Breakaway reviews vs. Getaway reviews.

[davy jones]

I have sailed on the Breakaway several times, but never on the Getaway.  Breakaway seems to get complaints about the ship layout, crowds, etc.  Getaway is a sister ship of the same class, but I do not seem to see many of the same complaints.

 

Is there something different?  If so, what?  (Or am I just focusing on BA too much)

[KarlChilders]

Haven't been on Breakaway, but my understanding is that the ships are virtually identical save for the fact that Breakaway is a year older.  One guess is that the Breakaway spent the bulk of it's early life sailing out of the New York market, which (not to stereotype too much) COULD mean you have a larger customer base who are somewhat demanding and vocal.  It has been my experience that New Yorkers are quite willing to let you know freely when something isn't to their liking.  Not that there is anything wrong with that.

[Aixia]

I've sailed on both ships. We were on Breakaway on her third sailing, and Getaway a few months after she debuted. KarlChilders has it exactly right, it's about the people you sail with, not the ships themselves. We loved the layout of both ships, but had a much better time on Getaway because our fellow passengers were much more laid back. The folks on Breakaway complained about literally everything! We dreaded even going into elevators because of how mean everyone was. We sailed Escape shortly after that one came out too, and found it much more similar to Getaway than Breakaway.

 

We're sailing Getaway again this winter. New Orleans seems to have a similar passenger makeup as Miami, mostly Midwestern and Southern passengers. I think we'll enjoy it just as much as before.

[sid_9169]

I've sailed on both ships, and they're basically identical, other than minor differences... It mostly boils down to the crew and the particular set of passengers...

[thistimeplease]

I've sailed on both and I agree with sid_9169.  We sailed BA out of NY twice and it was wonderful both times.  Of course going to Bermuda was a great port for us also.  We sailed GA out of Miami and did the Western Caribbean and the cruise was very quiet compared to the BA.  The ships were identical but I think the difference was that there were 4 ports on the GA and people were exhausted at the end of the day.  We also felt the staff and people were much friendlier on the BA. I really believe that the itinerary and embarking city have a lot to do with how you will view the ships.

[graphicguy]

Agree with everyone else.  The "Away" ships are pretty close to identical.  The passengers are the variable.  

[Son of a son of a ...]

They are crowded ships.  Your tolerance is entirely personal.  From CC's own reviewer:

 

The ship was built for socializing, with most of the action taking place around 678 Ocean Place, the three-deck open space around which many of Getaway's bars are located. Have dinner in Le Bistro on Deck 6, catch a Second City improv comedy show across the way at Headliners, and then climb the stairs to hit the Casino on Deck 7 before finishing the night at Sugarcane Mojito Bar on Deck 8 without missing a beat. The area is packed with activities, which also means it's packed with people. The casino encircles the area on Deck 7, and smoke drifts to restaurants and clubs on the decks above and below. It also leads to some bottlenecking as passengers make their way through. Adding to the chaos is Norwegian's Freestyle dining concept which, while much-adored on the line's smaller ships, can seem onerous on a ship of more than 4,000. A vacation on Getaway requires planning ahead to get seats in the venues that you want.

 

It also can make avoiding the crowds somewhat of a challenge, though it's entirely possible.

[davy jones]

I'm not sure that it is all an NYC homeport thing.  It spent fall and winter sailing from NOLA and is now sailing from Miami and the reviews seem to still be the same.  I'm wondering if it can be something like the ship's management.

[cruisinmeme]

We just sailed the BA a few weeks back. Hands down the best cruise. I was truly worried about the size of the ship, especially just forward and aft elevators. First cruise out of Miami.  Very organized. It can be a circus in New Orleans.

i will say the food was awesome on this cruise. I would compare it to what it was like 20 years ago. 

[newmexicoNita]

On 6/11/2019 at 9:20 AM, KarlChilders said:

Haven't been on Breakaway, but my understanding is that the ships are virtually identical save for the fact that Breakaway is a year older.  One guess is that the Breakaway spent the bulk of it's early life sailing out of the New York market, which (not to stereotype too much) COULD mean you have a larger customer base who are somewhat demanding and vocal.  It has been my experience that New Yorkers are quite willing to let you know freely when something isn't to their liking.  Not that there is anything wrong with that.

I was thinking pretty much the same thing. More than the ship, resort, restaurant or whatever a lot has to do with were the traffic is coming from or that is my take on it anyway. Like you this isn't a put down to anyone, it is just a fact. 

[Lupush]

Sailing BA in 12 days and a little nervous about the negative reviews lately.

[tomservo]

If the ships are identical, the only other variables are type of crowd and the crew. If the reviews are better with different embarkation ports, it might the crowd, if they are consistently negative, could be the crew. Even if it's a crew issue, there are many other variables there as well, they could be understaffed, maybe a bunch of contracts have ended and there is mass crew turnover, etc