Breakaway 11/27-12/11/16

Finally getting a chance to post about or cruise on the Breakaway. It was our fourth cruise but the first time on a big ship. We were concerned because of the number of negative reviews on cruise critic about quality of service, food and issues with the cabins.

Embarkation went pretty smooth. We arrived at the pier about 10:30. Went through security rather quickly despite them going through my purse multple times thinking my lipstick was a small pocket knife. Can't blame them as NYC was on high alert during the Thanksgiving weekend.Moved swifty through check-in. The woman at the counter was efficient but not forthgiving with info unless you asked specifically. I didn't think to ask her what priority embarkation was about (we just got to gold status) as we were handed #25 boarding pass. From the time we dropped off luggage to the waiting area was about a half hour. We boarded the ship about 12:30.Went to Le Bistro and bought our Viva Vino package.We then went to the cabin 11314 aft balcony to drop off our bags. They were still cleaning it.

We went to Taste to get lunch. We were given a buzzer and was told 15-20 minute wait. We sat at the bar and toasted our trip. We got into Taste in less than 15 minutes. This MDR seemed a bit disorganized. It was awhile before our order was taken and served. There seemed to be a lot of staff always moving and carrying orders or cleaning tables. Food arrived and it was great.

Spent time at Spice H20 before and after the muster drill with people from CC and FB. Chillin good time. Bartenders were good and quick. Sailaway was fun but cold. We headed inward to Ocean Blue for dinner.

Dinner was great. We had the lobster bisque and the surf and turf. Service was excellant.

It had been an extremely long day so we went to the cabin after dinner. Room seemed slightly smaller than the mini suites we have had on the Gem. I did not compare the square footage. Despite not having drawers there was more than enough storage for us. Bathroom was comfortable size. In the minisuites they have a deep tub that is a little difficult for my husband and I to get in and out so the walk in shower was nice. Good storage in the bathroom. The aft balcony was great. It had enough room for two chairs and two lounge chairs with the ability to move around. I can see why these sell fast.View was amazing. Goodnight NY as the twinkling lights fade from view.

To be continued.

11/28/16

I'm an early riser so I headed off to O'Sheens at 5am. Just ordered a pot of coffee so I could get my fix while I read. Staff was very friendly.There were about 6 other cruisers in the place. Coffee was okay but did the trick.

Husband and I tried out Savor for breakfast. Servers were quick with coffee, refills and juice. The speed of the food arrival seemed to be a general issue. Food arrived in waves. Many who were seated before us got their meals after us. Food was hot when served. Eggs Benedict was done perfectly for DH and scrambled eggs and bacon for me...FYI you have to ask for toast.

We went exploring this big ship. Noticed that there are many smaller/intimate venues on the ship. So far the ship doesn't seem as crowded as I anticipated. It was chilly but we walked the length of the ship a couple of times outside. The pool areas seem so small for so many people but we don't spend much time in the pool. Spice H20 was the adult only area with two hot tubs and a waterfall area where you could sit and enjoy the sun with your feet in the water and spray from the waterfall to keep cool once you hit the warmer temps...more my speed.

Lunch was at the buffet. Food was plentiful and quickly refilled. Nothing outstanding to report on as to the food. Some bland and tastey items. It was fairly easy to find a place to sit. The issues I had with the buffet were not Norwegians fault. There were people elbowing others to get ahead in line, people who just cut in and some actually eating from their plates as they waited in line. It was bizarre watching this.

Dinner at O'Sheens. It was a bit of a wait for service and then for food...but we didn't have anywhere to go. We had the nachos which were boring just cheese sauce and a few jalepenos but the shepherd's pie was very good.

Saw Burn the Floor which was amazing! What talented dancers. I will echo the complaint about the seats in the theater being very uncomfortable.

Stopped in at Fat Cats as family karoke was finishing up. It was pretty crowded but able to get a table. It was difficult to get table service for drinks. There appeared to be only one server for the entire place! There is no bar in the club. The poor woman was running ragged. Patrons seemed frustrated some rather unkind to her. It was a management issue not the server's. She made a concerted effort to notice new arrivals and get to them as soon as she could. I stepped out to Maltings right outside the club and was quickly served and returned to Fat Cats. The main act Les Getrex and the Cajun Cooking Band came on. Music and energy was fabulous. He was witty and funny. I highly recommend this show. About a half hour into his show two more servers arrived to assist the young woman. We crawled back to our cabin after the show and found a box of Godiva chocolates waiting for us. Good way to end the day.

11/29/16

Went to the gym. It opens at 6 am which is a little late for me. There was quite a crowd at that time. There seemed to be sufficient treadmills and other cardio equipment available. There seems to be no good flow of air in there. It was quite warm (no gym smell). Across the hall was the free weights, resistance machines and the exercise studio for classes. I was there for about an hour, never saw who ran the gym. I did not avail myself of the classes.

Breakfast at Savor. Things seem to have established a routine. Service was quick, food came right along, quality was great.

We walked along the Waterfront on deck 8. It was a pleasant alternative to the lounge chairs on the other decks. There was comfortable seating and table and chairs that ran almost the length of the ship. The outside bar was Maltings was in the center of the smoking area. The cigar room was nearby as well. I am not a smoker and DH is an occassional cigar smoker. I know this is somewhat controversial but other than when you first walk out the door to that area, I really didn't have an issue with the smoke. Many a times we sat at the far end of the bar and it didn't bother us. We also sat at the many venues along the Waterfront. There were plexiglass walls to break the wind as well as preventing the smoke to drift down into those areas.

Lunched at Margarittaville. Shared conch fritters and had burgers. Very tasty. Good margarittas. Great music by a guitarist named Charley. Stayed for his whole set.

Dinner at Moderno. Elegant dining setting. Service staff was swift and professional. More lobster bisque...so good. I was very judicious at the salad bar so I can't comment too much there. We turned our little cards to green and the gauchos kept bringing the meats. Had perfectly seasoned mid rare sirloin, succulent chicken, sausage and a lamb chop that was to die for! I was a bit disappointed in the bacon wrapped filet mingon as it was done medium well (ugh) and a bit dry. My husband had a perfect medium rare one. I believe the one I had to be an anomaly. Honestly we got filled up sampling the succulent offerings we never touched the sides.

We wandered around before settling down for the night. We didn't attend the parties that go on later in the evening but heard they were a lot of fun.

11/30/16

Gym wasn't as crowded. Very hot and uncomfortable. I was sweating profusely which is something abhorent to an Irish Catholic girl (decades since I was a girl) like me.

Breakfast at the buffet. Good omelets. Not crowded at 7:30.

Headed up to Spice H20 around 9. Plenty of available chairs. Good to see and feel the warmth of the sun. Started to get more populated around 10:30. The waterfall wasn't working but the crew was diligently working on it. With the wind, it was still a little chilly for me to be in the water.

Lunch was from the window at Ocean Blue. We had the lobster rolls. There was quite a bit of lobster present but not as much lobster flavor. There was alittle heat in the mayo which may have detracted from the delicate lobster. We sat outside at one of the nearby tables not too far from Maltings. Did not notice the smell of smoke at all.

We arrived in San Juan. What a beautiful sight. We opted to stay on board because we had just done a B2B here in February and will be going again this March. We hung out in the nearly deserted pool area keeping the lonesome bartenders company.

Dinner at the Manhattan Room, the most elegant of the MDRs. There was beautiful piano music in the background. Very soothing. I had the duck apple salad and the shrimp pesto risotto. Both dishes very rich and delish. Can't recall what DH had but his plate was clean.

Went to Headliners to see Howling at the Moon. It was a fun time singing and laughing nonstop. Show started at 8:30 and was still going strong when I left at 11:30 (what can I say? I'm an old fart and it was late for me). My husband left at 12:30. He said it jus kept getting better and better.

12/1/16

Gym still very uncomfortable.

Pulled into St. Thomas with two other ships right behind us. Pretty cool from our aft balcony to watch the other ships "park".

Breakfast at Taste. Still seems a bit disorganized. DH got his fruit plate pretty quick but it was quite a wait before tha main dish appeared. We noticed other tables' orders were coming out incomplete or incorrect. When delivered ours was very good. Don't know why this MDR has a problem. There seems to be plenty of staff and it is the smaller of the three MDRs.

We had no excursions planned. Originally we weren't going to get off the ship but changed our minds. We walked around the port stores.Watched the sky lift. Saw a rum shack where you sat at the bar in swings. It was tempting but we resisted. It was quite hot out. Loved it but knew we needed to seek shelter and "hydrate". Stopped into a place called the Tap and Still. Big claim to fame was their $4 bourbon cocktails. DH said he had to sample their fame. I had chardonnay (which was $10). They had a limited bar food menu. Had a patty melt and he a cheeseburger and fries (good Caribban food,right?). Had another round and went back to the ship.

Spent the rest of the afternoon at H20...waterfall working wonderfully.

Dinner at Shanghai Noodle Bar. Curious little place on the edge of the casino.You sit at these long black counters facing other patrons/strangers. Service was swift. Menu was limited but very good. Server seemed to know when to bring forks out for fumbling chopstick users like myself. She was quite humorous. I will say it is loud from the casino buzz and announcements as well as the patrons of the noodle bar. We enjoyed it. Neither of us recalled smelling smoke for being inside the casino.

Funny I would notice the smell of smoke when the casino was closed while we were in port. Maybe they turn down the ventilation system?

Enjoyed the evening on our balcony.

12/2/16 Tortola

Insomnia is a curse. At 3:30 am I head up to O'Sheens. There is one lone patron as I enter. The place is hopping with a large cleaning staff. It always amazes me how many people work through the night.

I order coffee and am given it in a paper cup. I was also directed to a limited buffet as the menu was not being offered. Hadn't planned on getting anything but coffee but now my interest was peaked. Breaded deep fried chicken wings had a tiny bit of heat. A couple of hot sauces were available (no thank you) as well as ranch dressing,hot dogs on buttered toasted rolls- yummy and hamburgers- didn't try. I sat and read for a couple of hours. They refreshed my coffee.

Breakfast at the buffet was very busy at 7am but easy enough to find a seat.

Went to the theater to meet for our excursion. Very well organized.

We boarded enclosed buses for "Island Beach Break". Driver was very amusing. Stopped several times for pictures but you had to stay on the bus. He took us to Tony's Beach Bar. Chair rentals were $5. We didn't get an umbrella as we were in a great shady spot. Beach is beautiful and so relaxing. We had a tasty lunch with lobster sandwiches and onion rings. Rum punches and Bushwackers were 2 for 1.

Upon our return to the pier, we went to the cigar bar. I believe the name is Aromatics. It looked like a classy place but inreality was laid back and unremarkable. The martinis were good and nicely balanced. Half the place was filled with people on their phones because of the available Wifi. DH bought a couple of cigars. I don't know if I would stop in there again.

Dinner at LeBistro. Lovely. We sat inside as they aso have tables for 'al fresco" dining. Not for me. It looked like eating in the hallway. Too much noise and too many people walking by. I had the velvety mushroom soup...so good! and the Veal medallions, they just melt in your mouth. DH had the soup as well and the filet au poiver(sp). I was full but he also had the creme brulee. I noticed the menu offerings seem to be less than what we had on the Gem last March but I can not recall what was missing. Le Bistro was a perfect end to the day.

12/3/16 St. Marteen

Couldn't face the gym. The thought of being so hot and stifling was a big deterrant.

Light breakfast at the buffet.

No excursions planned. Walked off the ship and down to the marina for lunch at Chesterfield's. Had deliscious grouper and rum punch sitting outside at the marina. Pleasant way to spend the afternoon. Did t shirt shopping for the grandkids at the pier and returned to the ship.

Returned to the outside bar at Maltings for cocktails. Lovely time meeting people.

I went to Jungle Fantasy at the Speigel Tent as DH wasn't interested. Had great seats third seat from the stage. Acrobatics were masterful. You were served dinner while watching these amazing feats. I forgot what the first course was. Main course was 6 perfectly cooked and seasoned shrimp and about 4 oz sirloin medium done. Dessert were a plate of three different chocolate tidbits. Wonderfully sinful. I would see this again.

12/4/16 Martinique

Skipped the gym...going to be sore when I start back up

Breakfast at the buffet...hard to mess up breakfast nothing to report. I prefer the MDRs but when there are early excursions it's an easier venue.

Had an electrical issue in our room. The lights worked but the TV and the outlets didn't. Noticed it around 10pm the night before but thought it could wait until morning. Called around 6am to let them know. They were aplogetic and would send someone up while we were on excursion.

First time here. I am surprised as the port is very industrial. We took the South Panoramic with beach. This is a very long tour. I did not do my homework before booking this. The island is very big and it took a little over an hour to get to the beach. Other travellers on the bus didn't realize this either. The tour guide was a nice young lady from Slovenia. She was attending college in Martinique to learn French and I believe Creole. She she's pretty smart knowing multiple languages. She wasn't a great tour guide. Maybe she was new and didn't have her spiel down. There were a lot of ums and long pauses during her talks. It could have been trying to translate the info into English. I don't know. She would repeat many things over and over again. If soemone asked a question and would go off track and not return to what she was saying. Many people were frustrated about the length of the drive and would call out "Are we there yet?" Some complained rather loudly not directly to her but in the air as if she was invisible. Yes I thought we'd never get there as well but in part I blame myself for not doing a bit of research. Not the tour guide's fault for a possibly inadequate description of the tour. The views during the ride were amazing. Tour guide kept talking of the beautiful beaches. So I was quite excited. We arrived at the beach and the complaints grew louder. We went to a beach club (sorry the name was in French and I don't recall). It was located on a narrow strip of sand. It was beautiful but not the expanse of beach many of us thought it was going to be. We were to be there 1 3/4 of an hour. The excursion description kind of led you to believe there would be a long beach time (at least longer than the time you were on the bus). Chair rental was $5. They took US dollars as well as Euros. Water was refresshing and we found a nice shady spot. It was enjoyable. We went to the bar (we seem to do that a lot in these narratives) had a glass of wine. There was only a single bathroom in the club. There were three busloads from the Breakaway plus other guests. A lot of people. Honestly the ride back seemed longer but wasn't. Not sure I'd do this again. For our first time we did get a lot of viewing of the island.

Got back on board, lunched at the buffet (meh) and took a nap. The electrical situation had been rectified. They called us to make sure we were satisfied.

Went to the Latitudes cocktail party at Fat Cats. Nice hors douvres got the Cruise Next talk. It was over in 1/2 hour.

Savor for dinner. No waiting where Taste had 1/2 hour wait. Dinner was very good. Pecan crusted chicken breast. Very juicy. Only complaint was the skin was a little on the rubbery side. DH has the flounder milanaise said it was deliscious but wasn't quite sure what made it milanaise maybe the arugala salad on top? We both had the heavenly tiramasu. Service was quick and efficient.

12/5/16 Barbados

Breakfast at Savor. Good and quick

First time here. Took Copacabana Beach Day. Beach was close to the port. Traffic was heavy took 20 minutes to get there, less than 10 on return trip. Beach was delightful. Chairs and shared umbrella were included. Water was delightful.Had lunch,pulled pork and taco with a great rum punch. Good bathrooms and changing areas. Would go back again.

Saw Rock of Ages. Amazing voices! Good show. They give many warnings in the dailies and before the show that this show is for adults. Saw several children there from about 7-12 years old. I don't understand. It's my Child Protective Services background that makes me notice these things. I don't know the adults, children or circumstances but it did distract me a bit during the show. As stated before seats are very uncomfortable.

Dinner at Savor was fantastic!

12/6/16 St. Lucia- first time here

Early excursion La Soufriere Volcano

This was a great tour of the island. There were multiple stops for pictures as well as to Maranatha Gardens. Despite the rain at times the lush surroundings for the most part protected us. It was neat seeing the steam rise off the volcano as it rained. If I ever get back to this port, I would try and find a tour that went to the mud baths and mineral springs. Good tour for children.

Lunch at the buffet. Chicken dishes do not seem to do well any given day on the buffet. Very dry. DH said the same thing about some beef dishes. Generally we meet the most amazing and nice people on cruises. I don't know what it is about the buffet that changes people. I was waiting my turn to have a pasta dish made when two older gentle men (I laugh at older as I am 60) pushed me in front of me. Wasn't worth causing a scene obviously they were near starvation. There would people who would stand directly in front of the buffet engaged in conversation holding their empty plates to themselves and completely oblivious to those around them. Weird. Guess I'm old and crabby.

Went to the atrium to hear a couple (can't recall their names). Wasn't impressed with their music and lounge act.It reminded me of skits on SNL. Lip sync battle had a tough time getting people to sign up. It was Ho hum. Went to Shakers for a piano player singing Billy Joel tunes. Very good.

12/7/16 St. Kitts- first time visit

Each island is prettier than the previous one. The mountains were amazing. We took a late excursion beach tour. The views were breathtaking. We have been so blessed to be able to cruise and tour.

We went to another beach club. Chairs and shared umbrella were included. It was a delightful afternoon. Had lunch and rum punch at the club (see a pattern here?)

Returned to the ship to find two plates of chocolate covered strawberries in our cabin. Nice surprise.

Dinner at Savor. Wonderul as ever.

12/8/16- Sea day

Ugh the gym. Air is stifling. Place is packed by 6:15 are we paying for our sins?

Spent much of the morning at Spice H2O. Good mimosas

Later spent time reading in a comfy chair on the Waterfront.

Lunch at Margaritaville with music by Charley. Good times.

Did a little time with the slots. Pretty tight. Such a big time gambler on the penny slots. Actually had much more playing time on the quarter slots.

Cocktails at the Prime Meridian outside of Cagney's. Good cosmo

Dinner at Cagney's. It's not the intimate dining like on the Gem. It's open and noisy. It wasn't all that crowded but the noise level was quite distracting.Shrimp cocktail was spot on. DH said that lobster bisque was okay. I had the veal chop seared to perfect medium. He had the perfect filet.No dessert just coffee and an after dinner drink.

Went to Spice to hear the DJ spin but was rained out. Went down to Bliss (trying to hita variety of venues to see if we like the bigger ship). Trivia was going on. We didn't stay. The place seems rather sterile.

12/9/16 at sea

Went to the atrium to get luggage tags. Odd sight people just standing in fron of them looking perplexed. Checked my account at Guest Services as odd charges showed up on my phone. They were more than helpful and gave me a printout of the account that was correct.

Went to Wine the Musical with DH. It was hilarious and great singing. There were 6 wines at which you were directed to taste during the show. Lunch was a fantastic Peking Duck salad, sirloin steak and cajun breaded shrimp. Steak was a bit done had to cut to the middle to get at medium. Shrimp were nicely cooked. Dessert was a mochachino cheesecake. Very rich and good. I would definitely do this again. It was good to do it on a sea day.

Ship seems quite crowded today as it was cool and cloudy outside. Went to the atrium to hear about future cruises. We got seats but it was very crowded. People hung over you like vultures to get your seat. I was sitting next to my husband and started to stand to stand up to go to the bathroom and a lady tried to slide into my chair! Had to tell her I was leaving to go to the restroom and put my bag in the chair. She got all flustered like I was the villian. The atrium became claustrophobic so we moved upstairs to watch from O'Sheens.

Did more gambling and losing.

Skipped dinner as we weren't hungry...depression looming of the cruise ending?

12/10/11 Last day at sea

Slow day. Weather is cold. Most of us have changed into wearing "dark winter clothes".

Sales going on Deck 8. People are nearly rioting over 2/$20 tshirts and other cheap items, really?

Sat in the atrium reading for a couple of hours. Started to get filled up around 10-10:30. So we left to walk around the ship.

Lunch at Savor. The place is empty despite being noon. Everywhere else on the ship is crowded.Odd.

Dinner at LeBistro. It's my favorite dining place.Most excellant. Spent time just lingering at the table not wanting the cruise to end.

Went to the Ice Bar. My advice don't. It's a kitzy idea. They dress you in warm hooded ponchos and stretchy gloves. You enter a meat locker basically smaller than the average cabin. You are greated by a delightfully warm bartender. Great sense of humor. The vodka drinks are strong and good that you drink out of ice vessels. There is an ice throne to have your picture taken. Two other sculptures.not much else. Back to the room to pack.

Thanks for the review.

We are going on "third time on BA" tomorrow.

I also get up early and do the gym. I never found it hot, but I love the heat. And I also "open O'Sheehans"....but for an omelet.

This time we're doing "Wine Lovers.....", so I appreciate your review.

Were "Emily & Arvin" (they are Filipino) the duet that sang (that you didn't like)? We saw them both other times and I'm hoping they are still onboard.

12/11/16 Disembarkation

I was up marvelling at the view as we passed under the Verazzano Bridge.

Went to Savor one last time, not many in there. Enjoyed breakfast. Went back to the room to nap for a little while. Our bus didn't leave Port Authority until 2:30 so we wait until "last call". They started calling for self assist at 7:30 and started to get backed up around 9:30. There was a long line outside. It was brutally cold (my opinion). At last call we left. We did have to wait outside for about 10 minutes. Once we got inside, it was about 20 minutes getting luggage and through customs to the taxi stand. Sad.

Although we did encounter some minor glitches here and there, it was not the Breakaway I read about on the boards. We had a great cabin steward. Cleaned twice a day and greeted us regularly. Chocolates every night. All staff encounters were pleasant and professional. We had an issue with our safe on night and had someone there to rectify the situation within 10 minutes. Room service was good (we ordered bottle of wine, wasn't charged the fee).These people are always in motion, working long hours for little pay. Great work ethics were observed. Food was great to excellant in most venues. Entertainment was great. Rarely had to wait long before being approached by a drink server (I heard this was a major complaint) I was however a bit disappointed in the dailies. There seems to be more marketing stuff scheduled than other happenings. I usually do most of my reading and journaling during the day so it's not like I was bored. Evening entertainment was great. We did not avail ourselves to the parties happening after 10pm. Not complaining just we are early birds.

If in the future we do a bigger ship than the Breakaway, I would plan better for the chilly sea days as the intimate venues fill up and lose their charm.

We are booked for a B2B March 9-29 on the Gem out of NY so we will be able to compare better which type of ship we prefer.

Yes Emily and Arvin are still aboard. Thank you for their names as I felt bad I couldn't recall. They were just not my cup of tea.

I enjoyed your review, thanks.

Your review was very delightful. I know what you mean about rude people. Sometimes I think that when someone is on a trip as wonderful as a cruise that there would never be such a thing as rude people. But not so, and very sad! Thank you for the nice review!

Outstanding review!! Thank you for taking the time and energy to write it up.

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Great review .We will be on the ship next month.

Thanks for taking the time to post your comments. I enjoyed reading them. Who was the Cruise Director? We have had Dan Dan the last few times we were on the Breakaway.

Thanks for taking the time to post your comments. I enjoyed reading them. Who was the Cruise Director? We have had Dan Dan the last few times we were on the Breakaway.

I just got off of the BA today and Alvin was the Cruise Director. He was fun and high energy but not the most polished CD I've ever encountered.

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Thank you for the wonderful review

We liked Alvin Oliva very much when he was ACD for several of our BA cruises. He had been promoted to CD on the Gem. And I believe he is filling in for Dan Dan now while he is on vacation.

Thank you for your review.

Had an electrical issue in our room. The lights worked but the TV and the outlets didn't. Noticed it around 10pm the night before but thought it could wait until morning. Called around 6am to let them know. They were aplogetic and would send someone up while we were on excursion.

I was on the same cruise and had an electrical issue in my cabin. The first night it caused what you described with the TV and outlets not working. They asked if I had a curling iron (I have short hair and male.). I said no. The next night it shorted out my electric shaver's motor. The next night the outlet in the cabin sparked when I plugged in the re-chargeable camera battery charger. I called them up at that point and blasted them. They came in and replaced the electrical outlet in the bathroom but didn't give two figs they blew out the electric shaver motor. There's some serious electrical issues on that ship. :mad:

I was on the same cruise and had an electrical issue in my cabin. The first night it caused what you described with the TV and outlets not working. They asked if I had a curling iron (I have short hair and male.). I said no. The next night it shorted out my electric shaver's motor. The next night the outlet in the cabin sparked when I plugged in the re-chargeable camera battery charger. I called them up at that point and blasted them. They came in and replaced the electrical outlet in the bathroom but didn't give two figs they blew out the electric shaver motor. There's some serious electrical issues on that ship. :mad:

Wow That is scary. I heard there was a small fire but it was contained. Don't know where it was.

We liked Alvin Oliva very much when he was ACD for several of our BA cruises. He had been promoted to CD on the Gem. And I believe he is filling in for Dan Dan now while he is on vacation.

We had Alvin on the Gem last February. He was much more available than on the Breakaway.