Recently off the May 22-29 Breakaway Sailing ~ My thoughts and a few tips

[LisaLisa87]

Final Thoughts, Part 2

 

The Ship
Things we liked:

• The specialty restaurants we tried
• O'Sheehan's as an alternative, complimentary dining venue and for games
• The number and variety of bars and lounges
• Garden Cafe (overall quality and amount of seating)
• The fact that there was a Starbucks onboard
• The public sundeck with bar and shower on deck 17 (after the first sea day, we were glad we weren't successful in getting Vibe passes)
• The main shows (Burn the Floor and SIX)
• The variety of live music offered around the ship

 

Things we didn't like:

• The main pool/pool deck. The pool is just too small for the number of people onboard.
• We hoped to spend some time in Spice H20, but both times we visited the smoke smell was really strong. The smell of smoke tended to permeate the areas on either side of the casino as well.
• We've been on ships that did a better job of spreading people out. There were a few key areas that always seemed crowded. 
• We would have liked to have a few movies offered in the early evening, especially on nights when there was no early evening show in the Breakaway Theater or on nights when a show was being repeated.
• The regular WiFi that was part of the Free at Sea promo was slow and inconsistent. It often took me 5 minutes just to connect to send a text. Our daughter had the unlimited premium WiFi package. She had no complaints and was kind enough to share with me so I could keep my Wordle streak going after I ran out on day 5!

 

In a nutshell, we liked the Breakaway but didn't love her. We would sail with NCL again if the itinerary and price are right, but I'm not sure that we'd book this class of ship again.

 

Staff & Service
We went into this cruise knowing that the ship would be short staffed and that everything would probably take longer than usual. We're pretty easy to please, so for the most part we just went with the flow. I can't speak to service in the MDRs, but service in the specialty restaurants we visited was good to very good. It did appear to us that they were limiting capacity somewhat, which probably helped. IMO, service at Garden Buffet was solidly good.

 

The service at some of the bars was painfully slow. The bartenders were doing their best, but they were just overwhelmed. If you fill a ship mostly with adults who have a free beverage package, people are going to be ready to drink! We learned to avoid certain bars early on and found a few that tended to be quicker. It also helped to become regulars at a couple of places so the bartenders began to recognize us. Getting a drink on the pool deck could be tricky, but as I've mentioned the bar next to the public sundeck on deck 17 (right outside the entrance to Vibe) was almost always uncrowded.

 

I've mentioned the lack of communication a couple of times onboard, and I'll reiterate it here. There were a handful of times that a little communication would have gone a long way toward alleviating crowding and unnecessary stress. We've been on cruises where the cruise director shares important info about the next day after the main stage shows. Some may find that annoying, but I've always thought it was helpful. And if they weren't going to provide the info that way or over the PA system, they could at least have included it in the Freestyle Daily. Speaking of the cruise director, I didn't really find him to be a presence on our sailing. I don't think a CD makes or breaks a cruise, but they definitely can set the tone.

 

So overall, I would say the service was mostly good and occasionally poor or very good. The level of service would not keep us from sailing again.

 

That brings me to the end of my report. It's been fun to relive our cruise, and I appreciate all of you who have followed along! I know it got kind of dry toward the end, but I think a review is kind of like a sandwich -- dry at the beginning and end, with all the good stuff in the middle. I'd be happy to answer questions if I can.

 

Happy cruising!

 

 

[HxFx]

10 hours ago, LisaLisa87 said:

Final Thoughts, Part 2

I agree with a lot of this. I was really surprised about the smoking area in Spice H2O. Definitely permeated throughout and I ended up spending no time there after the first day when I thought it would be my go-to place. I agree the ship did not do a good job of spreading folks out (in the outdoor spaces) unless you wanted to hangout along the sides and read a book. If you wanted to be even adjacent to any pool/outdoor activity, it really seemed clustered. It also seemed the breeze was not as good as on some other ships.

 

It was sometimes hard to get a drink, particularly outside. We did go to that bar on deck 17 a few times as well. Another hidden gem was to go to the bars by the Garden Café. The one at the entrance could be a little crowded but at least it had a proper line so you didn’t have to worry about being first to flag down the bartender. Of course if you were only getting beer/wine/water and don’t mind a little walk, you could go to the bar at the very back of Garden Café. Never had more than one person in front of me. Another bar I really liked was the Prime Meridian between Cagney’s and Moderno. Always a seat and a really nice ambiance. Surprisingly, Shakers was usually pretty good for service/seating and often had live entertainment. The whiskey bar was always too crowded to even try.

 

The communication definitely was lacking. We weren’t even sure how to debark. We always do self-assist, fortunately, because we never got any tags to put our bags out nor instructions on the process. Were we supposed to do something ahead of time? Never had to with other lines. Would have liked some instructions about what to do the next morning. We probably would have gotten in the line a bit earlier if we had known the process.

[LisaLisa87]

18 minutes ago, HxFx said:

I agree with a lot of this. I was really surprised about the smoking area in Spice H2O. Definitely permeated throughout and I ended up spending no time there after the first day when I thought it would be my go-to place. I agree the ship did not do a good job of spreading folks out (in the outdoor spaces) unless you wanted to hangout along the sides and read a book. If you wanted to be even adjacent to any pool/outdoor activity, it really seemed clustered. It also seemed the breeze was not as good as on some other ships.

 

It was sometimes hard to get a drink, particularly outside. We did go to that bar on deck 17 a few times as well. Another hidden gem was to go to the bars by the Garden Café. The one at the entrance could be a little crowded but at least it had a proper line so you didn’t have to worry about being first to flag down the bartender. Of course if you were only getting beer/wine/water and don’t mind a little walk, you could go to the bar at the very back of Garden Café. Never had more than one person in front of me. Another bar I really liked was the Prime Meridian between Cagney’s and Moderno. Always a seat and a really nice ambiance. Surprisingly, Shakers was usually pretty good for service/seating and often had live entertainment. The whiskey bar was always too crowded to even try.

 

The communication definitely was lacking. We weren’t even sure how to debark. We always do self-assist, fortunately, because we never got any tags to put our bags out nor instructions on the process. Were we supposed to do something ahead of time? Never had to with other lines. Would have liked some instructions about what to do the next morning. We probably would have gotten in the line a bit earlier if we had known the process.

 

I agree that the bars outside of and at the back of Garden Cafe were really handy. We ate dinner there twice and liked to sit in the back, and it was nice to be able to grab a glass of wine right there. We only visited Prime Meridian once, but I agree that it was really nice. My only issue is that it was a bit dark, but it fit well with the theme in that area.

 

We got a flyer with disembarkation info in our room on the last evening of the cruise. Did you not get that? I'll share it in another post.

[LisaLisa87]

[LisaLisa87]

Correction: We received the disembarkation flyer on the second to last evening of the cruise.

[HxFx]

36 minutes ago, LisaLisa87 said:

We got a flyer with disembarkation info in our room on the last evening of the cruise. Did you not get that?

We did not, and I looked all over the room for it in case I had missed it (hidden in all of the "special offer" flyers I received!) Since we prefer self-assist and had a 2PM flight we weren't too worried but I thought it was odd.

[wil e coyote]

19 hours ago, LisaLisa87 said:

I think a review is kind of like a sandwich -- dry at the beginning and end, with all the good stuff in the middle.

...for the win!!! This made me laugh out loud. Thanks again for this great review. We will be on the Breakaway in 5 days (Lord willing and the creek don't rise) and your detailed posts have been sooo helpful as we prepare!

[LisaLisa87]

1 hour ago, wil e coyote said:

...for the win!!! This made me laugh out loud. Thanks again for this great review. We will be on the Breakaway in 5 days (Lord willing and the creek don't rise) and your detailed posts have been sooo helpful as we prepare!

I’m glad you found it helpful. Have a great cruise!

[suzieq2cruise]

On 6/5/2022 at 5:07 PM, LisaLisa87 said:

I'm glad you've found it helpful, @suzieq2cruise! How was AK in August? I really want do an Alaskan cruise, and the Encore seems like a great ship for that itinerary.

So Alaska, if you haven’t done it - I found it breathtaking (A coworker who had been asked me what I though upon my return and when I couldn’t find the word she said “breathtaking” and I said “yeah”!). DH and I were both overwhelmed at so much.  I grew up in PNW and imagined it would be a bit more amazing than home.  Boy was I wrong - Just going up into the strait - I could not get enough of the mountains coming literally out of the water with the snowy peaks in the distance.  We both loved it.  

The Encore is beautiful.  We stayed in the Haven, which had a great observation lounge all by itself.  But the Encore MAIN observation lounge was fantastic - great views, gorgeous decor, continental breakfast throughout in early am, tons of cozy spaces by windows….  I will miss that gorgeous space, as I don’t think Breakaway has it (that’s okay, Breakaway has other stuff).  Sugar Canes is worth a visit, and the funky Beatles Show was both lame and awesome (lame cuz its not really the Beatles and the George guy was not quite right, but actually awesome to hear that much Beatles music live!). 

As for the “stuff to do” - there is so much with AK!  Depending on cruise, if the actual separate boat trip to Dawes Glacier or into Tracy Arm is offered, totally worth it - its a long little trip in, but we got SO close to Dawes Glacier and it was stunning.  DH is not usually as enthusiastic as I am, but he was truly impressed and joyful that we took that little trip.  Had friends who did a similar trip that included a land package and their reaction and thoughts were the same….  

[LisaLisa87]

40 minutes ago, suzieq2cruise said:

So Alaska, if you haven’t done it - I found it breathtaking (A coworker who had been asked me what I though upon my return and when I couldn’t find the word she said “breathtaking” and I said “yeah”!). DH and I were both overwhelmed at so much.  I grew up in PNW and imagined it would be a bit more amazing than home.  Boy was I wrong - Just going up into the strait - I could not get enough of the mountains coming literally out of the water with the snowy peaks in the distance.  We both loved it.  

The Encore is beautiful.  We stayed in the Haven, which had a great observation lounge all by itself.  But the Encore MAIN observation lounge was fantastic - great views, gorgeous decor, continental breakfast throughout in early am, tons of cozy spaces by windows….  I will miss that gorgeous space, as I don’t think Breakaway has it (that’s okay, Breakaway has other stuff).  Sugar Canes is worth a visit, and the funky Beatles Show was both lame and awesome (lame cuz its not really the Beatles and the George guy was not quite right, but actually awesome to hear that much Beatles music live!). 

As for the “stuff to do” - there is so much with AK!  Depending on cruise, if the actual separate boat trip to Dawes Glacier or into Tracy Arm is offered, totally worth it - its a long little trip in, but we got SO close to Dawes Glacier and it was stunning.  DH is not usually as enthusiastic as I am, but he was truly impressed and joyful that we took that little trip.  Had friends who did a similar trip that included a land package and their reaction and thoughts were the same….  

Thanks for sharing your experience! Your description has inspired me to start pricing an Alaskan cruise. Now I just need to convince DH. I know he’d love it, but I haven’t been able to get him to commit in the past. He has always equated vacation with warm, tropical places. Maybe I can convince him now that we live in Florida!