Breakaway Observations – Sep 1-8, 2024

[HenGypsy]

We recently enjoyed a cruise out of NYC to New England and Canada. Too early for leaf-peeping, of course, but a nice itinerary nevertheless. We’ve been on 30 or so cruises and are not loyal to any one brand.  We are a party of 3, comfortably sharing one balcony cabin. For us, it was a great cruise. Here are some random observations and (maybe helpful) tips:

 

SERVICE: Generally, the crew seemed happy and friendly. Service in the main dining rooms and specialty dining was consistently good. Bar service was good; we personally did not experience long waits for drinks. Our room steward was kind, responsive, and available. Service at the guest services desk (including the shorex counter) was strained. Those poor people seem stressed out and grumpy, probably because the atrium is TOO LOUD and it’s hard to talk with the guests.

ATRIUM: It astonishes me that NCL doesn’t just turn the volume down a little bit. They get many complaints about excessive noise in the Atrium, and the solution seems SO simple.  At one point I got a warning about excessive noise levels from my device.  I don’t mind high energy spaces and good music turned up – but this is way beyond that.

SMOKE: We were aware of the smoke smell from the casino. We were able to ignore it. Again, seems like an easy fix for NCL.

SHIP: The ship is clean and beautiful, and due for its Feb refurbish.

MISC:

  o   No more dress up or not nights. But some people dressed up on sea days anyway, I among them, although my DH opted to wear jeans.

  o   Why doesn’t NCL move the popular Howl at the Moon and Syd Norman performances to the theater, especially now that they have cut back on production shows?  Many people simply cannot get in. Lines are long and venues are very crowded.

  o   I love the hot towels and lemonade offerings upon return to the ship in ports. It’s an easy thing to do, I know, but it leaves a good impression in my view.

  o   One of our port stops, Newport, was dropped. We were notified Before final payment.

FOOD: We had excellent meals. In Moderno, we were offered filet early and more than once. When we were finishing up our meal, they asked if we wished for more of any particular cuts. Very impressive. Also, we had a Fabulous filet in Cucina, a pleasant surprise. In La Cucina, the pizza is now considered an entrée for FAS purposes, and you can select only one entree. We saw abundant beef throughout the dining venues. I’ve seen reports of limited beef offerings lately on NCL; this didn’t appear to be the case on our cruise. At the same time, yes, the main dining room menus are more limited in general.  Every time we went to the buffet, we found a variety of interesting and delicious food.

HELPFUL TIPS:

  o   If you get on the ship early, you can drop your luggage for safekeeping in the Bliss Lounge near the casino then pick it up when your room is ready (ours was ready about 2pm, later than usual). We carried on bigger suitcases so this was especially helpful to us.

  o   You can reserve the Skyy ice bar only AT the ice bar, when they are open in the evenings, but not through the app. We were planning to do this, but alas, best laid plans…

  o   If you want to eat at Shanghai Noodle Bar, you must reserve it even though it is complimentary. Some were sorry to discover this fact after waiting in a line without reservations. You will be seated at row tables in close proximity to other people.

  o   Lobster rolls! We especially enjoyed the lunch-time-on-sea-days lobster roll from the Ocean Blue waterfront window. It was delicious and rivaled the one we shared in Bar Harbor, for a much lower cost.  Not many people seemed to know about these on-ship treats. 

  o   Remember to put your phones in airplane mode while on the ship to avoid surprise charges. On this run, we didn’t use our phones even in port, while we were in Canada, to avoid international/roaming charges.

 

Happy cruising, all! 

[bizygirl]

Thank you for the tips - we are sailing on October 6 and so looking forward to getting away. Your information on the restaurants is so helpful.

[HenGypsy]

13 minutes ago, bizygirl said:

Thank you for the tips - we are sailing on October 6 and so looking forward to getting away. Your information on the restaurants is so helpful.

You are so welcome. I imagine in October it will be an especially beautiful fall run. Have a wonderful time. 

[LatinaInTexas]

When you say abundant beef in the dining venues did that include the MDR? My two cruises this year didn't have any beef on the menu any night except the nightly New York strip steak ☹️

[YVRteacher]

Are you sure you could make reservations for the Shanghai Noodle bar? When I was on the Breakaway it was first come first served and get a pager to wait. 

[McFins]

11 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Are you sure you could make reservations for the Shanghai Noodle bar? When I was on the Breakaway it was first come first served and get a pager to wait. 

Hi!  Will be on an upcoming sailing and it indicates “please book onboard” so it could be a recent change.  

 

 

[HenGypsy]

14 hours ago, LatinaInTexas said:

When you say abundant beef in the dining venues did that include the MDR? My two cruises this year didn't have any beef on the menu any night except the nightly New York strip steak ☹️

We ate in the main dining room only once during the cruise and did not track the menu over the week. I do recall one of us had the steak and it was good.

[HenGypsy]

13 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

Are you sure you could make reservations for the Shanghai Noodle bar? When I was on the Breakaway it was first come first served and get a pager to wait. 

Yes, we made reservations. We saw people who showed up without them being turned away. And the restaurant was completely full. By the way, we had the option to reserve more than one night.

[Travelling2Some]

Great tips!  Thank you.  We are on the Breakaway in November.  Very much agree that it would be wonderful if they would put such popular shows in the theater.  Such an easy fix. We have also been annoyed at the excessive volume on some ships.  I think some of the folks in charge think that volume = excitement, unfortunately. 

[yakcruiser]

On my B2B on the Spirit in May/June the complimentary Asian Silk restaurant was no reservations on the first leg, but they were required on the second leg.

[HenGypsy]

1 hour ago, yakcruiser said:

On my B2B on the Spirit in May/June the complimentary Asian Silk restaurant was no reservations on the first leg, but they were required on the second leg.

Maybe the higher cost of the specialty restaurants combined with the more limited MDR menus is increasing the demand for these complimentary restaurants. Thus the new need for reservations? Hopefully they won’t enact a cover charge. 

[Panhandle Couple]

I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise overall.

 

For the Std Normans shows... that has been discussed many times here in various threads. It simply isn't going to get into the theater anytime soon. Exception is prom night on Viva and Prima, with their flexible seating.

 

Rooms ready at 2 pm is a good improvement and not late at all. Some people are still boarding at 2 in most ports.

 

Glad to hear about Shanghai noodles reservation changes. We have never been able to get a seat due to the lines.

 

Many cell phone plans include Canada and Mexico in the base package.

[stinkyharriet]

I’ve gone to Howl at the Moon on a few ships.  If you go an hour or so after it starts it’s not a problem getting seats, at least when I’ve been there.  Near the end of the show the place is pretty empty.

[Just1Wonder]

Great review.  The Breakaway is our favorite ship having sailed on her six times.  We were on the inaugural in 2013, but the last time was 2018.  Was disappointed to see the "Rock of Ages" show is gone but I see throughout NCL, they are cutting back on theater shows. I am booked for January, and I hope the ship is as I remembered. 

[Maleficent's Dad]

We were on this cruise as well! @HenGypsy really covered everything perfectly, though I admittedly didn’t know about the Ocean Blue lobster rolls.

As stated, it was too early for any good foliage.

A few observations of my own:

1. Weather for a NE/Canada cruise was perfect (last sea day was 50/50, afternoon was perfect, morning not so much).

2. No cookies or hash browns on the Breakaway.

3. Le Bistro was crammed with tables, crowded, and the only unenjoyable aspect of our trip.

4. Mixed shots ain’t happening, and we were in the Vibe (though we did manage a few, long story).

5. Bar menus vary from bar to bar. For example, you can get Irish coffee at O’Sheehan’s but NO other bars. Each bar has certain specific items (specialty drinks) that will not be served in other bars.

6. Syd Norman’s was (is) as good as advertised and we saw every show that week.  Best entertainment on the ship. 
7. We had a standard balcony deck 13, great steward.

8. NYC embarkation was good (not great), but NYC disembarkation was incredibly fast and efficient.

Thanks @HenGypsy for this thread.  We had a really great trip, and your review is as accurate as anything I’ve read/seen.

Edited Monday at 12:21 PM by Maleficent's Dad

[Maleficent's Dad]

On 9/21/2024 at 10:23 PM, YVRteacher said:

Are you sure you could make reservations for the Shanghai Noodle bar? When I was on the Breakaway it was first come first served and get a pager to wait. 

100% reservations are required. They can be made in the comedy club when you board. They weren’t available on the app, and I didn’t check the elevator touch screens.

[mcmomny]

We were also on this same sailing and had a wonderful time too!

 

We walked up three different times to Shanghai Noodle Bar without reservations and got seated all three times right away!

 

Excellent food but you are right next to the Casino and all of the smoking.

[Maleficent's Dad]

12 minutes ago, mcmomny said:

We were also on this same sailing and had a wonderful time too!

 

We walked up three different times to Shanghai Noodle Bar without reservations and got seated all three times right away!

 

Excellent food but you are right next to the Casino and all of the smoking.

Wow, didn’t know you could walk up!  I guess they do both now?

The smoke from the casino is our #1 complaint.  Hoping one day that is remedied on the Breakaway. Apparently they enclosed a smoking section of the casino on the Getaway, so it is doable!

 Regardless, it was still a great time!

[HenGypsy]

14 hours ago, Just1Wonder said:

Great review.  The Breakaway is our favorite ship having sailed on her six times.  We were on the inaugural in 2013, but the last time was 2018.  Was disappointed to see the "Rock of Ages" show is gone but I see throughout NCL, they are cutting back on theater shows. I am booked for January, and I hope the ship is as I remembered. 

Enjoy your January sailing! The ship is showing her age in some places. She is scheduled for a refurbish in February I believe. In any case, she is beautiful and clean. Cheers!

[HenGypsy]

6 hours ago, Maleficent's Dad said:

We were on this cruise as well! @HenGypsy really covered everything perfectly, though I admittedly didn’t know about the Ocean Blue lobster rolls.

As stated, it was too early for any good foliage.

A few observations of my own:

1. Weather for a NE/Canada cruise was perfect (last sea day was 50/50, afternoon was perfect, morning not so much).

2. No cookies or hash browns on the Breakaway.

3. Le Bistro was crammed with tables, crowded, and the only unenjoyable aspect of our trip.

4. Mixed shots ain’t happening, and we were in the Vibe (though we did manage a few, long story).

5. Bar menus vary from bar to bar. For example, you can get Irish coffee at O’Sheehan’s but NO other bars. Each bar has certain specific items (specialty drinks) that will not be served in other bars.

6. Syd Norman’s was (is) as good as advertised and we saw every show that week.  Best entertainment on the ship. 
7. We had a standard balcony deck 13, great steward.

8. NYC embarkation was good (not great), but NYC disembarkation was incredibly fast and efficient.

Thanks @HenGypsy for this thread.  We had a really great trip, and your review is as accurate as anything I’ve read/seen.

You are most welcome. Thank You for your additional observations! So glad you got off the ship quickly and efficiently. We actually had a super long, slow line right after getting off the ship, maybe around 8:45 or so. It took what seemed a very long time just to get into the terminal. The bottleneck was at the top of the escalator - staff were regulating the number of people on the escalators at any one time.

[HenGypsy]

5 hours ago, mcmomny said:

We were also on this same sailing and had a wonderful time too!

 

We walked up three different times to Shanghai Noodle Bar without reservations and got seated all three times right away!

 

Excellent food but you are right next to the Casino and all of the smoking.

Hello, McMomny. We met on the cruise, at the roll call M&G. Thank you again for the goodie bag and for organizing. It's good to hear you got seated without reservations - at slower times it makes sense to let people just walk up. Cheers for a wonderful cruise!

[mcmomny]

Thank you HenGypsy but it was @annettesc who planned the M&G and did the cute goodie bags! 

 

I was there and visited with the group for a while but Annette did all of the work!

 

We really had a great time on this cruise, well I should say we have had a great time on all of our cruises! 😂

 

Yes each one has had some hiccups and little annoying things but we always make the best and have a great time!  

 

Life is too short to stress the little things!

 

 

 

 

 

[HenGypsy]

 

I posted my final invoice on another thread. I am linking it here.

[itsnotjustme]

We just got off Breakaway's 15 - 22 Sep sailing.  I will post my review soon, many areas in common with yours.  A few exceptions:

• Never got into Howl at the Moon or Syd Norman's due to overcrowding
• Had some less than stellar dining service at O'Sheehan's
• Our Verizon phone plan covered Canada, so just had to use airplane mode when not in port
• Starlink based Internet service worked well
• I observed cookies more than once, including at the buffet in the afternoon

[mcmomny]

We also never got into Syd Norman's, too crowded. People were lining up an hour before and we opted not too.

 

One night did walk by Howl at the Moon and there were plenty of seats, sat down for a few minutes and left pretty quickly as they weren't that good compared to others we have seen.

 

O'Sheehan's is always hit and miss for us but still a nice option!