Pool Situation on Breakaway

[TMO3CCO1]

I will be cruising on the Breakaway first week of June of 2020.  It will be my third cruise and I will be traveling with a group of mostly lively 50 year-old's! I cruised the first time with just my DH on the Oasis of the Seas and our second cruise was a group cruise (same group of lively 50 year old's 3 years younger) on the Allure of the Seas. This will be everyone's first Norwegian cruise.  I'm the planner and researcher of the group.  I will read everything possible about the ships, ports and even stuff that doesn't pertain to us for the next year!  A common complaint from everyone, whether they have a positive review or a negative review is the pool and pool area is not large enough for the number of people on the ship.  We are not huge pool people but will probably spend at least one day at the pool enjoying cocktails.  With everyone complaining about the pool, I wonder why Norwegian doesn't make the  Vibe area open to all adults 18 or older.  Disperse some of the population on the ship to two pool areas.  It seems like they would get less complaints about the pool area.

[shof515]

34 minutes ago, TMO3CCO1 said:

I wonder why Norwegian doesn't make the  Vibe area open to all adults 18 or older.

 

on the NCL website, it says this:

 

Quote

A private retreat where guests 18 and over can enjoy stunning views, an oversized hot tub, chaise lounges and a full-service bar. Exclusively on Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian

Escape, Norwegian Getaway, and Norwegian Joy.

the issue with the vibe is the price to enter the private area

Edited June 23, 2019 by shof515

[NLH Arizona]

38 minutes ago, TMO3CCO1 said:

 With everyone complaining about the pool, I wonder why Norwegian doesn't make the  Vibe area open to all adults 18 or older.  

Because they make money from the Vibe area.  

[Two Wheels Only]

Spice H2O should work for the adults and is no charge.

[TenForward]

51 minutes ago, TMO3CCO1 said:

 With everyone complaining about the pool, I wonder why Norwegian doesn't make the  Vibe area open to all adults 18 or older.  Disperse some of the population on the ship to two pool areas.  It seems like they would get less complaints about the pool area.

 

That is basically what Spice H2O is.   Vibe has about 75 lounge chairs -  not nearly enough space to open to all.  Neither has a pool, just hot tubs & misting stations.

[TMO3CCO1]

I guess I need to go back to reading the information about the ship.  I thought the Vibe also had a pool.  🙂 Price isn't a deal breaker for us but I read they only sell so many passes.  With a group of 20 on the ship, I don't think we would all be able to make it there in time to purchase a pass.  I'm not entirely sure how boarding works but since none of us have sailed Norwegian, I'm assuming (you know what they say about assuming) we will not receive priority boarding and I don't think I can convince the group to run like it's black Friday to buy the pass. LOL

 

[AL3XCruise]

2 hours ago, TMO3CCO1 said:

We are not huge pool people but will probably spend at least one day at the pool enjoying cocktails

 

Most ships are pretty crowded around the pool.  With the Haven taking up a lot of space forward and a variety of amenities aft, the Breakaway is probably worse than most in this regard.  I think NCL has continued to refine the layout on their newer ships, but there are still sacrifices when you try to pack that much onto the top of a ship!  That said, if you don't need to be next to the pool itself there are many places on the upper decks with loungers, sun, and easy access to drinks!  As others have mentioned, Spice H20 might be a good fit for your group as well.

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, TMO3CCO1 said:

I guess I need to go back to reading the information about the ship.  I thought the Vibe also had a pool.  🙂 Price isn't a deal breaker for us but I read they only sell so many passes.  With a group of 20 on the ship, I don't think we would all be able to make it there in time to purchase a pass.  I'm not entirely sure how boarding works but since none of us have sailed Norwegian, I'm assuming (you know what they say about assuming) we will not receive priority boarding and I don't think I can convince the group to run like it's black Friday to buy the pass. LOL

No, you would never get 20 people into the Vibe. They sell around 80 passes for the 4500 passengers on the ship. You have to be at the terminal early in the morning before security opens, be the first through security, be the first through check-in, then a literal foot race to the sales desk in Headliners. 

 

No, the Vibe does not have a pool. 

 

No, 4500 passengers won't fit in the pool. 

 

Yes. there is lots and lots of loungers out on deck, just not right next to the pool. But like the Oasis, unless someone gets up early to "hog" a bunch of loungers, you won't have a group of 20 loungers together. 

[zqvol]

3 hours ago, TMO3CCO1 said:

I will be cruising on the Breakaway first week of June of 2020.  It will be my third cruise and I will be traveling with a group of mostly lively 50 year-old's! I cruised the first time with just my DH on the Oasis of the Seas and our second cruise was a group cruise (same group of lively 50 year old's 3 years younger) on the Allure of the Seas. This will be everyone's first Norwegian cruise.  I'm the planner and researcher of the group.  I will read everything possible about the ships, ports and even stuff that doesn't pertain to us for the next year!  A common complaint from everyone, whether they have a positive review or a negative review is the pool and pool area is not large enough for the number of people on the ship.  We are not huge pool people but will probably spend at least one day at the pool enjoying cocktails.  With everyone complaining about the pool, I wonder why Norwegian doesn't make the  Vibe area open to all adults 18 or older.  Disperse some of the population on the ship to two pool areas.  It seems like they would get less complaints about the pool area.

 

First the Vibe area doesn't have a pool. Second, there is plenty of room around the pool and the bars, unless you want to be right at the pool. Unless you want to actually swim, just go to Spice H2O. Nice bar, a water feature you can  cool  off in, and plenty of seats, and it has a hot tub.

[TMO3CCO1]

4 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

No, you would never get 20 people into the Vibe. They sell around 80 passes for the 4500 passengers on the ship. You have to be at the terminal early in the morning before security opens, be the first through security, be the first through check-in, then a literal foot race to the sales desk in Headliners. 

 

No, the Vibe does not have a pool. 

 

No, 4500 passengers won't fit in the pool. 

 

Yes. there is lots and lots of loungers out on deck, just not right next to the pool. But like the Oasis, unless someone gets up early to "hog" a bunch of loungers, you won't have a group of 20 loungers together. 

Thank you!  Since the Vibe has no pool there really isn't a reason for us to buy the pass except for the private bar but not worth the money or stress of trying to race 100's of other passengers. I'm sure we will find a bar that will be a favorite.  None of us spent more than 20 minutes in a lounger poolside.  We were more of the "in the water, drinking cocktails and sharing funny stories."  We did love the poolside service!

 

[TMO3CCO1]

2 minutes ago, zqvol said:

 

First the Vibe area doesn't have a pool. Second, there is plenty of room around the pool and the bars, unless you want to be right at the pool. Unless you want to actually swim, just go to Spice H2O. Nice bar, a water feature you can  cool  off in, and plenty of seats, and it has a hot tub.

Thank you!  That is why I love this site!  I do learn a lot about where to go,  what to try and what may not be a good fit for us.  I think we will definitely be giving Spice H2O a try! Do they have service to the hot tub in H2O or do you have to get out and get your own at the bar?

[zqvol]

2 minutes ago, TMO3CCO1 said:

Thank you!  That is why I love this site!  I do learn a lot about where to go,  what to try and what may not be a good fit for us.  I think we will definitely be giving Spice H2O a try! Do they have service to the hot tub in H2O or do you have to get out and get your own at the bar?

I  really don't know because I usually just sit at the bar. I do know that there are some waiters wandering around serving people in the loungers.

[kayjay76]

2 hours ago, TMO3CCO1 said:

Thank you!  That is why I love this site!  I do learn a lot about where to go,  what to try and what may not be a good fit for us.  I think we will definitely be giving Spice H2O a try! Do they have service to the hot tub in H2O or do you have to get out and get your own at the bar?

H20 is great. Busy but a way more relaxed quiet vibe than the pool area and no kids!! They usually have 1 or 2 servers walking around. But since it's not a huge area... the bar is a super short walk from anywhere in h20 ( 20 seconds max) and isn't over crazy so you can get drinks fairly quick (tipping the bartenders goes a long way of them "seeing" u 1st lol).  

You might also consider finding a nice spot on the higher sun decks where you can all take over a corner and relax 

[drvmywifecrzy]

8 hours ago, TMO3CCO1 said:

Thank you!  Since the Vibe has no pool there really isn't a reason for us to buy the pass except for the private bar but not worth the money or stress of trying to race 100's of other passengers. I'm sure we will find a bar that will be a favorite.  None of us spent more than 20 minutes in a lounger poolside.  We were more of the "in the water, drinking cocktails and sharing funny stories."  We did love the poolside service!

 

 

Just know most times they wont allow you to have beverages "in the water".  Most times someone will ask you to get out.  You can sit on the bench around the pool though.  YMMV

[TMO3CCO1]

8 hours ago, drvmywifecrzy said:

 

Just know most times they wont allow you to have beverages "in the water".  Most times someone will ask you to get out.  You can sit on the bench around the pool though.  YMMV

Thank you for the information.  Must be one of the differences between Royal Caribbean and Norwegian.

[TMO3CCO1]

13 hours ago, kayjay76 said:

H20 is great. Busy but a way more relaxed quiet vibe than the pool area and no kids!! They usually have 1 or 2 servers walking around. But since it's not a huge area... the bar is a super short walk from anywhere in h20 ( 20 seconds max) and isn't over crazy so you can get drinks fairly quick (tipping the bartenders goes a long way of them "seeing" u 1st lol).  

You might also consider finding a nice spot on the higher sun decks where you can all take over a corner and relax 

Great!  Thanks for the information. I hate to be one of those people but no kids is a preference. LOL  I'm hoping since it is the first week of June we will have less kids in general on the boat.

 

 I'm sure we will find our spot.  It's really hard to complain when you are on a ship, in the middle of the ocean, with great friends, enjoying cocktails!  It will be a different experience and at the end we will be able to decide which line we prefer.

[careyayn22]

The pool thing is weird on NCL. Such small pools and only one for kids (and as we found out a couple days ago, kids are out of luck when it gets shut down due to vomit even though it was Alaska and only a couple adults were swimming in the very small “main pool”). 

 

It has been awhile, but I remember Princess having much more and bigger pools. 

 

Good luck with your group. Even in Alaska, we could only get about four loungers together on the couple decent days. 

Edited June 23, 2019 by careyayn22

[Deeliteful]

Agree that Spice H2O is probably your best bet but also worth checking out the bar area next to Vibe. Loungers and tables and chairs and doesn’t get too busy. Enjoy.

[Shidah]

Last time on Breakaway, the area outside the Vibe was loaded with teens, literally about 15 in the hot tub at once.  But other than this the area is nice.  With the increased prices, you could always try for Vibe passes.  Some report the area is not selling out on all sailings.  As others have mentioned, Spice H2O serves the same purpose.