Overbooked & understaffed means unpleasant moments & bad memories (& possibly dangerous), but there were some good things.
Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Review
9 Night Western Caribbean (New Orleans Roundtrip)
Sail date: December 30, 2022
Ship: Norwegian Breakaway
Cabin type: Suite
Cabin number: 9834
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 1 year ago
Review summary
so onboarding and embarking was rough... unless you have a haven suite or diamond or above status, it almost always is, unless you arrive extra early to avoid the mad rush, it almost always is, unless you sail from an extremely efficient port, such as San Diego or Port Canaveral, it almost always is, and if you are ever sailing from New Orleans on ANY cruise line, guess what, it pretty much always is, and none of it can be laid blame of ncl or the breakaway staff and crew. Be mad at New Orleans city council and the Port Authority, but leave it out of your cruise review please. oh wait! darn it! sorry! There us good and bad on every cruise, do not expect perfection in any vacation. RCL does seem better than NCL so far, but it still bests working that week! :)Embarkation
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Shanghai's Noodle Bar
We had dinner at one of the complimentary included specially restaurants the first night called The Noodle Bar, wonderful Asian fusion simply delivered and served with sushi style check the box menu. Taste and service and atmosphere were ten out of ten.Outstanding and wonderful, just too small. As previously stated, the cruise was overbooked, the main dining room was a loud/bad food/bad service nightmare, and the buffet was a hockey game of body checking to get to the mediocre food and nowhere to sit. This made more important all the free option cafes and pubs and this little asian fusion oasis of fun! Awesome asian food, no bad item on menu, fun dining style, you make friends here, multiple courses served well and courteously. Delicious and memorable. However, you better go on the first night at opening time. Word travels fast in an overbooked cruise. Every night thereafter, you better be there 20+ minutes before opening to get in the line already forming. All seats and all pagers to call you within an hour and a half wait will be gone five minutes after opening.The rest of the night there's a long line just for pagers to get the privilege of the two hour wait. Why? it is WORTH it! and everyone knows it or learns it.Go early, get your pager, go to casino or have a drink at the video poker bar right behind you there. You will be glad. Thank me later. Mark me as "helpful" please.
Café at the Atrium
does not existreplaced by a Starbucks that you must have the Premium package to use.
Garden Café
Overcrowded madhouse with bad food and no service. This is the only poor experience we have had with the buffet in our five cruises. It is hard to find a seat, hard to get to your food, disappointing once you do, and do not expect any help, you won't get any. Better bring your own beverage beforehand, no functioning bar, no soda machine. The food is not dangerous or disgusting, it is just not as good as Royal Caribbean or Celebrity.
O'Sheehan's Neighborhood Bar and Grille
One of the lifesavers on this cruise was this charming Irish Pub that had delicious food in large quantities delivered personally and included for free. When we did not want to scream at each other to be heard in the loudest main dining room on the 7 seas, and when we did not want to have to elbow our way through the buffet only to find no tables, we found ourselves returning to this great neighborhood-feeling pub and bar area with music and darts and 9-pin bowling and other charms. Great location too.
Le Bistro
Best restaurant on board this ship, one of the best at sea. They are outstanding in all respects, food quality and taste and freshness, service, wine list, pampering, they even time their plate presentations!We were wowed!
Room Service
four and a half good foodwarm foodon timegreat coffee and juiceno charge (that I ever saw anyway)the only tiny negative is they got order's wrong every other dayhowever they are willing to make it rightif you have time to waitwhich u often don't on a port excursion day
Bar 21
We loved this cute video poker bar which provided quick service and provided a welcome break from a noisy casino at times.
Dolce Gelato
Do yourselves a favor...find this gem, order a scoop or cone at sunset, step right outside the door to your left. Lounge in a comfy chair to enjoy your Dulce leche mother's milk of ice cream, the view, and one of the very few uncrowded, quiet places on board breakaway. May become a nice daily calming habit for you.
Bar at the Atrium
Excellent bartenders and quality service but always packed and crammed into the fourth floor centrum.
Onboard Activities
Breakaway Casino
I spent most of the rest of day, after dinner and show on day 1 in the casino as is my custom, believing that sea casinos pay out on the way out, suck it back on the way back in. So I spent all of day 2 there as well. I had no trouble being served and in fact, turned down way more free drinks than I accept. The lemon drop martinis and the black russian and the Kailua coffee I had were delicious. I won a large hand-pay and hit $1K-ish a couple of other times on slots.Casino hosts and staff were wonderful.
Entertainment
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
We were easily able to make fine dining and show reservations on our NCL app once aboard. It is very easy to resolve any internet issue, just go to the internet cafe. They are there to help. The spa requires a visit to book your treatments, so go early on day one. I am very impressed with NCL Breakaway services, staff, and crew. Remedial safety meeting in lieu of muster drill was held dec 6 forward in the speigal tent. Elevator banks are not always connected, so make sure all buttons are lit, as right elevators are often two banks of four, so walk over to push the other arrows too. Also, fish on the floor in the cabin hallways always swim to the front or forward of the ship.
Ports of call
Disembarkation
Traveler Photos
