NCL Breakaway vs. Carnival Splendor

[sandytoes03]

Hi everyone--

 

We are planning a cruise next summer with our three year old twins. We have narrowed it down to two options. Please help us decide! We have never sailed either line, and we've never sailed with our kids before.

 

Option 1. NCL Breakaway out of NYC to Bermuda

 

Pros--Brand new ship! Amazing features and entertainment! We might actually be overwhelmed trying to see and do everything. lol!

Never been to Bermuda--hear that it's lovely, and I think this would be an easy POC with two little kids. Want to spend as much time on the beach as possible. Freestyle dining--never done it, but seems like it could be a very good thing with little kids.

 

Cons--Cost. Most expensive option. At least $1500 more--just for the cruise alone.

 

Option 2: Carnival Splendor departing from NYC

Itinerary 1: San Juan, St. Thomas, Grand Turk

 

Pros--Eight night cruise vs. seven on Breakaway! Much more affordable. Would love to hit Grand Turk--have never been but it looks great. Love St. Thomas and would like to go back, even though I have been a few times already. Plus, I think it's fun when cruising to wake up to different islands/locations.

 

Ship won't be as big or new as Breakaway, but looks very nice, and would have more than enough to keep us entertained and happy.

 

Cons: We don't like San Juan. Have been there before a few times, and nothing really interests me there. I think it would be a challenging POC with two little kids. Staying on the ship that day doesn't appeal to me either.

 

Itinerary 2: Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay, Nassau departing from NYC

 

Pros:Eight night cruise! Again, much more affordable. Grand Turk would be great. Half Moon looks fun, and even though I've been to Nassau a few times, I always have fun there.

 

Cons: For some reason I am totally afraid that the weather/waves would keep us from Half Moon Cay, and we would end up with only two POCs, not something that would make me happy.

 

 

Any thoughts??

 

Thanks!

Edited July 24, 2012 by sandytoes03

[LadyShiva]

I choose Breakaway over Carnival, but I'd choose the Bahamas itinerary for a lower price point.

 

And the reason for NCL over Carnival is to not have formal dining; I prefer the dining options of NCL over anything with assigned seating. :)

 

Good luck!

[crusinmama06]

If you can handle it - budget wise - then no doubt Breakaway. Our experience with the Kids Crew on Gem out of NYC was nothing short of amazing. They were so kind to our girls. They knew their names. They were totally devoted to their jobs. They really seemed to love what they were doing.

 

And we had fallen in love with Bermuda. We are heading back there for a 3rd time and we just can't get enough. It really is a great place for families.

[sandytoes03]

Thank you for the responses! I would love to try NCL and the Freestyle concept, as well as a new ship! And, I have heard that Bermuda is awesome and easy--something we will want with two little kids! Hmm, maybe starting to lean that way.

[gdaddytobermuda]

Bermuda is a better destination than any port in the Carribean. From Dockyard you can take a taxi to the South Shore beaches in less than 20 minutes. My 8 and 10 year old could not get enough of Horseshoe Bay last month from the Veendam. A ferry ride from Dockyard will take you to Hamilton or St. George - great cities to visit. Also, Bermuda is remarkably cleaner and the locals much friendlier and helpful in comparison to any other island.

 

Breakaway is very steep - I am considering a room with just 269 sq. feet which would be almost $6000. In comparison, the Veendam cost me that same price for a room with more than double that size.

[Julienatul]

I would go Breakaway hands down!! We sailed EPIC for the first time in March after tons of Carnival cruises. There really isnt a comparison. That ship was fantastic and like no other. We have sailed RCL and Disney as well. The service, layout, food, kids program, entertainment, variety of things to do was so much better in my opinion. If you can swing it, I would go Breakaway. We are actually waiting for the kids sail free promotion that NCL offers to sail the Epic again next year. They usually offer it once a year in the late spring/early summer for fall sailings.

[mrswright]

Breakaway! Hands down..... Amazing ship.

 

 

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[kitkat343]

Bermuda is lovely, and very manageable with small children. The buses are extremely safe and clean, and you won't even need a car seat!

 

If you are sailing next summer, have you also considered the new Royal Caribbean ship Quantum? We have a young child and won't sail on the Breakaway because NCL's kids club is closed from 12-2 and 5-7 on sea days, and ships leaving out of NY will have a lot of sea days. My son naps until 4 or 4:30, and on previous cruises he would wake up and be unhappy when the kids club was closed. So we decided against traveling on the Breakaway this summer and are waiting until the Quantum arrives to possibly take a cruise from our home port next year.

Edited August 15, 2014 by kitkat343

[travelhound]

I've been on both ship and I'd choose the Breakaway too. Splendor was one of my least favorite cruises (although no cruise is really awful). I'm sure you'd have fun on either, but we were just on the Breakaway in June with our three year old and I can tell you it is fun and easy. You don't even need a cab to get to Horseshoe Bay beach. There is a pink express bus at the end of the pier. Couldn't be easier. Clean, nice, beautiful, great ship, freestyle dining is a plus.

 

As far as cost goes, if you can swing the extra money, do it. However, keep checking the prices right up until you go. There may be another "kids sail free" promo and you can switch to that or the price may just go down. We booked ours almost a year in advance. The price went down so far that within the final month I was able to upgrade from an inside cabin to a balcony at no extra cost. If it's before final payment you can just get a refund in price. In fact, we're booked on a Caribbean next year that I rebooked during kids sail free and saved almost $500. So, don't book if the extra $1500 won't work for you, but if you'd like to be pleasantly surprised on a lower price, it could happen. Worst case, you pay what you thought you'd pay.