Norwegian Breakaway

[snappy68]

I haven't cruised on Norwegian since 2005 and have taken several Royal Caribbean cruises, so we are definitely not new to cruising. We are thinking about booking the Breakaway for next October and looking at a balcony room on deck 8.  Any thoughts or advice?

[cliffd64]

The Breakaway class is definitely a different experience than you would have had back in 2005.  There are several new areas and restaurants and entertainment venues and premium shows and activities that did not exist on the Jewel class ships and below.  I encourage you to utilize the deck plans and videos on NCL.com as a guide.  There are so many new features on these ships compared with the previous classes.

 

Deck 8 is a good deck as you will certainly be close to most of the action within the ship, as most of the venues are on decks 6 thru 8. 

 

One thing to note...  there are two large banks of elevators on Breakaway - forward and aft.  Because of the giant open atrium there are no center elevators.  Sometimes you'll find yourself walking farther if you choose to go to the wrong direction to get to an elevator 🙂  Good advice to carry the pocket maps to know if you are changing decks, which end of the ship you need to be on when you get there.

 

One tip we experienced on Getaway...  O'Sheehan's is open for a sit down breakfast, and it was quite good...  We ended up having breakfast there every day and it was very well done.  Being on deck 8, it was a short trip from deck 8 to deck 7 over to O'Sheehan's in the atrium overlook area.

 

Edited October 20, 2018 by cliffd64

[RunBikeCruiseDC]

We had a mini-suite on deck 8 on the Escape this last time and it was great being so close to the action!    Our favorite place to be beside a large AFT Balcony!  We decided to keep our cabin on deck 8 for the Bliss, also!  Close to the waterfront, bars and restaurants!

Edited October 21, 2018 by RunBikeCruiseDC

[BirdTravels]

14 hours ago, snappy68 said:

I haven't cruised on Norwegian since 2005 and have taken several Royal Caribbean cruises, so we are definitely not new to cruising. We are thinking about booking the Breakaway for next October and looking at a balcony room on deck 8.  Any thoughts or advice?

Watch the deck plans and realize that some of the deck 8 cabins are right over the theater. You will get to hear and feel any live entertainment in the theater (both show times and rehersals). 

[AriesBlond]

22 hours ago, cliffd64 said:

The Breakaway class is definitely a different experience than you would have had back in 2005.  There are several new areas and restaurants and entertainment venues and premium shows and activities that did not exist on the Jewel class ships and below.  I encourage you to utilize the deck plans and videos on NCL.com as a guide.  There are so many new features on these ships compared with the previous classes.

 

Deck 8 is a good deck as you will certainly be close to most of the action within the ship, as most of the venues are on decks 6 thru 8. 

 

One thing to note...  there are two large banks of elevators on Breakaway - forward and aft.  Because of the giant open atrium there are no center elevators.  Sometimes you'll find yourself walking farther if you choose to go to the wrong direction to get to an elevator 🙂  Good advice to carry the pocket maps to know if you are changing decks, which end of the ship you need to be on when you get there.

 

One tip we experienced on Getaway...  O'Sheehan's is open for a sit down breakfast, and it was quite good...  We ended up having breakfast there every day and it was very well done.  Being on deck 8, it was a short trip from deck 8 to deck 7 over to O'Sheehan's in the atrium overlook area.

 

 

[AriesBlond]

HI cliffd64! I read your review and hoped I could ask you a few question?

I am sailing this coming week on the Breakaway and I'm abit nervous. I have sailed on 2 RCL Oasis class ships and really loved it due to the MANY activities ( entertainment, adult game night, and pool parties, like who's the sexiest man leg contest!!" I just love these fun things to do and reading the reviews on this ship, I get the impression there is not much of this type of fun going on. I need a really fun time b/c I'm 'needing' it, I love to laugh and my life has been upside down this past year losing a child and I need this cruise, or "some" cruise to help me feel alive again.

I'm just so worried.

Can you, or would you PLEASE post a activity sheet if you have one? Would you tell me what was going on in the fun activities onboard? 

I sailed on Royal, and again, I was never bored, never. I loved the entertainment crew, they were that good at getting us "HAPPY!"

I care most about entertainment, yes the shows, but, more the everyday goings on that people participate in. I love food, but, I can get by with just "good"! I just don't want to be bored. I'm not a fan of sitting around listening to a small band or female singers, I just love the fun, people participation fun! Is that going on daily on the ship? I'd APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND INFO.

 I just need to know what to expect. I know this sailing next Sat out of NY is almost if not sold out. I hope they have plenty of chairs out, as a solo, it's sometimes tough!

Thank you so very much for your help if you have the time. I'd hoped to find on this site other cruises reviews of the ship, but, I can't seem to find much here. Am I missing something?

[snappy68]

It looks like the forward aft Balconies are right above the theater!  We may need to look at deck 9.

[BirdTravels]

We have rooms above the theater on other ships,,,, and for us it is not a big deal,,, but the first time you are napping in the afternoon and they start a rehearsal, it was a surprise. Evening shows are usually over by 11 and we are up and about until after that. 

 

If you frequent RCI, the Breakaway is a Quantum-class size ship. So, like Quantum and Oasis-class ships, there is a lot to do, but a lot of people. We like the big ships and did the Allure earlier this year and will be on the Symphony at the end of the year (with the NCL Escape, Bliss, and Getaway sandwiched between). 

[PelicanBill]

We had a Deck 8 Balcony fairly far forward port side on our last sailing... never noticed any issue with sound from the theater.

 

The buffet is a long way in the morning.... if you don't want a walk use the room service continental breakfast (no service charge other than small tip) or you may find a mini-buffet set out close by in Maltings Bar. (Deck 8 near forward elevators.)

[FLAHAM]

7 hours ago, snappy68 said:

It looks like the forward aft Balconies are right above the theater!  We may need to look at deck 9.

 

What's a forward aft balcony?

[snappy68]

The location on the webpage says forward, aft.

[coldferret]

39 minutes ago, snappy68 said:

The location on the webpage says forward, aft.

I think they are telling you the cabins are located both forward and aft, you need to look at deck plans

[snappy68]

Right,  I understand the difference. 

[BirdTravels]

58 minutes ago, coldferret said:

I think they are telling you the cabins are located both forward and aft, you need to look at deck plans

There are no staterooms aft. It is Cagney’s and Moderno restaurants. 

[Zippeedee]

6 hours ago, PelicanBill said:

We had a Deck 8 Balcony fairly far forward port side on our last sailing... never noticed any issue with sound from the theater.

 

The buffet is a long way in the morning.... if you don't want a walk use the room service continental breakfast (no service charge other than small tip) or you may find a mini-buffet set out close by in Maltings Bar. (Deck 8 near forward elevators.)

OSheehan’s on the Breakawy is quite good for breakfast, and much closer to the forward cabins. I had a spa ba,cony on 14 and was usually the last one served around 10:45 each morning. The oatmeal comes with a pitcher of warm milk that much improves the coffee.

[cliffd64]

On 10/21/2018 at 8:29 AM, AriesBlond said:

HI cliffd64! I read your review and hoped I could ask you a few question?

I am sailing this coming week on the Breakaway and I'm abit nervous. I have sailed on 2 RCL Oasis class ships and really loved it due to the MANY activities ( entertainment, adult game night, and pool parties, like who's the sexiest man leg contest!!" I just love these fun things to do and reading the reviews on this ship, I get the impression there is not much of this type of fun going on. I need a really fun time b/c I'm 'needing' it, I love to laugh and my life has been upside down this past year losing a child and I need this cruise, or "some" cruise to help me feel alive again.

I'm just so worried.

Can you, or would you PLEASE post a activity sheet if you have one? Would you tell me what was going on in the fun activities onboard? 

I sailed on Royal, and again, I was never bored, never. I loved the entertainment crew, they were that good at getting us "HAPPY!"

I care most about entertainment, yes the shows, but, more the everyday goings on that people participate in. I love food, but, I can get by with just "good"! I just don't want to be bored. I'm not a fan of sitting around listening to a small band or female singers, I just love the fun, people participation fun! Is that going on daily on the ship? I'd APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND INFO.

 I just need to know what to expect. I know this sailing next Sat out of NY is almost if not sold out. I hope they have plenty of chairs out, as a solo, it's sometimes tough!

Thank you so very much for your help if you have the time. I'd hoped to find on this site other cruises reviews of the ship, but, I can't seem to find much here. Am I missing something?

Hi :) 

 

I don't have recent Freestyle Daily newsletters from our trip on Getaway... but I can assure you that those activies you list are certainly available.  The reason you might not see a lot of mention of individual activities is that people have become used to those things and they tend to brush over those little details.  As I recall, on Getaway, there were so many activities available that it was sometimes hard because they were at the same time and you had to choose between one or another that you really wanted to do!  Aside from the pool activities, you can expect various events in the Atrium as well.  All will be listed in your Freestyle Daily...  One of my favorites was band-aroke, which was the opportunity to sing live with one of the bands.  Rest assured if you like to engage in the activities you will not be disappointed.  The cruise director's staff on these ships are wonderful and engaging :)   Like I said, for those who wish to do activities, you can make your day as full as you want and you will never be bored!  There is truly something for everyone!

 

Edited October 22, 2018 by cliffd64

[cliffd64]

On 10/21/2018 at 8:29 AM, AriesBlond said:

HI cliffd64! I read your review and hoped I could ask you a few question?

I am sailing this coming week on the Breakaway and I'm abit nervous. I have sailed on 2 RCL Oasis class ships and really loved it due to the MANY activities ( entertainment, adult game night, and pool parties, like who's the sexiest man leg contest!!" I just love these fun things to do and reading the reviews on this ship, I get the impression there is not much of this type of fun going on. I need a really fun time b/c I'm 'needing' it, I love to laugh and my life has been upside down this past year losing a child and I need this cruise, or "some" cruise to help me feel alive again.

I'm just so worried.

 

Here is a link to FREESTYLE DAILIES from a Breakaway cruise....  you can read them to see the various activities.

 

You should have no reason to be concerned....

 

http://www.cruisewithgambee.com/norwegian-breakaway-freestyle-daily/

[Laszlo]

On 10/20/2018 at 9:09 AM, snappy68 said:

I haven't cruised on Norwegian since 2005 and have taken several Royal Caribbean cruises, so we are definitely not new to cruising. We are thinking about booking the Breakaway for next October and looking at a balcony room on deck 8.  Any thoughts or advice?

 

You might want to check out the Vibe Beach Club and the Thermal Spa

 

 

 

 

[AriesBlond]

2 hours ago, cliffd64 said:

Here is a link to FREESTYLE DAILIES from a Breakaway cruise....  you can read them to see the various activities.

 

You should have no reason to be concerned....

 

http://www.cruisewithgambee.com/norwegian-breakaway-freestyle-daily/

Thank YOU very much for your help!