Breakaway Review Oct 1st 2017, Yes..previous reviews were unfortunately right!

Breakaway...October 1st – 8th 2017

First night impressions.

Hmmmm...things that make you go "hmmmm".

For such a big ship...it feels very closed in.Public spaces are much smaller than the other ships of comparable size that I've been on. The Atrium is much smaller than the Royal Princess or Anthem of the Seas or any ship I have ever been on for that matter! There is a decent sized pool and bandstand, but no deck around it. Where are the big open decks? They are usurped by the Haven and Vibe and kid's water park. [Cool unto themselves, but at the expense of a vast majority of the passengers] Ceilings seem lower everywhere giving a closed in feeling. I am 5’3” and can touch the ceiling of my cabin?

Many reviews here on Cruise Critic brought up what I thought were silly things....things I thought I wouldn’t care about...but guess what! They're true!

1) This is the smokiest casino I have ever been in ona ship and it DOES permeate the surrounding areas. Bad ventilation system?

2) The folks who complained about back trouble because of the theatre seats...I thought "really? c'mon!!!" They're right! There was this weird wooden bar piece at the back of most of the seats and you DO have to wiggle around to get comfortable. I sat down the first night and “Ouch! What on earth is that?” I changed seats to investigate…some you felt it more than others.

3) The Atrium is really tight! I can't believe they are going to hold events that on other NCL ships are held in the theatre. We'll see how that goes. This is the smallest, least attractive atrium I have ever seen on a ship. The Jewel Class atriums put this one to shame.

4) The pre-booked tours that are on my $50 off per port promo....are not the same price as when I reserved on the phone like I was required to do. The Kayaking at Manatee Bay was advertised on the NCL site for$99…then on special for $89. It is on my account bill for $109. I went to shore excursions to inquire though I knew it would be useless....and it was useless.

5) Definite vibration from "Engines"? Up here on deck 13? Enough that things rattle! Glasses in the bathroom are vibrating on the shelves…door of the locked safe is rattling away…though these are fixable with moving them around or putting them on towels…but why should I have to do that?

6) There seem to be some very elegant touches like the amazing color changing chandelier...but a high percent of really bland decor.The casino is the most boring decorating scheme I've ever seen on a ship!

7) Chair Hogs around the pool…well, there’s only one row of loungers around the pool! THERE’S NO POOL DECK AROUND THE POOL!

Balcony cabin 13888 is very nice... Bed is great! Bathroom is Great! Cabin Attendant Excellent!

However I don't know why people say there is plenty of storage. I am solo and it is "just right". If there were two people in here....no way! There is one closet [which is blocked half by the side of the couch] with shelves on one side and one clothes rod on the other.Though the desk is very large which is nice...there are no drawers. There are shelves under the tv, but they are only 5" deep.

Embarkation lunch in Savor was delicious. Dinner in Manhattan room was also very good. Decent service for my "table for one". I had an appetizer size portion of the main course Breaded Eggplant with Gorgonzola and Marinara followed by Pappardelle with Duck. The best was the Pistachio crème Brulee. Really good!

On my last two sailings [Celebrity Summit and RCL Anthem] I stopped buying specialty coffeesbecause the free coffee had improved sooo much! Alas the coffee in the buffethere is awful. So back to the specialty coffees at the patisserie in the atriumwhich were EXCELLENT!

First Night…no sleep! The room is still rattling...Severely! And no…I am not talking about the SERIOUS rocking of the ship from the wind and waves. So let's see if I can sleep...

Nope...I went to sleep around 11:30 pm and noticed the vibrations as mentioned above...and thought "It will lull me to sleep!" WRONG! The vibrations from the engines coming up the aft were so strong and they came and went and they felt like minor tremors which were magnified by the bed frame and things were rattling away.... I opened the safe and put a shirt in and that stopped. I finally looked at the clock when I thought "I can't sleep in here" and it was 3:15 am. I called the desk and they sent someone up to investigate and he agreed that this was extreme. He made a call and said that guest services would call me back in a little while.I took 4 mg of Valium and lay in bed in my clothes. They never called and about 4:30 am I think I dozed off and dreamt that I met Sally Field...and she wasn't very nice. Hmmm... I awoke about 8:30 am and stayed in bed very unhappy until10. I dressed and went down to guest relations and found that quite a few others had complained and there was a waiting list to switch cabins in Port Canaveral...but I was now on the list. More valium tonight? [seas had calmed and vibrations on night #2 were cut by about ½ and I did sleep]

SeaDay 1 - At the Garden buffet I had some crispy hash browns and very fresh raisin whole wheat bread and smoked salmon. YUM! I took the Cha Cha class and the teachers were actually good! Of course with Burn the Floor on board they had better be! I went to Spice H2O and there were quite afew empty loungers to be had and laid out on a perfect day for an hour...then went to watch Deal Or No Deal which was fun. Back to the cabin to work on a script for a wee while, then to the gym...but no locker room to change or shower. All facilities are in the for-pay Thermal Suite…argh!

Burn The Floor...OMG! Best dancing I've ever seen on a cruise ship...though I have seen other good shows on cruise ships...this was outstanding.

Dinner...can't review dinner tonight...I met someone and made a dinner date and was stood up. Went to the buffet…but then got over the “stand up” and went to the Manhattan Room and had dessert…delicious.

Quickly moving on…

Port Canaveral: Excursions were canceled due to the rainy weather.[This was post hurricane…just crappy weather: No fault of anyone] I didn’t REALLY want to go kayaking and drown anyway.

PrivateIsland: Completely canceled due to weather. [This was post hurricane…just crappy weather: No fault of anyone] I didn’t REALLY want to go Parasailing and drown anyway.

Nassau: Arrived a day early due to skipping the private island and spent over night…but who is going to go out at night in Nassau? Weather next morning was fair…took a tour of Atlantis which was nice…but not overwhelming.

Entertainmentwas great. Burn the Floor was excellent. Rock of Ages was well produced and performed…it just isn’t a really good show. Cirque Jungle-ness had amazing performers in it, beautiful costumes and I did like the food….but it’s just not a “Cirque Du Soleil” show. It’s more like a European traveling one ring circus compared to “Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Three Ring Extravaganza!” It was good…just don’t call it Cirque.

Service and Food in the MDR’s was great! LOVED the Manhattan Room’s atmosphere with the band and singer and dance performances. That MADE the cruise for me.

TheShip:I was totally underwhelmed by the ship’s very small public spaces and boring décor. Hallways are narrow…buffet corridors are narrow…it’s a very big ship…but it’s all cabins and for pay restaurants…

Conclusion:It’s a ship for people with kids…or lots of money to be in the Haven. For the rest of us who can only afford a balcony or a lowly suite [and not the haven]….I think that says it all?

Thank you for taking the time to write your review and share it.

Keith

So after you got stood up you never bumped into that person? seems awkward to get stood up when you are all confined to same ship.

i hope they fix these vibrations problems in the next 2 weeks for my cruise

Ruh-roh. We did the Shore Excursion Credit and booked them over the phone as well. They're listed on the Itinerary, but no prices are listed there. Should we take some screenshots of what the prices are currently listed at on the excursion webpages themselves?

Where are the big open decks? They are usurped by the Haven and Vibe and kid's water park. [Cool unto themselves, but at the expense of a vast majority of the passengers]

The front of the ship is more public than "Haven". Plus, the Waterfront is open to everyone.

Conclusion:It’s a ship for people with kids…or lots of money to be in the Haven. For the rest of us who can only afford a balcony or a lowly suite [and not the haven]….I think that says it all?

I think that a spa pass (not very expensive/adult-only and limited number of guests) would have made a big difference for you.

Hmm, maybe we underpack, but we had 7 of us in 2 balcony cabins and had enough storage. Is smoked salmon back on the buffet?

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The front of the ship is more public than "Haven". Plus, the Waterfront is open to everyone.

 

I think that a spa pass (not very expensive/adult-only and limited number of guests) would have made a big difference for you.

Why should he buy a spa pass?A ship this size should have at least three big pools.There is no deck around the pool area.What were they thinking when they designed this ship.Is there anybody that has been on the Breakaway thinks one pool is adequate?

Is there anybody that has been on the Breakaway thinks one pool is adequate?

Breakaway doesn't have 1 pool.

There is an adult-only pool and an "all ages" pool on the same deck (15) with no extra charge.

The Haven pool and the spa pool are for those willing to pay more.

i hope they fix these vibrations problems in the next 2 weeks for my cruise

There is nothing to fix. When the ships go at top cruising speed,the ship vibrates,most notable at the back of the ship.Once they reach the Caribbean they slow down and the vibration goes away for the most part.

Breakaway doesn't have 1 pool.

There is an adult-only pool and an "all ages" pool on the same deck (15) with no extra charge.

The Haven pool and the spa pool are for those willing to pay more.

Plus a large splash area for little ones, and water slides for the older kids.

Breakaway doesn't have 1 pool.

There is an adult-only pool and an "all ages" pool on the same deck (15) with no extra charge.

The Haven pool and the spa pool are for those willing to pay more.

That's a kids pool.What do you mean there's no extra charge?There better not be.

Ruh-roh. We did the Shore Excursion Credit and booked them over the phone as well. They're listed on the Itinerary, but no prices are listed there. Should we take some screenshots of what the prices are currently listed at on the excursion webpages themselves?

Yes! I would definitely do that! I had no proof and it was my word against theirs. They were pleasant...but nothing I could do about it. And I knew that alas....

HR

Hmm, maybe we underpack, but we had 7 of us in 2 balcony cabins and had enough storage. Is smoked salmon back on the buffet?

Smoked Salmon is at the buffet....if you ask for it! I learned that from reading these boards! It is in the fridge drawers behind the cold cuts and cheese.

HLR

So after you got stood up you never bumped into that person? seems awkward to get stood up when you are all confined to same ship.

You know....I met people at check-in while we were waiting to board...had some good conversations..never saw them again! Then there were some people I saw many times.

HLR

Smoked Salmon is at the buffet....if you ask for it! I learned that from reading these boards! It is in the fridge drawers behind the cold cuts and cheese.

 

HLR

Ah, I read that on these boards, but didn’t ask! My gluten free daughter had her pre-ordered breakfast delivered to her every morning at the buffet, I should’ve had her ask for smoked salmon (for me, she’s not a fan).

That's a kids pool.What do you mean there's no extra charge?There better not be.

It’s a family pool, not a kiddy pool.

You know....I met people at check-in while we were waiting to board...had some good conversations..never saw them again! Then there were some people I saw many times.

 

HLR

Yeah, I guess i could say the same thing.

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The front of the ship is more public than "Haven". Plus, the Waterfront is open to everyone.

I think that a spa pass (not very expensive/adult-only and limited number of guests) would have made a big difference for you.

The waterfront is not very big...it's just like having [small] bars on the Promenade...and was filled with smokers!!

Point Well Taken....Alas the Spa Pass was over $200 for our sailing. (On the Gem 2 years ago it was only $120...that is a big difference] $200 is NOT "Not Very Expensive" when you have already paid double for the cruise because you are solo and have not shared any other expenses like parking and transportation. I booked an inside cabin which was actually less than one of the Studios and then won my bid of $60 to upgrade to a balcony.

HLR

There is nothing to fix. When the ships go at top cruising speed,the ship vibrates,most notable at the back of the ship.Once they reach the Caribbean they slow down and the vibration goes away for the most part.

Exactly what they said at Guest Relations...they were fighting some strong currents. After the first night I was okay. I was glad to hear I wasn't the first to complain and was not the first person to request a cabin change...apparently there was quite a list!

HLR

Some of our most fun cruises have been on Breakaway. It always amazes how many negative reviews it gets. Just doesn’t resonate. Now, any HAL cruise on the other hand....

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Exactly what they said at Guest Relations...they were fighting some strong currents.

After the first night I was okay.

OP, Thanks for your posts.

...gives me some queries to list for our upcoming NCL Bliss cruises.

Michael

Just off the Breakaway 2 weeks ago, 21 NCL cruises and our 5th time on the Breakaway, and we couldn't believe the vibrations on the ship this time. Felt like we paid for a vibrating bed!! Buffet was funny with drinks shaking in your cups. Hope they fix whatever's wrong soon.

Safe sailing

Why should he buy a spa pass?A ship this size should have at least three big pools.There is no deck around the pool area.What were they thinking when they designed this ship.Is there anybody that has been on the Breakaway thinks one pool is adequate?

"There is no deck around the pool area What were they thinking when they designed this ship"

All Ncl was trying to do was to solve the chair hog problem

no deck no place to put chair so no chair hog , problem solved

We have been on the Breakaway and loved it; I am thinking that the vibrating happens when a ship is at sea and there really is no control how a ship 'responds' to it. We have had vibrations off and on pretty much every ship we have been on, IMO it is a ship at sea after all and moves with the waves & wind. Bound to be some vibrations and creaking no matter how well it is built. JMHO.

Secondly, we are not pool on a cruise ship people; we have pools at home or when we stay in a hotel etc. so the pool is not important to us. Can someone explain to me why people complain that there is the need to have a big pool on a cruise ship; it is a cruise ship after all? I have seen some very disgusting things go on in a cruise ship pool so we avoid them. Do people want to swim laps in them? There seems plenty of room to just jump in and just cool off. What is the big draw with the need to be right next to the pool even though you may or may not be using it?

As far as the deck; what is the need to be right next to the pool if you are just laying there? It doesn't appear everyone is in the pool at the same time? There usually plenty of room on upper decks or decks near by to lay out and then walk to the pool to cool off.

We saw lots of deck room to lay out on the Breakaway.

No bad intent with my question; I just don't get the complaints about the pool and the decks especially when there is more than one pool and plenty of decks to relax in the sun.

Safe sailing al!!:)