robbykapnj Posted August 26, 2016 #1 Share Posted August 26, 2016 Hi Everyone, I am debating on going on the NCL Breakaway or RCL Anthem out of NY/NJ for a Holiday or New Years sailing. We've done the RCL Oasis class and Freedom class the past few years for the holidays. We're looking for a change with either a new class of ships or a new line and are debating the Breakaway or Anthem. We've only cruised once with Norwegian on the Dawn awhile ago. Both ships seem like they could offer a new experience with new dining, new shows and new venues. Has anyone been on both ships? Has anyone been on either ship for a holiday sailing? How was it and how do they compare? What is entertainment like on one of these longer sailings? The NCL sailing is for 8 nights and RCL sailing is for 10 nights. -The NCL 8 night Christmas sailing on the 18th is $4,000 for an inside and balcony room with free gratuities and $200 onboard credit. -The RCL sailing is 10 nights and goes for Christmas and New Years and is $7,800 with a $800 onboard credit. -We aren't considering the NCL 7 night New Years Breakaway sailing on the 26th as it is $6,200 and only goes to the bahamas. Anthem: I'm concerned that the Anthem sailing is so expensive and may not be worth it. We would probably have a family crowd which would be great and we would go to the Caribbean for some warm weather. Breakaway. The 18th Christmas sailing is relatively cheap but only goes to the Bahamas and Florida. We are concerned about the weather. Also, since some schools don't yet have off, we are worried that the crowd wouldn't be filled with as many families. Thanks for any opinions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarea Posted August 26, 2016 #2 Share Posted August 26, 2016 Some similar threads: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2281009 http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2278498 http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2272068 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davy jones Posted August 26, 2016 #3 Share Posted August 26, 2016 I don't care for the ports on Bahamas and Florida sailings. What are the Anthem ports? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toocruisin2 Posted August 26, 2016 #4 Share Posted August 26, 2016 Hi Everyone, I am debating on going on the NCL Breakaway or RCL Anthem out of NY/NJ for a Holiday or New Years sailing. We've done the RCL Oasis class and Freedom class the past few years for the holidays. We're looking for a change with either a new class of ships or a new line and are debating the Breakaway or Anthem. We've only cruised once with Norwegian on the Dawn awhile ago. Both ships seem like they could offer a new experience with new dining, new shows and new venues. Has anyone been on both ships? Has anyone been on either ship for a holiday sailing? How was it and how do they compare? What is entertainment like on one of these longer sailings? Thanks for any opinions! Been on both ships, had a great experience on each; will post up full reply tomorrow. You can't lose with either!🛳 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbykapnj Posted August 26, 2016 Author #5 Share Posted August 26, 2016 Thank you very much. Looking forward to reading about your experiences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave85 Posted August 27, 2016 #6 Share Posted August 27, 2016 (edited) General comparisons between the two ships are abundant already on CC. I will just add, having been on Anthem once and Breakaway twice, that I would be very concerned about crowding on a Breakaway holiday sailing, especially in cold weather. I enjoyed the ship, but it's fairly crowded even under the best conditions because there's limited indoor and pool deck space. I personally would feel more comfortable booking Anthem for a cold weather holiday cruise. This of course says nothing as to the price differences... that's up to you to decide. Edited August 27, 2016 by Dave85 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaisyL Posted August 28, 2016 #7 Share Posted August 28, 2016 i have been on both ships but not during a Holiday. NCL Breakaway was way overcrowded everywhere. I much prefer RCL but we have cruised more times on NCL because of lower rates. I think there's more to do on the Anthem for a family. On Anthem we dined with Classic (2) for dinner and liked the rotation of restaurants as opposed to Choice and having to make reservations every night. Having said all that, you can't go wrong with either; decide which price you are willing to pay for the product you are getting for your family. Good luck, Have fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
champagne123 Posted August 28, 2016 #8 Share Posted August 28, 2016 i have been on both ships but not during a Holiday. NCL Breakaway was way overcrowded everywhere. I much prefer RCL but we have cruised more times on NCL because of lower rates. I think there's more to do on the Anthem for a family. On Anthem we dined with Classic (2) for dinner and liked the rotation of restaurants as opposed to Choice and having to make reservations every night. Having said all that, you can't go wrong with either; decide which price you are willing to pay for the product you are getting for your family. Good luck, Have fun. I am by no means choosing Breakaway over the Anthem. We will not be on the Anthem for a few weeks, so I cannot give a fair comparison...BUT.....in all fairness, you were on the Breakaway in November. Of course the inside venues were more crowded. We went in September and absolutely nothing was crowded. There are so many inside and outside things to do. We honestly loved this ship and the many dining locations and rotations. We LOVED the outside boardwalk all the way around the ship, where you could sit in a lounger, sofa/tables, or a bar....enjoying a cocktail on the sea before dinner. I am hoping we love the Anthem and can come back and say as much. :):):) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckyinpa Posted February 6, 2017 #9 Share Posted February 6, 2017 General comparisons between the two ships are abundant already on CC. I will just add, having been on Anthem once and Breakaway twice, that I would be very concerned about crowding on a Breakaway holiday sailing, especially in cold weather. I enjoyed the ship, but it's fairly crowded even under the best conditions because there's limited indoor and pool deck space. I personally would feel more comfortable booking Anthem for a cold weather holiday cruise. This of course says nothing as to the price differences... that's up to you to decide. id appreciate the details of why anthem is better for the cold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarea Posted February 6, 2017 #10 Share Posted February 6, 2017 id appreciate the details of why anthem is better for the cold Covered main pool, covered solarium, covered multipurpose area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckyinpa Posted February 7, 2017 #11 Share Posted February 7, 2017 Covered main pool, covered solarium, covered multipurpose area. i watched videos of them last night and i have to agree. on that basis alone i should have booked last december instead of on the BA. the kids would have had a much better time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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