Can't wait to go back

We loved the Breakaway.  We went in May, so I suspect there were fewer kids than June, July and August.  We took advantage of the fun activities on board, such as the water slides, ropes course, zip line, mini golf, and hot tubs.  We skipped the climbing wall, but others seemed to enjoy it. We hardly waited in line at all, and the water things had little or no crowding.  The staff was excellent, friendly, and helpful.  The captain himself was on deck several times, chatting with passengers and answering questions.  I have only one area with less than totally enthusiastic approval.  The shows are quite good, though not always kid friendly, but since we didn't have quite enough information for reserving seats at the less popular shows,  we ended up with a couple nights with no shows to go to.  Next time, I would try to get a more complete show schedule for some of the shows not in the main venues, like Second City.  Also, while I enjoyed the dinner served at Cirque de Soleil, I found trying to eat while not taking my eyes off the show and in the dark to be a bit of a distraction.  If we had had a choice, I would have chosen show only, with no dinner.  Some people complain about the food on Norwegian, but I have no complaints.  We ate at the Garden Cafe, Manhattan Room, Savor, Taste, O'Sheehan's, and Uptown Grill.  All are included in the cruise price.  The food was very good and the staff very friendly and helpful.  We liked Savor and Taste better than Manhattan, as we found them to be less crowded and quieter (and maybe a bit friendlier), but again everything was very good. I should note that we ate before 6:30, and had no real waits. Lastly, I have two disappointments, though not directly related to the cruise line.  First, we had a noisy neighbor, whom we asked once to lower the music after 11:00, and that was the end of the music.  However, on the last night of the cruise, for some reason between 11:30pm  and 12:30 am, there was a lot of yelling and banging next door, which we chose to try to ignore.  I wish we had known if there is staff or department to call to request keeping it down.  Second: Snorkel Beach now charges $5 to get on the small crowded and not impressive beach.  We decided to skip it.  Spend $9 round trip instead and take the local bus (#7) to the free and incredible beach at Horseshoe Bay. ( I don't recommend the $30 excursion price from the ship, unless you have trouble walking about 1/4 mile or less from the bus stop down to the beach.) I don't have a lot of cruise experience to compare with, having taken one other Norwegian Cruise to Bermuda and one Princess Cruise to the Caribbean.  This one exceeded my expectations and was my favorite, so far.  Here are some hints that might be helpful: Use sunscreen generously, the sun burns quickly.  There are few clocks, but the boards at the stairways and the tv in the rooms have the time, and can be used to make show reservations.  Do try the water slides and rope course, they are thrilling (to a just past middle aged person and accompanying young adults ) and safe. If you are at all inclined to go ashore, walking around the Wharf area is very pleasant, and Horseshoe Bay is worth the effort. Bring a little power strip for recharging, there are only two plugs.  As well, bring a spare credit card shape to put in the door slot so that you can recharge when not in the room.  Have a great trip. I hope you love it as much as we did.