Second Thoughts

[MotherofTrips]

Let me first start off by saying that I love Cruise critic....borderline obsessed..... Lol. This will be my 10th cruise but only second on NCL. I'll be on the Breakaway in June. My first experience with NCL was a lot different than what I was use to and was hesitant to book again, but I was in a 2 bedroom family suite with an adjoining mini suite which was the nicest room we ever booked. Anyway all of these negative reviews about the Breakaway is making me want to cancel ( too smokey, bad layout, too crowded, balcony so small no room for legs). I know everyone has their opinion and I am choosing to read all of this, I guess I am just disappointed because I am spending a lot of money for 2 cabins and just want it to be great! From the pics the ship looks amazing!

Edited November 8, 2015 by MotherofTrips

[MaryLS]

We had spa mini suites in January. Yes, the balconies were extremely small. The cabin was also smaller than mini suites on the Jewel class ships. We did find it crowded. Felt like the common areas were no larger than on Jewel class ships yet many more passengers. The pool area was also very crowded.

[MotherofTrips]

On all the cruises I have been on it was always difficult getting seating near the pool but I don't think I ever felt "crowded" on any of the ships. That is what is worrying me. Either that or I never really gave it this much thought

[MaryLS]

After going on the Breakaway, I'll stick with the Jewel class ships.

[DMH15]

I know the megaships are not for me. All of those things you mentioned would not appeal to me.

 

Some just want new new new… But my favorite ship is the NCL Sun. Definitely not new. But I enjoy it's size and that it is not crowded.

 

At first, I thought, "oh here is someone listening to everyone else and freaking out". But after reading a little further I realize you're just trying to listen to your gut instinct and that is very good.

 

I wish you luck in any decision you make.

Edited November 8, 2015 by DMH15

[mking8288]

BA to Bermuda, depending on your cabin category booked, isn't exactly a bargain - but, you have plenty of time to decide/change your mind and cancel before final payment/cancellation with penalty. Keep an open mind - we sailed the BA twice, it's fine & yes, the average stateroom are smaller than the "older" NCL ships, which are smaller than those on CCL & RCI - the typical balcony is small but how much time do you really feel you will spend sitting out there. Enough space for 2 chairs and a micro-coffee table, tight but 2 pairs of legs will fit in there with room to spare. :D

 

I suggest/recommend going to Youtube & watch some of the videos posted or shared by others - it will give you a better 3D view of ship life on the BA. Depending on your booking prices, promo perks & packages - some of the recent changes might, or might not materially affect your perception of whether it's worth sailing on or not with the unknown ahead. I will say, with my personal bias, the adult pool is far too small for 4,500 pax to "share" on a typical full sailing at high/peak seasons - it's more of a bath house to dip one's pair of feet into. There are plenty of loungers, most without shades, to sit & sunbath.

 

Keep an open mind. What are your definitions of a great cruise or elements in ranking your priorities & importance ... size of cabin, choice of (upcharge/specialty) dining, etc.

[MotherofTrips]

DMH15 I know how everyone's taste is different, people have different expectations based on their lifestyle, some people are harder to please and some will find fault in anything and will never be satisfied but.... there is definitely a pattern with some of these complaints. My kids are excited to go and I know they will be fine, I am just worried about my mom. My father recently passed away and I really want her to have a good time.

[MotherofTrips]

Mking8288. Honestly the last couple of cruises we took were in much larger rooms so right from the start I'm feeling the difference. We live in NJ and didn't want the expense of flying so therefore going out of NY was a plus although I feel you so pay more for the cruise. Went back to NCL because even though we haven't sailed in 5 years the casino at sea gave us a nice break on one of our cabins and 10% of the second cabin. I am traveling with my husband my 14 year old triplets and my mom. I think we spent more time in the room in the past because we had the type of room we had.

[hypercafe]

We had a mini suite on the BA and it did not seem small to us however the veranda really is small. I am 6ft6in and just fit my legs in sitting down facing the water and yes the pool area is really sort of a joke. I think these megs ships are a trade off between so many options for eating and entertainment vs a very crowded ship. The waterfront is a great place just to sit or to have dinner. When you go it makes things much easier if you make reservations for shows etc. You can do it on your in room TV. Have a great time.

[mjkacmom]

The convenience of driving a short distance to the pier is huge - so much so that I don't think we'll ever cruise out of anywhere else. There were a lot of kids on the BA when we sailed, and we felt spa passes were great investments. Your kids are at a great age for cruising this ship. Be prepared to board with them, and then meet up again for disembarkment.

 

Since it will be docked for three days, I would it expect it to feel less crowded than on the Bahamas run.

[Stace894]

We just made the same decision. Had sailed with NCL for the first time on a smaller ship and had already booked a 2nd trip on the BA for a school vacation week. Kept thinking about everything I was reading, how crowded, especially when not in warm weather and everyone was inside (Nov sailing). Once we were actually on the Dawn and were having a really good time, we switched sailings and stayed with the smaller ship. We are just not Megaship People. Looking forward to our trip next summer on the refurbished Dawn.

[disneysnob]

We are booked on BA next June, too, but it looks like its the week before you! Like, you, we have 2 cabins (fam of 5) and I've been reading all of the reviews, most of which are not too enthusiastic about anything on the ship. This is our 2nd with NCL, our first was on the Gem last summer. We love sailing out of NY, (from Boston) and would rather put the $$ towards the actual cruise, as opposed to the airfare to FL, or wherever. I've learned to take reviews with a grain of salt. They are just opinions, and everyone has them. Also, most of the time, what seems like what's a "big" deal to one person, is just "nit-picking" to us. (a crowded elevator or uncomfortable theater seats won't ruin my vacation) Just go with the flow, and enjoy.

[Gershep]

We found the Balcony stateroom on the BA to be bigger than the balcony stateroom on the Gem. The balconies themselves are smaller on the BA but we still spent a lot of time out there. The Insides on the BA were also larger than the Gem. I prefer the Gem over the Breakaway but I am still going back on the Breakaway in June. The ship is beautiful, the food was good and we had a great time. Before we sailed on the BA the first time I almost cancelled because of the reviews, boy am I glad I didn't. Don't sweat the small stuff and just enjoy your cruise. Bermuda is absolutely the best place.

[Gershep]

We are booked on BA next June, too, but it looks like its the week before you! Like, you, we have 2 cabins (fam of 5) and I've been reading all of the reviews, most of which are not too enthusiastic about anything on the ship. This is our 2nd with NCL, our first was on the Gem last summer. We love sailing out of NY, (from Boston) and would rather put the $$ towards the actual cruise, as opposed to the airfare to FL, or wherever. I've learned to take reviews with a grain of salt. They are just opinions, and everyone has them. Also, most of the time, what seems like what's a "big" deal to one person, is just "nit-picking" to us. (a crowded elevator or uncomfortable theater seats won't ruin my vacation) Just go with the flow, and enjoy.

 

 

Don't forget to join our roll call.

[MotherofTrips]

Thank you everybody for making me feel better!

[Ron_L]

Let me first start off by saying that I love Cruise critic....borderline obsessed..... Lol. This will be my 10th cruise but only second on NCL. I'll be on the Breakaway in June. My first experience with NCL was a lot different than what I was use to and was hesitant to book again, but I was in a 2 bedroom family suite with an adjoining mini suite which was the nicest room we ever booked. Anyway all of these negative reviews about the Breakaway is making me want to cancel ( too smokey, bad layout, too crowded, balcony so small no room for legs). I know everyone has their opinion and I am choosing to read all of this, I guess I am just disappointed because I am spending a lot of money for 2 cabins and just want it to be great! From the pics the ship looks amazing!

 

Relax, Mom :D

 

You have plenty of time if you really want to change your mind, but just to put things in perspective, we read the same things before we went on the Epic in 2014 and we had a great cruise and none of the issues that "everyone" warned about were a problem.

 

I'm not saying that folks concerns about the Epic or now the Breakaway are not real, but you're reading reviews from a handful out of roughly 4500 passengers on each cruise. It's a very small percentage of the people who have been on the ship.

[MotherofTrips]

Thanks Ron. I don't usually stress so much over others opinions. For a while I was cruising lot but haven't cruised in like 5 years now. So much has changed and I think I'm feeling a little overwhelmed

Edited November 10, 2015 by MotherofTrips

[sixesandeights]

Let me first start off by saying that I love Cruise critic....borderline obsessed..... Lol. This will be my 10th cruise but only second on NCL. I'll be on the Breakaway in June. My first experience with NCL was a lot different than what I was use to and was hesitant to book again, but I was in a 2 bedroom family suite with an adjoining mini suite which was the nicest room we ever booked. Anyway all of these negative reviews about the Breakaway is making me want to cancel ( too smokey, bad layout, too crowded, balcony so small no room for legs). I know everyone has their opinion and I am choosing to read all of this, I guess I am just disappointed because I am spending a lot of money for 2 cabins and just want it to be great! From the pics the ship looks amazing!

 

If you asked me a year ago I would tell you to stick with NCL. Under new management I have to recommend you run, don't walk to another line. You will not get what you pay for on NCL. The changes continue to rack up and the new CEO just did an interview basically saying more are coming to drive the cost up. Also the room size on NCL is a joke. RCCL has great ships that go out of NJ. I would highly recommend you look into those.

 

6&8

[Puma03]

We cruised in the BA in August. Family of 5 with two cabins and we had a great time. Our girls loved the Splash Academy and we really enjoyed the ship. The cabins are small but. It awful and same for the balcony. The pool area was a bit crowded but we were able to get lounge chairs each day at sea. The food was good and you can't beat Bermuda. We did a sunset kayak tour that was amazing!!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[TheDougOut]

Our family celebrated on the BA last August - 15 of us ranging from 8 to 70 years old. Two of us had been on smaller NCL ships previously, and the rest had cruised elsewhere but never on NCL.

 

We read all the negative reviews, and it had us second guessing our decision. We stuck to it, planned ahead, and prebooked as much as we could. We boarded the ship with high hopes, and the acceptance that things aren't always perfect.

 

All of our expectations were exceeded. I think it's fair to say, that any trip is what you make of it. You will see people that you know aren't having as good of a time as you - easy to point out the negative review writers. We weren't them. The BA sets one hell of a stage for a spectacular vacation, if you're prepared to accept it.

 

A group of us are now booked on the Escape at the end of January. I'm also booked on the Dawn next fall to revisit an old favorite after she gets freshened up in drydock.

 

Good luck with your decisions!

Doug

[BirdTravels]

If you asked me a year ago I would tell you to stick with NCL. Under new management I have to recommend you run, don't walk to another line. You will not get what you pay for on NCL. The changes continue to rack up and the new CEO just did an interview basically saying more are coming to drive the cost up. Also the room size on NCL is a joke. RCCL has great ships that go out of NJ. I would highly recommend you look into those.

 

6&8

 

We have done 6 NCL cruises this year and totally disagree. All cruise lines have changed over the years. We applaud NCL for spending money to refresh its fleet, give us more options, and provide better service. We are "platinum" cruises on multiple cruise lines and really like the innovation of NCL. And yes, we still enjoy other cruise lines where we have to break out the tux for dinner on sea days.

[TheDougOut]

We have done 6 NCL cruises this year and totally disagree. All cruise lines have changed over the years. We applaud NCL for spending money to refresh its fleet, give us more options, and provide better service. We are "platinum" cruises on multiple cruise lines and really like the innovation of NCL. And yes, we still enjoy other cruise lines where we have to break out the tux for dinner on sea days.

 

I'm with you. While I understand some of the frustrations expressed, I'm impressed with the general direction that's been set in the past year. I'm excited to try the new ship, and I'm just as excited to see what's coming out of drydock.

[aubreyc1988]

In my opinion, each cruiseline has its pros and cons - I've sailed three lines and honestly, I have a list of things I like and don't like about each one, but the key point is, I came by this list of pros and cons by EXPERIENCING the ship/cruiseline for myself, and not relying on what others think - because my pros and cons are different from someone else's.

 

Give it a honest shot, it's vacation, it's bound to have SOME fun involved, and then if you hate it, go to another cruiseline - but you really have to take other reviews with the mindset that everyone is different and you might not mind the things that other people do :)

[wilmingtech]

As others have said...take reviews with a grain of salt. I usually look at the members profile and previous posts from that person. Reading the last 15 or 20 posts that a person made gives you a good feel for the type of "critic" they are.

 

-Sean

[newmexicoNita]

Mking8288. Honestly the last couple of cruises we took were in much larger rooms so right from the start I'm feeling the difference. We live in NJ and didn't want the expense of flying so therefore going out of NY was a plus although I feel you so pay more for the cruise. Went back to NCL because even though we haven't sailed in 5 years the casino at sea gave us a nice break on one of our cabins and 10% of the second cabin. I am traveling with my husband my 14 year old triplets and my mom. I think we spent more time in the room in the past because we had the type of room we had.

 

Haven't sailed the Breakaway nor the Getaway, but will be next year. I am anxious to try the newer ships. We always stay with the Jewel class. As you have mentioned everyone looks for something different when cruising, but I am guessing, with 14 year olds, they will spend very little time in the cabin thus the size should not much of an issue.

 

Only you can decide if it is worth it to cancel, find another line and fly from Jersey to wherever. I don't think, for us, the size would have much of a baring on anything. As for your mom I am sure she will just be happy to spend time with her family