First NCL cruise under my belt, the good and the bad [Breakaway]

[JAMESCC]

Ok so we just got off Breakaway today from our first NCL cruise after doing 3 RCCL cruises before this. My take of the good and bad. I'll try and be concise but its not my strong suit.

Manhattan cruise terminal in my opinion is pure chaos. Embarkation is so-so but disembarkation is just a jumbled mess of chaos. I did not care for it at all.

Now the ship itself. It is the most beautifully decorated ship I've ever been on, its just gorgeous inside. Very tastefully decorated. The bad of this ship is I have no clue of what they were doing with the layout, there is no flow to this ship at all. Its all broken up, hard to find things. People I could see were getting a really mad about having to turn around in different spots because this ship was so poorly laid out. We got very annoyed several times. There were so many times I stopped and said "I don't know what they were thinking doing this". Its a very large ship that feels very small. What I mean by that is there are lots of bottle necks.

The elevator situation is horrendous. Again I have no idea what they were thinking with regards to the elevators.

Here is my biggest "I don't know in God's name what they were doing", THE CASINO. Why did they choose to put that casino where they did? You have no choice but to walk through it at times, it stinks to high heaven with smoke and it permeates every where. Whoever came up with that idea should be fired, because it can't be fixed. Its baked into the design now. That is just a start, I'll post more in a few minutes.

[Sissaaaaaa]

Same issues on the Getaway, which is why I will not sail another 'away ship. Try the Escape. The public areas flow so much nicer than the 'away ships do.

[JAMESCC]

Breakaway continued.

I've only been on 4 other cruises, 3 of them on RCCL Explorer of the seas so I ain't like some of you real experienced cruisers but what is with the service on this ship. O'Sheehans its like pulling teeth to get your order, it takes 20 minutes to get a soda. I have always had GREAT service on cruises, 1 Princess and the RCI cruises and I was astonished at the poor service on this ship. There must be something NCL is doing to these employees to cause this. I have a hard time believing they are this bad by accident. NCL must pay them poorer than other lines, something is causing the bad service. To me it felt like a union slow down or mini strike or something. Something is going on.

Now may I ask experienced NCL passengers something. Is it normal or is it on all the ships that they don't give you wash clothes? We asked a few times and they gave them to us, but why are bathrooms not stocked with them? Also is it normal that when you shower the water just pours out the bottom of the shower door? Is that the way it was designed?

Back with my final thoughts.

[Sissaaaaaa]

Breakaway continued.

I've only been on 4 other cruises, 3 of them on RCCL Explorer of the seas so I ain't like some of you real experienced cruisers but what is with the service on this ship. O'Sheehans its like pulling teeth to get your order, it takes 20 minutes to get a soda. I have always had GREAT service on cruises, 1 Princess and the RCI cruises and I was astonished at the poor service on this ship. There must be something NCL is doing to these employees to cause this. I have a hard time believing they are this bad by accident. NCL must pay them poorer than other lines, something is causing the bad service. To me it felt like a union slow down or mini strike or something. Something is going on.

Now may I ask experienced NCL passengers something. Is it normal or is it on all the ships that they don't give you wash clothes? We asked a few times and they gave them to us, but why are bathrooms not stocked with them? Also is it normal that when you shower the water just pours out the bottom of the shower door? Is that the way it was designed?

Back with my final thoughts.

 

If you decide on another NCL cruise, cruise out of Florida. Seriously. You will see a world of difference in the crew. They are just not happy on that ship (directly from the mouths of various crew members). Too many complaining and hard to deal with people out of that port (see above).

[JAMESCC]

The really good things about NCL is the food. I think from specialty restaurants to buffet the food is head and shoulders above RCCL. Even the buffet was really, really good and tasty. NCL seems to have cheaper rates, and great incentives, but I believe we are going back to RCCL. We have Anthem booked for next September to Canada/NE. I will be interested to see Anthem. One thing I know RCCL does is ship design, they create the best flow on their ships. Explorer was perfectly laid out with maximum flow and ease of navigation. I expect Anthem to be similar. We like Port Liberty too so that helps.

[cincicruisers]

Thanks for sharing your trip report with us.

[jetta8300]

Ok so we just got off Breakaway today from our first NCL cruise after doing 3 RCCL cruises before this. My take of the good and bad. I'll try and be concise but its not my strong suit.

Manhattan cruise terminal in my opinion is pure chaos. Embarkation is so-so but disembarkation is just a jumbled mess of chaos. I did not care for it at all.

Now the ship itself. It is the most beautifully decorated ship I've ever been on, its just gorgeous inside. Very tastefully decorated. The bad of this ship is I have no clue of what they were doing with the layout, there is no flow to this ship at all. Its all broken up, hard to find things. People I could see were getting a really mad about having to turn around in different spots because this ship was so poorly laid out. We got very annoyed several times. There were so many times I stopped and said "I don't know what they were thinking doing this". Its a very large ship that feels very small. What I mean by that is there are lots of bottle necks.

The elevator situation is horrendous. Again I have no idea what they were thinking with regards to the elevators.

Here is my biggest "I don't know in God's name what they were doing", THE CASINO. Why did they choose to put that casino where they did? You have no choice but to walk through it at times, it stinks to high heaven with smoke and it permeates every where. Whoever came up with that idea should be fired, because it can't be fixed. Its baked into the design now. That is just a start, I'll post more in a few minutes.

 

 

Just got off this morning as well, first NCL cruise for us too :). Very similar thoughts, we had an amazing time. Beautiful ship, room, etc. But we thought the complimentary food was BAD. Like REALLY BAD. Mostly MDR dinner food at Taste, Savor, etc. Compared to carnival and RCL. Especially desserts. They were like Chinese buffet desserts. They are really counting on people paying extra for the specialty restaurants. I also missed Carnival and RCL's drink menus.

Edited October 9, 2016 by jetta8300

[jetta8300]

Breakaway continued.

I've only been on 4 other cruises, 3 of them on RCCL Explorer of the seas so I ain't like some of you real experienced cruisers but what is with the service on this ship. O'Sheehans its like pulling teeth to get your order, it takes 20 minutes to get a soda. I have always had GREAT service on cruises, 1 Princess and the RCI cruises and I was astonished at the poor service on this ship. There must be something NCL is doing to these employees to cause this. I have a hard time believing they are this bad by accident. NCL must pay them poorer than other lines, something is causing the bad service. To me it felt like a union slow down or mini strike or something. Something is going on.

Now may I ask experienced NCL passengers something. Is it normal or is it on all the ships that they don't give you wash clothes? We asked a few times and they gave them to us, but why are bathrooms not stocked with them? Also is it normal that when you shower the water just pours out the bottom of the shower door? Is that the way it was designed?

Back with my final thoughts.

 

After 2 cruises out of Florida, and 2 east coast cruises, we also agree that service out of Florida is MUCH better. Friendlier people, etc. But it might have something to do with cruisers from the east coast may be harder to deal with. Just a possibility. But They are also mostly Philippino/ Asian, whereas crew members from our cruises in Florida were mostly from the Caribbean. I'm not saying that to be nasty or anything, but people from the Caribbean tend to be incredibly friendly and very upbeat in general.

Edited October 9, 2016 by jetta8300

[npater]

We have always cruised NCL (10 cruises) out of New York and never had any problems with the staff. Usually it is with the rudeness of the passengers. The staff always go above and beyond to make our vacation a memorable one. They are always smiling and very helpful. Treat them as you would like to be treated, they are people too and working very hard.

 

 

 

 

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[JAMESCC]

We have always cruised NCL (10 cruises) out of New York and never had any problems with the staff. Usually it is with the rudeness of the passengers. The staff always go above and beyond to make our vacation a memorable one. They are always smiling and very helpful. Treat them as you would like to be treated, they are people too and working very hard.

 

Do NOT make assumptions about me. I am as nice as can be to the staff. I didn't say they were rude, they were nice, but service overall was not great. Do not EVER question how I treat the staff again. Go back and look at the posts I have made defending staff on cruise ships.

[npater]

What was so poor about the service

 

 

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[JAMESCC]

If you bothered to read my post which was a fair assessment you'd know. Ordering a soda at O-Sheehans and literally waiting 20 minutes for it, not see the waiter for a good half hour at times. Would you consider that good service?

[NH Cruisers]

If you bothered to read my post which was a fair assessment you'd know. Ordering a soda at O-Sheehans and literally waiting 20 minutes for it, not see the waiter for a good half hour at times. Would you consider that good service?

 

I have been on far more cruises than you... and have experienced all that and more on pretty much every cruise I have been on. A few slow or even forgotten orders does not ruin the overall experience for me. Sorry it did for you. But I feel if you cruise enough you will experience stuff like that.

 

Too, I have sailed on the Explorer Of The Seas and Mariner Of The Seas multiple times. Casinos on them stink of cig smoke to high heaven and wafts up to the Promenade on occasion. Those ships too have red carpet on one side of the ship and green on the other. To help you know what direction fore or aft you are going, until you realize this, you can get pretty turned around. That bottle neck on them when the theater lets out is just crazy for 10 minutes.

Edited October 9, 2016 by NH Cruisers

[jetta8300]

If you bothered to read my post which was a fair assessment you'd know. Ordering a soda at O-Sheehans and literally waiting 20 minutes for it, not see the waiter for a good half hour at times. Would you consider that good service?

 

We ended up leaving O'sheehans. Ordered Appetizers, and entrees. Got appetizers after about 25 minutes. Then husband got his entree immediately. I waited another 20 minutes for mine. Than saw nobody still after another 30 minutes to offer dessert menu. Left and went to the buffet. that about sums up the service at O'sheehans.

Edited October 9, 2016 by jetta8300

[JAMESCC]

We ended up leaving O'sheehans. Ordered Appetizers, and entrees. Got appetizers after about 25 minutes. Then husband got his entree immediately. I waited another 20 minutes for mine. Than saw nobody still after another 30 minutes to offer dessert menu. Left and went to the buffet. that about sums up the service at O'sheehans.

 

Yes I actually said to my wife, its kinda weird to want to walk out on a free meal, but we must have waited 45 minutes for 2 meals and to sodas. It became a thing where we just avoided O,Sheehans and stopped wanting to order drinks, alcohol or otherwise.

Listen I'm quick to say cruise ship employees are some the hardest working people you will find. They sacrifice so much for their families to have a better life for them. It hurts to complain this way, but its the way I feel.

[shukapaw]

Thanks for taking the time to report on your cruise.

 

We had similar "layout" issues on the Getaway. It was by far the most poorly-designed ship I've encountered. Luckily, we had better luck with food and service than you apparently did.

 

I'd sail NCL again but it would have to be an excellent itinerary for me to put up with this class of ship again.

 

~Brian

[CruisinHarvey]

Thanks for the report. I'm curious about your O'sheehan's service. Do you mind telling me where you seated? Was it in the bar area overlooking the Atrium, or the other side?.

[Sizzlechest]

I disagree with you about the layout of the ship. The Breakaway is pretty easy to navigate. However, I agree with the rest. Service has gone downhill. I don't think it's the employees' fault. I think they're understaffed. Dining takes FOREVER. I think NCL may need to make the casino a no smoking area. It's one of the biggest issues with the ship.

[JAMESCC]

Thanks for the report. I'm curious about your O'sheehan's service. Do you mind telling me where you seated? Was it in the bar area overlooking the Atrium, or the other side?.

 

Not overlooking the atrium, in the actual restaurant itself. The food was awesome though. It just took forever to get anything. Sometimes it took 30 minutes before we even ordered.

[david5272]

If you decide on another NCL cruise, cruise out of Florida. Seriously. You will see a world of difference in the crew. They are just not happy on that ship (directly from the mouths of various crew members). Too many complaining and hard to deal with people out of that port (see above).

 

Of course, it is coming out of NYC...what more do you expect, "hard to deal with people"

 

I was on the 9/18 Breakaway.....

 

I will go back to the NCL Dawn out of Boston. Much better people and the crew was awesome!

[david5272]

We have always cruised NCL (10 cruises) out of New York and never had any problems with the staff. Usually it is with the rudeness of the passengers. The staff always go above and beyond to make our vacation a memorable one. They are always smiling and very helpful. Treat them as you would like to be treated, they are people too and working very hard.

 

 

exactly.

[cnjcruiser82]

also just go off the breakaway this morning. Im a first time NCL cruiser, and had a great time on this trip. Most of the staff do a great job. But I do agree with the OP, in certain areas service was extremely slow. Also in certain areas, usually those same area, it seemed employees were extremely unhappy. Whether it be to a cooperative union effort or the end of contract for these employees it was very noticeable. I must note that there were also many employees that seemed genuinely happy and went above and beyond to have great service. Notable the bartenders at the whiskey/ cigar bar, ric rick and ron ron, those 2 kick ass!! Manny the pianist also very friendly. Met a lot of nice cruisers on this cruise. ANyone meet Miss ANN???

[MJSailors]

To the OP-

My DH and I were on the Breakaway this past September.

I totally agree that the terminal is not a well managed place to move people through ticketing,security and onto the ship.

Upon disembarkation,we spent two hours trying to locate a missing piece of luggage,which was a most frustrating way to end a vacation.

As for the ship,we have sailed on Celebrity,Cunard and mostly on Princess.

We have sailed on many beautiful ships.

I would describe the Breakaway as being well decorated in a modern style.

As for the staff,we found most who helped us to be pleasant and helpful. We did not go to O'Sheehan's or many of the bars,so I can't comment on service in those venues.

We did enjoy several lunches and breakfasts in Savor and Taste. We favored Taste because of the very good service we received there especially from our servers Amelia and Julia.

We had a very good room steward, Laurence . He kept our cabin in very good condition, we always had enough towels and washcloths.

Being in our mid-sixties,we found activities that interested us to be lacking. We are not interested in the rope course, a rock climbing wall or water slides.

We enjoy Broadway shows,but had no interest in Rock of Ages because of the language and sexual innuendos

We have decided that we will not sail on the Breakaway again,even though we enjoy visiting Bermuda and the ship sails from our home port.

Speaking of being from NYC area, I agree that people from this metropolitan area can be demanding and have strong opinions,but many of us have manners, and are thoughtful caring people.

Having said that,we do not wish to sail from the NY area because we did witness some behavior of passengers that caused us to shake our heads.

We have not witnessed such behavior on other cruise lines sailing from Florida.

We did also notice some behavior from superiors to members of the crew that seemed harsh and unprofessional.

A superior in the buffet was chastising one of the assistant waitresses because she

apparently missed a meeting.

This was done in front of passengers eating at tables nearby.

Such chastisement should have taken place in a more private area to avoid the young

lady embarassment.

On another occasion, I witnessed a cleaner near a cabin hallway being seriously talked to by two superiors.

Again, I think this type of correction should have taken place in a more private area.

Perhaps,this visible type of disciplinary conversation is a glimpse of how the staff is treated on this ship.

To me, speaking to staff in ear shot of passengers concerning their work,indicates lack of respect and concern for staff members. Such treatment could cause a staff to be unhappy. This may explain the lack of service and unhappy staff that the OP witnessed.

In considering this cruise,we were pleased to be able to visit Bermuda.

In the future, we will be sailing Princess as we find it a better fit for us.

[JAMESCC]

MJ Sailors, thank you for the detailed response. I don't want to, and I apologize if my post came off like we didn't enjoy the cruise, because we did. Bermuda is always amazing. This was our 3rd time there, and I'd love to quit the job, sell the house and call Bermuda home. As for the ship, it wasn't a horror show, we enjoyed it, we were just surprised by some poor planning and design of public areas.

Oh also I LOVED the dress code which was none. Oh my God I always wanted to wear shorts to dinner and I did. I felt weird the first time but many others were and then it felt ok. I LOVE the freestyle way of NCL.

[Sissaaaaaa]

Of course, it is coming out of NYC...what more do you expect, "hard to deal with people"

 

I was on the 9/18 Breakaway.....

 

I will go back to the NCL Dawn out of Boston. Much better people and the crew was awesome!

 

Oh, I completely agree. My husband and I were both born and raised in the area, and we will not sail out of NY! The last thing we want on vacation is attitude :)