Breakaway - March 2nd - Deluxe Owners Suite review

[Tralfie]

During our day in Nassau, I went on a catamaran and snorkeled, but man, I really kinda wish I'd gone to Atlantis. Not that I didn't have a great time, because I did... but I'm SUCH a big fan of water parks (I love Disney's Typhoon lagoon), and this sounds right up my alley. But when I take the Gem in September (on this same itinerary), I"ll definitely do Atlantis.

 

I loved Teppanyaki. It was such a fantastic show, and the food was fantastic. You KNOW food is good when I eat the vegetable course. I never eat my veggies, but these were fantastic! And I was so glad Ann was able to make it!

 

Not a day goes by that I haven't thought about this trip and all the great experiences I had during that week. The fact that I got to share so much time with the two of you was a real highlight. You are fantastic people, so warm and welcoming. I love reading your review and reliving things through it!

 

Richard/Tralfie

[Cruiser Who Knows Nothing]

Excellent review. Thank you for sharing. Can't wait for the next installment. :)

 

 

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[socrdad]

Good to hear you enjoyed your Nassau day. The lazy river sounds like my kind of day :)

Looking forward to more of your review.

Fantastic pictures once again !

 

 

 

Robin

Norwegian Breakaway July 2014

Carnival Miracle 2010

Carnival Legend 2006

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

 

Robin, Thanks for following along with the review. It is fun to write about it and relive the cruise for weeks after the trip. As much fun as Atlantis was, if I was to sail the Breakaway again it would be to Bermuda. Bermuda sounds like such an amazing place! I am sure you are going to have a fantastic trip there in July, ENJOY!!!!!!

[meatball_nyc]

Thank you, we plan on really enjoying what I think will be my new favorite ship and "island" Bermuda. I haven't been there in over 25 years, so it will be like seeing her for the 1st time this summer :)

 

Happy Sailing!!

 

 

Robin

Norwegian Breakaway July 2014

Carnival Miracle 2010

Carnival Legend 2006

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

[socrdad]

During our day in Nassau, I went on a catamaran and snorkeled, but man, I really kinda wish I'd gone to Atlantis. Not that I didn't have a great time, because I did... but I'm SUCH a big fan of water parks (I love Disney's Typhoon lagoon), and this sounds right up my alley. But when I take the Gem in September (on this same itinerary), I"ll definitely do Atlantis.

 

I loved Teppanyaki. It was such a fantastic show, and the food was fantastic. You KNOW food is good when I eat the vegetable course. I never eat my veggies, but these were fantastic! And I was so glad Ann was able to make it!

 

Not a day goes by that I haven't thought about this trip and all the great experiences I had during that week. The fact that I got to share so much time with the two of you was a real highlight. You are fantastic people, so warm and welcoming. I love reading your review and reliving things through it!

 

Richard/Tralfie

 

 

Richard, If you liked Typhoon Lagoon I am sure you will like the Atlantis waterpark. It has been over 10 years since I have been to Typhoon Lagoon but I liked the Atlantis waterpark a lot more. I am sure your trip on the Gem is going to be a blast. Are you going on your own again this cruise or were you able to talk any of your roommates into going?

 

I hope you do try a local teppan grill restaurant. They are a lot of fun and usually very reasonably priced. As I mentioned, Teppanyaki in my mind is only an average restaurant of this type. Hopefully you have a great one near you and you will have a new favorite restaurant:).

 

Both Ann and I had a blast spending time with you. We wish you the best in all you do. It is great that you now have the cruising bug and will be cruising again in September. We will keep an eye out and see if there is ever a time we can get together on another ship.

[PathfinderEss]

Enjoying your review.

[socrdad]

Excellent review. Thank you for sharing. Can't wait for the next installment. :)

 

 

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Cruiser, Thanks for following along with the review, glad you enjoy it :)

[socrdad]

Enjoying your review.

 

Melodie, Thanks for reading along. I hope someday I can catch up to you and your 51 cruises:D. What has been your favorite cruise?

[BritChickBN1]

still loving this review. You have ALMOST convinced me to head to Atlantis and the lazy river this summer.

I'm glad everyone was ok during the storm. We were on the Jewel during hurricane Sandy and there were a few moments I wondered if we were going to make it..:eek:

[BuffetPantsPls]

What camera / lens are you using btw?

 

it looks like a 55-250 lens for some of those wide shots + close up of the lizard.

[socrdad]

still loving this review. You have ALMOST convinced me to head to Atlantis and the lazy river this summer.

I'm glad everyone was ok during the storm. We were on the Jewel during hurricane Sandy and there were a few moments I wondered if we were going to make it..:eek:

 

Ginger, Glad you are still following along with the review. I've almost convinced myself to go to Atlantis again this summer.........;). I hope you are able to make it, it was a blast and I certainly was not there long enough to fully enjoy it. I wish my wife would have been able to partake in the water fun and enjoyed it more. She still had a good time, I just think she would have had a lot more fun if she could have gone in the water.

 

I could not imagine what it must have been like on the Jewel during hurricane Sandy. I am sure you have a memory that will last forever.............at least it sounds like you came out of it unscathed:). I hope it has not scared you away from cruising again in the future:D.

[socrdad]

What camera / lens are you using btw?

 

it looks like a 55-250 lens for some of those wide shots + close up of the lizard.

 

BuffetPantsPls, I shot this with a Nikon D7100 with a 55-300 lens for most of my pictures. Some of the distance shots I used a 18-55 lens. It is a newer camera that I have had for the last 6 months and I love it! Thanks for following along:).

[RoutemanDan]

Great review and your photos are fantastic.

[socrdad]

Great review and your photos are fantastic.

 

Thanks Dan, I appreciate you following along and leaving a comment:).

[cruiseclues]

Really nice photos and fine review. :):):):)

[socrdad]

Really nice photos and fine review. :):):):)

 

cruiseclues, Thanks, I appreciate the comments.:)

[socrdad]

Well again work seems to be getting in the way of me finishing this review. I think I can get another day in.............so onward we go.

 

Day 6.....,.

We slept in a bit and decided we would have an early lunch in the Haven restaurant. My DW was feeling a little queasy but thought she would try to eat some food. My DW ordered the french dip and I ordered the steak. When our food arrived the smell of the french dip did not go over with my DW very well and she did not eat any of it. I had the steak and also ate her french dip. After lunch we headed back to the room so my DW could lay down.

 

I thought this would be a good time to hit the water slides and the ropes course. I was able to get my wedding ring off on day 4 and I left it off as I thought I may not be able to get it off again. I headed out to the water slides and low and behold they were closed as it just rained........bummer, I will try it again later. I went back to the room to change and head to the casino. I tried my luck at the blackjack tournament but the gambling gods were against me. I played some regular blackjack for a while then went back out and checked on the slides...........they were open again. So back to the room again to change and get my towel and head out to give it another go. I made it to the outside door on deck 16 and everyone was running inside............there was a torrential downpour. It was really coming down!! No go on the slides again:mad:. I was really starting to think there was a higher being that did not want me to go on the slides or rope course for some reason. Back to the room to change again. My DW was feeling better and decided she would try to make it to the spa to relax for a bit.

 

Back to the casino for me and some more blackjack. The tables were good to me and I really did not want to leave.........but the slides were calling me again. I made another trip outside to make sure they were open and they were back in operation. Back to the room to change and get my towel and head out to the slides again. I found a chair for my towel and started heading up the stairs to the big slides. I made it to the last flight of stairs and guess what........it started raining again and they sent everyone back down as the slides were closing again. This was now the 4th time that I attempted to get on the slides and I decided it was not meant to be for me to get on the slides or ropes course so I gave up after that.

 

Back to the room to change again and my DW was there and she was not feeling well again. The water in the spa Jacuzzi was splashing over the sides of the pool and the motion of the water was making her sick. We decided to head to the lower levels and middle of the ship to hopefully cut down on some of the movement. It just happens to be right where the casino is located so we both sat down and played some blackjack a bit. We ran into Richard/Tralfie again and visited with him for a little while. We felt really bad that we forgot to wish him a Happy Birthday as this was his birthday cruise and today was his big day!

 

We had reservations for the early and late show of Rock of Ages (did I mention that we really liked this show...lol) and it was time to get ready. My DW was not sure if she was going to be feeling well enough to make the show or not. I wanted to sit in the front row again so I headed down about an hour early to get in line. I ended up in the center front row again and a few minutes before the show started my DW made it. We watched the show and it was just as good the 2nd time as it was the 1st. My DW even caught the thong underwear that were thrown into the audience:D. After each of the shows some of the cast members come out to the lobby for pictures. I thought it was very nice of them to do this and we were able to get pictures with 8 of the cast members.

 

 

We decided we would not go to the 2nd show that night as my DW thought that the cast members would think we were stalking them or think that I was a dirty old man.....lol. I just really admire the talent and courage of the performers as being in a show like this is one thing I would never be able to do. I was definitely at the back of the line when this type of talent was given out.

 

We did not make dinner reservations as we figured we were going to be attending both Rock of Ages shows. We were not really hungry but decided we should try to eat something. We decided to head to Cagney's and see if we could get in. They were booked with about an hour wait so we decided to head over to Moderno as it is right next door. We were seated immediately and it was not long before all the meat skewers started arriving. The meat was good but I really like Cagney's a lot better. It was good to give Moderno a try. We were not really that hungry to begin with so it was not a big deal that it was not a favorite place of ours to eat.

 

We took a few more portrait pictures and then headed back to the room as my DW was still not feeling the greatest. A good day that could have been a lot better if I would have been able to make it on the water slides or ropes course. Just another reason to book a cruise on the Breakaway or Getaway in the future:D.

[socrdad]

I thought I would post a few pictures of the towel animals that we had in our room. The towel animals were a little bit of a disappointment as we wanted to keep all of the animals together throughout the cruise but our first animal was taken the next day. We also had three nights that we did not get an animal. One of the nights was our fault as we forgot to turn our room light from "do not disturb" to "make up room". Our room steward told us they are not allowed to enter a room with a "do not disturb" light on.

 

 

 

 

 

The towel animals are always a favorite of ours!!!!:D:D

[dexddd]

I don't think the towel animals were his strong point. I watched one night as were were talking and he took the prior night animal and repositioned it into another, similar animal. We really enjoyed talking to Cecillio and the other crew.

 

We told Fernando he had to show us a trick since we missed GSC. He said he didn't know any tricks. I tracked him down later in the week and we said we were waiting for a trick so we taught him one we learned on a prior trip. Fernando said to say hello to Mr and Mrs "D". He wasn't our butler but he came around quite a bit to talk.

 

Our DD and I went to a demo on one of the ships and got a dvd that shows how to make many of the animals. When we were on the trip I wished we had taken that with so our DD could have whipped one up to put out in the room to surprise them.

 

While we really liked the room overall, the noise from the wall in the one corner was an issue at times. Not that it was the neighbors being loud, just a bad design where I could hear every word when sitting in the living room at times.

 

The side door on the balcony was also a big PITA. Even with light winds in port, you had to turn a lock and then the handle to go to the side. The door was then a big sail and you had to hold onto it with two hands and then lock it with the turn lock (otherwise it would just fly open - we were shown this on the first day). It really is a safety hazard and not sure why they added it as it doesn't block any wind on the side.

[socrdad]

I don't think the towel animals were his strong point. I watched one night as were were talking and he took the prior night animal and repositioned it into another, similar animal. We really enjoyed talking to Cecillio and the other crew.

 

We told Fernando he had to show us a trick since we missed GSC. He said he didn't know any tricks. I tracked him down later in the week and we said we were waiting for a trick so we taught him one we learned on a prior trip. Fernando said to say hello to Mr and Mrs "D". He wasn't our butler but he came around quite a bit to talk.

 

Our DD and I went to a demo on one of the ships and got a dvd that shows how to make many of the animals. When we were on the trip I wished we had taken that with so our DD could have whipped one up to put out in the room to surprise them.

 

While we really liked the room overall, the noise from the wall in the one corner was an issue at times. Not that it was the neighbors being loud, just a bad design where I could hear every word when sitting in the living room at times.

 

The side door on the balcony was also a big PITA. Even with light winds in port, you had to turn a lock and then the handle to go to the side. The door was then a big sail and you had to hold onto it with two hands and then lock it with the turn lock (otherwise it would just fly open - we were shown this on the first day). It really is a safety hazard and not sure why they added it as it doesn't block any wind on the side.

 

 

dexddd,

We enjoyed all of the Haven staff as well, everyone was so nice. Fernando was one of the happiest people we have ever encountered on an NCL cruise. He always had a big smile on his face and was always cheerful. He was not always the easiest to understand but was a pleasure to talk to. I certainly hope we have the pleasure of having him as our butler on a future cruise.

 

I think I am going to have to track down a dvd or a book to find out how to make the towel animals. It would be a riot to have all the towels in the cabin decorated into animals the first time the cabin steward comes into the room:D.

 

We did have a few issues with the thin removable wall between our room and the Owners suite as well. As you said it is a bad design. I am not sure what else they would be able to use if they still want to be able to remove the barrier between the rooms for people that want to rent them both and create a monster suite.

 

I am glad the balcony door was added right after our cruise and we did not have to deal with it:). As you say it looks like it is useless and it really does not seem to do anything. The only thing I can think of is it may somehow cut down on the wind in the front area so they would not have to tie the furniture down when sailing. Did they still have all the furniture tied up when you were sailing as they did on our trip?

 

I hope you had a fantastic cruise!!

[tymike]

Hi all! I stayed in that exact suite last July and am curious about the new side door onto the balcony. Where is it...and why do you think they added it? As I remember, we could access the balcony from the bedroom and the living room.

 

Also...we too were a little let down about the look of the removable wall as well as the lack of soundproofing. It felt like a conference room in a hotel! That was absolutely the only issue we had in that awesome room though!

 

Thank you for this terrific review. The pics help me relive that great week!:)

[BritChickBN1]

 

I could not imagine what it must have been like on the Jewel during hurricane Sandy. I am sure you have a memory that will last forever.............at least it sounds like you came out of it unscathed:). I hope it has not scared you away from cruising again in the future:D.

 

Never! I'm looking forward to my next cruise on the Gem in about 55 days. :D:D

[blueline7]

We read the dinner at the show was not the greatest so we decided to eat at a specialty restaurant and skip the dinner at the show.

 

Many thanks for such a detailed and helpful review! It is really appreciated!

 

Your idea of arranging your own dinner before the show seems like a good one. Can you explain a little bit about the logistics; i.e. if it is a dinner/show, how does one show up just in time for the show, and skip the dinner? Or do you mean you ate before hand and just told the waiter at the show that you don't want dinner?

[Tralfie]

It took me a couple tries to get on the slides, too! The rain would always come at EXACTLY the wrong time. When I finally did, I was glad... the freefall slides were incredible. Just a weird, terrifying sensation to have the bottom drop out from under you! Also kinda weird when they close you in and then lock it! I did each of the freefall's twice, and then one or two of the other slides. I didn't really spend long on them... I just wanted to say that I'd done them! I never actually got on the ropes course... honestly, it kinda terrified me!

 

Richard/Tralfie

[socrdad]

Hi all! I stayed in that exact suite last July and am curious about the new side door onto the balcony. Where is it...and why do you think they added it? As I remember, we could access the balcony from the bedroom and the living room.

 

Also...we too were a little let down about the look of the removable wall as well as the lack of soundproofing. It felt like a conference room in a hotel! That was absolutely the only issue we had in that awesome room though!

 

Thank you for this terrific review. The pics help me relive that great week!:)

 

Tymike,

Glad you had a great time in the suite, I can't imagine someone having a bad time in it. The side door onto the balcony that you mention is actually on the balcony and splits the balcony into two areas. The divider is just to the right of the bedroom door to the balcony. I have not seen a picture of it on the Breakaway yet but here is a picture that you can partially see the location on the Getaway.

This picture was taken by AttilaTheFun so I hope I am not violating some cc rules by posting his picture, sorry if I am. With the divider closed there is no way to get on the side of the balcony from the room, you need to go thru the divider to get there. It baffles me as to why they put it there and not on the side of the balcony to block the wind so the side balcony could be used while sailing. I guess they would have a problem getting a divider strong enough to hold up to the wind at the front of the ship. Dexddd was told it had something to do with keeping the furniture from going over to the side or over the side, he could not quite understand Cecillio when he was explaining it to him.

 

Thanks for reading along, I am glad you are enjoying it. It certainly has been a lot of fun reliving the cruise while I am writing about it:D.