Jump to content

Breaking New Ground with the Breakaway!! (Pictorial Review!)


Cubechick

Recommended Posts

For those that have read my reviews in the past, this one is going to have a different format.

 

I posted most of my review in my blog as we sailed this beautiful ship (see link in signature), so rather than rewriting all of that I will focus on a mostly pictorial review with some comments thrown in. Also I can see that we have several excellent reviews already, so let's try a different approach. We'll see how this goes!

 

Before I begin just let me say that the Breakaway is a gorgeous ship. She truly is the best of the Epic and Jewel classes combined with a few tricks of her own. Our cruises weren't perfect (we were on both the one-night cruise from Rotterdam and the transatlantic from Southampton), but I am sure these growing pains will be ironed out quickly as the crew gets used to the new surroundings and in some cases new menus.

 

Our adventure with the Breakaway begins in Rotterdam on April 28, 2013. I chose the Hotel New York for its proximity to the cruise terminal. Here was our view from the front door of the hotel on that first morning:

 

8718103993_9e59bd805a_b.jpg

 

We walked around the pier, snapping more photos before walking our luggage the two minutes to the cruise port:

 

8719221550_271a11f796_b.jpg

 

8718104335_ceec435920_b.jpg

 

Check in went smoothly, now it's to the "hurry up and wait" portion of today's events. Could the clock move more slowly???

 

8718110559_86d55ee28b_b.jpg

 

At last we are on board!!!!

 

(The Hotel New York as seen from Spice H20.)

 

8719744515_c31d68cbb4_b.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please feel free to ask any questions as I go along. I'll try to answer anything that I can!

 

To continue...

 

We boarded at the forward section of deck 5. Our cabin for the one-nighter was 12310, an aft-facing balcony. We avoided the long lines for the forward elevators by hiking our bags to the aft elevators. A perfect plan as we were whisked to deck twelve with no wait!

 

Our first glimpse of our one-night home:

 

8719228238_a6500d459b_b.jpg

 

From the other side...notice that the door is opening into the hall! There were several times that we couldn't get into the room because we were pushing on the door!

 

8719228582_d79b1fb8c5_b.jpg

 

Huge balcony...about 75% covered:

 

8719228398_971f62618d_b.jpg

 

The cabin next to ours was an HC balcony and was open for display purposes. My goodness was it huge!!!

 

8718115327_387eddfe5b_b.jpg

 

Check out the size of that balcony!

 

8719232978_cdb2d7a712_b.jpg

 

View of Rotterdam from our balcony:

 

8718115133_a8789edf86_b.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you for the additional pictures.

 

I have been following your review from your blog/site. Very informative! You do a fantastic job!

 

I know you got on deck 5 in Rotterdam, but when you got off in NY, what deck did they have you disembark from? Does it seem as though they will be embarking on the same deck from NY?

 

Thank you,

Debbie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you for the additional pictures.

 

I have been following your review from your blog/site. Very informative! You do a fantastic job!

 

I know you got on deck 5 in Rotterdam, but when you got off in NY, what deck did they have you disembark from? Does it seem as though they will be embarking on the same deck from NY?

 

Thank you,

Debbie

 

Thanks for the lovely compliments!

 

In NY we disembarked on deck 7. Being that it's the first time the ship has been in NY, it's impossible to say for sure that it will be deck 7 going forward. They may play around and see what works best?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Holy cow! What room number was that HC balcony? We get lots of questions on CC about HC rooms and that looks like a winner!

 

Interesting looking hotel there. I'm with you about location though. We stayed across the street from the port in Seattle for our AK cruise and it was neat waking up and seeing the ship...and even neater having the hotel bellman hand our bags to the ship porters. :)

 

Looking forward to more!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Questions

 

What's the logic of the doors opening into the hall, and how did that work out? I can see people getting killed hustling down the hallway only to *WHAM* :)

 

A previous poster said that power outlets were shut off when you didn't have a card in the slot by the door (e.g., outlets were off when you weren't in the room, not just lights). Is this correct from your experience as well?

 

Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After getting settled (which was really just dumping the bags since we weren't unpacking yet), we went to Spice H20 for a beverage. We noticed right away that this is a great spot to see those who are adventurous enough to walk The Plank:

 

8721029816_86789bc113_b.jpg

 

After a quick lunch at Savor (standard lunch menu) and the boat drill we dashed back to Spice for the sail away party:

 

8719242684_634c7a9277_b.jpg

 

They need a lot of bartenders for sail away!

 

8720950446_d9817643f8_b.jpg

 

The City of Rotterdam really gave us a nice send-off:

 

8718125901_31fb983b18_b.jpg

 

You get two pictures of the fire boats because I just loved them!

 

8719242814_4065bd18a3_b.jpg

 

After sail away, we "snuck" into the Haven for a glimpse. (They had opened up access for travel agents.) We will be staying in the Haven during the transatlantic, so you'll get plenty of pics of that...but here we spy some finishing touches being applied:

 

8719956579_dac556a1ff_b.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Questions

 

What's the logic of the doors opening into the hall, and how did that work out? I can see people getting killed hustling down the hallway only to *WHAM* :)

 

A previous poster said that power outlets were shut off when you didn't have a card in the slot by the door (e.g., outlets were off when you weren't in the room, not just lights). Is this correct from your experience as well?

 

Thanks

 

We were trying to figure out the door thing too. :) First let me say that the entrances to the rooms are recessed so the doors won't open into the hall and impede (or smack into!) other people.

 

We thought maybe it was a safety thing until we realized that the cabins in the Haven open inward just like "normal".

 

So now we're thinking maybe it opens up the useable space in the cabin and makes it feel bigger. These cabins seem to have been put together with a high level of detail and they maximize every inch. We've never been in a room that had so many nooks and crannies to stash stuff.

 

ETA, we just left a key in the slot at all times to keep the power on, so I can't confirm that the outlets go off if you remove the card.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We were trying to figure out the door thing too. :) First let me say that the entrances to the rooms are recessed so the doors won't open into the hall and impede (or smack into!) other people.

 

We thought maybe it was a safety thing until we realized that the cabins in the Haven open inward just like "normal".

 

So now we're thinking maybe it opens up the useable space in the cabin and makes it feel bigger. These cabins seem to have been put together with a high level of detail and they maximize every inch. We've never been in a room that had so many nooks and crannies to stash stuff.

 

ETA, we just left a key in the slot at all times to keep the power on, so I can't confirm that the outlets go off if you remove the card.

 

The doors opening into the hallway are definitely to give more space in the cabins. They are the same way on Oasis and Allure...excellent feature so when someone is getting something from the closet they don't get whacked with the door of another person entering the cabin :eek::D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A couple of more pictures from sail away:

 

8720113105_a90b880a49_b.jpg

 

If you're in the Netherlands, you need at least one picture of a windmill:

 

8721239750_e1dfb53d8a_b.jpg

 

Eventually we needed a snack, so we found the Raw Bar that is part of Ocean Blue. After being assured that the oysters had indeed come from Rotterdam, DH ordered a half dozen...here's a pic minus a couple:

 

8720821504_539a36131f_b.jpg

 

While I had the dungeness crab toasts:

 

8719696983_285a3350fe_b.jpg

 

Both were very good (although DH did say the oysters he had at the hotel the night before were better).

 

Unfortunately, this was our only experience with Ocean Blue, so we can't comment further.

 

We walked around, took the first of 1,000 photos of the famous chandelier:

 

8720112829_bc277c01a1_b.jpg

 

At the end of the evening, we spent some time with Slam Allen. So glad to see/hear him again!

 

8720822862_77c7b22d3a_b.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Only one thing I hate so far. That tiny little table on the balcony. No place for two people to have a meal. Will they bring you one if you have a balcony dinner?

 

Doug

 

I believe the table you see is the standard size on all of the balconies. Our balcony happens to be larger than normal (which is the best part about it!).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Now we move on the the transatlantic. We've been kicked off our ship, but stop for a quick photo before heading to the hotel.

 

8720217903_3c0fa53604_b.jpg

 

We got a great deal on the Holiday Inn Southampton, again a hotel that was just minutes from the port. Once the clerk realized I was sailing, she made sure to give me a room facing the pier. Here was our view:

 

8720627187_f82744d35d_b.jpg

 

Once on the ship the next day, here is our home away from home for the week (so nice to finally unpack!!!). Haven Villa 16720...a little on the small side compared to other 2-bedroom suites we've been in, but very, very nice:

 

8720639079_4f6208d76f_b.jpg

 

8721761516_ee60b3d92f_b.jpg

 

8721761292_fac78a7360_b.jpg

 

8721759768_6eaf55bae1_b.jpg

 

More in the next post!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You may notice in the photos of the master bedroom, there are two things on the bed. These are a visitor's guide of NYC and a tote back with inaugural transatlantic stamped on them. A gesture that hasn't been seen on other maiden crossings. Very nice!

 

8721759932_e00d95be0c_b.jpg

 

Master bath:

 

8720673267_88c05f9bbe_b.jpg

 

8720639233_f072918d37_b.jpg

 

Second bedroom and bath:

 

8720638661_fd25bc041e_b.jpg

 

Unlike other two-bedroom suites, the bath in the second bedroom is at the back of the room rather than by the entrance. Not the most convenient set up, especially when the bed is open and made up for the night.

 

8721760598_f48ddf086d_b.jpg

 

(Note all of those shelves for storage!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...