Live from the NCL Breakaway May 6-16, 2023 – Spring in Italy, Greece, Malta and France Roundtrip from Rome

[southern reader]

26 minutes ago, Happycrafter123 said:

Drink #5 from Starbucks, the pineapple passion fruit lemonade.  So far 3x Starbucks, 2 x bar.

 

note - bar tells me the glass bottle aqua pana water we got on last cruise is no longer available and all they have is the white cardboard flow water.

 

Showing my ignorance again.  Is the water not safe to drink is that why aqua pana water and the white cardboard flow water???

[Happycrafter123]

I am not sure about thé tap water, everyone seems to have different ideas on that.

 

I usually get a beverage package with bottled water.

[eileeshb]

9 minutes ago, southern reader said:

Showing my ignorance again.  Is the water not safe to drink is that why aqua pana water and the white cardboard flow water???

The tap water on board is safe to drink but some of us have an odd reaction to it that requires the use of diuretics to avoid having feet the size of balloons. They use the ship tap water for all the cooking, cleaning and ice as well. 

[cruznurse]

On 5/4/2023 at 6:01 AM, Happycrafter123 said:

Day trip to Tuscany yesterday with tour group “Walks”.  3 hours drive each way, stopped at 4 different sites/villages.  Very scenic and a nice break from Rome.

@Happycrafter123 Spending a few days in Rome before our cruise and wanting to do a day trip to Tuscany...who did you book through and did you enjoy it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[southern reader]

2 hours ago, eileeshb said:

The tap water on board is safe to drink but some of us have an odd reaction to it that requires the use of diuretics to avoid having feet the size of balloons. They use the ship tap water for all the cooking, cleaning and ice as well. 

Got it. Thanks.  Do you happen to know if the tap water in most of the European ports is safe to drink, or do I need to start doing some more homework prep?

[hoopslover]

Following your adventures.  We are booked for 2024 and hope you all let us know how the NCL excursions (or private ones) work out.  Thanks

 

[Happycrafter123]

Enjoyed the vibe area today and then dinner at Ocean Blue.

 

suffering from some naseau and feeling the  vibration of the ship so put on a patch hoping tomorrow will be better.  The air in Rome and all the second hand cigarette smoke made me very unwell so hoping the fresh sea air will clear things up.  That put a damper on my day but still had a good day.

 

service has been very good, especially at dinner.  I am gluten free and they gave me excellent options and also helped me plan for tomorrow.  Very impressed.  Some photos below (including hubbys amazing dessert which I did not try, the chocolate mousse, I had the sorbet). 
 

the ahi was very fresh as were avocados, this was the highlight of my meal, and this is certainly the best food I’ve had since leaving home.

 

hubby loved his scallops and pork belly which he said was not fatty at all and perfectly cooked.

 

sadly they had removed the kale taboulé salad from the menu as a side dish but asparagus was perfectly cooked with my main.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 6, 2023 by Happycrafter123

[eileeshb]

5 hours ago, southern reader said:

Got it. Thanks.  Do you happen to know if the tap water in most of the European ports is safe to drink, or do I need to start doing some more homework prep?

It should be, but I’d keep an eye on the locals to see what they’re drinking at the restaurants. Also tap water from bathrooms in Europe is not recommended a lot of places use attic tanks because our water system is not high pressure and those tanks are not always clean. Restaurants would use water straight from the mains supply rather than the tanks. 

[eileeshb]

1 hour ago, Happycrafter123 said:

suffering from some naseau and feeling the  vibration of the ship so put on a patch hoping tomorrow will be better.  The air in Rome and all the second hand cigarette smoke made me very unwell so hoping the fresh sea air will clear things up.  That put a damper on my day but still had a good day.

If you are not regularly around smokers it’s highly likely that is the cause of your nausea. It took having my own car for me to figure out that my “travel sickness” was from the smell of stale smoke  ingrained in the upholstery of buses, ferries and my dad’s car. Since the smoking restrictions came into place in Ireland my previously limited tolerance has thoroughly disappeared. Once upon a time I could tell what brand of cigarettes was being smoked in my vicinity purely based on my reaction to it, Benson & Hedges were the worst of the lot. 

[Happycrafter123]

Yes, I’ve always been very sensitive to the second hand smoke.  After just one day on Board I can say we will not book the Getaway Or Breakaway again.  When we cruised Getaway last year there was no smoking allowed at that time and we could enjoy the entire ship.  Now even walking past the pretty open area in front of the Bistro restaurant (when the casino is closed even!) it is suffocating, and at dinner at Ocean Blue we could smell it pungently.  
 

I am going to have to figure out which NCL ships have the smoking areas more enclosed so that the second hand smoke is not spreading everywhere.  Otherwise I think it may be a future for me for Disney cruises as I think they have very limited smoking/no smoking.

 

for now will spend as much time as I can on vibe which seems nice and fresh and with our balcony door open in room.

Edited May 7, 2023 by Happycrafter123

[Happycrafter123]

Woke up early.  View off balcony.

[Happycrafter123]

Who needs sleep?

 

beverage #1 and 2 for today….

 

will upload dailies and menus later….

[Happycrafter123]

Buffet opens around 7, lots of choices!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Happycrafter123]

Getting my little Canadian hockey playing ducks ready to go!

 

[CCTES]

How is the wifi? Sadly I have to do a bit of work while on my trip, just emails mostly.

 

Everything looks  lovely so far, thanks for all the info.

[eileeshb]

12 hours ago, Happycrafter123 said:

Yes, I’ve always been very sensitive to the second hand smoke.  After just one day on Board I can say we will not book the Getaway Or Breakaway again.  When we cruised Getaway last year there was no smoking allowed at that time and we could enjoy the entire ship.  Now even walking past the pretty open area in front of the Bistro restaurant (when the casino is closed even!) it is suffocating, and at dinner at Ocean Blue we could smell it pungently.  
 

I am going to have to figure out which NCL ships have the smoking areas more enclosed so that the second hand smoke is not spreading everywhere.  Otherwise I think it may be a future for me for Disney cruises as I think they have very limited smoking/no smoking.

 

for now will spend as much time as I can on vibe which seems nice and fresh and with our balcony door open in room.

I'm sailing on Bliss later this year which was the first NCL ship to have an enclosed smokers area from the start in the Casino so hopefully that will eliminate the drift out to 678 Ocean place and the atrium. Smoking is usually allowed by the bar in Spice H2O and there is a cigar smoking enclosed bar on deck 8 which can leak out to the waterfront bar next to it. The other hotspot I found is a few of the ships have a semi-enclosed smoking area on the main pool deck, I had to make sure I crossed on the opposite side of the deck to avoid the stench from that one. Apparently the policy at the outdoor bars is that it's up to the bartenders as to whether they let people smoke in their vicinity or not..

The day smoking gets banned completely will be a joyous occassion for those of us affected by the smell. 

[Happycrafter123]

1 hour ago, CCTES said:

How is the wifi? Sadly I have to do a bit of work while on my trip, just emails mostly.

 

Everything looks  lovely so far, thanks for all the info.

Wifi is amazing on the Breakaway, night and day compared to the reception we had last year on Getaway.  I understand it is the pilot for new Starlink system.  We got the basic unlimited but unstreaming internet and it is excellent.

[CCTES]

That is great to hear! I heard Breakaway was using Starlink! Thanks

[Happycrafter123]

Day 2 was our only sea day, and it was a busy one!  Early breakfast, watched the view as we traversed “the boot”, then lounged in the hot tub this morning, went to Wasabi for lunch, napped a bit then more hot tub time, dinner at Tepanyaki, and then Burn the floor.  
 

We were late to Burn the floor and they would not let us in to the seating area but we did wind up standing to watch from behind the rope.   I’m not normally interested in shows without a solid storyline but the quality of the performers and musicians, in particular the tenor, was worth the foot pain of standing to watch it.

 

lunch at Wasabi is good but choices there are limited for gluten free—hubby definitely won on this one.  I would go back just for the Tuna bowl and warm sake.  The raw tuna was very fresh tasting and great flavor combos.  Also a much quieter and peaceful option than eating at buffet.  The prices are not bad either.

 

 

 

 

 

hubby especially loved the wonton bowl that he got (and the meat sticks lol!). 

 

the wonton bowl and tuna poke bowl would have been sufficient for a light lunch, and were $13 and $14 each.

 

pool area was busy, but to be expected with this weather.  

 

 

dinner at Tepanyaki surprised me, it was much better than I recalled from our last trip, I guess each chef is different.  They cooked my food first (with gluten free soy sauce) then everyone else’s, so I felt kind of awkward and bad about it, but everyone seemed to be good sports and the chef did a good job of keeping things moving and minimizing the wait and making it fun.  I really appreciated the accommodation and food was excellent, as were serving sizes. 

 

 

 

 

 

All in all a good day, and tomorrow is Santorini!

[jlandz09]

Any update on process for signing up for tenders at Sant?

[smyemar]

Wow Happycrafter your pictures look amazing!  I finally had time to catch up on your trip report and it did not disappoint!  Have a great day in Santorini and I can't wait to read all about it!

 

Cheers!

[Happycrafter123]

48 minutes ago, jlandz09 said:

Any update on process for signing up for tenders at Sant?

Hubby attended a meet and greet and sounds like folks were doing it on the app, but I haven’t been able to get the app to work since we boarded.  I will ask folks tomorrow how they got there tenders, see if I can get more details.
 

For those with NCL tours no need to book a tender, and for those who got priority access no need to book either.

 

[Skjhoward]

On 5/5/2023 at 9:35 PM, debenson0723 said:

I have from Barcelona to London before my Prima TA last September.

Did you have any trouble at the check in desk? We made a change to add our middle names at a cost of $100 but our boarding passes don't reflect the change. 

[Happycrafter123]

just looking at photos of the day.  We enjoyed eating on the waterfront deck for lunch at Wasabi.  Another option right next to it that seemed very popular is the Ocean Blue to go.  Ali a paid option and both only open on the one sea day.

 

 

 

[Happycrafter123]

Excursion desk has been the longest line since we got on board.

 

im going to see if they will let me exchange a couple though they have a sign saying non refundable after boarding—i thought we had until 48hr before arrival in each port .  Am going to ask as hubby’s knee is not doing great and cinque terre seems overly ambitious.

 

excursion desk opens at 9, and at 8:45 I’m already standing in a queu waiting for them to open.