Review - Breakway NewYears Eve cruise - Dec 29sail date

[LizG12]

FWIW, here's my review of the NewYear'sEve Breakaway cruise.

 

Small-ish disclaimers - I chose Breakaway simply because I didn't want to fly to the cruise and I've been on the RCL ship sailing out of NJ at the same time. The other reason is that my dh passed away 3 years ago around New Years, and I did not want to be at home. In other words, I didn't have any strong reason or desire to MUST BE!! on Breakaway or even to be on a cruise, I just wanted to be not at home for NYE. (I've sailed before, NCL at least 3 or 4 times, and also RCL, Princess, Carnival, Celebrity, maybe one other one, I'm not sure, dh kept track of those kind of things.)

 

Cabin

I was in one of the studios. Definitely small, but well organized. More storage space than you think at first. Everything's white though. The walls, the bedspread, the towels, everything. No pictures on the walls (except for the blue-ish 'porthole' but I kept that closed because it was a bit of a pain to crawl over the bed to open/close it). Nothing. Just white. It helped to make the room feel bigger I guess, but very bland. The blue lights from the room thermostat, and the reading lights above the headboard, lit up the room more than I'd liked to sleep in. I was able to block the reading lights by standing the magazines straight up in the magazine rack and that helped a bit.

 

The cabin steward did a good job cleaning the room, but for some reason wouldn't take the extra glasses or coffee cups if I brought one back to the room. I just dropped them off in the studio lounge in the morning. No biggie, just kind of weird.

 

There was a loud-ish whine coming from the ceiling, that I did report to guest services. Not so much because it was annoying (it was, but really not enough to complain about) but because it almost sounded like an alarm was going off someplace nearby. They said they checked it out and the electrician said it was something with the heating, but they'd have to cut the power to the nearby cabins to fix it and that's not something they can do during a cruise. (I assume if it was a MUST FIX NOW!!!! thing, they would have cut the power and fixed whatever it was). Ok, I was fine with that. They left me a bottle of wine and chocolate covered strawberries in the cabin. I ate the strawberries and brought home the wine.

 

And apparently, the back wall of the cabin isn't against the hallway. It's the cabin steward's prep area and whatever equipment they have in there can be noisy. Not constant, but once in a while.

 

Staff/crew

I didn't really have any in-depth interactions with any of the crew, but the ones I did seemed friendly & helpful. Most everyone I passed in the hallways at least smiled, and most said 'hello' or 'happy new year.'

 

Food/service

I ate in the MDRs, O'sheehan's, or the buffet for all meals. The food was ok. The MDR menus seemed boring, nothing extravagant. I didn't have a problem with the servers, although none of them were great. It's not that I expect specialty-restaurant service in the MDR, but I expect to get at least the same kind of service I'd get in a decent restaurant at home. They'd take the order, bring the food, and disappear until I was done. No checking if everything's ok or anything. I don't know if it's because I was alone so I ate faster than they expected compared to larger tables (I didn't pay attention to the other tables, so I don't know if they 'checked in' with larger parties or not).

 

The Manhattan décor seemed 'generic elegant' - dark walls, large faux-marble ceiling lights, large wall hangings - but nothing that

stood out. Taste & Savor were interchangeable too - one had blue-ish egg-shaped 'pottery' and the other had yellow ones. The one with the yellow (I think Taste) had slightly better service I thought.

 

The buffet surprised me by how much fried food was on there. Not something I remember on the Dawn. Decent variety, but nothing earth-shattering.

 

O'Sheehans was a good 'standard' American-Irish pub. But if there was anything going on in the Atrium, it was LOUD. Service and food were good.

 

It's funny, the Captain came on the speakers every morning with a "good morning, here's the location, the weather forecast, have a nice day" kind of greeting. Everyone stopped & listened to the Captain's entire speech. EXCEPT at O'Sheehan, people stopped and once they realized it was the Captain's daily greeting, started talking and continuing their conversations. Odd that only happened at O'Sheehan's, no idea why.

 

Nickel&Dime'ing

Ok, now back when I started cruising, the only edibles that weren't included was alcohol & soda. I've even been on NCL before they went free-style. I've been on plenty of cruises since the cruise lines (not just NCL) decided that they can make money on charging for specialty restaurants, bakeries, coffee-shops, etc. At the same time, I've never had the feeling that NCL was 'cheating' to make people buy the extras. But on the Breakaway, I finally got that "we're going to make you buy extras" feeling people have posted about here.

 

The included restaurants were ok, but bland. You want exciting & elegant? La Cucina! Teppanyaki! Churascaria!! (that's probably not spelled right) Ice Bar!

 

You want coffee? Free up on deck 15. Oh, you're on deck 6 in the Atrium? Oops, well, you can go all the way up to deck 15, or buy a cup in the Atrium Café. I suppose you could've gone to one of the MDR's or O'Sheehans and asked for coffee, but I'm not sure you could get it 'to go' and I didn't ask. Yeah, there's also coffee in the Studio lounge (deck 10), but um, well, the coffee machine is out of order, and the coffee carafes aren't refilled that often.

 

It really did have more of a "yeah, it's free because you pre-paid for it in the cruise fare, but we're going to make you work for it" feel than the Dawn or other cruise lines I've been on.

 

Activities

I didn't participate in a lot of these. Many were spa-sell's (foot analysis anyone?) or sports-related (NFL games in the Atrium big-screen). I've been on cruises enough that I tend to bring my own entertainment since I'm not a big fan of 'let's look silly playing games' activity - although the Battle of The Sexes Revenge was funny to watch. That said, I was pleasantly surprised by the library, and read 3 of their books instead of the one I brought.

 

Overall Ship Feeling

I just had the impression, nothing specific I can pin it to, that the ship's too big and they're not sure how to handle it. And it always felt crowded - I don't mean the pool had all the chairs filled - something like walking the buffet - even when there weren't many people there, there wasn't much space between tables, or the aisle between the food and the table. The Atrium had lots of chairs - maybe 60 - 75 - but they were packed together and even empty, you had to walk carefully between the rows to not trip over anything. The chairs were high too, so even sitting in one, it felt closed in. Walking down the center of the 678 decks, the aisle felt tight with the restaurants & stores & some seats along the sides and then with people in there, and it got a very closed-in-feeling pretty quickly. Even in the MDRs, it felt like the tables were on top of each other.

 

The ship decor's was lacking too - except for the art gallery displays, there was almost no artwork or sculptures or anything. The staircase landings were just large mirrors. On other ships, I've walked every staircase top to bottom (elevator back up :) ) to see all the artwork and I've spent hours walking up & down the decks to see the artwork & sculptures. On the Breakaway... nothing. I was on RCL last year, and they had tours of the artwork on display (and it wasn't the art gallery for sale stuff, it was the ship's décor artwork).

 

Outside decks

Deck 8 had the most outside seating of decks 678. The NYE cruise sea days weren't warm enough (for me) to spend a LOT of time outside (and I burn easily, so I don't usually stay out in the sun anyway), so I don't know if the almost-empty deck 8 was weather related or people just didn't know it was available. Deck 8 Aft had good views of the fireworks (wouldn't win any awards against the Boston Pops July 4 fireworks, but not bad considering they probably are limited to the size & amount of fireworks they can shoot off the ship). Deck 16(?) forward - all the way forward - had 5 or 6 large round 'wicker' chairs with clamshell half-covers. Sitting in the chairs between the clamshells and the plastic barriers, there was NO wind up there. It was the only outside deck that had a view of the stars, maybe it's a little less lit, or it was cloudier than I thought. I went up there most nights, and I think only one night I wasn't the only one up there.

 

Overall

Definitely prefer the smaller ships - like the Dawn or smaller. I wasn't whoopee-do thrilled with Breakaway, but not pissed-off 'wasted a vacation' either. And yeah, it's entirely possible that having dh's anniversary in the back (and front) of my mind for most of the trip colored things for me.

 

I did get one of the cruise deposit voucher things, so sometime in the next 4 years I'll be on another NCL cruise. Just not one of the super-huge ships.

Edited January 7, 2014 by LizG12

[Medtech2]

Thanks for the review....and so sorry for your loss.

 

To travel like this means you are holding up well.

 

May you have many more cruises...

[*Luv2Cruz*]

Thanks for the review and sorry for your loss!:( I'll be taking my first solo in March and appreciate your input!:)

[moosecrouse]

Sorry for you loss & thanks for your review. I did the first Breakaway sailing to the Bahamas & had same issue with my cabin steward. Every night I would grab glass of wine & some of the awesome chocolate chip cookies from the studio lounge for a night cap. By 3rd morning I had 3 plates & 3 wine glasses. I finally placed in hallway like some people were doing with their room service trays & they were finally taken. Lol. Prior to that I put them on the shelf, bed and even in the sink but the steward would just re stack on the shelf by the tv.

 

Sent from my SM-N900V using Forums mobile app

[The P]

What cabin were you in? I'm in a studio on the Breakway in less than 2 weeks and sorry to read about the ceiling noise and broken coffee machine.:(

[LizG12]

I was in 10509, I'm guessing most/all the cabins on that side of the studio backed against the prep area. (I'm not sure if the cabins on the opposite side - starting with 10541 - back up against another prep area too. The deck plan doesn't look like there's a prep area there, but they don't show the one next to 10509 either.) I didn't go up to the 11th deck, I don't know if the prep areas & cabins are set up the same way.

 

The ceiling noise wasn't horrendous - the volume went up & down anyway. During the day, turning on the TV at a normal volume was easily enough to block it out. At night, when there's no other distractions, it could be noticeable. At first I thought it was my tinnitus kicking up, but then I realized it was the wrong 'frequency' and coming from the wrong direction. If it didn't sound so much like a 'steady alarm whine', I wouldn't have bothered to mention it to guest services at all.

[The P]

I was in 10509, I'm guessing most/all the cabins on that side of the studio backed against the prep area. (I'm not sure if the cabins on the opposite side - starting with 10541 - back up against another prep area too. The deck plan doesn't look like there's a prep area there, but they don't show the one next to 10509 either.) I didn't go up to the 11th deck, I don't know if the prep areas & cabins are set up the same way.

 

The ceiling noise wasn't horrendous - the volume went up & down anyway. During the day, turning on the TV at a normal volume was easily enough to block it out. At night, when there's no other distractions, it could be noticeable. At first I thought it was my tinnitus kicking up, but then I realized it was the wrong 'frequency' and coming from the wrong direction. If it didn't sound so much like a 'steady alarm whine', I wouldn't have bothered to mention it to guest services at all.

Thanks for responding. I'm surprised about the noise since you were under another cabin. I'll just have to hope whatever it was is fixed since I've never read about this before and hope that after they took care of the noise they fixed the coffee machine, too. That's a big draw of being in a studio and I'll be really annoyed if it's not working.

[LizG12]

Thanks for responding. I'm surprised about the noise since you were under another cabin. I'll just have to hope whatever it was is fixed since I've never read about this before and hope that after they took care of the noise they fixed the coffee machine, too. That's a big draw of being in a studio and I'll be really annoyed if it's not working.

 

They said the noise was something with the heating. It wasn't noise from the deck above the studio. I'm sure there's wiring, ductwork, etc in the space between decks.

 

The coffee machine was working for the first 2 or 3 days before it got the 'out of order' sign. I did see maintenance guys working on it a few times, but the sign didn't come down. They did leave carafes of coffee, decaf, and hot water, and the snacks were stocked. The snacks were refilled 3 times a day (maybe 4?) and the carafes were re-stocked too, not sure how often. But it wasn't quite the same as being able to make a cappucino or cafe latte whenever you wanted :)

[The P]

They said the noise was something with the heating. It wasn't noise from the deck above the studio. I'm sure there's wiring, ductwork, etc in the space between decks.

 

The coffee machine was working for the first 2 or 3 days before it got the 'out of order' sign. I did see maintenance guys working on it a few times, but the sign didn't come down. They did leave carafes of coffee, decaf, and hot water, and the snacks were stocked. The snacks were refilled 3 times a day (maybe 4?) and the carafes were re-stocked too, not sure how often. But it wasn't quite the same as being able to make a cappucino or cafe latte whenever you wanted :)

And it's the latter 2 drinks I'm most looking forward to. Fingers crossed.;)

[mpk218]

Thanks for the Balanced review.. It was helpful.

All I can say is < I hope to god NCL plans on building a few more of the 70-90K tonne ships instead of going All Big..

 

Enjoy your next cruise. ;)

[popeyeandolive]

Thank you LizG12 for your honest review. I am so sorry for your loss.

 

I have a few questions for anyone that has cruised on the Breakaway. Thank you in advance for any info about your cruise experience.

 

We are cruising in September on the Breakaway with our 5 adult children and 2 sons in law making us 9 total. Because we are an uneven number, one of the group has a single cabin so I was very interested in what Liz wrote.

 

There is one vegetarian among us. Well actually I am a vegetarian too but I eat fish so I never have a problem finding something that I want. My son does not eat meat or fish. On other ships (when you have a scheduled dinner time) prior to the cruise, you notify the ship and they are able to accommodate. With freestyle dining, I don't think that will work. Any thoughts?

 

Are the shows free or are they charging for that too. I have cruised NCL 3 times and did feel that they nickel & dimed you. They kept spouting about the importance of recycling but every night on your bed there was 5 plus adverts for their Spa. I did however enjoy our cruise very much.

 

One of the things I liked on Norwegian was the walking deck that went entirely around the ship. The walking base was very nice to walk on (not slippery) sort of like a cork material. Can you walk entirely around the Breakaway. I saw that they have restaurants on that deck?

 

Thank you all. All information would be greatly appreciated.

Pat

[LizG12]

not sure I can answer all your questions, but I'll try -

 

There is one vegetarian among us. Well actually I am a vegetarian too but I eat fish so I never have a problem finding something that I want. My son does not eat meat or fish. On other ships (when you have a scheduled dinner time) prior to the cruise, you notify the ship and they are able to accommodate. With freestyle dining, I don't think that will work. Any thoughts?

 

on the MDR menu, I think there was a vegetarian choice every meal. I remember a Veg. lasagna one night (very good by the way) and the 'classics menu' (5 or 6 items that don't change every night) had a entree salad that might work as a last-resort if there's nothing else vegetarian. I'm not sure about any of the speciality restaurants. I'd try calling NCL and see what they say.

 

 

Are the shows free or are they charging for that too. I have cruised NCL 3 times and did feel that they nickel & dimed you.

 

I think Cirque was the only show with a charge. You have to reserve a seat for the other shows if there's a date/time you want, but it sounded like they had seats available for last-minute walk-ins. OTOH, if you're looking for a group of 9 seats together, reserve the show and get there as soon as the doors open (about 30min before)

 

One of the things I liked on Norwegian was the walking deck that went entirely around the ship. The walking base was very nice to walk on (not slippery) sort of like a cork material. Can you walk entirely around the Breakaway. I saw that they have restaurants on that deck?

 

You can walk around the outside of deck 8, although at the front, you have to go inside to get from the left to right of the ship. There's a jogging track with the cork surface on deck 15 (passes in front of the Uptown Grille) but it's not very wide. IIRC, deck 16 goes around the ship too.

[popeyeandolive]

Thank You LIZ, very informative.

[Cloudyrain]

Thank you very much for posting a very honest and balanced review.

 

Im sorry for your loss and can completely understand your idea of getting away at such a difficult time. I know it doesn't heal the pain but I hope it soothed it, even just a little.

 

I understand your feeling towards the larger ships, as much as I LIKE the Epic I was very surprised by how much LOVE I felt for the Spirit!

 

Thanks again and i hope you aren't suffering too much with the snow and cold that seems to be affecting all of America at the moment x

[BritChickBN1]

Thank you for your review. I'm so sorry for your loss. I wish you peace.

[david_sobe]

Thank you for the outstanding review!

Restaurant service 101: Always check in with customers after the food arrives

So sad this seems not to be the standard on NCL lately

 

On Epic, I did not like the noise in the atrium either. We ate at Le Bistro and all we could hear was the spa manager talking about treatments with her microphone. If you watch a movie in the atrium, all you could hear was the air hockey and noise from O'Sheehans.

[LizG12]

Thank you for the outstanding review!

Restaurant service 101: Always check in with customers after the food arrives

So sad this seems not to be the standard on NCL lately

 

On Epic, I did not like the noise in the atrium either. We ate at Le Bistro and all we could hear was the spa manager talking about treatments with her microphone. If you watch a movie in the atrium, all you could hear was the air hockey and noise from O'Sheehans.

 

I wondered where the air hockey was. I could hear it, but I didn't bother to go hunting for it! :p

[Dave85]

Thanks for a balanced review, OP, and sorry for your loss.

[Julie MacCoy]

Well actually I am a vegetarian too but I eat fish

You're not a vegetarian. You just like to say that you are. Why is it that we never hear people say "I am a vegetarian but I eat cows" or "I am a vegetarian but I eat pigs"? Is it because people who eat cows and pigs are more honest than people who don't eat cows and pigs, but do eat fish?

[SissasMomE]

OP - Im very sorry for your loss.

[cruisebear84]

Thanks for your review Liz. Very honest and balanced. Lately I've been reading nothing but terrible reviews, it's making me doubt whether I even enjoyed my time on the BA (even though I came home very happy and relaxed with no real issues). I totally agree with you on the atrium-- it always seemed really cluttered even when there was no one there. I disagree with the artwork-- I ended up walking from aft to forward a lot because somehow I always took that elevator from the lower decks to my cabin on 14. On those long strolls, I kept seeing random paintings or artwork in the cabin corridor. I didn't think they were very impressive but I'm not really into art so my opinion doesn't count for much. But I definitely noticed them a lot. I don't recall seeing too many in public corridors, though. Is that what you mean?

 

I'm sorry for your loss. I hope you enjoyed some nice time to reflect on your love. I prefer to reflect on my own too.

[LizG12]

yeah, sorry I meant in the public spaces/corridors, not the cabin hallways.

 

The pictures in the cabin hallways came in a handy a few times when I noticed a new picture. Usually meant I was heading the wrong way! :D

[cruis247g]

Liz,

 

I'm so sorry for your loss.

 

Thank you so very much for taking the time to share your experience on the Breakaway with us. You were very helpful and informative.

 

I wish you happier days and many more vacations.

[lolane1]

yeah, sorry I meant in the public spaces/corridors, not the cabin hallways.

 

The pictures in the cabin hallways came in a handy a few times when I noticed a new picture. Usually meant I was heading the wrong way! :D

 

Hysterical, pictures as bread crumb trail! Thanks for your review. I recently sailed the Gem and am taking the 2 day CTN on the Breakaway that's coming up.

 

As for your closed in feeling, I felt the same way on the Gem and it looks like I may be experiencing the same on the Breakaway. I was left with very mixed feelings on the Gem - so much good and so much not so good.

 

Personally, I think that the overload of specialty restaurants substantially takes away from public spaces. I keep getting that nagging feeling that it is somehow part of NCL's business plan to make the food in the MDR mediocre so people pay for specialty restaurants which has to be a money maker for them. But, if Princess can serve really good food in the MDR, why can't NCL? And if they did, why would anyone pay for speciality dining? LOL, maybe we need to send in Robert Irvine (Restaurant: Impossible) Somehow or another, the emphasis on so many specialty dining venues, and good food in the MDR seem to be in conflict.

[LizG12]

I've been on other ships (NCL and other) that had complementary MDR and specialty restaurants. Breakaway is the first time I felt like they were 'skimping' on the MDR to ease people toward the specialty restaurants. The funny thing (or not) is that I don't think the specialty restaurants could handle all the passengers if no one ate in the MDR anymore.