Why does the Breakaway seem to have so many bad reviews?

[Nachosdelux]

3 hours ago, Mississippian said:

One of the complaints is no towel animals. I think I've had maybe one towel animal in my entire life, cruises and hotels combined. Maybe two.

fair enough. but the rest of the complaints are legitimate, IMO.

[dexddd]

Sailed it when fairly new.  Had best cabin on ship.  Won't touch it again nor GA.  Too crowded even in Haven.  Service stunk.

[Calicoskies1234]

I was on Breakaway early Feb 2023. It was a very nice ship.  I didn’t have much trouble getting on/off ship. My only complaints were that we all found the food to be hit or miss, more misses than hits. Lots of cold food or just not yummy food from MDRs. Buffet was a learning issue to figure out good from bad. Coffee was undrinkable except for Studio Lounge. We got Starbucks everyday. The specialty dining was all great, but that only proves that the ship kitchens can prepare really yummy food, but they choose not to do it in complimentary dining options. My room was great, ALL crew top notch. The live music was pretty good, very enjoyable but the venues too small to accommodate #guests wanting to listen. The shows Six and Burn The Floor were excellent. My last complaint is that I couldn’t find many comfy places to sit on The Waterfront (my fave outdoor area).  The furniture here is pretty old/worn/uncomf. Not everyone wants to spend hours in a pool lounger. I def had more good than bad on Breakaway. I won’t sail BA again tho, I want that observation deck found on breakaway plus. 

[SeaShark]

10 hours ago, Panhandle Couple said:

The Breakaway was the first extra large class ship for NCL

 

The Epic would like a word...

 

10 hours ago, Panhandle Couple said:

hence the class term Breakaway and Breakaway plus.

 

"Breakaway" was a term used by then CEO Kevin Sheehan's family to describe a vacation while he was growing up. This was the actual "source of the term".

[graphicguy]

1 hour ago, SeaShark said:

 

The Epic would like a word...

 

 

"Breakaway" was a term used by then CEO Kevin Sheehan's family to describe a vacation while he was growing up. This was the actual "source of the term".

Nice catch….and good history lesson.  Just to add, “O’Sheehans” was named after Kevin Sheehan (or maybe his idea).  I know he was fired/forced out of NCL leadership under weird circumstances, which to this day are still somewhat murky, at best.  But, he was an innovator.  He wasn’t afraid to try different things to appeal to guests.

 

A few other observations…

 

-Spice H20 allows smoking 

-one of the unintended issues with the “678 Ocean Place” Atrium area is that smoke indeed clusters up those decks because the casino is right there, too.  I’m sure given the issue they’d have rethought it.  I still expect sooner than later, all smoking areas will be limited to outdoor venues.   The newer ships are using an sub section enclosed glassed in area for smokers in the casino

-Every ship in the Breakaway+ class owes design cues from Epic (only ship in the NCL fleet that incorporates everything you see in the recent ships) and the “-Away” ships.

 

[SeaShark]

3 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Just to add, “O’Sheehans” was named after Kevin Sheehan (or maybe his idea).

 

Actually, this was a staff idea...not Kevin's...and it was also chosen because it is a play on "Oceans"

[graphicguy]

1 minute ago, SeaShark said:

 

Actually, this was a staff idea...not Kevin's...and it was also chosen because it is a play on "Oceans"

I’m not sure if we need to get a life since we know these things, or that we’ve cruised WAY TOO MUCH!!!! 😉

[SeaShark]

2 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

I’m not sure if we need to get a life since we know these things, or that we’ve cruised WAY TOO MUCH!!!! 😉

 

Well, I would argue that "cruising way too much" IS a life! 

 

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[cruiseny4life]

I'm loving all the uhhh interesting facts this thread is bringing! Thanks y'all!

[MoCruiseFan]

On 3/1/2023 at 8:10 PM, Mississippian said:

I'm thinking about booking a trans-Atlantic on the Breakaway because it has no single supplement and is cheap. I've never sailed NCL before, but my brother likes it, although he eats every meal in specialty restaurants; I am more likely to eat in the main dining room. In any event, a lot of people seem very unhappy with their experience, far more than with others ships. I'm just trying to figure out what is going on. FWIW, I am not a super-demanding person, but crap on me enough and I will snarl.

 

 

Because a lot of people are not happy unless they can find a reason to complain,

[Turtles06]

On 3/3/2023 at 3:11 AM, Mississippian said:

One of the complaints is no towel animals. 

Oh no. We just spent 23 nights on the Gem (B2B cruises) and reading this, I just realized that we didn’t have a single towel animal. Now I guess we didn’t have the terrific time I thought we’d had. 😂

[larry_s_taco]

We just got off the Breakaway on March 5th. This was our second trip on the ship. I agree with all of the negatives stated above. The staff is great and try to do their best. The ship if poorly designed for the number of passengers it carries. It always seems crowded and noisy. The cigarette smoke from the casino spread across two floors via the atrium. It can be overwhelming. If you have smoke allergies, be aware and careful. Food preferences are very individualized, so I won't comment on the main dining room. We are platinum on NCL and have enjoyed our previous cruises. We plan on going again on NCL, but not on the Breakaway. 

[OrangeCatRamblers]

3 minutes ago, larry_s_taco said:

We just got off the Breakaway on March 5th. This was our second trip on the ship. I agree with all of the negatives stated above. The staff is great and try to do their best. The ship if poorly designed for the number of passengers it carries. It always seems crowded and noisy. The cigarette smoke from the casino spread across two floors via the atrium. It can be overwhelming. If you have smoke allergies, be aware and careful. Food preferences are very individualized, so I won't comment on the main dining room. We are platinum on NCL and have enjoyed our previous cruises. We plan on going again on NCL, but not on the Breakaway. 

 

I was on the Getaway and the smoke smell from the casino was horrendous. It was the main thing that pushed me to book the Prima. 

[BirdTravels]

On 3/1/2023 at 8:10 PM, Mississippian said:

I'm thinking about booking a trans-Atlantic on the Breakaway because it has no single supplement and is cheap. I've never sailed NCL before, but my brother likes it, although he eats every meal in specialty restaurants; I am more likely to eat in the main dining room. In any event, a lot of people seem very unhappy with their experience, far more than with others ships. I'm just trying to figure out what is going on. FWIW, I am not a super-demanding person, but crap on me enough and I will snarl.

First and foremost, don’t believe everything you read on the Internet. People like to complain for the sake of complaining. 
 

Actions speak louder than meaningless words. We have sailed on the Breakaway, five or six times. Most recently we are on the Breakaway last fall, and we would not be booking cruises on the ship if we thought it was bad. People may consider this cheerleading, I put my money where my mouth is. 
 

Smoke around a casino,,, pretty much describes most ships. Royal has their casino at the entrance to their MDR. Smoke. 
 

People blame the ship for Supply Chain problems. That has absolutely nothing to do with the ship,, and to a large extent the cruise line. This is the times we live in. We were on a Royal Caribbean cruise just before the Breakaway. That ship had been without coconut syrup for weeks,,, and if you ever look at the ingredients of many tropical drinks, they all require coconut syrup. 
 

If you like a Breakaway itinerary, book it. Enjoy. Stop fixating on the complainers. 

Edited March 9, 2023 by BirdTravels

[TFLG]

We sailed on the Jan 29th cruise and of my 34 cruises it was the worst. We still had a good time but there was a serious lack of staff on that sailing. And a lot of the staff were obviously not happy about it. There was a noticeable drop in food quality too vs my previous 7 NCL cruises and it was mostly in the specialty venues.  The MDR on the 3 days we ate there was decent for NCL, O Sheehan's was pretty good too, but with some popular items gone.  But of the 4 specialties we went to only the Teppanyaki was outstanding (worth the money) which was surprising because it's not a favorite of mine.  The added cost was just not worth it for the other 3, La Bisto was a huge disappointment.  The bar staff was slammed and the quality of the cocktails was soooo bad except in the Prime Meridian bar.  Beer and wine was your best bet on that sailing especially at the outdoor bars.  As for me, I'm not booking NCL again anytime soon. I can get better food, better service and better drinks for the same $$$ on other lines.  Too bad, since 2108 I've sailed NCL 4 times and enjoyed them all except this one.  Hoping it's a one off but hearing from friends on other sailings having similar experiences.  Come on NCL get it together.

Edited March 9, 2023 by TFLG

[Topdog52]

On 3/3/2023 at 7:44 AM, Calicoskies1234 said:

I was on Breakaway early Feb 2023. It was a very nice ship.  I didn’t have much trouble getting on/off ship. My only complaints were that we all found the food to be hit or miss, more misses than hits. Lots of cold food or just not yummy food from MDRs. Buffet was a learning issue to figure out good from bad. Coffee was undrinkable except for Studio Lounge. We got Starbucks everyday. The specialty dining was all great, but that only proves that the ship kitchens can prepare really yummy food, but they choose not to do it in complimentary dining options. My room was great, ALL crew top notch. The live music was pretty good, very enjoyable but the venues too small to accommodate #guests wanting to listen. The shows Six and Burn The Floor were excellent. My last complaint is that I couldn’t find many comfy places to sit on The Waterfront (my fave outdoor area).  The furniture here is pretty old/worn/uncomf. Not everyone wants to spend hours in a pool lounger. I def had more good than bad on Breakaway. I won’t sail BA again tho, I want that observation deck found on breakaway plus. 

I was curious if the show days are still the same. is Six still on the Monday and Tuesday, and Burn The Floor still on Friday and Saturday? also was rumors on Wednesday. TIA!!!

Edited March 9, 2023 by Topdog52

[Mississippian]

4 hours ago, TFLG said:

We sailed on the Jan 29th cruise and of my 34 cruises it was the worst. We still had a good time but there was a serious lack of staff on that sailing. And a lot of the staff were obviously not happy about it. There was a noticeable drop in food quality too vs my previous 7 NCL cruises and it was mostly in the specialty venues.  The MDR on the 3 days we ate there was decent for NCL, O Sheehan's was pretty good too, but with some popular items gone.  But of the 4 specialties we went to only the Teppanyaki was outstanding (worth the money) which was surprising because it's not a favorite of mine.  The added cost was just not worth it for the other 3, La Bisto was a huge disappointment.  The bar staff was slammed and the quality of the cocktails was soooo bad except in the Prime Meridian bar.  Beer and wine was your best bet on that sailing especially at the outdoor bars.  As for me, I'm not booking NCL again anytime soon. I can get better food, better service and better drinks for the same $$$ on other lines.  Too bad, since 2108 I've sailed NCL 4 times and enjoyed them all except this one.  Hoping it's a one off but hearing from friends on other sailings having similar experiences.  Come on NCL get it together.

Since I posted my question my brother has told me the Breakaway is his favorite ship on his favorite line. But I get the feeling that there are serious staff shortages that make things really bad on a filled ship. I'm sailing on a transatlantic, which generally has a fairly low passenger count, so hopefully things will work out. If not, I'll find a way to survive. But if things are awful, I likely won't be back.

[BirdTravels]

On 3/3/2023 at 9:32 AM, graphicguy said:

Nice catch….and good history lesson.  Just to add, “O’Sheehans” was named after Kevin Sheehan (or maybe his idea).  I know he was fired/forced out of NCL leadership under weird circumstances, which to this day are still somewhat murky, at best.  But, he was an innovator.  He wasn’t afraid to try different things to appeal to guests.

 

A few other observations…

 

-Spice H20 allows smoking 

-one of the unintended issues with the “678 Ocean Place” Atrium area is that smoke indeed clusters up those decks because the casino is right there, too.  I’m sure given the issue they’d have rethought it.  I still expect sooner than later, all smoking areas will be limited to outdoor venues.   The newer ships are using an sub section enclosed glassed in area for smokers in the casino

-Every ship in the Breakaway+ class owes design cues from Epic (only ship in the NCL fleet that incorporates everything you see in the recent ships) and the “-Away” ships.

 

Spice H20 does not “allow smoking” there is a small section of the Spice which is one of the designated smoking areas on the ship (in some cases, the only smoking area). 
 

And the Atrium is really not near the smoking sections of the casino. Can some one “illegally” smoke in the hall leading from the casino to The Local/O’Sheehan’s, sure. But the smoking section is well away from the Atrium. 

Edited March 9, 2023 by BirdTravels

[rnr4thatsme]

I loved the Breakaway, and would definitely choose her for another cruise.  We ate at O'Sheehan's, Moderno, the MDR and the buffet and all were quite good, IMO.  It was crowded around the pool deck, but not unlike other ships I have been on.  There did seem to be a reduction in the amount of staff - the room stewards seem to have more rooms and so I noticed the housekeeping wasn't as good as usual (had to request soap dispensers be refilled - which was done promptly but just something I noticed that if the steward wasn't as busy, he probably would have caught).  But overall, I greatly enjoyed the ship atmosphere and would not hesitate to sail her again.

[graphicguy]

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

Spice H20 does not “allow smoking” there is a small section of the Spice which is one of the designated smoking areas on the ship (in some cases, the only smoking area). 
 

And the Atrium is really not near the smoking sections of the casino. Can some one “illegally” smoke in the hall leading from the casino to The Local/O’Sheehan’s, sure. But the smoking section is well away from the Atrium. 

I get it.  But, the H20 Smoking section is at the and around the bar, as soon as you enter H20.  It’s the first thing I notice.  

[acct1975]

I sailed the BW last summer and overall loved the ship. I think the things that people dislike about it are things ppl feel strongly about on land as well- the biggest one being the smoke from the casino. 

 

It is annoying and if you're sensitive to it very annoying but I feel that regardless of the medium (ship, land-based restaurant etc) ppl with cigarette smoke sensitivity will let you know if they find it a problem. They are well within their rights to do so. Just don't let it impact YOUR enjoyment. You can spend more time on the pool deck or at the Waterfront. We found that the Waterfront was a wonderful area to relax away from the crowds but still be close enough to enjoy things when we wanted to be a part of that.

 

I also think sometimes negative reviews are based on things that happen specific to that cruise (bad embarkation, disembarkation, ship system trouble). When we cruise, we had an aft balcony on a higher deck and for whatever reason, the stack was throwing off alot of soot and a strong diesel smell. I asked about it on the boards afterwards and no one mentioned that they experienced it on prior sailings so I'm running on the assumption it was a one-off and didn't feel the need to present my "cautionary tale".

 

Bottom line, try out the ship. You might find things you really like about it especially now that you have an idea of the less than ideal quirks of the ship. At least you have an idea of what to expect.

[DaisyGoldberg]

I always take bad reviews with a grain of salt - what people complain about might be a non-issue to me. You know what bothers you and what doesn't and can decide accordingly. 

 

I won't sail on the Breakaway type ships outside of the Haven because of the bottlenecks created by the two elevator banks, and the fact that despite an abundance of clubs/theatres they insist on holding games and activities in the atrium, making accessing atrium services and any activities I might want to enjoy utterly chaotic. Too much stimulation. 

 

That said, the smaller dining rooms and big shows are great, and I would be open to a less than capacity transatlantic trip. I would assume the outdoor areas will be inhospitable for much of the trip so if your idea of a great trip is finding a quiet spot to read you will need to decide how much time you're willing to spend in your cabin.

Edited March 9, 2023 by DaisyGoldberg

[sarahwalker2007]

8 hours ago, DaisyGoldberg said:

I always take bad reviews with a grain of salt - what people complain about might be a non-issue to me. You know what bothers you and what doesn't and can decide accordingly. 

 

I won't sail on the Breakaway type ships outside of the Haven because of the bottlenecks created by the two elevator banks, and the fact that despite an abundance of clubs/theatres they insist on holding games and activities in the atrium, making accessing atrium services and any activities I might want to enjoy utterly chaotic. Too much stimulation. 

 

That said, the smaller dining rooms and big shows are great, and I would be open to a less than capacity transatlantic trip. I would assume the outdoor areas will be inhospitable for much of the trip so if your idea of a great trip is finding a quiet spot to read you will need to decide how much time you're willing to spend in your cabin.

I wouldn’t say the outdoors is inhospitable. We have done two Transatlantics one 12 days (fall sailing) and one 14 day (spring sailing) and for both we spent a lot of the days at sea outside. Maybe we got lucky but the weather was beautiful and being out on deck with nothing but open water was amazing!

[gotscrapz]

I sailed on her 4 years ago and had a blast! I think it was out of Miami? A frined had sailed her 4 months before us out of New Orleans and they had a blast and recommended the ship which was great since the itinerary and price were great!