Cruising with Zay - A Breakaway Review

[kerrydee]

Thanks so much for your thoughts and comments. I'm very happy to share my experiences. Yes, I'm very sociable. You'll LOVE the space center. Everyone I ran into that went enjoyed it very much. You'll also love the lagoon area. As I mentioned before, take your sunscreen. It can get pretty warm at the island.

 

I'm so glad I was able to help you. I have a couple of more days to post. I should finish by Tuesday the latest.

 

i am totally loving your review, your pix and the dailies. thank you so much. where are you in alaska? are you in the pacific timezone? i am in california. i found, in your dailies, how long the shows are but i couldn't find the length of cirque. do you know? can't wait to see all about friday. did you go to the glow party?

[TnomadX]

i am totally loving your review, your pix and the dailies. thank you so much. where are you in alaska? are you in the pacific timezone? i am in california. i found, in your dailies, how long the shows are but i couldn't find the length of cirque. do you know? can't wait to see all about friday. did you go to the glow party?

I am an hour behind you. The Cirque Dreams show is about 2 hrs long. I don't go to the flow party, but did hear about it from many passenger and I'll share those comments also.

 

I

Thank you so much for following me. I'm really enjoying writing this review.

[deetrayn]

Wow Zay, this review is awesome! I feel like I'm right there with you. I love the pictures too. Thank you for sharing your vacation with us. :)

 

Dee

[gizmo911]

Zay, it was great meeting you at our M&M. We also had a very good time on the Breakaway.

 

Couple of things that came to mind based on your review so far:

 

This was my first time free-style cruising. I really liked it! And, I loved the variety of restaurants on board. Overall, we had a very good experience with the food and the servers in all the venues we used.

 

The lunch menu in Savor on the embarkation day was the first time that menu was used. Just introduced on the Breakaway. If they get good feedback, it will be introduced fleetwide. I liked it. Had lunch there 2 days.

 

For sailaway, we went to SpiceH2O. It's top deck aft. Best way to get there is from the aft elevators. Terrific location. Can see from starboard to aft to port, so a great view. It was especially nice due to our fabulous weather!

 

I wonder if the family with twins you mentioned were the same ones I met in the elevator one night. It was dad and the twins. They were on the way to the "circus". They were so excited. When I told them they had to look up to see the circus, they just couldn't believe it. I wish I had run into them later to see how they liked it.

 

Please don't mention the pot pie in O'Sheehans again. Most everyone in my group had it at some time, and really liked it. It was on my to do list, and I never managed to have it. I feel so left out that I didn't have one!

 

You also mentioned the polish sausage in EPCOT. We were at the Food and Wine last year, and this was something we had to go back for a second time! In our area, it's called kielbasi, and we love it! Maybe it's something you have to grow up with.

 

Keep up the good work. You are helping me relive the great week we had on the Breakaway.

 

 

I will be traveling with a friend using a scooter, will we be able to get to SPice H20 area you are talking about for sail away?

[TnomadX]

I will be traveling with a friend using a scooter, will we be able to get to SPice H20 area you are talking about for sail away?

 

Yes you should be able to.

[gizmo911]

I hope you guys are enjoying the review, and that I'm not boring you with so much details. I just want to ensure you get the full experience. Please feel free to ask questions. I want to make sure I answer all of your questions about the experience.

 

--

Zay

 

 

Wondering if there was any shade on private island at front or Lagoon as I can't be in sun too long.

[TnomadX]

Wondering if there was any shade on private island at front or Lagoon as I can't be in sun too long.

 

Yes there is a covered area in the lagoon where the food is served. Please bring a hat while traveling to the lagoon area so you'll have some protection from the sun.

[gizmo911]

Yes there is a covered area in the lagoon where the food is served. Please bring a hat while traveling to the lagoon area so you'll have some protection from the sun.

 

Do they have loungers in covered area. I want to be able to lay out, read and even nap (lol). From your pics of Lagoon, looks like limited shade. I saw a couple of palm trees.

[TnomadX]

Do they have loungers in covered area. I want to be able to lay out, read and even nap (lol). From your pics of Lagoon, looks like limited shade. I saw a couple of palm trees.

 

There are no loungers there in the shaded area. What I did see was people is get a swim tub they rented from the island, and use it as their covering. It was a really nice setup.

[TnomadX]

So today was pretty much a lazy day for me. I woke up around pam and went to the Garden Café for breakfast and enjoyed it very much. I didn’t get a chance to spend it with anyone, but it was still enjoyable sitting next to the window watching the sea. Afterwards, I ran into another cruise critic friend and his wife. I sat down with them and we talked for about an hour or so. He shared pictures he had taken on a previous trip, and they were awesome. He also shared his experiences on the Breakaway. He has been very disappointed with the service, the food, and have found many of the people unpleasant. He has sailed on Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, and even Azamara, and found the service and food much better there.

 

I had to leave and head down to an art show I was invited to. On the way, I ran into my Disney friends. She was waiting on her family to come out of the spa. By the way, the spa is keyed access only. We shared our experiences on board the Breakaway as well. We saw both the good and the bad, and feel that the bad can be easily corrected. I’ll share some of my thoughts on that in my final thoughts. In the meantime, we were still trying to make the very best of the vacation.

 

I finally made my way to the art show. I honestly thought I was going to find something I could afford, but not a chance. It was so far beyond the scope of my affordability, that I just decided to admire from afar. If you can afford to buy the art, go for it. I really enjoyed admiring though. They will give you a freebie for attending the show. They have several shows onboard, so there are many opportunities to go.

 

Meanwhile, I walked to the atrium and ran into my other friends from Cruise Critic. They were enjoying one of the many trivia games on board as well. They were a little upset that the time had changed for the latitudes members by one hour, and didn’t receive any notification. The trip had just been awful for them, and they couldn’t wait to make it back to New York to get off.

 

We decided to have lunch together at Savor, and it was a better experience. I enjoyed Chicken Nachos as an appetizer. When it came, I was surprised at the amount of Nachos there were. It was a humungous portion. It was so big, I couldn’t even eat it all, and I’m a big guy. It had a great taste. I also had the fish and chips (fries). This time, it wasn’t as good as it was the first day I boarded. The fish was a bit greasy, and didn’t sit well. I was glad I had the nachos. For desert I ordered two things…..the Reese’s cheesecake and a key-lime sorbet. The sorbet was really, really good. I could not stop eating it. I almost ordered another one. I barely touched the Cheesecake, but it was good.

 

After lunch, we had an appointment to visit with other cruise critic friends in the accessible suite. As I mentioned before, the accessible suites are big and spacious, and have very nice balconies. There is so much room. We were able to sit outside for a little while before the sun started beating us up….lol. It was great chatting with them. There were seven of us on the balcony, and we still had room out there. We talked for a couple of hours and had an excellent visit.

 

Afterwards, I went to see the Rock of Ages show again. I’m so glad I went a second time. There were a few things that I missed the first time around, and the crowd was really into the show. I still wouldn’t take younger children under age 16 because there is inappropriate dress for them. The music was still a bit louder than I wanted, but the show is excellent. I hope you’ll enjoy it as well.

 

After Rock of Ages, I went back to the Atrium, and they were getting ready for the Fire & Ice show. Tonight they were giving tribute to Whitney Houston. Many people were big fans of Fire and Ice. The young lady has so much energy. She wears high hills, and runs and jumps as if she’s wearing tennis shoes. I couldn’t believe how well she could move in those hills. All week, they have been doing Motown, Tina Turner, and they do well with those types of songs. I didn’t particularly care to hear them sing any of Whitney Houston’s songs. There was just something missing for me. I tried to even sing along with her, but it just wasn’t happening. We ended up leaving the show and going on to dinner at Taste.

 

Our experience at Taste was actually excellent. We had a great server, and even had an assistant server tonight. They were very attentive and made sure we had an excellent experience. I decided to have all of the Chef’s specials. My appetizer was a tortilla Soup, and it was fantastic. In fact, it was so good, I got a second one. Next, I had the Seafood Spaghetti. I was a little worried at first because I hadn’t had it before. It was really good. For dessert, I had a chocolate cake with a mousse. It was actually one of the best I’ve ever had. Guess what? I had to have a second one of those too. In fact, my friends took some to their room as well. The dining experience was so good tonight, that I shared the experience with the Matre’ D. She was thankful to hear such positive feedback, and asked us to return for the final night.

 

Finally, I ended the night by visiting my friends’ inside cabin. They had a cabin on the 5th floor, and when we got there, I was amazed at how much room the hallways had. The space is so wide, you can get a scooter through without any problems even if the stewards had their carts out. I really wish all the floors were that way. It would have made for an easier cabin crawl ;)

 

The inside cabins had plenty of space in them. The one thing that was lacking was drawer space. They do have closets with shelves, but drawers would have been nice to have. We sat and talked for quite some time, then I went back to my stateroom and ended the night.

 

About the Glow Party: I’d heard mixed reviews about it. It had gotten a little cold out, and some of the songs were not recognizable. They ask that you wear loud colors like lime, yellow, orange, etc. This is a replacement of their White Hot party. Some people really enjoyed it, but others didn’t. In fact, many people left because it had gotten cold out. The party depends on the people that attend. If you’re fun and don’t mind dancing, you’ll make it a great party.

 

All in all it was a good day. Only one more day left.

[kerrydee]

zay, on wednesday did you go to the fireworks at 10:45? we have cirque at 9pm and you said it was 2 hours. should we rush up to see the end of the fireworks or ??

[TnomadX]

 

 

 

[TnomadX]

zay, on wednesday did you go to the fireworks at 10:45? we have cirque at 9pm and you said it was 2 hours. should we rush up to see the end of the fireworks or ??

 

The fireworks show is approximately 8 minutes long. And I'm sorry...The show is about 1 1/2 hours, so you should be good to see it so long as they don't change the time on you. Our time was switched to 10:30pm. I will warn you that it gets very crowded very quickly because many onboard want to see the fireworks. I missed out because of the Cirque Dreams. Those who saw it said it was nice, but very, very crowded.

[TnomadX]

Hi all,

 

If you click on one of the pictures posted, I believe it takes you to the page where all of my pictures are. Feel free to browse them at your leisure. I'm trying to find more pictures to post.

[kerrydee]

The fireworks show is approximately 8 minutes long. And I'm sorry...The show is about 1 1/2 hours, so you should be good to see it so long as they don't change the time on you. Our time was switched to 10:30pm. I will warn you that it gets very crowded very quickly because many onboard want to see the fireworks. I missed out because of the Cirque Dreams. Those who saw it said it was nice, but very, very crowded.

 

thank you so very very much. in case you are wondering, i am making a schedule for 32 people.:)

[jdvmd]

Great review!

[markf]

Sailing in March and I was thinking about EPCOT for the day--we will likely get priority to leave the ship timely, but you are discouraging me from driving myself--

Is there no rental car palces at the ship terminal??

[TnomadX]

Sailing in March and I was thinking about EPCOT for the day--we will likely get priority to leave the ship timely, but you are discouraging me from driving myself--

Is there no rental car places at the ship terminal??

 

The closest one was two miles away. When we docked, we took a cab to the agency, and there was a long line. It really delayed us from getting there. If you really want to go to Epcot, I would recommend using the cruise line's shuttle. You'll get more time at the park, and essentially save a little money. If I'm not mistaken, their shuttle service was $69 round trip. If you rent a car, you're looking at approximately $30 for the car, $15 to park, $9.99 for tolls, and at least $20 for gas unless you have a hook up. It's about a $6 difference, but you may find it a little stressful trying to get back in time. The ship will wait on the shuttle should something happen or come up. If I did it again, I would save myself that stress. It's completely up to you though.

[TnomadX]

I woke up at 9am and planned to do nothing for a while. About 30 minutes later, I got a phone call from friends, and we had a great time sharing our experiences. We decided to try to meet a little later today after our other appointments (if you will).

 

I skipped breakfast and just hung out in the room until my noon show for Second City’s Dysfunctional Family Reunion. It is held in the Spiegel Tent, the same place where Cirque Dreams is held, and is served with lunch. I’m going to try to make it so that I don’t give too much away because I want you to enjoy the show. I believe it’s a $20pp cover charge, and everyone who goes is a part of the family. They are going to depend on you to make the family reunion a success. Please don’t be shy and participate if you can. It really makes the show fun. Remember…you are on vacation, and it is up to you to make the most of it. Have fun do things you wouldn’t do before.

 

For the meal, we were given two choices. It was either baked chicken or Salmon. Both came with a baked potato/mashed potato and veggies. . I was seated with some really great people, and didn’t feel alone at all. A salad was served first, and then the show started. Our table was really into it. They were really participating and saying what they thought the next line should be. The cast I found to be amazing to think on their feet so quickly. There was a brief intermission so that lunch could get started. The cast came back about 20 minutes later and continued the show. It was still a hoot. There was another intermission while we were served desert. The show started about 10 minutes afterwards and ended around 1:30. It was a great show, and I loved the fact that we were given time to eat so we could thoroughly enjoy the show.

 

Afterwards, I noticed that there were some cruise critic friends of mine there, so I went back to say hello. We made plans to have dinner together for the last night at Cagney’s Steakhouse.

I went back to my room, and waiting on me was another bottle of wine along with some chocolate covered strawberries. This was the third bottle of wine I received all week. Also…if you go to the cruise critic meet & greet, they just might leave some treats in your room for attending. Meanwhile, I checked the daily and noticed that there was a crew talent show going on. I couldn’t wait to go see the show. It was a completely packed out show, and the talents were pretty good too. It’s amazing the talent that may be around you. I wished they had allowed a few more talented crewmembers to participate in the show.

 

My friends met me after the show, and we decided to visit in their stateroom. I thought I’d bring one of the bottles of wine I received. On the way to their room, I ran into two friends I had met onboard. They were making fun of me because I had a bottle of wine and three glasses…lol. They thought I had met a couple of girlfriends on board, and I was going to have a little last night party. I just let them think that..lol. It took me quite some time to make it to their room because everyone was teasing me about the wine. I thought it was really funny.

 

I finally made it to my friend’s room, and we had a fantabulous time. We chatted for three hours while sharing the wine and eating chocolates. I hadn’t realized how well Red Wine and Chocolates go together. I really enjoyed their company. I’m a bit jealous because they were going on a nine day cruise the day after we got off the ship, but I know they will have a great time.

 

After almost losing track of time, I had to go and get ready for my evening with other friends. Again, we were at Cagney’s, and there was the 5 of us. Now this was a good time. We had a blast talking about our families, our trip, and lots of other things. It was awesome. The service we received at Cagney’s was exceptional. There they have the service you’d receive on other cruise lines. There was a head waiter and assistant waiter. They were very attentive and caring. When you order at Cagney’s, they give you more food than you can stand. I didn’t eat at this particular moment because I wasn’t hungry yet, but I did enjoy some wine while I was there. For some reason I was still full from lunch. I really, really enjoyed my friend’s company, and I would definitely love to cruise with them again in the near future. They were such a joy to be around. We exchanged information so we could definitely keep in contact later.

 

About 1 ½ hours later, I saw another group of friends I spent the day with at coming into Cagney’s. I decided to join them as well. Now all of a sudden I was hungry…lol. Good thing I got a chance to preview the food first…lol. The night continued with fun. We laughed so hard this night, it was unbelievable. Again, we had the head server and assistant server. The assistant server had the guys laughing so much. Sometimes we thought he forgot he was working on a cruise ship…lol.

 

I would like to recommend that everyone who can try Cagney’s. Everything that I ordered was really, really good. They really go out of their way to serve you as well. They took the time to get to chat with us, and it made a world of difference. I ordered the Baked Potato Soup, Wingers (two small burgers) a 16oz steak (which was WAY too much for me), Broccoli that was cooked and seasoned perfectly, a baked potato with all the trimmings, and an Oreo Cheesecake for desert. Everything was really good. My friend and I could not stop talking about how good the service was there. We laughed most of the night, and really enjoyed each other’s company. Like I mentioned before, I really feel like they are a part of my family.

 

After dinner, I was making my way up to my room. On the way, I saw the cast of Second city just sitting by the bar near Fat Kats. I was afraid to go and say high initially, but I decided to anyway. They are all very nice, and didn’t make me feel awkward at all. I told them that I had enjoyed each of their shows, including the ones I snuck into (but was joking). They thanked me and talked to me for a bit longer. They are very personable and approachable. If you see them on the ship, don’t be afraid to speak to them at all.

 

All in all, it was a very good last night. I got a chance to relax and unwind and prepare for the day of debarkation.

 

Before I forget, there are New York hotdog carts throughout the ship. During our sailing, there was one in the atrium and one by H20. They are great hot dogs, and are free. Don’t forget to check out Carlos Bakery as well. They are famous for their Lobster claw for a small cover charge. They are also in the atrium and in the corner of deck 8 behind the gelato shop.

 

All days are done. I have one more post about debarkation and final thoughts, and then I will be completely done. I will still be available to answer any questions you have, so ask away.

[TnomadX]

 

 

 

 

[TnomadX]

We arrived at the pier approximately 7am. i went down to Guest Services to get the remaining credit I had left (about $67), and they said they would mail a check to me. I was a little disappointed by that, but no big deal.

 

The debarkation process was a little chaotic. Many people were ready to get off the ship, but they had to wait for their colored tags to be called so they could debark. I'm not really sure what the delay was, but people were becoming disgruntled. If you don't have any special plans, get the colored tags, and take your time so you can still enjoy a bit of your vacation. The colored tags will be available on the last night in the atrium near guest services. I ended up getting the red tags because I thought I was going to get off the ship by 9:30AM. My tags were not called until almost 11:00. I had a shuttle service waiting on me outside, and I'm thankful they were not charging me to wait for me.

 

If you can, keep your bags and just walk off the ship as those passengers are allowed to leave early. Many who walked off with their bags and lived in New York were home even before I got off the ship. Remember that going through customs can be a little bit of a pain. the TSA representatives seemed very unfriendly by the time I made it through customs. Remember to put ALL electronics away when going through customs. They will make you put it away, and may not be friendly when they ask you. Save yourself that stress as it can ruin a day pretty quickly. Wait until you are through customs before you turn on your electronics.

 

Remember that as you are debarking, the lines can be long. Once my color was finally called, it took us about 30 minutes go get through to customs. Once through customs, the streets outside are very crowded. Remember you are in New York, and life is fast-paced and busy. If you're waiting on someone to pick you up, you have to go across the street and wait for them there.

 

I want to reiterate a few things:

 

Please be on time for the muster drill, even if you've done it before. They will not start without you.

 

Remember that the Breakaway currently is understaffed with dining room servers and room stewards. Your dining experience may be a bit longer than anticipated. Please be prepared to wait. It is important that you book your shows either before dinner, or at least two hours after your set dinner time.

 

The dining staff may sometimes come across as rude. I don't believe they mean any harm. They are working very hard because they are short-staffed. Sometimes they may even appear to be in a hurry depending on how busy they are. They are working out of one galley.

 

When the ship docks in Port Canaveral, some of the staff will then go on vacation and new staff will board. Don't be alarmed should you get a new room steward.

 

Be sure to watch your stateroom account. Make sure to take all the documents that show what you've prepaid beforehand. Guest services may not be able to confirm anything you've paid for without your documents.

 

Remember that you are on vacation. Don't let anything ruin that. You want to remember the good things that occur, and there will be something good. You may meet someone new, enjoy a show, play a game, or even do something silly. Something may go wrong, but try to let it go if you can.

 

Walk the plank and do the ropes course. Also...Do the free fall and get that adrenaline rush. I'm not so sure about the slides as a couple of people got stuck in them.

 

When in Nassau, PLEASE DO NOT BUY ANY DRUGS!!!! One of our fellow passengers did and got arrested. Imagine what it's going to cost him to get home.

 

In writing this review, I realized that I had a great time. I had made new lifetime friends, and some I even consider part of my family. I am thankful that I found cruise critic. The people I met made this such a wonderful experience despite some of the mishaps on board.

 

Thanks all, and have a wonderful vacation where ever your vacation plans take you!!!

 

Sincerely,

 

Zay

[TnomadX]

thank you so very very much. in case you are wondering, i am making a schedule for 32 people.:)

 

Wow!!! 32 people? What a large group. You will definitely have fun. Yes, you will need to plan ahead...lol. I want to hear all about it when you return. you leave next month, right?

Edited November 4, 2013 by TnomadX

[markf]

I suppose I didnt say that there are 3 of us--which makes renting a car more econoomical, but your points are well taken.. Thanks

[TnomadX]

I suppose I didnt say that there are 3 of us--which makes renting a car more econoomical, but your points are well taken.. Thanks

 

That would definitely make it more economical. The only drawback is if the rental agency you choose is crowded when you make it there. The one we used was not in any hurry to get us out and on our way, and there was only one person working. Just remember it's a $5 cab ride per person to get to the rental agency, and you'll need them to pick you up as well. Should you rent a car, find out if they have an after hours drop-off as well. At the time we sailed, Thrifty was the only one that did.

[vickila]

Zay. You surely covered a lot of helpful information for those sailing in the future. Those future cruisers are very lucky to have your pre wisdom, but not as lucky as we were to have you sailing with us on this October 20th sailing. As the readers can tell ...... Zay is full of personality, warmth and fun. A terrific review. Vicki & Bob