Norwegian Breakaway OR Royal Caribbean Harmony?

[dkmk529]

Help!!! Need help deciding between Breakaway or Harmony for a family of 8.  Teenagers to young adults, ages 14-20.  We've been on RCCL twice (adults only) Allure and Symphony and both were first class.  Nervous to try another cruise line.  NCL is offering killer incentives right now so there is a substantial price difference,  ports are similar.  

[DaniDanielle]

We have been on 24 cruises and the Breakaway was the worst.  We had a balcony room, balcony was tiny.  Food was okay.  Pool area wasn’t great. The main pool was 6feet deep all over so I had to hang on to the side!!  The only good thing was the Ropes Course and zipline but I am older so once was enough.  We felt closed in on the Breakaway.  Anyway,  Harmony, in my opinion, is just fantastic with so much to do.  Never boring and so pretty......

[smplybcause]

Harmony is newer and of course bigger. Though Breakaway had a dry dock kinda recent. Breakaway it's the first Away class for NCL. It does have smaller balconies that were corrected on later versions. I've been on Oasis and had a perfectly fine time on Breakaway. I personally enjoy the freestyle dining a lot more. NCL caters better to solos so I go on there a bit. 

 

I'd say their theater shows are on par. The ropes course will have less of a wait than flowrider. I think a lot of other night entertainment is comparable - howl at the moon vs schooners piano, syds is likely comparable to I think music hall that harmony has. I don't know if it is the same as Oasis but I was less impressed with where/how they did the clubs - NCL has a few theme nights up on their top deck with a party every night in the club downstairs. NCL has a 24/7 pub vs royals late night pizza. 

 

I think besides the all freestyle dining on NCL I think the bigger thing that sticks out to me is they allow parents to sign waivers for 18-20 year olds to drink beer and wine. 

 

 

What do you guys most enjoy on Allure/Symphony or what would you most think your kids would enjoy? That might help to say one is better than the other. 

[dkmk529]

1 hour ago, smplybcause said:

Harmony is newer and of course bigger. Though Breakaway had a dry dock kinda recent. Breakaway it's the first Away class for NCL. It does have smaller balconies that were corrected on later versions. I've been on Oasis and had a perfectly fine time on Breakaway. I personally enjoy the freestyle dining a lot more. NCL caters better to solos so I go on there a bit. 

 

I'd say their theater shows are on par. The ropes course will have less of a wait than flowrider. I think a lot of other night entertainment is comparable - howl at the moon vs schooners piano, syds is likely comparable to I think music hall that harmony has. I don't know if it is the same as Oasis but I was less impressed with where/how they did the clubs - NCL has a few theme nights up on their top deck with a party every night in the club downstairs. NCL has a 24/7 pub vs royals late night pizza. 

 

I think besides the all freestyle dining on NCL I think the bigger thing that sticks out to me is they allow parents to sign waivers for 18-20 year olds to drink beer and wine. 

 

 

What do you guys most enjoy on Allure/Symphony or what would you most think your kids would enjoy? That might help to say one is better than the other. 

 

[dkmk529]

1 hour ago, smplybcause said:

 

 

Edited February 11, 2020 by dkmk529

[dkmk529]

@smplybcause 

Thanks for your input. We just feel like RCCL does everything top notch. The crew were always so friendly and accommodating.  The ship was clean. Since we've been on 2 we know where everything is.  We really just want to "WOW" our kids.  We are a blended family and none of them have ever been on a vacation quite like this.  They are too old for the "teenage clubs" and they are afraid there won't be anything for them to do on the ship.  We have a few that aren't 21 yet and are worried about not being able to drink but if NCL allows us to give permission for them to drink that may be enough to seal the deal for them. :) Just curious, how did you know that? Is it advertised somewhere?

 

NCL is offering free drink package, free wifi, free specialty dining and free excursions.  And if we book balcony or higher they prepay gratuities for 2.  All of that is a huge cost savings.  Plus we can get better cabins for less $$ than RC.  

 

We had decided due to perks we were going to do NCL until I started reading some not so good reviews.  Said water slides aren't open that often, pool is too small and very crowded, service was not good, some said room steward was terrbile and didn't even clean the room. Also read ship seemed understaffed with long wait times at the bars. 

 

I'm so torn.... I feel like the money saved is a no brainer but then I think this is the one and only trip we will do like this for them so should we just spend the extra $$ to get what we already know?!?!

 

Anything else you have to share that you think might help?

[smplybcause]

3 minutes ago, dkmk529 said:

Thanks for your input. We just feel like RCCL does everything top notch. The crew were always so friendly and accommodating.  The ship was clean. Since we've been on 2 we know where everything is.  We really just want to "WOW" our kids.  We are a blended family and none of them have ever been on a vacation quite like this.  They are too old for the "teenage clubs" and they are afraid there won't be anything for them to do on the ship.  We have a few that aren't 21 yet and are worried about not being able to drink but if NCL allows us to give permission for them to drink that may be enough to seal the deal for them. 🙂 Just curious, how did you know that? Is it advertised somewhere?

 

NCL is offering free drink package, free wifi, free specialty dining and free excursions.  And if we book balcony or higher they prepay gratuities for 2.  All of that is a huge cost savings.  Plus we can get better cabins for less $$ than RC.  

 

We had decided due to perks we were going to do NCL until I started reading some not so good reviews.  Said water slides aren't open that often, pool is too small and very crowded, service was not good, some said room steward was terrbile and didn't even clean the room. Also read ship seemed understaffed with long wait times at the bars. 

 

I'm so torn.... I feel like the money saved is a no brainer but then I think this is the one and only trip we will do like this for them so should we just spend the extra $$ to get what we already know?!?!

 

Anything else you have to share that you think might help?

 

Probably from NCLs cruise critic forum. You can find it on their website https://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/liquor-beverages though under 21 wouldn't get the free beverage package. So they'd either pay per drink or there's a cap and corks package you could buy for them. 

 

I don't personally know as I find on board internet way too expensive and like to unplug, but from all I've heard NCLs internet is not as good as Royals.

 

The drop water slides were closed for maintenance in Oct, but on every other ship I've been on with them they were open - even in Alaska. Breakaway has two pools, though they probably aren't the biggest. They usually keep one as adults only which is nice. I didn't have horrible service. They have a switch in your room that lights up a service requested light. Only time my cabin didn't get the twice a day service was when I accidentally left a card in the slot that turns the lights on - it also turns on the home light and some stewards will not go in even if the service light is on. I've found the ones on NCL are a bit less noticeable than on Royal so you may have to make a point of finding them. 

 

Yes there have been wait times at a bar, but there's also often another bar really close without a wait. Plus a lot of those are during prime time - the atrium bar when there's an activity going on, the pool bar in the middle of a sea day, the spice bar during one of their theme parties. But I've run into that on Royal too. At least NCL let's you get two drinks at a time on the package so if it's taking forever you can just get two. Some do complain that the free drink package on NCL doesn't include coffee, bottled water, fresh squeezed juice like Royal. You have to pay for an upgrade for that.

 

You'll have to make reservations on Breakaway like on Royals large ships.

 

Only one main dining room on Breakaway requires guys to wear pants and the French specialty restaurant. The rest don't care if guys wear shorts or tshirts. So if you're a more casual bunch you'll like that. 

[smplybcause]

I'll fully admit that I'm less picky than some and don't exactly have super high expectations for 4 star service on a mainstream cruise line and almost all of my cruises have been in the last decade so I don't know how cruising was 2 or 3 decades ago, but I'm perfectly happy on both Oasis class and Breakaway class ships. They're more alike than different if you ask me and I'd go on either. My main deciding factor is price and as a solo cruiser NCLs studio cabins with free drink package are almost always cheaper than Royal.

Edited February 11, 2020 by smplybcause

[truckswain]

I have not been on the Breakaway but have sailed the NCL Escape twice.  Both cruises were excellent with good service and good food.  Certainly more casual than RCCL and NCL has My Time Dining down to a science.  However I am not a fan of the layout of their ships.  The pool deck is very small. Deck chairs are nearly stacked on top of each other. and no real adult areas.  I found the entertainment lacking compared to Royal.  The perks certainly make the NCL cruise attractive but the Harmony would be a better ship with more activities for the family.

[daninwi]

We've been on a handful of RCCL cruises (Freedom, Majesty, Brilliance, and Mariner), but not on the mega-ships, and the Breakaway twice.  Personally its a tough call and probably comes down to how you calculate 'value'.

 

RCCL does have better pool and outdoor entertainment options.  Leaps and bounds better and cheaper internet and cellular-at-sea connections if you need that.  And generally speaking, attentive and more staff at the various bars.  And if you are booking a balcony - Royal wins.

 

The Breakaway was certainly a value for our family.  We compared the Breakaway to some of the RCCL back in October and found that NCL was about $2k cheaper for our family of three.  This was due to getting all the 'perks' with our mini-suite.  We found the food and specialty dining to be on-par, probably giving NCL a bit of edge for the buffet and other free dining venues.  We really did not have much of wait for beverages,  5 - 10 minutes tops.   Best venue on the ship by far is Syd Norman's Pour House!  Only place that ever felt crowded was the pool deck during the sea day.  

 

Haven't been on the Harmony, but happy to answer specific questions around the Breakaway.  

[TPCRUISER2]

Think the Harmony will have much more to offer the 14-20 yr olds!

[Redsky5292]

We've sailed the Breakaway twice, and it's sister ship the Getaway this past summer.  We never had an issue with the water slides, there was a wait for them when we had sea days but never a really long one.  The first room steward we had when we sailed the Breakaway for the first time was outstanding, he went out of his way to make our stay special, especially for our twins.  The other two stewards we had were good, not up to par as the first one, but they did their job well.  We really liked hanging out on deck 8 on the Water Front, which is the outside eating area for the restaurants at night, but is nice and quiet during the day.  We really liked Howl at the Moon, which is the dueling piano bar, we didn't do any other shows etc. as we were traveling with our young children.  We found the balcony big enough for us to sit out on at night after we put the kids to bed.  There always seemed to be something going on in the different parts of the ships.  We especially loved hanging out at Syd Normans on our last cruise after we got back on board.  We liked the food, especially the specialty restaurants, but we also liked the main dining rooms as well.  We are going on the Brilliance of the Seas this April so I will write a comparison review when we get back.  Ask me any questions you might have about the Breakaway/Getaway.

[dkmk529]

@Redsky5292 thanks for your reply.  I appreciate it.  We are most concerned about  the teens and young adults.  Don't want them to get bored at night. Did find that we can give consent for 18-20 year olds to drink so that will help out some. Our intent with taking a cruise with them at this age is for the freedom to go about the ship as they choose and not have to worry about where they are.  Did you feel like the ship was overcrowded? We just got back from cruising the Symphony and never ever felt like there were 6000 passengers on the ship. And we are going to have to crab 4 to a room so we know that will be tight.  Did you have a balcony room?

[Randir1391]

Hi! I just got off the breakaway in January and we were on the Harmony in May 2017. We actually really liked the breakaway but the cons we had were pretty major and would be solved on the harmony. First we thought the food on the breakaway was WAY better than any rccl ship. The teppanyaki, o’sheehans, and buffet were really really good and I still dream of the wings at o’sheehans. The biggest negative was the pool area. I was with a group of people who are sun dwellers and it was near impossible to get chairs together, or at all, past 10am. It was a very closed off and narrow space compared to being on the Harmony where we could stroll up after breakfast and there would be plenty of open chairs.  Also, the drink package is nice to be included but overall we thought the drinks were weak, unless you ordered a double, and the bar service was extremely slow and impersonal.  We actually really liked our stateroom. We had a balcony stateroom toward the front. It was clean and the bed was comfortable but we barely saw our cabin steward and on our last few Royal ships, the stewards go out of their way to introduce themselves and help in any way they can.  On the Harmony, we never felt cramped or crowded and it didn’t feel like there were as many people as they said and on the breakaway we definitely felt the crowds. Hope that helps!

[Randir1391]

Also we didn’t partake in any shows or entertainment at night on the breakaway because none of it was exciting to our group. On the Harmony, it was made a point to see all the shows/nightly entertainment because they were unique and highly regarded. 

[dkmk529]

@Randir1391 yes, that does help.... sorta.... :) We are looking at about a $4000 savings on NCL. We keep saying that since our kids have never cruised they have nothing to compare this to so hopefully won't be disappointed or bored. If it were just my sig other and me, we would def choose RC but adding 6 kids adds a lot more expense.  Would you say the issues you had would be tolerable to save $4000?

[Redsky5292]

8 minutes ago, dkmk529 said:

@Redsky5292 thanks for your reply.  I appreciate it.  We are most concerned about  the teens and young adults.  Don't want them to get bored at night. Did find that we can give consent for 18-20 year olds to drink so that will help out some. Our intent with taking a cruise with them at this age is for the freedom to go about the ship as they choose and not have to worry about where they are.  Did you feel like the ship was overcrowded? We just got back from cruising the Symphony and never ever felt like there were 6000 passengers on the ship. And we are going to have to crab 4 to a room so we know that will be tight.  Did you have a balcony room?

We did have a balcony room all three times we cruised on the Breakaway or Getaway, the balcony is not very big but we found it big enough for the two of us to sit out on.  I didn't feel like the ship was overcrowded but we tended to stay away from the parts that would be overcrowded (the atrium, the main pool area, the casino).  We tended to take the stairs instead of the elevators because those were really crowded.  

[Hammergirl]

Just remember that usually the perks they give you only apply to the first 2 people in the room. So the dining, drinks internet.....they only apply to passengers 1 and 2. That has been our experience anyway.

 

I would take the Harmony 100 times over the Breakaway. We have done both and the Harmony blows the Breakaway out of the water. Breakaway is to closed in and to crowded. It has a very bad flow to it IMO.

 

[ryano]

21 minutes ago, dkmk529 said:

 We are looking at about a $4000 savings on NCL. 

 

This right here, would be my deciding factor.   I havent cruised on NCL but $4K is two more cruises paid for.  No way it can be THAT bad.    

Edited February 11, 2020 by ryano

[dkmk529]

@Hammergirl Yes, you are correct and we are ok with that because we have to get 2 rooms anyway. I have no other cruise lines to compare to (other than a Carnival cruise from 1999, which i don't count) other than RCCL.  I don't know how you can get much better than that. You say you would take Harmony over Breakaway 100 times, but would you still say that knowing RCCL is $4000 more? and that price doesn't include the drink package on RCCL or internet, which tacks on an additional 1400......

[Hammergirl]

3 minutes ago, dkmk529 said:

@Hammergirl Yes, you are correct and we are ok with that because we have to get 2 rooms anyway. I have no other cruise lines to compare to (other than a Carnival cruise from 1999, which i don't count) other than RCCL.  I don't know how you can get much better than that. You say you would take Harmony over Breakaway 100 times, but would you still say that knowing RCCL is $4000 more? and that price doesn't include the drink package on RCCL or internet, which tacks on an additional 1400......

I would, yes. But that is just me. The Breakaway had just to many negatives for us. Only you can decide if it is worth the price difference. What are you guys interested in doing on the cruise? Will you be doing excursions or is the ship your main destination? All these things come into play when deciding on which ship is the better choice. 

[frizzo22]

Having been on both, I don't feel that the ships are comparable...absolutely hated the layout/flow of Breakaway. It's really a personal decision of what you can afford/are willing to spend.  Have you looked at Oasis or Allure (post refurb), they are both cheaper than Harmony?  My teenage daughter loves Oasis class and was meh about Breakaway.

[dkmk529]

6 minutes ago, frizzo22 said:

Having been on both, I don't feel that the ships are comparable...absolutely hated the layout/flow of Breakaway. It's really a personal decision of what you can afford/are willing to spend.  Have you looked at Oasis or Allure (post refurb), they are both cheaper than Harmony?  My teenage daughter loves Oasis class and was meh about Breakaway.

That's what we are afraid of.  We know RCCL's layout and all that they offer and love it.  We are so nervous about trying NCL. We have both been on Allure and loved it but would like to have one with water slides.  We talked about Oasis ship but not crazy about the ports.  Don't really care to go to port canaveral. Did your cruise on the Oasis ship itself or just the Oasis class?

[Ru5tY]

Haven't been on the Breakaway or Harmony, but I can comment on between RCL Oasis vs NCL Escape & NCL Getaway (which are basically sister ships).

 

RCL has better main dining room (dinner), shows, and flowrider (surfing).  The shows felt way better on RCL, there's 2 musical productions, 1 skating show, 1 aqua show (vegas style), and 1 kids puppet show that was surprisingly better than expected.  Oasis didn't have waterslides when I went on, but I would assume it's now on par with NCL.  Didn't like how all the kids activities you had to pay a surcharge for.  Pool area is slightly bigger for RCL.

 

NCL has better buffet (wider assortment of food during breakfast & lunch), rope course (zip line and walking the plank), and more free activities for younger kids.  We ate dinner in the main dining room and the food was just "ok" and we were never wow'd.  Freestyle dining was great and you can just show up anytime, but the downside is that you get a different waiter every night and never end up building rapport with them. The shows were average...good enough but no "wow" factor.  Your kids might enjoy the Free Fall waterslide (vertical drop, just like at Great Wolf Lodge). Not having a formal night was great as well, since we tend to pack light and I hate packing a suit/shirt/shoes.

 

IMO, you're definitely getting a more premium experience with RCL Harmony over the NCL Breakaway. Price has always been an advantage for NCL, and for us the 3rd/4th guest free promo has always resulted in significant savings when compared to RCL.  If we're talking about savings of $4000, I would probably pick NCL as the kids won't know the difference!  They'll have a great time on both ships.  Spend those savings on some memorable shore excursions instead.

 

[frizzo22]

31 minutes ago, dkmk529 said:

That's what we are afraid of.  We know RCCL's layout and all that they offer and love it.  We are so nervous about trying NCL. We have both been on Allure and loved it but would like to have one with water slides.  We talked about Oasis ship but not crazy about the ports.  Don't really care to go to port canaveral. Did your cruise on the Oasis ship itself or just the Oasis class?

Have been on Oasis before and after refurb and Harmony, Oasis post refurb is prob my favorite ship and will be going back her in April and trying Allure in December.  When are you thinking of going, Allure will have all the water slides/Ultimate Abyss/new restaurants and attractions when she gets back from refurb.