Dawn or Breakaway?

[cricket200]

We are currently booked on the Dawn to Bermuda but a friend of ours is trying to persuade us to switch to the Breakaway. We loved our last cruise on the Dawn.... So my question is for those that have sailed on both ships what do you think are the pros and cons?

Thanks!

[dexddd]

It looks like you are currently going on Dawn in Sept? In that case, you will be on a recently refurbed Dawn post dry dock so the ship should be looking pretty good.

 

Is it just adults or kids too? BA has many more things to do but the Dawn will generally feel less crowded. More food choices on BA. Slides, rope courses, mini golf, etc. on BA.

[BeachMartini]

We like the Dawn because 1. she leaves from Boston (nothing like taking the T or an Uber to vacation!) 2. She's small and relatively stress-free.

 

We get on board and there's really not much else to do in terms of planning, running around to get into a show, things like that. We book a few specialty restaurants before we leave and then we are good to go. Breakaway has more bells and whistles, but we love the entertainment on the Dawn - smaller ship, smaller scale. Never feel crowded. We are really looking forward to seeing her after the refurb next month!

 

We also prefer having the second sea day on the tail end of the trip, it makes your vacation feel a little bit longer when you're not getting home right after you leave Bermuda.

Edited April 12, 2016 by BeachMartini
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[NJsharon]

Haven't been on the Dawn, but have been on smaller NCL ships & preferred them to the recent Breakaway we just got off of. BA was too crowded and too big for us. So personally I would go with the Dawn.

[Sizzlechest]

Haven't been on the Dawn, but have been on smaller NCL ships & preferred them to the recent Breakaway we just got off of. BA was too crowded and too big for us. So personally I would go with the Dawn.

 

I was on the Star, which is the same class as the Dawn, to Bermuda many years ago before it was refurbed and moved out of the US. The Dawn class is a little too small for my tastes. Yes, the Breakaway is a too crowded for many, including me. The Jewel class ships like the Gem are in my "Goldilocks" zone.

[df5250]

I've sailed both ships to Bermuda and recently made the decision between the Dawn out of Boston and Breakaway out of NYC. I selected the BA this year, so my points maybe more pro for BA based on my own decision.

 

The Dawn is a great ship, and sailing out of Boston is very convenient when living less than 30 minutes from the port. Not having to fly and being home so quickly when the cruise is over are pro's in my book! The price of sailing on the Dawn is significantly less than the BA and as previously mentioned the Dawn will have just been out of dry dock for a few months when you board. I love sailing out of Boston, but needed a change in ship this year.

 

The Breakaway has more to do aboard with more restaurants, bars and IMHO better entertainment (Rock of Ages, Burn the Floor, Dueling Piano's), as well as the adults only areas. There are water slides and a ropes course, which the dawn doesn't have. The Breakaway also has outdoor seating for restaurants and Bars, which I love. The Dawn has limited outdoor seating. Lastly, the BA has The Haven for suites, but the Dawn does not. All of this swayed me towards the BA.

 

The other thing I considered was the amount of time and the days in port. The Dawn is in Bermuda, Sunday (1 PM now) thru Tuesday, where on Sunday many of the shops on Bermuda are closed. The later arrival time change from ~10 AM to 1 PM is a con in my opinion. I love Bermuda, and the more time there the better. The Breakaway is in Bermuda Wednesday thru Friday. The BA appears to have a few more hours of port time and there is the opportunity to attend Harbor Nights in Hamilton on Wed night.

 

I hope this helps in your decision!

[cricket200]

Thanks - I think we are going to stick with our Dawn booking :)

[bbryan5]

I've been on both ships. We personally like the Breakaway better, but enjoyed the Dawn as well. We are a young couple that enjoys staying up late, lively crowds, etc.. I just felt like the Breakaway was much more lively than the Dawn, had more energy I guess you could say. So it's hard to say which ship YOU should pick, it really all depends what kind of cruise you're looking for. In our experience, Dawn = a bit older, laid back crowd. Breakaway = a bit younger, party type atmosphere. Either way, you'll have a great time. ENJOY :D

Edited April 17, 2016 by bbryan5

[biker@sea]

We are currently booked on the Dawn to Bermuda but a friend of ours is trying to persuade us to switch to the Breakaway. We loved our last cruise on the Dawn.... So my question is for those that have sailed on both ships what do you think are the pros and cons?

Thanks!

 

Pros

Dawn = Patriot fans :)

 

Cons

Breakaway = Jets fans.

 

.

[ennazus]

In our experience, Dawn = a bit older, laid back crowd. Breakaway = a bit younger, party type atmosphere.

 

ditto bbryan5

 

We have cruised twice on the Dawn and once on the Breakaway. We liked the Dawn-hands down!! We won't cruise on the Breakaway again.

 

The Dawn is smaller than the Breakaway and imo is better suited for the number of passengers it carries. We found the Breakaway to be a bit crowded. Even at the very beginning, the terminal was too small to accommodate all the passengers. We were lucky to get to the Manhattan cruise terminal relatively early as we got a seat, but many people were standing or sitting on the floor as we waited for embarkation.

 

The Breakaway has the casino located in midship and if you are walking from one end of the ship to the other, you have to walk right through the smoky casino. The smoke also cascades outside of the casino area.

 

The Dawn had a different "big" show every night-at no charge (granted it's been a couple years since we cruised on the Dawn-so double check that). The Breakaway had 2 "big" shows (Rock of Ages & Burn the Floor). Then there were additional shows you could pay an additional fee for in the Spiegel tent (such as Cirque Dreams & Dinner Jungle Fantasy) and of course there were smaller shows in bars vs. the theater.

 

Sailing out of Boston is far more convenient than sailing out of NY for us as we fly into NY, but when we leave Boston, we just take a bus (quicker & less expensive) Although we did have a nice day walking around NY after the cruise (before our plane left at 5:30).

Edited April 18, 2016 by ennazus

[steveknj]

Pros

Dawn = Patriot fans :)

 

Cons

Breakaway = Jets fans.

 

.

 

That would be reversed for me. Actually I'm a Giants fan *ducks*

 

We'll be on the Dawn in July. Should I not wear my Yankee cap? :D

[hagelbagel]

On Dawn, learn Sweet Caroline before you go[emoji443]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Marine Mom]

Haven't been on the Dawn, but have been on smaller NCL ships & preferred them to the recent Breakaway we just got off of. BA was too crowded and too big for us. So personally I would go with the Dawn.

 

I agree 100%. I haven't been on the Dawn either but prefer the Gem over Breakaway any day. Just off the Breakaway two weeks ago and would not go again. That's just my opinion though.

[pathubia]

I've been on both ships. We personally like the Breakaway better, but enjoyed the Dawn as well. We are a young couple that enjoys staying up late, lively crowds, etc.. I just felt like the Breakaway was much more lively than the Dawn, had more energy I guess you could say. So it's hard to say which ship YOU should pick, it really all depends what kind of cruise you're looking for. In our experience, Dawn = a bit older, laid back crowd. Breakaway = a bit younger, party type atmosphere. Either way, you'll have a great time. ENJOY :D

 

Byran, are you saying we are old and boring? Lolol. Just kidding!!

[pathubia]

Pros

Dawn = Patriot fans :)

 

Cons

Breakaway = Jets fans.

 

.

 

:) so true!!

[bigfoot88]

I have been on both. As you can see I have been on the BA a lot.

 

The BA schedule, Sunday to Sunday, works for the DW vacation schedule. The Dawn's Friday to Friday is hard to plan.

[Rosetraveler]

Stay on the dawn cause it will dock in town where the shopping is fun, plus the bus station is there so you can catch a bus and go to the beach. You will have more access in distance to places you might want to visit. Just start planing what you will do there.

[gymbomb]

Stay on the dawn cause it will dock in town where the shopping is fun, plus the bus station is there so you can catch a bus and go to the beach. You will have more access in distance to places you might want to visit. Just start planing what you will do there.

 

Dawn and Breakaway both dock at the Dockyard.

[UandMe4Ever]

Hi, Dawn docks at the Dockyard, not in town!! I do not think any ships dock in Hamilton any more.........There's always the Ferry or bus........Nice. We prefer the Ferry!

 

Have a great cruise. We may be going Oct 16 or Oct 23rd, we'll see. Just trying to find out if the weather is warmer Oct 16 and maybe less rain?

[pathubia]

Hi, Dawn docks at the Dockyard, not in town!! I do not think any ships dock in Hamilton any more.........There's always the Ferry or bus........Nice. We prefer the Ferry!

 

Have a great cruise. We may be going Oct 16 or Oct 23rd, we'll see. Just trying to find out if the weather is warmer Oct 16 and maybe less rain?

 

HAL still docks in Hamilton. They have 2 Boston to Bermuda cruises next month.

[mchelle77]

We're in southern NH and considered the Dawn for the convenience of Boston, but the week we're going this October was a little less expensive to go out of NY on the BA! I know it'll be added cost to get to NY and park (we would have free parking in Boston at my family's house) but we really loved the look of the BA when they first sailed so it was like our goal at that point to get on that ship eventually :) We're hoping going during the school year will avoid bigger crowds too. My boss has been on the BA twice (and has a 3rd booked in July) and raves about it.

[KevinsCruising]

I would take the Dawn. The Breakaway is much newer but I like the better lay out of the Dawn. Pool area much better. Breakaway does not have a Spinnaker lounge.

[Barb Nahoumi]

Our choice would be the Dawn over the Breakaway, because we live close to Boston. Traveling to New York for a ship which has the same itinerary would be silly for us.

 

The Breakaway does have a better schedule, arriving in Bermuda on Wednesday, when businesses are open. The Dawn is a perfect size for us, there is plenty to do, and with the new refurb---we look forward to cruising on her next summer.

 

This month we enjoyed a 10 day cruise on the Gem out of New York.

 

I wish that NCL would increase operations out of Boston.

[RIvacationgirl]

I just returned from the BA on Sunday. After sailing the Dawn twice and this time on our first big ship, all four of us in my group said we preferred the Dawn over the Breakaway. It is a much more relaxing vibe as many have said, truly freestyle with no worries about reservations for shows and dining. But we did not know we would not like it until we tried it ourselves, because everyone has their little special things they like about cruising. We have been on a few different lines, and the BA was not for us. I am sure you will have fun on either one, we enjoyed our cruise very much, but we just would prefer not to sail her again.

[fiftyguy]

For me it would be the Dawn. I like the size better for getting around the ship.