Big Boat; Bad Weather; Still Pretty Good

Item: Norwegian Breakaway
Rating: 3
Author: ManhattanMom

Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas

ManhattanMom

Contributor Level: Third Mate

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 46

Overall rating:

3 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Bahamas & Florida (New York Roundtrip)

Sail date: February 15, 2015

Ship: Norwegian Breakaway

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: 5206

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 9 years ago

Review summary

We have cruised 8 times before, 5 of which were on Norwegian. We tried the Breakaway because we love cruising out of NYC and the Great Stirrup Cay day is our favorite. We prefer a smaller boat (already booked for the Gem next February) and the weather did not cooperate so we missed Great Stirrup Cay. It's also hard to determine whether I would have preferred the bigger ship if the weather was better (likely yes, but I'm not sure). That being said, we still had a good time. I would like to give this 3.5 stars, but that's not an option.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

I would say it's good, not great, but having to choose betwen Great and OK, I choose Great. Burger joint on high deck was really good; finally ate at a bunch of specialty restaurants. Prefer the food on the Gem.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Because of the weather we didn't participate in a lot of onboard activities. Again, I would say Good, Not Great but more than Ok.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Very good entertainment. As much as I prefer the smaller boats, the entertainment in the Theater on Breakaway was better than I've seen on Gem et al.

Children's Programs

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Again, would like to put Good, not Great or OK, but honestly, the staff on the smaller boats we've been on were more open, available, etc. Some staff were great though.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

A bit too big for our liking, but as long as you knew where to go/not go at peak times, it was easy to stay away from the huge crowds.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

We love this location and had a connecting cabin with our children. Plenty of space but few drawers (bring a collapsible basket for underwear and socks). Shower heads don't have options for changing water pressure, so not as good as on Gem et al.

Ship tip

Eating at 6/6:15 prevented any wait in the main dining rooms. Burger joint (cannot remember name) was great (albeit a long wait - but worth it). If you are prone to seasickness, the large ship was great for not rocking too much.

Thumbs up