Breakaway (7/30) mini review

[coolcruiser777]

I am just off the Breakaway July 30 sailing, so here is my attempt at a review. No, this is not one of the long stretched out review posts filled with pictures if that is what you’re looking for, but rather just a few paragraphs on my thoughts.

The first thing that I must say is that this ship is not meant to handle 4,000 people. For example, it has no midship elevators. Unless the ship is in port, you can barely even walk through the buffet. If you don’t want to deal with the buffet lunch crowd you can either a) dish out $15 to eat at Margaritaville (the pilot is failing by the way, I saw one couple eating there the entire cruise) or b) go to Savor or Taste, but make sure to block two hours off your schedule if you go there.

The biggest design flaw in my opinion was the use of the interior corridors. They served no purpose and the only thing they do is make the people with inside cabins walk farther. They could have used that wasted space to make the cabins larger or even make the hallway wider. On deck five the hallways were three times as wide as the rest of the ship.

Another thing that I realized is that the ship lacks a secondary lounge, like Spinnaker, for example, forcing trivia, game shows, etc. into the very busy (two floor) “atrium”. Instead of taking advantage of the empty theater during the afternoon, they pack people like sardines into the iCafe and O’Sheehan’s. Instead of utilizing the full deck eight for another lounge, or maybe a wraparound promenade, they decided do stick cabins in the front which did not help with the crowds at all.

We went to three specialty restaurants: Cagney’s, Moderno, and La Cucina. Cagney’s and La Cucina were both tasty, but Moderno and La Cucina were both slow. We were very disappointed in Moderno. The “salad bar” had very little salad and all of the meat came undercooked. I recommend you go to Cagney’s or even the MDR if you want a superior experience for everyone.

We went to the Manhattan Room every other night, and the music was a nice touch. The food was generally good. We went to both Savor and Taste for both breakfast and lunch, and even though they have the exact same design, we found the service in Savor to be much better.

The noodle bar was good (and free), but the location was terrible. They stuck it inside a corner of the casino. I was also disappointed that it was not open for lunch. The casino in general was very smoky and was very drab.

The one thing I did like was the ropes course, but of course, the line was about an hour long. We did it again and it kind of lost its appeal. Other than that and the waterslides, there really was not much to do at all during the day on sea days, except for a trivia twice a day at most. We didn’t even attempt to go to the pool after realizing there was one small pool for 4,000 people. No thank you.

As for Bermuda, the weather was not good, but that isn’t anyone’s fault. We did have a good time, though. Rock of Ages was pretty good, too.

We were one of the lucky ones to snag an extended balcony where the ship juts out, making the balcony 50% bigger for the same price, also adding a lounge chair. The cabin was decent in size, but our steward was rude, inattentive, and downright creepy. The music in the halls was a nice touch, though.

I have to say that the service on the cruise was subpar, and that Royal Caribbean’s service is far superior to this.

My negative experience might have just been because this was my first time on a “big girl”, but I think the big ships can be good as long as they are equipped to handle the passengers. We shall see in November when I sail on the Regal Princess. This ship had a very poor design. Until then, goodbye, and if you are booked on this ship (or the Getaway), good luck. I can tell you that I will never sail this class again if it is up to me, but I MIGHT try the Escape or Bliss sometime down the road. I’m quite upset that the Gem is leaving New York.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post. I also took loads of pictures, so just ask.

[NYcruzzer]

Welcome back. Thank you for taking sometime to write a review. Not sure which ships you have sailed on with Royal. If you choose Anthem of the Seas in the future you may be similarly disappointed. I sailed on the Anthem of the Seas and Breakaway several times. Felt the food, service and entertainment was better on Breakaway.

[coolcruiser777]

Welcome back. Thank you for taking sometime to write a review. Not sure which ships you have sailed on with Royal. If you choose Anthem of the Seas in the future you may be similarly disappointed. I sailed on the Anthem of the Seas and Breakaway several times. Felt the food, service and entertainment was better on Breakaway.

 

I've only sailed Voyager and Vision class so far. I did enjoy the Vision class due to its lack of crowds, but the Voyager class didn't really seen crowded either, and it is somewhat comparable in size to this ship.

[coolcruiser777]

Another thing I forgot to mention:

 

iMessage is completely free when you are on the cruise. You can text as much as you want (to people on the ship and on land) without spending a penny. I was one of the suckers who bought wi-fi as soon as we boarded, but after I turned it off, I kept getting texts. I went to guest services to ask if I was getting charged and they said no, it is completely free. I was pissed that I spent money just to text when it was free all along. Sending audio messages works, too, and you still get notifications from every app. You just cannot use them. Do not buy the wi-fi unless you absolutely need to.

[Two Wheels Only]

We didn’t even attempt to go to the pool after realizing there was one small pool for 4,000 people. No thank you.

There are 2 pools that are open to all adults on deck 15.

Also, there were probably around 5,000 guests on your cruise.

[easyboy]

Thanks for your objective review!

Appreciate your iMessage tip!

[Catgirlmitzmal]

I had no idea iMessage was free! Out of the blue on Saturday I got a message from someone at home. Wish I had known! I could have communicated with my husband and kids while we were on the ship

[Clarea]

Thank-you for the report.

[flowerlady]

Another thing I forgot to mention:

 

iMessage is completely free when you are on the cruise. You can text as much as you want (to people on the ship and on land) without spending a penny. I was one of the suckers who bought wi-fi as soon as we boarded, but after I turned it off, I kept getting texts. I went to guest services to ask if I was getting charged and they said no, it is completely free. I was pissed that I spent money just to text when it was free all along. Sending audio messages works, too, and you still get notifications from every app. You just cannot use them. Do not buy the wi-fi unless you absolutely need to.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Acomp182]

Who was the cruise director?

[coolcruiser777]

Who was the cruise director?

 

"Dan-Dan"

[Boatingmom]

I loved dan dan. And the song he sang at the goodbye show[emoji22][emoji24]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[cruiselovwe]

Were Arvin and Emily the entertainment on board?

[uneamie]

Another thing I forgot to mention:

 

iMessage is completely free when you are on the cruise. You can text as much as you want (to people on the ship and on land) without spending a penny. I was one of the suckers who bought wi-fi as soon as we boarded, but after I turned it off, I kept getting texts. I went to guest services to ask if I was getting charged and they said no, it is completely free. I was pissed that I spent money just to text when it was free all along. Sending audio messages works, too, and you still get notifications from every app. You just cannot use them. Do not buy the wi-fi unless you absolutely need to.

Hmmm...so, when you used IMessage, were you using the ships wifi? Did you set your phone to "airplane" mode so that your phone would not be roaming? I thought NCL did not intend for IMessage to be a connection of texting to home...just for texting between passengers. So I am confused.

[coolcruiser777]

Hmmm...so, when you used IMessage, were you using the ships wifi? Did you set your phone to "airplane" mode so that your phone would not be roaming? I thought NCL did not intend for IMessage to be a connection of texting to home...just for texting between passengers. So I am confused.

 

I was connected to the ships wi-fi with airplane mode turned on. I was able to text my relatives on land completely free. I was NOT logged in or using cellular data/roaming.

[coolcruiser777]

Were Arvin and Emily the entertainment on board?

Yes.

[uneamie]

I was connected to the ships wi-fi with airplane mode turned on. I was able to text my relatives on land completely free. I was NOT logged in or using cellular data/roaming.

Thanks...I hope this is still available on Breakaway in January.

[ryukin88]

I loved dan dan. And the song he sang at the goodbye show[emoji22][emoji24]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

I was on the same cruise and heard him since an operetta at the crew talent show. He has an amazing voice and I don't think anyone was expecting him to sing it in Italian.

[coolcruiser777]

I was on the same cruise and heard him since an operetta at the crew talent show. He has an amazing voice and I don't think anyone was expecting him to sing it in Italian.

 

I completely agree. And the funny thing was that he apologized for his bad Italian before he sang the song. I don't think anyone would even notice or care. His voice was great.

[cruisingmomof5]

I was on this same cruise, I felt the buffet was never that crowded always found seats enough for 11. I did find dinner in the Manhattan dining room very annoying as it took over 2 hours to eat dinner. I also found the pool area very crowded and had to get up by 6:30 to even get a chair on second deck. Im an ex smoker and I still found the casino to be very smokey. Loved the free texting but it only worked iphone to iphone. The weather was beautiful in Bermuda 2 out of the 3 days. The rainy day we rented a private driver who was the best and he took us all over the island and it was hardly raining. Feel free to ask any questions. Its what you make of it, we had a ball.

[uneamie]

I was on this same cruise, I felt the buffet was never that crowded always found seats enough for 11. I did find dinner in the Manhattan dining room very annoying as it took over 2 hours to eat dinner. I also found the pool area very crowded and had to get up by 6:30 to even get a chair on second deck. Im an ex smoker and I still found the casino to be very smokey. Loved the free texting but it only worked iphone to iphone. The weather was beautiful in Bermuda 2 out of the 3 days. The rainy day we rented a private driver who was the best and he took us all over the island and it was hardly raining. Feel free to ask any questions. Its what you make of it, we had a ball.

I think we should all rebel and bring our own inflatable lounges....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36a-LZKQEko

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[MJSailors]

I think that you may find the Regal.Princess more to your liking than the Breakaway.

My DH and I have sailed on the Breakaway twice and three times on the Regal.

Although the Regal Princess is a large ship with over 3,000 passengers, it does not feel crowded because of the design.

The central area,called the Piazza, is very pretty and open. We found the atrium on the Breakaway to be dark,crowded and smokey.

The Regal Retreat pool is adult only and there are plenty of loungers nearby,a good number in the shade.

I would be interested in reading your impressions of the Regal. Perhaps you will write a review on thePrincess forum when you return from your cruise in November.

[coolcruiser777]

I think that you may find the Regal.Princess more to your liking than the Breakaway.

My DH and I have sailed on the Breakaway twice and three times on the Regal.

Although the Regal Princess is a large ship with over 3,000 passengers, it does not feel crowded because of the design.

The central area,called the Piazza, is very pretty and open. We found the atrium on the Breakaway to be dark,crowded and smokey.

The Regal Retreat pool is adult only and there are plenty of loungers nearby,a good number in the shade.

I would be interested in reading your impressions of the Regal. Perhaps you will write a review on thePrincess forum when you return from your cruise in November.

 

Yeah, I might do another mini review if I have time. I was planning on doing a Grandeur of the Seas review, but I had a one day turnaround time before I left home again. It will also be interesting because I am on the first full ocean medallion cruise.

[HBCcruiser]

I think we should all rebel and bring our own inflatable lounges....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36a-LZKQEko

 

 

 

YES!!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums