From Marina to Riviera to ... Breakaway?!

[Dr. Cocktail]

My cruise history will tell you which ships I’ve been on but it won’t show that I was getting a bit …. bored. My partner and I are 51 and 49 respectively, have high stress jobs

and like to disappear every few months and have been trying to vary our cruise experiences.

 

We won’t return to RCI,Celebrity or Princess and only like HAL for The Retreat on their newer ships. We enjoy our Oceania sailings but find the evening lounge entertainment and atmosphere to be a bit too sedate.

 

Our good friends who have sailed on Oceania about a dozen times and are big Princess fans were also looking for a change. We decided to try Norwegian Breakaway in a Haven Suite that would give us full access to the Haven complex while enjoying the “nightlife” downstairs.

The per diem was about equivalent to O on a Caribbean sailing in a veranda cabin. As Norwegian partially shares the same corporate parent as O, I thought it would be fun to compare their premium product with their mass market one.

 

So … is it possible to have a luxury cruise experience on a really big ship? Sort-of!

Embarkation in New York was conducted with military precision and Haven guests were escorted on the ship around 11:15 and given a small welcome speech by the

Concierge and informed that our accommodations were ready.

 

We had Forward Facing Penthouses located apart from the Haven. It required very loooooooooooong walks through extremely narrow corridors from the stairwells. Elevators were slow so we frequently took the stairs. OK - not so luxurious.

 

The suite was beautiful - contemporary decor with a small dining table with four chairs, a bar set up with Lavazza coffee machine and a living room with a small balcony. The ceiling treatments had neat architectural details with different levels and surfaces and good use of direct and indirect lighting. The bedroom had a full king size bed with crazy amounts of storage. We unpacked our two suitcases and could have easily unpacked another three. The bathroom was huge … double sinks, stall for toilet, ginormous shower stall with body sprays and rain shower heads and a decent sized bathtub and dressing table. The room measured 419 square feet with a 35 square foot balcony. There were separate thermostats for the three rooms and good dimmers and light controls. The butler introduced himself and gave the all important lesson on how to operate the coffee machine. He brought milk for us daily so that we could make our own cappuccinos and organized a birthday party for my sister-in-law who happened to be on board (that’s another story).

 

Our cabin was cleaned adequately but the stewards have a lot of cabins to clean and they receive the same amount per cabin whether it is a suite or an inside cabin.

I think it might be better to increase the autotip amount for suites as they do on other lines or perhaps give a few extra dollars at the start of the cruise.

 

We had a nice lunch in The Haven restaurant which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and seats 58 people. The menus never change but daily specials are offered and there is also a breakfast mini-buffet available. The staff were lovely and the food quality extremely high.

Based on the temperature of most of the items (nuclear hot!) with the accompanying wait times, we were convinced that most items were made to order. On two separate occasions, there were only the four of us having dinner in the restaurant at 9 at night.

 

We only had one bad item the entire week. Coffee was good and strong - french presses at each table. Plates and cutlery were sparkly clean but not of the same standard as O with only one wine glass offered for red and white.

 

The Haven had a retractable covered roof and an open sundeck on the upper level with comfortable chairs. The main problem in the covered pool area was the presence of screaming children on a couple of occasions with the parents not doing too much . Herein lies the Catch 22 of The Haven … it is sold as a sophisticated retreat for travellers as well as a family vacation destination. The Restaurant and outdoor areas where always quiet. Smoking is allowed on the outdoor decks but wasn’t a problem on our sailing.

 

The outdoor public decks are overcrowded and noisy as is the buffet. We never actually ate there.

 

The decor on the three main entertainment decks is reminiscent of The Solstice Class ships of Celebrity which were all built by the same shipyard. A novel feature is The Waterfront, a double width promenade deck that encircles the ship by about ¾ and provides outdoor seating for many of the specialty restaurants. There is little or no public art in the corridors or in the public areas at large.

 

We ate at the steakhouse Cagneys outside on a balmy Bermuda night and the Certified Angus steaks were excellent. Moderno Churrascaria with their giant salad bar was a traditional Brazilian steakhouse where they come around with various skewers of meat and again, it was terrific. Everything fresh and beautifully prepared - the steaks lacking that weird “cruise ship flavour” that is sometime present. The Bistro, their French restaurant was solid - not our favourite and we didn’t try the Teppanyaki, the Italian, the Raw Bar, the Seafood restaurant or the Noodle bar.

 

On most evenings, one could wander from club to lounge, all with unique and interesting decor and listen to a variety of live lounge acts, again all of excellent quality. You would have your choice of at least 4 and usually 5 venues that were playing music at the same time. We were up much later than usual as we literally went bar hopping among the various venues.

My partner, who has a degree in music as well as his others became addicted to the dueling piano bar and was highly impressed by their playing ability. While it’s not our thing, the outdoor disco looked like a lot of fun and was well attended. The mainstage shows were the musical Rock of Ages and the dance spectacular, Burn the Floor. There was also a Spiegel Tent which had a for pay circus show.

 

Now to some more delicate matters … the overall crowd did not appear to be particularly sophisticated. It was not the “country club” crowd that we see (sometime for better, sometimes for worse) on O. But we also didn’t see any egregious examples of rude behaviour and most people were friendly and there to have a good time.

 

Does it provide the casual elegance of O or A with a gracious, quiet atmosphere?

No, but for those seeking a 7 day cruise who aren't "stick in the muds", The Haven provides excellent accommodations with a lovely area with private pool, sundeck, bar and restaurant. It also importantly gives you access to the most dynamic entertainment options we have ever experienced on a ship.

 

I would have no hesitation recommending it to those who might want a bit of a change on a lively and vibrant ship.

[Travelcat2]

Although NCL is not for us, your review was lovely and enjoyable to read. I do have one question to anyone on the board that is familiar with the Oceania/Regent/NCL connection. Although Apollo is the parent company, I thought that only Oceania and Regent are managed by Prestige Cruise Holdings and that the portion of NCL that is owned by Apollo is separate. Does anyone know the what the relationship with NCL is?

 

In terms of NCL, we would not be happy on a ship that has a separate area that is premium or near luxury on a ship that is mainstream and holds, in some cases, 2000+ passengers. I know that "special treatment" (boarding, restaurants, etc.) is given to people in the "special" areas but it is not the kind of arrangement we find comfortable.

 

Glad to hear that your experience was so good!

Edited June 3, 2014 by Travelcat2

[Marisha115]

Thank you for the great review. I've been wondering how the two compare. I also didn't know the tie between NCL and Oceania. I learn something new every day :)

[Mura]

We did a TA on NCL's GEM a few years ago, in what was called "VIP" status. We had a family penthouse around 400-450 sf and got the same special treatment with breakfast and lunch in a private restaurant. The concierge booked our dinner reservations. (We weren't aware of the distinctions when we booked.) I would say our experience was comparable. It wasn't Oceania but we enjoyed the cruise GEM is only 2300 passengers whereas I believe that BREAKAWAY is around 4,000.

 

Even so, leaving the ship was always a mess. If there were crowds backed up on a 2300 passenger ship, I shudder to think about 4,000.

 

But for the money, it's a good deal with reasonable service.

 

This was in 2010 and at the time there were comments among some passengers that Apollo was looking to unload NCL but I gather that hasn't happened.

 

Mura

[Dr. Cocktail]

Although NCL is not for us, your review was lovely and enjoyable to read. I do have one question to anyone on the board that is familiar with the Oceania/Regent/NCL connection. Although Apollo is the parent company, I thought that only Oceania and Regent are managed by Prestige Cruise Holdings and that the portion of NCL that is owned by Apollo is separate. Does anyone know the what the relationship with NCL is?

 

In terms of NCL, we would not be happy on a ship that has a separate area that is premium or near luxury on a ship that is mainstream and holds, in some cases, 2000+ passengers. I know that "special treatment" (boarding, restaurants, etc.) is given to people in the "special" areas but it is not the kind of arrangement we find comfortable.

 

Glad to hear that your experience was so good!

 

I think that Apollo Management owns about 33% of NCL stock whereas Apollo owns all of Prestige Cruise Holdings.

[Dr. Cocktail]

We did a TA on NCL's GEM a few years ago, in what was called "VIP" status. We had a family penthouse around 400-450 sf and got the same special treatment with breakfast and lunch in a private restaurant. The concierge booked our dinner reservations. (We weren't aware of the distinctions when we booked.) I would say our experience was comparable. It wasn't Oceania but we enjoyed the cruise GEM is only 2300 passengers whereas I believe that BREAKAWAY is around 4,000.

 

Even so, leaving the ship was always a mess. If there were crowds backed up on a 2300 passenger ship, I shudder to think about 4,000.

 

But for the money, it's a good deal with reasonable service.

 

This was in 2010 and at the time there were comments among some passengers that Apollo was looking to unload NCL but I gather that hasn't happened.

 

Mura

 

Getting off was very organized ... we went up to the Haven and the concierge whisked us "backstage" and took us down a service elevator and right off the ship!

[Marisha115]

Getting off was very organized ... we went up to the Haven and the concierge whisked us "backstage" and took us down a service elevator and right off the ship!

 

That's one of the best perks of Haven I've read yet!

[pacheco18]

Thank you Dr. Cocktail

 

We are considering the Haven for a TA -- few kids on such cruises and no issues with getting off the ship -- just the luxury accommodations and great entertainment in the evening.

[Caroldoll]

We have used Norwegian several times, always in the top suite. We LOVE the extra attention. On a trip from Athens to Istanbul we had an over the top suite, about 4 bedrooms and three baths as I remember. The concierge really catered to us in every way. We have done others and as long as you are in the suites...or now The Haven all is good. I do not think the rest of the ship is quite as nice.

[LHT28]

Thank you for the great review. I've been wondering how the two compare. I also didn't know the tie between NCL and Oceania. I learn something new every day :)

 

There is no tie

[Travelcat2]

I think that Apollo Management owns about 33% of NCL stock whereas Apollo owns all of Prestige Cruise Holdings.

 

Thank you for your response. I would like to verify that Prestige Cruise Holdings has nothing to do with the management of NCL. Fairly certain that this is the case as I cannot imagine management of PCH and NCL working together:)

[potterhill]

We too are considering other options. Will look into this, either a TA or The Caribbean.

 

Thanks for the review.

 

Mo

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[cruisun]

Thanks

[hondorner]

Thank you for your response. I would like to verify that Prestige Cruise Holdings has nothing to do with the management of NCL. Fairly certain that this is the case as I cannot imagine management of PCH and NCL working together:)

 

Jackie, there is no connection...NCL has now gone public through an IPO, although Apollo still owns a percentage of the shares. PCH is an entirely separate organization operated by totally separate management. I don't think even the Apollo board members are the same, although I'm not certain of that.

 

Apollo does not own 100% of PCH; the original investers in Oceania retained a percentage when they merged with Apollo.

[Louby-Lou]

Thanks for the review - it's always worth a look at something else.

 

Lou