Saying Good bye to NCL Oct 13th Breakaway

[newmexicoNita]

😂 Ok, this is not what you may be thinking. We are saying good bye because we have complaints or because we did not enjoy our cruise: we have come to the time in our lives when cruising isn't working too well.

This is, however a review of our Oct 13th Breakaway cruise. I hope it isn't too long.

 

Let my start with an overall comment about our last week's cruise. We had a good time, there were not as many kids as we thought there would be and those we did see were so well behaved. I am not meaning to complain about kids: I happen to love them and like talking with them, it is just on our first Breakaway cruise a few years ago out of NYC there were 2200 plus kids on the ship (spring break) and they were not, particularly well behaved. 

Now on with the review;

 

I will start with the arrival: 

 

We used NCL air program and even though we had a very close call time wise, in Atl, all went well. Our flight was late arriving into ATL and our wheel chairs were not waiting for us. Long story, we only had 45 min to connect if all had gone well. it turned out our friend pushed hubby in the only available chair and I was left to walk and walk fast to add insult to injury . We were lucky they held the plane for us for a few minutes as they were about to close the door of the plane and we were still 4 gates away. We made it, didn't hesitate to pay for a drink and all went well. I will add, $9 for a glass of wine is a bit stiff but we were on vacation. We arrived in at MIA on time, our chairs were waiting and we were not only wheeled to the luggage carousel but onto the NCL bus location. It was only about 10 minutes or so before we were on the bus and headed to the port. Check in went smoothly, we did have to wait about 1/2 hour for the wheel chairs. It seems more mobility challenged people are enjoying cruising these days so the wheel chair has become somewhat of a challenge. Anyway by about 2pm we were sitting in O'Sheelan's ordering lunch and our first NCL drink. Our waitress was Anna and we had her a few more times though out our cruise. She was friendly, fast and a pleasure to get to know. By now, we were very hungry and almost anything would have tasted good I am sure. Our younger daughter had already arrived from Orlando, so she was waiting for us. This would be a good place for me to move from arrival to food. 

 

Night one: we choose to eat early and in the MDR. Food was outstanding. There were plenty of choices including fish, meats, chicken, and vegetarian selections. Hubby had roasted sirloin, I had a strip steak, daughter had trout and her friend had chicken. We all commented on how good everything was, from the salads to the desserts. Not to mention the service was above and beyond. By the time we left the lines were very long and I can't imagine how long some must have waited for dinner. It was a typical first night experience.

 

Day 2: breakfast, Moderno's: it was a mini buffet and just so/so. I will not say it was bad, but with the exception of an egg and swiss cheese toasted breakfast sandwich noting was really memorable. The juices seemed to be more like juice punch and the selection of fresh fruit was lacking. Still we did not leave hungry. We skipped lunch as it was the M&G day followed by the slot pull. Dinner was in Ocean Blue. 3 of us choose Lobster and the forth decided to another fish dish but I don't remember. All of us had shrimp cocktails. the Lobster was a bit on the dry side. I am convinced from this and Lobster on other ships, it isn't always the best choice, The shrimp cocktails were outstanding. People complain about the size, as only 3 shrimp are served, but remember it is an appetizer and the size of the shrimp resemble a small Lobster. if we were to return we would certainly go to Ocean Blue but would not order Lobster. The service was relaxing, never felt rushed but never felt ignored either. It was a good experience.  

 

Think I am going to stop for the time being; I will pick up again tomorrow morning. Lots more to come. 

[valleyvillage]

Nita, we are going to miss you! 

[FLAHAM]

1.  I find the MDR breakfast better than the small buffet at Modernos.  I particularly enjoy the smoked salmon on a toasted bagel with cream cheese available and capers, tomato and onion.  I also like the open-faced tuna and chicken salad (they alternate by day) sandwiches on hearty bread in the MDR for lunch.

 

2.  Lobster has never been a good choice on NCL.  They have no facility to maintain live lobster.  The lobster they serve is previously-frozen and has been baked, not steamed.  It is typically smothered with a (soy?) sauce to make up for the dryness. There are better choices in Ocean Blue.  

 

If you enjoy lobster, try the cruises out of New York, Boston and Quebec that go to Maine and the Maritimes.  Earlier this month on port stops of the Escape I had wonderful lobster lunches in Portland, Bar Harbor and Halifax.  Could have had another in St. John, but opted for wonderful "full belly" fried clams. 

[Jan_In_Maine]

Following, as we will be on the Breakaway in May, 2021 .. so far away (good thing we have two cruises before!!!).  Thanks so much for doing this review!  Jan

[C cruise]

enjoying your review....

[Acruzaholic]

Looking forward to your review-Going on Breakaway  Nov. 3, 2019.

[Sweetnspicy]

I am so sad to hear you guys won’t be cruising any more! 

[Sauer-kraut]

43 minutes ago, Sweetnspicy said:

 

Delete 

Edited October 23, 2019 by Sauer-kraut

[Sweetnspicy]

4 minutes ago, Sauer-kraut said:

Delete 

I saw you had posted “Rude” before you deleted the comment. I definitely am not rude and neither was my comment. 

[Sauer-kraut]

12 minutes ago, Sweetnspicy said:

I saw you had posted “Rude” before you deleted the comment. I definitely am not rude and neither was my comment. 

That's why I deleted, I mis-read it. 

[newmexicoNita]

Now let's go on to the third day which was Tuesday

 

We ate breakfast in the MDR before we headed out to Maya Caye or so we thought we would. We enjoyed a wonderful meal. I started with grapefruit juice and of course coffee, followed by 2 bagels with everything including plenty of smoked Salmon. The reason I had 2, usually they go very light on the Salmon so I choose to order 1 with a double serving of salmon. I guess the kitchen didn't understand so they gave me 2 orders. I always have to smile when we order it cause it comes with lettuce. Why, who knows?  Hubby choose eggs benedict which were cooked perfectly. We all left full and happy. From there, as soon as the ship was cleared it was on to Maya Caye which was a short boat trip from the port. Well, hubby and I did not end up going but more on that later. We ended up having lunch at O'Sheehans. Of course through the years this has become our "go to" place for lunch. I do not like their breakfast at all. Dinner was Cagney's. Ok, here goes! for all of you who say it has gone down hill I have decided that, like food period is a matter of opinion and my opinion is it has not. The only one who was unhappy with his steak was hubby. He got the rib eye and even though the rib eye is usually fatty his was really fatty. I choose the pork loin. It was cooked to perfection but way too much for me to eat. I wish I could have taken it home and saved it for another meal. One of the girls had a steak that she said was cooked just right and I can't remember what the other one had. Sides were good as was the salad. I choose a sliced multi colored beet salad. It was so good I could have eaten a dozen. Would we rate it top of the line? Nope, but not awful like some have said. 

 

Wednesday, was Harvest Caye. We started the day with breakfast back in Moderno's. Same as before: we had enough to eat but we finally got it through our heads we did not want to give it another chance. After breakfast the girls and hubby headed to the resort. I choose to stay on the ship. My tummy didn't feel to good, and I was dead tired. I had not been sleeping well. I had lunch all by myself which was fine. Of course I headed to O'Sheehan's after an hour or so in the sun reading my book. Then I decided to just go to our cabin and take a short nap. For dinner it was off to our favorite: Moderno's. Sorry NCL, you have let this one go down hill. The salad bar was wonderful.. Some say not as large selection as land based Brazilian Steak houses. This is true but OMG what more could anyone want? We love it From the was the downer. The filet was over cooked, the chicken leg was dry and nothing really stood out in our minds. It was the worst food ever and if the price was as in the past I would continue thinking it was great. This time NO. 

 

Thursday: While the girls did their own thing for breakfast we headed to the MDR. It was fairly crowded as people are about to eat and head into Costa Maya. We had to wait a few minutes buy were seated fairly quickly and the service was fast. I choose spinach and dill pancakes with salmon. Well, it wasn't the best selection and it would never be chosen by me again. To say it was awful is being kind. Again, I do not blame the cooks, it was just not my thing. Hubby was very happy with his selection. While the girls were off the Costa Maya we, choose to enjoy the day on the ship. It was one of the few times we ate in the buffet. The choices were great and the food,not overly seasoned like I would fix it at home but certainly very good.. For lunch it is a great choice I think. Dinner led us to the height of our dinners. We did not have reservations because everything was sold out from day one, so we took our chances and we hit gold. We asked about the possibility of getting a place in Tapanyaki's and sure enough they had a no show. Our chef was the best I have ever seen and we have done a lot of Japanese dining in our long lives. I can't think of one negative thing to say except the other 3 at our table were duds.. We sang with our chef, laughed and the food was spectacular. Needless to say, we didn't hesitate to tip hi well. We all let full, laughing and happy. 

 

Friday: I don't even remember breakfast but I do remember Lunch. We were in Cozumel and ate our favorite place: Ponchos Backdoor. We have been eating there for years when on the Island. Friday night was our always favorite: Le Bistro, but it wasn't as good as Tapanyaki's this time Of course I love the Escargot and it did not disappoint: Hubby and Karen had mushroom soup which they said was outstanding as usual. I had Cesar salad which is a must every time I eat there and it was good.We had a choice with or without anchovies. I always choose with. I had filet, and hubby had veal. We agreed it was very good. 

 

Sat: it was back to the MDR for breakfast and then to a final M&G with the crew. We all had a basic breakfast. I had juice and eggs benedict. Hubby had bagels and salmon. We skipped lunch as we had our M&G which ran into the early afternoon because we spent so much time saying good bye to so many new friends. We made up for no lunch with a lot of wine and a few hours in the casino. Should have had much. Dinner was early and we choose the MDR which was so good. I had a disappointment though: my fist (trout) was very much over cooked. The creme burlee made up for the less than good fish. All in all I would have to rate our dining experience about a B. The MDR was as close to an A as you can get, but the specialty dining rooms all, with the exception of Tapanyaki's had a few bumps. Don't get me wrong, we were overall very happy with the food, just a few things that have changed since our last cruise in Feb. We all know food is subjective, not to mention even within the same company it depends on who is preparing the food. 

 

Lets now talk service and  cabins: 

 

Our cabin and our cabin steward were all we could have asked for. The cabins are a tiny bit small but the bathrooms are well set up. Hubby couldn't stop talking about how much he loved the shower. It was roomy and very easy to move around in. With a wonderful stewardess everything was kept spotless. There was one strange but good thing: if the balcony door was not completely closed and locked the air would not kick on. We spent a few pretty warm afternoons trying to take a quick nap with no air. We had not closed the door quite tight enough. We don't spend a lot of time in our cabin but when we do, we would love to get some real news, not just network politics. We didn't even know who won the American league title until we had cell service on Sunday. As for our steward and the crew period, everyone went above and beyond. She was from ST Lucia and always wore a smile. I asked her how long she had been with NCL: 5 years and this was the starting of her 6th contract Of course this meant she would not be home for Christmas. I told her I was sad for her: the comment with a smile was: this is the sacrifice I make for my job. The rest of the crew, for the most part, as well as the passengers were so nice and so helpful.. Hubby is mobility challenged as I have mentioned so getting up and down can be his frustration. There was always someone willing to help him if he couldn't get up. I certainly can't complain about the service, from the bar service, to the restaurant, to our cabin, whatever. I think the way they handle almost 5000 people is fantastic. In fact, back to our cabin stewardess, she would even keep the girls abreast of when we left our cabin or if we were still there. They said they never needed to wonder where we were, Iza would let them know. 

 

oK, time to break.. Later I will finish up with activities and ports. Now it is time for breakfast. You know it is funny, I have no one to make it for me, clean up after me or bring me a glass of wine. 🍷

[Nclgetawaymenhoney]

Thank you for taking the time for your review, appreciate it!

[graphicguy]

Nita...just to reiterate what others have said, I’ve always enjoyed you reviews and your insight. We will miss you, and hope you drop by from time-to-time if only to say “Hello”!

Edited October 23, 2019 by graphicguy

[newmexicoNita]

Now let's talk about tours and activities: I have to say, there was plenty to do both on and off the ship They had movies (port days) in the atrium, shows everywhere in the evening including the comedy club and of course the casino, as well as Bingo. We are not Bingo players but our daughter did play a couple of times: won, nothing. The atrium shows were a bit of a disappointment for us. The Beatles were one thing we were anxious to see. It was just one guy with some pictures in the background. We didn't hear any of our favorite songs, but then, in all fairness we didn't stay around long to see what else he might do. The pool band was a bit too loud for us oldsters. Even our daughter and our almost 60 year old friend were not jumping with joy. I think this pretty much leads us to think of the Breakaway as a ship for those 50 and under, more than 60 plus, but the girls did do the water slide a few times, loved it and we took part in Trivia a few mornings: lots of fun, some easy, some super hard. They didn't have a goo turnout for trivia, partly because it wasn't really publicized much. We were sorry we did not attend the Wine lovers musical as we had done the first time on the Breakaway. We heard good reviews and we enjoyed it the one time we did see it. The pool area is one of my biggest gripes. There is not a good place to enjoy a little sun if you have any mobility concerns. This is not to say everything should be set  up for those who can't get up and down easy, but there are absolutely no chairs, only lounges and getting in and out of a very low lounge is not something easy for people with weak legs. if only there were a handful of chairs. If they have them for smokers, why not handicapped travelers. We did sit on the side of the pool by the bar a couple of days. This worked fairly well. There are also tables and chairs in the shade close to the buffet. We are used to a slightly better set up on the Dawn and the Jewel class ships. Now, let's forget the negatives: I will add there was dance classes, cooking demos, arts and crafts and other activities to keep everyone busy. For those who want to find something to do there is plenty. I often wonder what else people have in mind when they say there are not enough activities going on. Don't forget there is also ping pong tables, bowling, etc and not everything has a charge.  

 

We didn't do a lot in ports but I will hit the highs and lows. I love Roaton but didn't get to enjoy it this time. We had booked a resort trip to Maya Caye with a short boat ride over to the resort. Unfortunately I had trouble getting into the boat as it was above the 3 steps you needed to use to climb in and the boat was moving too much. Yes, I think I could have made it but I got scared. We choose to just go back to the ship. .The girls said there was a lot more walking than they are had expected so I guess we made the correct choice. We had no problem getting our money back and everyone was super nice. If thew had been one other person to help me, all would have been fine. The girls who snorkel often couldn't get over had great the snorkeling was. there was a small gift shop with the usual fun stuff and lunch was included. Harvest Caye was the one I missed, but three of them ventured over to the resort. They offer small golf type carts for those who have problems walking a long way.. This makes it easy to enjoy the island and the pool area apparently is the nicest many say they have seen. There are lots of other things to do, but all come with a price tag. Remember drinks are not part of your package as NCL does not own the island. The next day was Costa Maya. None of us did a tour there, just got off, did a very little shopping and back on the ship. We rented a private driver in Cozumel for a few hours. Though we had been to the port probably 10 times we had never seen the other side of the island. It was well worth the time and money. The other side is nothing like the touristy side. Our driver was fun, informative and we would use him again in a second. Of course we hired one of those poor guy to bike us from the ship to the port itself. That is the only way unless you are in really good shape. Though we had planned a little shopping, when we had finished the tour and lunch at Ponchos we were hot and tired. The humidity was quite high. The walk through the shopping are and back down the elevator or escalator was a bit long. we decided we didn't need a bunch of junk like we have purchased so many times before. That is about it for our sight seeing. 

 

Last minute thoughts: some have questioned O'Sheehan's having nightly specials. Every time we walked by they were running one. I don't know about every night though. Someone has mentioned whether or not there is a charge for no shows in the specialty dining rooms. According to both the freestyle daily and the hostess we talked to; yes, there can be a charge. I am sure it is not always enforced but it could be. Dress for dinner; Ocean Blue does have a long pants policy and yes, they will send you back if you show up in shorts. Hubby tried it, not reading the requirement in the Freestyle daily and though Manhattan room says long pants only, one the last night they were not paying any attention. Whether this was true all week I do not know. 

 

Now that I have bored all of you, I am gong to sign off, I have a bridge date. I will be glad to try to answer any questions and am sure it will take me awhile to break my Cruise critic addiction so will still be posting, just not often. Thanks for all the nice comments and for those, in the past who I have disagreed with, don't think I won't still pop up to continue my snarky ways from time to time. 😢😂

[Trimone]

Nita, my wife and I had the pleasure of meeting you on the Dawn sailing out of San Juan earlier this year, it is very sad you have decided to call it a day, you’re stories and advice gave great pleasure to everyone at the meet and greet organised by Colorado Ken.

good luck for the future.

[OceanDreaming2]

Nita, I have always enjoyed reading your reviews and the advise you've given in the past.  I hope you can continue to help others, as much as you have helped me.  😘

[newmexicoNita]

18 hours ago, Trimone said:

Nita, my wife and I had the pleasure of meeting you on the Dawn sailing out of San Juan earlier this year, it is very sad you have decided to call it a day, you’re stories and advice gave great pleasure to everyone at the meet and greet organised by Colorado Ken.

good luck for the future.

Thanks, that was one of the best M&Gs ever. I will miss cruising but life does change and we have to accept and move on.

[Bonnie1222]

Thank you for taking the time to post all this great information.

 

My husband and I have booked our first NCL cruise on the Breakaway in 2020.  We are Platinum on Disney Cruise line and have only ever sailed Princess once about 18 years ago.  We are so used to the set dining times, rotational dining, free soda/juice/coffee etc and Disney's ways this is and exciting, and at the same time intimidating change; but the we couldn't pass up a 7 day western cruise to all our favorite ports for 1/3 the price.  

 

The first thing I did when we decided to book was get out my pad and pen and start writing down questions we have.  Reading your post, has already answered a few, but added some new ones as well.  Thank you again for taking the time to write the review.  I may pop back here and ask you some questions if you don't mind.

 

 

[newmexicoNita]

always here to answer questions but there are times when I am wrong.

I do want to add one more thing which I forgot: we did get tickets to the VIBE. Our daughter were allowed to buy all 4 as she arrived prior to us; now, the bad part, I am glad I wasn't paying for them: they were the biggest waste of money ever in my view. The only difference from spending time at SpiceH2O was a wall dividing them. We did have both lounges and chairs, a few umbrellas, a very small bar and 2 hot tubs. That was it. The waiter was super nice and very nice, but no way was it worth $200, not to mention it was hotter than you know where up there. Save your money, there must be a lot of better places to put $200 per person, especially when you only have 2 sea days.. 

[worktocruise610]

Thanks for your review, Nita. Sorry you need to say goodbye to cruising but as you said, life does change. I would like to repeat what others have said here though, I have always enjoyed your comments & insights & hope that you will continue to share your knowledge with us. Though cruising will no longer be your way, I hope you enjoy all your future travels. 

[Deeliteful]

3 hours ago, newmexicoNita said:

always here to answer questions but there are times when I am wrong.

I do want to add one more thing which I forgot: we did get tickets to the VIBE. Our daughter were allowed to buy all 4 as she arrived prior to us; now, the bad part, I am glad I wasn't paying for them: they were the biggest waste of money ever in my view. The only difference from spending time at SpiceH2O was a wall dividing them. We did have both lounges and chairs, a few umbrellas, a very small bar and 2 hot tubs. That was it. The waiter was super nice and very nice, but no way was it worth $200, not to mention it was hotter than you know where up there. Save your money, there must be a lot of better places to put $200 per person, especially when you only have 2 sea days.. 

Totally agree, real waste of money imo.

 

[snorklinbarb]

First, thanks for the review.  Enjoyed your comments and perspectives of your family members.  

 

Understand completely how decisions come upon us, having had to cancel 2 cruises this year (though managed to go on 2 and have future bookings).  Friends we met years ago on NCL are now in their 80's and a couple of years ago regrettably had to give up cruising.  They now refer to all their cruises as "the good old days."  

 

You've certainly contributed a lot here and hope you will pop in.  Best wishes to you!

[UFMOM]

Sorry to hear you will no longer be cruising. But hope you can enjoy other travel experiences. Yours posts were always valued and we hope you will look in occasionally to answer questions from all your experiences. We will miss your reviews and wish you good luck with your future travels. 

 

Mary Ann

[cincicruisers]

Thank you for sharing your review with us!

[CP3o]

On 10/24/2019 at 9:51 AM, newmexicoNita said:

we did get tickets to the VIBE. Our daughter were allowed to buy all 4 as she arrived prior to us; 

I'm not sure I'd ever do VIBE but is this a policy change?  One person can buy up to 4 passes?  Just curious, thanks.