Everything Breakaway!(LIVE on 4/28)

[gambee]

So not all is good. The complains of the MDR just keep pilling up, I just heard a lady up in the buffet say "I can't wait to get home". Mostly because of the food.

 

My personal opinion is that she is a bit old to be traveling ncl, she claimed that Hal was her favorite line.

 

I hope this mdr thing is just cause of a new staff. But then again I don't think so. Remember few people claimed long lines in the TA, I think it is because they only had $2600 people aboard. Now that they are cruising with 4600 people aboard they might be encountering problems that were not there before.

 

Also note that I have yet to eat in the the mdr mainly because I just don't feel like waiting.

 

So yeah this is an issue that could kill the breakaway class. 1hr waits to be seated are unacceptable and add to that 1:30 to eat...

 

However most of the food is great! Hopefully they figure out that mdr deal and things get better.

 

Please note that I use the term old loosely. People of any age can travel in any line. I just think that most of the activities are geared towards younger people. Slides, road course ect.

[david_sobe]

So not all is good. The complains of the MDR just keep pilling up, I just heard a lady up in the buffet say "I can't wait to get home". Mostly because of the food.

 

My personal opinion is that she is a bit old to be traveling ncl, she claimed that Hal was her favorite line.

 

I hope this mdr thing is just cause of a new staff. But then again I don't think so. Remember few people claimed long lines in the TA, I think it is because they only had $2600 people aboard. Now that they are cruising with 4600 people aboard they might be encountering problems that were not there before.

 

Also note that I have yet to eat in the the mdr mainly because I just don't feel like waiting.

 

So yeah this is an issue that could kill the breakaway class. 1hr waits to be seated are unacceptable and add to that 1:30 to eat...

 

However most of the food is great! Hopefully they figure out that mdr deal and things get better.

 

Please note that I use the term old loosely. People of any age can travel in any line. I just think that most of the activities are geared towards younger people. Slides, road course ect.

Thanks for the report. Hopfully the lines for food go down with future cruises. This is a reason some from other lines state they dislike the freestyle concept if you cant eat when you want. How do you make a show if you wait an hour for dinner then another 1 1/2 hours to eat. The prices of the specialty restaurants have really went up in price lately. Maybe more are flocking to the MDR. Its crazy that you have yet to eat dinner in the MDR!

 

Thank you for putting the Peter Max meeting into context. If it was by the pool area, that makes it so much worse. It was not like you interrupted his dinner or somthing.

 

Thanks again for your live reporting and of course we cant wait for the full report when you get home. Enjoy the rest of your cruise!!!!!!

[rwslv]

I was wondering if anyone can comment on if there is special glass in the S6 bathrooms to prevent your neighbor from peering over the balcony divider and seeing your business?

[gambee]

I was wondering if anyone can comment on if there is special glass in the S6 bathrooms to prevent your neighbor from peering over the balcony divider and seeing your business?

 

Nope, no special glass. Open so the enjoyment of all :D. Maybe you can put a show for your neighbor ;).

[English101]

Nope, no special glass. Open so the enjoyment of all :D. Maybe you can put a show for your neighbor ;).

 

So you saw into MY bathtub, did you!? Lol ill have to look for that pic again!

 

My bathtub in 499 days! Lol

 

P.s. your neighbor, in that suite, started a thread and answered some of my questions! :)

[gambee]

So you saw into MY bathtub, did you!? Lol ill have to look for that pic again!

 

My bathtub in 499 days! Lol

 

P.s. your neighbor, in that suite, started a thread and answered some of my questions! :)

 

No way. Cool. You sure it's that suite? If it is him, he has the most well behaved children in the world. I also think they only use the balcony to smoke. I have only seen them two times in the entire cruise. I have the best neighbors. Well deserved after the silli disaster.

[time2cruise1]

I was wondering if anyone can comment on if there is special glass in the S6 bathrooms to prevent your neighbor from peering over the balcony divider and seeing your business?

 

No special glass but a shade to block views from neighbors or cabin mates on the balcony.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk - Jim

[rwslv]

Nope, no special glass. Open so the enjoyment of all :D. Maybe you can put a show for your neighbor ;).

 

A show then it will be! I'm okay with it, they on the other hand might not be...oh well their the ones that are taking a peek!

[topanga49er]

Because given the HC situation, we'll be looking at booking an S6 on Deck 12 for the fall... Am really interested in whether the slides /rope course got more crowded as the days went on.

 

Also, what was it like to stay in one port for three days? I think I like the idea of that, rather than port hopping: you must really get to know the island...

 

Bermuda in winter is probably not too warm though, i imagine. Isn't it off the coast of the Carolina's?

 

Have a great rest of cruise and am keeping glued to cc.

 

BTW, any news on Quantum pricing yet? Thanks!

[English101]

No way. Cool. You sure it's that suite? If it is him, he has the most well behaved children in the world. I also think they only use the balcony to smoke. I have only seen them two times in the entire cruise. I have the best neighbors. Well deserved after the silli disaster.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1849255

 

 

Yes, that's the suite 12904!!! :) He said their children are 4&1. He said his head was pounding last night from the noise out on the balcony. He said they can't hear it inside.

 

Maybe I should ask him to post a pic of himself in the tub. FULLY CLOTHED of course. Actually, aren't we all wondering how cramped that second shower is!? Lol my daughters will be using it when we're in that suite though....

[Godiva830]

If the wait times are very long are they allowing the suite passengers to make reservations in the MDR? If yes are the suite passengers with reservations being seated on time?

[Gershep]

I'm counting the days till Gambee's review, especially since I have to book my dining and show reservations this coming week.

 

Something tells me that there will be long waiting times at the MDR's every sailing. Depending how you look at it, it either was really poor planning on NCL's part or very good if more people flock to specialty dining. In my opinion there is no reason that there should be such long waits and with a ship this size there should be plenty of seats available at the buffet.

 

- Are there mini bottles of liquor in the mini refrigerators? If so, what are they and how much to they charge per bottle?

 

 

Still not sure what ship Gambee likes better. Hopefully the Breakaway but I really can't tell.

[ihopfar]

I hope this mdr thing is just cause of a new staff. But then again I don't think so. Remember few people claimed long lines in the TA, I think it is because they only had $2600 people aboard. Now that they are cruising with 4600 people aboard they might be encountering problems that were not there before.

 

Thanks gambee for all your reporting!

 

Although the MDR issues are troubling, I have to think it must be growing pains. If not new staff, than new equipment and layout and coordination to learn. NCL knows how many people the MDRs need to seat to be able to accommodate everyone --- I can't imagine they built the ship with not enough seats. Not saying they would put enough to have no waits any time, but 1 hour is so far beyond the norm... Hopefully it will get better soon.

 

BTW, did you confirm that there are 4600 passengers (and not passengers + crew) on board? If so, then we know all the "space" issues are being tested on this sailing and it can't get any worse. :)

[janetz]

So not all is good. The complains of the MDR just keep pilling up, I just heard a lady up in the buffet say "I can't wait to get home". Mostly because of the food.

 

My personal opinion is that she is a bit old to be traveling ncl, she claimed that Hal was her favorite line.

 

I hope this mdr thing is just cause of a new staff. But then again I don't think so. Remember few people claimed long lines in the TA, I think it is because they only had $2600 people aboard. Now that they are cruising with 4600 people aboard they might be encountering problems that were not there before.

 

Also note that I have yet to eat in the the mdr mainly because I just don't feel like waiting.

 

So yeah this is an issue that could kill the breakaway class. 1hr waits to be seated are unacceptable and add to that 1:30 to eat...

 

However most of the food is great! Hopefully they figure out that mdr deal and things get better.

 

Please note that I use the term old loosely. People of any age can travel in any line. I just think that most of the activities are geared towards younger people. Slides, road course ect.

 

 

I am looking forward to your review. The comments about the MDR, the small balcony and waiting are discouraging. We are excited for the shows but if the reviews are not great on the rest of the ship, we may rethink our booking. Having sailed the Oasis and Allure, we know how well they handle crowds. We never waited at all to dine.:)

[Bellaloomp]

We experienced long wait lines in the Epic last cruise in Europe. We were able to eat in the MDR only one time. The rest of the dinners we had to make use of the Taste dining room, the buffet or specialty restaurants. It was one of the negative thing about the Epic. The other was rude Pax thad had no idea what common curtesy mean.

[plumber22]

Noob question: If you take advantage of this $25/$50 casino promotion, are there restrictions on cashing out? Any reason I couldn't play $25 and, after losing it, cash out the remaining $25? Or even just cash out the $50?

 

Also, can onboard credit be used for casino chips? Looked on the NCL site and failed to find anything.

 

Have done this many times and they put your credits on a card that you insert into the machine so I don't see why you couldn't cash out, but I really don't remember, ask me when we get back after 6/2 and I will remember more then.

 

I don't think onboard credit can be used for casino chips but have never tried. Good Luck

[Gershep]

Gambee, where and how did you find out there were 4600 passengers?

[shoreless]

So not all is good. The complains of the MDR just keep pilling up, I just heard a lady up in the buffet say "I can't wait to get home". Mostly because of the food.

 

My personal opinion is that she is a bit old to be traveling ncl, she claimed that Hal was her favorite line.

 

I hope this mdr thing is just cause of a new staff. But then again I don't think so. Remember few people claimed long lines in the TA, I think it is because they only had $2600 people aboard. Now that they are cruising with 4600 people aboard they might be encountering problems that were not there before.

 

Also note that I have yet to eat in the the mdr mainly because I just don't feel like waiting.

 

So yeah this is an issue that could kill the breakaway class. 1hr waits to be seated are unacceptable and add to that 1:30 to eat...

 

However most of the food is great! Hopefully they figure out that mdr deal and things get better.

 

Please note that I use the term old loosely. People of any age can travel in any line. I just think that most of the activities are geared towards younger people. Slides, road course ect.

 

Does Breakaway have the electronic display panels scattered around the ship to tell you the current wait time for the various restaurants?

[PalmBeachOrBust]

Hey Gambee,

 

My knight in shining armor. I was looking at the freestyle dailies someone posted. Have they eliminated the martini and margarita tastings? I was looking forward to them, and they don't seem to be listed

 

Carolyn

[fivegirl]

Do they at least give you pagers in the M D Rs?

[English101]

Do they at least give you pagers in the M D Rs?

 

I believe Gambee said they do and that the pagers work around the ship.

 

You could come back on the ship (from port) put your name on the wait list & get a pager, then go to your room to shower and get dressed for dinner! Lol of course I'd be worried the pager would start buzzing while I'm still in the shower! Lol

[Highboy90]

I am looking forward to your review. The comments about the MDR, the small balcony and waiting are discouraging. We are excited for the shows but if the reviews are not great on the rest of the ship, we may rethink our booking. Having sailed the Oasis and Allure, we know how well they handle crowds. We never waited at all to dine.:)

I've had my finger on the cancel reservation button for weeks now. I'm still within the 75 day window so have been patiently waiting for a couple reviews to come in.

 

For what it is worth - new ship growing pains don't add up to me. ;)

[big al]

Thanks for the report. Hopfully the lines for food go down with future cruises. This is a reason some from other lines state they dislike the freestyle concept if you cant eat when you want. How do you make a show if you wait an hour for dinner then another 1 1/2 hours to eat. The prices of the specialty restaurants have really went up in price lately. Maybe more are flocking to the MDR. Its crazy that you have yet to eat dinner in the MDR!

 

Thank you for putting the Peter Max meeting into context. If it was by the pool area, that makes it so much worse. It was not like you interrupted his dinner or somthing.

 

Thanks again for your live reporting and of course we cant wait for the full report when you get home. Enjoy the rest of your cruise!!!!!!

 

 

I find it disturbing that a new ship with THREE main dining rooms and another 20+ venues has 60-90 minute wait times! I've been on both the Oasis & Allure ( both fabulous!!) with 6000+ passengers and we NEVER waited more than 10 minutes for anytime ( RCI's "Freestyle") dining...maybe because we eat around 6:30-6:45 AND I always tell our waiters to please be aware of the time because we have a show to catch- even we don't....that way we are usually out within 45-60 min.....I hope to go on the Getaway next year and I really hope NCL has this problem figured out by then...BTW: Does anybody else wonder..if cruise lines transfer their BEST crew members to their newest ships ( which they usually do), why do you suppose there are soooo many problems on almost ALL new cruise ships? These are suppose to be THEE best waiters, bartenders, cabin attendants , Guest Services people, etc...yet, look at the wait times & other issues Gambee mentions..I suppose this is the main reason I always wait till 7-8 cruises minimum after the maiden voyages before I cruise a new ship....

[time2cruise1]

I find it disturbing that a new ship with THREE main dining rooms and another 20+ venues has 60-90 minute wait times! I've been on both the Oasis & Allure ( both fabulous!!) with 6000+ passengers and we NEVER waited more than 10 minutes for anytime ( RCI's "Freestyle") dining...maybe because we eat around 6:30-6:45 AND I always tell our waiters to please be aware of the time because we have a show to catch- even we don't....that way we are usually out within 45-60 min.....I hope to go on the Getaway next year and I really hope NCL has this problem figured out by then...BTW: Does anybody else wonder..if cruise lines transfer their BEST crew members to their newest ships ( which they usually do), why do you suppose there are soooo many problems on almost ALL new cruise ships? These are suppose to be THEE best waiters, bartenders, cabin attendants , Guest Services people, etc...yet, look at the wait times & other issues Gambee mentions..I suppose this is the main reason I always wait till 7-8 cruises minimum after the maiden voyages before I cruise a new ship....

 

Yes they have almost all experience crew. My bet based on the TA the backup is due to the galley. It sound get far better over time as the get enough data on the dining patterns on a new ship. Like any restaurant once you have a pattern of the number of each dish you serve every hour that can get ahead of the crush. All the food for Savor and Taste comes from the same Galley. If one is slow both will be.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk - Jim

[cruisebear84]

I've had my finger on the cancel reservation button for weeks now. I'm still within the 75 day window so have been patiently waiting for a couple reviews to come in.

 

You too?!?! If I don't read some good news when gamble gets back, I think I'm just going to pull the trigger. It's my first cruise and way too expensive at that to risk a bad time. I can always try to go next year when the ship is broken in a bit :) :)