Breakaway 8/10-8/17 quick review

[michmosh330]

My husband and I just got off the Breakaway. We had a great time. There was so much to do, the food was good, the service was awesome, everyone was very nice and friendly.

 

I do think, however, the reason we had such a great time was because we had Vibe passes. This ship was SSSOOOOO crowded during the anywhere outside. I'm a NYC native born and raised and crowds don't bother me. But we were literally shimmying and crawling over people. There were no lounge chairs to be found at all. We were up early too, so I don't know what time you would need to even get up to get a spot. Even if you did, you were elbow to elbow with other people. This is, I'm sure, because it is during summer vacation for kids. I would def do this trip again, but NOT during any school break. In fact, I'm a teacher and would rather take a non-paid week off to sail during an off time.

 

That being said, luckily I never had to deal with any of that because VIBE saved my life. Plenty of room, fun people, no crowds, relaxing. Aaaaaah.

 

The entertainment was great. The woman Rosie who did the tributes for Fire and Ice was the best entertainment on that ship. She is so talented and hyper and entertaining. We saw every one of her shows. Her Michael Jackson tribute was amazing.

 

Burn the floor was great as well. I'm a dance teacher and was super star struck by them. Perfect.

 

Second City was funnier than I thought, considering I'm not a fan of improv.

 

The newlywed show and Dancing with the Breakaway stars was HILARIOUS. I had tears in my eyes.

 

This was a great trip if you have teenagers. You could dump them off where ever and they made friends quickly. Be careful though, a LOT of them were wasted all over the ship.

 

The food was good! We ate in most of the restaurants besides the le bistro or the sushi place. We also skipped Ocean Blue. The steakhouse was the best. Room service pizza is gross.

 

Bermuda- fun! beautiful beach! People on this website were saying how efficient the buses were and all that, but I wasn't too impressed honestly. Take a cab. It's money well spent. Horseshoe bay was NOT pink the day we went, but it was still lots of fun and the water was beautiful!

 

Oh, also- we did the UDP and it was money well spent! IT all adds up after a while!

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[Kenlorz]

Thanks for the review...I can't get enough of them preparing for our upcoming BA cruise. Are you a latitudes member? Or was this your first time with Norwegian? How did you manage to score Vibe passes? What was your game plan to get those?

[CLASEN]

What is VIBE?

[Hikini]

Glad you had a great time!

[computerworks]

What is VIBE?

 

"...A private retreat where they can connect with ocean – and disconnect from everything else. Exclusively for those 18 and over, Vibe Beach Club is resplendent with ocean views, an oversized hot tub, chaise loungers and a relaxing water feature – ideal for drowning out every last bit of stress. A full-service bar, water spritzers, chilled towels and skewers of fruit ease you even more into serenity. A limited number of passes will be available for purchase onboard at the Guest Service Desk."

 

[PathfinderEss]

Great review, thanks for posting.:)

[Keith1010]

Thank you for your review.

 

Keith

[wasiii]

My husband and I just got off the Breakaway. We had a great time. There was so much to do, the food was good, the service was awesome, everyone was very nice and friendly.

 

I do think, however, the reason we had such a great time was because we had Vibe passes. This ship was SSSOOOOO crowded during the anywhere outside. I'm a NYC native born and raised and crowds don't bother me. But we were literally shimmying and crawling over people. There were no lounge chairs to be found at all. We were up early too, so I don't know what time you would need to even get up to get a spot. Even if you did, you were elbow to elbow with other people. This is, I'm sure, because it is during summer vacation for kids. I would def do this trip again, but NOT during any school break. In fact, I'm a teacher and would rather take a non-paid week off to sail during an off time.

 

That being said, luckily I never had to deal with any of that because VIBE saved my life. Plenty of room, fun people, no crowds, relaxing. Aaaaaah.

 

The entertainment was great. The woman Rosie who did the tributes for Fire and Ice was the best entertainment on that ship. She is so talented and hyper and entertaining. We saw every one of her shows. Her Michael Jackson tribute was amazing.

 

Burn the floor was great as well. I'm a dance teacher and was super star struck by them. Perfect.

 

Second City was funnier than I thought, considering I'm not a fan of improv.

 

The newlywed show and Dancing with the Breakaway stars was HILARIOUS. I had tears in my eyes.

 

This was a great trip if you have teenagers. You could dump them off where ever and they made friends quickly. Be careful though, a LOT of them were wasted all over the ship.

 

The food was good! We ate in most of the restaurants besides the le bistro or the sushi place. We also skipped Ocean Blue. The steakhouse was the best. Room service pizza is gross.

 

Bermuda- fun! beautiful beach! People on this website were saying how efficient the buses were and all that, but I wasn't too impressed honestly. Take a cab. It's money well spent. Horseshoe bay was NOT pink the day we went, but it was still lots of fun and the water was beautiful!

 

Oh, also- we did the UDP and it was money well spent! IT all adds up after a while!

 

.....we had a Vibe pass and spa pass. Most relaxing cruise I had in years due to the fact that if the Queen was real happy, then there's a good chance I might get a little enjoyment on this cruise.

 

In 26 days I get to do it again except I'm trading Vibe for the Haven. Although maybe out of pure greed I'll get Vibe passes too. How happy do you think the Queen would be then?

 

;)

 

wasiii

Edited August 19, 2014 by wasiii

[VickiD59]

Is H2o the best kept secret on the ship? No mobs.. better yet.. no kids.. and tons of lounge chairs available. I never found the need to be right on top of the pool on any ship... I'm not swimming so I don't need to be there. We always find an alternate deck to lie in the sun, and H2o fit the bill perfectly. The fountain is great to cool off in when it gets too hot. They have music piped in, as well as a beautiful travel video playing on the big screen. There's a bar.. two hottubs and two drink waiters who constantly circle (and enforce the no kids rule) - we would go up after breakfast and never had a problem finding chairs together.. and there were 8 of us. We had aft cabins, so it was super convenient for our location as well. Grill is on same level.. buffet right beneath. We sailed on 7/20 and it was a definitely a full ship. Pssst.. pass the word... H2o ;)

[wasiii]

Is H2o the best kept secret on the ship? No mobs.. better yet.. no kids.. and tons of lounge chairs available. I never found the need to be right on top of the pool on any ship... I'm not swimming so I don't need to be there. We always find an alternate deck to lie in the sun, and H2o fit the bill perfectly. The fountain is great to cool off in when it gets too hot. They have music piped in, as well as a beautiful travel video playing on the big screen. There's a bar.. two hottubs and two drink waiters who constantly circle (and enforce the no kids rule) - we would go up after breakfast and never had a problem finding chairs together.. and there were 8 of us. We had aft cabins, so it was super convenient for our location as well. Grill is on same level.. buffet right beneath. We sailed on 7/20 and it was a definitely a full ship. Pssst.. pass the word... H2o ;)

 

.....maybe I won't get the Vibe pass and try this area instead.

 

wasiii

[English101]

Is H2o the best kept secret on the ship? No mobs.. better yet.. no kids.. and tons of lounge chairs available. I never found the need to be right on top of the pool on any ship... I'm not swimming so I don't need to be there. We always find an alternate deck to lie in the sun, and H2o fit the bill perfectly. The fountain is great to cool off in when it gets too hot. They have music piped in, as well as a beautiful travel video playing on the big screen. There's a bar.. two hottubs and two drink waiters who constantly circle (and enforce the no kids rule) - we would go up after breakfast and never had a problem finding chairs together.. and there were 8 of us. We had aft cabins, so it was super convenient for our location as well. Grill is on same level.. buffet right beneath. We sailed on 7/20 and it was a definitely a full ship. Pssst.. pass the word... H2o ;)

 

I'm glad to hear All this positive feedback about H2O. Our daughters (9&7) will be with us. I don't think we'd have enough kid-free time to make Vibe or the Spa worth the money. But an hour or two here and there while they're in Splash Academy should be enough for us to enjoy some relaxation in H2O. We also have an Aft Haven room. Convenient for both dropping off at the kids club and then walking right up to H2O. No wasting time walking all over the ship....that's exactly how we are....why waste time traveling without the kids when we can start enjoying ourselves right away!? :cool:

[Kenlorz]

"Vibe Beach Club is resplendent with ocean views, an oversized hot tub, chaise loungers and a relaxing water feature – ideal for drowning out every last bit of stress.

 

What relaxing water feature? I know there is a shower and hot tubs, but wasn't aware of any other water feature. Surely the shower isn't the relaxing water feature, LOL :rolleyes::eek: Also, just an FYI for others, the towels, water spritzers and fruit have been reported to be passed out on many other outdoor spaces other than Vibe, so don't make the mistake of thinking that is a Vibe only bonus.

 

I get such a chuckle out of the NCL description... resplendent...:p Who ever uses that word in conversation?

[neptune18]

We didn't like Spice/H20. As I said in my review, we thought it was just this open area with no shade. We did enjoy it at night though.

[JemzRoo]

I enjoyed Spice/H20 at night, however, outside of the glow party it was always empty. I noticed the captain and quite a few cruise director staff hung out at the bar at Spice in the evening. My only complaint with it was they could have done more with the area. Other than that, I found it to be one of my fav. bars.

[VickiD59]

Yes...if it's a bright sunny day it will be hot. There are a few tables with umbrellas, but I agree that there should be a little more shade options - the fountain is very nice to sit in though. We were out there usually from 10-3 each day, and then back at night for the awesome dance parties. It's also where the entertainment staff sunbathes - Burn the Floor dancers were tanning most afternoons too.

[dexddd]

.....maybe I won't get the Vibe pass and try this area instead.

 

wasiii

 

IMO - If you have the Haven access then it isn't worth the extra money for Vibe. We went on BA in March during spring break and there were always some sort of seats in the outdoor area of the Haven although there were chair hogs as well. Yes, you do have to go downstairs for the bar but there are also servers who make their way around.

 

Fruit skewers, small popsicles we only saw once each during the 7 days but they also had snacks by the Haven pool (candy and cookies and sweet breads).