Live Blog: Norwegian Breakaway Inaugural Transatlantic Cruise!

[sioutpost]

Live on Staten Island and would love to see Breakaway pass under the bridge. Do you know when the Breakaway will enter the harbor. Looking forward to our august 25th sailing. :)

[Awwsnuffie]

Live on Staten Island and would love to see Breakaway pass under the bridge. Do you know when the Breakaway will enter the harbor. Looking forward to our august 25th sailing. :)

 

I believe she should be docking around 8am, so a short period of time before then! I wish I didn't have to go to work so I could watch too!!

[KJE Atlanta]

I believe she should be docking around 8am, so a short period of time before then! I wish I didn't have to go to work so I could watch too!!

 

 

According to posts on the Breakaway-The Final Countdown Forum, it should be docked by 4:15 a.m. There's a disembarkation schedule that shows walk-offs beginning at 6:15 a.m.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=38274483&postcount=24

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=38277540&postcount=27

[macfin]

Thanks mike this has been one of the best blogs reports i have read..very informative...welcome to nyc...and if your docking at 415...hopefully you will be able to enjoy a little nyc...i had heard there are sabrett hot dogs could you confirm.....thanks again..

[itravelalot]

Thank you for taking time away from your cruise to write all this and answer all the questions. That is a huge kindness.. Love the information and the pictures. I am not a fan of the HUGE ships and the pictures of the balconies on Breakaway are not changing my opinion much..

 

I am glad you had a good time and hope your disembarkation goes well..

 

Wendy:)

[luvcruise50]

Thanks for taking the time to give us all a well appreciated information. Do you have any information about the kids program? What shows will be appropriate for the kids? I have a 9 and 13 years old. Thanks

[KJE Atlanta]

Thanks for all the blogging from sea, Mike! Awesome job! :)

[Jiffycruise]

Thank you Mike for all the pictures and detailed information about the ship. I'm Really excited to be on the May 12th sailing. :)

[darrengs]

Did you see if Carlo's sold their wonderful lobster tails? They are by far, IMO, the best thing ever! How much are they selling for?

Thanks for a wonderful review!

 

I read they are $3.50.

[philamike]

(I'm out of Internet minutes and will answer questions tomorrow...)

 

 

Monday, May 6 - Sixth Sea Day

 

It was a calm morning on the pool deck of Norwegian Breakaway. Several passengers strolled around the quiet decks, while a few were nearby on the ropes course. Suddenly a blood-curdling scream pierced the still of the morning! It seemed to echo off the ship’s bridge and reverberate through the pool area. What could have caused this horrifying exclamation? Had someone gone overboard? Did a crew member stumble upon a grisly murder scene? Or perhaps a passenger looked at their bar bill from the past seven days? Whatever could it be?

 

* * *

 

The good news is that the water was almost as smooth as glass today, but the drawback is that the calm weather created a light fog that enshrouded the ship for most of the day. Due to this, temperatures never warmed up out of the 50s. Still a lot of people on deck today, just with some extra layers on.

 

Jake and I had planned to wait until today to do the waterslides, betting that we would have had our warmest weather today. But despite the less than optimal conditions, we met at 11 am to brave the water park.

 

Breakaway has five water slides. The blue one is the tamest, which starts about two decks high, is open on top and has several wide curves. The yellow and purple slides are both four-story-high enclosed-tube spirals. The yellow one takes a wider path, and is gentler than the purple’s tight curves which gives a strong G-force towards the end of the chute. The other two slides (red and blue) are twin freefall slides – you start about 40 feet up in a capsule. Suddenly the floor drops and you descend into a near freefall, then slide UP into a wide banked curve before descending again to the outflow area.

 

I was leery about the freefall, as I hated the idea of suddenly dropping down. Jake wanted to do that one first, so I stayed on the deck to take pictures of his splashdown. He ascended up the flights of stairs. From where I stood, I could see the capsule door of the red slide open and close. A few moments later… “AAAAAAAAAUUUGGGHHHH!!!!”

 

Within seconds, Jake splashed into the slide’s exit area and came to a stop. A look of bewilderment was on his face. He may have said something to me, but I didn’t hear it due to the loud sound of laughter emanating from my mouth.

 

Jake regained his composure, and went for another go on the freefall slide! But his reaction sealed the deal for me – I would not be trying it. After his second plunge (and yes, he screamed just as loud this time) we tried out the other three slides. The blue slide is very gentle. The yellow slide is long but still pretty tame. But the purple one really speeds you up and you feel some pressure on your body towards the end. I think they call that one “The Whip,” and it’s aptly named. Thankfully, the water in the slides is heated, but once we emerged the chilly air quickly got to us. I toweled off and retreated to my room for a hot shower.

 

After lunch in the Garden Café and a little reading, I went to the Breakaway Theater at 2:15 for a presentation/Q&A by Kevin Sheehan, CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line who is on board this week. Kevin talked about joining Norwegian five years ago, and finding the fleet’s signature “Freestyle Cruising” concept unevenly executed. The company quickly retired a few of its older ships and redeveloped Freestyle Cruising into a consistent product fleet-wide. They also had one ship on order, Norwegian Epic.

 

But with a sudden downturn in the economy in late 2008, Norwegian was at a crossroads. They bucked the trend and decided to order some new ships. That gamble paid off, as the economy has been recovering and they are able to introduce new ships into the market, while their competition is now hurrying to catch up. Breakaway is the first of these new builds, with Getaway debuting in January 2014. Another ship will be built and introduced in October 2015, and Norwegian has an option for a fourth ship that would debut in early 2017.

 

Kevin spoke of the company’s financial success. They just completed the 19th consecutive quarter of adjusted growth, and the company had a successful initial public offering earlier this year. Kevin cited the IPO as an affirmation of the work they’ve done to build up the company.

 

He also spoke of the decision to put Breakaway in New York City. While other lines have put older ships there, Kevin saw an untapped market eager to be offered a first-class experience.

 

Kevin highlighted the features of Breakaway, and the packed audience gave spontaneous applause at the mentions of Burn the Floor and The Waterfront.

 

One interesting tidbit: at the inaugural ceremonies this Thursday, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg will attend. His only condition for attending was that he wanted to introduce the Rockettes, who will be the Godmothers of the ship.

 

Following the presentation was the Crew Talent Show. I absolutely love these on Norwegian’s ships. The crew is the company’s best asset, and this gives a few of them a chance to show off some hidden talents. We were presented with song and dance from several crew members, a small magic show and the juggling talents of Simon, the Assistant Cruise Director. After the show, I found a nice padded seat in the Shakers area of the Waterfront, and continued reading my e-book.

 

I met Dave for dinner at Cagney’s at 6 pm. After last night’s dinner in Ocean Blue, Dave gave some constructive feedback to Klaus, the executive Hotel Director onboard for the inaugural, about the distracting business meeting going on next to us. Klaus offered us a complimentary dinner in Cagney’s for this evening! We graciously accepted.

 

I’ve been to Cagney’s on a few Norwegian ships, but tonight was my favorite experience. I noticed a revised menu since a year ago, with some nice new offerings. (I’ll post the menu after the trip.) The pea soup was especially tasty, and the Oreo cheesecake was decadent!

 

We joined a few friends in Shakers for a drink, then proceeded to the Atrium for the Quest adult game show. This is a staple on several cruise lines. It is billed as an “adults-only scavenger hunt,” where passengers form small teams and the assistant cruise director asks them to present an item or an action. Some of the requests can be a bit raunchy, e.g. “A woman’s bra!” or “Two men kissing!” Normally, this is held in a venue where access can be restricted and children wouldn’t be present. Quest was supposed to be held in Spice H2O, but due to the chilly fog we were sailing through, it was moved to the Atrium. Because this area is central and can’t be access-controlled, tonight’s Quest game was modified to be tame and relatively family-friendly.

 

We ended the night in Bliss and said our goodbyes to new friends…until we re-connect on Facebook, of course!

[philamike]

CEO Kevin Sheehan:

 

 

Crew Talent Show:

 

 

A foggy day today:

 

 

Sabrett hot dog cart on The Waterfront:

 

 

The Quest game show:

 

 

A foggy night, too:

 

[kollegekreed]

Are the howl at the moon performers not yet on the ship, or did you just not find time to see them? That was by far the highlight on the epic...

[sdmike]

Welcome to NY, Mike! We watched you come under the bridge on the NY webcam. :)

[dmwnc1959]

 

 

 

 

 

[dmwnc1959]

 

 

 

 

[sdmike]

Awesome!

[limeyalchemist]

Video of Breakaway coming into NY harbor this morning at:

 

http://nyharborwebcam.com/

[Highboy90]

Safe travels home Mike and THANK YOU for bringing us along.

[Maryfrei]

Thank you Mike!

[Bucket List 2012]

 

 

 

Thank you Mike. This Blog was Incredible and you are very generous to have spent your time and your web minutes keeping us up to date. Helped the wait for my 5/12/2013 sailing. Super excited. Enjoy New York.

Looking forward to your next cruise and blog!!!!!

 

don't forget to watch the Christening tomorrow

 

http://www.breakaway.ncl.com/latest/christening

[Godiva830]

I loved reading your blog about the Breakaway. I couldn't wait for your updates to find out more info about the ship. Thanks!! :)

[BugsyCruiser]

Great live blog Mike. Enjoyed following along :)

[7leagueboots]

Pictures always add so much more to a review. Thanks. Also, I don't think I have ever seen a punching bag on a ship before.

[philamike]

Tuesday, May 7 - Arrival in New York City

 

Greetings from Amtrak train 125, regional service from New York to Philadelphia. It’s almost 12 noon, and I’m on my way home after disembarking Norwegian Breakaway a few hours ago.

 

The captain told us yesterday that he expected the ship to pass underneath the Verrazano Narrows Bridge around 3 am this morning, so before going to sleep I set my alarm for 3:30. (I wasn’t interested in the bridge, just the arrival into Manhattan.) The alarm rang, and I quickly threw on some clothes and sneakers and ran up to the top deck. Unfortunately, I had missed the Statue of Liberty by about five minutes, but managed to take a few distant photos. We were presently passing by lower Manhattan and the almost completed new World Trade Center. Quite a few other passengers were also on deck in the chilly pre-dawn morning, gaping at the dark skyscrapers as we silently glided past. As I was studying the skyline, a shooting star briefly arced overhead.

 

As we approached Pier 88, the ship seemed to stop for about ten minutes. I had descended to the Waterfront on deck 8, starboard side. We started moving again and slowly crept into our berth across from the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. I returned to my cabin, reset my alarm for 8:15, and went back to sleep.

 

Sometime before 7 am, Julie the Cruise Director started making announcements on the public PA system in the hall. First, the express walk-off option was now available – this is for passengers who are carrying their own luggage off the ship. Then Julie would periodically call luggage tag colors, inviting passengers to disembark. David, another passenger from Philly, and I were on the same Amtrak train, so we decided to return together. We met at the forward elevator bank on deck 11, and proceeded to deck 7.

 

Passengers were being queued and released off the ship in stages, as to not flood the terminal with a large crowd. We arrived at the tail end of a group that was just debarking, said goodbye to a couple staff, and stepped off the ship onto the gangway. Time for a few last photos of the ship before entering the terminal. We realized why we had stopped for those ten minutes before docking: two lifeboats on the port side had been lowered to make room for the two gangways for the terminal! We waited in a line for about ten minutes to enter the terminal, then descended a set of escalators into the baggage area.

 

Norwegian spent over a billion dollars on a new ship and marketing for it, but unfortunately didn’t offer any money to spruce up the NYC terminal. It was dank and depressing. (Photography is not allowed in customs/immigration areas, so I don’t have a photo to show.) We collected our bags and entered a winding but moving line towards the passport control officers. It took a total of 45 minutes to go from the ship to the curb. Taxis were across the street and plentiful, and we grabbed one to take us to Penn Station.

 

So that completes my trip to Germany and the Norwegian Breakaway inaugural transatlantic! The cruise exceeded my expectations, as virtually everything was completed and ready for us. The staff and crew were incredible, but as this was Norwegian I already knew they would be. What surprised me the most was that I did not mind being at sea for six days straight. I never got bored, and the fact that I only read one of the five books I brought with me is evidence of that!

 

Besides a business trip to San Francisco later this month, my only other planned trip is a week at the beach with my family in July. I’ll need to start planning a trip for the fall. Any suggestions? :-)

[philamike]

Statue of Liberty:

 

 

World Trade Center:

 

 

Midtown Manhattan:

 

 

A tug boat keeping an eye on our turn:

 

 

Docking into Pier 88:

 

 

Goodbye, Norwegian Breakaway!: