Breakaway vs Epic

[Languageman]

We are looking at the Breakaway and the Epic for a Spring '25 cruise. (We do not have children.)We know that they are older ships, that were updated 4 years ago. Are they starting to show their age or have they been revitalized and still fun to be on? 

[graphicguy]

Was on the Epic last October and the Breakaway about 18 months ago.  Both were in great shape.  Had fun on both, as I've sailed both multiple times.  

Edited June 15 by graphicguy

[Two Wheels Only]

 

[eileeshb]

be careful about the dates you pick so it isn't spring break as those ships will be full of families at that time. I usually cruise in January with the odd one at different times. The closest I got to spring break was a february cruise that coincided with spring break for France and Quebec so there were hundreds of French speakers aboard. 

[BirdTravels]

12 hours ago, Languageman said:

We are looking at the Breakaway and the Epic for a Spring '25 cruise. (We do not have children.)We know that they are older ships, that were updated 4 years ago. Are they starting to show their age or have they been revitalized and still fun to be on? 

NCL does a great job at keeping their ships up to date. They do major overhauls every 5 years and the ships are usually new and fresh. We have sailed on both the Epic and Breakaway over 6 times each and would sail on either again. Pick the ship with the itinerary that best suits your interests. 

[Russiamomm]

I’ve been on the BA six times and the Epic twice.  Once each in the Haven.

 

I agree that both ships are in great shape, but if you’re not in the Haven I would opt for the Breakaway.  The Epic is a quirky ship.  There’s a reason only one was built.  The bathrooms in the regular cabins are odd and there is no Waterfront.  There are many threads on the Epic.  You either love it or hate it.

 

That being said, if you’re planning on being in the Haven, the Epic beats the Breakaway.

 

Just my two cents.  At the end of the day, if the itineraries are similar I’d go with the BA unless you’re in the Haven.

[BenDover]

Both Ships are in great shape. Breakaway is just a much better ship in every way possible 😎

[mcmomny]

Breakaway has the Waterfront outside area for dining and drinks if the weather is good

[Oakman58]

I really didn't care for the design of the Epic.  I would choose the Breakaway if for no other reason than the size of the balcony cabins.  The Epic has slightly smaller balcony cabins but feels even smaller because of the wave wall design.

[crdtrnr]

I personally found the food better on the Epic.

[Mehroswitha]

Do you enjoy thermal spas on shipboard? If so, the Epic's is one of the nicest we've found on any ship! Spacious layout with a huge thalassotherapy pool, generous number of heated ceramic loungers, and its own balcony overlooking the wake. Even though we generally favor Viking and Celebrity, we're looking forward to our third Epic cruise and expect once again to more or less live in the spa on the many sea days!

[Quincella]

The Epic is the only ship I’ve ever repeated and would so again in a heartbeat. I happen to love the “quirkiness” of the design. There is no other ship like her, and to me that’s part of the appeal. 
 

That said, the Breakaway class is also excellent. I love how much outdoor space there is. 
 

Book the itinerary that suits you. They are both excellent, unless you end up being one who hates the Epic. :)

[wncretired]

I’ve done them both in the last 6 months. Would do them both again. In fact, I’m doing the Epic again in 3months! 

[RunBikeCruiseDC]

I love the Breakaway Class ships!  The waterfront is my favorite part.  Sailing on the Epic this fall for the first time so I can't really give an opinion either way.

[RunBikeCruiseDC]

On 6/15/2024 at 9:06 PM, Russiamomm said:

 

 

That being said, if you’re planning on being in the Haven, the Epic beats the Breakaway.

 

Just my two cents.  At the end of the day, if the itineraries are similar I’d go with the BA unless you’re in the Haven.

Yay - we're have our first Haven experience this fall on the Epic!  Can you explain why?  We saw there was access to Posh Beach Club, is this still true?  We love the Vibe beach club on the Breakaway and Prima class ships.

[Russiamomm]

12 minutes ago, RunBikeCruiseDC said:

Yay - we're have our first Haven experience this fall on the Epic!  Can you explain why?  We saw there was access to Posh Beach Club, is this still true?  We love the Vibe beach club on the Breakaway and Prima class ships.

My favorite Haven so far has been on the Joy.  We did the Epic for a TA last fall.  Just a couple of notes on likes and dislikes for both.

 

1.  Yes, Posh is still the Haven sun deck on the Epic.  It’s a nice space, with a full bar.  But there are no hot tubs up there.  Our sailing was also on the cooler side so didn’t spend a lot of time up there.  I did like that there was elevator access to it, as there is on the Joy (which does have hot tubs).  On the BA you had to take the stairs to get up there.  If I recall correctly, there are also no hot tubs on the Haven sun deck.  Despite not having a bar, we much preferred the space on the Joy.  (There are servers to bring drinks and snacks.)

 

2.  As has been noted, the Haven pool on the Epic does not have a roof.

 

3.  The Epic Haven has a steam room and sauna.  Not on the Joy or BA, at least that I saw.

 

4.  The Epic Haven has a small gym.  
 

5.  We found the Epic Haven a little “disjointed”.  Not sure how to explain it, but it’s didn’t feel like one unified space.  I think the main reason for that was because there is no dedicated Haven elevator, so unless you’re staying in a suite right in the courtyard you generally have to use the regular elevator bank to get to the complex.  (There is a glass elevator that goes from the main pool deck and up to the Haven and Posh.)

 

6.  The Epic has two bars (plus Posh).  The indoor bar in the main lounge closes in the middle of the day and the one by the pool (in the outdoor part of the restaurant) was open during the day.  We were on a colder trip.  We would have preferred to have the indoor bar open during the day.

 

7.  Neither the Epic nor the BA has an observation Lounge like the Joy does.  We really loved that space - especially the wonderful coffee machine and snacks throughout the day.  On the Epic there are a few snacks set out during the day and coffee in carafes.  Not quite the same.  
 

That’s all I can think of for now. Either way, it is a wonderful experience, but we preferred the Joy.  I understand that Bliss and Encore are the same, but I haven’t been in those.  
 

Enjoy!