Breakaway Review : May 7-14 Bermuda

[Dismomx5]

Surprisingly enough I didn't get any pictures in our room!

Here is a good resource though http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1843049

Click on the google doc in the first post, our room was an IA and there are several pictures if you click on the X under Visual Aid Links.

I found our room to be big enough for two adults but any additional people would be a bit snug I would think.

Thank you! That was very helpful. We've stayed on an inside on HAL Koningsdam, which is a bit bigger, I think. We managed very nicely (going inside again in January), and really, how much are you in the stateroom?

[Kattus]

I know I said dining is next, but I am going to skip onto Bermuda for the moment.

 

I loved loved Bermuda! It’s definitely one of my favourite islands that I have been to. The weather did put a bit of a damper on the overall experience, it rained quite a bit while we were there. The first day was the worst of it; I learned my lesson and brought my umbrella around the other days. We found it super easy to get around and we used public transportation mostly. I wanted to purchase the 15 ticket booklet to use for the ferries and buses but because the variable weather we ended up purchasing tokens each day after we decided on a day plan.

 

I have seen that there is a new NCL ferry running to St. Georges. I wish that was available when we were there!

 

We lost out on some sunny beach time the first day because we were searching for Wi-Fi. This may seem a bit strange to doafter arriving on a beautiful island but our son was staying with my parentsfor the week and by Wednesday I was in need of some Skype time with him.

 

I had read about a 3 day Wi-Fi pass for Bermuda, but when I asked at the Visitor’s Centre I was informed that this had been discontinued. They did offer one hour free Wi-Fi around the main visitor’s centre and later that morning I learned about another deal where you purchased an item in the gift shop at the Visitor’s Centre for $5 or more and they would punch in their password into your device giving you access for the 3 days.

 

Once we got all that figured out, we headed to Horseshoe Bay by shuttle ($7/pp one way). Beautiful beach! I hope I can makea return trip there someday. We had about one hour there before the torrential rain started. L At first we contemplated waiting it out, but it kept getting worse and worse. It was a mass exodus from the beach so we had to wait a bit in the heavy rain. We had plans to head into Hamilton for Harbour Night’s that evening, but we were pretty miserable by the time we got back to the ship, so decided to nix those plans.

 

Day 2 in Bermuda was much more productive. We took the 930 ferry over to St. Georges and then enjoyed a guided walking tour. Some of the spots I remembered visiting: St. Peter’s Church, the perfumerie,the Unfinished Church and Town Hall. Our guide also showed us the road to get to Tobacco Bay beach. If it had been a nicer day we could have headed there but it was another overcast and rainy day. After that we took the bus (#10 or #11 if I remember correctly) towards Hamilton and got off at the Aquarium/Zoo. The zoo is a great size for those travelling with kids and all the animals seem very well cared for. We spent a few hours there and then took another bus into Hamilton. From the bus station we walked to see Fort Hamilton. Some nice views from there and there are lots of interesting trees and foliage growing within the moat. Thought it was worth it just for the photo ops. In the evening we went on a Sunset Swizzle Cruise aboard the Restless Native. We had a nice time although it was pretty cloudy and overcast so not much of a sunset to see! The swizzle drinks and cookies were quite good. I enjoyed both the walking tour and the sunset cruise and found the tour guides of both to be interesting to listen to and informative.

 

Day 3 was pretty much a shopping day. We took the ferry to Hamilton and shopped along Front Street, checked out Washington Mall. Queen Elizabeth's park and then headed back to do more shopping around Dockyard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful pictures! AT least you made it out to HB, even if for only an hour. We were on your cruise, and had plans to go, but the weather had different plans. LOVED St. George's, too!

[boopsahoy]

Thanks for this-we are going 7/2 on this cruise!

[the_redhead]

I had read about a 3 day Wi-Fi pass for Bermuda, but when I asked at the Visitor’s Centre I was informed that this had been discontinued. They did offer one hour free Wi-Fi around the main visitor’s centre and later that morning I learned about another deal where you purchased an item in the gift shop at the Visitor’s Centre for $5 or more and they would punch in their password into your device giving you access for the 3 days.

 

I know this isn't helpful to you now, but for future reference/future travelers: if you access TeleBermuda's website directly from your cell phone or tablet's web browser, the 72 hour wifi package is available. It was $15 last year, looks to be the same now. I had great service in Dockyard and various parts of Hamilton. Didn't make it over to St George, but access is available there as well.

 

If you have trouble accessing the site, use the free one hour of internet access, or buy something at just about any shop and they'll give you a pass for an hour's usage. Then go ahead and purchase the package!

 

I was actually able to access the TeleBermuda Wi-Fi from Maltings outdoor bar, which was a pleasant surprise.

 

https://telebermuda.com/residential/wifi/

[skittlebug83]

 

I know this isn't helpful to you now, but for future reference/future travelers: if you access TeleBermuda's website directly from your cell phone or tablet's web browser, the 72 hour wifi package is available. It was $15 last year, looks to be the same now. I had great service in Dockyard and various parts of Hamilton. Didn't make it over to St George, but access is available there as well.

 

If you have trouble accessing the site, use the free one hour of internet access, or buy something at just about any shop and they'll give you a pass for an hour's usage. Then go ahead and purchase the package!

 

I was actually able to access the TeleBermuda Wi-Fi from Maltings outdoor bar, which was a pleasant surprise.

 

https://telebermuda.com/residential/wifi/

 

 

Good to know if there is ever a next time! Thanks!

[skittlebug83]

Is anyone still reading lol? More than halfway there!

 

Dining & Specialty Dining

 

Never had a bad meal on board! Here are the restaurants we were able to try throughout the course of the week.

 

Taste: I think this was my favourite restaurant out of the complimentary options. We dined here twice, once on our first night and another time for lunch. The first night we had a lovely table next to the window. Food was hot and presented nicely. Service was very quick, and I think we were in and out in about an hour for the dinner and even quicker for the lunch. At lunch I had a very tasty bacon wrapped meat loaf here.

 

Savor: We went here our second night and the service was slightly slower but still enjoyable.

 

Manhattan Room: We ate here the third night and we didn’t enjoy it as much. It’s a very nice space, much larger than Taste and Savor but we found it hard to have a conversation over the band playing. But I guess that is part of the appeal of this dining room, the additional dinnertime entertainment. The food seems to be shuttled in from another location and the lasagna I had was kind of bland and undercooked.

 

Moderno: We paid extra to dine here and I think it was worth it! Definitely had the “meat sweats” afterward lol. We started off with the salad/sushi bar. Once you are done with that you flip over your card to green and they start coming by with an assortment of grilled meats. To be honest, I don’t think it matters if your card is on green or red, every time they pass they will offer you more! It ends with grilled pineapple and an additional choice of desserts. Yum yum yum

 

Shanghai Noodle Bar: We came here twice for dinner, there are no reservations you just go by whenever between the hours are 5-10 (I think). You are seated in a line so the choices are to make polite convo or stare awkwardly at whoever you are eating across from. Luckily both times we were seated with friendly people. A couple the first night, and a solo passenger the second go around.

 

Spiegel Tent: We saw the Cirque Dreams show the last night and it included dinner. It consisted of an antipasti plate, surf and turf and then a trio of mini dessert. Enjoyed the food and the show! I think we ate again after lol….dinner was super early at 515 so don’t judge me.

 

O’Sheehan’s: Not much to say, standard pub fare, we ate lunch here a few times.

 

Buffet: We had breakfast every day and most lunches at the buffet. Food was good; my favourite was the raisin bread French toast. Never took much time to find a free table for two except on Embarkation/Disembarkation days when it was like a zoo in there! I have to give props to the buffet staff, I found them to be very hard-working and friendly considering the sheer volume of people they have to deal with day in/day out. They were always quick to clear the tables for the next guests and to clean up after people who would make all sorts of messes/spills and just walk off like nothing. I think most of the rude behavior I saw onboard was in the buffet. My DH witnessed a woman telling the omelet chef that he better make her eggs to her specifications “OR ELSE”. My DH was waiting for her to say that she had some kind of allergy or something…nope she was just being RUDE!

 

 

 

 

 

[skittlebug83]

This review became a behemoth. Almost done!

 

Entertainment:

 

Welcome Aboard Show - This was held the first night and was kind of an introduction to all the entertainment that would be offered on board. They had an audience participation bit and a few people wonsome t-shirts.

 

Burn the Floor – Booked in advance for Monday night. It was very entertaining; I don’t think there is a story line, just several different numbers set to different types of music. Very talented dancers and we would see some of the couples around the ship during their off hours throughout the week.

 

Rock of Ages – Was on the fence on whether my DH would be interested in seeing this, but he was OK with it so we booked it when we boarded on Sunday. Definitely worth seeing, we both enjoyed it even not being big rock music fans.

 

Cirque Dreams – Booked in advance for Saturday night. Probably my favourite entertainment of the cruise! I have been to other Cirque shows before but this was nice because there really weren’t any bad seats in the room. I am still awed that they could perform all their stunts when the boat was rocking so much!

 

Broadway Singer – There was one performing our last night, no reservations necessary. She had a beautiful, powerful voice and she sang one of my favourite songs from Les Miserables. J

 

Howl at the Moon - We ended up hanging out in Headliners to watch this a few nights! I actually think they were funnier than the Second City troupe. The last night turned out to be kind of an open mic show and some of the performers from the other venues showed up to belt out some tunes.

 

Bliss Nightclub - We were in and out of here a few nights, stopped in for some drinks and a bit of dancing. Not sure if the DJ was the same person all the time or not, but his choice of songs and mixing skills left a lot to be desired, or maybe I am just getting old!

 

Spice H20 - We went to a few of the theme parties, the Latin (Tues night) and the Glow Party (Thurs night). The Latin was ok, we missed the dance lessons at the start from the Burn the Floor dancers because we were still watching Rock of Ages. The Glow Party was really well attended! I really wasn’t expecting it since the weather was so blah but there were tons of people out there for it.

 

Escape the Big Top – We booked this through the box office on Sunday, it is not available to book online or through the monitors around the ship. I think this is something relatively new on board and it’s held in the Spiegel Tent. You are placed into teams are given a bag of clues and a time limit to solve all the puzzles and “Escape”. If you have done any Escape Rooms locally the big difference is that you don’t really look for clues all around your surroundings, it’s solely based on what’s given to you inthe bag and the displays set up in the center of the room. We enjoyed this andi t’s a fun way to spend an hour during the day. During ours no team managed to escape.

 

Newlywed Not So Newlywed – Three couples were picked from the audience. This was actually pretty hilarious and each couple received a bottle of champagne at the end for participating.

 

Who Wants to be a Bazillionaire – Wish I had skipped it! The questions didn’t seem too challenging for the participant and the host kept making fun of the prizes that she was giving out. I know it’s hard to be hype over giving away a fan or a water bottle but still.

 

Deal or No Deal – Caught this once in the Atrium, you could purchase cards to play along with the participant and win $50, photos etc. I love game shows, so I liked watching this even though I wasn’t playing along.

 

Battle of the Sexes – The host said it was the first time he had seen the women’s team lose lol. I actually caught myself rooting for the men about half way through.

 

Second City and Liar’s Club – We saw the Adult Sketch of this and it was ok. Liar’s Club was two of the Entertainment Staff and one member of the Second City troupe, it too was just ok.

[skittlebug83]

Last posting I promise!

 

Things that I had read on CC that were totally true but didn’t bother me personally:

 

Uncomfortableness of the seats in Theatre –there really is a metal bar that goes right across your tailbone unless you sit slouched, so slouchy sitting it was!

 

Smoke smell in the common areas close to the Casino- Even when we had dinner at the Noodle Bar there was a vague smoke smell lingering even though the Casino had been closed all day!

 

Chair hogs in the Atrium – Arrive early if there is something you are interested in seeing

 

Lack of TV shows in the Stateroom - Fringe,Suits, and The Flash on repeat! Good thing I like all of these shows, we weren’t in our room much though.

 

Fave tip I found on CC: Take a picture of the Daily on your phone so you don’t have to carry the paper around!

 

Things on board I can’t comment on because I didn’t do/purchase:

 

Photos, Carlo’s Bake Shop, Bingo, Casino, Tastings(although I really wanted to do the Martini one but all the spots were full 15mins before), Ice Bar(I come from Canada so this isn’t a novelty lol), Art Auction, Painting Class, Arcade, Ropes Course, Water Slides, Mini Golf, 3D movies and regular movie showings.

 

Things I would like to do if I ever make it back to Bermuda:

 

Helmet Dive, Sunset Cruise (with a real sunset next time), Crystal Caves, and legit beach days at Tobacco Bay and Horseshoe Bay.

 

Final thoughts: We had a great week aboard the Breakaway! So-so weather aside we really enjoyed beautiful Bermuda and this trip was a good couple’s getaway for us. We were never bored and I am happy with the amount of things we were able to do,see and eat J.

 

Thanks to all for reading!!!

 

[Always Cruising]

Thank you! Enjoyed your review and thoughts - and pictures.

[ssnelle]

following, thank you!

[meatball_nyc]

Very nice review! Thanks for sharing your cruise with us.

Our Breakaway to Bermuda trip is still our favorite on her so far :)

Happy Sailing.

[cruisingcasinos]

Thanks. Great job with the review and loved your photos

 

 

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[travel33]

Thanks! Really enjoyed reading your review.

We have plans in June to see the Cirque show. Do you remember how far in advance you needed to line up to get good seats?

 

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[dos equis]

Awesome review. Thanks!

 

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[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[Lucky TGO]

Looking forward to your review

 

 

Ditto.

Tony

[Dismomx5]

Thanks so much!

[hansolosmom]

thanks for the review, we leave Sunday and I am even more excited

[arestep]

Thank you for your review. I know its a lot of work for you, but they really do make a difference and are valuable for those of us getting ready to cruise. I leave in just over two weeks!

[skittlebug83]

Thanks! Really enjoyed reading your review.

We have plans in June to see the Cirque show. Do you remember how far in advance you needed to line up to get good seats?

 

Sent from my Z970 using Forums mobile app

 

For the 5:15 seating we arrived shortly before 5, that seemed to be enough time to get a good seat. Maybe it was less busy because it was the early show and the last night? I'm not sure.

 

Found a few other pics from this I forgot to post, we weren't allowed to take any during the show of course.

 

 

 

[Kayjaybecruising]

Thanks so much! This was an awesome review!!

[skittlebug83]

I guess the only thing I forgot to talk about that might give more context to my (long-winded) review is to give a few details about myself and my travelling partner.

 

DH and I are from Ottawa, Ontario and are both 33 years old. With winters in Canada being what they are, we try to get away somewhere warm every year. We have a young son (3.5) who didn't come with us this time around but seeing all the families having a great time on this cruise convinced me that cruising can be kid-friendly!

 

Technically I still consider myself a newbie to cruising. This was my second cruise ever and my first with NCL. For DH it was his fourth and his second with NCL. I think it's safe to say that this cruise officially turned me into a cruise addict. When can I book my next one?!?!

 

Everyone who has upcoming cruises on the Breakaway!! Enjoy!!!

[lmintzer]

Thank you for your great review! Excited to sail on the Breakaway in just under 60 days!

[Dismomx5]

Technically I still consider myself a newbie to cruising. This was my second cruise ever and my first with NCL. For DH it was his fourth and his second with NCL. I think it's safe to say that this cruise officially turned me into a cruise addict. When can I book my next one?!?!

Yep. That's the problem with cruising! It gets in your blood. Now that you know you <3 it, be sure to buy Future Cruise Credits (in Canadian funds!) from your cruiseline before you disembark. They can make for a nice surprise when you do book again! ~from 6 hours away in London, ON.

 

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[whenisthemidnightbuffet?]

Great review. Enjoyed reading about your week. Thank you.

 

Phyllis