First time on Breakaway tips

Hi! We are cruising the Breakaway on 4/2. It's our first time cruising NCL and only our 2nd cruise. Our first cruise was last June on Carnival. We fell in love with cruising! We had plenty of time to research and plan for that cruise. This is a last minute decision, booked a deal last week. We are a small family, just DH, 13yo son and me. So all of that said, any tips, favorite spots on ship, things to definitely do or avoid with our son? What has been others experiences with Entourage? We are planning on staying on ship in Orlando but will visit Nassau and GSC. Thanks so much, this ship looks great!

This is my first time on the Breakaway but second time with Ncl. I know we gonna have a great time.

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Following...Anyone??

Hi! We are cruising the Breakaway on 4/2. It's our first time cruising NCL and only our 2nd cruise. Our first cruise was last June on Carnival. We fell in love with cruising! We had plenty of time to research and plan for that cruise. This is a last minute decision, booked a deal last week. We are a small family, just DH, 13yo son and me. So all of that said, any tips, favorite spots on ship, things to definitely do or avoid with our son? What has been others experiences with Entourage? We are planning on staying on ship in Orlando but will visit Nassau and GSC. Thanks so much, this ship looks great!

I love leaving NYC on BA. There is a small deck that is just behind Vibe. There are stairs on the port side just past the bar on the public sundeck on deck 17. From there you will be able to see the Manhattan skyline on the port side and the Statue of Liberty on the starboard side. It's also a great place to stand as you go under the Verrzano Narrows Bridge. It looks like you can reach out and touch the bottom of the bridge.:o

I don't have any experience with Entourage so I'm not any help there.;) If you like to relax I can recommend getting a spa pass for the week.

Linda

Double post :confused:

I love leaving NYC on BA. There is a small deck that is just behind Vibe. There are stairs on the port side just past the bar on the public sundeck on deck 17. From there you will be able to see the Manhattan skyline on the port side and the Statue of Liberty on the starboard side. It's also a great place to stand as you go under the Verrzano Narrows Bridge. It looks like you can reach out and touch the bottom of the bridge.:o

 

I don't have any experience with Entourage so I'm not any help there.;) If you like to relax I can recommend getting a spa pass for the week.

 

Linda

I will make a note fo the spot. Thanks for the tip!

A few of our strategies for Breakaway:

Avoid the buffet, it's often a zoo. Try Taste or Savor for breakfast and lunch, or the little restaurant area near the running track. People don't find it until the end of the cruise and it's rarely busy. Watch the dailies carefully to find out where the hotdog stand will be and when. Usually the pool deck but odd hours.

The ropes course gets very busy, try going at supper time or in the evening for shorter lines. The plank will only be open if the seas and winds are calm. Same strategy applies to the rock wall.

The water slides are a blast, my boys will spend hours on them! Plus all the stair climbing is a great workout. The drop slide has a 100lb weight minimum, I'm around 130# and have almost gotten stuck at the peak of the loop. There's an escape hatch (!), but try the board you can strap to your back. They make you bring it back up to the slide entry when you're done but it's better than getting stuck. No jewellery on the drop slides, including stud earrings.

I agree with deck 17 for sail away, it can be cold so wear lots of layers, including a wind proof layer. The hot tub at Spice H2O might be open, never tried it. They also occasionally show movies appropriate for kids at night with popcorn, lots of fun!

If all else fails, upgrade to the Haven aft penthouse and enjoy the most amazing cruise ship balcony! We will be back there in just over 3 weeks :)

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Thank for these tips.

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We really enjoyed the spa on the BA.

Best tip? Have an amazing time.

The Breakaway is a brilliant choice for a first ncl cruise! I love the ship. If you like Carnival I think you'll like NCL.

I used to go in the entourage when I was a teenager (22 now) so my experience may be a little out of date but I had a really really good time! I met tons of friends which I still have to this day (on Facebook anyway ha ha). In my experience the entourage was really unstructured which I enjoyed, they do so evens but it isn't the same as the kids club. The entourage lounge will be open a lot of the time and I mainly used it as a place to meet friends. They also do cool things like teenage pool parties and gaming events (wii games) etc.

I think you son will have a great time! There's loads to do on the Breakaway.

As this is your first NCL cruise this post might be of use to you http://cruisingisntjustforoldpeople.co.uk/2016/12/04/8-things-i-wish-i-knew-before-cruising-with-ncl/ I've also written on there about my experiences cruises as a child/teenager and I have photos on there of the Breakaway. Hopefully that'll be of use!

Have a fantastic time [emoji39]

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As was mentioned avoid the buffet, but especially on embarkation. Try either Taste or Savor.

Avoid the forward elevator area after a show lets out and all elevators after muster drill. Those were the only times the ship felt crowded to me.

At breakfast the buffet in Mederno a lot of people don't notice the omelet station on the Cagney's side. At least not in the beginning of the cruise. Also at the lunch buffet remember to check out that side.

We are also sailing on April 2nd....and I also have a 13 year old son....maybe they will catch up in the Teen Club. It is my family's first cruise as well and we are so looking forward to it.

Definitely plan on going to the shows in the theater. They are all great. Make reservations for the ones you can. Maderno is great for breakfast and lunch. You can eat outside on the waterfront too.

We made our dinner reservations at Cagney's and LaCucina so that we were eating on the waterfront while we were sailing away from different islands at sunset. (this was on the 14 day)

Ten minutes before the shows begin they open up the Haven seating area. You can usually find last minute seats there. (Port side about half way down)

Some food tips:

1) Lots of Asians on the ship, and NCL caters to them. Thus the asian was far superior to those on other lines. When it doubt, go for asian food.

2) The Tomahawk chop at Cagneys was one of the handful of best steaks I have ever had. And I have been to many of the best steakhouses.

3) The buffet food is not great. Stay away when you can.

4) There are 2 free ice cream machines that have soft serve. But you can also get free ice cream many time on the buffet dessert area that is much better--more flavors, and tastes better.

5) Margaritaville for breakfast is usually empty--while there are less choices, if you are a breakfast traditionalist, and hate crowds, this is the place to be.

Have fun!

One of the highlights for our family was the Second City Improv on the Breakaway. At the time, our 2 teenagers were 14 and we had to force them to come to us to a show. After that, we went as often as we could as they loved it. They have an early show that is family friendly. As its a bookable show, I think we can only book once but they have lineup for those without a booking. My tip is that if you get there 1/2 hour or 20 minutes before the show begins, they should let you in. I think we went back 3 more times over the week and did not have a problem getting in. One more tip, go early so you get seats as close to the stage. They are not using mikes so its harder to hear the further back you are.

I second going to Margaritaville for breakfast so you can eat outside. It is not crowded at all. By the same token, do not go there for lunch. It is a specialty menu for lunch, so you have to pay. The food is good but the service was very bad. It took us an hour and a half to have a taco served . . . and that was after we complained that I had a spa appointment. Go to the waterfront and hang out on the couches and chairs around sunset. It is quite empty then and the view is amazing.

Some food tips:

1) Lots of Asians on the ship, and NCL caters to them. Thus the asian was far superior to those on other lines. When it doubt, go for asian food.

2) The Tomahawk chop at Cagneys was one of the handful of best steaks I have ever had. And I have been to many of the best steakhouses.

3) The buffet food is not great. Stay away when you can.

4) There are 2 free ice cream machines that have soft serve. But you can also get free ice cream many time on the buffet dessert area that is much better--more flavors, and tastes better.

5) Margaritaville for breakfast is usually empty--while there are less choices, if you are a breakfast traditionalist, and hate crowds, this is the place to be.

 

Have fun!

Is the noodle restaurant open for lunch on boarding day? Where do you find the Asian food that you mentioned in your post?

Do they also have frozen yogurt along with the free soft service ice? What about sugar free desserts at the buffet?

Thanks!

MARAPRINCE

Is the noodle restaurant open for lunch on boarding day? Where do you find the Asian food that you mentioned in your post?

 

Do they also have frozen yogurt along with the free soft service ice? What about sugar free desserts at the buffet?

 

Thanks!

 

MARAPRINCE

All of the Breakaway dailies I've seen posted recently, make it seem like the noodle restaurant is mainly open for dinner (5-10:30ish). I can't recall seeing it listed as open for lunch at all, and definitely not on embarkation day (as I was wondering the same thing as you). Someone who has actually sailed on BA already may know better, though. I think the person you are asking was referring to there being many asian-inspired dishes in the MDR and Buffet.

Last time I cruised NCL in '09, there was always at least one sugar free option at each meal for dessert.

What about sugar free desserts at the buffet?

We sailed on the BA last month. There always seemed to be a sugar free option for dessert at the buffet, and most of the time they had a no sugar added hard ice cream flavour as well. Getting a sugar free dessert at the specialty down restaurants seemed to be a little more difficult, but they always came up with something. :) I'm not sure about the MDR because I don't think we ate dinner there at all last time.

taste/savor for sailaway are much less crowded. that being said, the rest of the trip it was 90 to 120 minutes if you ever went in

the library near the atrium is very tiny but can provide some quiet

i disliked my december sailaway and 2nd day in cold weather. but you cannot complain too much for dirt cheap december fares. i'm trying anthem this year to see how good she is with indoor warm space

for the specialty restaurants you get unlimited apps and desserts so try something new.

for tendering its first come first serve so get there very early if you want off early to GSC. they dont care about timed tickets. get a clamshell on GSC or you will roast in the sun

Definitely sign the 13 year old for Entourage the first night,,,that is when all the kids make friends

Do you have to book the clamshell for GSC in advance or can you show up on the beach that day to use one? Thanks!

taste/savor for sailaway are much less crowded. that being said, the rest of the trip it was 90 to 120 minutes if you ever went in the library near the atrium is very tiny but can provide some quiet

 

i disliked my december sailaway and 2nd day in cold weather. but you cannot complain too much for dirt cheap december fares. i'm trying anthem this year to see how good she is with indoor warm space

 

for the specialty restaurants you get unlimited apps and desserts so try something new.

 

for tendering its first come first serve so get there very early if you want off early to GSC. they dont care about timed tickets. get a clamshell on GSC or you will roast in the sun