Aft Cabins Breakaway - Soot, diesel odor & Fireworks??

[bandp407]

Considering booking an aft balcony cabin to Bermuda next June on the Breakaway. Have read some posts about issues with soot & diesel smells from these aft cabins. Can anyone who has stayed in them comment ? Also, can you see the fireworks from your balcony in these aft locations?

 

Many thanks! Paula

[Laszlo]

A few years ago we had an aft suite on the Gem. We had a fair amount of soot......pieces of burnt paper about the size of a stamp, some smaller. Our room steward washed the deck off twice a day. This was when we were in port. It was explained to us they were having an issue with the incinerator. Personally I think it came from the Summit. We were docked aft to aft and the wind was always blowing towards us

[time2cruise1]

I have had two different aft balconies on the Breakaway and one on the Getaway. Never any fuel smell ( they don't burn diesel ). One day out of 27 there was a little fine soot in the water gathered along the the drain area

[don24]

Same as above no problems to speak of but if givin a choice I would choose a deck lower than higher on the ship. Go for deck nine biggest balconys and farthest from stacks and noise from above

[eynsteinp]

I stayed in an Aft Facing Balcony Suite on the Breakaway and had absolutely no problems with smell or soot. I would also point out that I have an autistic son who is very sensitive to smells and has a phobia or germs and dirt so if there was any issue he would have had a very difficult time. I was on deck 12 and just booked for June 7, 2015 for deck 11. Don't hesitate to stay in an aft facing, the balconies are great and you will love the cruise.

[saxgirl84]

We were on the Getaway in 9318 and LOVED it. there was just a bit of soot on the very front of the balcony, but as stated above, the room steward cleaned the balcony twice a day, and since there is quite an overhang from the deck 10 balcony, it didn't affect anything.

 

As for the fireworks, you could see them from our balcony very well, but I don't think any other regular after balcony (9316 is a haven suite) on deck 9 would have had a clear view.

 

I would HIGHLY recommend this cabin if you're looking for an Aft balcony!

[bandp407]

Thank you all so very much for your comments & valuable info!! Exactly what I was looking for! I research when booking for my DH & I, & feel even more obligated with my brother's special trip. May even try to put a hold on one one these cabins & deal with the dash sale when it comes out. I am not familiar with how NCL works with these specials, but will soon find out. I agree with what someone else had stated that sometimes the base price can go up.

 

Thank you all again, Paula

 

 

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[hpecorari]

Same as above no problems to speak of but if givin a choice I would choose a deck lower than higher on the ship. Go for deck nine biggest balconys and farthest from stacks and noise from above

 

The problem with deck 9 aft is you can't look down into the water. You have to look out to the water due to the overhang above deck 8.

 

Harriet

[youngestof9]

I was in 11910. No soot or smell. Saw the fireworks. Loved the aft!

[*Luv2Cruz*]

The problem with deck 9 aft is you can't look down into the water. You have to look out to the water due to the overhang above deck 8.

 

Harriet

Thanks for the heads up!:) Knew they had the biggest balconies, but sure like the view!;)

[happy cruzin]

The problem with deck 9 aft is you can't look down into the water. You have to look out to the water due to the overhang above deck 8.

 

 

 

Harriet

 

 

We had the corner aft - on 9 - and never felt that our view was compromised.

 

💜 that cabin. Have the same one booked on the Getaway and the Escape.

 

 

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[TIBTEE]

I was in 11910. No soot or smell. Saw the fireworks. Loved the aft!

 

I have this cabin booked for Sept 28th. You can see the fireworks from this balcony?

Edited August 23, 2014 by TIBTEE

[saxgirl84]

Thanks for the heads up! Knew they had the biggest balconies, but sure like the view!

 

 

here are a few of my pictures from the balcony, you can see the overhang that was referenced, but to be honest, it did not bother me at all.

 

 

 

 

you could still see the wake, and enjoy the sunset :)

 

[VickiD59]

Cabin: 11310 (LOVED - will always try to book aft from here on in)

 

Soot: NO

Smell: NO

Fireworks: YES

 

Sunny: Yes

HOT: As hell at times

 

While in Bermuda the ship docked starboard side, so we had a beautiful view of the water the whole time. Did I mention we LOVED it? :D

[time2cruise1]

When I said a little soot I meant very little soot. See if you can spot it.

 

[bandp407]

Thanks for your photos vickid59!!!

 

 

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[youngestof9]

I have this cabin booked for Sept 28th. You can see the fireworks from this balcony?

 

We sure did! We had decided to stay in our room that evening and we saw them just fine. We had to crane our neck a bit, but it was fine standing on the deck. The balcony is HUGE! I know it's been almost a year since we were there, but if Joemar is still your room steward, consider yourself lucky. He's fantastic. Have fun in "my" room LOL

[Mom2B&Z]

We were in 12904 on Breakaway and never saw soot. Did see cigarette butts and bits of paper people threw overboard, but it was always cleaned up promptly.

 

 

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[barnacle_boy]

Yes, there's a soot problem. However, and this cannot be stressed enough, it affects different cabins in different ways under different conditions. In this image, WOD (relative wind across the deck) was at about 250˚ (relative to 0˚when facing forward). Naturally, the exhaust followed that path from the funnel and passed over the portside balconies, and our starboard balcony was left unaffected. However, when the WOD was 150˚ and the exhaust passed over our balcony, we always received large quantities of soot. I have also drawn the path of the exhaust in red to highlight a key issue that some people outside the realm of fluid dynamics might not think about. As the ship moves through the air, it creates an area of low pressure behind the stern. The resulting eddy "swirls" the exhaust around, and actually helps to push it back onto the ship. As you can see here, it affects a limited number of aft balconies, so some receive mounds of soot while others receive little or none.

 

Here's out balcony on Getaway. I've had three aft balconies on Breakaway and Getaway, and I have to say that this is an all too common occurrence. I've done many cruises in aft balconies on many different classes of ships, and this is really a first in terms of regularity. We've complained to NCL, and they acknowledged the problem and admitted that there's very little that they can do. Hopefully Escape will be an improvement.

[neptune18]

We were in 12906. No smells but quite a bit of soot on Saturday morning after leaving Bermuda. Don't know if we could have seen fireworks as we watched from Spice/H20.

[Riverwinds 13]

On the Breakaway to Bermuda last year we had lots of soot on our aft balcony. Off-hand can't recall cabin number but it was on lower deck 8 or 9 I believe. Once soot on clothes it's tough to get out. Everyday they cleaned our balcony but wanted to use in early morning but it was full of soot almost everyday. NCL did give us a $100 room credit and a free dinner in one of the pay restaurants. Don't think I would get an AFT balcony again. That was my experience...others may not have problem. No smell and yes we could see part of the fireworks.

Edited August 25, 2014 by Riverwinds 13

[bandp407]

Based on the last few comments I am beginning to wonder if the aft cabins are really the right choice. The biggest issue I have with the port side/ starboard side cabins is the size of the balcony. And who knows, perhaps they are getting soot on them too!!!

[happy cruzin]

Based on the last few comments I am beginning to wonder if the aft cabins are really the right choice. The biggest issue I have with the port side/ starboard side cabins is the size of the balcony. And who knows, perhaps they are getting soot on them too!!!

 

We aft lovers - but I understand they aren't for everybody! :cool:

 

We enjoy the view and the fact that it's quiet back there. No one goes that far back - unless they have a cabin. Very little noise, hall traffic or door slamming and the view of the fireworks from our balcony is a nice bonus!

 

FYI - soot has never been an issue for us. Have we had some?? Sure! But we would never trade the privacy, view and balcony size - soot or no soot! ;)

Edited August 25, 2014 by happy cruzin