!!! BREAKAWAY !!! To Bermuda ^_^ Our Ultimate Review and Complete Pictorial Guide!

[ch27088]

The pictures of the Breakaway with the drawbridge raised is just beautiful. It gives you an idea of how big she really is.

[bauer6210]

How did you get Internet inBermuda for 15$ if you don't mind me asking. I agree this Review Rocks!

[uncleboo]

do you have the schedule for the shows?

[Momofcandk]

I purchased 100 megabytes thru Verizon for $25 and I used it all 3 days in Bermuda and at other times during the cruise but u can purchase a card from gift shop at dockyard also when u get into port. U will see many many ship employees spread out thru the dockyard lawns on their computers day and night using the Internet.

[Momofcandk]

Be prepared for show times to change from what u see before the cruise starts. If u make dinner reservations give yourself at least 2 hours between show time n dinner. If u run late n u think u will miss your show don't panic. We were able to get in n find seating or standing room for rock of ages even though we had run late with dinner.

 

Don't stress out by trying to plan everything ahead of time. I did n after first couple days I said forget the schedule n let's play everything by ear. N it was so much better bc we were able to enjoy our meals better n not rush around

 

I suggest for firework show that u go one deck above VIBE on Friday night to watch. No music up there but it's quiet n enjoyable. Fireworks r exactly 5 minutes long. Second city adult show was great too

[Momofcandk]

If u don't get show times from anyone let me know n I will get it for u. Many r listed on website for when u book dinners

[jomic]

Gambee

Thanks for the awesome review. My Family ( twenty in all ) have booked on the Getaway next April. I have cabin 12908, and my sisters family is next door in 12906. I've seen pictures of the M6 balconies. They look huge I've heard they are 118 sq ft.( 9' wide by 13" deep ) Is cabin 12906 really larger at 140 sq ft. If so would you care to take a guess on what the dementions may be.

 

Thanks Joe

[gambee]

Hi

Am now following both Twitter and FB ..i glanced over your review of NCL Breakaway. I , hubby + our 3 girls (10,10 &5) will be on Breakaway NYC to BErmuda Oct 6 2013. We have never sailed in the fall , so I'm a little nervous regarding weather. Originally I booked a floor to ceiling window suite with butler on DAWN but switched to BREAKAWAY as we sailed DAWN last summer. I look forward to reading your review and other posts . Pleasure to make your acquaitance

Eva

 

You know I have learned to worry about the weather, unfortunately there is nothing you can do about it. So just plan around it, and if necessary change your activities slightly. I hope you have a great cruise!

[gambee]

Cannot wait to read the full review. Thank you for taking us along on your cruise. So happy I'm doing the "Happy Cruise Dance".

 

Enjoy it! :)

[gambee]

do you have the schedule for the shows?

 

They should be on the Dailies that I posted.

 

 

Gambee

Thanks for the awesome review. My Family ( twenty in all ) have booked on the Getaway next April. I have cabin 12908, and my sisters family is next door in 12906. I've seen pictures of the M6 balconies. They look huge I've heard they are 118 sq ft.( 9' wide by 13" deep ) Is cabin 12906 really larger at 140 sq ft. If so would you care to take a guess on what the dementions may be.

 

Thanks Joe

 

No idea, I know its larger. It is also wider than the M6 ones. Have a great trip.

[lor74]

Thanks for another impressive review!

[gambee]

Thanks for another impressive review!

 

Very welcome, glad you enjoyed.

[ch27088]

Peter Max

 

 

 

Ok so let me talk a little about Peter Max.

 

I am not sure when, but at some point in time that afternoon, I was walking around on the pool deck and I saw Peter Max. First of all I could not believe that I actually recognized him, I was very excited about that. They were both walking and his friend was pointing up to the water slide, like to trying to show Max something.

 

Anyway, I am not sure how I did it, but I managed to get a lot of courage and go to him to say hello.

 

And this is how the conversation went….

 

 

 

 

Me: Hello, are you you Petter Max.

 

Him: Yes, (with a not so good face).

 

Me: Very nice to meet you, great job on the ship (I have to admit that the paint grew on me and I like it now. Trust me, I know how much I was against in the past. But the week before when I saw the ship sailing out of NY it just looked majestic on that cam)

 

Him: Ok

 

Me: Would you mind if I get a picture with you?

 

Him: "Uggghhhhhhhhhhhh" and his companion rolled his eyes

 

Me: Never mind, no worries, enjoy your cruise.

 

Him: Them he finally smiled and gave a weak high five.

 

 

I am not really sure what to say here, I understand that he must of taken thousands pictures by now. But I did felt a little let down by his attitude, I mean he is a celebrity in a ship which he decorated… Of course he is going to get people asking for pictures.

 

The funny thing out this entire situation is that I actually recognized him. I am absolutely horrible with faces, I really cannot believe that I recognized him.

 

My bf said that I should of told him his art was horrible, and put him in his place. But that is just not me, if he wants to be like that then be it. I wont sink to his level!

 

One thing is for sure, I will never buy any of his art!

 

 

 

Gambee I'm not surprised at how he acted. Years ago I use to live on Miami Beach and worked for a company where the President of the company knew Peter Max personally, and he would drop by from time-to-time to visit. Even back them he was NOT the nicest person, and he treated people like they were beneath him. When he would come to visit, as the secretary, I would escort him back to the President office, and I would try and make small talk (how are you, hope things are going well for you...we received your new picture and it's nice), but he would never say anything, so I'm sorry that you didn't have a nice encounter with him either; however I'm not surprised.:(

[gambee]

Gambee I'm not surprised at how he acted. Years ago I use to live on Miami Beach and worked for a company where the President of the company knew Peter Max personally, and he would drop by from time-to-time to visit. Even back them he was NOT the nicest person, and he treated people like they were beneath him. When he would come to visit, as the secretary, I would escort him back to the President office, and I would try and make small talk (how are you, hope things are going well for you...we received your new picture and it's nice), but he would never say anything, so I'm sorry that you didn't have a nice encounter with him either; however I'm not surprised.:(

 

Yeah from what I gather he is not the nicest person out there, puzzles me that NCL chose him to the art of the ship.

[Tall-Cruiser]

Thanks for reading the reviews, glad you like them. Panasonic makes some solid cameras, but I think the NEX tops any pany I've ever had. Good luck on your camera search.

 

 

 

Have fun on your cruise :)

 

Gambee - Could not find the NEX -F3 but I was able to find this weekend Sony NEX-3NB. It was an open box item at Best Buy for $395. Just started to test and play with it. Has a whole lot more than my Panasonic Lumix. I am also trying to find a deal on the lens, Sony 55-210mm e-mount. Any suggestions? Thank you.

[gambee]

Gambee - Could not find the NEX -F3 but I was able to find this weekend Sony NEX-3NB. It was an open box item at Best Buy for $395. Just started to test and play with it. Has a whole lot more than my Panasonic Lumix. I am also trying to find a deal on the lens, Sony 55-210mm e-mount. Any suggestions? Thank you.

 

I don't really remember where I bought mine, maybe ebay or amazon? I do all my purchases online.

 

enjoy your camera

[Tall-Cruiser]

I don't really remember where I bought mine, maybe ebay or amazon? I do all my purchases online.

 

enjoy your camera

 

Thank you. And thanks for inspiring me to take better pictures with the NEX series.

[cusegirl315]

Then we entered our room, OMG OMG OMG THAT ROOM!!!!!!!

 

 

Well to be fair the room was ok, but that BALCONY!!!!!!

 

 

Remember folks, do your research and you will be compensated. I had been calling out this room back in december and I can remember all those discussions… But in the end, this balcony was much better than I expected it to be. Actually it is wider than the room itself as it takes a little of the suites space. Trust me that suite can spare the space :D.

 

So anyway back to the story, when we entered the room we saw a bunch of goodies waiting for us.

 

I believe they gave one book per room, one day there was a lady in the hot tub complaining that in her room of 3 people all with different last names and they were only given one book. She told us that they got into an argument with their cabin steward over it. I wont comment on what I think about this…

 

The coins, don't ask me why they gave them. They had no markings whatsoever of anything related to Breakaway or NCL for that matter and when I asked about them, I was told they were good for nothing, lol.

 

But the book, OMG, it is soooooo nice! Thank you NCL :). I know the TA did not get it, I am very grateful we did. Maybe the books were brought onboard in NY?

 

 

There was also this little bag,

 

 

 

what was your cabin number?

[bobbi565]

Room 12906. Here's the post about the room selection...

 

For info on cabins, please go to this thread: Here is the link

 

Then, I looked around and chose cabin 12906. From the looks of it, the cabin had one of the deepest balconies. The room also had a prime location near the elevators and close to most of the activities that we enjoy in the ship.

 

We were really glad that I made that decision to pick this cabin. Considering the size of the regular balconies on Breakaway, this was money very well spent. By the way, if you're wondering which aft balconies are the largest, it goes like this:

 

The deepest staterooms are in deck 9, followed by deck 12, then deck 11, deck 10, deck 14, and the smallest ones are on deck 13.

 

But, I would always try to avoid deck 13 and 14 as they are significantly smaller than the other decks, and the noise from H2O should be much more intense up there. One more thing when considering deck 9 is that it is directly above the oceanfront and the roof of deck 8 extends a few feet outward. To me, it really does seem like that would affect the view, but I guess in the end it’s all about your personal choice.

 

Considering the small size of the Breakaway’s balconies, there are other options for those who would like a larger balcony, but do not like the aft balconies. The M6 mini suites on deck 8 have huge balconies, although some of the balcony is exposed to the decks above. None the less, I think that these rooms will be in high demand. I also remember reading somewhere that the balconies there are over 110 square feet. There are more options on deck 9 forward, and the B6 staterooms also have a large balcony that I am sure many will enjoy. Just a little research will help you see if these are cabins that are right for you.

 

 

Anyway, back to the story. Here was our room. For those wondering, the square footage of my balcony was 140, almost as much as the room itself at 175. My balcony was actually wider than the room, since it ate a little of the space in the suite next to me.

 

 

 

Image courtesy of http://koopvaardij.blogspot.com/

 

 

During the following months, mom kept asking me the cost of upgrading to a balcony cabin. Well, I kept telling her that it was roughly $1300 and reminding her of all the specialty restaurants, spa, vibe, cost of NY hotel, air etc. But she insisted on asking weekly, so eventually I lied to her and told her that our reservation was a no cancellation/modification cabin. After I told her that, she made a face that just destroyed me, it was as if I told her about some terrible family news. The day after that, I decided to just tell her so that she could be happy during the following months. Once I told her, she was super happy but at the same time frustrated that I told her. Good thing I had my bf to back me up. I always have a hard time keeping surprises, but this time it was not my fault. I was trying really hard and even keeping everything hidden in CC. You can't win them all, I guess.

 

And that folks is the story of how we booked our first ever aft cabin :D.

 

 

 

For those of you who would like to do research prior to selecting a cabin, CC member bear3412 has created a spreadsheet to aid in that process. Please bare with him as this is a work in process, but overall it is a great source of info. Thank you Bear! Here is the link: Cabin & Balcony Sqft Spreadsheet

 

 

[RCmommy]

 

When looking for a hotel I wanted one that had two beds and that was near to the port. Finding a hotel in NY with two beds at a reasonable price is not easy. As usual I did a large among of research and I ended up settling for a Brand New Comfort Inn, one block away from Pier 88. The funny thing is that when I booked it, the hotel was not even open, I took a big risk there.

 

Overall a great hotel, very comfortable, clean and roomy (unlike my last stay in NY). I was very happy with this hotel and would recommend it to anyone that wants to stay close to the ship, and is on a budget. Just keep in mind that you're a few blocks away from Times Square and moving back and forth can be tiresome.

 

Did I mention it has free internet & breakfast?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The lobby also serves as the free breakfast venue.

 

 

 

Hello, this is my first time reading your review and it is fantastic. Although we are not on the Breakaway we are sailing on the Gem this October out of NYC. Choosing a hotel is daunting in NYC with all of the choices and the prices. I am going to take a serious look at this Comfort Inn.

 

Do you recall how long the subway ride was into Times Square? Or how much a cab cost into Times Square? We only have two days and this is where we will spend almost all of our time.

 

Also, did you just walk to the pier with your luggage on sail away day? It could be already written in your review and I have not made it yet.

 

This is giving me so much insight into our upcoming vacation and I thank you for that !!

[psychoticpanda]

Just spent hours reading this, so much great information for when I go August 18th, thanks so much Gambee! :)

[Tralfie]

Gambee:

 

I've finally (sob) reached the end of your journey. I can see why you would be exhausted... this has been an absolutely incredible read, made all the more fun for me because you were staying in what will be "my" room in March.

 

I think we should all take up collections and have you "test drive" each new ship for us so we know what to expect! Meanwhile, I'm going to go read all your other reviews... so 'cause I loved this one so much!

 

Thanks again... to you and your mom.

 

Richard/Tralfie

[1witchydiva]

Hi Gambee.

 

I just wanted to thank you again for your hard work and wonderful review. I just came back from the Breakaway Sunday, and your review helped us so much. I can not thank you enough. Happy and safe cruising to you,mom and bf. :)

[gambee]

Hi Gambee.

 

I just wanted to thank you again for your hard work and wonderful review. I just came back from the Breakaway Sunday, and your review helped us so much. I can not thank you enough. Happy and safe cruising to you,mom and bf. :)

 

I hope it was as much fun for you as it was for us, again thanks for reading :)

 

Gambee:

 

I've finally (sob) reached the end of your journey. I can see why you would be exhausted... this has been an absolutely incredible read, made all the more fun for me because you were staying in what will be "my" room in March.

 

I think we should all take up collections and have you "test drive" each new ship for us so we know what to expect! Meanwhile, I'm going to go read all your other reviews... so 'cause I loved this one so much!

 

Thanks again... to you and your mom.

 

Richard/Tralfie

 

Glad you enjoy it Richard, thanks for posting. I hope you enjoy the other reviews just as much.

 

Just spent hours reading this, so much great information for when I go August 18th, thanks so much Gambee! :)

 

Have a great trip :-)

 

Hello, this is my first time reading your review and it is fantastic. Although we are not on the Breakaway we are sailing on the Gem this October out of NYC. Choosing a hotel is daunting in NYC with all of the choices and the prices. I am going to take a serious look at this Comfort Inn.

 

Do you recall how long the subway ride was into Times Square? Or how much a cab cost into Times Square? We only have two days and this is where we will spend almost all of our time.

 

Also, did you just walk to the pier with your luggage on sail away day? It could be already written in your review and I have not made it yet.

 

This is giving me so much insight into our upcoming vacation and I thank you for that !!

 

You have to look at a map of NY's sub system. The hotel is slightly far from the sub line, and I am not sure about the cab cost, we never took one there. I could not imagine it being more than $10 plus tip.

 

Safe travels.

[kevinsgirl88]

You are an amazing writer!!! Thank you so much for all that you do!!! :D

 

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