Breakaway 5/19 - Random Thoughts on Casino, Vibe Cabana, Haven, and More

[Fishbait17]

After reading many reviews from our Breakaway sailing (May 19-26, 2013), I thought I would add a few of my experiences, mostly with the casino, Vibe, and the Haven, plus a few unrelated experiences. Some background: We sailed in Haven Two Bedroom Villa #15102, three adults- hubby and me (aged 50 and 49), and daughter aged 23. We were booked as a Casinos At Sea comp mini suite, upgraded with cash. We are all Platinum Latitudes members. I was able to choose our cabin specifically as it has a standalone balcony (no balcony neighbors, surrounded by the two bedroom master bathroom space on both sides) and as a smoker, it's important to me not to be bothersome.

 

Upon boarding, we found that Aromando (from the Epic) was our butler - fantastic! our steward, Eugene, was pretty special too! The cabin was lovely, a better laid out space than two bedroom suites on other ships. Pros: more room in second bedroom and bath, better laid out master bedroom and bath (master bath was quite a bit smaller but fully functional). Cons: Balcony was significantly smaller than Jewel class Haven Two Bedrooms, master bathtub was small, storage, while plentiful, was difficult to get to at end of bed in master (think "slide in at foot of bed all the way to end, open closet, remove clothes, close closet, move sideways, open drawer, remove clothes,, close drawer, move aside, dress, move aside, open closet, move aside, get shoes, move aside, close closet", etc etc etc all in a dark space about 15 inches deep). If anyone has any specific questions about anything, feel free to ask.

[Fishbait17]

CASINO

 

 

As a guest of NCL's Casinos At Sea, you can guess I spent quite a bit of time in the casino! The Breakaway's casino was big, with lots of slot machines, several VP machines, and tables. First, I have to say it was very CROWDED most of the time, hard to find decent open machines or seats at tables. The tables were so bad that I never even sat at one as there never seemed to be seats available when I attempted to play (I'm a Three Card Poker fan). My daughter played a little 3 card, but not much. So, I spent all of my time at slots, various types in all areas of the casino. The slots were decent, of course I lost all of my allotted cash :D, but the play seemed to last a bit longer than on Jewel class ships, and about the same as the Epic. I played more in the morning and daytime on sea days, as the nights were absolutely packed with people, and it was hard to get a decent machine. Even the daytime was pretty bad, due to bad weather on sea days driving everyone indoors.

 

Before the casino opened on Sunday night, I was wandering through and found Rowena, one of my favorite slot attendants from the Epic and she recognized me right away - so nice to see a friendly face! There were a few other staff members I knew from the Epic, all great people.. I asked Rowena about smoking vs non-smoking areas (I am a smoker) and she showed me some of the areas.. But throughout the week, there were areas I never was able to identify as smoking or non-, some days there were ashtrays, sometimes not, and even on the last day I was discovering where smoking was allowed. Basically, smoking is NOT allowed down the center corridor, nor on the aft starboard side (near the noodle bar).. The lines between these areas were blurred, with no signage and little enforcement - some of my favorite machines were in the non-smoking areas and I often saw people lighting up there.. Very confusing for both smokers and non-smokers... There was one area that was CLEARLY the heaviest smoking area by the ashtrays and people smoking (starboard side middle) and wouldn't you know this was exactly where they had the slot tournaments.. Lots of people waving hands and "fake coughing" in that area, which I couldn't understand, as there were so many non-smoking areas, but perhaps these people did not know about them (as I said, there was no signage). The Breakaway could use some distinction with these areas..

 

One very interesting improvement on the Breakaway is that there was finally a way to avoid the 3% fee for charging gambling cash to your on board account! You could use your Casinos At Sea card or your "Sea Pass" (or room key or whatever you call it). Had to set up with a PIN number at the Casino Desk, and then you could download cash directly onto your "cash play account" from your "on board account" (By using the CAS card slot on the machine). Then you could download that "cash" onto each machine for playing.. Saved me over $200 in fees! Also, if you happened to win any money, you could upload the cash back up to your on board account (unfortunately, I had no experience with this :D). The cards also tracked your play, and offered "cash back" from your points once over 1000 earned. Beware of doing this if you expect to make over 2500 points - you get better "cash back" as a credit to your on board account on the last night.

 

Some notes for my fellow CAS players who are concerned about the new tier system. I came into this cruise as "Hot" level, comped cabin, after one sailing on the Sun during last year's qualification period. I had originally been "Golden", but my status was lowered after being granted as part of the whole mess with the new tier system.. My "Hot" card was in my cabin at embarkation, along with "Lucky" cards for hubby and daughter, all with "House" drink cards attached. Each time we ordered drinks, they took our cabin numbers (sometimes scanned our room cards) and all drinks showed up on the final billing with no charge. We tipped about $1 per drink, and there were some excellent servers, some not so great. Point accumulation seemed to work fine most of the time, but on occasions where I was playing two machines at once, I think I was seriously under-rated. All in all, I accumulated 11,000 points during the week, not too bad considering the casino was closed for three days! In the end, the 11,000 points gave me $800 of my final bill. Also, on the second sea day, I found a letter in my room offering a comped dinner for two, which we used at Moderno on our last night. I don't know when the letter was delivered, as I found it in a pile of papers that hubby had stacked that had accumulated over the first two days. So all in all, it wasn't really a problem being only "Hot" and I should make "Golden" not long into my Sugust sailing.

[Fishbait17]

The Haven

 

We didn't get a lot of use out of the Haven during the week, so I don't have a lot of information., but will pass on what I can. The area feels larger than it appears in pictures, with plenty of seating on the upper level. It was nice to have it enclosed during the bad weather of our sailing. Our daughter used the upper level a few times for reading, but found the announcements very loud and annoying. We ate two breakfasts and one lunch in the Haven restaurant, very tasty but the same menu as Cagney's and the Epic Haven restaurant, and a tad boring. The hot tub in the Haven was still not very warm, but hubby said the sauna was hot! We missed the gym area in this Haven (thought it might be like the Epic, but the was no equip at all), but the regular gym was right down the hall from our cabin, so daughter just used that (she's running a half marathon this weekend, so needed to stay on her training routine).

[Fishbait17]

Next I will discuss our experiences with Vibe and our cabana. I had requested a Vibe cabana, for the full week, through the pre-cruise concierge, along with one extra pass (we had three adults). Upon boarding, we asked the asst concierge about the Vibe cabana and pass and she was able to book it for us. While she did have notes as to our request, She was NOT able to book it without us actually standing there, so there is so far NO pre-booking prior to sailing. The Cabana cost $299 for the week, including two passes and $100 food and beverage credit for Vibe only. The extra pass cost $79 for the week.

 

The cabana was great, when it was usable. Our sail away Sunday was raining and Vibe was not open. Monday's weather was still not pleasant, but hubby and daughter were able to use the Vibe cabana for a little time (maybe 1/2 hour). Tuesday was a bit better, and they used it for maybe 2 hours in between rain clouds to read. Wed, Thurs, and Fri in Bermuda had fantastic weather, but we were off the ship the first two days and never used it. Friday we stayed on the ship and used the cabana for about four hours including sail away. Once we set sail, it got too windy so we went indoors. Saturday Vibe was closed altogether due to bad weather. The cabana does a great job of protecting against the wind if the sun is out, with no sun it was pretty cold up there!

 

Vibe itself was pretty much empty for most of our sailing, and closed often. I think the bar and service was closed by 7pm or so, but our sea days closed the whole area for several hours each day. For the time we were able to use it, it was a lovely space. We used our $100 F&B credit for a few buckets of beer, which we finished in our cabin or put and about the ship.

 

They are still disorganized with the cabanas and rentals. All five cabanas were rented during our week. On Monday, hubby asked about our cabana and we were "assigned" cabana #5. There was nobody checking when people used them. Twice, when we went to use our cabana, it was already in use. The first time, the attendant asked the people inside about their "rental" and they vacated, saying they didn't know they were "for rent". The second time, we came up to find that four of five cabanas (including ours) had items left inside, but no people (the fifth cabana was occupied by its "renters"). We waited about 1/2 hour for an attendant to come and figure out what to do - he finally removed the contents of cabana #5 and placed them behind the Vibe bar. When the gentleman finally returned, he asked us where he could collect his "stuff". It was fine but a bit uncomfortable. There is NO signage in Vibe regarding the cabanas, stating that they cost extra $ and are available for rent, so people would just set up inside for the day not knowing they were doing anything wrong. This problem could be simply solved with a sign near the cabanas, and possibly each cabana with a clear "pocket" sign where they could insert your name or something for the week (something like "Reserved" etc). There were no locks. Not very organized at all.

 

The two Vibe hot tubs were not really "hot" at all, basically about body temperature. I am used to this on ships (and we keep our home hot tub very warm) but these felt almost cold.. Bartenders were great! The whole place would have been worth it more if weather had been better, but all-in-all we enjoyed what little time we did use it.

[Fishbait17]

A few notes about other experiences on the ship.

 

We had issues in Le Bistro both times we dined there. First time - we had a 7:15pm reservation. When we arrived, we found that we were assigned outside seating (in the Atrium) because there was a large group of 49 people from the Art Auction about to be seated inside, taking up more than half the indoor restaurant space. Hubby had seen a deal that day, something like "Buy $300 in Art, get a free dinner at Le Bistro" - not sure that was what was going on, but perhaps. Either way, we didn't want to deal with either eating outside (a little smoky and very LOUD) or competing with orders for 49 people, so we asked when we could come back to be seated inside - we we told to come back in an hour. We returned at 8:15 and our table wasn't ready until nearly 9pm, and the hostess was anything but pleasant. When finally seated, we were given a table directly next to the kitchen door next to the group of 49 people - and their members were STILL not all there for dinner and some didn't arrive until 9:30. Basically, they tied up half the indoor restaurant for more than three hours, and we were pushed aside for them.. Our server, Rochelle, saved the day though, she was amazing and witty, and dealt with everyone so well!

 

So, the second time we returned to Le Bistro, we specifically requested an indoor table by speaking personally to the same hostess. When we came for our reservation, they had our table ready - this time in the SAME spot directly in front of the kitchen door, but this time with the three of us set up on a table for two! After sitting elbow to elbow for a couple minutes, we requested to wait until another table to become available, the hostess said "no" but our hero Rochelle took care of it for us. We saw many disappointed couples arriving all dressed up for a romantic dinner, only to be seated in the Atrium. Again, there were two large parties dining (12 people in each) and they were boisterous and held up the tables for a long time. I have nothing against larger parties, but Le Bistro on the Breakaway is very small and not set up for the noise of people shouting down a long table to speak to their dinner mates, as its basically one small room. They would be better served seating the larger parties in the Atrium, where it's already noisy and leaving the more intimate parties inside. Either way, both nights were a disappointment in ambience. The food was mostly excellent as usual, but the lamb was extremely tough. I thought it might be an isolated incident, but the lamb in Moderno was tough as well - might be a new supplier? It was a shame, as it's my favorite item in both restaurants.

 

Also had dinner in Ocean Blue on embarkation night. We had pre-reserved it for $35 per person, so didn't have to pay the new $49 pp charge. The food was excellent, but the portions were very, very small, and since you can't order extra apps or desserts, both my hubby and daughter (all 110 pounds of her) left hungry and ate again a little later. We decided to cancel our second reservation after that. I did have a Seafood Tower a couple days later - it was priced at $35 per person, minimum of two persons, but since daughter and hubby were eating at Cirque, they gladly made me a Tower for One ($35) with 3 clams, 3 Oysters, three shrimp, 1/2 a small lobster, and a small dish of ceviche - very good.

 

We also dined at La Cucina and Moderno over the week, both very good (except for the lamb in Moderno). Also got a few cannoli at Carlo's Bakery, excellent. Hubby and daughter enjoyed Cirque, but hubby thought the show was better on the Epic. Rock of Ages was very good, not great, too rushed - although the performers were excellent. Hubby and daughter report that Burn the Floor would be good if you enjoy the dancing (they were indifferent) and that the Late Night Second City Comedy Show (adult content) was funny, but short. Overall, hubby (who is the entertainment critic of the family) thought the shows were very professional, with some of the best performers he had seen on any ship. Slam Allen was his usual amazing self...

 

The Waterfront was both fantastic and disappointing. A great space, it wasn't open nearly enough - although again, the weather didn't make it easy to be open! Seemed like it closed down early at night.

 

We didn't buy Spa Passes, as they raised the price to $199 per person and we felt this was just too much. I did have two massages at the spa (both very good, not great) and after the second, found myself lost and entered into the thermal spa. Since there were only two people inside (port day), I took a look around and checked it out. Not worth the $199 for me...

 

Bermuda was great! We had beautiful weather, hit the beaches (Tobacco Bay is my favorite), St George's, and Harbour Nights in Hamilton (great street vendor jerk chicken!). Had some great times and met great locals at the Boner Bar at the Dockyard. Overall, I can't wait to return!

 

My overall impression of the Breakaway was mixed. Might have had something to do with the weather or the itinerary, but it wasn't my favorite cruise.. For the first time on any NCL ship, I actually felt "nickel and dimed" - not so much paying for things on the ship, more because the prices seemed to go up, up, up in the weeks just prior to sailing, and everything seemed very pricy overall... I have no problem spending money, but want some value for it, and for once felt it wasn't a "good value". Most of the staff was spectacular as usual, but some seemed a bit indifferent, strange for an NCL sailing. It wasn't "bad", it just wasn't "great". Hard to put my finger on it, maybe I have had too many fantastic NCL experiences, and this one just wasn't completely up to par.

Edited May 31, 2013 by Fishbait17

[david_sobe]

Thanks for the detailed review!! Pay attention people.... THIS is how to write a review. Short, direct and to the point:)

I dont mind paying $49 for Ocean Blue if the food is good. But SO disappointed you cannot even buy side dishes. It is crazy to spend so much for dinner and drinks and leave hungry :(

 

You have right to feel "nickel and dimed" when there are lots of extras and you dont mind paying but feel betrayed because the VALUE is not there. You should not feel ashamed to use that phrase (although the NCL cheerleaders will be up in arms). We are big spenders on cruises and eat at specialty restaurants most nights, drink and pay for most extras. And sometimes we feel nickel and dimed too :(

Edited May 31, 2013 by david_sobe

[tel2]

CASINO

 

 

One very interesting improvement on the Breakaway is that there was finally a way to avoid the 3% fee for charging gambling cash to your on board account! You could use your Casinos At Sea card or your "Sea Pass" (or room key or whatever you call it). Had to set up with a PIN number at the Casino Desk, and then you could download cash directly onto your "cash play account" from your "on board account" (By using the CAS card slot on the machine). Then you could download that "cash" onto each machine for playing.. Saved me over $200 in fees! .

 

One question -- if you do it this way, so, for example, you download 500. and after a bit you are tired of playing and want to cash out, can you cash out the unused portion of the money in real cash? i.e., print out the paper ticket and get cash for it? Or is it one of those deals where once it is downloaded to machine you have to play it off and can only take out winnings?

 

Terry

[Fishbait17]

One question -- if you do it this way, so, for example, you download 500. and after a bit you are tired of playing and want to cash out, can you cash out the unused portion of the money in real cash? i.e., print out the paper ticket and get cash for it? Or is it one of those deals where once it is downloaded to machine you have to play it off and can only take out winnings?

 

Terry

 

i'm not sure you can cash it out..;) The reason I am hesitant is that I don't want people taking advantage of "free cash" for ports and excursions, etc, because if this happens, they will take it away from us (like they did when people abused the old "free cash" system).. It isn't highly advertised, and meant for play, not cash, and needs to be set up with the casino desk. I know you can "redeposit" the cash to you on onboard account.

Edited May 31, 2013 by Fishbait17

[time2cruise1]

Excellent to the point review. The latest price increases onboard have to be the result of folks reading their press clippings. They better be careful or they may kill the golden goose the Breakaway could be.

 

Zakarian owns all the food and pricing for Ocean Blue and it seems like he thinks it is in Manhattan. Clearly it was my biggest dissappiontment on the ship. Maybe expectations were to high but we like your family we left hungry. Not worth the price and I ate there for free :eek:

Edited May 31, 2013 by time2cruise1

[PalmBeachOrBust]

Thanks for the detailed review!! Pay attention people.... THIS is how to write a review. Short, direct and to the point:)

I dont mind paying $49 for Ocean Blue if the food is good. But SO disappointed you cannot even buy side dishes. It is crazy to spend so much for dinner and drinks and leave hungry :(

 

You have right to feel "nickel and dimed" when there are lots of extras and you dont mind paying but feel betrayed because the VALUE is not there. You should not feel ashamed to use that phrase (although the NCL cheerleaders will be up in arms). We are big spenders on cruises and eat at specialty restaurants most nights, drink and pay for most extras. And sometimes we feel nickel and dimed too :(

 

I agree with you. Reviews should not be dragged out longer than the time you actually spent on the ship. This one was great!

[Keith1010]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

 

Keith

[coffeecat]

Thanks Fishbait! I was really looking forward to your review of the Breakaway and it was great to read your take on the sailing.

 

We are sailing in July and have three Haven rooms booked. These were pretty pricey cabins so it makes me a little apprehensive that you felt nickeled and dimed. I have never felt that way on previous NCL cruises but I totally get where you are coming from and can imagine I would have felt the same way.

 

I am a little surprised by your Le Bistro experience-particularly a rude hostess. Did you make reservations on your own or through the concierge?

 

Anyway, thanks for writing this. I think I need to dial back my expectations slightly for this trip :).

 

Oh, one more question, did you ever get to eat dinner in the Haven Club? How was it? Better vs worse than specialty dining?

 

Thanks,

Coffeecat

[Fishbait17]

Thanks Fishbait! I was really looking forward to your review of the Breakaway and it was great to read your take on the sailing.

 

We are sailing in July and have three Haven rooms booked. These were pretty pricey cabins so it makes me a little apprehensive that you felt nickeled and dimed. I have never felt that way on previous NCL cruises but I totally get where you are coming from and can imagine I would have felt the same way.

 

I am a little surprised by your Le Bistro experience-particularly a rude hostess. Did you make reservations on your own or through the concierge?

 

Anyway, thanks for writing this. I think I need to dial back my expectations slightly for this trip :).

 

Oh, one more question, did you ever get to eat dinner in the Haven Club? How was it? Better vs worse than specialty dining?

 

Thanks,

Coffeecat

 

Reservations for Le Bistro were made both ways - thru concierge (first dinner) and on our own (second dinner), so it didn't seem to make a difference. Le Bistro is just different on the Breakaway - much smaller (when you don't consider the Atrium space) and oddly set up - tables seem a little close together. I think the hostess was as overwhelmed by the groups as we were. It really just isn't a space easily shared by both groups and couples.

 

Never had dinner at the Haven restaurant, sorry, never even looked at the menu. The staff there was great for breakfast and lunch, though.

 

Maybe I set my expectations too high for the Breakaway. I was a bit apprehensive about sailing the Epic, and it turned out great, so maybe I was just expecting too much from the new ship.

 

Robin

Edited June 1, 2013 by Fishbait17

[coffeecat]

Reservations for Le Bistro were made both ways - thru concierge (first dinner) and on our own (second dinner), so it didn't seem to make a difference. Le Bistro is just different on the Breakaway - much smaller (when you don't consider the Atrium space) and oddly set up - tables seem a little close together. I think the hostess was as overwhelmed by the groups as we were. It really just isn't a space easily shared by both groups and couples.

 

Never had dinner at the Haven restaurant, sorry, never even looked at the menu. The staff there was great for breakfast and lunch, though.

 

Maybe I set my expectations too high for the Breakaway. I was a bit apprehensive about sailing the Epic, and it turned out great, so maybe I was just expecting too much from the new ship.

 

Robin

 

Thanks Robin for your insight. From reading a lot of your posts I think we are similar in attitudes, expectations and things we like to do (i love the casino but do not play like you do-just a few bucks!!!).

 

I think I am going to drop my expectations for this sailing. Have always, always had amazing experiences on NCL so the bar is really high for me. We don't sail for another month and a half so maybe the ship will have found it's rhythm...it sounds like from what you were describing things are still being worked out and will hopefully be more consistent!

 

Thanks,

Coffeecat

Edited June 1, 2013 by coffeecat

[SissasMomE]

My overall impression of the Breakaway was mixed. Might have had something to do with the weather or the itinerary, but it wasn't my favorite cruise.. For the first time on any NCL ship, I actually felt "nickel and dimed" - not so much paying for things on the ship, more because the prices seemed to go up, up, up in the weeks just prior to sailing, and everything seemed very pricy overall... I have no problem spending money, but want some value for it, and for once felt it wasn't a "good value". Most of the staff was spectacular as usual, but some seemed a bit indifferent, strange for an NCL sailing. It wasn't "bad", it just wasn't "great". Hard to put my finger on it, maybe I have had too many fantastic NCL experiences, and this one just wasn't completely up to par.

 

Thanks for the review. We are sailing on the Getaway in April with the whole family. I know that will be good because we are all going to be together, and we always have fun. That said, I am really torn with whether or not to cancel Breakaway to Bermuda and book on Dawn instead. The only thing stopping me from doing that is that we will have two 17-years olds on this trip, and I know they will enjoy the ropes course, slides, etc. Tough decision!

[whenisthemidnightbuffet?]

Thank you for your review. All of the things you felt disappointed you are the things I most feared about sailing on this ship. As others have said, I guess I will lower my expectations, especially dining at LeBistro as this is our favorite eatery. Oh well. Also disappointed to hear that finding seats at the table games was a problem. Usually plop by butt in a seat after dinner and stay til the wee hours of the morning.... oh well, maybe I'll spend less money in the casino, lol!

 

Again thanks for taking the time to let us know your thoughts.

[BettyCruiser]

I agree with you. Reviews should not be dragged out longer than the time you actually spent on the ship. This one was great!

 

While I found some useful information in this review I prefer reviews with pictures and more information.

[lisakoivu]

Thanks for the review. We are sailing on the Getaway in April with the whole family. I know that will be good because we are all going to be together, and we always have fun. That said, I am really torn with whether or not to cancel Breakaway to Bermuda and book on Dawn instead. The only thing stopping me from doing that is that we will have two 17-years olds on this trip, and I know they will enjoy the ropes course, slides, etc. Tough decision!

 

I have the exact same issue... I have a bad feeling I would much prefer the Dawn, but will have 13 and 17 year old boys with me, so have promised to do the Breakaways "once", because I know they will enjoy all the stuff.....

[shaun07]

I love how people are now reviewing the review :). For what its worth I give 5 out of 5 stars

 

One thing that frustrated me was the elevators to the Haven.

That bank has 8 elevators, 4 of which go to deck 16(main haven floor). When you press the up button you have to hope 1 of the 4 come, which of course they hardly ever do. You can get off at 15 and enter the haven, then walk up a flight of stairs to get to the main haven floor . This was fine for me but one elderly gentleman was very annoyed about it.

Edited June 2, 2013 by shaun07

[Maryfrei]

I love how people are now reviewing the review :). For what its worth I give 5 out of 5 .

 

Agree!!

[Fishbait17]

I love how people are now reviewing the review :). For what its worth I give 5 out of 5 stars

 

One thing that frustrated me was the elevators to the Haven.

That bank has 8 elevators, 4 of which go to deck 16(main haven floor). When you press the up button you have to hope 1 of the 4 come, which of course they hardly ever do. You can get off at 15 and enter the haven, then walk up a flight of stairs to get to the main haven floor . This was fine for me but one elderly gentleman was very annoyed about it.

 

Excellent point about the elevators! We would just take the elevator to deck 15, then enter the Haven space by the keyed door on the port forward side, and take the stairs inside (on your right side) up to the Concierge Lounge. But since our suite was on deck 15, we knew the door and stairs were there, and I think that most didn't even know there was a Haven entrance on that floor! Strange design with only a few elevators in the same bank going all the way up.

 

Another note about Vibe, finding it wasn't easy, as there is no elevator to deck 17, and you can't access it from deck 16 starboard side (it's located deck 17 starboard). You can take the elevator to either deck 15 or 16, go outside on PORT side, and take stairs up from there. Once you get up to deck 17, walk forward and cross over to starboard for the entrance. It took us a while to find it the first time.

 

Robin

[coka]

Hi Robin,

Thank you for the detailed to the point review...not that mine are ever like that, haha...but I am getting better. Here are my questions: 1. Do you think a lot of what we are reading and a lot of what you encountered on Breakaway is due to a brand new ship working out the kinks until she gets her groove going into full swing? 2. You mentioned value and I appreciate your thoughts on that. Would you book this ship again for the same or would you book under different circumstances? If yes to either, why?

I ask these questions because I have always heard to wait at least six to twelve months on new ship builds...and I always found Norwegian to be a great vacation value. I will sail Breakaway in the far future but I have no burning desire yet based on current reports. It feels all too complicated!

 

Coka

[lowroller]

When you playing two machines, were you using two cards?

11000 points for $800 off of your final bill sounds very generous. I wish I could recall how many points I earned playing slots, V/P and the tables so I could compare your results with my last trip.

And one last question, if you don't mind, what was the cost per person or total for the three you to upgrade to the Haven cabin? We upgraded to an aft balcony for $220 total for two, from our comped cabin and I was wondering what it was cost to go up to the Haven cabins.

Thanks for writing about your cruise.

Glenn

[Fishbait17]

Hi Robin,

Thank you for the detailed to the point review...not that mine are ever like that, haha...but I am getting better. Here are my questions: 1. Do you think a lot of what we are reading and a lot of what you encountered on Breakaway is due to a brand new ship working out the kinks until she gets her groove going into full swing? 2. You mentioned value and I appreciate your thoughts on that. Would you book this ship again for the same or would you book under different circumstances? If yes to either, why?

I ask these questions because I have always heard to wait at least six to twelve months on new ship builds...and I always found Norwegian to be a great vacation value. I will sail Breakaway in the far future but I have no burning desire yet based on current reports. It feels all too complicated!

 

Coka

 

Hiya Coka! Long time, no see! To answer your questions:

 

1). The ship didn't seem to have too much in the way of "new ship kinks". Working on signage for both the casino smoking areas and Vibe cabanas is something that I would blame on that. Maybe even the Le Bistro problems can be worked out in time. But it was more of a "different" feeling of the ship in general (see answer #2 for more on this).

 

2). This ship felt like a bit of a departure from my regular NCL experiences. Really hard to explain, but it felt more like a money-churning business than a friendly sailing - not nearly as personalized as previous NCL cruises. It could be simply the size of the ship and number of passengers, maybe also partly due to the increase of extra-charge experiences, etc. I felt a bit of departure on my Epic sailing, but that one leaned more toward "personal". The Breakaway crossed that line, leaning more toward "impersonal" if that makes any sense. It almost felt like I was sailing on a different line, not like "home". I would probably sail her again, once prices drop, because NYC is just so easy for me. But my expectations would be adjusted, and I would be better prepared for the "different" experience. Really, it wasn't so much "bad" as just "different". Hope that makes sense!

 

Robin

[Fishbait17]

When you playing two machines, were you using two cards?

11000 points for $800 off of your final bill sounds very generous. I wish I could recall how many points I earned playing slots, V/P and the tables so I could compare your results with my last trip.

And one last question, if you don't mind, what was the cost per person or total for the three you to upgrade to the Haven cabin? We upgraded to an aft balcony for $220 total for two, from our comped cabin and I was wondering what it was cost to go up to the Haven cabins.

Thanks for writing about your cruise.

Glenn

 

Yes, I was using both my CAS card in one machine and my "Sign and Sail" key card in the other. Both machines accumulated points per the screen, but the numbers were different (ie one machine said 9380 points, the other would say 9410, etc). They seemed to accumulate their own points and not combine them. I did an six hour stint on two machines (starting at 7am) and each machine accumulated about 4000 points, but in the end they didn't combine after play (meaning later in the day, after I finished - I thought one of the cards' accumulation would be added to my account). They might have been "synching" at various times throughout play, but by time and play I estimate I missed out on about 4000 points. Hope that makes sense... Yes, I thought the credit was very generous, especially when compared to my Sun sailing, where 12,000 points resulted in only a ~$250 credit - but they also comped us dinner for six at Cagney's with up charge entrees and three bottles of wine on that one (worth roughly $400). When peeking at others' point balances, I rarely saw anyone over 5000 points, and I didn't see anyone over 10k points - doesn't mean they weren't there, I just didn't see them - so I think I was one of the higher earners of our Breakaway sailing.

 

It was roughly $8000 to add my daughter and upgrade us all to the two bedroom suite all in. There are much cheaper Haven suites, though, and I think for two of us, we could have spent roughly $5000 to get in to a lower level suite.

 

Robin

Edited June 2, 2013 by Fishbait17