Breakaway Dec.8th review

[NinaandGus]

We were sailing the Breakaway on December 8th, with my husband and are both in our late twenties. We enjoyed this cruise very much. I was worried at first with so many bad reviews, so I did not set high expectations to begin the trip with. We booked Rock of ages, Burn the floor and Cirque in advance and figured that we would decide on the ship whether to attend or not (with the exception of Cirque as we paid for it).

 

Sunday:

We live in New York City, so getting to the ship was not a problem. I had read from many other reviews that embarkation was a breeze, but this was not the case for us. I have cruised on many smaller ships in Scandinavia and there are no huge airport like lines anywhere. Security check was fast, but then we had to get into another line, which did not go as smoothly. It was very slow as we got to the port a bit after 11am and werent on the ship until after 1pm.

 

Once we were on the ship, I noticed the hot dog cart on the way to the cabin and told my husband to get his hot dog now or he might not be able to get one as other reviews have started, the cart moves around the ship the whole time. Husband enjoyed the hot dog! We did not encounter the cart again before disembarkation day.

 

Our cabin was a Spa Balcony, right next to the elevators in the front. I specifically chose this location as I did not want to do corridor shuffling and liked that we had easy access to the spa. Honestly, I only wanted the spa room, because I liked the colors of the room more, but I did end up enjoying the spa and dont think I could sail a week without a spa cabin again! Bed was next to the closet as I preferred and we had no space issues with the room. Did not really use balcony, yes it was small, but we mostly just kept the door open or fresh sea air :) Room attendant Andro was a sweetheart and came to introduce himself almost immediately after we got to the room. He always greeted us with a smile. He still kept the room spotless and re-made the bed twice per day. We never had the "clean room" light on. I originally wanted to book the Haven spa suite, but feel like I did not miss out on anything as the room and the service were great.

 

We walked around the ship exploring for a bit and took pictures with Spongebob and the gang at the kids pool. It started snowing as the ship left and NYC looked beautiful from the pool deck.

 

We had a Cirque reservation for our first dinner and I had read from reviews that you should be at least half hour early for the shows to get a good seat. We got there early and got a pretty nice seat. I did not like the fact that we had to share a table of six with four complete strangers, but it was fun to chat with some new people before the show started. I think they should tell you that parties of two do not get their own table. The show itself was good. It was a bit difficult eating and looking at the same time. Since I am a vegetarian, I got the eggplant parmesan. Not good. It was just two slices of fried eggplant with no other veggies or anything else... and it was cold. Husband enjoyed the steak. Dessert was pretty good, except that they did not realize that gelatin is not vegetarian and I could not eat one of the desserts as I realized it has got to be made with gelatin to look like jello!:D Husband ate it from my plate.

 

After Cirque we saw people heading to the Theater and saw that the Welcoming show was on. Most of the acts were already done, but we got to see Sinan, the cruise director and the cruise band. We bumped into Sinan a few times throughout the cruise and he was a funny guy.

 

We joined the Newlywed game, but did not get to participate. I enjoyed watching the show and after all the questions, was glad we weren't chosen to take part in it!! Very PG-13.

 

Tuesday:

This was a sea day and we decided to start the morning with breakfast at Taste. They had a buffet and I was happily suprised with the fruits and Scandinavian pastries I found! Being Scandinavian myself, I could not get enough of those danishes and cinnamon buns! I must have gained some pounds on this trip, just because of my breakfast items. Delicious. Coffee was served to the table and the restaurant was not crowded at all.

 

After breakfast we had the Cruise Critics meeting after which we went to do a slot pull. We ended up winning half our money back and had a good time.

 

We headed to the spa for the afternoon to see what it was all about. We just changed in our room, walked up one flight of stairs in our robes and there was the spa! The spa felt very relaxed and I loved how clean it smelled. We tried the sauna and I was pleasantly surprised to see a rope that you can pull to add water to the stones. Thats what a real Finnish sauna is all about! I ended up adding a lot of heat to the sauna when no one else was there and absolutely loved it. We tried the salt room and liked it. It was more enjoyable when you had chatty people in there with you as it can get boring sitting in a cold room and not talking in my opinion. Steam room smelled bad, so could not stay there. Husband did not notice anything, but I am more used to it smelling like eucalyptus and not like a toilet. Ended up not using it, but husband went a few times. Thermal pool was nice and we liked the rain showers in the spa. Did not get to experience the heated loungers as those were always taken or someone had used a towel to reserve them, but I don't feel like I missed out on anything.

 

After the spa we went to O´Sheehans for an early dinner as we did not eat lunch. Husband got Chicken wings and a burger, was pleased with the value. He said it was good for free food. I had the salmon and enjoyed it. The iceberg wedge could have been smaller as a lot seemed to go to waste, but the salmon was very good. I got an appetizer of nachos and spinach dip, but it wasnt my thing. For dessert we had the Brownie Sundae, which I was not that into, but figured that the cold brownie would taste better and ended up getting a few of those as snacks throughout the cruise. We did some bowling afterwards and it is $5 per person per game, not bad. Used our keycard to pay for it. We went to see the shopping opportunities afterwards, but did not end up buying anything.

 

We weren't sure if we wanted to see Burn the floor, but had booked it for the night. We ended up enjoying the show very much and are glad we went! Amazing dancers and excellent band. I was a bit more disappointed with the audience, when some people just stood up and left when the show was over, without clapping for the performers. Very rude of them.

 

For dinner we dressed up as it was dress-up night. We went to Savor for a late dinner and enjoyed it. Excellent service, excellent food. Amazing dessert! I am a big fan of dessert and they were mostly delicious. The only dessert I did not like, were the Chocolate cake from room service.

 

There was supposed to be a party at H2O, but it was moved to Bliss due to high winds. We went to Bliss and danced a little bit before going to bed.

 

Tuesday:

We got a nice view as we arrived to Florida and took pictures of Pelicans. There were plenty and I had never seen one before. Had breakfast at Taste once again, very good breakfast and good service. Had excursion to Universal Studios. Got off the ship without crowds and got on the first bus to Universal. On the way to the park, the bus ended up braking in the middle of a highway and we ended up loosing about an hour of park time. We took a few pictures by the road as we thought it was still an interesting experience, but did not like the fact that the bus that ended up picking us up was going to go to the airport first and had a loud movie playing the whole way there. Universal Studios was a lot of fun and we took one of the first buses back as it looked like the weather was getting bad, but it just got cloudy and dark and there ended up being no rain. We went to the customer service desk after getting back on the ship with a few other passengers and they said they were going to give us a 20% discount, since the bus broke. I would have been fine with a bottle of wine, but the discount was nice!

 

My husband went rock climbing that evening and we tried the ropes course. I was wearing my wedge sneakers, not a good idea! I got so scared when the wind started blowing that I could not do it. Husband did the whole course and went on the zipline, which got stuck in the middle. This happened to a few other passengers as well. It was a fun picture moment!

 

After the ropes course we went to O´Sheehans for dinner as we had missed the last seating due to our adventures on deck 16. Good food yet again. We were wondering around the ship and did not have anything to do, when we saw the line for Second City. We decided to try and see if we could get in and we did! We are not particularly fans of stand-up comedy, but it was a nice show and we enjoyed it.

 

Wednesday:

We were not that interested in Great Stirrup Cay, but figured we would go and see what it was all about. We gave ourselves the morning off and slept in. Of course breakfast was done when we woke up and the only place that was open was the Garden Cafe. We were hungry, so we went up there to eat before heading out to the island. I must say that this was the worst food I experienced on the ship. I was ok with it being lunch time, but there was barely anything vegetarian to eat. I ate a loaf of baguette with cheese and butter on top and a pecan pie dessert, which was not good at all. All other desserts were none-vegetarian. The buffet was full of greasy, unhealthy food, which I am not fond of. Husband ate pasta and thought it was ok, but nothing special.

 

We headed to Stirrup Cay after lunch and it looked a bit too commercial to me. We wanted to get away from the crowds and started walking along a path we found. We got tired half way through, but luckily the tram stopped and picked us up. The driver was very nice and pointed out two iguanas to us, so that we could get pictures. The tram took us to the Lagoon, which was much quieter and also had lunch for the hungry, but no lines. We were not hungry, but I got a drink, so I could wait on a lounger while my husband went for a swim. He swam a good while and then we decided to head back to the ship. I would say that the island is not anything special, but if you like to be in the sun by the water, you might like it.

 

After tendering we went into our cabin to change and decided to try the ropes course again. I wore my sneakers this time, but did not get very far as the memory from the night before hit me and I just could not do it! I felt like a chicken. Husband wanted to try to walk the plank, but could not in the end. We played minigolf for a bit before going to dinner.

 

We had made a reservation to Moderno for the night and really enjoyed the food. Husband enjoyed all the meats and I ate plenty from the salad bar. Excellent service and very nice experience. After dinner we went to H2O to watch a movie. The sound was off at first, then the picture was off and they were definitely having some technical difficulties during the first 15 minutes of the movie. I had seen the movie before, so it did not bother me. It was fun watching a movie outside. We went to sing karaoke afterwards, because I thought the Glow party was going to start at midnight, which it didn't. It was pretty much over once we got back to H2O and we ended up chatting to a fellow passenger for about an hour, so never got back to Bliss before getting tired out.

 

Thursday:

I woke up and looked out the balcony. I saw a giant sea turtle swimming in the port and could not believe the water was so clear. Got a good picture of the turtle.

 

We did not want to repeat the previous day and went to Savor for breakfast. This time breakfast was served to the table, but the items were still the same as at the buffet breakfast. Enjoyed the fruit and pastries before heading out to Nassau.

 

Walked along the main tourist street in Nassau and did not want to wonder off after everyone telling us how unsafe it is there. Atlantis was not our thing as we dont really do pools and waterslides, so we did not feel like paying for it. Found a local shop and got a bracelet and bought some Maracas as a souvenir. We wandered around the port for a bit, taking pictures.

 

Had a reservation for Rock of Ages and thought it was a good show. Some actors were great, some not so great, but overall enjoyed it. Some people walked out and we did see children in the audience. Definitely not for little kids.

 

Had dinner at Taste and food and service was very good once again. We were tired from all the sun and decided to stay in the cabin that night to watch a movie.

 

Friday:

Breakfast at Taste and afterwards we headed to the spa. Friday was a slow day for us. We played Bingo and won nothing and saw the liars game show. We took the day easy and for some reason neither of us can recall much from that day. We did do karaoke again and ended up winning a bottle of wine from the lottery raffle. Got room service later that night and enjoyed the greek salad and brownies.

 

Saturday:

Breakfast at Savor and did some more Bingo as we had gotten "win a cruise" raffle tickets the night before. Did not win at bingo or the raffle, so we headed to the spa. The spa was very full on this day and it just did not seem as relaxing to me. Husband went in the thermal pool, but I couldn't because it was so crowded. We were going to try out dinner in the Manhattan room that night, but there was a huge line at the door as it opened. I figured I wouldnt miss anything if I did not eat there as the three main restaurants share a menu. Went to Taste instead and it felt very crowded. This was the first time we had to wait for a table during the whole cruise. They ended up having no vegetarian options or fish on the menu, so I had a potato and broccoli. Not the best meal, but still better than Garden Cafe. Husband did not enjoy his meal as much as he would have wanted to. It felt like everyone was in a rush and maybe a speacialty restaurant would have been a better choice for the night. Husband cought a cold and was feeling worse at the end of the day, so we went to karaoke and ordered room service after.

 

Sunday:

Disembarkation was very fast. We woke up at 6.45 and noticed that we were already at the pier with people walking off. We had ordered room service for breakfast, so we ate and left. We were home by 9am.

 

All in all a good trip! I would sail Breakaway again and preferably in the same stateroom. I would have not minded another stop in Florida on the way back though!

 

If anyone has questions, I would be happy to answer :)

[karolyn1973]

Nice review!!!

 

What is the last sitting hour for supper (you said you missed it on day 2).

 

Thank you!!!!

 

Caro

[Tralfie]

Great review! I'm heading out on the Breakaway the first week in March and can't wait!

 

Richard/Tralfie

 

PS: How were the prices for playing Bingo?

[NinaandGus]

Bingo prices were a bit too high for my taste, but I am used to playing $5 bingo! I believe the cheapest package for 3 boards was about $40, $60 for 6 boards and $80 for 9 boards. They played three games: regular bingo, four numbers bingo and the one where you have to fill your whole board to win.

 

The last sitting hour for dinner said 9.30pm, but they told us they would not seat anyone after 9.15pm, so you should get there by 9pm if you want to eat, just to be safe. O´Sheehans dinner goes until 11pm, but the atmosphere is more pub like.

[Tralfie]

You're right, that is pricey for Bingo! What were the prize packages?

 

Richard/Tralfie

 

PS: Thanks for answering!

[Godiva830]

Nice review. I sailed in a Haven Spa Suite in Aug on the BA. I loved it. I never ate in any of the main dining rooms or specialty restaurants. Ate in the Have restaurant all 3 meals. Having access to the spa and Haven is amazing. Food is delicious and they cater to every food need you want.

 

Your review is the second one from the same sailing that I read that said they didn't get to use the heated loungers in the spa bc towels were on them. Same thing happens on all sailings, including mine. If there were towels on a heated lounger and I wanted to use it I moved the towels! There's only about 12 of those loungers and if no one is using it it's free to use! I wasn't letting some heated lounger hog ruin my spa experience.

[Keith1010]

Thank you for posting such an extensive review.

 

Keith

[Demonyte]

You're right, that is pricey for Bingo! What were the prize packages?

 

There are no fixed prices on NCL bingo, the price sum is determined by the sales of each session (session usually includes three games as OP stated).

 

I don't remember seeing even the busiest bingo sessions getting much more than $200-300 for the biggest prize (last game; cover-all), usually the prize is somewhere between $100-200 and getting higher for each of the three games.

 

P.S. To OP: You must mean that you are pescatarian (or something else in that general area), vegetarians do not eat any meat - including fish. ;) Also, a great review - I always enjoy reading reviews by other "youngsters" (even though I've already passed the 30-year mark myself). :D

Edited December 23, 2013 by Demonyte

[Highboy90]

Nice read. Thanks for sharing! :)

[meatball_nyc]

Thanks for your review! Enjoyed it.

 

 

 

 

~robin and brian

(summertime jersey shore beach bums)

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

Norwegian Breakaway 2014

Carnival Miracle 2010

Carnival Legend 2006

Edited December 23, 2013 by meatball_nyc

[NinaandGus]

Demonyte, yes, I am indeed a pescaterian. Personally I dont like to use that word since I rarely eat fish and the only seafood I do eat is salmon. Sorry if I confused anyone!