Breakaway May 24-31

[LindaLa]

We just returned from a week long cruise on The Breakaway. Just a few thoughts . . . It is a beautiful ship. I, like many others, were a little worried about some of the negative comments over the last few months. We had a very nice time, even though our time in Bermuda was not the best due to inclement weather. We were in a balcony on the 14th deck. We did hear some noise (sounded like running and moving furniture) from time to time, but not enough to be disturbing. Our cabin was clean and our steward did a nice job throughout the week. There was plenty of storage.

 

We thought the food was very good to excellent. We dined in either Savor or Taste every evening except for one dinner in Ocean Blue and one in Le Bistro. We only ate at the Garden Buffet for one breakfast and one lunch. The food was ok there. We also did the buffet breakfast for breakfast and lunch at Moderna. Very good. Burgers at the Uptown Grill were great but the wait was 45 mins. one day and 25 mins. another. The salads at the Uptown Grill were delicious. Nice and fresh. We also had a lunch at O'Sheehan's on our last day. It was also good. We had the UBP which worked out very well for us. Our favorite bar was Shakers. Great martinis! Good service too.

 

We did not like the pool area at all. It was just too crowded. We did not have children with us but our neighbor who did, did not like having the kid's pool next to the adult pool. The pool is too small for the number of guests. All the other activities (water slides, rock climbing wall, etc.) are also squeezed in to the same area. Finding a chair was difficult on all sea days. Luckily we had a balcony to retreat to.

 

We purchased the weekly spa pass so when we wanted to go somewhere peaceful and quiet, we went there. It was worth every penny for us. I also had a wonderful massage and a facial. Deck 8 also had some very comfortable chairs and we were able to find a quiet comfortable place to relax on that deck. Note that one side of Deck 8 allows smoking. I can't remember what side though.

 

Only went to the Casino once. It was very smoky. Other posters commented that the smoky smell permeated to both Decks 6 and 8. That is correct. You could smell the smoke on both those decks close to the casino.

 

Went to Rock of Ages. The performers were very talented. We just didn't like the play too much (lack of story). Glad we didn't pay to see it on Broadway. We loved the Dueling Pianos. Very talented group. They performed in Headliners on 3 different nights. We didn't get a chance to see Second City. Our schedules didn't allow it but we had seen them a few other times on the Dawn.

 

The ship could use a few more TV channels. Since the weather in Bermuda was not ideal, we were in our cabin a little more than usual. Other than a couple of sports channels, NCL channels and a few news channels, there was one channel with favorite TV shows and one with Favorite Movies. These were repeated throughout the cruise.

 

The muster drill was also a joke. I know that they are required to have them, but it started 20 minutes late and no one pays any attention. If there was an emergency, it would be a huge problem. I don't know how you resolve this, but it seems to get worse every time I go on a cruise. We actually left port for the sail away while we were at our drill.

 

Embarkation was quick and easy. We arrived at the cruise terminal around 10:30am. They started boarding the ship around 11:15am. We were on the ship and seated at lunch at Noon. Disembarkation on the other hand was chaotic. They did not have enough people providing direction. There were lines everywhere and lines going nowhere!

 

Fireworks on Friday night were great. There was a possibility that they would not be able to shoot them off due to rain, but they were able to. Very nice!

 

This was our 6th cruise with NCL. We have also cruised on Celebrity and Carnival. We prefer the freestyle concept. We like eating when we are hungry and don't feel like getting "dressed up" every night of the week. Staff was friendly and accommodating. They work very hard. We had a very nice time but I don't know if I would go back on the Breakaway. It just seems a little too large for us.

[Granny DI]

I was surprised by the pool size on my first cruise on the Epic...small crowded etc...so I marched myself down to the spa and bought a spa pass. I spent the remaining sea days in a lounger watching the wake...alone much of the time.

[bangzoom6877]

Thank you for your review! DH and I plan to get the spa pass too. We love relaxing in the thermal suite on a cruise while the kids are at the kids club during the day for a little while.

 

Did you buy the spa pass once you boarded the ship, or did you buy it in the terminal before boarding?

 

Your neighbors who had children with them...did they happen to mention anything about the kids club, like if their kids were turned away because it was filled to capacity?

[1stTimeRoyal]

How was Ocean Blue? Did you make all of your dining reservations pre-cruise or once on board?

[staceyv64]

Did you spend any time at Spice/H2O?

 

I am definitely doing the spa pass too, just in case. :D

[LindaLa]

We bought our spa passes once we boarded the ship. They told me they limited the number to 120. They did offer a pass for $45 per day during the week while we were in port so they must not have sold out. I did not speak with my neighbor about the kid's program. There were not too many children on board since there is still school going on.

 

We liked Ocean Blue. It was very good. We had some very good seafood dishes at Savor and Taste too. Not sure if it was worth the extra $$$. We went there on Sunday night. It wasn't too crowded. We had made our reservations prior to boarding. We also booked Le Bistro prior to our cruise.

 

We went to Spice H2O on two sea days. Both days were crowded. We could only find single chairs. That changed later in the afternoon. It started to clear out around 4.

[bangzoom6877]

What type of food was there at the lunch buffet at Moderno? Was it badly crowded? It would be nice to go there and grab some lunch, and eat out on the waterfront.

[LindaLa]

The Moderna was not crowded for breakfast or lunch. For breakfast they had the basics - eggs, pancakes, French toast, oatmeal, bacon, sausage, etc. There was also bagels, pastries, smoked salmon, coffee tea, juices,etc. There was something for everyone. It is much more quiet than the Garden Cafe. For lunch, the buffet was made of mostly German foods. There was veal schnitzel, sauerbrauten, red cabbage, bread pudding, German salads and soups. We all found something we liked. Desserts were delicious. No problem finding seating. I preferred this over the Garden Cafe for atmosphere and quiet.

[bangzoom6877]

The Moderna was not crowded for breakfast or lunch. For breakfast they had the basics - eggs, pancakes, French toast, oatmeal, bacon, sausage, etc. There was also bagels, pastries, smoked salmon, coffee tea, juices,etc. There was something for everyone. It is much more quiet than the Garden Cafe. For lunch, the buffet was made of mostly German foods. There was veal schnitzel, sauerbrauten, red cabbage, bread pudding, German salads and soups. We all found something we liked. Desserts were delicious. No problem finding seating. I preferred this over the Garden Cafe for atmosphere and quiet.

 

Sounds like a go-to place for us! And we love german food! :)

[npater]

Ocean blue take out window on the waterfront was very good. We had calamari, wasn't rubbery, so good we ordered another. My husband ordered a lobster roll, a little small but he's did was good.