NCL Breakaway Bahamas Nov 13 Food and Drinks!

[PierceChristopher]

Myself and my better half took our mothers on this cruise since we could all get something out of it. My mother is well past retirement age, and other mother isn’t retired yet. This is the 2nd time we took them on a cruise. Last one was on Brilliance of the Seas to NE/Canada. Myself and my other half were on Breakaway Bahamas last November with another couple, so we knew some things ahead of time, and were looking forward to replicating the blast we had last time.

 

As a preface, please know that I cruise to enjoy the food, drinks, and relaxing time. I don’t go to party per se, but I’m pretty active, and all the time I’m not eating or drinking, I’m trying to work off the calories of said food and drinks. With that said, I eat and drink enough for 2-3 people, so I was at the gym 1-2 times a day.

 

On Sunday (November 13th), the check in went smoothly, with the expected waits and lines. Our group number got called to board, but when we got to the scanners our mother’s cards didn’t work. We needed to go back and fix them, but at least we didn’t need to wait in line again. If they asked us to re-wait in the long line, they would have been the New Yorker come out of me. There seemed to be an issue with other cards also because there seemed to be a lot of action with the supervisor.

 

Got on board and went to the Garden Café. Food was good. Went to Garden Café Bar and discovered there’s a tax on drinks when in port. Oh well, a few dollars wasn’t going to slow me down.

 

Got to room earlier than normal, and our steward Faisol was still working hard to get his rooms ready. Felt bad for making him feel rushed, so we just dropped our carry-ons off, and asked him to separate the beds into two instead of one queen-sized one. He had beds separated within a few hours. Everything in the room was spotless. The TV doesn’t come out far, so the far bed doesn’t see it too well, and the remote control won’t reach that far away. You’d need to be on the couch or the middle bed for it to work. We ordered a bottle of Chardonnay and sparkling wine for the room so we could have a glass of wine at our leisure when we wanted during the week. They were in the room on ice when we arrived. They gave us glass flutes with the bottles, instead of plastic ones, which is great given the cost of the bottle of sparkling wine.

 

Left our mothers in the rooms to relax, and we went up on deck for when the ship went under the Verrazano Bridge. We had plenty of time for a drink, and since I knew Margaritaville replaced the Uptown Grille (which I LOVED), I wanted to check it out. Went there to get a “Last Mango in Paris Margarita.” It was good, but I’m not crazy about mango, so it was just OK for me (sorry I was too excited in first few hours to remember to take a pic).

 

Went to the top deck (deck 18) for passing under the Verrazano Bridge. I totally recommend that to everyone. It’s super cool to see how close the ships get to the bottom of the bridge! Everyone cheers when we pass under, and it’s all great fun.

 

Walked around a bit before we got our mothers for dinner. I pre-booked a reservation for Taste for approximately the time of sunset (Taste is on the starboard side, which would be the side facing the west for the sunset), but I got my times wrong, and it was well set before we sat for the 5:30pm reservation.

 

Mom had the Crab & Cheese Soufflé for an appetizer, and thought it was good. I had the New England Clam Chowder, and liked it, but didn't have a lot chunks, which as a New England man, was something of notice.

 

For dinner, my mother got the Shrimp Risotto which she (and I) LOVED. Other half got the Steak Frites, which was fantastic. The other mother got the Roasted Beef Tenderloin, which was very nice also. I got the Braised Red Snapper with grilled vegetables. I wanted to try something different, and was somewhat unimpressed, but don't want to say that there was anything wrong with it since I never had Red Snapper before. It was bland, and after I tasted the other meals at the table, I regretted my decision.

 

For desert, our companions got the Seasonal Fruit Plate, and the Roasted Golden Delicious (apples in apple amaretto cream and caramelized almonds). My mom ordered the Pistachio Cream Brûlée "for me" which her and I liked, even though it was a little liquidly, as opposed to being smooth and consistent. My mom also got the Assorted Cheese Plate, and liked it, except she would have preferred to be able to pick what cheeses she wanted, as opposed to getting the set three cheeses (Blue, Goat, and Brie). She loved the blue cheese, but had no interest in the Brie. I got the Chocolate Butterscotch Brownie, and the Warm Chocolate Lava Cake. The brownie was pretty dry, but OK nonetheless. I LOVED the Warm Lava Cake, but that's my favorite type of desert anyway.

 

We all got the Buena Vista Style Irish Coffees. After they came, we wondered if they were made "correctly," which as a born Irish man, would be topped with whipped heavy cream, not canned whipped cream. It looked like canned, so we asked which type of cream it was, and they said whipped, but I really don’t think it was. We were disappointed, but it's hard to find a real Irish coffee made correctly. Sorry, forgot to take pics :(

 

 

Off to Shakers Martini Bar for an Espresso Martini before the Opening Show. The Espresso Martini was great. My companion ordered the Citrus Gem, which she loved so much she got it several more times the trip. We then went to the opening show. They introduced the people helping with the show, which seemed to be the staff with the most outgoing personalities. They showed small samples of Rock of Ages, Wine Lovers the Musical, and Burn the Floor. Dan Dan, the Cruise Director, was VERY funny on stage. I liked him.

[Suenelsen]

Can't wait .... Will be on the December 18th ⚓️[emoji484][emoji907]. [emoji319]

 

 

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[PierceChristopher]

Woke up on Day 2 (Nov 14th) after a great sleep.

 

Went to Taste for breakfast. The coffee was fine, not great. The waitress was really good about coming to give refills. Orange juice seemed real, but it's possible it might have a mix of concentrate (later found out it was, and fresh squeezed is available for extra). Here's a pic of what the freshly squeezed OJ:

 

I ordered the berry parfait. There was some granola on top, but it was moist, not crunchy. The yogurt was ok, and the layers of berries were like regular defrosted jellied fruit. I thought they might have been fresher berries.

 

Companions got sliced fruit, and an omelet.

 

 

I had the lox over a bagel. It was a single slice of bagel with cream cheese, lettuce, onions, salmon, and capers. The cream cheese was already on the bagel, but I think I did it myself last time. There was a good amount of lettuce on the bagel, and it seemed like Iceberg-quality lettuce. It seemed as though it might have been to make it look bigger, but even so, I ate 3/4 of it. I know there may be some complaints that the portion sizes are getting smaller, but I think that's a wise decision. They probably have an abundance of wasted food, so just serve less, and waste less. With that said, if you're one of the people that wants more, ask for whatever amount of portions you need; I'm certain they'll accommodate.

 

 

 

Gym was pretty busy around 10am. I got a treadmill OK. The ship was rocking decently, so I upped the incline on the treadmill and it seemed to reduce the feeling of rolling. The treadmill was set to KmPH not MPH, but didn't bother to try hard to change it. I'll look next time. It's not a major inconvenience that it was set to metric; I just guessed the km/hr I wanted. There is a sign not to fill up your water bottles at the bubbler, which I hate. I drink a lot of water when doing cardio, and the regular fountain is simply insufficient. They should get one of the fountains with a dedicated power faucets for bottles. Those higher-powered facuets gives the water faster and in a steady stream so you're not holding up the line.

 

 

 

Thermal Spa after gym, which I love. It's worth the $180 to have fantastic shower and locker room facilities after your workout, and before your spa time. I got my robe and towel, took my shower, and headed in. The spa was pretty busy since it was a sea day and the weather wasn't great. I could see immediately that almost all the chairs were occupied or "toweled," so I moved on and just put my book down somewhere and hit the jacuzzi. After about 10min, I hit the steam room. The steam room is all black tile with soft perimeter LED lighting. It's great. The steam comes out from under the seat, which can feel really hot on the back of your thigh. It's not as bad if you put your feet up on the little island in the center of the room. (I later realized that the steam comes out under the seat at the front of the steam room, so just don’t sit there if it bothers you.) After that I took a cool rainfall shower. Loved it; cruise getting off to a great start. Unfortunately, the staff doesn't do a good job of monitoring the "toweling" of chairs and heated loungers. I saw some toweled chairs/loungers for the entire time I was in the spa. It's one of my major pet-peeves that people feel so entitled to do that. You don't own those chairs or heated seats, and I have as much of a right to use them as you do when you're not using it. Take your things off when you're using other parts of the spa, especially the limited number of heated loungers. Thanks in advance ;)

 

 

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[PierceChristopher]

Margaritaville for lunch. There's been a lot of chatter about whether or not it was a good decision to make the change from Uptown Grille, which as I said above, I LOVED last time I was on board. Server Marc was great! It’s not decorated very much like a typical Margaritaville, but at least Marc was trying to bring extra life to the spot. Super nice and funny!

 

Here's the menu:

 

We got the nachos, which were just ok. I read "queso" and remembered queso dips in the past that were good, but this one was pretty much like velveta cheese, so I was a little disappointed. For $4, I felt like I couldn't complain too much.

 

I got the ranch burger, and mom got the BBQ burger. The trimmings were good, and the beef was OK. My mother liked the beef less. The buns were REALLY dry, and the bottom bun of both our burgers broke in half by the time we were half way through the burger. The French fries were really good and flavorful.

 

Cheddar BBQ Burger

 

Rancho Deluxe Burger

 

I got the Cilantro Lime Slaw as a side, but it didn't taste like cilantro, which is one of my favorite herbs. Was really hoping it would be a stronger flavor or cilantro.

 

I had the “Whos to Blame” margarita, then had the “Perfect Margarita” (I think). Both were really good. I forgot to take a pic too; margaritas must have been stronger than I thought!

 

 

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Edited November 22, 2016 by PierceChristopher

[PierceChristopher]

Walked around, and got the Rebellious Fish from the Spice H2O bar, which was the drink of the day. I liked it, but certainly sweet.

 

 

We stopped by the Bake Shop. Got mini cupcakes. Got the carrot cake, Smores , Oreo, and peanut butter cup. All were really good, but the cream cheese frosting on the carrot cake (one of my favorite types of cake) was SUPER cheesy. Din’t stop me from eating it!

 

Shakers before dinner. I had the Apple Blossom. It was good, but not my favorite. Light and refreshing.

 

 

 

Moderno Churrascaria for dinner. I got the reservations mixed up, but they fit us in, but the reservation “scare” got the dinner off to a weird start. But that on me, not them. Anyway, we got the cocktails. Companion got the Classic Caipirinha, and I got the Strawberry Caipirinha.

The strawberry one was good, but the purée looked like something curdled on top. It was still good. The Classic version our companion got was really good. Wish I got that one instead, but I’m glad I tried the strawberry one.

 

Classic

 

Strawberry

 

 

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[PierceChristopher]

We got the salad bar, and got a mIx of things. The couscous was great, pretty much everything else was really good too.

 

 

The sides came, and I liked the mashed potatoes and mushrooms, but the garlic mash wasn't as garlicky as I thought it would have been.

 

The meats started to come, and the meats were generally really good. The chicken breast wrapped in bacon was the only one underwhelming.

 

Forgot to post menus, so here you go!

 

 

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[PierceChristopher]

I had the Traditional Flan for desert, also got the Chocolate-Coconut Tres Leches Cake. The flan was good, but not as coconutty as I hoped. The cake was super moist, so I loved it.

 

 

 

 

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[PierceChristopher]

Day 3 (11/15). Breakfast at Savor. We went to Savor often, not for any particular reason. Simply because they could seat us quicker and they had the same menu as Taste. I had the Bircher Muesli, and the Peaches & Fresh Blueberries. The peaches were fresh and firm. In fact, some were a little hard to break in half with the spoon. The muesli was good, but a little more soggy than I remember getting in other places. I'm sure the way I got it was correct, since I don't have it too often.

 

I also had the Eggs Benedict with Country Potatoes, and they were great! The Sauce was very tasty, and the eggs were only the slightest bit over cooked. I really liked it nonetheless. The potatoes were super tasty, and the best I've had in a long time, so much so that I forgot to take the pic before I ate half - sorry. Not sure why I got bacon on mine, perhaps because one of my companions ordered it as a side.

 

Companions had the Chocolate Buttermilk Pancakes, and eggs over easy. Pancakes were good, just really rich for breakfast (not a complaint for those of us with sweet tooths.

 

 

 

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[PierceChristopher]

Got the fresh squeezed OJ this time for $3-4. We got the small serving, which was a regular size plastic cup. Large must be really big. They had to go to garden cafe to get it, so it took a while, which may be why it came in a plastic cup. Would have been nice to get it in a glass, but why waste a plastic cup I guess.

 

 

O'Sheeans for lunch. Drank more than I ate, so I missed some of the food photos - sorry.

 

We got the nachos, which were similar to the ones we got in Margaritaville. Cheese was like velvita cheese, and toppings were fine.

 

We got the chicken wings, and they were really good. A little dry and standard, but pretty tasty. I got the chicken fajitas, and they were super tasty, but be prepared to wait for them since they need to cook them. I guess some items on the menu are prepared well in advance, and other items need to be cooked.

 

 

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[PierceChristopher]

We ordered the Perfect Margarita, and the Toma, then the Mosco Mule, and Mr. Worldwide. I went to the room and passed out lol.

 

 

 

 

 

Manhattan for dinner. First time. 30 min wait, which is somewhat normal? So, we got more drinks. Got seated, and waiter was asking for our order almost as fast as we sat. I had to ask for a wine menu, and had to ask twice for more time to decide on meal choices. Totally felt rushed. Was almost afraid to ask a question about menu or wines. I was also surprised that there was no sommelier around ready to answer questions about the wine. I later found out that there is only one on the ship, and he has one assistant. It was the head sommelier that said that during the Wine and Chocolate Pairing activity I went to, but I wonder if I misheard? I find it hard to believe there are only two sommeliers on a ship for 4000 passengers, so maybe I misheard.

 

Companion had the Sausage Lyonnase and they weren't fans. Also got the Caesar salad, which was pretty nice, but also pretty standard.

 

 

 

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[PierceChristopher]

Mom got the Salade Landaise (seared duck), which was ok. She’s used to getting really flavorful duck when she has the few opportunities to have it.

 

I got the Lump Crab Cake, and REALLY liked it. The roasted tomato sauce was really tasty.

 

 

I got the Roasted Leg of Lamb Provencal, which was very tasty, as were the potatoes gratin.

 

Mom got the Pesto Shrimp, and companions got the Roasted Beef Strip Au Jus, and Steak Frites. The Pesto Shrimp was kinda spicy, and more than 3 shrimp would have been nice. The Beef au Jus was good, and the Steak Frites as good as Taste.

 

 

 

 

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[PierceChristopher]

We had many deserts; Warm Lava Cake (my fav), Tiramisu Cake, Carrot Cake, Warm Bread Pudding, and Seasonal Fresh Fruit Plate (because we’re watching our figures). The Tiramisu was very nice. Not too sweet.

 

The Carrot Cake was good, but the Bread Pudding was not like the bread pudding I'm familiar with. It was like custard or flan with a couple bits of bread in it. We were disappointed in that one.

 

Brought mom back to room, and found a new friend on our bed. It was such a happy surprise.

 

Off to the Casino!

 

 

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[kateissiobhan]

Great review! I am even more excited as our cruise is this week (11/27/16).

[luv2cruise523]

Can't wait .... Will be on the December 18th ⚓️[emoji484][emoji907]. [emoji319]

 

 

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Ditto :)

[luckyinpa]

TY for the pics and descriptions. the burgers at Mville looked good but from what you describe may not be worth the money. if the nachos were the same as osheehans ill pass. i hated that cheese at osheenans. but i never had MDR stuff so i'm looking forward to the crab and trying the lamb in a few weeks, the pic looked great. the only lamb i've had is gyros :) i like to try new things.

 

i think you are right about stuff at osheenans being already made up. i doubt we waited 3 to 5 min for the app and the meal. they just want you in and out.

[rocklinmom]

Thank you for these great food pics! I have been waiting for some recent ones.

[PierceChristopher]

Day 4 – 11/16 – Wednesday, scheduled to arrive in Nassau at 1pm.

 

Opted to try the Moderno breakfast buffet to see if it was any different from the regular buffets. We got there right at 9am, and was decently busy for a regular buffet (it's not a Brazilian steak house themed buffet, which is what I was hoping for, but oh well). By the time I got to the eggs station, there were hardly any left. Got a few other things from the buffet, but was so disappointed that we ended up going to Savor for a regular breakfast. Menu below.

 

Got the Biscuit Benedict with Country Potatoes, and I prefer the regular format on an English muffin. Otherwise, still great.

 

Companion got the Vanilla Pound Cake French Toast, and it was pretty good and moist.

 

 

 

Afterwards we walked around, and visited the library, some other spots, then went to room so I could hit the gym and spa.

 

 

 

O’Sheehans for lunch. Forgot to take pics again, sorry, but here’s the menu.

 

 

The Thai chili chicken wings were great. The Black & Blue Burger was ok; very much like a par or sub-par sports bar type of food. The French fries were very much just defrosted and heated up. Plain, kinda soggy, and pretty flavorless. Hit the spot, but ehh.

 

 

 

We tried the Pisco Punch, and the Honey Lemonade. Both were really good.

 

 

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[PierceChristopher]

Savor for dinner. Decided to cool down from drinking, so I stayed with vodka soda lol.

 

Mom got Breaded Mushrooms, and they were really great. Wish I got that myself.

 

I got Dorado Ceviche, and the Peking duck salad. The Ceviche was really tasty. The duck was nice, but the salad looked wilted and started to brown on edges. It could possibly be that the "wilted" color came from the dressing, so they may want to consider changing the dressing?

 

Companions got Bahamian Coch fritters and Boston lettuce salad. The fritters were really good, and the salad was pretty regular.

 

 

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Edited November 22, 2016 by PierceChristopher

[PierceChristopher]

For dinner, mom ordered the Oven Roasted Vermont Turkey. She liked it.

 

Companions ordered the Vegetable Lasagna, and the NY Strip Steak Diane. Both were good.

 

I got the Palmero-Style Grilled Swordfish. The swordfish was really good with the topping and base.

 

 

 

For desert we got the Coconut Soufflé, and it was OK but dry. The sauce was ok too.

 

 

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Edited November 22, 2016 by PierceChristopher

[PierceChristopher]

My mom got the Apple Pie, but we were surprised that it came cold. The tart was FULL of apples and filling which was great, but disappointing it was served cold. I totally recommend ordering it warmed up (and report back if it made it good).

 

 

 

Went to go see the Burn the Floor in the Manhattan dining room. No surprise, I was not disappointed, even thought we got the latecomer bad seats.

 

 

Like last time, Fysol our steward made our night by having an elephant in the room - so cute.

 

 

After mom was settled, I went out for one more, and I got the Ciroc cosmo. It was really good.

 

 

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Edited November 22, 2016 by PierceChristopher

[luckyinpa]

thanks for the menus. i'm sure others greatly appreciate them too as they are an important part of planning.

 

i thought there had been a chocolate mousse somewhere but apparently not

[PierceChristopher]

thanks for the menus. i'm sure others greatly appreciate them too as they are an important part of planning.

 

i thought there had been a chocolate mousse somewhere but apparently not

 

 

I don't remember seeing chocolate mousse on the menus, but I still need to post Cagney's, Le Bistro's, La Cucina's menus and pics. Stay tuned! [emoji3]

 

 

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[Pegsue06]

I don't remember seeing chocolate mousse on the menus, but I still need to post Cagney's, Le Bistro's, La Cucina's menus and pics. Stay tuned! [emoji3]

 

 

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I have a question, if you have the beverage package do you get charged for drinks when going to an upscale restaurant?

[BlueLadyBlue]

Thank you. Enjoying see the food and drinks!:D

[luckyinpa]

I have a question, if you have the beverage package do you get charged for drinks when going to an upscale restaurant?

 

same rules apply as at the bars. all under 15 are free.

 

ice bar is 'cash' only, no plan accepted there