NCL Breakaway or Regal Princess

[tonyfall1]

Hello,

My wife and I are in our late 50's and trying to decide between these 2 ships for a western Caribbean cruise in February. This will be our 3rd cruise and we have never cruised these lines. We like good food, a relaxed environment, the opportunity for lots of activities, so the freestyle cruising of NCL appeals to us. We would also prefer not having a ton of kids over running the ship and being able to occasional use the pools so Princess appeals to us there. We will be getting either the free at sea or plus package. The prices are the same. The itineraries are very similar. Princess making 3 stops with NCL making 4 stops one of which is Harvest Caye. We think we would really enjoy the private island. No private island for Princess. My concern with NCL is that it will be too packed with kids and we will never be able to enjoy the pools. Also, I've read that NCL has made a lot of cuts and may not be as nice as it was in the past. My concern with Princess is it may be too stodgy and lots of older people (people my age lol) and a little boring, plus no private island. I would like to just compare the base cruise so no Haven or Sanctuary, thanks. I have also posted this on the NCL forum.

Edited September 11, 2023 by tonyfall1

[Lady Arwen]

We sailed on Breakaway a few years ago on a Bermuda sailing.  We were very disappointed, as we usually sail on Celebrity Summit for this itinerary.

 

The ship seemed so bargain basement to us from the decor to the food. However, O’Malleys, a complimentary restaurant, was terrific for breakfast.  The buffet was a zoo, so we avoided it.  Service was fine, but not exemplary as you would find on Princess.  Entertainment was good, but nothing to rave about.  Many children were onboard as it was during summer holidays.  NCL does attract more children than either Celebrity or Princess.

 

Regal Princess is the second sister of the Royal Class ships and it’s lovely.  Very elegant and beautifully appointed.  The food, in my opinion, is better on Princess, but food is so subjective.   Yes, you will find less children on Regal, but for us this is a big plus.  Entertainment is typical cruiseship.  Service is always top notch on Princess.  International Cafe is a delightful place for a coffee and light snack while people watching.  The food is fresh and very good.  Specifically coffees comparable to Starbucks.

 

Personally, I would avoid Breakaway and embrace Regal Princess.  However, you are going to get a completely different perspective on the NCL boards.  They have a very loyal following and their ships are very popular for all the amenities that we dislike.  Good luck with your decision and I wish you happy sailing on either ship.

[Paula_MacFan]

Just curious why you're considering the Breakaway from New Orleans and not the Prima which sails from Galveston, the same as the Regal?  Prima is one of the newest NCL ships while Breakaway is almost 10 years old.  

 

We have both the Prima and Regal currently booked from Galveston in January and are still considering which to take and which to cancel.  We love the Regal and have cruised on her before.  But we took our first NCL cruise earlier this year and really liked that too.  Prima appeals to us as a very new ship and they also have the 4-port itinerary with NCL's private island, vs the Regal itinerary only has 3 ports and no private island.  

 

To answer your query about kids -- we've been sailing on Princess for almost 20 years now, and have never noticed a huge amount of children onboard.  I would think your February time frame would be good for less kids, as most are in school then.  We avoid school break times in general for our trips.  

 

Good luck with whatever you decide 🙂

 

[tonyfall1]

14 minutes ago, Paula_MacFan said:

Just curious why you're considering the Breakaway from New Orleans and not the Prima which sails from Galveston, the same as the Regal?  Prima is one of the newest NCL ships while Breakaway is almost 10 years old.  

 

We have both the Prima and Regal currently booked from Galveston in January and are still considering which to take and which to cancel.  We love the Regal and have cruised on her before.  But we took our first NCL cruise earlier this year and really liked that too.  Prima appeals to us as a very new ship and they also have the 4-port itinerary with NCL's private island, vs the Regal itinerary only has 3 ports and no private island.  

 

To answer your query about kids -- we've been sailing on Princess for almost 20 years now, and have never noticed a huge amount of children onboard.  I would think your February time frame would be good for less kids, as most are in school then.  We avoid school break times in general for our trips.  

 

Good luck with whatever you decide 🙂

 

The Prima was my first choice but it leaves on a Friday the 17th. My wife is an educator and her break starts on the 18th. I asked her if she could take the Friday off and she said she doubts it.

[msmoger]

42 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

We sailed on Breakaway a few years ago on a Bermuda sailing.  We were very disappointed, as we usually sail on Celebrity Summit for this itinerary.

 

The ship seemed so bargain basement to us from the decor to the food. However, O’Malleys, a complimentary restaurant, was terrific for breakfast.  The buffet was a zoo, so we avoided it.  Service was fine, but not exemplary as you would find on Princess.  Entertainment was good, but nothing to rave about.  Many children were onboard as it was during summer holidays.  NCL does attract more children than either Celebrity or Princess.

 

Regal Princess is the second sister of the Royal Class ships and it’s lovely.  Very elegant and beautifully appointed.  The food, in my opinion, is better on Princess, but food is so subjective.   Yes, you will find less children on Regal, but for us this is a big plus.  Entertainment is typical cruiseship.  Service is always top notch on Princess.  International Cafe is a delightful place for a coffee and light snack while people watching.  The food is fresh and very good.  Specifically coffees comparable to Starbucks.

 

Personally, I would avoid Breakaway and embrace Regal Princess.  However, you are going to get a completely different perspective on the NCL boards.  They have a very loyal following and their ships are very popular for all the amenities that we dislike.  Good luck with your decision and I wish you happy sailing on either ship.

 

Exactly my sentiments also. We sailed on the Breakaway when she was much newer, not sure if that matters and we sailed out of Manhattan,  There were lots of kids and a much more (how shall I put this 😏) rambunctious crowd in general.  I didn't hate it but the center of the ship was much too crowded for me.  Food, in our opinion, was much better on the Regal or any Princess ship.  In February you will definitely have more families and kids but I doubt it will be as wild.

[Paula_MacFan]

3 minutes ago, tonyfall1 said:

The Prima was my first choice but it leaves on a Friday the 17th. My wife is an educator and her break starts on the 18th. I asked her if she could take the Friday off and she said she doubts it.

That makes sense 🙂

[edspec]

The drink packages are not equal. NCL doesn’t include waters or specialty coffees. Room servicing is down to once per day which isn’t that big of a deal but the stewards have so many cabins that they’re ready until 3ish on embarkation day. I used to really enjoy NCL, especially for solo trips but am leery of them right now. I have a cruise booked with them in 2025 but will be cancelling if I keep reading the same story of dirty rooms, rooms not made up till late afternoon, etc…

[tonyfall1]

12 minutes ago, edspec said:

The drink packages are not equal. NCL doesn’t include waters or specialty coffees. Room servicing is down to once per day which isn’t that big of a deal but the stewards have so many cabins that they’re ready until 3ish on embarkation day. I used to really enjoy NCL, especially for solo trips but am leery of them right now. I have a cruise booked with them in 2025 but will be cancelling if I keep reading the same story of dirty rooms, rooms not made up till late afternoon, etc…

Thanks, I am heavily leaning towards Princess. I like to have internet when I need it and I believe NCL limits that to 150 minutes in their package. I'm also probably booking flights through the line and it looks like EZair gets much better reviews than NCL.

Edited September 11, 2023 by tonyfall1

[tetleytea]

When I sailed the Regal Princess I was in a full suite, and I got good customer service through the concierge desk offered through the concierge lounge (offered only to full suite guests).   But otherwise I found NCL's customer service to be way better (as in, existent).   When I call Princess now I get 5-minute hold times, but if I have any non-rookie problem that is difficult at all, I get referred to Princess' email line.   But when I email Princess (per the phone agent's instruction) five times, I get crickets.  Nada.  And last summer, I was getting 1-hour hold times.    On NCL, I have gotten maybe 10-minute hold times and got decent help.  

 

If you had asked me two years ago, I would have recommended the Regal over the Breakaway, hands down.  But now I have to go with NCL, and it's not because of the ship--but because of corporate.

[tonyfall1]

2 minutes ago, tetleytea said:

When I sailed the Regal Princess I was in a full suite, and I got good customer service through the concierge desk offered through the concierge lounge (offered only to full suite guests).   But otherwise I found NCL's customer service to be way better (as in, existent).   When I call Princess now I get 5-minute hold times, but if I have any non-rookie problem that is difficult at all, I get referred to Princess' email line.   But when I email Princess (per the phone agent's instruction) five times, I get crickets.  Nada.  And last summer, I was getting 1-hour hold times.    On NCL, I have gotten maybe 10-minute hold times and got decent help.  

 

If you had asked me two years ago, I would have recommended the Regal over the Breakaway, hands down.  But now I have to go with NCL, and it's not because of the ship--but because of corporate.

Ugh, for some reason I just assumed Princess customer service would be much better than NCL.

[tetleytea]

1 minute ago, tonyfall1 said:

Ugh, for some reason I just assumed Princess customer service would be much better than NCL.

I would have done the same.

[stevenr597]

Different lines, different types of cruising.

NCL is more mainstream. 
Princess, like Celebrity and Holland America are regarded as being Upscale. 

Princess is more traditional cruising.  

The Regal is one of the "Royal Class" of Princess ships.  We have sailed on it many times and will be taking a Tran-Atlantic on it in several weeks.

Would go with Princess. 

[Lady Arwen]

18 minutes ago, tonyfall1 said:

Ugh, for some reason I just assumed Princess customer service would be much better than NCL.

If you choose Princess then all you need to do is call and ask to be assigned to one of their Cruise Vacation Professionals (aka CVP).  I have a CVP who does all the leg work when booking a cruise, making changes such as refaring, or just asking general questions.  No wait on hold.  If I get her voicemail, she calls back within 30 minutes.  It’s a no brainer and completely free of charge!

[Paula_MacFan]

1 hour ago, edspec said:

The drink packages are not equal. NCL doesn’t include waters or specialty coffees. Room servicing is down to once per day which isn’t that big of a deal but the stewards have so many cabins that they’re ready until 3ish on embarkation day. I used to really enjoy NCL, especially for solo trips but am leery of them right now. I have a cruise booked with them in 2025 but will be cancelling if I keep reading the same story of dirty rooms, rooms not made up till late afternoon, etc…

We sailed on NCL in January and boxed water was included in the drink package.  Our room was available upon boarding and we didn't have any issues with our cabin steward or room cleanliness.

[brovol]

Wife and I have sailed both NCL and Princess too many times to count.  We were on the breakaway, but not the Regal (although we have sailed her sister ship Sky).  Sailing on the Regal in November though. 

 

There is a very relevant distinction between Princess and NCL; and Princess is, as a general rule, a better quality product.  Better service, more refined and adult atmosphere, and less crowded.  We have enjoyed all of our NCL cruises, and will continue sailing with NCL.  NCL has decent value, and lots of cruises in the Caribbean, which is where we typically cruise.  NCL started the casual freestyle approach in the cruise industry, which I love, and O'malleys Irish pub is the best casual restaurant in cruising. But Princess is just a notch up in overall quality. Not to mention, the medallion concept is awesome!  And the internet on Princess is vastly superior to NCL, if that matters to you.

[Paula_MacFan]

1 hour ago, tonyfall1 said:

I'm also probably booking flights through the line and it looks like EZair gets much better reviews than NCL.

We've used EZ Air many times with no problems. In fact we're flying to LHR next Monday using EZ Air 🙂

 

For our NCL cruise last January I booked all our flights and didn't use NCL for the reasons you stated. The reviews were horrible and we wanted to fly a week early. We even booked under the 'free airfare' promo and didn't use it.

[tetleytea]

43 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

If you choose Princess then all you need to do is call and ask to be assigned to one of their Cruise Vacation Professionals (aka CVP).  I have a CVP who does all the leg work when booking a cruise, making changes such as refaring, or just asking general questions.  No wait on hold.  If I get her voicemail, she calls back within 30 minutes.  It’s a no brainer and completely free of charge!

 

Well yeah, of course their sales will be very responsive.

[Ken the cruiser]

Both ships are fine with us, especially if you can get an aft-facing balcony. You’re cruising in February, so kids shouldn’t be a big issue on either. If you decide to go with NCL, check out their new Free At Sea Plus package for an additional $49 pp/day. It’s well worth the upcharge if you use many of those additional items, to include unlimited internet, bottled water, NCL excursions, and like to eat in specialty restaurants. 
 

https://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/Free_at_Sea_Plus_ver011823.pdf
 

Edited September 11, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[cruisequeen4ever]

I say go with Princess because you will still have access to loads of activities but without the multitude of kids. You can be as busy or as relaxed as you wish on Princess. There are game shows, trivia, crafts, shows, and bingo throughout every day. The only thing I can think of that you won’t have is waterslides.

[tetleytea]

15 minutes ago, brovol said:

Wife and I have sailed both NCL and Princess too many times to count.  We were on the breakaway, but not the Regal (although we have sailed her sister ship Sky).  Sailing on the Regal in November though. 

 

There is a very relevant distinction between Princess and NCL; and Princess is, as a general rule, a better quality product.  Better service, more refined and adult atmosphere, and less crowded.  We have enjoyed all of our NCL cruises, and will continue sailing with NCL.  NCL has decent value, and lots of cruises in the Caribbean, which is where we typically cruise.  NCL started the casual freestyle approach in the cruise industry, which I love, and O'malleys Irish pub is the best casual restaurant in cruising. But Princess is just a notch up in overall quality. Not to mention, the medallion concept is awesome!  And the internet on Princess is vastly superior to NCL, if that matters to you.

 

Similar to what I said to Tony, if you had asked me 2 years ago I would agree with you, but IMHO times change.  I think the Breakaway-PLUS ships are more upscale than Princess (which, admittedly, the Norwegian Breakaway is not), and our sailings on NCL since Covid left us with an impression of NCL that is brighter, more youthful, and vibrant (and by that I don't just mean the ship--I mean the cruise directors, the programming, the activities, etc.).  Princess was still good (as long as you didn't need to call the corporate phone line), but just seemed to get in a rut.  It seems Norwegian's been really trying to change their image, and at least for us they were successful.  I would have said Princess Medallion is technologically ahead of Norwegian, except that everywhere I look people are struggling to get Medallion to work.  At one point I saw Princess assigning their dance instructors to helping passengers fix their Medallion app.  It's that rut I was talking about:  Princess deployed Medallion, but over time the IT support has just atrophied.

 

Funnily, I think we actually like International Cafe (on Princess) better than O-Malleys.  That's our go-to after a long port call, and we saved our stomachs for the ship.  They both can get pretty busy.  I think maybe O'Malleys might be "better", but International is a better fit for us because we can just walk right up, whereas O'Malleys you have to wait.  Funny that our impressions of Princess vs. NCL are mirror-image opposites.

 

[edspec]

1 hour ago, Paula_MacFan said:

We sailed on NCL in January and boxed water was included in the drink package.  Our room was available upon boarding and we didn't have any issues with our cabin steward or room cleanliness.

The room issues have been reported in the last few months, I don’t remember reading anything about this prior to this summer,

I drink a lot of water, the cartons in the room would last me maybe a day and a half. Also I prefer sparking water.

Another recent change is the end of many of the production shows. 
 

[KKB]

6 hours ago, tonyfall1 said:

Hello,

My wife and I are in our late 50's and trying to decide between these 2 ships for a western Caribbean cruise in February. This will be our 3rd cruise and we have never cruised these lines. We like good food, a relaxed environment, the opportunity for lots of activities, so the freestyle cruising of NCL appeals to us. We would also prefer not having a ton of kids over running the ship and being able to occasional use the pools so Princess appeals to us there. We will be getting either the free at sea or plus package. The prices are the same. The itineraries are very similar. Princess making 3 stops with NCL making 4 stops one of which is Harvest Caye. We think we would really enjoy the private island. No private island for Princess. My concern with NCL is that it will be too packed with kids and we will never be able to enjoy the pools. Also, I've read that NCL has made a lot of cuts and may not be as nice as it was in the past. My concern with Princess is it may be too stodgy and lots of older people (people my age lol) and a little boring, plus no private island. I would like to just compare the base cruise so no Haven or Sanctuary, thanks. I have also posted this on the NCL forum.

 

Have done 11 Princess in 20 years; 6 in the last 15 mos. Enjoyed them all.

Have done 5 NCL cruises in the last 5 years; 4 in the last year. Encore in Dec. was "meh" others great.

Sailed the Breakaway last month. 

 

OK...itineraries are irrelevant.

 

Feb is NOT big kid season--most kiddos have spring break in Mar-Apr (retired teacher here).

But there will likely be more kiddos on NCL at any time.

 

The Breakaway pool are is MUCH too small for the size of ship, kids or not. 

(there is a "kids" pool & an another pool; plus one for Haven guests)

It DOES have Spice H2O area--doesn't fill as fast as the pool area, tho still be there by 8:30-9 on sea days. ADULTS only (supposed to be). No pool, but it has a waterfall/splash pool.

Tho you have 4 port days. You can get your beach on those days, OR enjoy a quiet pool deck! 

You could also spring for the Vibe pass--about $250 each for the week. No issue getting seats, great service, but NO POOL, tho it does have hot tubs. Not sure it is worth it with 4 port days.

Regal has 4 pools & they are bigger.

Breakaway carried 500 more passengers.

 

Food--honestly we enjoy MDR on both; NCL specialty dining is better than Princess IMO. 

Generally a tie for me.

 

I do appreciate that Princess drink package includes water & coffee. Edge to them.

 

Internet--both fine but NCL is minutes & Princess is unlimited so edge to them.

 

Activities--things like game shows, trivia, musicians, are fairly similar.

NCL offers the sports complex & water slides; nothing like that on the Regal.

 

Breakaway is a step above in shows--Six (tho sadly it will be ending in Jan), dueling pianos, Syd Normans.

Princess production shows are "meh" & offer no dueling pianos.

I am a Syd Norman's groupie & honestly choose my NCL ships ONLY if they have it.

(the only ones we sailed that didn't have it we won)

Syd's is a show that feels like a fun 70s-80s cover band. 

If that's your jam, you will love this. ('84 grad here...right up my alley)

4 different shows/week PLUS a 5th show: the Rumours album from top to bottom with the stories for every song. (done 2x one night)

Line up EARLY (like 45 min-1 hr)--small popular venue.

I don't wait in line for much...but it's worth it. Bring a drink.😉

 

Another thing Breakaway has is Waterfront--EVERY ship should have this.

It is the Promenade Deck 2.0.

Nice seating runs along both sides PLUS a bar on each side! 

AND they pipe Syd's music out there during shows (Starboard side) so it's great if you didn't get a seat inside.

We spend LOTS of time out here...reading, napping, drinking, socializing.

It is covered enough that even rain is rarely an issue.

 

Both are great options.

After our Encore cruise in Dec, I was worried NCL was cutting costs & affecting product, but we didn't find that last month on the Breakaway.

Other than the Encore, we find service in mainstream cruiselines nearly identical.

 

My choice would be BREAKAWAY.

 

(PS I like the Prima option--we are trying her in Jan; but I TOTALLY understand the confinements of an educator's schedule...the joys of retirement now!!)

Edited September 11, 2023 by KKB

[negn]

I’ve sailed both lines numerous times. IMO entertainment is better on NCL.   I think food is about equal but DH likes to be able to wear shorts in the main dining room on NCL. Presently, on Princess it is frowned upon and depending on the ship, not allowed.  It looks like you will be going during school break so both ships will have more kids on board.  

[Paula_MacFan]

9 minutes ago, edspec said:

The room issues have been reported in the last few months, I don’t remember reading anything about this prior to this summer,

I drink a lot of water, the cartons in the room would last me maybe a day and a half. Also I prefer sparking water.

Another recent change is the end of many of the production shows. 
 

I'm sure the room issue varies ship to ship and I don't dispute your comments.

 

We were able to get as much boxed water as we wanted from any bar during the cruise.

[KKB]

Just now, Paula_MacFan said:

I'm sure the room issue varies ship to ship and I don't dispute your comments.

 

We were able to get as much boxed water as we wanted from any bar during the cruise.

Did you have Plus package?

They were NOT giving it out free last month!

Last summer on the Getaway I could always get it from my casino bartender complitmentary.