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

[zqvol]

Just now, RWK1952 said:

NCL has a price drop guarantee on their cruises.  Maybe it's not my cruise consultant's job to notify me, but I am curious how it gets done otherwise without me notifying them first?

Please show me that in writing 

[RWK1952]

7 minutes ago, zqvol said:

Why would an NCL cruise consultant notify you of a price drop? That’s not their job. 

Just looked at my notes.  I was told very specifically that the policy is called "Unlimited Price Drops".

[zqvol]

1 minute ago, RWK1952 said:

Just looked at my notes.  I was told very specifically that the policy is called "Unlimited Price Drops".

Show us the writing. What you were told is irrelevant 

[RWK1952]

Just now, zqvol said:

Show us the writing. What you were told is irrelevant 

Considering that when I contacted my cruise consultant, he not only told me about the policy, he also issued me two new invoices ... twice ... to reflect two recent $100 price decreases, I would hardly call that irrelevant.

[UKstages]

just so you know, NCL is quite specific about the terminology they use. they say that accommodating a price drop after final payment is a "courtesy" and is not in fact a "policy." in practical terms, it seems like most people can indeed get a one time "courtesy" applied after final payment, payable in FCC. Or in lieu of FCC, they can get an upgrade, as a "courtesy," if their paid amount exceeds the current price for a higher stateroom category. FCC is valid for two years from the disembarkation date for the cruise relevant to the price drop. 

 

(again, my comments above apply to price drops after final payment.)

[RWK1952]

1 minute ago, UKstages said:

just so you know, NCL is quite specific about the terminology they use. they say that accommodating a price drop after final payment is a "courtesy" and is not in fact a "policy." in practical terms, it seems like most people can indeed get a one time "courtesy" applied after final payment, payable in FCC. Or in lieu of FCC, they can get an upgrade, as a "courtesy," if their paid amount exceeds the current price for a higher stateroom category. FCC is valid for two years from the disembarkation date for the cruise relevant to the price drop. 

 

(again, my comments above apply to price drops after final payment.)

Well, I can only relate my recent experience exactly as it happened.  My final payment, other than my initial $250 deposit, was not due until Nov 28th, 2024 since the cruise was not set to sail until March 28th, 2025. 

 

When I became aware of two separate $100 price decreases on the cost of my cabin over the course of about a 3 week period, I contacted my cruise consultant and on each occasion, I was issued new invoices reflecting the lower cost.

 

If this is in fact a "courtesy", and not a written policy, then it would seem that the onus is on me to notify them, and not vice versa.  But I can tell you from experience, it is not a one time thing, and it is available before final payment is made.

[UKstages]

13 minutes ago, RWK1952 said:

My final payment, other than my initial $250 deposit, was not due until Nov 28th, 2024

 

you can cancel or reprice all you want until final payment. your experience is not unique.

 

as noted above in post #80, the one time "courtesy" applies after final payment.

[Asawi]

1 hour ago, RWK1952 said:

Since you mentioned that you were able to monitor price drops on CruisePlum, I was wondering whether you caught those latest two price drops on the NCL Iberian cruise?

I had only started watching it very recently. We don't have the same price drop guarantee/free cancellation you guys have so I try to wait for a good price. I thought it was a good price now. 

I hope you find a nice cruise or other vacation, Iberia or elsewhere!

[RWK1952]

1 hour ago, UKstages said:

 

you can cancel or reprice all you want until final payment. your experience is not unique.

 

as noted above in post #80, the one time "courtesy" applies after final payment.

Cancel and reprice is not the same as what I was able to do, since there is no guarantee that when you cancel a booking, you will then be able to get the same or even a similar cabin when you rebook, assuming one is still even available.  The bottom line, it is apparently still my responsibility to identify these price drops on my own, and to then notify NCL. 

 

It is very nice to know at least that this CAN be done without having to cancel and rebook.  The Unlimited Price Drops  guarantee which I was told about by my cruise consultant seems to be something quite different from the "courtesy" you describe that takes effect only once final payment is made.

[UKstages]

 

4 hours ago, RWK1952 said:

Cancel and reprice is not the same as what I was able to do

 

i said you can "cancel" or "reprice."

 

that is not the same as "cancel and reprice."

 

before final payment, you can indeed cancel. you can also reprice. those are two separate things. you linked them in your reply.

 

4 hours ago, RWK1952 said:

since there is no guarantee that when you cancel a booking, you will then be able to get the same or even a similar cabin when you rebook, assuming one is still even available.

 

when you "cancel" a booking and rebook after a period of time, that is true.

 

but you're not really canceling... in order to reprice, the agent has to edit the reservation and reselect the booked category. i don't know if that means the cabin has to be reselected or if the system retains the prior selection if the same booked category is reselected.  if it does give up the selected cabin, it's only for a moment. there could be, i suppose, a theoretical chance that you could lose the cabin, but that is a very slim chance indeed.  what you may well lose is the promos applied to the reservation, if they are no longer available. 

 

all of this is moot because it's about what can take place before final payment. my post was about the "courtesy" that NCL affords customers after final payment. 

[Asawi]

Just a small update:

Breakaway March 28 cruise is back on NCL web page but it is now a Mediterranian Barcelona roundtrip
March 14-28 there is a cruise Southampton to Barcelona that is similar to original March 28 one, but extended a few days. 

 

Edited May 15 by Asawi

[RWK1952]

3 hours ago, Asawi said:

Just a small update:

Breakaway March 28 cruise is back on NCL web page but it is now a Mediterranian Barcelona roundtrip
March 14-28 there is a cruise Southampton to Barcelona that is similar to original March 28 one, but extended a few days. 

 

Thanks much, Asawi.   Hardly "just a small update". 

 

Very interesting.  There is definitely a new 14 day, one way cruise from Southampton to Barcelona now available to book from March 14-28, 2025.  The last days of that cruise are identical to those in the original 10 day, one way cruise from Southampton to Barcelona that was scheduled from March 28 to April 7, 2025.

 

The next, scheduled cruise on the Breakaway is a 9 day, round trip cruise departing from Barcelona on April 7th that goes to France, Italy, and then back to Spain ending once again in Barcelona on April 16^th.

 

So the Breakaway is currently scheduled to arrive in Barcelona on March 28^th, and not now scheduled to depart Barcelona again until April 7^th.

 

On the front end, the Breakaway’s last cruise ending in Southampton docks on Feb 19^th.  Then, it is not now scheduled to leave Southampton on that 14 day cruise until March 14^th.  It appears that the dry dock in Southampton (or wherever they will do the repairs/refurbishments) will be from February 19^th to March 14^th.  Originally, it was apparently going to take 2 weeks longer.  So the drydock will be about 4 weeks, instead of the original 6 weeks.

 

I have a hard time believing that NCL, after being able to now schedule this 14 day cruise from March 14^th-28^th, will then just let the Breakaway sit in Barcelona for 10 days until it leaves on that 9 day round trip on April 7^th.

 

So the question is, what will happen on those dates of our original one way cruise from Southampton to Barcelona, March 28^th to April 7^th?   Will they just fit in another round trip cruise to Italy and back to Barcelona, or might they schedule some other sort of 10 day Barcelona round trip?

 

I am going to ask exactly that question to my cruise consultant.

 

Regarding the new 14 day, one way cruise from Southampton to Barcelona, NCL has added 4 days to the front end by first cruising to Brussels (a new stop), then to Le Havre France (on the original itinerary), and then adding two, new stops in France (La Rochelle and Bordeaux) and one in northeastern Spain (Bilbao).

 

Since NCL no longer stops in Vigo Spain, they have added two stops in A Coruna and Santiago di Compostella Spain to substitute for that old Vigo port stop.

 

I have priced out the new, 14 day, one way cruise from Southampton to Barcelona and compared it to my original booking for the 10 day, one way cruise.  It appears that the 14 day cruise, allowing for the 10% discount that I am being offered because I was originally booked on the 10 day cruise, will only be about $1000 more than my original booking.  If that is actually the case, then that is really not too bad at all. 

 

I am going to also have my cruise consultant make an identical booking for the new, 14 day cruise.  I will post back here when I determine exactly how much the additional 4 days will cost.

Edited May 15 by RWK1952

[cruiseny4life]

13 hours ago, RWK1952 said:

So the question is, what will happen on those dates of our original one way cruise from Southampton to Barcelona, March 28^th to April 7^th?   Will they just fit in another round trip cruise to Italy and back to Barcelona, or might they schedule some other sort of 10 day Barcelona round trip?

Maintenance? Dry dock? Charter? Another cruise? We'll know eventually! Maybe your PCC will know, but I wouldn't count on it. 

[Asawi]

16 hours ago, RWK1952 said:

So the Breakaway is currently scheduled to arrive in Barcelona on March 28^th, and not now scheduled to depart Barcelona again until April 7^th.

No, that's not correct. March 28 to April 7 there's a Mediterranian cruise. Barcelona-Barcelona.

[Asawi]

3 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

Maintenance? Dry dock? Charter? Another cruise? We'll know eventually! Maybe your PCC will know, but I wouldn't count on it. 

As per my post #86 a Med cruise, Barcelona roundtrip.

[RWK1952]

6 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

Maintenance? Dry dock? Charter? Another cruise? We'll know eventually! Maybe your PCC will know, but I wouldn't count on it. 

 

Nah, my PCC was rather clueless about most of this.  🤭    I actually provided him with quite a bit of new information.  But that said, he has been very helpful in my making a reservation for this new, 14 day cruise, and ensuring (with my close review, of course) that I have been given all of the discounts to which I believe that I am entitled.  After all is said and done, I put my small deposit down on this new, 14 day cruise, and the full remaining amount is not due until the beginning of November.

 

Hopefully between now and then sometime, we should learn what NCL will be doing with those 10 days after our cruise arrives in Barcelona on March 28th.  Unless they come up with a very good alternative, and soon, I am quite satisfied that this new, 14 day itinerary will work out fine.  It includes virtually all of the exact same itinerary that I really liked a lot about our initial 10 day cruise, especially concluding with debarking in Barcelona.  We intend to spend almost another 2 weeks on the east coast of Spain at the end of our cruise.

 

I also like a lot that they will be adding a stop in Brussels, and also 2 new stops in France, including Bordeaux.  I have already done some research on Bordeaux and the excursions there look interesting.

 

As I mentioned in another post I believe, I also really wanted to embark on the cruise from Southampton.  I have found by far the best Premium Economy airfare from the U.S. to Europe being Virgin Airlines from Boston to Heathrow.  I really was hoping to keep that Southampton departure point.

Edited May 16 by RWK1952

[RWK1952]

3 hours ago, Asawi said:

No, that's not correct. March 28 to April 7 there's a Mediterranian cruise. Barcelona-Barcelona.

 

Asawi.  They must have just added that to the websites within the past 48 hours because when I checked both CruisePlum and NCL, those dates were still unfilled for the Breakaway.  I am not surprised to see that they filled that block in with another roundtrip from Barcelona.  That is another roundtrip over to Italy and back which is not something in which we were interested. 

 

If you check my recent reply to cruiseny4life, you will see that I have booked a cabin on the new, earlier, 14 day, one way cruise from Southampton to Barcelona.  Seeing that NCL has filled that original block in with an Italian roundtrip, that confirms my decision to stay with the one way cruise from Southampton.  I was also able to get a very competitive new rate for this new, longer cruise compared to the excellent rate that I originally had for the 10 day cruise.  Adding the extra 4 days and having the exact same additional packages and benefits, has only added about $1000 to my original cost.  $250/day? ... I'll definitely take that.

[Asawi]

33 minutes ago, RWK1952 said:

 

 

 I have booked a cabin on the new, earlier, 14 day, one way cruise from Southampton to Barcelona.  

That new longer itinerary is a great improvement in my opinion. You will have a great time I'm sure!

[RWK1952]

19 hours ago, RWK1952 said:

 

Nah, my PCC was rather clueless about most of this.  🤭    I actually provided him with quite a bit of new information.  But that said, he has been very helpful in my making a reservation for this new, 14 day cruise, and ensuring (with my close review, of course) that I have been given all of the discounts to which I believe that I am entitled.  After all is said and done, I put my small deposit down on this new, 14 day cruise, and the full remaining amount is not due until the beginning of November.

 

Hopefully between now and then sometime, we should learn what NCL will be doing with those 10 days after our cruise arrives in Barcelona on March 28th.  Unless they come up with a very good alternative, and soon, I am quite satisfied that this new, 14 day itinerary will work out fine.  It includes virtually all of the exact same itinerary that I really liked a lot about our initial 10 day cruise, especially concluding with debarking in Barcelona.  We intend to spend almost another 2 weeks on the east coast of Spain at the end of our cruise.

 

I also like a lot that they will be adding a stop in Brussels, and also 2 new stops in France, including Bordeaux.  I have already done some research on Bordeaux and the excursions there look interesting.

 

As I mentioned in another post I believe, I also really wanted to embark on the cruise from Southampton.  I have found by far the best Premium Economy airfare from the U.S. to Europe being Virgin Airlines from Boston to Heathrow.  I really was hoping to keep that Southampton departure point.

 

Couple of things I just noticed about the new, 14 day itinerary.  They did remove the stop in Gibraltar, which I consider a bummer.  I was looking forward to that stop.  Now I probably won't even see it at all as we will likely pass through the Strait in the middle of the night.  Kind of makes sense, I guess, since there is a planned stop in Seville/Cadiz, and then another in Motril/Malaga so another stop right in between would kind of be redundant.  

 

The other thing is that the stop in Vigo, Spain is still listed even though they removed Vigo from the old itinerary before it was cancelled and said that cruises would no longer be stopping at that port.  Wonder if there will still be an adjustment coming to this new itinerary?

[MohrPfun]

On 5/2/2024 at 1:58 PM, UKstages said:

just so you know, NCL is quite specific about the terminology they use. they say that accommodating a price drop after final payment is a "courtesy" and is not in fact a "policy." in practical terms, it seems like most people can indeed get a one time "courtesy" applied after final payment, payable in FCC. Or in lieu of FCC, they can get an upgrade, as a "courtesy," if their paid amount exceeds the current price for a higher stateroom category. FCC is valid for two years from the disembarkation date for the cruise relevant to the price drop. 

 

(again, my comments above apply to price drops after final payment.)

Or it seems there is also a 3rd option…

 

As noted by me in another Price Drop thread in this forum, I noticed a change in my sailing costs after final payment, and at approximately 3 weeks before sailing.  This was originally a CAS booked sailing for a balcony cabin, which I paid to upgrade into a suite.  The NCL rep actually offered $310 in OBC for my sailing, which reflects online in my booking now.

[Travelling2Some]

On 3/14/2024 at 2:22 PM, UKstages said:

 

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

Spain is a very popular vacation spot for northern Europeans, particularly the English.  I would check the dates of the UK half term breaks.

[KKB]

Revisiting this thread...

I pulled up reviews & I was shocked how all but one for 2 pages was 3 stars or less.

So I had to dig in. (we sailed her a year ago & loved it)

 

Complaints:

Too many kids (uh, it's summer...)

No coffee pot in my room (fairly standard)

All the food sucks (impossible...even on MSC I found SOMETHING that was decent)

They cancelled a port (again...happens ALL the time)

Balcony so small you could barely turn around (huh? I'm a plus size gal & didn't have this issue)

 

Now, I am seeing comments of lack of activities--I have found this is usually a Cruise Director issue. We did NOT have that problem last year, but likely it was a different CD. 

 

Also a few comments with charges--one family said $90 for their son to dine at specialty dining with them. 100% NOT TRUE. Unless he was going a la carte & ordering all the good stuff!

But there were a few comments about charges not being rectified--I would find that annoying too.

I tried to cancel Vibe for the 2nd week of my B2B 2 yrs ago on Getaway--I tried to do this during the 1st week cruise. They told me I had to call--there was no Starlink yet, THAT wasn't happening. Needless to say it was never removed. Very annoying.

 

[RWK1952]

Wow.  I just looked at your signature block.  You have been taking a LOT of cruises.  I appreciate your feedback even more so because of your many experiences.

 

A lot has happened since I first posted back in March.  We made our decision to initially take the one way, 10 day Breakaway cruise from Southampton to Barcelona in a Club Balcony Suite, mid ship on the 12th deck.  Then about a month later, the cruise was cancelled.  

 

My thought during the next month or so was that something very similar would need to fill in that gap because the next Norwegian cruise on the Breakaway continuing on from Barcelona was unchanged.

 

Sure enough, the dry dock just prior to our initial departure was due to be finished 4 days early.  So they basically just added on 4 days making it now a 14 day cruise.  We start with an extra stop in Belgium and added a few stops in France.

 

They released the new itinerary and I was able to book a very similar stateroom in a similar location.  I was concerned about the extra price because I thought I had a really good deal on the original 10 day cruise.  Well, I was not only able to get all of my original discounts, but the extra 4 days only ended up costing about $200/night.  So I am very pleased with that.

 

The only slightly disappointing thing is that we will no longer be stopping in Gibraltar.  I was looking forward to seeing the monkeys!  😁

 

We are planning to stay an extra 2 weeks on the east coast of Spain at the end of the cruise.  Friends of ours from Marrakech Morocco may even be joining us in Barcelona.

 

Our only previous experience with a cruise was on the Celebrity Millennium in Alaska.  We enjoyed that a lot but it was on a quite smaller ship than the Breakaway.  So all the extra people on the Breakaway is a slight concern, but obviously not enough to dissuade us.

 

It sounds like we will enjoy our experience on the Breakaway.

 

Thank you again for your comments.

[MJSailors]

My DH and I sailed in the Breakaway  twice out of NYC  to Bermuda , preCovid. All I can say about our cruise experience is..

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Just sayin’.

MJ

[Seas2mountains]

I think your cruise from Southampton to Barcelona will have a very different vibe than our experiences on Breakaway with a NY to Bermuda cruise and a recent May/June 2024 cruise in the Caribbean with two canceled ports. One was legitimately canceled due to weather reasons and the other was due to BS reasons for “fuel optimization and environmental reasons” after final payment was made. 
 

Every cruise we have taken has been fun and we have always had a great time but we had a not so great experience on Breakaway recently. Some has to do with the loud thermal spa experience and despite the great entertainment choices, it was crowded in Shakers and the atrium. They had a private group that had Bliss lounge booked during the day and early evening for dancing. 
 

On a typical cruise, my husband will write 5-10 Vacation Hero cards. On the recent May/June 2024 Breakaway cruise, it was the only cruise ever he wrote ZERO Vacation Hero cards. For comparison, he wrote 15 Vacation Hero cards for our June/July cruise on Prima. And we have more crew to mention on the survey. 
 

Again, I think your experience in Europe will be very different from ours. I have no idea why we couldn’t identify one crew member for a Vacation Hero card. Food was good and service was good but not great and the crew didn’t seem as happy as we have experienced on other ships. No one went above and beyond like we usually experience. We had to go to the bar to get drinks as the bar servers seemed too overwhelmed in the lounges. Same with the pool.  Not what we are used to on other NCL ships. The May/June 2024 cruise on Breakaway was probably our worst NCL cruise and we canceled three 2025 NCL cruises after that cruise and booked on Celebrity. Thankfully, our June/July cruise on Prima resulted in one 2025 NCL booking as it was an amazing experience.
 

We will keep cruising on NCL but I don’t think we will go on Breakaway anytime soon. Our cabin steward was not good and the cabin was not as clean as we experienced on other cruises. Like there was nasty stuff not cleaned from the previous occupants and we were disappointed and disgusted. Sorry for my honest feedback as I’m sure this may leave you with some concerns. 
 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise. And I hope it is very different from our recent experience.