Breakaway Pictorial Review NY-FL-Bahamas 3/23/14-3/30/14

Background - started posting some real-time last minute info as we left for MCT, Pier 88 a week + ago on this thread.

Virtual keyboard typing via Tapatalk on Nexus 5's smartphone screen was a challenge (typo's & spacing, etc.) and later on the Nexus 7 with a bluetooth keyboard - also taking advantage of NCL's iConcierge App (for both iOS and Android) - we missed the latest update while sailing (dated March 27, 2014 - it's very important that you download the APP before sailing as you will NOT necessary have free & fast broadband access. Then, it's easy to activate via 1 of 2 options once you are onboard & connected to ship's WiFi) It has useful features & it's free to use, unless you wanted to call or SMS others on the ship for a nominal $7.95 one-time charge w. no extra fees - I will comment a bit more later.

Carmel is usually our preferred car service to MCT, but this time, we decided to use our neighborhood car service and reserved a minivan for 4 of us traveling together - amazingly, we each packed only a 22" airline-specs suitcase (rollers) plus a smaller backpack, messenger bag, convertible tote or personal bag with the essentials - traveling light for a 7 nights cruise. Driver showed up 10 minutes early for the scheduled 9:30AM pickup that we booked the night before, our nephew had to rush a bit and a few minutes later, we're off and onto the WSE to the LIE, crossed the Ed Koch/59th St Bridge into Manhattan - paying no tolls and even cross-town traffic west on 57th Street was very light. We only slowed down briefly on the W. 55th Street block just before 12th Avenue waiting for the traffic lights to turn into the pier for the dropped off @ about 10:20 AM.

Great, the BA is the only ship in the port today as we roll upstairs toward Pier 92 in the Honda Odyssey. There was probably about 15 or 20 yellow taxi lined up to pickup pax coming off the BA. It's obvious that many folks have arrived early (not 12 noon as suggested by NCL !!) and either dropped off their luggage with the porters or are taking it with them thru security. We quickly found a porter outside Pier 88 where the BA is docked, and headed straight inside to check-in. Our BIL/SIL were en route to the pier from their house, about 10 minutes behind us.

We quickly proceeded past security and I had (3) three 1 liter bottles of soda in our carryon & it went thru the x-ray with no hand/visual inspection. Next, NCL rep directed us to the Latitude line for checking in and we waited only about 4 or 5 minutes until the next agent was free to help us. Filled out the short Health Questionnaire & signed it while we waited, and also had a Freestyle Daily in our hands. Checking in took about 10 minutes for the 4 of us and we are Zone 1 for boarding, and directed to the sitting area to wait. The Breakaway as a mega ship is big and tall.

It's only about 10:45 after our Embarkation photo was taken and we sat down. Over the PA, it was announced that boarding will be starting soon but no exact time given. Took a few pictures while waiting - even the lifeboats seemed bigger in length.

By now, our BIL/SIL has arrived and also checked in - seated in Zone 2 area. We typicall head for the MDR for a quieter sit-down lunch but decided to go for the buffet this time as we will board early & dropoff our small bags first. A little after 11 AM, we noticed a few guests being escorted to pre- or early board the ship ... possibly Haven guests, VIP's and those needed special assistance, etc. More PA about using the FWD and AFT gangways to board the ship once it's ready. Casino guests (CAS) sitting in Zone 1 with us were boarding about 11:25 and we followed them the FWD gangway that's closest to us - a quick swipe of our keycard & we're outside walking toward the ship - paused briefly to snap our own pix.

... to be continued later (Pix of BA's Inside Staterooms for 2 or 3, that's linked here or via below SIGnature

Enjoying the detailed review. Thanks for taking the time. Looking forward to the rest.

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Can't wait for the rest- leaving in a mere 172 days!!!

We boarded the BA on Deck 7 and quickly worked our way to the Fwd elevators up to our (almost ready) cabins to drop off our hand luggages and ditched our winter coats (Yeah !!) Our deck 9 balcony and 13 inside cabin locations were great (deck 11's inside a bit further away) and quiet even though they weren't far away from the AFT elevators or nearby stairs, and our stateroom steward down the far end in the service corridor. Garden Cafe is setup nicely as an indoor buffet, and, of course, the infamous singing washy washy, happy happy NCL employees with their spray bottles & automated sanitizer dispensers. Advantage of early arrival is that we have our choice of window viewing, starboard side, high above the parking level with the Intrepid SAS Museum. Time for lunch - most of us ate a very light breakfast but we managed to not overfill our plate, as we have reservations for an early dinner at 5:30 PM.

Unlike older ships in the NCL fleet, these tables are ideal for free style dining for 2, for 4 and even for 6 by combining or spliting up the tables, in addition to round tables for 5 or 6 and more, and some tables with bench & tables ideal for those using high chairs for smaller children or those with mobility issues. There're 2 or 3 square tables with the blue handicapped signs close to the entrance areas for the buffet, but, unfortunately - it is often ignored by able-bodied folks.

We finished off lunch w. coffee (pretty strong, not bad or watery at all) and explored the ship's various decks - including, of course, the casino on deck 7 - MID and the Manhattan (MDR) Room - before returning to our cabins after 1 PM as some luggages were being delivered up & down the corridors.

Mandatory Safety Drill ran as scheduled for 2:30 PM and our Assembly Station E7 is located on Deck 6 - no need to bring the life jackets from our cabin (Yes) - a pretty long walk down the 5 to 7 set of stairs in front of Taste n Savior by the Art Gallery, where our Guest Key Cards were scanned. We`re expecting a big crowd but it was very manageable, except for a "foreign" elderly group that spoke virtually no English and tried to ignore safety demo or simply didn't understand nor care.

Good grief, we would be in the same (life) boat together if we must ... Our neighbors across the hallway came up with our plan, if we need to - we will just help the crew and grab them by their arms (and legs, if necessary) and take them down to where we must.

We returned to our cabins and shortly thereafter, we "officially met" our Julito, our Steward who warmly greeted us by our first names when he knocked on our door to tell us that our luggage has arrived & ready for us to unpack; and asked whether there's anything we need or he can do for sure. Yes, I asked him to empty the mini-refrigerator when he get a chance later on or in the morning - and to fill the ice bucket also. No problem at all & promptly taken cared of after we came back from dinner.

Nevertheless, it was nearly 3:30 PM and we're still docked at Pier 88 (scheduled sailing time was 3 PM) as I snapped this picture off the BA's Webcam. Before we knew it, we're backing away and turning on the Hudson - finally sailing down the Hudson.

Here we go - passing the new 1 WTC in Lower Manhattan, Freedom Tower - it's chilly & a bit windy up on Deck 16 but the sights are beautiful even on a cloudy day as it always bring back memories of that early September morning, we're still downtown inside our Pearl Street landmark building when the towers fell, sheltering in place.

Jersey City's tallest skyscapper @ 30 Hudson Street, better known as Goldman Sachs Tower in the background. The crowd on the upper decks are a little bit smaller than expected, given the fact that the ship is full - I could see some folks just chilling on their balconies.

We did missed the BBQ sailaway from years ago sailing the Dawn out of NYC to the Bahamas - it's a different vibe or pulse on the BA, somehow. Perhaps it's the chilly weather & clouds, anyone else felt that ??

We never hanged out at the pool - our nephew did went to the hot tubs. Plenty of chairs & loungers during the week so we didn't see any issues with the hogs - and, relatively small # of children sailing but we did see some school-aged children & teens on the ship ... no issues at all from what we saw, for those wondering.

Then, the crowd moved from port side to starboard side for the Statue of Liberty, and before we knew it, we're going under & passing the VZ Bridge that connect Brooklyn & Staten Island.

This is the 2nd. time on BA for BIL/SIL and they wanted to see the Dinner Dance w. a surcharge of $29.99 p/p - stopped by the Box Office earlier & booked it, easy & simple. They said, our Manhattan Room reservation for 6 would be released & not to worry about it - great!

Pix of the three story mid-ship atrium covering decks "6-7-8" including Savior & Taste MDR, LeBistro on 6, Manhattan DR & casino on 7, and, duty-free & shops plus more dining options on 8 - a/k/a Waterfront.

With the city fading quickly behind us, we went back to our cabins to finish unpacking - hanging up a few items & moving the packing cubes onto the open shelves. I only wish they have a small desk drawer to keep all the loose & small items in one place. Everything is neatly designed although I do feel that for an extended cruise with 3 or 4 adults/teens - storage for clothing could be a challenge for those bringing those oversized 27" rollers or spinners as it might not fit underneath the beds or would take up space inside the smallish closet. Pack wisely & smartly, or do some laundry (Platinum status w. free laundries is obviously an extra bonus) See our cabin review for more tips & ideas, etc.

Our 11.6" Sony Viao netbook fits fine on the triangular desktop but not so sure with 15" or 17" ones. There are two 110 volts and two 220 volts outlets but no ethernet outlets in our cabins. WiFi "N" signals (Cisco routers) are strong at 76 MBPS but slow for external sites via satellite linlks using 10.154.6.xxx address at 75 dBM with 133 network IDs overlapping. The wall-mounted 26" HDTV is quite good but the interactive functions still a bit sluggish.

We're able to quickly setup our Android & iOS devices to use the NCL iConcierge Apps, and they worked fine (except, it wouldn't display or alert us of our confirmed reservations for dinners & shows nor allow us to cancel or make changes) and useful to keep tabs of our OBC and charges/purchases, etc. Download the App ahead of sailing as recommended by NCL.

NOTES on mobile carrier's broadband signals inside Pier 88/MCT and onboard the ship - AT&T WS signals are stronger than those of T-Mobile, probably due to tower locations while we're docked on the Hudson. As we sailed down the Hudson, the signal would fade to 3G and even H or Edge speed - especially for us on the higher decks, even on the balcony - since those tower antennas are likely optimized for use on land & not across the river for ship passengers. VZW or CDMA signals were nice n solid.

A reminder to put the devices on airplane mode to avoid expensive roaming data charges, or at least turn off roaming data if using the ship's WiFi for iConcierge - beware of higher battery drainage due to roaming & fully charge one's mobile devices overnight for the following day.

After a quick power-cat nap, we headed downstairs for the Jungle Fantasy Dinner show - great show & good food, very entertaining and worth spending extra money for. For steak lovers - it's very good & tender beef. Shrimp is a bit on the smallish "medium" sized, not big or jumbo prawns - a veg. option is available, if I'm not mistaken. The entire presentation lasted about 90 minutes including coffee & dessert and we barely noticed the ship moving at all with calm sea, sailing around 22 knots with 5 to 8 ft. waves - no Bonine at all, yay.

Our next stop was some gaming action on deck 7 before heading back to our cabins. With no engine issues reported, we are scheduled for on-time arrival at PC by 12 noon on Day 3 as we rocked very gently into sleep dreams before midnight.

Thanks so much! :)

debbie

A great summary of your trip and quite helpful. Thank you.

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We were a bit tired & went to sleep "early" without raiding the buffet for late night snacks or calling room service, etc. Prepared to be rocking & rolling overnight as someone posted about rough & stormy weather ahead - nothing at all and we were doing 22+ knots and the coast were still visible in the morning from starboard side's (balcony, etc.) somewhere off MD/Virginia & Carolinas.

The gang of six met up outside Taste DR for full service sit-down breakfast around 9 AM and we're quickly seated by the window, off to a great start. It's our vacation & the last thing we need is to stand in a buffet line much like our employee cafeteria with a plate.

Time for some juice, cereal or oatmeal, fresh fruit, pastries, decent coffee (it was a strong brew) and of course, my favorite for NCL ships - Eggs Benedict w. Salmon on a muffin, hash browns & corn beef harsh to top it off. Pretty loaded in terms of calories, for sure.

Yeah - that's a power breakfast for us to transition to more exercise mid-morning for the finger tips ... at the slot machines inside the casino, LOL. (don't ask about the payout percentages ... we all knew better, it's about entertainment.) Mrs. M was going planning to attend the M&G with me, but suffice to say, she was pre-occupied as I was off and among the last to come in. As always, NCL does it right with complimentary coffee & tea, juice, water and cookies setup for the gathering - and senior officers from most major departments on the ship introduced themselves and took some questions. One was about the best spot on the ship for "faster" satellite internet access, LOL.

Our gang met up again on deck 6 for sit-down lunch, unsure whether we would go back to Taste or Savor across the corridor (nice, big & comfortable sofa chairs to sit & wait, and people-watching. On sea days, both of them are open for about 90 minutes with staggered hours. Friendly crew members with a smile as expected - and, plenty of them working in pairs in the MDR's.

As it turned out, both DR's were full and instead of sending everyone to the Garden Cafe or O'Sheehan, they quickly opened up Moderno and Steakhouse on deck 8 AFT for a buffet lunch, free - of course.

There is plenty of free things to do on the BA and definitely, you do NOT have to pay for anything extra unless you wanted to. We sat on deck 7 just outside O'Sheehans listening to the Duo for a while, after a nice afternoon nap in our cabin, before heading over to claim our seats for the 7 PM showing of "Rock of Ages"

Tonight is lobster night & seafood at the Garden Buffet, and we stopped in around 5:30 PM for a piece of tail & other goodies as a pre-show "snack" - the tail was on the small side, maybe overcooked and thus, chewy. They had 4 stations setup to dish them out and we found one of the shorter line in the back as the other lines were long. More Indian curry dishes tonight/every night in the buffet - lamb or beef, chicken & vegetarian and rice being served.

The Main Theater is "smaller" compared to the ones we're accustomed to on the Dawn/Jewel class of NCL ships. Doors opened at 7 PM and for best seating, it's best to arrive no later than 20 minutes before showtime as it quickly filled up. We've booked ours online ahead of time so a quick swipe of our Key Card & we are inside. Great show and many of the dancers/performers really sing very well - the language used is a bit strong for some, so a little parental discretion for children would be good. We did see a few people leaving in the middle, for whatever reasons - maybe, it's for a dinner reservation.

ROA is advertised as a 45 minutes show but actually lasted 60 minutes and we had confirmed online reservations for the Manhattan Room at 8:30 PM - so it was a fast walk to AFT section of the ship. As it turned out, we're among the last to show up for a late dinner and were quickly seated. No lobster tail in the MDR - I settled for the Salmon as the entrees along with the starter, soup & salad, skipping the dessert.

NCL can do a little better coordinating the timing and scheduling of the show, as it was a bit challenging to try to pre-book both the show & dinner together as a package for the same evening, as it would pop up with an error (overlapped) message & blocked the confirmation from going thru. Tried booking MDR for 5:30 PM dinner and Rock of Ages at 7:30 PM and it refused !! Well, I suppose we could simply do it freestyle and head for the buffet ...

I stayed up late organizing some of my notes and photos taken as Mrs. M turned on her iPad for awhile - watching updates on the status of the missing MH370 on BBC Int'l (Ch. 23) Day 3 - we should see FL by 10 or 10:30 AM as we ease into PC, dry land & weather forecasted to be cloudy & chance of shower/rain around 70 degree F - meanwhile, snow in DC and possibly in NYC area, yikes !

To be continued - tomorrow - Day 3 at Port Canaveral, FL - "winging" it a la freestyle, nothing planned for ShoreEx at all.

Great review!

Love it!

Thanks :)

~Robin

Norwegian Breakaway July 2014

Carnival Miracle 2010

Carnival Legend 2006

We finished off lunch w. coffee (pretty strong, not bad or watery at all) and explored the ship's various decks - including, of course, the casino on deck 7 - MID and the Manhattan (MDR) Room - before returning to our cabins after 1 PM as some luggages were being delivered up & down the corridors.

 

Good grief, we would be in the same (life) boat together if we must ... Our neighbors across the hallway came up with our plan, if we need to - we will just help the crew and grab them by their arms (and legs, if necessary) and take them down to where we must.

 

We returned to our cabins and shortly thereafter, we "officially met" our Julito, our Steward who warmly greeted us by our first names when he knocked on our door to tell us that our luggage has arrived & ready for us to unpack; and asked whether there's anything we need or he can do for sure. Yes, I asked him to empty the mini-refrigerator when he get a chance later on or in the morning - and to fill the ice bucket also. No problem at all & promptly taken cared of after we came back from dinner.

 

Hi...what was your cabin number? Was it a mini-suite?

Also, when were you able to make the dinner reservations?

take them by their arms and legs...very funny!!!

LOVE reading your review :D

Nice review.

Travelinfam, 9782 was our balcony, starboard side only a few cabins from AFT elevators. It felt roommier due to its layout w full length sofa bed for sitting, ditto for bathroom vs. Dawn/Jewel class that we've been on (sort of reminded us of POA.) Others noted already, balcony is really small - 2 chairs & a tiny "end" table for 2 mugs. We also had 11665 and 13655 - both insides AFT. All of them GTY as we booked last minute bargains less than 30 days out & assigned about 10 days before sailing - very happy with what NCL gave us (T/A linked our bookings together & we got very nice OBC's ...)

All restaurant reservations can be made 45 days out if I am not confused, suite pax can do it earlier. There are PLENTY of small tables for 2's and 3's and 4's (NCL :) ) even for walk-ins so not really necessary to book all the dinners, except for sea days with major shows scheduled. For lunches at Taste & Savor, we basically just walked up and are seated within 2 or 3 minutes for 4 or 6 of us.

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It's breakfast time again - Savor, our option for "late-risers" after 9 AM except for the buffet, Uptown Grill on deck 16 or O'Sheehan with its "big breakfast" (which, we ran out of time during our 7 days to try out ... excuse to go back in 2015, I think) This morning, everyone seemed to be holding back on ordering almost everything to risk not gaining over 7 lbs. in 7 days, LOL. Heck, our weekday routine at home is generally just coffee and toast or hot oatmeal - getting really spoiled by NCL. (Hungry yet - look below)

The Florida coast came into views around 10 AM this morning while we're out on the Waterfront, still a bit chilly & windy this morning, somewhat cloudy but no showers or rain. Our nephew was soon able to pick up their AT&T land tower's signal and busy with his iPhone5, when we're probably 2 or 3 miles from the shorelines. Here again, T-Mobile's 4G/LTE signal wasn't doing as well and fading in & out. Lots of mobile internet "addicts" out on the open deck with their connectivity devices.

Interesting enough, BA's WiFi remained on and active while we're docked as I was able to use NCL's iConcierge App to see "What's happening/going on?"

Here's Uptown Grill, Deck 16 AFT - one of my favorite spot on the ship, just above the Garden Cafe (starboard AFTelevators will go up there, port side ones only go as high as 15) There is about 12 big & comfortable cushioned chairs to sit around, surf on mobile devices, take short naps or just relax with a cup of coffee & a burger from the nearby grill. And, it was never crowded to us.

Look up while sitting at the shaded & covered Grill and you can see all of the action above you.

The MDR's aren't open for lunch today, we opted to checkout O'Sheehan's comfort food instead of going to the buffet. It wasn't crowded previously when we walked by but it is full with a short wait, and, they seemed to be seriously under-staffed (compared to the MDR at breakfast & lunch.) Dirty plates & cups left on the table long after the pax are gone, and, we had to "borrow" the All Day Menu from the next table - services overall being slow and the crew not looking too happy - we understood but surely NCL can plan better as they are doing these regular weekly runs. We ordered some soup, hot wings, chips with the dips, and my Salmon burger was good, yummy. Thumbs up (and for those potatoe fries.) BIL ordered the meatloaf, it was fine except both he and I SWORN it was prepared/mixed in with curry powder, for real - I don't recall an "all American" meatloaf recipes (okay, let's just called a new wave "fusion" cooking ...) The batter mix for the Fish & Chip could be crispier, but it was fine otherwise.

BA had already turned around after sailing thru the waterway and docked at PC Pier. We're hoping to see the NASA's rocket launch in the distance, but it was postponed due to weather (Port side in the distance, I believed)

Travelinfam, 9782 was our balcony, starboard side only a few cabins from AFT elevators. It felt roommier due to its layout w full length sofa bed for sitting, ditto for bathroom vs. Dawn/Jewel class that we've been on (sort of reminded us of POA.) Others noted already, balcony is really small - 2 chairs & a tiny "end" table for 2 mugs. We also had 11665 and 13655 - both insides AFT. All of them GTY as we booked last minute bargains less than 30 days out & assigned about 10 days before sailing - very happy with what NCL gave us (T/A linked our bookings together & we got very nice OBC's ...)

 

All restaurant reservations can be made 45 days out if I am not confused, suite pax can do it earlier. There are PLENTY of small tables for 2's and 3's and 4's (NCL :) ) even for walk-ins so not really necessary to book all the dinners, except for sea days with major shows scheduled. For lunches at Taste & Savor, we basically just walked up and are seated within 2 or 3 minutes for 4 or 6 of us.

 

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Great...thank you!

Loving the review...

Here's a # of photos taken while we're docked at PC around the pier/terminal building. To answer questions often asked - there's nothing of interest in easy walking disance, a taxi or shuttle ride is necessary.

View from Deck 17 - apparently, lots of repeat visitors to PC staying on the ship to relax & enjoy. Plenty of chairs or loungers to use, no "hogs" to be found anywhere.

Our nephew and his wife decided to shuttle over to Cocoa Beach & Coca Village for a few hours as we decided to stay onboard & relax (translation - an afternoon nap) - Mrs. M found her quiet spot and busy on her iPad as we got a good 4G-LTE mobile signal for our devices. T-Mobile's closeout tower is quite a distance away, according to our "Open Signal" App - a disadvantage over AT&T's stronger signal/closer tower locations. I showed "no" free, land-based WiFi signal at all on the pier/by the terminal building.

Dinner was for Savor, went there at 6:30 PM without our nephew as they are on their own. A table for 6 pre-set aside for us and quickly seated on arrival, without moving to a smaller table for 4 as it wasn't full. Very attentive MDR service and wasn't too slow for us, could be faster as they are well-staffed. Can't recall exactly what I ordered & ate, it was all good, especially if you like/love Salmon Tartae as a starter, it's available every night in the MDR. Not sure if you want the entree Salmon as well, but ...

BIL loves steaks of any cuts, but he felt, subjectively - of course, the strip loin not as good (and, for the rest of the week, going more with the lamb.)

PC in the evening over the Waterfront (these lifeboats as seen here have a capacity of 305 pax each) We strolled around after our relaxing dinner even though it was a little chilly with a bit of wind.

Next, the plan is to set sail for GSC - Capt. Hoyt had informed all over the PA earlier that weather forecast/conditions at the island are mixed, but will be going there to see things first hand, and if not, will head straight for Nassau instead for the night. Wow, three days are gone out of seven already - these itinerary are too short for us. We left PC on time and slowly made our way out to sea, and were going slower - ship's NAV channel showed us doing 12 to 15 knots mostly, and even slower initially - plenty of time to get to the island for 10 AM arrival.

Comment (before I forget,) BA's ship photographers are definitely not "pushy" at all compared to other smaller NCL ships - we checked our Photo Binder on Deck 8 and have only 1 photo inside, our Embarkation pix taken inside Pier 88 while waiting to board early. Didn't see them coming aroud in the MDR during lunch or dinner - I supposed they're working the gangways at PC yesterday and at their studio locations throughout the ship - like here on Deck 6 near the AFT elevators next to the stairs. (Here, I found a ring on the huge round cushion & turned it over at the Reception Desk - who logged it into their lost-n-found)

Tip - during the day, bring your own camera & take pictures yourself for free. The MIXX Bar between Taste & Savor MDR and never busy, if ever during meal times - perhaps it should be reconfigured as a juice bar ??

Here's the lobby/hotel reception on deck 6 FWD, with the Atrium Bar on the right - Cafe & Internet Cafe in the rear.

Last night, our Steward placed a different towel animal in our stateroom, with 6 chocolate mints (as we had the DND sign on when we left our cabin Monday evening.) Grand-nephew & grand-niece loved these mints when we brought them home, LOL.

Taste is the place for breakfast this morning for 6 and we had the same table as last night. I've about a month's worth of Salmon thus far this week so time for a break, ordering a simple ham & mushroom omlette, some hash browns, coffee & juice. (Oh dear, I missed those shrimp cocktails on Carnival's MDR nightly ...)

By now, we've noticed the ship has come to a stop and looked like we are getting ready to tender as the sea conditions looked a little choppy but not too bad. Looking out the DR's picture windows, we're expecting to see some of the lifeboats being dropped & launched in preparation for going onshore, but nothing happened .... hmmm, my gut feeling is that, this isn't good. Sure enough, it didn't take long for Capt. Hoyt's voice to come over the PA system, announcing that we are at GSC and considered the options, and decided to skip the island for safety reasons and to contined to Nassau instead, etc. Guests with onboard excurisons will be automatically refunded to their onboard account and that we will arrive this evening. A newly revised Day 4 Freestyle Daily is being prepared and will be available shortly.

BA started moving again in a matter of minutes for its next port, Nassau. Hmmm, that explains all the preparation at the casino and it soon came to life again.

For lunch, we are going to checkout Shanghai's next to the casino & their specials, for a nominal fee.

After a big breakfast, we opted for a lighter lunch - "Shanghai" style, next to the casino for a nominal fee. I ordered Seafood & Udon Soup and Mrs. M had Chicken w Glass Noodles, for $5.95 and $4.95 respectively (no tax or gratitudes added) They're both good - the dumplings, however, didn't stand out, but is fine overall.

We cruised very slowly toward Nassau all day in the warmer waters of the Caribbean, doing maybe 5 or 6 knots as it's really a short distance coming from GSC - sea is calm & smooth. By late afternoon, we begin to make out the islands in the distance as we approach and turn into Nassau to dock, around 6:30 or 7 PM as I recall. We used the berth furthest away from the terminal building, so it's a good 10 minutes walk to exit the secured area.

There were two "smaller/older" Carnival ships docked at the pier also.

Earlier, we dined at the Garden Cafe and it wasn't too crowded. Food is nice & hot and they have daily selection of Asian (Indian curry) food, pasta cook-to-order station, and other usuals, etc. The Washy Washy, Happy Happy crews are singing & dancing again today outside the buffet entrance. Our nephew booked the Moderno (Brazilian steakhouse/salad bar) for 2 at 8 PM as he wanted to check out the BBQ's, especially the lamb. They said it was good, his wife wasn't too impressed (it's all subjective, relax ...) They also went ashore to check out the shops & stores while we decided to stay onboard - to pickup some bottled water & find an ethnic restaurant on land, etc.

Our Latitude reception to meet the ship's officers was for Wednesday evening at 7:30 PM, Fat Cats Jazz & Blues Club on Deck 8 FWD. We went & munched on some mini appetizers and of course, couldn't refused those free cocktails or drinks (for the next 20 or 30 minutes) as Capt. Hoyt was introduced, who spoke briefly about his pride for being in charge of the BA, and his senior team - followed by a slide show. No drawings or door prizes, etc. at the gathering - just a quick "sales" pitch about Future Cruise Certificates and getting OBC immediately.

Afterward, we decided to hit "dry land" or at least the pier's concrete pavements briefly, and to take some night scene pictures of the ship & surroundings, etc. It was a bit windy with the breeze blowing, felt a bit chilly - spend only about 15 minutes before going back onto the BA. A number of pax coming back saying practically everything in town are closed & nothing to do/see unless Atlantas-bound, oooookkkkkay.

Day 5 is next, last port day before going "home" ... oh, no. It's almost over - we all got the Atlantas Day & Beach Pass, so everyone went to bed before midnight. Thus far, we haven't come across the shower or rain at all, despite the forecasts - luck is on our side.

The fireworks that were scheduled for this evening at 8:45 PM or so were postponed or rescheduled to Day 5 - after we set sail from Nassau and while at sea, for 9:15 PM, weather permitting.

Gangways were down on Deck 4, FWD - one set used for going onshore and another one for returning pax, probably used both for getting off the ship when it was busy.

... to be continued

Great review so Far, thank you!

Love it so far, thank you!

Robin

Norwegian Breakaway July 2014

Carnival Miracle 2010

Carnival Legend 2006

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

Our Atlantas Beach Day Pass via NCL was scheduled to meet on the pier at 10:15 AM, allowing plenty of time to enjoy a leisure full breakfast in Savor. It's a bright & sunny day, just windy. Here's the BA across the Bahamas Cruise Terminal.

Once we're on the pier, we've informed that due to rough surfs and windy conditions on the beaches in Atlantas where swimming is not allowed (Red Flag posted) - we are given the option of a full refund or can go ahead, and given access to man-made beach in Atlantas instead. Most cruise pax continued on - about 3 busload of us left the secured terminal area via a locked guard manned by armed personnel, boarding the medium-sized, air-conditioned buses directly for the 10 minutes ride in light traffic over the bridge to Atlantas.

Here we are - Atlantas Resort as we're being escorted wearing color-coded wristband, with a very, very brief narrative tour on the way over to the Altantas Beach, near the Beach Tower where there are restrooms & changing/shower facilities. There're complimentary beach towels and plenty of chairs, some with sun shades directly on the beach - we stayed for a while and then turned around & went back to the Paradise Lagoon (that's the man-made beach) for swimming & sunbathing, and for optional fees - various water sports. Our BIL/SIL went to check out the "Dig" or marine habitat before catching up with us.

The Resort operated mostly on a cashless system - canned soda for $3.50 USD, sports drink or Snapples for $4.50 and a combo meal of soda, chips & choice of several sandwiches for $10.50 - credit/debit card with positive ID required.

Getting a bit hungry despite eating a big power breakfast, we left around 2:30 PM, thru the casino & made a quick restroom stop before going back to the designated shuttle bus pickup area. BTW, all of the shops or stores inside Atlantas were closed for the day for inventory purposes.

... OMG, it's already Thursday & time to sail back this afternoon (to be continued)

Bridge that connect to Nassau (water taxi is available for those doing their own day trip to Atlantas) On the pier, one couple asked how far is the walk over - we said it's a pretty long walk over and urged them to take a taxi shuttle instead. The mini-buses that we took can take 28 passengers plus the driver, ours had 29 as they took a small child traveling with the parents together.

Look closely at the picture, the BA is in the distant background in the middle. On the left, 2 or 3 Carnival ships including the Pride.

Our minibus driver gave a narrated tour on the way back to the ship and showed us this 007 style car with onboard motor, parked at a gas station (tourist attraction? functional on land & in water, don't really know for sure?) We also saw the island's hospital and its A&E wing, including a brand new emergency/trauma complex scheduled to open soon - cost of health care for island residents, just $10 per visit/admission ... now, that's really universal health care.

Our mini-bus dropped us off right in front of the pier terminal, we walk thru the building with a number of shops/vendors - nothing of interest - so we headed straight for security checkpoint to get back to our ship.

Note - there is free, open WiFi just behind security at the cruise terminal building, where many of the ships' off-duty crew members hang out with their laptops, tablets & smartphones, etc. - apparently, it was so busy that we couldn't get connected, let alone do any surfing. Go early in the morning for best results - (as we docked overnight, unscheduled due to skipping GSC)

Time to get back on the BA & head for the buffet for a late lunch. Lots of folks that got off the ship got the same idea, the Garden Cafe was quite busy, plenty of food choices for a late afternoon. Our bellies full, time to go back to our cabins to shower & change, take a rest and watch the sailaway. Tonight, we are confirmed for Rock of Ages at 7 PM and it's fully booked up, doors opening at 6:30 PM. Surprise, we got a "guest" welcoming us home to our staterooms.

How was sailing out of New York. I would like to try it around Thanksgiving, but I feel like you would not be able to utilize the ship as it is too cold. thoughts?