Spring Break 2016 Breakaway

[HeyPorter]

Hi there!

 

We just booked the Breakaway for March 20th 2016 out of NYC. We have sailed other cruise lines (Disney being the one we've sailed the most) and I had a few questions about NCL and the Breakaway. So, I thought this would be the place to ask!

 

Has anyone sailed the breakaway for Spring Break? (In our case, the week leading up to Easter). Am I right to assume that the ship will sail pretty much at capacity?

 

We're booked in a mini-suite. Currently category MX. They have assigned us one of the two actual MX staterooms on the ship. I know that MX is usually GTY. Does anyone know if they are likely to leave us in that room or move us around as the ship gets fuller? We are not picky about location or type, so the savings for us is worth the gamble of being moved around prior to departure.

 

We're interested in either Vibe passes or a cabana in Vibe. How early should we arrive to the terminal to increase our chances? I already filled out the check in on the website and selected a 9:30-10:00am arrival. Should we plan to be there by 9? What's the fastest way to guest services from the boarding area?

 

When looking on the website, they have a 5 day ultimate dining package that's pretty reasonable at just over a hundred bucks a person. Couple of questions about up-charge dining: Are there any specialty restaurants that serve lunch brunch? And if there are, is the 5 day ultimate dining package actually 5 days or is it 5 meals? It seems to me it must be 5 meals and not 5 days for the price. How do they track the days if we purchase 5 days on a 7 night cruise?

 

Also available on the website is a package of bottled water, does anyone know if the bottled water is 16oz bottles, 20oz bottles or something else? We will likely get a 12 pack for ease of use throughout our cruise.

 

We will be sailing with our son who will be 12 at the time of sailing. Actually, closer to 13 but just a few months shy. I know that the Entourage age groupings are strictly enforced and he'll be in the splash club. Has anyone's older child reported having a great time in the splash club? It just seems to be geared toward younger children. He's an incredibly responsible and mature 12 year old, and I hate to think he'll be super bored.

 

The ropes course and rock climbing look awesome and are something he would be interested in doing. If he wanted to go do something on the sports deck, will he need to have a parent with him? For example, if he makes friends in the club, could they go together or would both parents also have to go?

 

We're crossing our fingers and hoping for an upsell offer as it get's closer to sailing. Unfortunately, we have a terrible travel agent. (We booked this cruise through a promotion with RCI, our timeshare exchange company) They're not great at keeping in touch, but the discount was good. I am thinking that there's pretty much no way they'll contact me if they receive an upsell offer for us. Is it possible for me to check with NCL as our sail date approaches to see if there are any upsell opportunities? If it is possible, when would I check with them?

 

I feel like I had more questions, but i can't remember them right now! Thanks for all your help so far. I've been reading the earlier threads and there's some great info here!

[Charlie4]

I will try to answer some questions in the order you asked.

 

You really don't have a cabin until you have a cabin number. You might not get a cabin number until the week you sail. Sign up at NCL and keep and eye on your boarding passes to see where you end up. I always book GTY and have been happy with every room. Keep in mind that mini suites can be under the gym :cool:

 

I am pretty sure you enter the ship on deck 7 and guest services is on 6. Have one adult go down the STAIRS as boarding and walk FAST to guest services to get in line for the Vibe. You most likely won't start to board until 10:45 or 11 am, but you hopefully will be in the first group to board.

 

It seems a shame you booked with RCI as NCL is giving the Dinning Plan for free. Hopefully someone can look into that for you.

 

I would not worry about bottle water much. The water on the Breakaway is VERY good right out of the tape. I normally rinse and refill my bottles of water and put them back in the fridge. If your sailing includes San Juan, there is a CVS right across from the port, and you can easily by a case there, if you don't want to bring a case on in NY.

[HeyPorter]

Thanks Charlie4!

 

There is a room number on our reservation right now. 8714 I think. We're expecting it to bounce around as we approach the sail date.

 

When we booked through RCI it was on a "free cruise" certificate that came with a purchase we made about a year or so ago. The breakaway had insides available for "free" (we paid taxes and port fees). We booked the inside and then I saw on NCL's website the promotion for the UBP with a booking in an oceanview or above. I called the next day to see if they could apply the promotion with our booking. They were able to do so, for a charge of course. OV, Balcony and MiniSuites were within $50 of the same price per person, so we took the MX option for the upgrade fee and got the UBP with the booking. We ended up saving quite a bit over booking direct, but lots and lots of hoops to jump through.

[smurfgirl06]

I've sailed this week. It's crowded, but it isn't horrible. I'm not a pool person, though. The pool deck looked pretty crowded.

[SullytheBFG]

We sailed this week unknowingly on the Epic a couple of years ago. The ship was at capacity but managed to not be too crazy, sometimes the pool area got very busy.

 

It was a last minute booking and being British we didn't even think about Spring Break!