Epic verses the breakaway

Hi .I have sailed on the Epic in the Haven suites and am now considering the Haven on the Breakaway. I was wondering if anybody has any comparisons between the two. Or any other observations as too which maybe the better of the two .

I have been in both . The Haven rooms on Breakaway are far superior in layout and design. We stayed in aft facing penthouse on both. The Epic room itself was disappointing. Loved the Breakaway room.

Epic:

Better lounge with view over the pool deck.

Many tables by the windows in the Haven restaurant.

No roof over the courtyard.

POSH included.

We liked the design in our suites but they were small. (See my signature for category and roomnumber.)

Breakaway:

Retractable roof over the courtyard, very good on a stormy cruise from New York in February...

The view from the lounge was the courtyard, not very interesting.

Very few tables by the windows in the Haven restaurant.

Vibe not included.

Our suite was big but the design was a little boring, it was brown, brown and brown. (See my signature for category and roomnumber.)

Epic:

 

Better lounge with view over the pool deck.

 

Many tables by the windows in the Haven restaurant.

 

No roof over the courtyard.

 

POSH included.

 

We liked the design in our suites but they were small. (See my signature for category and roomnumber.)

 

 

Breakaway:

 

Retractable roof over the courtyard, very good on a stormy cruise from New York in February...

 

The view from the lounge was the courtyard, not very interesting.

 

Very few tables by the windows in the Haven restaurant.

 

Vibe not included.

 

Our suite was big but the design was a little boring, it was brown, brown and brown. (See my signature for category and roomnumber.)

Question for you. I see you stayed in 14145 on the Epic, How was the noise from the deck above, and was the walk to the Haven far from that suite? We are currently booked in that for January. Thanks!

Question for you. I see you stayed in 14145 on the Epic, How was the noise from the deck above, and was the walk to the Haven far from that suite? We are currently booked in that for January. Thanks!

It was a few years ago but I don't remember hearing any noice from the deck above. If it had been a problem I would have remembered it!

I guess it's possible to say that the walk is far but we didn't mind. We walked over the pooldeck and it was nice to get out for a while before eating breakfast. We had a longer walk on the Breakaway and that was no problem either.

The Epic has the best Haven in every way.

First the Epic has fewer Haven guests. That right there is a big part of it. Then the Epic Haven has the huge private sundeck (posh) with a big outdoor bar area. It's easy to get a drink, it's easy to get a lounger. The smoking deck is a deck above so I never even saw or smelled smoke.

There's actually 3 bars for Haven guests on the Epic.

The Breakaway (and the Escape which I have also been on) has more Haven guests. It has the tiniest outdoor sundeck. So tiny that maybe 25 people can sit in loungers. Chair hogging is a problem because the outdoor sundeck seating is so limited. There is plenty of indoor lounging space in the courtyard but it is completely covered, it's noisy from the covered Haven which is all glass and metal, noise really bounces around in there and who sits inside on a nice sea day?!

The smoking section on Breakaway is on the outdoor sundeck (which I mentioned above is tiny). The smokers are kept to one side and a glass partition is in place but since it's tiny, everyone on the sundeck smells the smoke, there's no where for the smoke to go but in this tiny area, chair hogs, too few loungers, too many Haven guests.

Also, because the Epic has several bars, its easy for bar service. On the Breakaway if you're up on the sundeck and want a drink, there is no bar, you have to walk down to the 1st floor of the Haven....down 2 floors (I know 1st world problems) to the one and only Haven bar. Or you have to wait for the bar servers which guess what?! There aren't enough! These poor guys are run ragged running from the upper sundeck down 2 floors to the Haven bar to get the drinks. It's a long process.

Then in the evenings, before dinner, the one Haven bar which is in the Haven lobby area gets really crowded. Everyone wants to come for a pre dinner drink. The bar has like 6 seats. There are several sofas and lots of seating but not enough for the amount of Haven guests packed onto the Breakaway. The one bar and like 2 bartenders are swamped.

If you've loved the Haven experience on the Epic I think you will be disappointed in the Breakaway. So much so that I recommend cruising again on the Epic. You'll feel like the Breakaway experience in the Haven is a watered down product. Also I've been on the Escape, the Haven is similar to the Breakaway in every way. The Epic has the best Haven by a lot.

The Epic Havens is superior.

The Epic Havens lounge is large and spacious. Breakaway, small with people tripping over eachother

The Epic has a large restaurant and outdoor restaurant. Breakaway, the restaurant is so small, that they have removed all of the loungers around the pool and replaced them with overflow seating. So there are no loungers by the pool.

The Epic has the Posh Club and bar which is far superior to the small, smokey sun deck on the breakaway.

The Breakaway has a retractable roof for "air conditioned sunshine". The Epic you are hostage to the current weather conditions. They leave the roof close while underway, so it's an enclosed area or the windy sundeck.

The Epic has a private gym overlooking the courtyard. And both a sauna and steamroom in the courtyard.

The Epic pool is actually a small pool. The breakaway, you can touch the sides of the pool in all directions if you stand in the center.