Former RCCL employee cruises the Breakaway!

[freddy07043]

Hey all,

Just got back from my cruise on the NCL Breakaway, sailing date July 14-July 21 2013. A little background of myself which is probably much different then most that post on here; I am a former RCL employee who worked for the company for about 8 years in the entertainment division as an activity staff. These were probably one of the best times of my life and I would not trade this experience for anything. I got to see the world and get paid for it.I was very fortunate. The reason why I said goodbye to ship life was because I wanted to finally get a "land job" as we "sailors" refer to it and become settled.

My parents had surprised my brother, sister and I with a cruise on the NCL Breakaway this past Christmas. To my brother and sister, they were ecstatic! As for me, in my head I was like really? A cruise? It's like going back to work and a cruise ship is the last place I wanted to be while on vacation. But the good son I am, I smiled and thanked them for the gift.

6 months later, I had finished what would be my last contract on ships in June. Fast forward one month later and we had arrived to the family cruise vacation on the Breakaway. We live in Northern NJ so getting to the ship pier was not bad at all, it only took about 30 minutes! Better than flying!

We get to the pier and I see the Breakaway. Now I have worked on all of the class ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet, so to me I can say it is around the size of the Freedom class ships minus the art work in the front. lol! I am not a fan of Peter Max. I did see the other design that will be on the sister ship to the Breakaway, the Getaway and I think that design is more appealing.

Embarkation was quick and easy. The people at the counter were very friendly and wished us a nice Bon Voyage!

Stepping on the ship for the first time, you can smell the "new ship smell"! I love that smell! By the time we got on the ship, we were able to go to our rooms, so that is what we did first. Yikes and ohhh was my initial reaction. The interior room I was sharing with my nephew was smaller then expected. But at least it was bigger then my crew cabin and my nephew preferred to stay with my sister most of the cruise, so it was all good! I'm not sure if there were 3 or 4 people in the room, how comfortable that would be. Again, I lived in crew quarters for 8 years- so anything from that is a upgrade! lol!

After dropping our things off, we went to the buffet. Now I know from experience the buffets are a mad house on embarkation days. This is not the place to be because of the crowds. BUT my whole family insisted we go there and this is what we did. At the entrance of the buffet, I noticed the hand washing sinks--brilliant idea, very smart. Hand washing is more effective then the sanitizing machines, but with both available it was a double whammy to germs! yay!

As we entered the buffet, I was like Oh dear! So many people! And yes it was what I thought, but this is what the family wanted to do. I would have preferred to go to O'Sheehans to get food, it looked pretty empty to me and a more appealing menu. We got our food and somehow found a place to eat. Buffet was your typical food , similar to Windjammer food on RCL- it was good.

Public Spaces and Pool Deck:

The decor of the ship is very nice, modern and sophisticated, especially the chandelier in the atrium area. It is a much different layout then on Royal Caribbean ships as they have the specialty restaurants throughout the ship, rather then in one area. A lot of spaces are designated for the restaurants, but somehow I feel this takes away from other parts of the ship's venues or passenger space. The pool deck was smaller then I expected. It just didn't seem right to just have this many passengers and only one pool for adults and one small pool with the Nickelodeon characters for kids. Yes the slides are impressive and super fun, but I think another pool would help here. The ropes course is a great idea. I loved doing them and I "walked the plank"! lol! Actually I walked the plank before on RCL for our life at sea crew training where we had to jump into the ocean from Deck 2 with our life vests. Scary is all I could say, but fun at the same time! But this ropes course plank was so high up that it was terrifying but yet fun! lol! Onto the casino! I enjoyed playing here and the dealers were very friendly! We had a good group of people playing the table games and we would see each other around the ship and high five each other as we passed! One guy kept buying everyone drinks-score! lol! It is smoky like most casinos, but this did bother a lot of passengers who would be around the casino area. They complained about it all week. I totally understand where they are coming from. The casino should be in an enclosed area so others wouldn't have to deal with it. The waterfront---What a great concept!! Very nice area and it helped guests connect with the ocean. In my opinion, this is where the Oasis of the seas is lacking. You kind of lose the connection to the sea because a lot of things are enclosed on the ship and focused from the inside. I appreciate the waterfront and what it had to offer.The gym is nice and efficient. It wasn't crowded when I went, which is usually right before dinner so it was nice to have the area to myself. My sister went one time in the morning and complained she couldn't get a machine, so I told her to come at the time I would go. She was happy because the gym was practically empty.

**Note: I heard a lot of people complain about the crowds on this ship. Yes I did see some flaws in the design and yes it does get crowded, but from my experience, all you have to do is adjust your schedule to when the masses won't be there. I like the freestyle concept of eating when you want because you don't have a set time to go to the dining room, which allowed you to do certain activities at a time that was convenient for you.

Entertainment and Activities

Since I was part of the Activity staff on RCL, I did not attend things that I would host or assist such as Bingo, Karaoke, trivias, love and marriage, quest etc. It wasn't appealing since that is what I did for a living. lol! I'm sure no one wants to be reminded of work while on vacation! I did attend Rock of Ages and loved it! I am a huge 80's music fan and enjoyed the show. Burn the Floor was well done and the Cirque show was excellent- a must see! The food was not the greatest there but you are there for the entertainment. I loved the dueling pianos and Sam Allen! Fire and Ice in the atrium was very entertaining, I swear she has so much energy--love her! I also went to the Deal or No Deal game show, like anything else it is more fun being on stage then in the audience. Too bad I wasn't picked to be on stage. The game concept is not that fun if you aren't the ones picking the suitcase. I also enjoyed the dance parties at Spice H2O! The fireworks were a real treat and nicely done. Overall, I think the Breakaway's entertainment is on par with RCL and that is saying a lot from a activity staff on a competitors line! Good job NCL!

Food

I am a foodie and love the specialty restaurants on the Oasis Class on RCL, so I was excited to taste the ones on NCL. We did Cagney's, Le Bistro, Noodle Bar and La Cucina. Cagney's was very good--meat was cooked perfect and it tasted like how a steak should be. Le Bistro, this is now my favorite specialty restaurant on both lines! It was sooo good! I wish this restaurant was on land, I would go to it every week! The escargot and lamb were divine! The noodle bar was just ok-the smoke from the casino kind of did ruin the experience and "taste" of the food. La Cucina was a little disappointing, kind of like a lower standard then Olive Garden, but the bread was delicious! The Manhattan Dining Room was very pretty and we enjoyed the rest of our meals there. The food was ok. Carlos Bakery--- LOBSTER TAILS!! Soooo good! We get these in NJ but once we saw the shop on the ship, we couldn't resist!!

Service

This is a touchy subject I feel. The service was ok/good. As a former crew member, I can tell you this, our job is to provide the best service possible to our guests. This is very important to the company and you are a reflection of the company. Even if you are homesick or having a bad day, you need to forget about this and "go to work" with a smile. Sure you will have your off days, but don't take it out on the guests who had done nothing wrong.

My critique on the service was mainly in the dining room where it seemed like the waiters were not very interactive and they did everything roboticly, they did their job but didn't go above and beyond. This I feel is what was missing. Even passing in the halls, sometimes some of the crew would look down as you passed them. No greeting or nod of the head. Maybe they were shy, but you have to at least acknowledge a guest, even if it is with a smile. Maybe I am being picky here because I know how it is supposed to be. Don't get me wrong, some of the crew were very friendly and outgoing, but others seemed like you didn't exist. My room attendant for example, I saw once and he never even introduced himself to me. I feel prepaid gratuities has ruined a part of service on cruise lines. Recently RCL has implemented prepaid grats as well and I hope it doesn't effect the service like it has here.

Overall

I actually really enjoyed my time on the Breakaway, more then I thought I would. The entertainment was great, the food was good at the specialty restaurants, the slides and rope courses were fun, and the time spent with my family on a cruise was memorable. Yes there were things during the cruise that could have been better like the crowds and service, but I didn't let it get to me. If you dwell on the negatives on a vacation, why bother going? Yes I did a lot of comparisons during my cruise between RCL and NCL. To me, they are more similar then different. The freestyle concept is what separates them. I think RCL in my opinion designs their ships better and has a better flow of people traffic. NCL can learn something from this. But overall, I would sail on a NCL ship again. Thanks for reading!

[SuiteCruiser]

Thanks for your review and it's especially interesting from your point of view. I'm glad you had a great trip and thank you for the well-balanced review. I don't sail Breakaway until March, but I am really enjoying most of the reviews.

[1witchydiva]

Thank you for your review. It was great reading your point of view. I had a great time on the Breakaway.However, I seem to be in the minority lately . lol I was on the same cruise as you. Thanks again for such a great review.

[elron]

Pretty cool Freddy! Thx for taking the time and glad you enjoyed yourself!

[freddy07043]

Thanks guys for reading my review! Glad you enjoyed reading it! =)

 

Thank you for your review. It was great reading your point of view. I had a great time on the Breakaway.However, I seem to be in the minority lately . lol I was on the same cruise as you. Thanks again for such a great review.

 

You were?! You should have come to the casino when the guy was buying everyone drinks! haha! Im glad you also enjoyed your vacation!

[dizizit]

Question for the Rock of Ages - what are the time slots? Is it a first come first serve basis or you have to book them?

We are a family of 8 so I was wondering if it will be hard for us to get it.

 

Also, is it the only free show the entire week in the theater?

 

We are not planning on seeing the shows with charges so I'm just wondering what else could we see the other nights?

 

Are there bands also aside form the blues band, reggae band, and the piano guys ?

[roddy good boy]

This was an excellent review. Fair and balanced with just the right amount of detail. Thank you for doing this!

[mitsugirly]

Thanks so much for your review. It's always nice to hear comparisions. I haven't sailed with RCL since the 80's, but it is definitely on my "to-do" list. I want to experience the Oasis or Allure. Either one, I'm not picky. ;) :p

 

Getting the perspective of someone that has been in the business is very interesting and a delight to read. :)

[cjknox]

Thank you for sharing your insights.

[andiloveu]

Thanks for your review. I always wondered if crew or former crew members would take a cruise vacation and how they would compare the ships. I like your insight on both cruise lines, good and bad. I am also concerned about the pre paid grats and how it will affect service on RCL. We have always had great service on Royal and hope it stays that way.:)

[tx121]

This was a great review! Im glad you had a great time and enjoyed the activities on the Breakaway. I am looking forward to my cruise in October!Hopefully the service is better when it's not peak season.

[sjnyc323]

Excellent review thanks for sharing

 

 

Suzanne

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

[david_sobe]

Thanks for the review and interesting perspective

[pe4all]

I really enjoyed reading your review from an ex-crew member's standpoint - even if you were on a different line. Very fair and balanced. I am looking forward to my first NCL experience on Breakaway, after 16 in a row on Carnival! Good luck in whatever "land" career you choose!:)

[tiffygirl]

Thanks for the review. you were fair. Thoroughly enjoy reading it!!

 

Thank you for taking the time to write and post!!

[deladypilot]

Thank you for taking the time to review Breakaway. Most informative and very balanced. Its nice to read.

 

My hubby is so against the big ships for this reason. Really hoping NCL does not stick with only building "big ships".

[youngestof9]

This is exactly what a review is! Balanced, highlighting good and bad and not letting the bad ruin your vacation.

 

I especially enjoyed your point of view, being on a Royal ship for so long.

 

Thanks!

[camz]

This was a really great, well written, well thought-out review! Kudos!! I enjoyed your insight very much, given your employment background. I appreciate you taking the time to post your thoughts. :)

[Barb Nahoumi]

Freddy, I really enjoyed reading your review of the breakaway, from a crew-member's point of view.

 

You could compare and contrast one cruise line from another.

[Fins2theleft]

Thanks for your review. It was very interesting to see the point of view from a former worker in the industry.

[dcollette]

Thank you for writing your review from a unique "inside" perspective. Sounds like you had a great time and wrote a very nice review.

[freddy07043]

Thanks everyone for the compliments on my review! =) I'm glad you all enjoyed reading my perspective on the Breakaway! Happy Sailing! =)

[graphicguy]

Freddy....thanks. Cool to get your perspective.

 

Said before....between RCCL, CCL and NCL, they are all similar. Some go out of their way to stand out from the others (for NCL, it's the entertainment). But, overall, they're quite similar.

[shepherdqueen]

Thank you for taking the time to give us your review. I really appreciated your perspective. Thank you!

[1witchydiva]

Thanks guys for reading my review! Glad you enjoyed reading it! =)

 

 

 

You were?! You should have come to the casino when the guy was buying everyone drinks! haha! Im glad you also enjoyed your vacation!

 

of course we missed that. :). Lol. I am so happy you enjoyed your vacation.