NCL Breakaway vs Carnival Pride

Hi all, long-time lurker, first-time poster. Posting to both boards.

A group of friends and I are planning on booking a cruise in early March 2018, and have narrowed it down based on departure port, price points, and dates to either the Breakaway or the Pride (which come out to about the same price after factoring in our considerations), so I was wondering if anyone could offer some comparison.

From what I've seen, the BA's definitely the more modern of the two with more bells and whistles, but seems to suffer from crowding and a subpar layout; further explanation on the details would be nice to hear. Since this would be happening in March (Breakaway leaving from NYC and Pride from Baltimore), both of which will be a bit on the brisk side, any word on how the two ships are with regards to weather (covered pools and the like) would also be great.

For what it's worth, my group is all in our mid-twenties, so we fully expect the spring break vibe given when we're booking, but are fine with that. The main focuses for the group will probably be factors like lounging opportunities, food, nightlife opportunities, and the like on account of age. It's fairly unlikely we'll pursue much in specialty dining options regardless of which ship we wind up taking, which I understand is probably a point against the BA.

If it will help any, my prior experience is limited to RCCL. Where that's concerned, I've been on the Liberty, Freedom, Navigator, Harmony, and Anthem in the past. A couple members of this group and I were on the Anthem last year and loved basically every part of it, but our available dates don't line up quite as well with the Anthem for this year as they did last year.

I was on the NCL breakaway in March of this year. I was on the pride in April of 2016 (which was my 2nd time on the pride, and I am going again on the pride in February 2108). I prefer Carnival over NCL. We had a balcony cabin on each cruise and the NCL cabin was much smaller. I felt like NCL was nickle and dimming us with everything. The Ice bar was a rip off, every where was crowded, it was very hard to get a drink, there was no theater for the shows, there was no glass elevators. Due to the fact the the Breakaway was a much newer ship than the pride I expected more from the breakaway. In my honest opinion the pride is more elegant. Chose the Pride and you wont be disappointed!! :D

Our crowd looked at the two ships as well. I really think the are a couple of factors to consider.

1) comparison of itineraries

2) how are you getting to/from port

For us, we drive to the port from Delaware. Baltimore is a 1.5 HR easy drive and we park right beside the ship. Plus parking is less expensive too. New York can be a challenge driving to and parking at the port is a bit pricey.

While most of the lines are very similar in what they offer, we DID here a few negative reviews on the BA. Truth in

Ending though, we also GAVE a negative review last time we sailed Pride. In the end though, we are already at the Platinum level...so, for the same outcome, we might as well get the perks.

Ultimately, it will depend on what you ARE looking for in this cruise...ports or entertainment or just relaxation.

I can say the weather should not be of concern for either. The Pride has a covered pool and you're far enough South by Sea day two that it's warm (unless a large cold front moves through).

Hope this helps some. Regardless of which you choose, go in with the proper attitude and you'll have a blast.

I was on the NCL breakaway in March of this year. I was on the pride in April of 2016 (which was my 2nd time on the pride, and I am going again on the pride in February 2108). I prefer Carnival over NCL. We had a balcony cabin on each cruise and the NCL cabin was much smaller. I felt like NCL was nickle and dimming us with everything. The Ice bar was a rip off, every where was crowded, it was very hard to get a drink, there was no theater for the shows, there was no glass elevators. Due to the fact the the Breakaway was a much newer ship than the pride I expected more from the breakaway. In my honest opinion the pride is more elegant. Chose the Pride and you wont be disappointed!! :D

Hmmmm. Where was the full Broadway production of Rock of ages and Burn the floor done if Breakaway closed their theater ? I'm also not sure what you mean by nickle and dining ? I would think that is there was an Ice Bar on Pride they would also charge a fee for the drinks. Which by the way at 2 for $20.00 isn't exactly a ripoff. NCL is just like all mainstream cruise lines that charge additional for some of the specialty restaurants, spa treatments, etc. All that being said I love the Carnival Spirit class ships. Much less crowded then the ginormous mega-ships. Whichever you choose, have a fantastic voyage.

I was on the NCL breakaway in March of this year......there was no theater for the shows

Hmmmm. Where was the full Broadway production of Rock of ages and Burn the floor done if Breakaway closed their theater ?

They have been moved to the Deck 7 Men's Room around the corner from the Manhattan Dining room. Seating is limited.

We like both. We picked the Pride over the BA for our January cruise because we liked the itinerary offered for the price, better than the BA's. It will really depend upon what kind of experience, itinerary, price range, etc that you want.

I've sailed the Pride many, many times and obviously must be a big fan. Having said that, if you haven't sailed an NCL ship I think that the Breakaway is a good first choice. For us, I wasn't totally impressed, but that's largely because we had already sailed on the Epic which had the same entertainment, and then some. We did like Ocean Blue on the Breakaway which we hadn't experienced before. We also had crappy weather on our Breakaway sailing which caused things to be much more crowded indoors, and it's true that the common areas of that ship tend to be more congested anyway. NCL entertainment is top notch and worth a try.

The Pride, for me, feels like a comfortable place to unwind from the fast paced world. The entertainment is fine, though not nearly as varied and professional as the offerings on some cruise lines. There's more trivia, bingo, and passenger featured entertainment; fewer professional shows. The ship is well laid out with common areas that rarely feel congested. I'm getting ready to sail her again in February, and it's been awhile. The only consistent negative for her as far as I'm concerned has been the casino. The machines have always been closer together, and the smoke is horrible...that may have been corrected by now.

I like the food on both, although on NCL we have stayed in suites, so our expanded dining choices are better than the gen pop....always a plus!

Neither ship is the best in the fleet for either cruise line, which is to be expected with a NY and Baltimore departure, so if you bear that in mind, you won't be disappointed with either choice.

I too have sailed the Pride many times and Breakaway once. The Pride is good for a relaxing, quiet vacation, hanging out with a book @ Serenity. The crew is great, service very personal. The decor is extremely tired and dated, so much so that I avert my eyes!

Getaway is a blast. I never found it to be too crowded, it is such a large ship there are many places to go. The pool area though is too small for the ship, if that is a factor. THere are also many more dining choices including freebies. Pride, not so much.

I would pick Getaway all things being equal, especially for a group of friends in their 20's. There is so much more to do! My only reservations though are leaving NY in March - you will lose 1/2 day each way (guessing!) of warmer air.

We have been on both, and like the Pride's layout better. The best part about the Breakaway, was we stayed in a 2bdrm Haven Suite. You can't beat that! But for layout, the Pride is better, as the bars are all separate rooms, rather than the kiosk bars on the breakaway in the middle of everything. It seems as if NCL made all the good places for bars into specialty restaurants.

We’ve been on both as well as Anthem and I can tell you they couldn’t be more different. If you’re not interested in specialty dining Breakaway and Anthem are not comparable. Anthem feels clean, sleek, beautiful and new with modern touches.

I found nothing beautiful about the Breakaway. The theater is ugly and the chairs uncomfortable. The public spaces are crowded with low feeling ceilings and the casino in the middle of the ship leads to smoke smell all throughout three floors that house most of the public spaces. The Waterfront area is a great idea but the side with the bars is a smoking area so if you don’t smoke it’s hard to enjoy. The pool deck is crammed in and doesn’t even allow for sunlight to most of the lounge chairs. The other decks with lounge chairs were packed in and tied to each other where you’d have to climb up the chair to get into one. We ended up getting paying for a private cabana in the Vibe area for the week and this was the only thing I liked about the ship. But even getting there we had to go through a smoking area. We had an aft balcony on 9 which was nice like your average cabin. If you’re a smoke this is the ship for you. Smoking sections on every deck it seemed.

We liked the Pride more than the Breakaway for layout but the decor is old school gaudy and the vibration was more than I could stand after a week. The serenity area is a great place to sun during the day. Maybe a Bermuda itinerary would help with the vibration issue.

I’m not sure what the nightlife on the ships is like because we just cruise to relax and aren’t up passed midnight usually but crowds on all three ships were pretty comparable.

I wouldn’t sail Breakaway ever again and I’d only sail Pride if I heard they’d fixed the vibration issue.

Good luck on your decision and take all I’ve said as my personal experience as you may have a different prospective and end up loving one of these ships.