camz

Right now we are trying to work out how to get from our house in central NJ to the pier without it costing a fortune....We've got some reasonable ideas. I had a brilliant idea (or so I thought) about maybe just driving in...until I checked on the fee to park at the port...$40 each night....Forget about that idea! Thanks about the time issue. We will be planning to get there early even if we have to wait until we actually board.

We park in NJ and take the ferry over to NYC and walk down to the ship terminal about 1/2 mile. You can also catch a taxi if you do not wish to walk to the ship. Keeps the costs down substantially.

Sit anywhere. They scan your key card and then let you enter the theater and pick your seats upon availability.

That's what I want to hear. :D

 

By the way, camz, what happened to the Phanatic avatar? Ashamed of the Fightins this year? hahaha...I know I am....29-62, yiiikes.

Haha absolutely ashamed, indeed!! So I went with the photo in front of the Breakaway!! Thanks for remembering!! :D

We were in Aft Facing Cabin 12308 on the Breakaway in May. We loved this cabin with the very big balcony and amazing views. We enjoyed sitting out there with a drink and listening to the music. Once we were inside, with the balcony doors closed, you really did not hear the music. You would have to be a very light sleeper to have any activity from the 16th Floor impacting your sleep. I guess to each their own, however, I would book this cabin again in a heartbeat. :D

I can tell you the former NCL Majesty and NCL Crown were sold to Fred Olsen Cruise Line a few years ago. So usually they do find buyers. Last I heard the NCL Dream was still docked somewhere around the Bahamas as that sale fell through. In answer to your question, IMO the Sky or the Spirit will probably be the next ships leaving NCL's Fleet in the next few years.

I followed your review from beginning to end and found it very informative, however I am bothered by the fact that you used the terms "moron" and "suckers" to describe other cruisers and staff.

I know you prefaced your review by saying you call it as you see it, but I am not sure you would like other reviewers calling your family those names. I think I may have been one of the "suckers" who got in the wrong line on your cruise, but I got to my destination and had a wonderful time.

While curse words may be in your vocabulary, are they really needed in a review, just saying :(

My o my, shaking my head!! Cruising peeps stop being so literal and taking this so defensively. I know Kim and know she would never intentionally hurt anyone's feelings. No worries, that should be the motto!!! Just saying.........

Great photos!! Love all the beautiful blue water shots. I wanted to share a couple of things that I have learned from my seven visits to Bermuda. First the white different looking roofs on the houses actually collect rain water as water is scarce on the island. Also Bermuda is governed under the laws in England which has a factor on when things close especially on Sunday. Bermudians actually look forward to the cruise ships being docked and rely on them for revenue which needs to last through the off season months. I have actually read an article regarding the impact of cruise ships in Bermuda and have spoken to a couple of locals during my visits. Bermudians like to be addressed good morning or afternoon when being approached and also no short shorts or bathing suits are suppose to be worn out and about. So from my understanding there are many cruising peeps that do not do these things and quite frankly are rude to the locals I am sorry to say I have witnessed rude behavior on the island from fellow cruisers which made me very sad. That being said, sometimes I think the locals just get aggravated with some of these things and even though these scenarios were not of your doing, the bus driver may have just taking it out on you. In general, Bermudians are very friendly and approachable. They love their island and for the most part are very helpful with information. Hoping you find the same to be true during the rest of your stay.

Hehe, thank you for joining in and commenting. I appreciate it. :)

 

 

 

Really? So is this normal? LOL I ended up with it on our first sea day on the way back (I think, but would have to go back and read my notes). It's driving me nuts. It gets really bad at night and in the morning I feel like I can't catch my breath. The more I cough, the harder it gets to catch my breath and I'm self-diagnosing myself with COPD at this point. LOL Like seriously I almost considered going to the ER last night it was so bad. It's been a week now. I'm hoping it stops soon. My patients are going to start to think I'm infecting them instead of the other way around. :eek:

First time we ever got sick and we got it the day after we arrived back home. Yes, it worsens at night and in the morning.

I promised to continue my review today and I'm sorry it's taking so long. I have not been feeling up to par recently. I developed a super nasty hacking cough while I was on the ship and have a sinus infection. It has just really been dragging me down lately and it got to the point where it was a little hard to breathe today. I feel like I have asthma (and I don't). Ugh! I took a long nap after work and now I'm back for the next segment. My apologies for taking so long.

Aww, we too brought home that nasty cough from Bermuda last month. It took about 10 -12 days to get rid of. I used the Robittuson Cough Gels which helped a lot. I too felt like it was asthma like at times. Feel better soon!!

We hung out for awhile, ate a little at the buffet, then headed to our rooms to put our stuff away.

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Now look at little Miss Cruising Diva!! She knows the drill, organizing her stuff for the week so she can go off and running to join the fun at the kids club. Too funny! Honestly, though my son at age 16/17 was too excited when he would first board a cruise ship to take time to organize his stuff. That was all on me. lol Maybe it is the differences between boys and girls, but this struck me as very responsible for her age!! :) Just saying........

Wow ~ This missed conceptions about the ""Perks"" of hosting a Cruise Critic Meet-n-Greet. Let me tell you that the benefits do not weigh out the work and in our case the expense of hosting such events. Haha So if you are hosting a Meet-n-Greet for the benefit of scoring extra "Perks" ~ think again. I think it varies from ships, however, again not worth the effort. When we hosted our two Meet-n-Greets we had lanyards made for everyone to hold their name tags. Later they could be used for the key cards during the cruise. Anyway, much expense, time and effort when people do not show up, as promised, we were stuck with extra lanyards. So please attend the Meet-N-Greets when you sign up unless an emergent matter pops up. The host usually puts a lot of effort to make the event very nice and it is disappointing when people do the no show act!!

 

 

(CAMZ-if you are reading this...notice that picture that's there after the last folder? That's Kev...sniff sniff. I still keep his picture in there because he started this)

Yes, I smiled when I saw that! When we were in Bermuda last month on the Breakaway I thought of Kev a couple of times. Once was while up on deck. I laughed to myself when I thought of him and his "people mover" lingo on his reviews. There are always so many funny people movers. Then I thought of him again walking through the Dockyard. He was all about Bermuda. RIP Kev!!

Seeing all your various beautiful photos of the Dawn brings back such good memories!! The toilet paper turn down, I think depends on your room steward. We have had it done throughout our various cruises, except for a couple of them. The Dawn, Gem and Breakaway definitely. Going back to the Majesty era, I am uncertain. :D

Yep, we just got off the Dawn today and definitely had a blast. I can't wait to go back to Bermuda. :)

Welcome Back Kim!! I am happy to learn that you had a blast on my beloved Island of Bermuda and that you cannot wait to go back! :D Bermuda is just beautiful. Looking forward to your review, however, somehow I missed this review on the Getaway so I have lots of catching up to do in the meantime. :eek:

I have sensitive skin and bring these all the time and never had any issues.

Hmmm I never even thought of this as being an issue. I had an old medicine bottle filled with some coconut oil on the Breakaway a couple of weeks ago. I use it to remove eye makeup. :eek:

We just disembarked Sunday from the Breakaway. I have nothing but positives to report about this beautiful ship. NCL put much thought into this ship and it shows. The layout is very user friendly for a ship of its size. The crew is incredibly friendly. Great shows, Rock of Ages, my favorite. Glow Party in Spice and Fireworks at Sea. Many, many food and snack options. If you have any specific questions, please ask. SpongeBob is available for the kids and there is a great Teen Club on board for the teenagers.

Thank you so much for your positive comments. We are booked on the Breakaway near the end of June. It's our first NCL cruise, so we had no idea of what to expect, and I was getting really concerned about all the comments. Glad to hear things are much better than others have reported:)

You are very welcome! I too read negativity surrounding the Breakaway and as such, wanted to come back and report all the positives that we encountered. TBH, we really had no complaints whatsoever!! Hope you have as great a time in June on the Breakaway as we did. Should you have any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to ask.

Thanks so much for your post. Welcome home and so glad to hear you had a great cruise.

 

Can't wait for our next trip on Breakaway!

Happy Sailing!

Thank you and I am glad you found my experience helpful.

Oh hooray! Thanks for responding. Now I will actually do the advance booking as it seems there might be a point in doing so :D.

No problem. If you think of any other information you may be interested it, please feel free to ask. :)

I am so happy to hear that those of you who have just returned had such a great time!! Do you know whether they are once again honoring reservations for all of the shows? A CC member recently kindly posted Dailies, but it was unclear to me whether they were honoring reservations for all of the shows or just a few. Thanks in advance for any info!

Yes our Rock of Ages reservation made prior to the voyage was honored!! Great show!!

What kind of cabin question do you have? We were in an aft facing balcony cabin on Deck 12. We did not participate in trivia games. However, I did see many going on and I can check the Freestyle Daily for specific information if you would like. Just let me know.

In 2012, I was in a penthouse suite on the Star and purchased a robe. At that time it was $90. You just ask you room steward and they put in an order to housekeeping and send you a brand new robe all packaged up for you. The good thing is I used an onboard credit to purchase the robe. If you would like, I can look at the label and give you the manufacturer information so you can google it and order it online. I did that a couple years ago when someone on here asked for the information and they were able to order one directly from the manufacturer.

We too just disembarked from the Breakaway today and took advantage of the current promo offered onboard. We booked a New England Cruise for next year and have another cruise reward certificate to work on choosing a date for our Alaska Cruise! Great opportunity, kudos to NCL for offering such a wonderful program!!!

Please forget any negativity you may have read from the naysayers regarding the Beautiful Breakaway. I just disembarked from this beauty and have nothing but positives to say about this ship. The crew are extremely friendly and helpful. The ship is very user friendly for a ship of this size. Norwegian put a lot of thought into this ship and it shows. The Glow Party, shows, my favorite, Rock of Ages and fireworks are all amazing. Many options to choose for dining and snacks such as Carlos Bakery. Also, we took many plates of food back to the cabin at various times, from various locations and were never even given a frown. I know there has been recent scrutiny regarding this subject. As far as people indicating that NCL nickels and dimes, we were never approached to purchase anything. Again, options are there for your choosing, however, there is no pressure to purchase anything. Any questions, please fire away!!!