allyfrizzle

My husband and I recently returned from the September 29 sailing of the Breakaway. While it was a good ship, it's far from our favorite, which remains the Escape. 

We were in cabin 12872, an angled balcony cabin located right by the elevators. The bed is more near the door, and there's a couch near the balcony. I requested a lounger from my steward and received it day two. So nice to just go outside and hang out alone. 

The crowd on the ship was probably the most diverse I've seen since I began cruising NCL a few years ago. I enjoyed the mix of people of all different ages from many different backgrounds. There were a lot of children aboard, which I didn't figure would be the case considering it's the beginning of the school year. 

I felt overall like the morale of the crew members was lower than other ships. Not many smiles or anyone trying to make conversation. Just people there to simply to their jobs. We did enjoy chatting with Dr. L in the Syd Norman's Pour House. But no other bartenders really tried to chat us up. Same with other service people we encountered, including in the shops, which we frequented. 

Food was great during our visit. We did the buffet more than I like to admit, because we were on funky schedules for other dining areas. We did enjoy sneaking away for breakfast at Margaritaville and Moderno to avoid the rush at the buffet. I really missed Food Republic from the Escape for a nice tapas meal. 

Le Bistro was amazing and service was good. Ocean Blue was phenomenal. I'd definitely go back again, maybe even twice. 

Entertainment, what we saw of it, was good. I loved the Syd Norman house band (70s -90s rock cover band) and the other cover band that played there, Switch.

Howl at the Moon entertainers were great. Rhonda, who was on the Escape a couple years ago, was there. I was so excited! The other two guys were also incredibly talented, though the music leaned heavily to 70s rock. I'd have loved more from the last 25 years but they were playing to the room. 

A duo called C Note were absolutely horrible. Tone deaf and bad singing. They ruined a couple pool hangouts for me. We avoided them. 

We didn't catch any shows but other people we chatted with said Rock of Ages was excellent. 

I'm used to partying at Spice H20 then heading to Bliss to dance the rest of the night away. The crowd on Breakaway wasn't very party, weird considering there were a lot of young people aboard. The layout for Bliss is closed, versus being an open dance floor like on the Escape.

I think the cruise director Clay did a poor job of advertising/hyping up the dance/theme nights, therefore hardly anyone showed up (except for the glow party). He was overall very dry and unenthusiastic. Nothing like past CDs I've sailed with. Hearing his announcements in the morning was like listening to the teacher on Charlie Brown. No smile in his voice, no excitement for what he was selling. 

The Breakaway felt incredibly familiar from the first time we stepped aboard because she's so similar to Getaway and Escape. But both those ships are better for various reasons and I can't quite narrow it down to any one thing. Breakaway just isn't as much fun. We still had a great time on our seven days away, regardless. Good food, met awesome people from all over the US, danced a lot, ate a lot, soaked up plenty of sun! 

I have a lot of pictures I'll add to this post once I upload them. Feel free to ask any questions! 

The clubs are 18+. So is Spice H20 deck. The only thing she can't do is drink liquor legally. 

19 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Having a good time?  Sorry I’ve missed you guys!

It was such a blast. We were everywhere around the ship (except the Haven, womp womp)

6 hours ago, LinnieRed said:

Speaking of alcohol, have you noticed if they are serving any “hard seltzer” such as White Claw or Bon & Viv?

I'm on the same cruise, no Claws 😢 

24 minutes ago, dbrown84 said:

you have to have a casino drink card, which does require a lot of gambling if you earn the card thru the cruise ship casino.  the other way to get the drink card (which I use) is to book your cruise thru a land based casino.  You get a drink card thu this booking.  Yes, you can to be a player with that land based casino, but you have to break the bank to earn the comped cruise

I appreciate the info. I'm not much of a gambler but live in Detroit, where we have three casinos. 

19 hours ago, dbrown84 said:

I always get the mini fridge emptied so I can keep it stocked with water (I can get free bottled water at the casino bar).  I never knew I could ask for a coffee maker.  Appreciate that tip.  Definitely doing that on my next cruise.

The bottled water in the casino... Is that for everyone or just ppl who gamble a lot? 

10 hours ago, disneylover89 said:

Is a single Grey Goose and cranberry or a Grey Goose Cosmo under the $15 limit?

Yes, they are both included. And if you haven't tried a French martini, order one of those, too. 

4 hours ago, tomservo said:

People have reported requesting and receiving loungers for their balconies if said balconies are large enough to support said loungers.

I did that on my cruise in April! It was nice to have. 

30 minutes ago, noobcruiser said:

 

A "bribe" implies illegal dealings.  What is illegal about asking for a few things, then being generous about the tip?

 

That being said, I wouldn't leave cash until the request was fulfilled (why reward something that hasn't occurred yet?).

I also thought the bribe comment was weird. Anyway, I left the money as an incentive to actually do it.

25 minutes ago, Isabella Benjamin said:

I always request extra pillows and ask to have an extra towel every day.  

Shower towel or pool towel?

I sailed the Divina back in 2013 when MSC was trying to break into the US market. It was definitely geared toward European cruisers, in terms of food and entertainment (Their Michael Jackson performance had the funniest, strongest Italian accent ever). It's my understanding their US cruises are slowly changing to be more Americanized.

I've cruised a lot with NCL but have recently booked another cruise with MSC on the Meraviglia. The worst downfall for MSC is their awful website (it doesn't save preference when you're searching for cruises, then click "back") and their customer service (usually takes a long time to get someone on the phone). Patience is a virtue and pays off with much cheaper cruises.

5 hours ago, Victorious8 said:

I haven't heard any reports of those being on the ships. However you can normally get a similar drink by just asking for a vodka soda water. It is normally served with lime, when I first started to drink these for low calorie purposes I would get 3 or 4 lime wedges. Now one is fine for me. Some of the nicer lounges might have better bartenders who will have time to muddle other fruit with soda water for you. At the busy bars like the pool bar don't expect too much.

 

For the drink package it all drinks are covered up to 15$. If your drink exceeds 15$ you just pay the difference. Energy drinks are not included so with a vodka redbull you would pay for the redbull (not the vodka though). Some US ports you will be charged sales tax while docked/in the area. There is no daily limit. 

And you can order two drinks at a time. My go-to in April was an order of two double Grey Goose + cranberry juice. Not super-low cal, but there wasn't much room for juice after the double pour of vodka.

4 minutes ago, All-ready2cruise said:

Stewards are there to take care of your stateroom; you obviously know they're not your butler so, try to keep your requests to a minimum, such as bathrobes, and extra coffee pods along with other things suggested above.  

 

Enjoy your cruise. 

I'm very excited for this one. I've been cruising half my life and my last cruise in April was the first time I requested anything of my steward. Like I said, I'm just curious what others ask for.

Hello,

I'm gearing up to sail on the Breakaway this Sunday, September 29th. I've learned from the CC boards I can politely ask my steward for a couple vacay essentials, like an egg crate for my bed and a lounger for my angled balcony (requests left on notepaper and included a $10 bill).

What are other things you can request from your steward to make your room/stay more comfortable? I'm not trying to put mine through the ringer, I'm just genuinely curious of what other cruises have requested and received from their stewards. I am not interested in Haven butler experiences.

Thanks in advance!

12 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Great.  Are you part of the Meet and Greet?

I'm not, do you think it's too late to sign up?

16 hours ago, Cherry1235 said:

Thanks for all the replies.  

 

allyfrizzle, if you google Cozumel Bar Hop it'll bring up the website.  It's basically a trip to the less developed east side of the Island visiting a few bars and taking in the beautiful scenery.  I've never been before but from reading reviews a lot of people go again and again so I'm looking forward to it.  We might see you there 😃

It honestly didn't take much to convince my husband. We're in! It's us in my avi, so introduce yourself if you see me

3 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Thanks so much.  I'm leaving Sunday, so these will help me plan in advance.

Me too! 

7 minutes ago, phquick said:

Question is the Main Dinning rooms that bad? Haven’t been on NCL in 13 years. 

Thanks,

Brad

The MDR are great. The rotating daily specials are the way to go, though sometimes the mainstays are good. 

Plus, if you don't enjoy it, you can always leave and go to the buffet and no one bats an eyelash. 

Ear plugs. 

1 minute ago, DCGuy64 said:

I guess I've been lucky, when I called to do my upgrade, I was on hold for less than 2 minutes, more like 1. Very fast. 

Lucky indeed! Yesterday I called and hung up after 35 minutes and called again after five and waited 27 minutes. And then the agent gave me wrong info in regards to my inquiry lol. Luckily the information was close enough that I was able to Google the correct answer. 

I'll try again. Thanks for the advice! 

6 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

I'd call MSC, I did that before our cruise last year and it was done in < 5 minutes. Our TA did it for us earlier this week for our upcoming cruise. 

Thanks. I just hate how long it takes to get an agent. 

1 hour ago, CruisingFox27 said:

As stated you'll pay the full price of the drink, plus the onboard 15% service charge.

Is there anywhere on MSC's website to upgrade to the next drink package using my included drink package as a deposit toward it? 

I'll be on this same cruise! What is this bar crawl? I usually don't leave the ship in Cozumel. Thanks!

2 minutes ago, emmas gran said:

I think you have to cruise within 3 years to retain your membership

Thanks for the info! I just signed up today then submitted my documentation to MSC for a discount. After I cruise on NCL this upcoming week, I'll be Gold with NCL and might try to status match with MSC. 

3 minutes ago, capriccio said:

 

While my TA handled our civil service discount when we originally booked, she did say that only one discount (Voyagers Club or civil servant - not both) was allowed.  10% instead of 5% was a no brainer!  Hope you get it worked out!

Thanks for the info. Now I just need to get them on the horn. Their website sucks, their lack of customer service agents sucks... I just don't understand. But I like cruising w/them (especially because their prices). Catch 22!