Mitsugirly BREAKAWAYs for a summer cruise: Review/Pictorial

[mitsugirly]

What better way to start our cruise than a little bit of dare deviling rope course and zip line? (My head is spinning at the moment talking about climbing on a ropes course while I sit in my chair with a bum leg ugh) Sakari has always been a daredevil since 3 years old. She went zip lining in the Belize jungles and jumping off 2 story platforms into the ocean all at 3 years old. However, over the last 2 years, she started becoming more aware of her surroundings and potential things that can cause injury or danger (unlike her mother obviously). And she has started to be afraid of doing any such activities. She has refused to go zip lining when we are in Aruba at the dePalm Island (which is a very small zip line) or anything that has to do with heights. 

 

So...fast forward to about a month ago. "Mommy, I don't think I'm afraid of heights anymore". Um, alrighty then. She went to the Kings Island theme park with Courtney (my youngest sons ex who has cruised with us and in some of my reviews) and had a blast! She went on every ride she could...over and over...fastest, tallest, upside down...you name it. She's not scared anymore and loves them. So, we would start with the small ropes course on the Breakaway and she promised to do the zipline as well (last time she backed out). (The day after we returned from our cruise she headed back to Kings Island with her sister)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's my little daredevil...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She said she was taking all the hard paths...and that she did.

 

 

 

 

 

Walking out on the plank....no worries at all.

 

 

 

 

Daddy was trying to get the picture to take...but it was one of the MANY things that wasn't working on the ship this time around.

 

 

 

 

She finally did the zip line!

 

 

This was closed a lot...but I'm sure they have certain times they are open and it just wasn't open at the times I was up there. Sakari said she tried once and didn't have any socks so they wouldn't let her in.

 

 

 

 

 

Time for some more drinks....M for monkey lala drink and B for bushwhacker.

 

 

 

 

I could really use one of these right now...but I don't think it would mix with my meds. LOL

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Now the last cruise, Sakari didn't have ANY interest in going to the kids club. She's at that stage where she feels like she's too big for it and can't wait to get into the teen club. Not to mention, we had a teen with us last time and Brayden (who never likes to go to the kids club to begin with). The time before, she did not like going and didn't go often either (she only likes to go when they have the outside activities at the basketball court).

 

So, I really didn't know what to expect this time around. She didn't have anyone with her to hang out with and she decided we should sign her up...just in case.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The kids club (in her area) has 2 floors that they utilize.

 

 

 

 

It seems like they are already gauging this age group toward a lot of watching movies and playing video games. There's a lot of places to do this at.

 

 

 

So normally I usually don't pack bathing suits for the first day (prior to getting our luggage). Sakari always begs to swim when we first get on the ship and I always have the excuse "you have to wait for them to deliver our luggage". Well she wised up this time...she packed her own bathing suit in her backpack. LOL  She did a little swimming and we just hung out with a few more of these...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JoeTec]

Funny you should say the cameras weren't working on the ropes course - we just got off the Escape & I conquered my fear of heights.  When it came time for the zip line part it took me 3 times to get up the nerve to go & my husband who stayed on the ground taking pics & video decided AT THAT MOMENT to run to the bathroom!!  He said don't worry - they have a camera up there taking pics - & when we went to look at all our pictures they said the camera wasn't working!!!!   

[mitsugirly]

For those wondering...our rooms were ready pretty early on...maybe 1:30-2pm and at least we were able to put our bag down and not have to carry that stuff around (I carry a large purse type bag and Sakari had her book bag).

 

I felt our luggage arrived pretty early as well but can't remember the time. Our room was located right beside the elevators and storage space they were using to put the luggage so it felt like ours was there before everyone else in the hallway.

 

 

Then we decided to go to O'Sheehans for dinner. I love this place and the food! It's such a great place for food 24/7!!! It's one of the things I really miss when sailing with other cruise lines that just offer a place in the buffet for either pizza or cold sandwiches. O'Sheehans you can get just about anything and hot food! It's a place to go to for an entire meal from starters, to main course, to desert! Not to mention it's an actual restaurant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I ordered the fajita's and chips with spinach and artichoke dip. Sakari had wings...but she's on this wing kick lately. And I can't recall what the hubs ordered.

 

All the food was yummy and served in a timely manner.

 

 

 

After dinner we decided to go "bowling". Now this isn't your regular sized bowling...it's mini bowling. The alley is short and the balls are small but it's a lot of fun. It's like a pin bowling setter and the pins are attached to ropes that pull them up and down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now here's the problem with this system....the pins get tangled and wrapped around each other. But I tell ya what, it makes for some good laughs.

 

 

 

 

 

Scores: Sakari, mommy and daddy. We all know who took advantage of those wrapped pins. You hit those and they all fall. LOL

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

After dinner we asked Sakari if she wanted to go to the kids club or back to the room. We had planned on heading to the casino for a little bit. She decided she'd go to the kids club for awhile. I gave her permission to check herself in and out. Now on NCL, when you check in, you have to be there 2 hours before they'll allow the child to check themselves out. This worked out good for us because she went at 8:30pm and the kids club ended at 10:30 (unless you wanted to pay for nightly sitting). So I told her we'd head to the casino for awhile and check back on her to see if she wanted to leave earlier than her 2 hours and we'd pick her up.

 

Now since it was her first night, I went with her so that she'd have a smooth transaction of getting used to signing herself in/out. Then the kids club worker ask me "And where will you be tonight?"   Um...say what? Why does this matter? I know in the past, when they are younger they always ask where you'll be in case anything happens and they can get in touch with you. Well, if she's signing herself in and out....I'm not usually going to be there to tell you where I'm going to be...so once again, why does this matter? We weren't planning on staying in any one particular place but would be at the casino for the most part.

 

 

 

I spent $40 at the casino and by the time I had spent my entire $40, I walked out with a ticket worth $38 and some change. Ok, so I lost less than $2 but had about an hour of fun. Not bad.

 

We took a walk around the ship. The famous chandelier  in the atrium everyone likes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I always love how it looks up on the pool deck at night all lit up. I couldn't wait to hit the slides the following day at sea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not many people left at the adult pool

 

 

 

 

But the kid pool was drained already

 

 

 

 

 

Now NCL used to have a contract with Nickelodeon but that cancelled and they removed all the sponge bob things out of the kiddie water park area. It was replaced with fish, dolphins and sea horses

 

 

 

 

 

We went back to the kids club to see if Sakari wanted to leave, but I asked to check on her and they decided to call her name and check her out. They were playing a game and she said she was enjoying it, but it was ok and she'd go ahead and leave.

 

We went back to the room to unpack our things and stay in for the night.

 

Up next...our room.

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Ok, so this excruciating pain just started in the back of my leg. It's time to lay down and cry now. OMG! I'll be back later if I can.

[zencruisers]

I am really enjoying your review as usual. Take care of that leg!  🙂

[TravelGirlinDallas]

Kim, I'm so sorry about your awful accident!! Thanks for taking us along on your journey - both the cruise and what has happened to you afterward. Hoping you recover as soon as possible and that your pain improves. 

[kodesthemoose]

So sorry to hear about that accident and I do not know how you managed, as I was cringing and clamping my hands on my chair even looking at the pictures.  Here's to pain subsiding quickly!!! 😞

[LuCruise]

So excited when I popped over to NCL board and saw your review.  But then read about your current accident.  You poor thing. Am so sorry you are going through this . Looks super painful.  You sure are brave.  It's amazing how your life can change in just a few seconds.  Wishing you a speedy recovery and rest while it heals up.  

[Hatteras51]

Oh Kim, I'm so sorry to hear about your accident.  You and your family have had such a tough year. I broke my ankle about 1 1/2 years ago and had a plate put in. Just try to be patient, catch up on some tv shows and read some good books. The important thing is to do everything your PT tells you to do. It won't be long before this is all a distant memory. Take care! 

                     Dianne from Aruba

Edited August 16, 2019 by Hatteras51

[JennieCoconut]

I am so sorry to hear about your injury. I had a trimallelor fx and dislocation 7 years ago. Your pictures brought back awful memories of an ankle that didn’t look like it belonged on my leg. Take it easy!!!

 

Love reading your reviews! 🤗

[erdoran]

Sorry about your fall.  My hubby fell off a single step a bit over a year ago and had a bichondrial tibular plateau fracture aka broken knee - career-ending injury.  3 months on crutches, no weightbearinng, six months before close to reasonable activity.  But for us it was a blessing in disguise as that pushed him to retire a year or two earlier.  Never fun though, and I especially sympathize about the pain!  

[chloemonkey]

One more of your "fans" that have been enjoying and benefiting from your reviews for years  - but has never responded.  We too had a "break" in cruising since last October (our last cruise in the Caribbean) as I was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer.  Happy to report that with the great help of City of Hope doctors, chemo therapy AND thoracotomy surgery....I am "NED" or no evidence of disease!  VERY blessed and just wanted to tell you MY story to give you encouragement to get better soon as we are now booked for a cruise in a month on the BREAKAWAY!  

 

My point is that it has been a LONG journey for me (us!) and it will seem that for you too....but you and your amazing family WILL be back in those annoying lines at embarkation before you can say "REHAB!)  But as my OT daughter is always quick to remind me...DO THE REHAB! in order to make it all better!

 

I love you for all of the time and personal attention you put in to your reviews and wish you and your family all the best during this "short" time off of the seas.....keep the reviews coming...even if they are only about you recovery - as so many people on this board LOVE you dear girl!

 

Regards,

Debby

[cincicruisers]

6 hours ago, mitsugirly said:

Ok, so this excruciating pain just started in the back of my leg. It's time to lay down and cry now. OMG! I'll be back later if I can.

 

So sorry you are feeling so much pain.  Thoughts and prayers for your recovery.

[blarko]

Thank you so much for sharing your story of the injury.  It’s amazing to see just how much damage was done to your leg and that you were able to keep so calm during that ordeal. I can’t believe that you thought enough to photograph your ankle while you were on the ground. Wishing you a very speedy and pain free recovery.  Take care of yourself, Kim.

[newmexicoNita]

love reading your cruise experience. It helps us get even more excited about our upcoming one in just 7 weeks or maybe it is 8.  Your daughter is a heck of a lot braver than me, heck I get a funny feeling being on the 3rd floor of a hotel. Also love your pics and glad the casino didn't eat up your money. $2 lost is just a fun and cheap evening in my book. 

[mitsugirly]

19 hours ago, Named-Tawny said:

I just need to say that I'm really impressed that you had the presence of mind to take a photo immediately after breaking your ankle - that's dedication!

 

Here's hoping you heal well and easily.

 

 

I know right? I took it to show my husband and then after taking it I decided it wasn't a good idea to text that to him when he was driving and probably already speeding and not in the right mind to begin with trying to get to me in a hurry before the squad got there. LOL

 

 

19 hours ago, dreamer976 said:

Catching up???  How about throwing up (which is how I felt when I came to the first pic of your backwards foot & shoe)!!!  

 

OMG how you didn’t scream all the way to the hospital is beyond me. WHAT A WOMAN!

 

Sincerely, wishing you a quicker-than-anticipated total recovery. I will forever have that first photo emblazoned in my brain every time I am filling my tank or anytime I even think about trying to save a step or two and doing something stupid. So you see Kim, you may not be doing your traditional job of helping people, but you still are! 😘

 

Ellen

 

 

 

 

Haha. If I can help just one person....from being stupid about stepping over a gas pump line...I've done my duty. ☺️ Actually I've been pretty good and calm about everything...up until yesterday when the nerve block wore off. I spent the rest of the day pretty much crying. I've never felt anything this painful before in my life. 😭 But I know it will pass.

 

 

18 hours ago, JoeTec said:

Funny you should say the cameras weren't working on the ropes course - we just got off the Escape & I conquered my fear of heights.  When it came time for the zip line part it took me 3 times to get up the nerve to go & my husband who stayed on the ground taking pics & video decided AT THAT MOMENT to run to the bathroom!!  He said don't worry - they have a camera up there taking pics - & when we went to look at all our pictures they said the camera wasn't working!!!!   

 

Doesn't that suck? I was looking forward to getting some of Sakari up there. Darnit.

 

17 hours ago, zencruisers said:

I am really enjoying your review as usual. Take care of that leg!  🙂

 

Thank you

 

17 hours ago, TravelGirlinDallas said:

Kim, I'm so sorry about your awful accident!! Thanks for taking us along on your journey - both the cruise and what has happened to you afterward. Hoping you recover as soon as possible and that your pain improves. 

 

Thanks so much!

 

15 hours ago, kodesthemoose said:

So sorry to hear about that accident and I do not know how you managed, as I was cringing and clamping my hands on my chair even looking at the pictures.  Here's to pain subsiding quickly!!! 😞

 

Thanks. It hasn't been easy.

 

14 hours ago, LuCruise said:

So excited when I popped over to NCL board and saw your review.  But then read about your current accident.  You poor thing. Am so sorry you are going through this . Looks super painful.  You sure are brave.  It's amazing how your life can change in just a few seconds.  Wishing you a speedy recovery and rest while it heals up.  

 

Glad you found my review and thanks for the recovery thoughts. I appreciate it.

 

13 hours ago, Hatteras51 said:

Oh Kim, I'm so sorry to hear about your accident.  You and your family have had such a tough year. I broke my ankle about 1 1/2 years ago and had a plate put in. Just try to be patient, catch up on some tv shows and read some good books. The important thing is to do everything your PT tells you to do. It won't be long before this is all a distant memory. Take care! 

                     Dianne from Aruba

 

Thanks so much Dianne. I really appreciate it. I can't wait until this is fully behind me. It's going to be a long road ahead of recovery that I'm not looking forward to. 😞

 

12 hours ago, JennieCoconut said:

I am so sorry to hear about your injury. I had a trimallelor fx and dislocation 7 years ago. Your pictures brought back awful memories of an ankle that didn’t look like it belonged on my leg. Take it easy!!!

 

Love reading your reviews! 🤗

 

Alien ankle for sure. 😲

 

Glad you are here for the review.

 

12 hours ago, erdoran said:

Sorry about your fall.  My hubby fell off a single step a bit over a year ago and had a bichondrial tibular plateau fracture aka broken knee - career-ending injury.  3 months on crutches, no weightbearinng, six months before close to reasonable activity.  But for us it was a blessing in disguise as that pushed him to retire a year or two earlier.  Never fun though, and I especially sympathize about the pain!  

 

So sorry to hear about your hubbys injury. It's definitely life changing and I have a long road ahead of me. I have no idea what this means for my job either. Most people I know don't get back to normal until 7-9 months. Since I have to drive to see my patients and walk up flights of stairs....it may be a long time before I'm back to work again. 😞

 

12 hours ago, chloemonkey said:

One more of your "fans" that have been enjoying and benefiting from your reviews for years  - but has never responded.  We too had a "break" in cruising since last October (our last cruise in the Caribbean) as I was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer.  Happy to report that with the great help of City of Hope doctors, chemo therapy AND thoracotomy surgery....I am "NED" or no evidence of disease!  VERY blessed and just wanted to tell you MY story to give you encouragement to get better soon as we are now booked for a cruise in a month on the BREAKAWAY!  

 

My point is that it has been a LONG journey for me (us!) and it will seem that for you too....but you and your amazing family WILL be back in those annoying lines at embarkation before you can say "REHAB!)  But as my OT daughter is always quick to remind me...DO THE REHAB! in order to make it all better!

 

I love you for all of the time and personal attention you put in to your reviews and wish you and your family all the best during this "short" time off of the seas.....keep the reviews coming...even if they are only about you recovery - as so many people on this board LOVE you dear girl!

 

Regards,

Debby

So happy to hear your lung cancer being gone. That's amazing! So blessed and you have a much deserved cruise coming your way now!

 

I know I'm in for a long journey and I'll make it but it's just not going to be easy I know.

 

Thanks for such kind words. I really appreciate it.

 

11 hours ago, cincicruisers said:

 

So sorry you are feeling so much pain.  Thoughts and prayers for your recovery.

 

Thank you so much.

 

11 hours ago, blarko said:

Thank you so much for sharing your story of the injury.  It’s amazing to see just how much damage was done to your leg and that you were able to keep so calm during that ordeal. I can’t believe that you thought enough to photograph your ankle while you were on the ground. Wishing you a very speedy and pain free recovery.  Take care of yourself, Kim.

 

Thanks so much and yea, the photo was to send to my husband but then I decided against it because he was already in panic mode to get to me before the squad did. lol

 

1 hour ago, newmexicoNita said:

love reading your cruise experience. It helps us get even more excited about our upcoming one in just 7 weeks or maybe it is 8.  Your daughter is a heck of a lot braver than me, heck I get a funny feeling being on the 3rd floor of a hotel. Also love your pics and glad the casino didn't eat up your money. $2 lost is just a fun and cheap evening in my book. 

 

Thank you so much. I'm glad you like the review and I hope you have a wonderful cruise.

[mitsugirly]

Ok, so I spent the rest of the day yesterday in so much pain and crying I couldn't function. I have never experienced pain like that before. Thank goodness I was able to get some rest and I'm feeling much better (at the moment) and time to continue with the review.

 

So, here's our room. We picked an interior this time around and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with the room! It wasn't your typical interior you usually find on other ships (where you walk in and you are in a small hall that leads to the room). With this room, you walk in and it is completely open and it seemed like it had much more room than you normally get with an interior. I loved walking in and having that space right as soon as you go in. I wish all the interior rooms were like that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was more than enough storage for everything we had and a lot of little areas of hidden storage.

 

 

 

 

 

The bathroom seemed roomy enough too. I'm not sure if it was any bigger than they usually are, but the layout made it feel that way.

 

 

 

 

 

The hallways leading into the rooms....don't forget the fishies on the carpet on the floor....they swim toward the front so you always know which way you are headed. Now the newer ships don't seem to have the "odd ball" fish swimming in the wrong direction. I'm not sure why NCL decided against that. That seemed to be their "thing" in the past (not only on the carpet on the floors, but on their tee shirts and everything else).

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

So since we are platinum, we get chocolate covered strawberries sent to our room, usually the first night.

 

 

 

We didn't meet our room steward today and we came back to the room with NO TOWEL ANIMAL! Hmmm, Sakari was very disappointed.

 

 

We tried to find a way to keep the electric on and didn't want the possibility of having to deactivate one of our cards in our wallets, so guess what I came up with?????

 

This was still in my bag I take with me, with all the important items, on the plane. So this would be my new card for the lights. LOL

 

 

[BoatParts]

Always enjoy reading your reviews.  Following along!  Hope your recovery goes smoothly!

[mitsugirly]

Now normally I go into a review about each deck and pictures of everything you'll find on the ship. However, we've already been on this ship and I have already taken pictures of each area, so I decided this time around to forego taking pictures of each area and just refer everyone to my previous Breakaway cruise. As far as I could tell, nothing has changed WITH THE EXCEPTION of the UPTOWN BAR & GRILL. It has changed to Margaritaville instead and you now have to pay to eat there (I think it was $14.95). I absolutely loved eating at the uptown grill. When there was a hectic rush at the buffet, you could always go up to the Uptown and eat breakfast and it was pretty amazing. There wouldn't be a lot of people up there and they had breakfast sandwiches that were amazing!

 

From the previous cruise:

 

 

 

 

You can find the complete tour located HERE.  Or you can find it on my Smugmug pictures located HERE.

 

Another reason I didn't bother to take a picture tour of the ship is this ship was the MOST CROWDED ship I have EVER experienced in my entire cruise history....EVER!! I was the worst! Like I've never seen anything like this before. It was very uncomfortable and it was nothing but a sea of people everywhere you went. You couldn't move half the time. You stood in line, back to back people just to get from one end of the ship to the other. It was terrible! It made me not want to be on the ship. I don't know if it was just because it was during the summer and that's the only ship they have cruising the Caribbean or what it was. But, I have cruised during the summer months and never experienced this. I have cruise when all the rooms were booked before and never experienced this. They did say that we were cruising at capacity.

 

Now, I'm going to go into this right now and hopefully I'll be able to remember most of it. If not, I might remember during the review...

 

This was not a very good cruise (other than the ports). I would go as far as saying it was the worse cruise experience I have had to date...for many reasons.

 

Everyone knows I was a loyal NCL cruiser for many years. Then I branched out and started cruising with Carnival and Royal. For the most part, I felt like there are more similarities in all 3 lines than not. Some things better with each cruise line and some things not as good. But after taking a few years off from NCL and then coming back...I have definitely noticed a lot of changes...and not for the better IMO. I don't know, maybe it was just this particular cruise but things have changed.

 

The service was terrible this cruise...absolutely terrible! I don't think we even met our room steward until maybe day 3 or 4 and even then I wasn't sure if I was talking to the right person. He wasn't very friendly and didn't make himself known or really talk to us like every single cruise we've ever been on in the past. 

 

I had to ask for an ice bucket to be delivered and filled every day (which I believe happened the last time we were on NCL) but didn't get it filled every time like it should have.

 

The service trying to get drinks was just ridiculous. We had several instances where we were highly pissed about not being served and the bar tenders aren't pressed about giving you a drink unless you are standing there with a $5 bill in your hand flashing it at them. It was just crazy! Even trying to get a pop/soda was a task!

 

They no longer give you pool towels in your room. They have adopted the system that you have to go to the pool deck to check them out. They write your room number down on a paper and how many towels you have and then write it down again when you return them. It was ridiculous honestly. Anyone could walk up there and say any room number and check out towels. They didn't ask for a key card or anything. If you didn't catch them before they closed in the evening, you didn't have clean and dry towels for port the next day. Ugh! I hate this system. Also, when we returned from port and had our wet towels in the room, the room steward would take them. How do I know they are being "crossed off the list of checked out towels?"

 

Not being able to bring your own soda/pop on the ship now is one of the biggest turn offs for me. I'm a popaholic. I wake up to pop and go to bed with pop. But I ALWAYS purchase the pop package so it's not like I'm cheating NCL of any money. But I'd like to have a case in my room for the cruise so that when I'm in for the night I can have one if I'd like. During the evening hours there's not many places you can go to get soda. This change personally sucks for me.

 

The Uptown Grill being changed to a pay venue....blah. I enjoyed that place.

 

They no longer give you TOWEL ANIMALS!!! I know a lot of people could care less about this but my daughter enjoys this and it was real disappointing to see the look on her face when there wasn't one every night.

 

The food...I'm sorry but I feel that the food has went downhill. It wasn't as good this time around and I didn't really care for the selections. I would say this was the first time that I didn't eat much on this cruise at all. This has never happened to me before. Cruising=food all the time. I was barely eating and when I got a plate (or several plates to try different things) and wouldn't even be able to finish it.

 

There were changes in the menu at O'Sheehans....I noticed you couldn't get cheesecake anymore and I can remember I used to stop by there on the way back from picking Sakari up at the kids club, just to get a cheesecake to go for her, and they'd put it on a plate with a cover and off I'd go. Now they won't let you do any "to-go" orders and tell you to order room service, which you can't get O'Sheehans from room service.

 

They will not allow you to keep the key card in the room to keep electricity on when you are not in the room. In the past, the room steward would actually give you a card to keep in it, now they remove anything in the key slot when you are not there. It really ticked me off because I have no way to charge my camera batteries when they do that.

 

In the past, the staff was always so friendly and would say hello to you every time you'd pass by them. I seen a lot of, what looked like, unhappy staff. A lot didn't speak or would look down as you walked by. So unusual for them.

 

Service at O'Sheehans after the first day was just ridiculous...more like non-existent. We had to hunt people down to be served or ask for menus and such. Just plain crazy!

 

The baby/child water park was closed a lot. There was 2 days that it was completely roped off and closed. I'm not sure why. I know kids have accidents and they usually close things down for cleaning, but this was 2 days straight! Which meant that all those toddlers ended up in the kids pool...ugh

 

The adult pool was so crowded that you couldn't even sit in the shallow area that goes around the pool. We never once made it in there. Then adults started seeing that the kids pool wasn't as crowded and they started overflowing into that pool, then wanted to complain that kids were in the pool or splashing. It's their pool!

 

The drop water slide (my favorite) was closed the entire cruise. Both of them! How disappointing!

 

The cameras weren't working on the ropes course for the plank or for the zip line. Again, disappointing.

 

The adult area in the back has a place with water/fountains and such and it would shut down early. Last cruise it was open at night and had pretty lights in it. Now it closes way before dark and a lot of the fountains weren't even working that streamed water.

 

The variety of shows...wasn't much of a variety. It seemed like they had the same show playing over and over every night.

 

Trying to use our platinum free dinner coupons was absolutely ridiculous. Everything booked up all week long and we didn't get one of our meals (and they wouldn't make any exceptions like they did in the past) and we didn't get our free bottle of wine.

 

No more ship pins? If so, I sure didn't get one.

 

Service in the casino was pretty slow as well. I had a problem with the machine and it took almost half an hour to get help with it.

 

We never got to play ping pong because after a certain hour, they'd put the equipment up. Before we could play any time day or night.

 

Now don't get me wrong, there were good things too. I'm just saying I could see the cutbacks they have done since the last time we were on an NCL cruise and the staff just wasn't as friendly and food not as good. Just so many changes and things not working.

 

I have to say I left there saying I would rather be cruising on Royal or Carnival at this point if I had to experience this type of cruise again. I'm also not the only one that was experiencing this. I heard a lot of people on the ship complaining about the service and staff this time around. I didn't even buy a future cruise certificate like I normally do. I had planned on buying enough to give out as Christmas gifts this year for my kids, but decided against it after the experience we had on this cruise.

 

So I just wanted to put this out there before I forgot. There's probably other things too that I'll remember during the review. I was just disappointed this time around. 😞

 

 

**edit*** Oh, just forgot something else I noticed...even the latitudes chocolate covered strawberries used to be 6 on the plate and are now only 4 😕

 

Edited August 17, 2019 by mitsugirly

[Von & John]

22 hours ago, mitsugirly said:

Ok, so this excruciating pain just started in the back of my leg. It's time to lay down and cry now. OMG! I'll be back later if I can.

 

The worst is when the pain creeps up on you & wham out of no where there it is...

Take care - hopefully you'll have impending warning signs most of the time 🙂

[mitsugirly]

43 minutes ago, BoatParts said:

Always enjoy reading your reviews.  Following along!  Hope your recovery goes smoothly!

 

Thanks and glad you are here.

 

4 minutes ago, Von & John said:

 

The worst is when the pain creeps up on you & wham out of no where there it is...

Take care - hopefully you'll have impending warning signs most of the time 🙂

 

It creeps FAST! Like usually no warning sign and then it's too late and it takes about an hour for my meds to kick in and I'm just out of my mind during the longest hour of the day that seems like it's more like 3 hours. This crap sucks!!!!

[Von & John]

Kim  --  regarding the service failures - I hope this was just a one-off on this ship & that future cruises improve. 

 

Our last NCL cruise was Sept/Oct 2018 - Transpacific on the Jewel & all Team Members were friendly.   At that time, we thought the main food (non-specialty restaurant) had improved.  We are looking at a cruise for this October - nothing like waiting until the last moment...  And we hope to find NCL is still improving. 

 

If you select to cruise w/ NCL again  --  here's hoping things improve!!!!

 

Cheers  --  Von