Breakaway to Bermuda Thoughts

[2xsin12mths]

I do enjoy the detailed reviews on cc and thank you to all who write them. I don't have the time or skills so I will just say a few thoughts on my Breakaway cruise last week to Bermuda. This is my first NCL cruise. I am platinum on Carnival and the only reason booked NCL is my 6 girlfriends and I wanted to cruise to Bermuda and wanted to go from NYC. This was our only option.

Getting on/off the ship.....no problem. Arrived at port at 11:15 and was on the ship with first drink in hand by 12:30. On return, message was given at 8:00 that self assist can leave and we were all 7 through customs and in the van heading home at 8:30! Can't beat that!!

 

Bars - Some crowded and had to wait for drinks. No martini came close to the Alchemy Bars on Carnival. That said....I still drank and enjoyed the drinks.

Restaurants - Free ones were OK to good. O'Sheehans was good. Buffet was much better than Carnivals. Good variety and fresh. Crowds were only an issue at buffet, not restaurants.

Shows - Rock of Ages...awesome. Burn the Floor...good. The Second City...good. Dueling Pianos...good. Shows is where NCL is far above Carnival. Carnival should be ashamed of themselves for the pitiful shows they put on. I don't even go to them anymore. Good job NCL.

Ice Bar - FREEZING but 15 minutes of fun and pure laughter.

Atrium - Too small. Shows, games and music all very good. Arvin and Emily are great.

Cruise Director - Very good...Her name was Soozy(I think that's how she spelled it?) Asst. Cruise Director was good also. Very personable and nice.

 

Getting off in Bermuda and getting back on....never any lines at anytime. Getting back on late afternoon had cold water, lemonade and cold towels. Wow! Catch up Carnival!

 

No movies "under the stars". Only in Atrium and at 11:00 at night. Carnival wins this one.

 

I bought 2 bottles of liquor when I found out they deliver to your stateroom the last night. I do not buy from Carnival anymore since you are shuttled into a mass of people in a too small room the morning you leave. It's chaos!

 

The staff are friendlier on Carnival BUT that said, the staff are much easier to understand on NCL. IDK why? Seemed to be more American and Canadian.

 

NCL is VERY into cleanliness......washy, washy EVERYWHERE! I'm happy about that.

 

I did not use waterslides, rope course, plank, kids club or Haven so can not comment on that area. Haven seemed to be a major plus but this cruise was already expensive we could not justify upgrading to Haven.

 

Overall Breakaway is a beautiful ship. Would I sail her again? Probably if the price and destination were right. But, my next 3 cruises are already booked on Carnival. I am going on Ecstasy in September for 5 nights with my 2 daughters and am paying the same price I paid for just me for 7 nights on NCL. So basically it depends if I want to go on 2 really nice cruises a year on NCL or if I want to go on 4 a year on Carnival and honestly have just as much fun. I love cruising and have NEVER had a bad cruise. My happy place is Half Moon Cay (Carnivals private island). LOVE it! So I will going back over to Carnival forums but just wanted to let everyone know Breakaway and Bermuda were beautiful:)

[Sizzlechest]

Your review is pretty spot on. The entertainment is great on the Breakaway. I'm not sure you'd be happy with the entertainment on NCL's smaller ships. I haven't been on Carnival in a while, but they seemed to have an interesting strategy when it came to staff fluency in English. Anything that involved customer interaction had people who were very easy to understand. Just about every event was staffed by the handful of Aussies, South Africans, etc. I never attended an event on Carnival where it was difficult to understand what the person was saying. Employees that don't usually interface with customers were unable to communicate on even a basic level. On NCL, communication is more consistent throughout the staff. Good news is you can talk to you room steward and he/she will understand you. Downside is trivia questions sometimes need to be repeated five times :p

[Gershep]

Nice review!

[txagfan]

Can you or anyone who has been on the Bermuda itinerary talk a little about how it compares to more traditional cruises where you hit a few ports? I've thought about this cruise a number of times since I like the idea of spending a couple days in NYC before, but staying in one spot makes me a little apprehensive.

[mintsugarcube]

Can you or anyone who has been on the Bermuda itinerary talk a little about how it compares to more traditional cruises where you hit a few ports? I've thought about this cruise a number of times since I like the idea of spending a couple days in NYC before, but staying in one spot makes me a little apprehensive.

 

I love it! We went last year and we are going again this week! It's SO nice not to have to "watch the clock" and SO nice not to have to hurry, hurry, hurry back to the ship.

 

There is an incredible amount of things to do in Bermuda, whether beaches, museums, shopping or more. You will NOT be bored. We didn't do everything there was to do last year, so we are back. But guess what? After planning out this itinerary, we STILL need to come back again to "finish it up."

 

What are you apprehensive about?

[2xsin12mths]

Yep, spot on.........so much to do and not enough time. I thought the same way. I love the different ports and I'm a "beach" person. The beaches in Bermuda are amazing and so many of them. I could have spent a whole week! I came back and told my husband I am booking a cruise for just him and I to go. Carnival (who we cruise most of the time) has Pride out of Baltimore go to Bermuda for a week, which is perfect!

[AndyCapn]

Can you or anyone who has been on the Bermuda itinerary talk a little about how it compares to more traditional cruises where you hit a few ports? I've thought about this cruise a number of times since I like the idea of spending a couple days in NYC before, but staying in one spot makes me a little apprehensive.

 

I had avoided the Bermuda cruise for the same reason (why would I want take a cruise that only has one stop?) but we really enjoyed it. I'm sure others will be able to add to the list below.

 

Pros:

 

* Most ports you have to choose between going to the beach, going shopping or taking a shore excursion. Maybe you can do two of those things, but probably not all three. With two and a half days in Bermuda, you have the time to do what you want.

* If it rains one day, you're not completely out of luck.

* If you prefer staying on board the ship, there are fewer people around, even at night.

 

Cons:

 

* Bermuda is more expensive than most western hemisphere ports.

* No rental cars. You have to rely on buses, ferries or taxis to get around.

* The Royal Naval Dockyards are far (relatively speaking) from the main things people want to see in Bermuda. There is shopping around the port, but not much else within walking distance.

[Winnigirl]

Absolutely love the Bermuda cruise. We took it last year on the Celebrity Summit. This year we are trying the Breakaway. It is so nice not to have to "rush" back to the ship after a few hours. You can relax and take your time. We liked the quieter, more sedate (not boring) atmosphere of Bermuda.

The ferries and buses are very reliable and you find very quickly that it's easy to get around. Bermuda is not a huge island, so getting from one area to another is easy. Of course, having a few days in New York before or after the cruise is another big plus.

[Gershep]

As much as I like to go to different ports I really enjoy a longer stay in Bermuda. It is nice to say that I have been to all these different places but in reality you might only have been there for a couple of hours. It is nice to see the island, beaches, shops and how the people of the island interact with you. When you are on an island for more than a couple of hours you have really seen that island.

 

No rush, no stress, just go as you please. Bermuda is so beautiful you will want to fly back there for a longer stay.

[mking8288]

If you enjoy long sea days, relaxation and can deal with the Atlantic seas as waves can be rough sometimes - Bermuda is for you. Look at it as your floating AI resort dockside, come & go as you pleased for 2.5 days but be mindful of ship/island time and not missed departure/all abroad time on that last day.

 

The residents/locals are friendly and helpful - with a good public transportation system, far less expensive than many of the Caribbean islands where you pretty much have to take a tour or use taxis and shuttles to rush there & back to the ship by the end of the day, as there are few - if any - overnight stops.

 

Been to BDA 4 times, just back last week and would that again - there's something different to do each & every time. Sure, with 8,000 ship pax at Dockyard alone, getting around isn't as easy as it used to be, where smaller ships can berthed in downtown Hamilton ... (in old days, back to ship for dinner - walk down the gangway, turn & be there for Harbor Festival steps away on the waterfront - still have time to take a ferry ride for the evening just to catch the cool breeze) - the ferries are the best way to get around.

 

We download offline detailed maps of the island, the bus & the ferry schedules ahead of time, and, off we go to check out the caves and beaches. Things are a bit on the pricey side as just about everything is imported but they aren't any worst than other tropical islands & comparable to those in NY's popular tourist locations. There are more shops & things to do around Dockyard alone in the last 10 years and if water sports are to your liking, there's plenty to do without going very far.

 

Just as important, you feel safe walking around and crime isn't a major tourist concern, just practice common sense urban smarts as a visitor and blend in. If your preference is to do nothing & just relax, imagine a ship with many pax gone for much of the day - you have more space on the pool deck and in dining, no wait for early dinner and find your favorite spots to watch the sunset ... that's Bermuda, except more of our fellow pax are learning to do the same, staying onboard while docked. Heck, much rather be in Bermuda than Port Canaveral or Nassau for 8 hours with very few things of interests to do.

 

Do that itinerary at least once for those that've never been there & discover the islands' beauty & tranquility - and, you will likely be making plans to go back again ... we did.

[DeeT]

Nice review, thanks!!

[snorkelgrl88]

OP, thanks for your review! I have a number of Carnival Cruises under my belt as well and will be trying out NCL on the Breakaway in less than two weeks.

[lauren0309]

Thanks for your quick review. I am so looking forward to my cruise to Bermuda in September. First time on an NCL ship.

[p&lcruisers]

I just got off the ship on Sunday as well. My experience on the ship was great. The food and service were great. The ship is clean and beautiful. Anyone thinking of going should just go...and enjoy it !!!

[barbpol]

Thanks for your review, OP.

 

I've sailed all three of the main cruiselines and I usually find something I like about each one of the ships. I was on Breakaway with some girlfriends last fall and I liked it so much that I convinced my husband and his family to go on Breakaway this summer. My girlfriends and I are going on Carnival in the fall for our annual cruise. We choose whatever cruiseline fits our needs at the time we want to book.

[my_crib_too]

Good review and thank you!

[graphicguy]

Done it twice on the Breakaway. Once in the studio and once in the Haven. Liked it so much the first time, I did it again.

 

First, Breakaway is a beautiful ship with great entertainment, service and food.

 

As others said, it really is nice not worrying about getting back to the ship for sailaway when you're out having fun. Took a rum cruise that sailed past sunset and was one of the most memorable sights I've seen on any vacation (rum was good, too).

 

Beaches are gorgeous.

 

Everything is easy to get to. Get a pass once you're there to go on the water taxi and the bus, it's cheap. And, you can go anywhere you want.

 

Got some other plans in the near term, but plan on going back to Bermuda in the next 18-24 months.

 

You'll love the island and the ship.