Is the NCL Breakaway as bad as almost all of the current reviews say it is?

[RWK1952]

Wow.  I started scrolling through the very recent, 2024 Cruise Critic reviews for the NCL Breakaway on which we currently have paid the small, refundable deposit on a cruise around the Iberian peninsula in March 2025.  I had to double check to make sure that I had not selected just the 1 star (out of 5) reviews.  

 

We wanted a 1-way cruise ending in Barcelona and there do not appear to be many options.  Plus, the 2 person fare, even for a Family Balcony Suite, was extremely reasonable .. extremely ... on the Breakaway compared to say, Oceania, which was one of the only other cruises I found going 1-way from the U.K. to Barcelona.

 

I found out that the Breakaway is huge - 3900+ guests and 1600+ staff.  

 

Reviews on CC consistently say that everything is crowded, including the main breakfast/lunch/dinner buffet and the complimentary dinner areas, and the food is average and often room temperature.  Trying to see shows is often impossible since you are competing with almost 4000 other people.

 

We recently (September 2023) took a cruise on the Celebrity Millennium in Alaska.  That ship has a little more than half the passenger capacity as the Breakaway, and we had no issues with the complimentary and specialty dining areas or with the food quality, and no difficulty just walking in to see the shows.  Unfortunately, Celebrity only seems to do round trip cruises, at least in Europe.  Also, our Alaska cruise was at the very end of the Alaska cruising season so perhaps that was a significant factor.   

 

Is the NCL Breakaway potentially as bad a choice for us to take as seniors, as the reviews here on Cruise Critic make it sound?

 

[KeithJenner]

We were on the Breakaway last September. Had a fantastic time.

 

Food was great, service excellent (except one time in the MDR where it was good but slow).

 

We didn’t do theatre shows so can’t comment on that, but never had any problem getting into Howl.

 

The buffet was busy, but then they always are in my experience. We don’t spend much time on the pool deck, so not sure how busy that was, but Spice was not too crowded.

[dexddd]

I have not seen recent reviews other than a couple families who seemed to have a good time.  Things can vary.

 

That being said, we sailed BA when new in the best room on the ship and there is nothing getting us on BA or GA.  Crowding was one of the issues.  Escape was, for us, much better and generally gets good reviews.

[graphicguy]

(Sigh)...this isn't only for NCL but cruise reviews overall.  The mere fact that you are here and started this thread tells me you are skeptical of the reviews you read.  Smart move.

 

First, the vast majority of cruisers are Seniors...Virgin and maybe Disney may be the exceptions, but overall, Seniors make up the bulk of cruisers.

 

2nd....you're always going to find someone, somewhere who doesn't like their cruise.  Generally speaking, most do not realize there are 3,000 other guests that the (usually) kind and hard working crew have to also take care of.

 

The fare you're looking at is reasonable because it's not a "round trip".  It starts in one port and ends in another (in your case, Barcelona).

 

I don't know who's telling you the food is bad.  I've sailed NCL 15 times...4x on the Breakaway. ...from a solo cabin to the Haven.  It's a big ship....among the biggest at sea.  There are a wealth of dining options.  If one is crowded, another isn't far away.  The Garden Cafe is their buffet.  If you go there at peak breakfast, lunch or dinner hours, there will be lots of diners, as is true of any cruise line or ship.  Same for bars.  If there's a line at one bar, walk 75 feet in either direction and you'll find another.

 

Oceania is NCL's smaller cruise sister.  Different type of cruise, and much more sedate.  Looked at Oceania a couple of times but found the fares to be very prohibitive given my cruising budget.  Plus, for me, I think I'd become bored.  Some like it, though.

 

Celebrity...the smallest ship I've sailed with them was the Solstice.  The largest I've sailed is both the Edge and Apex.  Different "vibe" between the Solstice and the Apex, for example.  Solstice is more like the Millenium......smaller ship but can hold fewer passengers.  Apex, bigger ship (like Breakaway) with more passengers (but also more room to spread out).

 

I had a dickens of a time getting EDEN reservations on both the Apex and Edge.  But, I just found another date/time to dine there.  Same goes for the Specialty Restaurants with NCL.

 

Bottom line, temper whatever bad "review" you read with those here who have sailed NCL more often than a reviewer who went to the Garden Cafe at lunch time and found a line at the burger station.

 

 

Edited March 14 by graphicguy

[UKstages]

i haven't been on the breakaway in two or three years, but it's a good ship, i enjoyed it. my biggest concern was the smoking in the casino and the way the smell drifted to nearby areas, including the chinese restaurant. that's common on all ships with a smoking casino.

 

reviews in general are not as good as they used to be. there may be a number of reasons for that. first, they can reflect an overall decline in the services provided by all cruise lines... many, including me, believe that cutbacks have led to reduced services, fewer staff members and, some believe, lower quality F&B product in some venues. ships are sailing full now and that's a big surprise, especially to newer cruisers who may have had their first cruise right after the covid restart when ships were sailing at as little as 40% capacity. and some of the most recent reviews most likely reflect cruises taken during spring break when ships can be sailing at  more than 100% with 35% to 30% of guests under the age of 21, many under the age of 18. that adds to the (probably accurate) perception of crowds and chaos.

 

but, again, the breakaway is a good ship and you'll probably have a great time. realistically, however, if you're sailing in march next year, depending on the date, you, too, could find yourself on a very crowded spring break cruise.

[JIMESOPUS]

We have sailed on the BA four times, our first was back in 2015. The last cruise on her, 1/23 wasn't great. Our cabin steward was demoted and given more cabins, her attitude wasn't the best. Waiting for a table at Taste only to find a large area inside the dining room not being used, short-staffed?

And maybe, after years of working, I can't tolerate folks who have an entitlement attitude, why stand in line and announce to everyone around you that you are a diamond and shouldn't have to wait

We did have a good time and will sail on her again but it has to be a TA or a one-way cruise, this would, I hope keep the passenger loading down.

[RocketMan275]

52 minutes ago, UKstages said:

but, again, the breakaway is a good ship and you'll probably have a great time. realistically, however, if you're sailing in march next year, depending on the date, you, too, could find yourself on a very crowded spring break cruise.

OP is looking at Iberian cruises.

[UKstages]

yes, thanks so much. i'm aware of that. the OP disclosed that in the initial post, but so kind of you to remind us. much appreciated.

[cruiseny4life]

Forget the reviews. Although, based on the average score, Breakaway has a 3.4 out of 5. Let's remember that not everything can, or should be, a 4 or 5 experience. To me, a 3.4 sounds like it was a very good experience, but perhaps not amazing. It's like restaurants. Just because a restaurant is rated an 8, instead of 10, doesn't mean it's a bad restaurant. In fact, it's a quite good restaurant. I hate this whole mentality that consumers have to rate things an 9 or 10 (or 4.5 or 5) to be good. NPS, go away! 

 

Anyhow, Take a look at the lives that have occurred over the last couple weeks (including this week. There's one about to start on 3/17 also.

 

So, here's a breakdown of the lives:

 

 

 

And upcoming live:

 

 

 

 

Edited March 14 by cruiseny4life

[G-DawgMN]

 I was just on it at the end of January and found the food acceptable. The entertainment wasn't as good as in the past, but that's pretty typical of all NCL ships these days.

 I went to the buffet and never thought it was overly crowded, we were always able to get a seat.

 

  Here's my review from the end of January, I believe there were 4200 passengers onboard.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2987488-taking-a-getaway-on-the-breakaway-almost-live-maybe/#comment-66811026

Edited March 14 by G-DawgMN

[elcuchio24]

We did Breakaway, albeit 2 years ago, and had a nice time. We did Joy last year, and found the experience very similar. 

[Crazy planning mom]

Isn't this a port intensive itinerary?  Wouldn't you most likely be having lunch off the ship and spending very little time on the ship?  On the sea day, you can have breakfast and lunch at the Main Dining Room to avoid crowds. 

[stinkyharriet]

I did the sister ship The Getaway in January and had very few complaints.  I thought the food was good (didn’t eat at the buffet) and the only wait I had was at O’Sheehan’s when I went after one of the theater shows let out.  I didn’t realize there would be so many people looking to eat so late!

 

I will be on the Breakaway in October and I’m sure I will have a great time.  I don’t expect every meal to be a gourmet masterpiece.  If something isn’t great in the MDR, order something else.  I’ve had a couple of not great specialty meals, one on the Prima and one on the Getaway but they certainly didn’t ruin my vacation,

 

Shows in smaller venues can be hard to get into but it’s not specific to any one ship or line.  I see the same complaints about every NCL ship as well as on the other mainstream lines.

[zqvol]

1 hour ago, G-DawgMN said:

 I was just on it at the end of January and found the food acceptable. The entertainment wasn't as good as in the past, but that's pretty typical of all NCL ships these days.

 I went to the buffet and never thought it was overly crowded, we were always able to get a seat.

 

  Here's my review from the end of January, I believe there were 4200 passengers onboard.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2987488-taking-a-getaway-on-the-breakaway-almost-live-maybe/#comment-66811026

There is nothing wrong with the entertainment, it is just different than what it was in the past. 

[G-DawgMN]

18 minutes ago, zqvol said:

There is nothing wrong with the entertainment, it is just different than what it was in the past. 

 

 I will clarify since everyone has different options. NCL has always advertised their big Broadway shows as a major point on their large ships. Last year on the Epic they cancelled Six and there was nothing to replace it.

  This year on the Breakaway they cancelled Six and Burn the Floor was cancelled except for two shows at the end of the week I believe. The replacement was one showing of Wheel of Fortune. There was even at least one night with the theater empty.

   Granted they have great things like Syd Normans, but you had to line up 2 hours prior to get a seat. The comedians were good, but when they were in the comedy club people lines up over an hour in advance to get seats. Later in the week it was a little easier to get in.

 

 

[justhappy]

Onboard right now, no big production shows except Burn the Floor, but plenty of smaller musical acts every night around the ship to be enjoyed. 
That said I do miss having a second big show like in the past.

  And yes the ship is worn in places, the dry dock next February will probably take care of that.

 Right now the ship has 4800 passsengers and the venues are crowded. Probably not enough crew for the passenger count.

 Service has been good for us, but we go everywhere with a good attitude and a smile and say please and thank you and tip for good service.

[RWK1952]

RocketMan275 and UKstages

 

I appreciate your comments.  From both of your posts, I believe I can draw the implication that the overcrowding, particularly with younger passengers, may not be as much of an issue for a late March Iberian peninsula cruise.  I was wondering about that myself.  Would spring breakers want to take a 1-way cruise to Barcelona in March/April?

[RWK1952]

38 minutes ago, RWK1952 said:

RocketMan275 and UKstages

 

I appreciate your comments.  From both of your posts, I believe I can draw the implication that the overcrowding, particularly with younger passengers, may not be as much of an issue for a late March Iberian peninsula cruise.  I was wondering about that myself.  Would spring breakers want to take a 1-way cruise to Barcelona in March/April?

 

4 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

OP is looking at Iberian cruises.

Sorry for any duplication.  Just learning how to directly reply to a comment on my OP.  Would the Iberian cruise in March be as susceptible to a spring break crowd?

[RWK1952]

4 hours ago, UKstages said:

yes, thanks so much. i'm aware of that. the OP disclosed that in the initial post, but so kind of you to remind us. much appreciated.

Sorry for any duplication.  Just learning how to directly reply to a comment on my OP.  Would the Iberian cruise in March be as susceptible to a spring break crowd?

[RocketMan275]

10 minutes ago, RWK1952 said:

 

Sorry for any duplication.  Just learning how to directly reply to a comment on my OP.  Would the Iberian cruise in March be as susceptible to a spring break crowd?

I doubt many children would be going to Spain for a spring break cruise.

[Crazy planning mom]

6 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

I doubt many children would be going to Spain for a spring break cruise.

Except you would need to check the UK and European Union school schedule.

A few years ago, we sailed the Epic in August, and there was loads of Spaniard and Italian kids on summer holiday.

[Crazy planning mom]

Getting the Priority Pass would be a good investment to avoid crowds at embarkation, disembarkation and tendering.

[RWK1952]

10 minutes ago, Crazy planning mom said:

Getting the Priority Pass would be a good investment to avoid crowds at embarkation, disembarkation and tendering.

Do you have experience specifically with NCL, or with the NCL Breakaway in Southampton, or around the Iberian peninsula, on the worth of the Priority Pass?  On a huge ship like the Breakaway, if the Priority Pass also gave you priority disembarkation for shore excursions as well, I could see that being a real benefit.

[UKstages]

39 minutes ago, RWK1952 said:

Would the Iberian cruise in March be as susceptible to a spring break crowd?

 

yes, absolutely. i see no reason parents wouldn't take their kids to spain for spring break.

[zqvol]

30 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

I doubt many children would be going to Spain for a spring break cruise.

 They popular for European students, but I don’t know when they have break. 

Edited March 14 by zqvol