Question about the current reviews of the Breakaway / Getaway class

[dans0202]

I am just off my second Christmas Caribbean cruise on the Epic and while it was not great it was still good enough for me to be considering a third Xmas Caribbean cruise. I was thinking about the Getaway next Christmas. The plus for me is that it is a change from the Epic. The negative is that it is the same itinerary I have taken the last two times at Christmas and that it is $500 more per person over the Epic at the same time (I have 4 people and would book 2 cabins).

 

I am shocked to see how negative the comments are regarding the Breakaway which has a review rating in the low 60’s on CC vs. low 70’s for Epic and high 80’s for the Allure/Oasis which I have also cruised a few Christmas’s ago.

 

My question is why are the reviews so negative. My first thought is that the Breakaway itinerary which many feel is very weak is setting people off on a negative vibe and that from there it does not take much to have a large portion of the cruisers find fault in many things. Any thoughts on why the reviews are coming in so poor relative to the other large, family friendly ships?

 

I am starting to think if I am making the jump from $1500 on the Epic to $2000 on the Getaway for Christmas 2014 that maybe I should go to $2250 and return to the Allure or Oasis.

 

Also how dumb was it of me to not book my next cruise last week while on the Epic. Just curious how much money / on board credit I cost myself given I would need to book 2 balcony cabins.

 

Thanks

Dan

[SissasMomE]

I am just off my second Christmas Caribbean cruise on the Epic and while it was not great it was still good enough for me to be considering a third Xmas Caribbean cruise. I was thinking about the Getaway next Christmas. The plus for me is that it is a change from the Epic. The negative is that it is the same itinerary I have taken the last two times at Christmas and that it is $500 more per person over the Epic at the same time (I have 4 people and would book 2 cabins).

 

I am shocked to see how negative the comments are regarding the Breakaway which has a review rating in the low 60’s on CC vs. low 70’s for Epic and high 80’s for the Allure/Oasis which I have also cruised a few Christmas’s ago.

 

My question is why are the reviews so negative. My first thought is that the Breakaway itinerary which many feel is very weak is setting people off on a negative vibe and that from there it does not take much to have a large portion of the cruisers find fault in many things. Any thoughts on why the reviews are coming in so poor relative to the other large, family friendly ships?

 

I am starting to think if I am making the jump from $1500 on the Epic to $2000 on the Getaway for Christmas 2014 that maybe I should go to $2250 and return to the Allure or Oasis.

 

Also how dumb was it of me to not book my next cruise last week while on the Epic. Just curious how much money / on board credit I cost myself given I would need to book 2 balcony cabins.

 

Thanks

Dan

 

We are sailing the Getaway in April, and I'm really not too concerned. It may be a sister ship to Breakaway, but it's going to be totally different (shows, entertainment, etc) ... and leaving from Florida, which helps. The sunshine always makes things better ;) We just booked Oasis for next February, and I'm really looking forward to that one. Also, we have sailed the Epic twice, and I wouldn't hesitate to book that again either.

 

Book now and lock in your rate and then wait for the reviews. I think any time you are sailing from the NE in the winter, it's going to get less than stellar reviews, so I'm not so sure you should really compare Breakaway to Getaway.

[SissasMomE]

Also, for what it's worth - I'd go with a Western Itin during the winter. Florida and the Bahamas can be cold December - February .... you will have better weather with the western itinerary over Christmas. Just my opinion ....

[bingo3]

I too have been reading the reviews and am somewhat discouraged. While I take a lot with a grain of salt, there's a lot of negative and a lot of repeat stuff. There's also some good reviews, so is not bad for all. May depend on staff encountered, numbers on ship, I don't know. Haven reviews are definitely better. I hope they get it together before I sail....

 

I have always read reviews prior to cruises, and even the small Carnival Fantasy did not have so many poor reviews. Nor did RCCL Freedom of the Seas, a comparably sized ship to the Breakaway. Sounds like one problem is lack of sufficient staff. There may be enough for the minimum passengers, but when the ship is at/above normal capacity, that same number is not going to be enough. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Thus, poor customer service, lack of service, overworked and stressed staff, etc. I guess it's stupid to even think it, but maybe they should stop filling to capacity since they don't seem to have the staff or the room in public areas for those numbers

 

Smoke is a recurring issue, seen in many reviews. I'll be staying far away from the casino and anything around it if not corrected somehow before May!

 

Thankfully, there are many more cruise options out there, with better reviews.

We sailed to Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Maarten in January 2013 and it was quite warm, hot actually! Was nice, that was Freedom of the Seas, great ship!! never felt crowded, staff great, food great, NO SMOKE & balconies a good size. LOVE the inside promenade decks. And not so many upcharge restaurants that there is little left to serve in the "free" mainstream dining arenas! ;)

[DrNora]

I have been following the reviews both here and on other sites. The reviews are much more negative when the weather is bad..and some of the reviewers actually seem shocked that it is COLD in NY in December!

Once you have the cruddy weather, and then get to (IMHO) the nothing Port Canaveral..a generalized crankiness may have set in. When one is edgy- after all, a lot of money was spent for the vacation- a slight from a crew member or a long wait for dinner can truly be magnified. And when a review is written as soon as one departs the ship and throws the clothes in the washer, it is usually going to be either glowing or scathing...

 

Case in point- we had an amazing trip on Pearl a while back, HOWEVER- on one of the last evenings I was treated like crap at the casino. There were a whole bunch of CAS clients and, because of their "VIP" status, they were allowed to play more than one hand of blackjack at a time. I asked if I could play and was rudely escorted away from the tables by the hostess who informed me that I was not the right type of person to play at the tables..that I was "obviously not able to afford" the game. I was PISSED and SAD and EMBARRASSED...I felt like the trip had been ruined! The conversations were much longer than this, and I almost had a cigarette put out on my hand by an obnoxious player who had 3 spaces on the table.

 

Had I written a review right when we came home, it would have been totally colored by this experience. Even though the HD hunted me down and apologized " we did not realize that you were a Courtyard guest..blah blah" , I felt horrid. The hostess called and apologized..you know the drill. Free dinner at Cagney's, champagne and strawberries...

 

When i came on to CC after the trip, another poster had written about a very similar experience on the SAME CRUISE!!! Same night and interaction with the same obnoxious hostess!!

ANYWAY- that CC member related the story and I thought about it. Then i looked thru all our pictures- we had a BLAST!!! The kids had an amazing time, the DH and I had a wonderful trip, the Courtyard was awesome and relaxing...somehow reading about her "ruined trip and never EVER NCL again", I realized that while upsetting, one bad night in the casino did not make the vacation a bad one. Had I written a review right when we returned...it would not have been pretty!

 

SO...I take all things in to consideration when reading these reviews. I have read some BAD RCL big ship reviews as well...but they did not keep me off!!

 

Looking forward to proving the negative reviews wrong this summer- it hs been a while since we cruised NCL!!

 

Nora

Edited January 8, 2014 by DrNora

[SissasMomE]

There were a whole bunch of CAS clients and, because of their "VIP" status, they were allowed to play more than one hand of blackjack at a time. I asked if I could play and was rudely escorted away from the tables by the hostess who informed me that I was not the right type of person to play at the tables..that I was "obviously not able to afford" the game. I was PISSED and SAD and EMBARRASSED...I felt like the trip had been ruined! The conversations were much longer than this, and I almost had a cigarette put out on my hand by an obnoxious player who had 3 spaces on the table.

 

Nora

 

Oh my gosh - she actually said that to you?!! Wow .... I'm sorry. That's just ... wow.

[mizLORInj]

I find it best to try the ships (and cruiselines) out for myself. If I listened to all the negatives, I probably wouldn't cruise!

Breakaway was fabulous. Not perfect, from staff issues to little annoyances to hearing the toilets flush in all the cabins around us (guess the walls have become thinner); I will go on it again though. So much to see and do on a ship that large.

I do plan to see what Allure or Oasis are like sometime too.

ENJOY--whichever you choose.

Edited January 8, 2014 by mizlorinj

[champagne123]

I have been somewhat confused on all of the recent poor reviews of late also. We had a fabulous time and loved the Breakaway. I cannot even think of one thing to complain about....nothing. :o

[SliceOfLife]

Also how dumb was it of me to not book my next cruise last week while on the Epic. Just curious how much money / on board credit I cost myself given I would need to book 2 balcony cabins.

 

Thanks

Dan

 

From what I've read on CC you are not able to book a future cruise while on a cruise. You can buy future cruise credits while onboard.

 

I wouldn't worry about the negative reviews. A lot of people don't seem to like the bigger ships. I've sailed on the Epic and Breakaway and loved both cruises. I've booked a cruise on the Getaway for October. Always take negative reviews with a grain of salt.

[weltek]

I have never sailed the two weeks of Christmas and New Years, nor have a cruised during prime spring break season. I purposely avoid that due to cost and crowds.

 

But I do follow the reviews during this time, and believe some ships are laid out better to handle those crowds. It seems Breakaway/Getaway are not particularly built well to handle them. When the cost puts people in a competitive space with the most high-profile ships in the industry, the expectations are higher and thus reviewers will be pickier (and rightfully so, IMHO).

 

I'm very much looking forward to our early Dec., 2014 sailing on the Getaway, but would've thought twice about sailing her during the Christmas-New Years span.

[milanojosh]

We just had a wonderful cruise on the Breakaway despite the holiday crowds and unpredictable winter weather. I think it's almost (ALMOST) always what you make of it. So get on board and enjoy!

[DCP]

We have found that the time you sail may have a bearing on how the cruise is too. We love going between the Thanksgiving break and the Christmas one - no big crowds, and everyone seems to be in good spirits (both passengers and crew) What is funny, is that we went to Key West after our cruise out of Miami for a few days afterwards, and even there the business owners told us that when we were there was the BEST time to be there - their actually slowest time of the year tourist wise. I make high end wedding cakes for a living, so it works perfectly for us, that is my slow time of year! (and I agree that a lot of the cruise experience is your attitude.)

[DGP1111]

. . . Always take negative reviews with a grain of salt.

 

For two NCL ships, there has recently been quite a bit of sodium

 

I personally disagree with one of those, and rather easily agree with the other.

 

.

[Winston Wolf]

The recent review from CC member eess was ....... wow. Not sure what to say there.

[LizG12]

Smoke is a recurring issue, seen in many reviews. I'll be staying far away from the casino and anything around it if not corrected somehow before May!

 

I was concerned about the smoke too. I didn't find it as bad as the reviews made it seem. The casino is midship deck 7, OSheehan's is near the casino, but I didn't notice any smoke when I was in OSheehan's (although I didn't go at dinner time, so evenings might be different). Beause of the where the stairs/elevators are, going up to 8, or down to 6 is easy enough to avoid walking through the casino itself.

[staceyeileen]

The recent review from CC member eess was ....... wow. Not sure what to say there.

 

Yeah.... can you imagine charging for bottled water AND gratuities? UNACCEPTABLE.

[LizG12]

The recent review from CC member eess was ....... wow. Not sure what to say there.

 

I just started reading that review (I only got about halfway before I stopped).

 

I was on the same ship & date as eess was. But it sure wasn't the same cruise. (fwiw, I don't usually drink either, and anyplace I go, land or sea, getting a virgin cocktail is a PITA. It's not a cruise-bar thing. )

Edited January 14, 2014 by LizG12

[antsnanny]

I have never sailed the two weeks of Christmas and New Years, nor have a cruised during prime spring break season. I purposely avoid that due to cost and crowds.

 

But I do follow the reviews during this time, and believe some ships are laid out better to handle those crowds. It seems Breakaway/Getaway are not particularly built well to handle them. When the cost puts people in a competitive space with the most high-profile ships in the industry, the expectations are higher and thus reviewers will be pickier (and rightfully so, IMHO).

 

I'm very much looking forward to our early Dec., 2014 sailing on the Getaway, but would've thought twice about sailing her during the Christmas-New Years span.

 

I totally agree, the reviews for the holiday cruises are never that good. I just sailed on the Breakaway in Oct. and going again in Feb.. I didn't have much to complain about, perhaps the hallways being a little narrow, yes I smelled like smoke around the casino but I've experienced worse on ships. I found the crew to be very good, my cabin was always clean, my food was good and we all had a blast.

I feel like the OP, I judge a ship for myself. We booked the Celebrity Summit in Sept. for a 14 day to Canada. I have Sailed on the Summit before and love the cruise line but after booking I went online to read the reviews. YIKES, the thread I was reading totally trashed the ship, the food and the crew. I was ready to cancel until I decided to check again another day and that thread gave it rave reviews. I guess I wont know until Sept when I sail on her what my opinion will be but as the OP pointed out if we believe all the bad reviews we read we wouldn't cruise. I have never had a bad cruise, some with a few bumps in the road (or should I say sea) but nothing compared to what I read about on these boards.

Good luck choosing.

[cruiseclues]

I can't imagine anyone would be happy after being treated as you were in the Casino.

[MNKessler]

I have been following the reviews both here and on other sites. The reviews are much more negative when the weather is bad..and some of the reviewers actually seem shocked that it is COLD in NY in December!

Once you have the cruddy weather, and then get to (IMHO) the nothing Port Canaveral..a generalized crankiness may have set in. When one is edgy- after all, a lot of money was spent for the vacation- a slight from a crew member or a long wait for dinner can truly be magnified. And when a review is written as soon as one departs the ship and throws the clothes in the washer, it is usually going to be either glowing or scathing...

 

Case in point- we had an amazing trip on Pearl a while back, HOWEVER- on one of the last evenings I was treated like crap at the casino. There were a whole bunch of CAS clients and, because of their "VIP" status, they were allowed to play more than one hand of blackjack at a time. I asked if I could play and was rudely escorted away from the tables by the hostess who informed me that I was not the right type of person to play at the tables..that I was "obviously not able to afford" the game. I was PISSED and SAD and EMBARRASSED...I felt like the trip had been ruined! The conversations were much longer than this, and I almost had a cigarette put out on my hand by an obnoxious player who had 3 spaces on the table.

 

Had I written a review right when we came home, it would have been totally colored by this experience. Even though the HD hunted me down and apologized " we did not realize that you were a Courtyard guest..blah blah" , I felt horrid. The hostess called and apologized..you know the drill. Free dinner at Cagney's, champagne and strawberries...

 

When i came on to CC after the trip, another poster had written about a very similar experience on the SAME CRUISE!!! Same night and interaction with the same obnoxious hostess!!

ANYWAY- that CC member related the story and I thought about it. Then i looked thru all our pictures- we had a BLAST!!! The kids had an amazing time, the DH and I had a wonderful trip, the Courtyard was awesome and relaxing...somehow reading about her "ruined trip and never EVER NCL again", I realized that while upsetting, one bad night in the casino did not make the vacation a bad one. Had I written a review right when we returned...it would not have been pretty!

 

SO...I take all things in to consideration when reading these reviews. I have read some BAD RCL big ship reviews as well...but they did not keep me off!!

 

Looking forward to proving the negative reviews wrong this summer- it hs been a while since we cruised NCL!!

 

Nora

 

I agree with DrNora tremendously. Having cruised for nearly 15 years on a variety of cruise lines - and having truly loved every cruise - I think the best advice about reviews I ever read is to take them with a huge bucket of salt. Some reviews I've read have been very negative, but instead of giving an overview of the cruise I'm reading 3 paragraphs about one meal where the steak was over-cooked and it took 15 minutes to get a new one and by then my husband had finished his meal so it was like I was eating alone and he was bored and it was very awkward, etc.

 

I can tell you what did not go perfectly on each cruise I've taken. But my advice and my approach is you will enjoy every cruise you take if you make the cruise enjoyable... and let the glitches and problems go. Don't stay focused on them - you're on vacation! Very rarely are there big problems every day of a cruise that will truly ruin an entire cruise. So focus on what is fun, interesting, new, entertaining, delicious, beautiful and fantastic and your cruise will be a great experience.

 

Michael

Edited February 5, 2014 by MNKessler

[Kdiamond55]

I just started reading that review (I only got about halfway before I stopped).

 

I was on the same ship & date as eess was. But it sure wasn't the same cruise. (fwiw, I don't usually drink either, and anyplace I go, land or sea, getting a virgin cocktail is a PITA. It's not a cruise-bar thing. )

 

Was that the review about the lack of green apples? Lol Sometimes I wonder if some of these ridiculous reviews aren't planted by other cruise lines. Crazy people.

 

I agree with the others, people are always going to complain, and since the Breakaway doesn't have many months of sailing yet, there isn't a huge sample. Also, I do agree that you're not going to see great reviews sailing NE in winter. I think as time goes by it will get better and better as the kinks are worked out.