Great cruise, but the Breakaway did not live up to the Epic

[Scott2.0]

We just got off the BA yesterday (I feel like we're still on the water!) and while we had a great week, there were certain elements that were disappointing compared to our Epic sailing where we fell in love with NCL. I feel the need to vent them so hopefully this will be useful to someone.

 

The first thing I'll get out of the way and I realize this probably isn't a popular opinion, but we greatly preferred the stateroom on the Epic. The bathroom layout worked much better for us where one could use the sink without disrupting the other while showering. I also liked the Epic's "wave" walls which gave the room a unique feel. The BA's stateroom just felt much more basic. We had a B6 large balcony on the Epic which was great and a mid-ship, deck 10 angled balcony on the BA which was also very nice.

 

The Waterfront on the BA was nice, but truthfully I would have been fine without it. It was nice to take a midday stroll on but very few people dined at the outdoor tables as it was very windy. By night, the outdoor bar and tables by Maltings and Headliners were lively but mostly with people looking to sit around and smoke. The Waterfront narrowed the interior of the ship by enough to make it feel much more confined than on the Epic which had nice, wide-open spaces. The BA felt much more narrow and compartmentalized.

 

The Epic's Garden Cafe flowed nicely out to the pool deck with a large wide open space and plenty of seating. On the BA, the outdoor tables were shoved to either side with a wall in the middle before opening to a bar and then the pool deck. Again, a much more closed off feeling. I greatly preferred the overall layout of the Epic.

 

Service in the MDRs and in Cagney's on the BA was some of the worst I've experienced on land and sea. It was slow, unpolished, and the staff, while very friendly, were clearly not given proper training. I ordered a bottle of Cab at Cagney's and the confused waiter came back three times trying to remember what I asked for and finally said, 'ah yes, white wine'. We sat with dirty dishes on the table throughout the entire meal and the courses were not timed at all.

 

Debarkation on the Epic was smooth and uneventful. I think the Miami terminal is much better prepared than they are in NYC. We chose "easy-off" which turned out to be a nightmare. It took over two hours to get off the ship yesterday. While the delay was caused by Customs, NCL did nothing to try to organize the complete chaos. We were in the stairwells for over an hour trying to make it down from deck 10 to deck 7 shoved in shoulder-to-shoulder with people and their bags. It was unsafe and a horrible way to end the cruise.

 

I can't let this be all negative because after all, it was a vacation and a fun one at that. BA's entertainment was excellent, especially Rock of Ages. Even after a performer was injured in the opening act, the show went off without a hitch and with some really great ad libs about the event. They did an excellent job. The Howl at the Moon performers were excellent as well. Bermuda is absolutely gorgeous and being in port for three days was really special.

 

Since no post is complete without a picture or two, here's the view from my balcony and one as we sailed back into NYC yesterday. I haven't gone through my camera yet so please forgive the phone pic quality.

 

 

 

I'm happy to answer any questions about the ship, to hear that I'm a moron (or a genius!) or anything else that you may have. Again, this is mostly just me venting, but I'm interested to hear your take on this too.

[adivineeternity]

My BF and I were on the same sailing and ate at Cagney's the first night. We had 0 issues with service there, or any of the other places we ate (no MDRs as we each got the UDP free with a promo when we booked, but the specialties, Garden Cafe, O'Sheehan's, and a la Carte venues were all fantastic). We also ate outside every opportunity we got because we weren't bothered by the wind and LOVED how empty the waterfront on deck 8 was because it meant more space for us. We weren't terribly interested in the pool, although we did spend a couple of hours on Tuesday going down the slides.

 

I'll be writing up my own review slowly if you are curious about my own experiences, but it's interesting seeing someone whose experience was so different from my own.

[pe4all]

The Breakaway was our first NCL cruise. We enjoyed her very much. Then we went on the Gem, and kept comparing her to the BA!! In December we are very excited to try the Epic. TY for your quick review!

[Scott2.0]

My BF and I were on the same sailing and ate at Cagney's the first night. We had 0 issues with service there, or any of the other places we ate (no MDRs as we each got the UDP free with a promo when we booked, but the specialties, Garden Cafe, O'Sheehan's, and a la Carte venues were all fantastic). We also ate outside every opportunity we got because we weren't bothered by the wind and LOVED how empty the waterfront on deck 8 was because it meant more space for us. We weren't terribly interested in the pool, although we did spend a couple of hours on Tuesday going down the slides.

 

I'll be writing up my own review slowly if you are curious about my own experiences, but it's interesting seeing someone whose experience was so different from my own.

 

Glad to hear that you had a good experience. I think our Cagney's debacle was on day 3. We only ate in the MDRs twice and both times the service was way off.

 

As far as the Waterfront, we only tried to eat there once at the Ocean Blue window but were moved inside because of the wind. Walking around in the evenings, the real estate taken up by the restaurants' outdoor dining space didn't seem to get much use.