Norwegian Breakaway

[sallybrown2012]

Hi!  If anyone can comment on the Norwegian Breakaway I'd appreciate it.

 

We are considering a cruise out of New Orleans in the fall and there aren't a lot of ships to choose from (one other is the Carnival Glory, if that helps).  We've done a ton of cruising but usually from Fort Lauderdale/Princess, but are hesitant to plan on leaving from FL given current conditions.  Plus my mom has never been to New Orleans and I think she'd really like it!

[ColeThornton]

Sally, you may want to be a bit more specific on what you would like to know about the ship.  You'll get more responses that way.

[ace2542]

NCL sailing would be fully vaccinated correct? The others perhaps not?

[RaftingJeremy]

I’m pretty sure the state and cruise lines will hammer out a deal.  Unfortunately desantis is a smart guy and realizes his posturing will eventually Cost him.  

[BirdTravels]

57 minutes ago, sallybrown2012 said:

Hi!  If anyone can comment on the Norwegian Breakaway I'd appreciate it.

 

We are considering a cruise out of New Orleans in the fall and there aren't a lot of ships to choose from (one other is the Carnival Glory, if that helps).  We've done a ton of cruising but usually from Fort Lauderdale/Princess, but are hesitant to plan on leaving from FL given current conditions.  Plus my mom has never been to New Orleans and I think she'd really like it!

The Breakaway is a 4000 passenger ship. Think of a Royal class ship (Discovery, Enchanted, Sky). Bigger ship. 

She’s a beautiful ship with lots to do. Lots of space to get some sun. Or the Deck 8 waterfront, a covered area with lots of comfy sofas and chairs to sit and read. 
 

The ship features the Broadway shows Burn the Floor (high energy Latin dancing - Dancing with the Stars on steroids) and Six (the latest Broadway musical about Henry the VIII). Bars all have live music at night. 
 

The Main Dining Rooms are fine. You show up when you are hungry and when it fits your schedule. No set dining times. The Manhattan Room is the biggest with live music and a dance floor (sometimes used by the Burn the Floor cast for a pop-up performance). Taste and Savor are two smaller MDRs. All serve the same menu. NCL will try to upsell you on specialty dining which is good if you want (better to have a dining package to minimize costs). 
 

We normally come in early when sailing out of NOLA staying at the Hilton on the river or Harrahs. It is right on the trolly line into the French quarter. 
 

The link below is to our live post from the Breakaway in 2017. The ship has been through a major dry dock in 2018, restoring her to  brand new. We have sailed on the Breakaway 6 times

 

Edited May 30, 2021 by BirdTravels

[graphicguy]

Last I sailed out of New Orleans was on the Conquest.  But, that was a few years ago.  Love sailing out of New Orleans.  Not sure where things stand there, now.  But, there is lots to do and see.

 

Breakaway….very familiar with that ship.  Have sailed her in both a Solo Cabin and in the Haven.

 

Fun Ship.  As mentioned, entertainment is top notch.  Food was fine.  Loved hanging out in O’Sheehans (if they’re still calling it that) as it’s a “pub” atmosphere that overlooks the entertainment in the main atrium below.  You can grab drinks and “pub” style food there.

 

The ship is a nice size.  Not too small, not too large.  You won’t want for anything to do.  Plus, my favorite feature is the WATERFRONT.  Spent a lot of time at this area that is outside, overlooking the water, either dining in one of the specialty restaurants that have seats there, or drinking at one of the bars that also overlook the water, which is literally 20 feet from the railings.

 

Nothing like catching a warm breeze and smelling the salt water with an ice cold beverage, or dining under the moonlight with those same warm breezes blowing.

 

It was in good shape when I sailed her last.  Not sure if she’s been to dry dock, though.

[Yinster]

If you like bigger ships then breakaway is ideal. Our cruise was full but never really felt too busy. Plenty to do on board.

 

One piece of advice. Even though NCL is freestyle, if there's a restaurant you really want to eat or at a set time then book ahead. In theory, freestyle is a wonderful concept but in practice, eating at your favourite restaurant in peak times really needs booking.

[FranknBeans]

Have been on this ship three times while I don't like the bigger ships. We sail for the itinerary. Thus  wev''e sailed out of New Orleans twice and are   booked for Jan 2022  b2b

cant wait.

There are very few kids onboard and love the selection of dining venues

[All-ready2cruise]

18 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

O’Sheehans (if they’re still calling it that)

Yes, I loved hanging out at O'Sheehans as well and now I see they've added 
"American Diner".  Here's the sample menu (in case you haven't seen it yet) for that newly installed dining venue: 

https://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/American-Diner-Menu-102419.pdf

 

Enjoy

[graphicguy]

13 minutes ago, All-ready2cruise said:

Yes, I loved hanging out at O'Sheehans as well and now I see they've added 
"American Diner".  Here's the sample menu (in case you haven't seen it yet) for that newly installed dining venue: 

https://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/American-Diner-Menu-102419.pdf

 

Enjoy

That looks quite good.  Thx!

[MNcruisingcouple]

We've sailed out of NOLA at least four times and have a Breakaway cruise booked for December.  We love New Orleans and always add on several days to enjoy the city.  Hoping the city is relatively back to normal by December.  @sallybrown2012 let me know if you'd like more specific suggestions for the city.

One of our cruises from there was on the Breakaway (Jan 2019).  We had a group of 9 ranging in age from 10 to 55.  Everyone could find something they enjoyed doing.  The ropes course was a huge hit.  And the kids (10, 16, 18) loved all the food options.  My favorite place is the Waterfront. Its great for quite early mornings with coffee or staying on the ship while at port.  Depending on how large your group is restaurant reservations are a good idea.  Immediately upon embarkation I make reservations.  If you have a small group, it isn't necessary for the MDRs but for sure for the specialties.  Le Bistro is our favorite (my DH says they have better steaks than Cagney's) and they've been very accommodating even with kids.

[krittykat]

7 hours ago, MNcruisingcouple said:

We've sailed out of NOLA at least four times and have a Breakaway cruise booked for December.  We love New Orleans and always add on several days to enjoy the city.  Hoping the city is relatively back to normal by December.  @sallybrown2012 let me know if you'd like more specific suggestions for the city.

One of our cruises from there was on the Breakaway (Jan 2019).  We had a group of 9 ranging in age from 10 to 55.  Everyone could find something they enjoyed doing.  The ropes course was a huge hit.  And the kids (10, 16, 18) loved all the food options.  My favorite place is the Waterfront. Its great for quite early mornings with coffee or staying on the ship while at port.  Depending on how large your group is restaurant reservations are a good idea.  Immediately upon embarkation I make reservations.  If you have a small group, it isn't necessary for the MDRs but for sure for the specialties.  Le Bistro is our favorite (my DH says they have better steaks than Cagney's) and they've been very accommodating even with kids.

We are also on the Breakaway in Dec..12/12. This is our 2nd reschedule and looks like a go this time. Used our bonus credits to bump to The Haven...which will be a first for us. We are so looking forward to New Orleans and the cruise

[JMHAM1]

1 hour ago, krittykat said:

We are also on the Breakaway in Dec..12/12. This is our 2nd reschedule and looks like a go this time. Used our bonus credits to bump to The Haven...which will be a first for us. We are so looking forward to New Orleans and the cruise

We love leaving out of NOLA as we used to live there. I am trying to decide what dates in Nov/Dec will work and hoping they will be sailing by then. We had to cancel our dream cruise due to COVID and have been not so patiently waiting to rebook!

[troyphoto]

Out of curiosity, how do the shows in the main theater work? Is there a different show each night, like on the jewel class ships? Or just the SIX and BURN? What about the other shows (Headliners and the Circus area?)

 

We love the Jewell Class ships are this is our first venture (Jan 30, 2022) on the Breakaway. And we're taking cruise newbies, so I'm supposed to have all the answers about a ship I've never been on. 😁

[Yinster]

There's a separate area for the circus. As it's a dining show.

[sallybrown2012]

@MNcruisingcouple Thanks for your suggestions, and yes I'd love suggestions for NOLA. I have been there once but this time would really like to stay in the French Quarter, so my mom (who is 80) can get a taste for it being right there- but she's not a late night partier either (haha).  Similarly if you have tour suggestions for her/us I'd love that as well.  Tacking in a few days to see the city sounds like a wonderful idea.

Thanks to everyone for comments about the Breakaway.  I'm so excited about the chance to cruise again.  Hopefully by November things will be much closer to normal.

[NYcruzzer]

Just booked the Breakaway for October 24th to Bermuda. It's been a while. How many days in advance can you make dinner reservations ? Also when did they change the speacialty dining perk from 3 dinners down to 2 on 7 night voyages ?

[kochleffel]

Typically each of the large shows in the theater will play for two nights per cruise, with two performances each of those nights. On the large ships you can, and should, make reservations even though the shows are free. On other nights there may be shows by other performers, such as those from Headliners. Keep an eye out for those in case you get shut out of Headliners. In Headliners, the performers may repeat but every show will probably be different. Sometimes the comics have an early show that is family-rated and a late show that isn't.

 

 

[luckyinpa]

i took one cruise with 2 8 yr olds and on rainy days i found things to do lacking. also theres no real indoor space to hide on the BA. the atrium is a joke and you literally have to stand next to someone then jump in their chair to get a seat. otherwise i didnt find anything really to do with kids on a rainy day . arcade gets very expensive. 

 

the broadway shows are fantastic and i normally wouldnt see those kinds of things. 

 

i found the buffet on BA just really not fun. the way you stand in line and people digging plates in your back. its just too tight. loved the bliss and also regal princess in comparison. teppanyaki is fantastic and ocean blue had good dover sole. nice to eat that outside. 

[MNcruisingcouple]

On 5/31/2021 at 9:15 AM, sallybrown2012 said:

@MNcruisingcouple Thanks for your suggestions, and yes I'd love suggestions for NOLA. I have been there once but this time would really like to stay in the French Quarter, so my mom (who is 80) can get a taste for it being right there- but she's not a late night partier either (haha).  Similarly if you have tour suggestions for her/us I'd love that as well.  Tacking in a few days to see the city sounds like a wonderful idea.

Thanks to everyone for comments about the Breakaway.  I'm so excited about the chance to cruise again.  Hopefully by November things will be much closer to normal.

We've really enjoyed the three "Free Tours by Foot" that we've done.  Their guides are very knowledgeable and the history is interesting.  Not sure if they would be doable with your mom's age.  We love just wandering the quarter, people watching, seeing the street artists and musicians, smelling and sampling the pralines.  Jackson Square and the French Market are both very fun.  

If you want to listen to music, head to Frenchman's St.  Its a short walk from the Quarter but so worth it.  The music doesn't really start before 8pm or so.  They used to have a schedule online, I'm not sure if that's still the case.  Its easy to walk down the street until you hear something you like and then go into that venue.  Most places have a cover charge or require you to purchase drinks.

We love food, so trying all the things is fun for us.  Don't miss beignets and café au laite, pralines, shrimp and grits, muffuletta, po' boys, gumbo/jambalaya/etouffee.    

You can also go over to the ports of departure board and there will be more recommendations.  Have a great cruise!

[Sand and Seas]

I would suggest you take your mom on the street cars.  They are  great way to give your mom a view of different areas of NOLA.  We rode them to the Garden District and then strolled around looking at the beautiful old mansions.  

 

[santos949]

31 minutes ago, Sand and Seas said:

I would suggest you take your mom on the street cars.  They are  great way to give your mom a view of different areas of NOLA.  We rode them to the Garden District and then strolled around looking at the beautiful old mansions.  

 

Where our Drew Brees lives!!

[MNcruisingcouple]

54 minutes ago, Sand and Seas said:

I would suggest you take your mom on the street cars.  They are  great way to give your mom a view of different areas of NOLA.  We rode them to the Garden District and then strolled around looking at the beautiful old mansions.  

 

 

This is a great idea!  The street cars are really fun. 

Also as an alternative to staying in the Quarter, you could stay in the Garden District and take the streetcar into the Quarter.  We do this primarily because we drive to NOLA and we are able to park our car for the cruise at one of the Garden District hotels.

[Suetravel]

Does anyone know if there will be a mingle for cruise critics members for ncl breakaway sailing on 9/26/21? And if there is, where and what days would they meet?

 

for people sailing in this cruise to Bermuda. Due to the high covid cases in Bermuda.

Do you think the breakaway will sail to other ports? There is no additional email information listed and not much mention of this. 
 

Thanks 

[kochleffel]

6 minutes ago, Suetravel said:

Does anyone know if there will be a mingle for cruise critics members for ncl breakaway sailing on 9/26/21? And if there is, where and what days would they meet?

 

I don't know whether NCL is currently offering these, but if one has been organized you would read about it in the Roll Call for that sailing. Roll Calls exist specifically for those traveling on the same sailing to communicate with one another.