn't allow little things to ruin our experience. We would definitely recommend this cruise to others and we would love to sail on the Breakaway again in the future.

Hopefully, we'll be brave enough to try the ropes course next time... :)

Nice review and pics.

Welcome home. Glad you had a good cruise.

Love Breakaway and Bermuda.

Happy Sailing!

 

 

~Robin

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

Thank you very much Robin! We had an amazing time.

You have helped us a lot in our planning.

Can't thank you enough! :)

You're very welcome.

Liked the underwater pics. We also saw those big blue fish. They really aren't afraid of swimmers. Very cool.

Looks like you guys had a really good time :)

We plan on going back next year because we didn't get to do everything we had planned, both on and off the ship.

Thanks for sharing your review/pictures with us.

Have fun!

~Robin

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

Fantastic review! Thanks......made me miss the BA and Bermuda. Glad your DD didn't go to ROA. Love your positive attitude

Safe sailing

You're very welcome.

Liked the underwater pics. We also saw those big blue fish. They really aren't afraid of swimmers. Very cool.

Looks like you guys had a really good time :)

We plan on going back next year because we didn't get to do everything we had planned, both on and off the ship.

Thanks for sharing your review/pictures with us.

Have fun!

 

 

~Robin

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

Thanks! I know... sooo much to do and so little time....

We didn't get to do everything we had planned as well. I guess that's a good excuse to cruise to Bermuda and sail on the Breakaway again. :)

Fantastic review! Thanks......made me miss the BA and Bermuda. Glad your DD didn't go to ROA. Love your positive attitude

Safe sailing

Thank you so much!

We miss BA and Bermuda and its only been a week since we got home....

DD loved the Breakaway. There's so much to do for the kids. I'm sure they won't feel bad about missing ROA at all.