xenagurl

Great review and pictures! You're such a great writer very enjoyable to read!

 

Your feelings on the freefall slide pretty much summed up how I felt. I did go with screaming bloody murder on the way down. My heart was racing during the countdown 3..2..1... drop!!! My husband and I raced each other once and he was laughing at me because he could hear my screams. :rolleyes: Lol!

Thanks much, that's kind of you to say. :) I really enjoy your reviews too!

LOL at the bolded. Men, they laugh at the darndest things! lol

I'm very impressed with NCLs customer service! After sending my last post I e-mailed them and they have already answered my question!

 

They do serve Champagne by the glass but only at the bar in Blu! Nowhere else!

We have booked a cruise on the Breakaway but it's still far, far away so who the Beverage Manager is then is probably not even decided yet!

 

Is that bar only for guests eating at Blu or can anyone order a drink there? I can defenitely live with going there for a glass of Champagne everyday on our cruise!

Oh okay I see what you're saying.

The menu that I posted was part of the full Ocean Blu menu, not a separate bar menu so I'd assume you'd have to be dining there in order to purchase it that way.

But on the Epic, they didn't have it on the menu!

It's rare for me to drink one glass on anything so I didn't think about it much while on board. lol :D --- If you're prepping for a cruise I'd send an email to Jose Contreras (the Beverage Manager on board) via NCL asking him directly. I know that they get snail mail sent to them weekly and I'd assume they'd forward the emails too. Jose is really nice and I'm sure would do his best to get back to you. :)

Thanks for the info sverigecruiser! --- That definitely explains it. If they didn't offer it on the Epic it's more than likely it wasn't offered on the Breakaway either.

Did you know Jose Contreras son is David who is concierge on Star currently but going on vacation Next week?

 

Suzanne

Really? That's so cool! I didn't know that. Thanks for the info. I wonder if I met him last year? He has a really cool Dad. :)

Xenagurl we loved the youtube video on the slides! Thanks for posting!!!

Thanks very much! I'm glad that you enjoyed it! :)

Im loving your review and pictures. It looks like you had a GREAT time! i am so glad to see the little stuff didnt spoil your vacation.

 

You got me ready to do the slides:p. I didnt do the plunge on the Epic but I m going to make up for it on the Breakaway. Im getting my nerves up for the free fall slides so by september i will be ready:p

 

Keep it coming!!:D

Thank you! Will do, there's more video and photos that I'll have up today :)

Yes please do the slides. They are a ton of fun! You can work your way up to the Free Fall!

Really enjoying your review and photos so far. Oh my ... you put so much into the organization of your review. It's fabulous. Looking forward to the balance. Thanks for sharing your experience and your wonderful pictures with us.

Thank you very much! I try to make it easy for those interested in different areas of the ship and it's activities, if you have any suggestions my ears are open. :)

Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to the rest!

Thank you. :) I'll have the interview with Slam Allen up today!

At the bottom of the cocktail menu I saw that they offered Champagne by the glass. Do you know if they really did that?

 

A few days ago I got confirmation from NCL that they don't serve Champagne by the glass anymore, is that incorrect?

Hmmm, I'm not sure because we brought ours with us, but I do know that there were wine stations around offering wine by the glass. Did they say why? Iit would be odd for them not to offer champagne by the glass but have it on the menu, but I can't answer with certainty. Sorry about that.

Looking forward to reading your blog once it is complete

 

Suzanne

Thanks Suzanne! :)

The delicious warm fresh baked bread at La Cucina...yummm

2 of the 4 kinds of flavor infused olive oil to dip it in. My favorite is pesto.

I don't remember what this drink was called but it was tasty.

Tiramisu

HOLY COW!!! I had to watch your YouTube video to see it for myself. I think I would also laugh and cry at the same time! I'm loving your awesome review and I'll check out your blog also!!

Thanks much!

I have to admit when I look at the video I turn away just a little after the computer voice (of doom) says 1. lol :D

Love the pictures! So colorful!

Thank you! The colors on the water slide and ropes course are really eye catching, they almost look like renderings when you look at them in person.

love the video! can't wait to follow the rest of your trip report... we'll be on the Breakaway in November!

Thanks! Hubby is prepping more video and I'm getting together the photos so hopefully I'll have another write up on a different highlight by tomorrow. :D

Hi! I noticed the sign saying no jewelry. Is that just for the free fall slide? My wedding band doesn't leave my finger ;)

From what I remember it's just the Freefall but please don't quote me. I know that it was the only one where the attendants specifically mentioned it, and had me take the clip out of my hair. We didn't wear our wedding rings because we didn't want them to slip off while we were on the slide and they're a bit loose in general.

Thank you, I feel better already! Looks as if you REALLY enjoyed your time there. I can't wait to try them out myself!:D

Sure thing! Yes it was a blast, I know you'll love it. It's perfect for the inner kid in everyone! :D I was talking to some of the staff that hadn't tried it and encouraging them to do the Free Fall. heh heh. ;)

Ok then, I just have to ask as I'm a little bit concerned about it.;) When using the free fall and whip, do you feel it is necessary to hold your bathing suit top tightly in case of any malfunctions on your way down the slildes??:eek::D I would prefer to concentrate on the thrill of the ride and not having to worry about where my top will end up when I'm at the finish line, LOL! Thank you!:)

LOL good question! On the free fall you wear the back board and have to have your hands crossed over your chest so you're already "set" just in case. I would make sure that the back of the top was tied well though.

On the whip, I don't think that there would be a concern. I had on a skirted bottom and the only thing I found was that the panty part of the swimsuit kept riding up which made me glad for the ruffle!

How fun! Thanks for doing the review, it's fun to follow along! :)

Thanks for checking it out! :)

Great meeting you both and I agree with Slice of Life...I will never think of the Glow Party and not think of you! Thanks for all the organizing and lunch was wonderful!

It was wonderful meeting you and your husband! :D lol that Glow party was fun. The words "free drink" motivate me. haha! Glad to have helped :)

Great pictures, looking forward to seeing more and your thoughts about the Breakaway.

 

Love the video! Sure looks fun!:D

Thank you! Yes, it's great for kids and kids at heart!

If you have any particular questions I'd be happy to answer it. Overall it was a wonderful trip and I can see the wheels in my husband's mind trying to find time to get back on before winter.

Ocean Blu fried Chick Pea Salad (really good!)

Taittinger Champagne

Front of Wasabi Menu

I wrote about a few of our experiences dining on the Norwegian Breakaway in places like Ocean Blu, Wasabi, O'Sheehans, the Captain's table and more. If you're interested in reading them all and see photos the link is here. If you're looking for snippets I'll post them here. :)

Dinner at the Manhattan room with Burn the Floor performing

For the majority of the trip we ate at specialty dining venues, simply because I enjoy trying out different tastes and flavors and there were a lot of fun places to eat and I wanted to have a varied atmosphere while dining. One evening we finally took the time to go to the Manhattan room at 5:30 before a crowd formed. We ordered our food and one of the pleasant servers came over and said “you’re going to stay for the show aren’t you?”. We asked what show and she told us Burn the Floor would be performing and that it was really good and worth watching; and so we stayed and are really glad we did. They were wonderful, energetic and really enjoy dancing.

Afterward we head up to the Latitudes cocktail party where we had a chance to see Marites Souza again! She’s such a sweetheart you’ll adore her within seconds of meeting her. She’s the executive housekeeper and does a great job in managing her very large staff, as our room was always very clean and tidy.

Dinner at Ocean Blu

The much awaited dinner at the highly touted Geoffrey Zakarian restaurant Ocean Blu.We made arrangements to eat there about a month and a half in advance of this sailing. We’re glad we did for two reasons in particular. This restaurant is often filled up and between the time we booked at the time we got on the ship the price went up from $35 per person to $49 per person. a 40% increase. However all bookings made at the original pricing we’re of course honored.

Now I won’t go into whether it’s worth the additional money or not because that really depends on what you value and how you value it. I will say that the food is very good and if the price ever goes back down to $35 per person or less we would go back. In the mean while I’d rather eat at Wasabi or the Raw Bar and pay ala carte pricing.

Note: I’ve photos of menus on my blog.

Sushi Rolls at Wasabi

Sunset while dining Al Fresco at Wasabi

Yakitori Menu

Ocean Blu Cocktails

Freefall Water Slide Rules

HMS Malabar as seen from the waterslides

Zipping through the open top blue slide!

Thanks! It was so nice to meet you and your husband! You are so spunky and full of life, I love it! Thank you again for arranging the Meet and Greet and Cabin Crawl.

It was nice meeting you both too! Dh and I both noted to each other that you both were so pleasant and happy. In fact it was a really nice bunch at the table that day, an enjoyable lunch with cool people! :) Not at all, thanks for offering your stateroom for the crawl.

Enjoyable review! :)

Do you know by any chance if Captain Hakan Svedung is onboard already (working 'behind the scenes' on things like certification, coast guard tests etc)? That's the way it was when Epic first got to the US.

I wish I had an answer for you but I don't know. If he was there we never got a glimpse of him.