cruise4family

Thanks LrgPizza. So many changes, and we only just cruised in June!

I'm confused about the a la carte at Cagney's. I'm cruising on the Breakaway next summer and Cagney's will be a la carte by then. I have the SDP for 4 nights. How would that work at Cagney's? Does anyone know if I would still be able to use the SDP there? Thanks.

Hi Seadog67. Following you too. We were on the Breakaway to Bermuda this past June. Had a wonderful time. Booked again for next August, but in the Haven this time. Can't wait to read your info and see your pictures. Have a great time and wish you good weather.

We are going to be in a Haven suite H6 for the first time on the Breakaway. We get the UBP as part of the deal and I know that includes sodas in the restaurants and bars. I read on the previous post that you can request the butler stock the fridge with cans of soda. Are they included or will I be charged for each can? I had planned to bring soda, but maybe I don't have to if they are included in the suite. Thanks much for any info.

Thank you to everyone who responded to my question. The fact that the bathrooms have shades eases my concern. And unfortunately, none of the other aft-facing suites were available. But we are super excited to be cruising in a suite! Thanks again.

I'm thinking about booking the Aft-Facing Penthouse Haven suite on the Breakaway for next year. I noticed that the master bath has huge windows that look out onto the wraparound private deck. We will be 4 in the suite. If someone is in the bath, and someone is on the deck, can they see into the bath? Are there shades that can be pulled down in the bath to prevent anyone from looking in? Just wondering, since the master bathtub is right next to the huge window. I'm considering room 10312, but I think most of the aft-facing haven suites are set up the same way. Any information would be appreciated. Thank you.

Sailpro, we did not pay any extra fees for any of the specialty items. No $10 surcharges and every bill at the end of the meal was $0. We got the UDP as a promo for the 4 of us and were very happy with the meals and the value. Although we didn't have to, we did leave tips in cash. The service was very good. Not too slow, not rushed, just right.

ktcat, I actually made all my reservations for all the dinners and 3 shows on-line as soon as I was able...90 days from sailing! I knew we wanted to eat our dinners in the 6 to 6:30PM timeframe, so I booked them all. Didn't change a thing when we got onboard. I guess I'm not such a "freestyler," but with 2 teens with us, I'm not as flexible as some might be. It worked out great, because the shows were either 9 or 9:30PM, so we were able to eat, not have to rush, and still got to the shows in plenty of time. Also, we were able to get the restaurants we wanted. Be sure to book Teppanyaki in advance, as it is very small and fills up fast. We enjoyed the hibachi cooking.

Nautica34, the driver does give you a ticket. It has perfs at both ends. He takes one for the trip there and you keep the rest to give the driver for the way back. Shuttle was great and would do it again in a heartbeat! Is much better than public transportation and walking down and then back up the hill to get to the beach.

I'll try to answer all the questions --

We had mid-ship BA 11240. Good location, port side, angled balcony.

We booked our cruise January 2015. At the time, the UDP included Cirque Dreams free the 1st night. I had no difficulty reserving the show for free for the 4 of us. Don't know why, but was glad I didn't have to fight for it. I'm glad we got to see it, but not sure I would have paid $39 each. The dinner was fair at best, which we didn't eat. And eating during the show distracted from watching the show. We went to Cagney's at 6PM, had a wonderful meal, and then saw the Cirque show at 9PM. So we didn't eat at the show. Learned that little tip from reading reviews on CC.

Regarding the shuttle to Horseshoe Bay, it is $16 per person round trip. Walk out of the cruise terminal to the area where the taxis gather. There will be a sign for the shuttle. They take cash only, US money. It is about a 10 seat van and there are a few of them. They run about every 30 minutes or so, but if they fill up (or nearly full) they go. About a 20 minute ride, and they drop you at the bottom near the beach. At the beach, you can rent chairs and umbrella. We didn't, but I think the prices were about $11 to rent a chair.

Any other questions, I'll try to answer.

Robes were not in the room when we got there. I requested 4 from our steward and he brought them the next day. They are not thick terry, but a thin cotton material. Nothing fancy but adequate.

Sand and Seas, yes, we had an angled balcony. We were midship deck 11. Good thing we had the angled balcony. The balconies on the Breakaway are substantially smaller than on Carnival ships. Smaller rooms too. But with the angle, all 4 of us could be out there at the same time. I miss Bermuda already!

Snorkelmom19, have a great cruise. You will have a wonderful time on the ship. Bermuda was fantastic. Enjoy!

We did not sit out at the Waterfront for dinner. I'm not crazy about the humidity when I eat, so we sat inside with the air conditioning.

We loved Cagney's -- the steaks were cooked to perfection. We had the filet mignon and the NY Strip. Sauces were very good too. We liked Le Bistro too. We had the lobster, filet, lamb chops, fish, ribeye for 2, etc. Appetizers at both were nice too. Teppanyaki was lots of fun and the food very good. We also ate at Moderno. The salad bar was very good. I personally wasn't as fond of the meats there, but my family liked it a lot. As you can tell, all of our dinners were very good. And the service was attentive.

We cruised to Bermuda on the Breakaway 6/28 to 7/5. First cruise on NCL. We are a family of 4, me, my husband and twin daughters age 16 in a mid-ship balcony room with the bump-out balcony. This gave us a little bit more room on the balcony.

We arrived at the pier later than I would have liked because our bus was late. The lines were long and we were probably in the last group to board the ship. I had wanted to go to Savor for a calm, sit-down lunch, but the wait was 45 minutes, so we went to the Uptown Grill, which was not very crowded. Burgers were good and the salad was very good.

Our balcony room on deck 11 was much smaller than other balcony rooms we’ve had on Carnival and Royal Caribbean. But it had a lot of storage room. This being our first NCL cruise, I had read a lot on CC prior to sailing and got great information. Such as bringing cards to put in the light switch, requesting robes, etc. In fact, on the first day, we were explaining to some of the passengers about the light switches. There are only 2 banks for elevators, one forward, one aft. Not enough for the number of passengers. After shows, it was nearly impossible to get an elevator. We used the stairs quite a bit.

For our promotion, we chose the UDP, so we ate in a specialty restaurant every night. Because of information I read on CC, I knew we could also see Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy on the first night for free. Prior to sailing, I booked the shows and made dinner reservations for each night. We ate in Cagney’s twice, Le Bistro 3 times, and Teppanyaki and Moderno once each. All the dinners were excellent. We saw Rock of Ages, Burn the Floor and Cirque Dreams. All very good shows. However, the seats in the main theatre are extremely uncomfortable. We went to Howl at the Moon, and those musicians are very talented and we enjoyed the show. Most days, we had lunch at the Garden Café. I personally feel that the lunch buffet on Carnival is better, but food is subjective. One day we had lunch at O’Sheehans and it wasn’t that great. We did have lunch at Taste once and it was very good. Most mornings we went to Savor for a sit-down breakfast. Service and food was very good. The Garden Café breakfast buffet was also good. Because we used the UDP every night for dinner, we didn’t get a chance to eat dinner in any of the complimentary restaurants, so I can’t comment on those dinners.

The pool area is very small for the number of passengers and the chair hogs were everywhere. We spent time at Spice H2O, which is supposed to be for adults only. We saw 8 and 9 year olds in the hot tubs and with their parents on the loungers. So much for following the rules.

We did not book any excursions since Bermuda is easy to get around with buses and the ferries. I had done some research on Bermuda and knew about the $16 per person round-trip shuttle to Horseshoe Bay Beach. We used that rather than the public buses. It was a bit more expensive than the bus, but more convenient, as the shuttle drops you off right near the beach, rather than at the top of the hill. The beach was gorgeous and we actually went there on Wednesday and went back on Thursday because we enjoyed it so much. We got there early, and left when it started to get crazy crowded. On Friday, we walked around Heritage Wharf and bought some souvenirs.

The staff on the ship were pleasant, friendly and did a wonderful job. Service in the specialty restaurants was especially good. Tables in the Garden Café were quickly cleaned and our room steward was great and took care of all of our requests. Cute towel animals too!

We had fun on the ropes course, climbing wall, and miniature golf. There was always something to do. The girls attended the Entourage teen program and met some nice kids. They enjoyed the activities and parties.

There are not a lot of inexpensive souvenirs available on the ship. Lots of expensive jewelry, watches, etc. No shops to purchase reasonably priced tee-shirts, keychains, etc. Very different from the Carnival and RCCL ships we have sailed on.

We had reservations for an early bus home, so we decided to do the self-debarkation. Apparently, so did most of the ship’s passengers! This was chaotic. Announcements were made not to proceed to the debark area until told to. Well, the announcement was made, we got our luggage and were to the debark area in about 45 seconds, only to be greeted by about 1,000 people and their luggage already there. So much for following the rules….again. So we waited on a very long line to get off the ship. Going through customs was not bad, as they had a number of customs agents to take care of the crowd. We walked across the street, grabbed a cab and were on our way to the Port Authority to get our bus.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable cruise. I’m not sure I’m sold on the Freestyle concept, as you almost have to make reservations on the Breakaway if you want to see the shows or get into the restaurants when you want. But I would definitely cruise on the Breakaway again, and would definitely go back to Bermuda.

Thanks for the review. Great information. Was there pre-registration at the pier for the older teen group Entourage? These are 15-17 year olds. First time for us on NCL. We have reservations for Le Bistro. Hoping our dinner there is better than your experience.

Going on the Breakaway 6/28 with UDP and have reservations confirmed at Cagney's. Does anyone have any details about whether or not Cagney's will be available with the UDP? Anyone know for sure about the changes? Wonder if they'll honor the reservations already made?

We are sailing prior to 7/3 and I was able to book us 2 nights at Cagney's under the UDP and did receive confirmations. Both reservations are prior to 7/3, and I wasn't able to reserve Cagney's online for any date after 7/2. I hope they will honor the reservations I do have. Also, I am very curious to know what changes they will be making to Cagney's -- menu? no longer on UDP? I hope they will announce the changes prior to my cruise so I know what to expect. This is our 1st NCL cruise and all these changes I'm reading about on CC are making my head spin!

Okay. I have the UDP and have already pre-booked Cagney's for 2 nights and have the confirmation that it is $0. Is NCL saying that Cagney's is no longer part of the UDP? Has anyone verified that? Anyone know if and when this change is effective? Wow. This is disappointing (and deceptive) if it's true.

New to NCL. Sailing Breakaway in June. I have purchased the UDP and plan to eat at Le Bistro. Someone on the boards mentioned French press coffee being served there. Is it complimentary, or is this an extra charge item? Also, what are the not to miss items on the Le Bistro menu? Apps? Mains? and Desserts? Thank you.

Ocean Blue is now $29 on Breakaway 6/28. It was $39.

Monkeybone, if you booked March 1st, you would be under the

Freestyle Choice Spectacular

Up to $3700 in value per stateroom (based on 7 night itinerary)

Booking Window: 3/1/15 - 4/6/15 11.59pm EST

which I happened to copy and save to a document.

Here is the section about UDP I will cut and paste....

Ultimate dining package:

*Available for Ocean View and above categories only

Unlimited dining at specialty restaurants.

Dining Package excludes Chefs Table, Ocean Blue, Carlos Bakery items, Ice Cream Bar, and Gelato.

A la carte priced restaurants are excluded (i.e. Sushi, Raw Bar, Noodle Bar and Ocean Blue Waterfront).

Entertainment based dining is excluded (Cirque shows, Second City Lunches, Nick Breakfasts, Wine Lovers, Illusionarium).

The A la carte venues and Ocean Blue are not included in the UDP, but will be discounted 20% for those who choose the package.

Entertainment based and Chefs Table dining will not be discounted.

Additional main courses in Cagney's, Le Bistro, and Jefferson's Bistro will be charged at $10.00 per person.

Guests who chose the UDP can reserve the embarkation day performances at no additional cost.

Clearly it states you are entitled to the Cirque show. What part about this doesn't NCL understand???

Monkeybone, I chose the UDP as part of the promotion. Sailing on 6/28 Breakaway. One of the reasons I chose UDP was because of the Cirque show. I indeed did go online on 3/30 (90 days from cruise) and booked the 9PM show for my family at no charge. The NCL people are giving you a bunch of cr**. And even if they changed their rules, it doesn't apply to our cruise because of the 6/28 date. This is my first experience with NCL and I'm not at all happy with how you are being treated and lied to. Keep pushing them. They are wrong and you are right!

Yesterday I booked Cirque Dreams for the 1st night on Breakaway and it was no charge with the UDP.