Just back from Breakaway 8/2-8/9

[Baileyjojo]

This was one of the best vacations we have taken! The ship is amazing and the staff work so hard. I'm not going into detail on the whole cruise, so if you have questions, ask away!

 

I just have to say that I read many posts that were negative in nature and I did not feel that I was nickel and dimed, nor did I feel cheated in any way. There was nothing I would have changed about this trip, only I wish I was still there!

[MigMan]

Nice to hear Thanks

[TheDougOut]

I was on the same cruise... and I completely agree. It was amazing on all fronts. I'll be putting together a thorough review in the week ahead.

[cruisin0504]

Thank you both! Great to hear that it was wonderful!

[Barb Nahoumi]

Thank you for your positive views. I love to read happy posts.

[Cruiser4lifenyc]

Hi, any advice while on the ship and in Bermuda? Where on the island did you go and did you use the ferries/buses? Thanks

[rogue 35]

Glad you had a great time, I loved Breakaway last year and can't wait for this year's trip.

 

Since you asked for questions:

 

1) did you have the UBP and if so, how did you find the bar service, were the waits reasonable?

 

2) did you notice if they were still offering a 25% on the first night for the Cirque show? I believe they are but I have seen some conflicting info.

[Baileyjojo]

Hi, any advice while on the ship and in Bermuda? Where on the island did you go and did you use the ferries/buses? Thanks

 

My advice would be to just enjoy yourself! There is plenty to do if you want and if you don't, that's fine too!

 

Bermuda - We went to Horseshoe Bay. We took a taxi and split it with another family, it was $40 total. It was beautiful but very hot. We got there early and left around lunch time. It was very crowded when we left.

 

We were going to go to St. George's but missed the ferry and the next one was a few hours later so we went to Hamilton on the ferry. It was nice, but mostly shopping. The views from the ferry were beautiful. We ate lunch in Hamilton. It was ok, very expensive.

 

We went jet skiing with Somerset Bridge Watersports. They pay for your taxi one way ($20). It was so much fun. Definitely the highlight of Bermuda.

[Baileyjojo]

Glad you had a great time, I loved Breakaway last year and can't wait for this year's trip.

 

Since you asked for questions:

 

1) did you have the UBP and if so, how did you find the bar service, were the waits reasonable?

 

2) did you notice if they were still offering a 25% on the first night for the Cirque show? I believe they are but I have seen some conflicting info.

 

I did not have UBP, but someone else in my family did. The bars were crowded the first day, but there are many around the pool area. We did not have to wait long after the first day.

 

I do not know about Cirque, sorry.

[Baileyjojo]

Glad you had a great time, I loved Breakaway last year and can't wait for this year's trip.

 

Since you asked for questions:

 

1) did you have the UBP and if so, how did you find the bar service, were the waits reasonable?

 

2) did you notice if they were still offering a 25% on the first night for the Cirque show? I believe they are but I have seen some conflicting info.

 

I did not have UBP, but someone else in my family did. The bars were crowded the first day, but there are many around the pool area. We did not have to wait long after the first day.

 

I do not know about Cirque, sorry.

[danyel]

I was also on this cruise and we had a great week as well. The most unpleasant part was disembarkation. It was horrible. I would choose easy walk off next time. We had 9:30 scheduled and the terminal was crazy by then.

[emmak8]

Thanks for posting.

[wahoowa12]

We were also on this cruise and had a great time! I was a little apprehensive due to all the bad reviews on Cruise Critic. Those negative reviews were totally the opposite of our experience on the Breakaway. A beautiful ship, a lively and fun ship, with tons to do and very friendly and helpful staff.

[wahoowa12]

Hi, any advice while on the ship and in Bermuda? Where on the island did you go and did you use the ferries/buses? Thanks

 

This was our 5th time in Bermuda and we still found new things to do. I agree with OP...we go to Horseshoe Bay Beach every time we come. We always buy the 2 day transportation passes. First used it to go to St. Georges and then Tom Moore's jungle to swim in the caves and swim in the Blue Hole. We then took a quick bus ride to Hamilton from the jungle then the Hamilton ferry back to the ship. We also took the direct bus shuttle to Horseshoe Bay Beach.

 

A really great thing to do is parasailing with KW Watersports...you will see tons of sea turtles and the entire island from about 450 feet up.

 

Bermuda is a beautiful island with friendly, polite people. No hassles like some of the other Caribbean islands.

[Boscodog]

We are going on the Breakaway on August 30th and very excited. We are planning on taking the ferry to Saint George. I see that there is a 9:30am ferry. Since you said you missed it, what advice can you give to so that I don't miss the ferry. I know we have to buy our tickets first and get over to the ferry. If we get off the boat one hour before (at 8:30) I hope that would be enough time. Thanks.

[kabbpres]

Great Glad you all had a good time.. We are heading out on Sept 13th cruise. Do you know where I can buy and how much the transportation passes are for Bermuda? Also I am looking for parking in NYC . Thanks Steve

[wahoowa12]

We got off the boat at 8:30 to be sure to catch the 9:30 ferry to St. George's. Although the Breakaway sells passes onboard, I heard they were 3 day passes. Since we were only buying 2 day passes we went straight to the visitor's center which is a small building slightly to the right of where the ferries board. You really can't miss it. (and there are many people around who are more than happy to help.:)

 

As for parking, I can't help you; we take a car service to the pier and back as it is cheaper than parking in NYC.

[TheDougOut]

Did you have the UBP and if so, how did you find the bar service, were the waits reasonable?

 

Our entire group had the UBP - a total of 8 adults. Yes, there were some crowded bar areas where every seat was taken. This was especially true from 6pm to 9pm in the 6-7-8 corridor and in Spice H20 during deck parties. BUT, there was always a nearby location where you could walk up and receive immediate bar service. During peak bar periods, I was able to walk up to Mixx Bar and Prime Meridian Bar with ZERO other patrons. While at Fat Cats, we'd walk over to the little bar adjacent to La Cucina for immediate service.

 

Up on the pool deck, where MANY frozen beverages were consumed, I don't think I ever encountered a situation where there wasn't at least a spot or two available for ordering. Up a flight of stairs, the bar adjacent to Uptown Grill seldom had more than a couple patrons. And while at the buffet, the middle bar area in the back always had quick turnaround.

 

We got friendly with many of the bar staff. They had fun with us when we'd order less common drinks, or when we wanted something but didn't know the name of it.

 

I had read all the reviews about questionable bar service leading up to our trip. One reviewer stated that they never waited less than 20 minutes to order a drink. This is complete rubbish - don't believe a word of it.

 

In anticipation of the UBP, I brought a stack of $1 bills on board. I'd leave a dollar for each drink ordered behind the signed receipt and tucked in behind the pen cap. While this is by no means expected, each server seemed genuinely appreciative of the small gesture.

 

The UBP was such fun... cheers!!

[bestbudz]

Great Glad you all had a good time.. We are heading out on Sept 13th cruise. Do you know where I can buy and how much the transportation passes are for Bermuda? Also I am looking for parking in NYC . Thanks Steve

 

We bought 1 day passes on board. I believe they also had 2 day passes as well. We bought them at the shore excursion desk. A one day pass is $19. This worked for us as we didn't have to rush off the boat and we used onboard credit for the purchase.

 

 

 

If you are outside the boat by 8:30 you will be fine to catch the ferry.

[dcipjr]

We were on this cruise as well, and had a blast. It was a great trip, and all of the negativity here seems completely unwarranted.

 

The only recent change that I believe negatively affected the cruise was bumping up the port departure time to 3 PM. This really constricted what we could do on our last day. We wanted to go back to St. George and get a couple more hours of beach time at Tobacco Bay; under the old itinerary we could have done it. But with the change to 3 PM, we would have had no more than an hour at St. George, and it just wouldn't have been practical. It's a bit of a bummer; I know I would pay a few more bucks to help offset their fuel cost if it meant staying those extra 2 hours in Bermuda.

 

I brought this up with NCL on my post-cruise survey. I really hope they reconsider this change.

 

Other than that, I actually felt like it was a better cruise this time on the Breakaway than it was last time in 2013. It feels like NCL has gotten to know the ship better, and has made a few adjustments to make it a better cruise.

 

The Uptown grill's burger bar (to my recollection) wasn't there in 2013, and was absolutely excellent. :D

 

I would happily sail the Breakaway again. I only wish I was still onboard.

[TheDougOut]

I was also on this cruise and we had a great week as well. The most unpleasant part was disembarkation. It was horrible. I would choose easy walk off next time. We had 9:30 scheduled and the terminal was crazy by then.

 

Walk off on this cruise was easily the best disembarkation experience we've ever had. We headed down to Deck 7 forward shortly after 7am. We lined up adjacent to the bowling lanes in O'Sheehans - one or two families behind the roped-off area. They opened the gates around 7:40am, and we were out and at our car within 10 minutes.

[TheDougOut]

We are going on the Breakaway on August 30th and very excited. We are planning on taking the ferry to Saint George. I see that there is a 9:30am ferry. Since you said you missed it, what advice can you give to so that I don't miss the ferry. I know we have to buy our tickets first and get over to the ferry. If we get off the boat one hour before (at 8:30) I hope that would be enough time. Thanks.

 

After reading a recent review where the person described their experience getting off the ship in Bermuda, our group attempted to replicate.

 

On Wednesday, the day we arrived, we headed down to deck 4 forward around 7:50am. On the way down, the person in the elevator with us was kind enough to let us know that we weren't going off the ship anytime soon. We smiled. Down on deck 4, we were probably 8-10 people behind the front of the line. Within a 5 minutes we were all allowed off the ship.

[mizLORInj]

Any recollection as to some of the trivia games onboard?

[TheDougOut]

Any recollection as to some of the trivia games onboard?

 

Movie Tune Trivia

Video Wall Trivia: Villain / Superheroes

Video Wall Trivia: Famous Landmarks

70's Music Trivia

Tri Bond Trivia

Name that TV Tune Trivia (two versions)

Guess what TheDougOut Drank Last Night As Part Of The UBP Trivia

Music Trivia

Know Your Nick Trivia

Elvis Music Trivia

Movie Clips Trivia

[SHMORGE]

We enjoyed the ship and the cruise. There were some great parts and a few glitches.

We received a sheet at the pier telling us the Cirque show was complimentary for the first evening only. We signed up and confirmed this with the entertainment office. On Wed I saw and 11.80 charge per person for entertainment on my shipboard account. When I asked the front desk they said the entertainment department decided beginning this cruise they were adding a $10 fee plus 18% tax for this show. I showed them the information sheet at the pier. They asked me to wait and went into the back and made several calls with no resolution. After an hour I told them to call me and I figured it wasn't worth the hassle. No one ever called but they did remove it from my account 2 days later without further contact.

We bought a 2 day Bermuda transportation pass on the ship for $31.50 each and this made it easy to get onto the ferry as we exited the ship. It is the same cost as on land. The ferries are fun and a good way to see the Island. We got off the ship at 9:15am and had no problem getting on the 9:30 to St. Georges.

The UBP is fun but needs better controls. We saw many underage kids drinking beer during the day without any questions. We were told the drinking age is 21 but 18 with parental waiver for beer and wine. This lead too many kids clearly under 18 drinking with friends and things were a little rowdy with kids hanging out in stairwells and congregating in public areas. I think NCL needs to have a strict age limit and to monitor this better before things get out of hand.

The entertainment on the ship was very good. Howl at the Moon, Fire and Ice, and many other bands and singers were very good listens and played well into the evening.

I was shocked to learn at a Q&A that the company just canceled the fireworks display without informing anyone. Overall a good cruise with room for some improvements.