NCL Breakaway from NYC - Should I Bother??

Hello, Im currently weighing up whether to go on the NCL breakaway next April to the Bahamas as part of our Honeymoon, I was all set for booking until I did a bit of research and saw that alot of the restaurants / entertainment on the ship carry an extra charge. Is this a normal thing cruise ships do? :confused: We have only been on one ship before, and that was a few years ago so we are reletively new to cruising!

I have also read numberous reviews that dont look too good. Has anyone had any recent trips on this ship who could offer me a little more insight please? I also cant seem to see many pictures of the inside of the ship, is it very grand looking? we went on Thompson Dream which was nice but no where near fancy and would like to go on something that looks the part! I am considering the new RCCL however that is coming in way more expensive!

The main concerns for us really is the food, size of pool and entertainment, also the "nickel and diming" i keep hearing about! :)

thanks in advance

x

The Breakaway is amazing. They do NOT nickle and dime you at all. They just have many, many options. There are MANY restaurants that are included in your ticket price. We did not use any of the "fee" restaurants. O'Sheenans is even open 24/7 and it is very good and enormous.

Entertainment was very good....Hubby and I stayed at the center pool all of the time. No children allowed in that pool. There is one childrens pool and one family pool. Just stay in the center one if you do not want to be near children.

Click on this link:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1851007&highlight=breakaway+reviews

It is written by GAMBEE and although very lengthy, the pictures are amazing.

HAVE A GREAT TIME....and do not stress bad reviews. You will always get those no matter what ship you take. The Breakaway is amazing. :o:o.

Thank you Champagne 123! I normally take most reviews with a pinch of salt as like you say, oyou would never go anywhere, its just those few things seemed to come up time and time again on different reviews and worry me somewhat! Because its such a special occassion I just want to make sure its perfect! :p I will take a look at the link you provided, thanks again

Hello, Im currently weighing up whether to go on the NCL breakaway next April to the Bahamas as part of our Honeymoon, I was all set for booking until I did a bit of research and saw that alot of the restaurants / entertainment on the ship carry an extra charge. Is this a normal thing cruise ships do? :confused: We have only been on one ship before, and that was a few years ago so we are reletively new to cruising!

I have also read numberous reviews that dont look too good. Has anyone had any recent trips on this ship who could offer me a little more insight please? I also cant seem to see many pictures of the inside of the ship, is it very grand looking? we went on Thompson Dream which was nice but no where near fancy and would like to go on something that looks the part! I am considering the new RCCL however that is coming in way more expensive!

The main concerns for us really is the food, size of pool and entertainment, also the "nickel and diming" i keep hearing about! :)

thanks in advance

x

My good friends were on the Breakaway last year & LOVED it...NCL is known for 2 things: entertainment & freestyle dining & options...some restaurants are free (like O'sheehans the Irish Pub with FREE food..fish & chips yummy!) including the main dining rooms, but of course, the better, more exciting options are the "specialty" dining venues like Le Bistro, ( French- wonderful!), Teppanyaki ( Japanese hibachi steakhouse- delicious & fun!) , Cagney's for steaks, etc..the shows like "Burn The Floor" are terrific..some carry a $$ because they are dinner shows like Cirque Dreams..Rock Of Ages is an 80's musical..my friends said the entertainment was THEE best they'd ever seen on their 15 cruises..no nickel & diming according to them..many people expect something for nothing..alcohol, photos, etc. cost $$ just like anywhere else..Pools are small & are small on EVERY SHIP- you will almost never see a decent sized pool anywhere because few actually go in the pool- that's what the beaches in the ports are for..RCI, Disney, Celebrity, all have small pools, so don't get disappointed when you see the pools..BTW, the pool deck on the Breakaway is full of slides & fun things...The Waterfront area on deck 8 is spectacular! Bars & restaurants OUTSIDE on a promenade with views of the sea..why others have not thought of this, I don't know..

A word about what you read on CC here..after 25 years of cruising & being a cruise agent for 16 years myself, and 14 years here on CC, AND having been on 30 cruises by next month, I can tell you many posters often just complain & expect a perfect vacation...one couple said that they wouldn't cruise on RCI because MANY years ago they sailed on RCI and "didn't like the coffee"...Seriously?? They won't cruise on the cruise line that now has the biggest, most innovative, most exciting ships because of coffee??? BTW, I LOVE coffee, and need 2 cups badly in the morning, BUT I would NEVER choose a cruise based on coffee , nor based solely on food..rather It's a combo of ports, entertainment, dining options ( we like options & I'm not cheap like some people I know, LOL..) , balcony cabins, and other things...so be careful when reading here about reviews of ships..I have read reviews of a cruise on the same ship & date where I had the complete opposite experience of what they write..BTW, food, service & entertainment are very subjective..never pay too much attention to what they say about the food..options for where to dine is more important...we have NEVER had a bad dining experience in any specialty dining venue other than HAL in over 60-70x we've dined in $$ venues..MDR food is MDR food- kinda liked catered food at a wedding..if you want an intimate, romantic & exciting dining experience, the MDR, IMO is not for that..dining with hundreds of people in a noisy room is NOT my idea of fine dining..and $20-30 PP for a 5 course meal often with a table with great views in a beautiful room is NOT a lot..you can barely eat at Friday's or Chili's for that, and these are a lot better!! Any questions fire away...you will have a great time on the Breakaway...

Big Al

Thanks Big Al, I agree with your points, I have been on many a holiday only to be amazed at the negative comments I then go on to read.

Because I am new to cruising and not well up on the lingo, what does MDR stand for? :confused::)

I have no hesitation in paying a supplement for a speciality meal, as you say $30 is not much at all, less than £20.00 once converted. I just wouldnt want to have to do that everynight in order to get a decent meal, alot of the negative reviews have said food is the same in the free restaurants and only pizza is edible. I know they are more than likely exaggerating it just worrys me a little!

Would it be possible to book a show everynight? we would like to have something to entertain us and would we be better doing this in advance? we are booking through a TA so not sure if we are able to book in advance or if we have to go through them?!

Do you have any pictures of the inside of ship or know where i can find some? i have seen the restaurants and pool, bars (defo want to go to the ice bar) etc but not the inside of the decks or the promonade you mention, i went on the website but again couldnt see any so i thought it may not be very nice hence the lack of images! i am going to go on Fbook to look at Gambees pictures from the link i was sent above, hopefully there will be pictures on there.

the ports we are visiting are Port Canaveral, we have been to Florida before so kinda know what to expect there. then its on to the Bahamas, Grandcayman and Nassau, neither of us have been to these places. Is there plenty to do?

thank so much for your information, im sure it will prove invaluable! :)

Hello, Im currently weighing up whether to go on the NCL breakaway next April to the Bahamas as part of our Honeymoon, I was all set for booking until I did a bit of research and saw that alot of the restaurants / entertainment on the ship carry an extra charge. Is this a normal thing cruise ships do? :confused: We have only been on one ship before, and that was a few years ago so we are reletively new to cruising!

I have also read numberous reviews that dont look too good. Has anyone had any recent trips on this ship who could offer me a little more insight please? I also cant seem to see many pictures of the inside of the ship, is it very grand looking? we went on Thompson Dream which was nice but no where near fancy and would like to go on something that looks the part! I am considering the new RCCL however that is coming in way more expensive!

The main concerns for us really is the food, size of pool and entertainment, also the "nickel and diming" i keep hearing about! :)

thanks in advance

x

If you don't want to be "nickel dimed," try a premium line that includes most or all of everything you'll need or want in the base price. And with a good TA, you may find that the bottom line price comparison is not as bad as it looks at first glance when one is erroneously comparing the bare bones (everything costs extra) line to the inclusive pricing ones (like Oceania).

Find a good "cruise specialist" TA to help you sort through the choices. Check out Conde Nast Traveler for their lists of preferred agencies.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Thanks Flatbush Flyer, NCL was a ship we did want to try as we saw it at one of the ports when we was on the Thompson. It was just the bad reviews that put me off booking. The cruise is the last part of our trip so ideally we need a ship that departs from NYC or Canada (we could look at doing our trip in reverse if theres a ship from canada)

I dont mind paying for extras, we are also not too fussed about having inclusive drinks etc, its more a case of wanting to be on a good ship with nice food, ameneties, decor, service and a good itinerary. The whole package really!!

We were considering RCCL as that goes out of NY however as its a new ship the rates are very expensive and once added on to the other part of our Holiday I cant really warrant it! I am unsure as to whether there are any other ships that go from there, the TA mentioned Norweigen Gem and I think I may have seen a Princess one but not sure!

I would recommend trolling through the NCL forums, to see if any reviews show the interior pictures you want. Most would be of cabins, not too many folks are interested in the hallways :p.

One thing to remember. Even in the specialty restaurants, the food on ANY cruise ship (possible exception being the top end luxury lines) will not meet the quality of a fine dining restaurant ashore. There is no way to have fresh food delivered daily, and the ship is producing more than 4000 dinners a night. The food is good, frequently very good, and sometimes very, very good, but it is not Paul Bocuse or Gordon Ramsay great. The other major difference is quantity. You can order more than one entre, or more than one dessert, or try something, not like it, and ask for another entire dinner.

Thats very true! I think I may be panicking over nothing! :p and i suppose alot of people go out of their way to write a negative review whereas those with a positve one arent as quick to send them out!

We were on Breakaway this past July to Bermuda. It was our first NCL cruise and it was our favorite.

Been on two Carnival ships and we liked those too.

But Breakaway was just amazing.

Service was excellent and food in both MDR and buffet was very good.

Our balcony cabin was smaller than CCL. But we had an angled balcony which was considerably larger than the regular balconies.

The staff was excellent through out the ship.

We would highly recommend sailing on Breakaway.

Going again next year because we loved it so much and didn't get to so everything either on the ship and in Bermuda!

Happy Sailing!

~Robin

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

I must admit I am feeling much more positive, especially after reading your post! Thank you and enjoy your next trip! We are down to have a balcony suite, are there any in particular that you know of that i ought to request, ones that say have better views, are larger?

Did you pre book the shows prior to when you sailed Robin?

Did you find that there were things to see and do without having to go on an escorted trip, we sometimes like to do our own thing without having to be off by a certain time and piled on to a coach for a day trip!

Thanks Big Al, I agree with your points, I have been on many a holiday only to be amazed at the negative comments I then go on to read.

Because I am new to cruising and not well up on the lingo, what does MDR stand for? :confused::)

 

I have no hesitation in paying a supplement for a speciality meal, as you say $30 is not much at all, less than £20.00 once converted. I just wouldnt want to have to do that everynight in order to get a decent meal, alot of the negative reviews have said food is the same in the free restaurants and only pizza is edible. I know they are more than likely exaggerating it just worrys me a little!

 

Would it be possible to book a show everynight? we would like to have something to entertain us and would we be better doing this in advance? we are booking through a TA so not sure if we are able to book in advance or if we have to go through them?!

 

Do you have any pictures of the inside of ship or know where i can find some? i have seen the restaurants and pool, bars (defo want to go to the ice bar) etc but not the inside of the decks or the promonade you mention, i went on the website but again couldnt see any so i thought it may not be very nice hence the lack of images! i am going to go on Fbook to look at Gambees pictures from the link i was sent above, hopefully there will be pictures on there.

 

the ports we are visiting are Port Canaveral, we have been to Florida before so kinda know what to expect there. then its on to the Bahamas, Grandcayman and Nassau, neither of us have been to these places. Is there plenty to do?

 

thank so much for your information, im sure it will prove invaluable! :)

First Mrs. C: MDR stands for "Main dining room"...BTW, my friends said the 2 nights they ate in the MDR, the food was fine..AND yes, Gambee's review has LOTS of pictures..if you go on YouTube, type in "NCL Breakaway Waterfront" and you see videos of that area-OR any other areas you want to see..YouTube is a good tool to see ships & a tour of each..as for booking shows, it is VERY important to book the shows ASAP, especially Burn The Floor & Cirque De Dreams show..usually dining opens 90 days before sailing, and shows 60 days out, so by Jan, start with dining, then shows the following month..my friends had shows EVERY night & said ALL were fantastic- I was really impressed with how much he liked it!! CALL NCL to see when dates are open...

Grand Cayman is WONDERFUL!! You have many choices of what to do..most popular is Stingray City, where you feed & swim with the Stingrays..NOT TO WORRY- they do not bite, nor sting you! They are well accustomed to being feb by humans...this is a wonderful experience...after 30 cruises, my wife STILL says it was the greatest excursion she ever took..AND SHE DOESN'T SWIM!! If that doesn't sound appealing to you, you can also go to one of the many beaches on Seven Mile Beach..this area ( actually only 5 & 1/ 2 miles long) is world famous for it's lovely beaches..one place I like is called Royal Palm Beach, a beach that costs about $3 to get in, and has a bar, food & restrooms ( warning- not all beaches have facilities!!)..there are many beautiful beaches in GC..OR you can walk around Georgetown, the city you will dock in..lovely shops & friendly people ( not pushy either like some other islands..)..Bahamas is famous for Atlantis, the mega resort, along with good snorkeling & diving...we are going to the Melia Resort, where for $30 PP, you can use their facilities which include a pool, lovely beach, hot tub, bar & food ( extra $$, of course) ..we do this because there are not a lot of beaches in Nassau that have restrooms & bars & are safe w/o locals trying to sell you something...the other thing you can do, is go on the boards page and click "ports of call" ( about half way down the page) and then look for "Bahamas" or wherever you want to look for..then you can read all about that port of call..also, you can post questions directly about the Bahamas , Cayman Islands ( that's where Grand Cayman is), or wherever...I hope this helps..one thing NOT to be missed on your balcony: make sure you order BREAKFAST on your balcony on a SEA DAY ( not while in Port- too busy!!)..what you do is the night before in your cabin, there is a room service or breakfast order paper..fill it out including what time you would like it delivered..when the waiter comes, let him/ her set the meal outside on the balcony table..the balconies on the Breakaway are a bit tight ( unless you have a aft cabin or mini-suite), so if that's the case, you may have to set up in the cabin, then go outside to enjoy your coffee & meal...make sure you give a CASH tip of $5 to them..really nice on a beautiful morning..BTW, you can read all about balconies on my post called "Thanks, cruise ship balcony, a commentary" on the "cabin selection" thread at the top of the boards page next to the other 2 sections, "first time cruiser", and "ask a cruise question"..I think you will get a lot of ideas about how to maximize your balcony experience ( it has over 26,000 views!!)..anymore questions let me know..Cheers!

Big Al

Since this is your honeymoon, if at all possible, book a Spa Suite. I know it is expensive, but it is worth it! You have full access to the thermal rooms and thalisotherapy pool AND special upscale breakfast and lunch choices AND access to The Haven. You can buy access to all specialty restaurants prior to sailing, which means you can dine in specialty restaurants every night if you want and as a suite guest, you have a concierge to make reservations for you in the restaurants of your choice or you can book ahead. You also get butler service - he brings treats every afternoon and your room service orders. The Breakaway is amazing! I think you will absolutely love it!

BTW, if you go on YouTube, you can see many videos of this ship including staterooms.

You have to realize the choices among ships are mind numbing. True, certain lines are know for a certain type of atmosphere, client, food, entertainment, etc. I believe a lot of that is changing with the new style ships coming on line.

I sailed on the Breakaway a year ago August. The main word of caution I would give is don't sail on most large ships during a school vacation period. The Breakaway is over a 1000 feet long and holds 4500 passengers. When school is out that size ship is overrun with kids and that can be a problem.

The Breakaway is beautiful and has lots of dinning and entertainment options, but for a honeymoon couple a ship with 3,000 or less may be more comfortable. I also sailed on the NCL Jewel out of NYC and will be sailing on the NCL Gem in November out of NYC for a 9 night Caribbean cruise. Both those ships are in the less than 3,000 category. Will be sailing on the Royal Princess to New England and Canada out of NYC in OCtober... about 3,600 passengers.

You really have to decide what kind of experience you want. Both NCL and Princess have compatible food and the crews are also great. I would also look to sailing from Fort Lauderdale or Miami since there are many options. But if you want to sail from NYC then you can't go wrong with NCL, Princess or Royal Caribbean. Any of their newer ships are great with wonderful food, entertainment and concerned staff. Have fun and just relax. It's all good.

I have been on 25 cruises on 5 different cruise lines (none of them NCL) and I loved every one of them. However, I am concerned about your statement that you want the cruise to be perfect. Just about everyone on these boards will tell you that it is hard to get perfect on a mainline cruise. You will at the least encounter lines or waits at some times, maybe embarkation, debarkation, dining, getting on and off ship. With 4000 cruisers (someone else's number) there are sure to be snags and waits here and there. They are also feeding a lot of people at the same time so be prepared for food that is prepared in mass for many people. This is just part of cruising.

This is why you have read many reviews with complaints. Most of us seasoned cruisers know where to expect the bottlenecks and we make the best of it. If there is an unexpected glitch, attitude is everything. As an example you can let it ruin your cruise because your steak was tough and write a bad review or you can ask your waiter to bring you something else.

You mentioned booking shows. If NCL lets you book shows in advance, I would make sure that I booked in advance. Otherwise you risk being locked out of shows.

I would check on the NCL boards to get an idea of how much the extras will cost you.

Have a great cruise.

I must admit I am feeling much more positive, especially after reading your post! Thank you and enjoy your next trip! We are down to have a balcony suite, are there any in particular that you know of that i ought to request, ones that say have better views, are larger?

 

Did you pre book the shows prior to when you sailed Robin?

 

Did you find that there were things to see and do without having to go on an escorted trip, we sometimes like to do our own thing without having to be off by a certain time and piled on to a coach for a day trip!

Hi Mrs.C,

We did pre book Cirque Jungle Fantasy for the first night (we were given the Ultimate Dining Package as a free "perk" when prices went down over the winter, so the show the first night was free for us). However, upon boarding, we found out the show time changed from 5:45 to 5:15, and since sailaway under the VZ Bridge lasts until just after 5:00 or so, we missed the show. And never booked another! My 19 year old son didn't really want to go anyway, to be honest.

You can totally see Bermuda on your own. There are taxis and mini vans for hire right at the Dockyard. I think they said to use the blue flag ones for tours. No need to go through the ship.

We took the buses that marked SPECIAL that went directly to the South Shore Beaches (Horseshoe Bay Beach...there isn't a more gorgeous beach on the planet).

We also bought $4 tokens to take the fast ferry to St. George. Nice ride and nice little town. Very historical. Or take a ferry to Hamilton. Even closer.

Please visit the Bermuda board here on Cruise Critic for tons of info.

As for the larger angled balconies, please go the http://www.ncl.com and study the deck plans. You will notice some cabins have a little white triangle that sticks out. Same price for a regular BD, BA or BB balcony cabin.

Enjoy and have fun!!

~Robin

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

I didn't read this whole thread, but I can say we loved breakaway. I have never thought about a ship after a cruise so much as I did breakaway. I do recommend paying the fee to go to Ocean Blue and the Brazilian restaurant. When we got home I start looking into another cruise with breakaway. Also I thought this ship was decorated like no other.