Gem, breakaway,or Anthem!

[Shannon12]

No one has mentioned how TINY the room balconies are on the Breakway. They are so narrow when I sat down my knees nearly hit the glass. I'm only 5'5! Also the pool areais a nightmare! It was so mobbed you couldn't even walk around. The wait at the bar was 4 people deep! I never had that issue and the Royal ships I've been on, including Oasis class.

[davy jones]

We have sailed on all three ships and enjoyed them all. We are able to adjust to the specific differences on each ship. If you can do this, you will have a good time all three.

 

We tend to take cruises when school is in session to avoid the largest crowds.

 

Gem is the smallest and most "intimate". Of course, that also means less entertainment offerings. It has the largest balconies of the three ships.

 

Breakaway can be crowded in spots on bad weather days. The balconies are small. It also has some layout quirks. It also has more dining options and better food than Anthem. Overall, we preferred the shows on Breakaway.

 

Anthem is the largest of the three and seems less crowded than Breakaway in most places. The ship does a better job of spreading out the passengers. The Esplanade is a flaming madhouse though. That is because Royal chooses to ruin a nice area by blocking it with tables for the never ending "sales". The balconies are equally small. It has some bells and whistles that are unlike most other ships. You won't find anything NCL like Anthem's Solarium. Our sailing on Anthem had a large number of passengers on electric scooters. You had to navigate through a mass of parked scooters to get to the dining rooms. That could vary from sailing to sailing though.

[Tura Lura]

Its all subjective. To me the shows on Anthem were vastly superior to Breakaway, from set design ( the gift's steampunk set was amazing), to We will Rock you - overall performance blows away the totally cheesey, low rent version of Rock of Ages on Breakaway. And to me the food was way better on Anthem, especially the buffet and desserts.

[BNBR]

Its all subjective. To me the shows on Anthem were vastly superior to Breakaway, from set design ( the gift's steampunk set was amazing), to We will Rock you - overall performance blows away the totally cheesey, low rent version of Rock of Ages on Breakaway. And to me the food was way better on Anthem, especially the buffet and desserts.

 

Right? On Escape, the set design for Harlem was a light pole and a little stair they push around on the stage. It was almost embarrassing. The shows are so low budget and lame on NCL.

[srdancer]

Never been on NCL. Just did 1st cruise on RC - Anthem Feb 25 to Mar. 9. Previous 7 cruises on smaller, some much smaller, ships.

 

We were apprehensive about the size but that turned out not to be a problem . Loved the ship and the cruise. I posted a thread earlier with comments, not a detailed review.

 

I would expect a holiday week cruise on any ship to be problematic so would avoid that if at all possible.

[Oceansaway17]

Anthem is truly original ship.

Two 70 in the back is great venue. Solarium in front has cascading benched pools. Seaplex great for views of ocean while listening to music and watching many sporting events and bumper cars. They have a fully covered pool and nice shows.

For NCL, I suggest the ESCAPE or new BLISS

[Arzeena]

Out of the 3 ships asked about, My personal favorite is the Gem. :*:hearteyes:

I like the Anthem and the convenience of sailing out of Bayonne, the itineraries and the ship.:cool: But I do prefer the Gem.

Breakaway....... hit or miss.:confused:

[Arzeena]

Just got off Anthem on 2/25. A nightmare! You can check out my review and on board ship videos on You Tube : “Anthem of the Seas, a REAL Review”. Cat A (my screen name).

 

Cruise Critic wouldn’t post my review so I resorted to posting it on YouTube so it could be “heard”.

 

Haven’t sailed the Breakaway but really liked the Gem. We sailed in suites on the Gem and would suggest that on any ship nowadays. Regular “class” cruising has really gone downhill on all lines. Celebrity is the exception. We don’t like Mega ships; way too many crowds and lines!

 

Caterina,

 

I would love to read it. Please post a link, I cannot find it. So sorry you had a tough time on board. I got on the Anthem the day you disembarked.

 

We met on the Gem some Februaries ago, if you remember.

[olya1972]

Sailed all three, would sail either one again in a heartbeat. In order of preference Breakaway, Anthem, Gem. Yes, production shows are better on Anthem, but other entertainment venues are better on Breakaway. Overall vibe is more to our liking on a Breakaway ( like being out on a night in NYC type of vibe). Buffet is better on Anthem. Service is the same on all three. Food is very similar in paid venues and MDR on all three. Would go with itinerary and the price. There is no big difference in overall experience in my opinion.

[boscobeans]

We haven't been on the Anthem yet, are booked on her next year, but after well over 25 cruises on Celebrity and Royal Caribbean we decided to try NCL and spent 14 days on the Breakaway.

 

Itinerary was great due to the hurricane we got to visit at 4 ports not usually visited when sailing from the Northeast.

 

The cruise wasn't terrible but we would NEVER book another cruise on NCL.

 

Just a different vibe with food in all venues including the specialty restaurants was not what we have been accustomed to on Royal or Celebrity.

 

bosco

[95south]

Breakaway reminds me of a Carnival party ship and the Haven as it's called is card access only and it's location makes in a pain because you have to navigate your way around it to get to other parts of the ship. Would not sail on it again just wasn't my type of ship.

Edited June 7, 2018 by 95south
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