Mini-Review: Breakway to Bermuda, 10/11/15-10/18/15

[EvilBanker]

I'm not talented or experienced enough to write a full review, but wanted to share a few tidbits about our recent Breakaway adventure, on the 10/11/15-10/18/15 sailing to Bermuda. This was DH & I's third cruise, and the first on the Breakaway (hopefully not the last!).

 

Breakaway / The Ship: Massive. As others have noted, it is in good repair and crew can constantly be seen cleaning and maintaining. Depending on where you are, the ship can occasionally seem overcrowded (i.e., everyone leaving muster drill at the same time, an event in the atrium), but we didn't notice that being an all-the-time thing. OTOH, we never went near the pool deck, so YMMV.

 

Breakaway / Crew: Everyone with whom we interacted was cordial - we didn't pick up any of the oft-discussed attitude of "I'd rather clean all the toilets in Grand Central Station with my tongue than talk to you." Even when faced with some appallingly obnoxious behavior on the part of boorish passengers, they seemed to keep it together. I'd have been fired and deported after ten minutes.

 

Breakaway / Atrium: Every one of the reviews that claims the space is too small for the events offered is absolutely right. Nevermind attempting to attend anything here; just passing near it when something's going on has all the charm of the Port Authority bus terminal during rush hour.

 

Breakaway Theater / Rock of Ages: DH was eager to see this - me, not so much, but having endured "Mamma Mia" (which uses a similar concept of telling a story via hitherto unrelated songs), I figured it wouldn't kill me. The cast was certainly high-energy and glimmers of talent poked through their performances. Everyone who has ever commented on the uncomfortable seats is spot-on. The metal bar that runs across the back of the seat at tail-bone level starts off as annoying, but over the course of a "105 minute" show, cycles through "uncomfortable" all the way to "painful." Whoever thought this was a good design needs to be forced to sit in one for a few hours. Equally spot-on are those who've reacted with incredulity that families who have attended with children claimed not to be aware of the show's adult nature. The announcements on that topic are frequent and very clear. I amused myself at various points my inquiring of DH things like, "Mommy, why are those girls in their underwear?" "Daddy, what happens if you get a Gremlin wet after midnight?" etc. I slay me.

 

Bermuda / The Horseshoe Bay Beach Shuttle: Our one big disappointment of the trip. We checked with the Welcome Centre to find out where to go for the shuttle and were directed to the "Zone 6" sign, which when we arrived, had very clear signage that it was indeed the right spot and clearly stated that it was $16 round-trip. As we waited for the bus, a succession of touts from the mini-bus stand waaaay down at the other end arrived to tell us that we were in the wrong place, and that they go to "all the beaches for $14," which then morphed into, "There is no shuttle anymore." Unexpectedly for a place like Bermuda, they got increasingly aggressive and we returned to the Welcome Centre by the ship to complain. The gentleman behind the desk reconfirmed that there IS a shuttle and that it's $16 R/T, but could not understand why we were complaining about the unauthorized touts, stating, "What is your problem, it's $2 less?" My respect for the Bermuda Tourism Office is now nil.

 

Bliss (the Ultra Lounge): Bliss on the Gem was a fun, quirky space with lots of visual interest. On the Breakaway, the animated flames at the door are the most exciting part; once inside, you discover - a rectangular room. DH muttered, "Where's the rest of it?" when we walked in. Admittedly, we stopped in mid-afternoon and it could well have a different vibe when it's open, but it seemed little more than a spot for hip nonagerians to sip their Ensure coladas.

 

Cagneys: Much bigger and much darker than the versions we've visited on the Star and the Gem, to the point that some neighboring tables were using the lights on their phones to read the menu. The food was as expected (and very much enjoyed), but we did confirm what others had reported about the slow pace of service. Since the wait staff seemed to be continually on the run, either the kitchen was the culprit, or (more likely from what we could observe), they simply have too many tables to cover and many of them are a significant distance from the kitchen/pick-up area.

 

Glow Party: We enjoyed the White Hot Party on our first cruise aboard the Star. Our second, on the Gem, was dismal, and DH left after half an hour, so weren't quite sure what to expect for the White Hot Party's successor, the Glow Party, on the Breakaway. The weather cooperated in allowing the event to be held in the aft Spice/H2O area, and it was spectacular. Lots of energy, lots of fun, lots of cool "special effects" that demonstrated the space was designed for these type of events.

 

La Cucina: This was DH's pick, so my commentary on the menu wouldn't be sporting. The service and food were both good, and the loud table of 12 adjacent to us provided inadvertent dinner theater as the elder of two brothers traveling with their families attempted to control the atrocious manners of their herd of children. My personal favorite line: "I'm gonna stuff that ******* napkin in your ******* mouth if you don't shut up." It was like dinner with the Gotti family.

 

Le Bistro: C'est magnifique. Service was prompt, attentive and cordial. We visited Le Bistro twice on this trip (thank you, UDP promo!), and I was totally psyched to finally try the "Fruits de Mer" - until it arrived on the table and DH blurted out, "It looks like a Hot Pocket." It really, really did, and I was really, really glad I'd never before paid to try it (it was tasty, but wouldn't have been worth the cover charge plus the upcharge). On our second visit, I had the rack of lamb, and that was very nearly a religious experience.

 

Maltings: Excellent bar staff with quick service, but if you're sensitive to tobacco smoke, you'd probably want to avoid - the cigar lounge is adjacent, and Maltings on the Waterfront was the preferred area for cigarette smokers to congregate. The guitar player sets up shop here for 3-hour "sets," and while his playing his excellent, I'd bet his parents would like to know what he did with the money they gave him for singing lessons.

 

Moderno: There seem to have been some menu changes since we tried this last year for the first time on the Gem, notably the addition of two fish dishes, a Brazilian shrimp stew (which arrives in a pot exactly like those in which the side dishes are served), and "Baked Cod in Banana Leaves," which the waiter was careful to advise was made to order and would take 40 minutes to be served (we skipped it). Our waiter, Rubie, was funny, fast and attentive, and earned a Vacation Hero card for summoning the fabled grilled pineapple for us "out of sequence."

 

O'Sheehans: I'm now convinced this is where NCL starts off new wait staff. Our waiter was cordial but seemed to struggle with the language to the point that we had to show him on the menu what we were ordering. The food was served promptly, but then (G-d forgive me), I let the New Yorker in me come out and ordered an egg creme. The waiter had no idea what it was, and pointing to it on the menu didn't seem to help. He finally scribbled something on his pad, and when he returned almost twenty minutes later, I got a milkshake ... *sigh*

 

Savor (one of the small MDRs): Service was prompt and attentive, and the food was as expected. We didn't have the time (or the digestive capacity) to visit Taste or the Manhattan Room.

 

Shakers (the martini bar): Our favorite of the bars, with a fun, high-energy staff. The piano player was good, although (IMHO) the speakers were waaaay too loud, making it difficult to converse using your "inside voice." After several cocktails, you just went with the flow and got loud like everyone else.

 

Shanghai (the noodle bar): Excellent food, but sitting elbow to elbow with strangers made for an awkward dining experience if you weren't well-choreographed - it felt like being in the middle seat on an airplane. If you go, try to get a seat on the end if you're at the stand-alone tables, or with an empty seat next to you if you're at the counter.

 

Wasabi (the sushi bar): We've enjoyed the sushi bar on our other cruises, but the Breakaway's version was disappointing. Gone from the menu were the sushi platter and the sashimi platter (we'd typically order one of each and share). Now, the menu lists seven or eight types of rolls, some with cutesy names like "Californication Roll," and the page for sushi and sashimi just shows a price for each, wholly omitting what type(s) were available or the quantity you were buying. Queries to the waitress revealed they only had three types of fish (salmon, tuna and yellowtail). With such a limited selection, all of the rolls were basically the same thing but in different wrappings, with the exception of the "Crispy Rice Roll," which turned out to be tiny gobbets of fish swimming in an unidentifiable sauce atop what looked like a Tater Tot. We didn't even finish that one. Whoever sets the menu for this restaurant has obviously given up even trying.

 

Alas, we didn't get to try Carlo's Bake Shop, the Manhattan Room, room service, the Sabretts cart, Taste, the Uptown Grill, the main pool, the ropes course or walking the plank. Next trip. :)

[DebQ5]

Great review, thanks for posting! What type of room did you stay in? Did you go to Howl at the Moon at all? I've heard mixed reviews.

[pieshops]

We were on the BA same week as you and could not agree more with every point you made, we may even have been the people at the next table using their phones to read the menu lol.

 

We also had an awesome week

[EvilBanker]

Great review, thanks for posting! What type of room did you stay in? Did you go to Howl at the Moon at all? I've heard mixed reviews.

 

We were in a Spa Suite on deck 14. We were more interested in "Howl at the Bartender," so we didn't attend that show, but passing by noticed a lively crowd that appeared to be having a good time.

[BingoSlots]

Thank you for your review!

 

I am cruising on the Breakaway next April so I am excited to hear feedback. Just came back from Bermuda on the Dawn last week and wanted to ask you about that $16 Horseshoe Bay Shuttle.

 

We bought the $16pp shuttle at the Vistor's Center right outside where we docked. We thought it was a fabulous deal because the Shore Excursion was $29pp. :eek:

 

Sadly, we were unable to use our two passes because hubby had a little too much to drink the night before and was feeling it badly the next day. He was just starting to feel himself again around 3:00pm.

 

I kept them because we do plan on returning to Bermuda next June on the first cruise out of Boston (Dawn again), but now reading your review i'm not so sure. I knew where the "Zone 6" shuttle was and had NEVER seen a bus there, infact, I never saw anyone even waiting there. How did the bus work? Did it actually come and pick you up or did you go with another shuttle?

 

I'm sorry about some of your troubles but it does seem like you enjoyed most of your cruise! :D:D

[fabnfortysomething]

thanks for the review-where did you get the idea you weren't talented enough to write a full one? I giggled at several of your wry observations!

[janetz]

Great review, thanks for posting! What type of room did you stay in? Did you go to Howl at the Moon at all? I've heard mixed reviews.

 

Howl At The Moon was great. You do know that Howl is also in Boston? So much fun. :D

Edited October 21, 2015 by janetz

[EvilBanker]

I kept them because we do plan on returning to Bermuda next June on the first cruise out of Boston (Dawn again), but now reading your review i'm not so sure. I knew where the "Zone 6" shuttle was and had NEVER seen a bus there, infact, I never saw anyone even waiting there. How did the bus work? Did it actually come and pick you up or did you go with another shuttle?

 

The shuttle experience may have been an end-of-season glitch, so I wouldn't lose hope. We ended up so annoyed we just got back on the Breakaway and enjoyed the nearly-empty ship instead (we'd already been to Horseshoe Bay on our first cruise, so we didn't really feel we were missing anything). Later in the day - knowing the Dockyard would be jam-packed on departure day - we prowled around there instead and got to enjoy a crowd-free experience at the Clocktower Mall and Frog & Onion.

[EvilBanker]

thanks for the review-where did you get the idea you weren't talented enough to write a full one? I giggled at several of your wry observations!

 

Thank you, that's very kind. Paraphrasing Truman Capote, Mitsugirly and SeaDog67 are writers; I'm just a typist. :p

[Willowmina]

Great review - Thanks for posting!

[hansolosmom]

I think you did a great job, thanks for sharing your experience.

[queenschick9b]

I appreciate your egg cream issue. My family and I are all from NY and my dad costantly bemoans that nobody knows how to make egg creams or ice cream sodas, even if they are on the menu. He has given up on ordering them! He 8 out of 10 times people make him a milkshake.

Edited October 22, 2015 by queenschick9b

[ncklhaus]

Loved your review. You cracked me up with some of your commentary. I LOL'ed at "I slay me."

I'd definitely read a longer review if you wrote one.

[ldlewis45]

It sounds like your experience was somewhat similar to mine when I sailed in 2013. I'd heard tons of horror stories about the terrible service, and since it was my first NCL cruise, I was a bit nervous. Turns out, the staff was wonderful and it was my fellow passengers that were an issue. Growing up, my mother would have slapped me silly if I'd acted in public the way a lot of my fellow passengers did. It takes some adjustment for people not from the region, but it makes for some pretty good entertainment sometimes. I felt sorry for so many of the staff, though, because they had to put up with rude behavior from a lot of "special snowflake" passengers and do it with a smile.

 

I loved Bermuda and NYC so much that I'm going back next year. I'm getting a spa balcony so that I can just relax on my balcony or in the spa and ignore everyone else on the ship, lol. I'd love to go back over my birthday like I did in 2013, but unfortunately my birthday week falls right on Bermuda's major holiday in August and the entire island shuts down for 2 of the 3 days the ship is in port.

[DebQ5]

Howl At The Moon was great. You do know that Howl is also in Boston? So much fun. :D

 

I do! Actually I live very close to Gillette Stadium where we have Patriots Place and our very own Howl at the Moon. I really like it and hope that it will be good on the ship as well. Glad to hear that you liked it!

[maryisme]

I have to disagree with you on one point --you are quite talented! Great review. Thanks

[EvilBanker]

I appreciate your egg cream issue. My family and I are all from NY and my dad costantly bemoans that nobody knows how to make egg creams or ice cream sodas, even if they are on the menu. He has given up on ordering them! He 8 out of 10 times people make him a milkshake.

 

Thinking back, given the language difference, I could have ended up with some abominable concoction featuring chocolate syrup, seltzer and an actual egg. Fortunately, it was at least a decent milkshake.

[EvilBanker]

Whilst mulling over where to buy Fox's U-Bet syrup to make my own egg cremes :eek:, I remembered something I appear to have omitted:

 

Breakaway / Elevators: There are two banks of elevators, forward and aft, with eight cars in each - but not all elevators are created equal. In each group, only half travel beyond deck 15. In what can only be payback for those who abuse the UBP, the ones that do are different in each bank. At the forward elevators, it's only the four most forward that go to deck 16. In the aft, it's one entire side. Much profanity was heard to issue forth from those not realizing the difference (chiefly, from me). Careful observers may note a more subtle difference between the forward and aft lifts; the forward ones have square buttons and square artwork on the wall, whereas the aft set have round buttons and round artwork.

[meatball_nyc]

A very good typist at that. Well done.

Thank you for your excellent review.

The best egg cream I've ever had was at a diner in the Bronx ages ago.

Here's to fresh seltzer and smooth seas :)

[Cruise-mom]

I enjoyed your review, thanks. I'm curious now as to what is an egg creme, I'm off to visit Dr Google..