Live Blog: Norwegian Breakaway Inaugural Transatlantic Cruise!

[pachecos]

Do you happen to know if they have complimentary sauna and/or steam rooms in the women / men's changing rooms?

[macfin]

Thank you

[Cruisin2Sun]

Flywheel Indoor Cycling at 9 am. Zumba at 1 pm.

 

 

Thank you for all your information! Is there a charge for these classes (how much for Zumba?) Thank you!

[KrystalWaters]

So do you know how to figure it out? :confused:

 

If you call your PCC they'll tell you or...

 

1. GO to European NCL website. They have more descriptions of the rooms ie size, location of balcony...etc.

www.ncl.eu

 

2. Go to "Find A Cruise" Put in all the necessary info.."Breakaway", Bermuda or Bahamas, and the time.

 

3. Click "on the date you want to view"

 

4. Click on "View Cruise"

 

5. Country of Residence (I clicked "other") then "Continue"

 

For my example i did Aug. 4, 2013

 

6. Scroll to the bottom of the page and you see "Inside, OV, Balcony, Mini-Suite, and Suites"

 

7. Click on the room type....i did "Mini-Suite"

 

8. I then clicked on "Mid-Ship Mini-Suite" (I was looking for the M6)

 

9. Then click "View Details"

 

10. Click "Show Staterooms"

 

11. Find the stateroom you are looking for...it has to be available....then click on "Expand Stateroom Details"

 

Example,

Room 8730 states:

Breakaway 8730 Mini-Suite With Larger Balcony 8 Standard

Capacity - 3 , Cabin Includes Foldable Sleeper/Playpen ,

Private Balcony , Mini Bar , Shower , Total Square Footage

(322) , Television , Clothes Line In Bathroom , Convertible

Single Sofa Bed , Tea And Coffee Maker , Convertible King

Size Bed , Floor To Ceiling Sliding Glass Doors , Safety

Deposit Box , Telephone , Cabin Square Footage (204) , Desk ,

Starboard Side , Starboard Side , Bed Near Entrance ,

Sitting Area , Pier Forward , Internet Access , Forward

Section , Sprinklers , Refrigerator , Hair Dryer , Balcony

Square Footage (118)

[KrystalWaters]

Thanks for the explanation but I'm still confused lol :rolleyes: I'm in 11780 but I want the bed near the balcony...not the closet. So can anyone tell me for sure if I'm in a good one or not? :confused: I could also move to 11782 which is just off the hump so it has the angled balcony which according the the OP is a little bigger than a standard one. :D

 

After looking at your explanation again...I think I should switch to 11782. Does that seem right?

 

Took some researching but i found your room descriptions:D

 

Breakaway 11780 Mid-Ship Balcony 11 Standard Capacity - 3 ,

Cabin Includes Safety Deposit Box , Telephone , Television ,

Desk , Refrigerator , Convertible Lower Beds (2) , Cabin

Square Footage (172) , Total Square Footage (204) , Pier

Midship , Private Balcony , Balcony Square Footage (32) , Bed

Near Entrance , Floor To Ceiling Sliding Glass Doors ,

Midship Section , Tea And Coffee Maker , Internet Access ,

Starboard Side , Clothes Line In Bathroom , Hair Dryer ,

Shower , Convertible Single Sofa Bed , Foldable

Sleeper/Playpen , Sitting Area , Mini Bar , Sprinklers

 

Bed Near entrance which means it's by the closets. Now what i found out is that once you think you have a "rhyme or reason" on how they do the configurations on one side say port, it doesn't mean it's the same for the starboard side. Now what i did was check the room by the website i stated before then before i changed my room i confirmed with NCL PCC and i was correct. Good luck and happy cruising.:)

[igfan]

Friday, May 3 – Third Sea Day

 

 

 

 

 

After dinner, I walked around the deck 7 promenade as I hadn’t seen it yet. There aren’t any services here, as its primary function is to launch the lifeboats. (But I did notice a shuffleboard game here.) With the ship still rocking in the moderately swelling seas, I was awestruck by the amount of water being pushed out by the front of the ship as it encountered each wave. I snapped some photos and video clips.

 

I reconnected with Jake at Shakers at 8 pm for the nightly Friends of Dorothy gathering. Afterwards, we went to Headliners for The Second City improv show. Six cast members took queues from the audience and acted out several different scenes. Unlike other Second City shows I’ve seen on Norwegian where it was a mix of improv and scripted comedy, this show was purely improv. I liked this better, as improv is challenging and Second City does it well. The show was fun, although the last game was especially challenging for the performers: a political debate about whether or not pompous potatoes should obfuscate. Neither of the two cast members who had to guess what the others were pantomiming was familiar with the word “obfuscate.” (In case you were wondering…no, it wasn’t me who suggested the word.)

 

I returned to my room to find that the laundry I had sent out yesterday had been returned. I opened the bag, and realized that I was missing two T-shirts. I called guest services. They asked me to call back tomorrow, as no one was available at this late hour. (There was no offer to take or relay the message, which I think would have been a better way to handle the request.)

 

The “White Hot Party” has been a signature party on every Norwegian ship fleetwide, but Breakaway is replacing it with the “Glow Party.” It was held in Bliss, but I assume it will normally be held in Spice H2O on the regular cruises. Since none of the passengers knew that White Hot was being replaced, most of us wore our whites anyway. Bliss was decorated with neon pendants and signs, and some of the entertainment staff were dressed in head-to-toe neon body suits. DJ Keith spun most of the night and played a great selection of vocal house music. A lot of passengers turned out for the party, and I think Norwegian has a success on its hands with this rebranding.

 

Turned back the watch another hour before bedtime.

 

I was wondering if Deck 7 goes all the way around the ship. Can you walk the front and back or just the front? We were not happy with the epic because you can't walk the entire ship like you can on the Dawn and Pearl. And sad to hear the white party isn't on this ship hopefully the glow party is just as nice!

 

Thanks for doing this Mike. You have been doing a great job of explaining everything!!

[green eyed lady]

Took some researching but i found your room descriptions:D

 

Breakaway 11780 Mid-Ship Balcony 11 Standard Capacity - 3 ,

Cabin Includes Safety Deposit Box , Telephone , Television ,

Desk , Refrigerator , Convertible Lower Beds (2) , Cabin

Square Footage (172) , Total Square Footage (204) , Pier

Midship , Private Balcony , Balcony Square Footage (32) , Bed

Near Entrance , Floor To Ceiling Sliding Glass Doors ,

Midship Section , Tea And Coffee Maker , Internet Access ,

Starboard Side , Clothes Line In Bathroom , Hair Dryer ,

Shower , Convertible Single Sofa Bed , Foldable

Sleeper/Playpen , Sitting Area , Mini Bar , Sprinklers

 

Bed Near entrance which means it's by the closets. Now what i found out is that once you think you have a "rhyme or reason" on how they do the configurations on one side say port, it doesn't mean it's the same for the starboard side. Now what i did was check the room by the website i stated before then before i changed my room i confirmed with NCL PCC and i was correct. Good luck and happy cruising.:)

 

Wow...thanks for doing this for me! Awesome :D I did switch yesterday to 11782...hopefully the bed is near the balcony :eek:

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

I was wondering if Deck 7 goes all the way around the ship. Can you walk the front and back or just the front? ...

 

I've read in a couple other threads that the answer is, sadly, no.

 

Tom

[igfan]

I've read in a couple other threads that the answer is, sadly, no.

 

Tom

 

:( Thanks Tom!

[philamike]

Sunday, May 5 - Fifth Sea Day

 

It was a glorious day today – the sun was shining brightly and the seas are again calm. The weather should stay this way for the remainder of the cruise. For a northern transatlantic route, we have been extremely lucky with the weather!

 

I got up at 8:30 this morning, showered and proceeded to breakfast in the Garden Café. At most times in the buffet restaurant this week, it’s been a little difficult to find open tables. And since this ship is only three-quarters full this week, I can see this being a problem during regular sailings. But the seating just outside the Garden Café on the pool deck has been plentiful, and this is where I sat this morning.

 

At 10 am, I met up with Jake and several new cruise friends for another go on the ropes course. With the nice weather, quite a few people were on deck today. Since I gained the confidence on the course a few days ago, traversing the elevated segments was pretty easy. I even tried a few of the rope-only segments, which I had avoided my first time on Wednesday. And the plank was much easier to do this time, although still a bit unnerving.

 

A couple notes: everyone had to step on a scale and get weighed today, which wasn’t done earlier. If it’s any consolation, the scale was in kilograms and the numbers are lower than in pounds. :-) Your harness gets double-checked before you start the course, and again before you do the zip line. And thank goodness for this – as I was about to start the course, the staffer noticed that a strap had been caught in one of the two clips that secures the harness to the tether, and it wasn’t closed! It’s obvious that the ropes course staff is looking out for passengers’ safety.

 

After the course, Jake’s mom joined us and we did a round of mini-golf. This nine-hole course is underneath one-half of the ropes course. Various sea-based sculptures dot the course, and provide obstacles on many of the greens. One interesting flaw: all of the golf balls are white, so when you are playing in a group, it’s easy to forget whose ball is whose.

 

Later, we had lunch at Shanghai’s, as Jake and I knew a server there from an earlier cruise on the Dawn (Roro, from Indonesia). This is an a la carte restaurant, and you order by filling out a paper order form. Appetizers included pork pot stickers and shrimp dumplings, and entrees included noodle, fried rice and soup dishes. I had steamed pork pot stickers and spicy seafood udon soup. All were delicious. Shanghai’s is unfortunately located adjacent to the casino on deck 7, and all during the meal you heard the various bells and beeps from the slot machines. And smelled the cigarette smoke. It seems that Shanghai's could have easily been walled off from the casino (even with a glass wall), and it’s disappointing that they didn’t do this.

 

Instead of dessert at Shanghai’s, I went to Carlo’s bake shop to try one of the cannolis. There are no prices posted, and I wondered if they haven’t been set in stone yet. My cannoli was $3. And it was delicious. The bake shop is also where the gelato window is located on the Waterfront, and we noticed that the freezer case glass was shattered. The staff said it happened yesterday, all of a sudden on its own. Must have been a defective piece of glass. Hopefully they’ll be able to get it replaced in NYC.

 

I took advantage of the great weather this afternoon and brought my iPad to the Vibe beach club. Vibe is open to the public during the cruise, and it features nice padded loungers and chairs. I found a chair that had some shade and finally started reading one of the e-books I had downloaded before the trip. (Stephen King’s “Carrie” – I’ve seen the movie but never read the book; a new movie version is coming out this year, so I thought I’d read the original before I saw it.) I read about a third of it before succumbing to the sun and the gentle sway, and started dozing off. I then returned to the cabin for a proper nap.

 

Later, I met up with Jake, his mom and a few other cruisers to queue up for the 7 pm performance of Burn the Floor in the Breakaway theater. Around 6:40, two very long lines had formed that extended past the elevators and past O’Sheehan’s. Julie the cruise director made her way down the lines, informing us of a technical issue in the theater that was being fixed. Shortly thereafter, we were let in to the theater, and the performance started about ten minutes late. Burn the Floor consisted of 12 dancers and two vocalists (the female vocalist was especially fantastic!). The dancing was very high-energy and they put on a tremendous show. This is definitely a highlight of Breakaway’s entertainment offerings. The show lasted about 50 minutes.

 

We got a drink at the Friends of Dorothy gathering at Shakers, then Dave and I went to dinner at Ocean Blue. (Dave and I have a mutual friend in the Philly area, and we had actually met at the friend’s birthday party last summer, unaware that we were both planning this cruise. We made that connection about a month before sailing.) Ocean Blue is a new restaurant on the Norwegian fleet, with the menu set and overseen by former Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian. With a $35 per person cover charge, I had high expectations. The menu is upscale gourmet, with some very unique combinations of flavors. I started with grilled prawn panzanella (heirloom tomatoes, taggiasca olive vinaigrette), and then monkfish loin (forbidden rice, cauliflower, pine nut yogurt). We both ordered the dark chocolate soufflé for dessert, and were warned that it has a 15-minute prep time. (But it took less than 10 minutes.) The food was delicious, and complemented by the impeccable service. All plate placement and clearing were done in unison by several staff, and during each presentation our server described everything on the plates. (I will be posting menus after the cruise.)

 

One drawback to the experience – seated next to us were three employees of the AV vendor on board, conducting a dinner meeting. Based on what we overheard, they were planning the videos that would be part of the inaugural events in NYC after this cruise. But hearing them talk business, and the project manager’s frequent phone calls to others on board via her house phone, was rather distracting to our dining experience. After the meal, Dave brought the issue to the attention of one of the Norwegian executives on board. He was then offered a complimentary dinner in Cagney’s for tomorrow night! Once again, evidence that Norwegian really goes the extra mile for customer satisfaction.

 

Following dinner, we regrouped with friends in the Atrium for “Dancing with the Breakaway Stars,” based on the similarly-named television show. Eight cruise staff are paired with volunteers, and compete in a series of short dance styles. It was very entertaining. The Atrium wasn’t the best venue for this event, though, as there is seating for only about 75 passengers, and many had to stand on the periphery.

 

We closed the night with some dancing in Bliss. One more day at sea before sailing into New York City!

[philamike]

Ready for the ropes course:

 

 

I survived the Plank!:

 

 

Shanghai's...right next to the casino:

 

 

Getting closer to NYC:

 

[philamike]

So there *IS* a bowling alley! (A mini one.) It's tucked in the back of O'Sheehan's. There's also a pool table and an air hockey table, and a few video games:

 

 

Burn the Floor ovation:

 

 

Monkfish entree at Ocean Blue:

 

 

Dancing with the Breakaway Stars:

 

[jenny105]

That aft balcony on deck 13 looks a little small to me! Worries me because I'm on deck 14 and would love a lounger but it doesn't look like it would fit. Did you see any aft balconies on lower decks? Do they seem bigger?

[Sauer-kraut]

hi thanks for taking the time for all the posts and photos

 

1. do you have any daily programs and mdr menus and room service menu? The OP has stated he will post these when he returns home.

2. are there alot of trivia sessions and other games?

3 did you go to carolos bakery? how was the treats? how were the prices?

4 do you know what brand of tea they serve?

5 do they have a pizza place? is it free or do you pay for it? Pizza delivery is $5 delivered ANYWHERE on the ship. NCL doesn't have a dedicated pizza place like on some Carnival ships.

6. did you try the soft serve free ice cream was it good? Isn't soft serve ALWAYS good?

7. are there candies on the pillow? NCL will put chocolates on your pillow if you are a higher level Latitudes member.

8 are the fireworks shown every nite? Fireworks were shown on one night, this was the 80's rewind night on this sailing.

9. are there free movies in room? Yes, NCL does have a movie type channel in the rooms, you'll see a mix of different films, some very old to fairly recent.

10. is there a movie theatre on board? There is a 2 deck movie screen near the Purser's Desk (this was mentioned in the first post).

11 did they have any interesting lectures? NCL isn't Cunard and doesn't really have lecture programs, there is the Q&A with the department heads which is often really interesting.

12. did the ship feel crowded? THis sailing is only half of its full occupancy, I doubt it will feel crowded at all.

13 how is the library?

14, is there an adult section by the pool?

15, any new policy about chair hogs?

16. do they have chicken and other food at out side grill?

17. what was the best dessert you had?

 

THANKS FOR ANSWERING MY QUESTIONS

 

Seriously? Are you not reading the thread?? Most have been answered in the OP's posts.

[philamike]

Uncleboo: I’ll answer your questions in this post. :-)

 

1. do you have any daily programs and mdr menus and room service menu?

I will post daily programs and specialty restaurant menus after the cruise. The MDR menus aren’t different from other NCL ships, so I’m not taking photos of them.

 

2. are there alot of trivia sessions and other games?

Yes, especially on this transatlantic. You’ll be able to see on the schedules when I post them.

 

3 did you go to carolos bakery? how was the treats? how were the prices?

Went there yesterday. Prices aren’t posted, but I know that cannolis are $3. (And yummy!)

 

4 do you know what brand of tea they serve?

Haha – I’ve had tea almost every day, and didn’t notice the brand! I think it was Lipton? But the ship was provisioned in Germany for this sailing, so things will probably change after NYC.

 

5 do they have a pizza place? is it free or do you pay for it?

They have 24/7 pizza delivery, and it’s $5. I think the Garden Café also has pizza.

 

6. did you try the soft serve free ice cream was it good?

Didn’t try it, but saw others enjoying it. Looked good. :-)

 

7. are there candies on the pillow?

Yes, for Latitudes members only.

 

8 are the fireworks shown every nite?

Just one night during the cruise, during the 80s party at Spice H2O.

 

9. are there free movies in room?

There is one movie channel. There are also options to buy movies on-demand.

 

10. is there a movie theatre on board?

No, nor are they showing movies in any public venue.

 

11 did they have any interesting lectures?

Just the basic shopping lectures.

 

12. did the ship feel crowded?

No, but we are only three-quarters full. Haven’t been any long waits at the elevators.

 

13 how is the library?

Small, but it’s out of the way and very quiet.

 

14, is there an adult section by the pool?

Not by the pool, but Spice H2O in the rear of the ship is adults-only.

 

15, any new policy about chair hogs?

If there’s anything new, I haven’t seen it.

 

16. do they have chicken and other food at out side grill?

The grill is towards the back and looks very nice. It is mostly protected from the elements. They have quite a few offerings, including the typical burgers, etc.

 

17. what was the best dessert you had?

Probably the chocolate soufflé at Ocean Blue last night!

[missmet31]

Have you seen any of the large balcony cabins on Deck 9? Was wondering how big the balconies are?

[sonicbuffalo]

Sure am enjoying your review....glad you're having a great time on your TA cruise. Continued good weather and a safe disemabrkation in NYC. Thanks for answering all the questions!

[philamike]

Mulege: re: balcony size. If anyone has spoken with corporate, I haven’t heard it. There’s a session with Kevin Sheehan this afternoon. Maybe someone will raise the issue there.

 

Alg7334: re: coffeemakers. There are no coffeemakers in the inside cabins, and I believe they are not in oceanview either. Get your bribe money out! :-)

 

PalmBeachOrBust: re: scooters. I’ll see what I can find out. I’ve seen a few puttering around the public areas with ease. The hallways are narrow, and I can tell that a service cart would need to be pulled out of the way for a scooter to pass. (But each pair of doors has an alcove where a cart can easily be moved into, to allow a scooter to pass.)

 

Ihopfar: re: standard menu offerings. I’m not aware that the menus are any different among the three dining rooms. I’ve only been in Manhattan.

 

Lyndamr: re: cocktail glass size. They seem to be normal size. I never got the impression that they are trying to skimp.

 

Bugsy4271: re: tour. Yes they offer a ship tour. I know it’s expensive, but I don’t know the price. Platinum Latitudes members get it for free.

 

Alic74 & shgmd: re: wifi. Wifi is available in all cabins and throughout the ship.

Time Plan #1 250 Minutes / $100.00

Time Plan #2 100 Minutes / $55.00

Time Plan #3 30 Minutes / $12.00

Time Plan #4 15 Minutes / $8.25

 

Macfin: re: extra beds. It may vary by specific cabin category, but it’s likely that one bed is a bunk that your stateroom attendant lowers from the ceiling, and the other is your sofa which converts to a bed.

 

Wasasalad: re: smoking. Smoking is permitted in the casino and in several designated outdoor areas. You are also allowed to smoke cigarettes only on your balcony.

 

Pachesos: re: sauna and steam room. I believe they are only available in the hydrotherapy section of the spa, but I could be wrong.

 

Cruisin2sun: re: class fees. Zumba is free. They actually do it in the Manhattan Room restaurant. These classes are noted that a fee applies (sorry I don’t know what the fees are): Chiball Fire Yoga, Flywheel Indoor Cycling, TRX Suspension Training, Body Sculpt Bootcamp.

 

Igfan: re: walking around the entire ship. Not possible on deck 7, as only the sides have the open decks. On deck 8 (The Waterfront), you can walk around the rear of the ship but not the front. (And yes, the Glow Party is just as fun as the White Hot Party!)

[tiffygirl]

Food Looked yummy!!

 

Did you find Ocean Blue worth the $35? Do you recommend it?

 

 

Thank you for posting this blog.

[js]

Mike, thank you VERY much for all your work! I LOVE the review and the pictures!

THANK YOU.

 

May I please ask you if you can tell me what day the Dysfunctional Family Second City Show is scheduled and it is a lunch, is that correct?

 

If you speak with anyone, can you please ask them if you can buy a day pass for Vibe or the Spa when you first board for a specific day or do you have to purchase them the day you want the pass? I'm wondering if it would be just worth it to purchase the week pass and not have to worry about day passes being available. But, I have only sailed on NCL two prior times so I am not even sure I will be able to buy any pass weekly or daily by the time I board.

 

Can you also please tell me why you liked the Brazilian Steakhouse over Cagneys? I was thinking of doing Cagney's and Ocean Blue but also thought the guys would like the Brazilian even though I'm not a big meat eater. I'd love to hear why you liked one over the other.

 

Thanks so much for all your work. I greatly appreciate it!

[SliceOfLife]

Great blog and pictures!! Thank you for taking time out of your cruise to post!

 

:)

[Highboy90]

Thank you for all your efforts Mike. Greatly appreciated! :)

[kewbrick]

Great blog..... thanks for all the great info... looking forward to the post cruise menus / dailies etc..... enjoy your last day.... looking forward to seeing you in NY Harbor tomorrow!

[RIKNAT KAYKAT]

Great blog. I was looking at the new floor plans and noticed an open spot between 2 rooms at the back of the ship on deck 10. Could it be a public Balcony??? We were on the Disney Magic last year out of newyork and came across one on deck7. Great view

[JaneBP]

Lots of great info. I need a TA and left you a FB message on your page, but it's under the 'other' topic. Wasn't sure about the $1.00 charge! Never saw that before. Thanks.