Wonderful Ship; Great Crew; Beautiful Island

SHIP PROS: Very quick and efficient embarkation process; super-clean ship; very comfortable cabin (#8728, class M6 mini-suite with large balcony) with a very large bathroom and a balcony so large it holds two regular chairs, a small round table and two chaise lounges; "Burn The Floor" dance show; food (unless your an overly pretentious food snob, the food on the Breakaway is more than sufficient - all three MDRs, La Cucina, Uptown Bar & Grill, Garden Cafe, O'Sheehan's, Moderno for breakfast); crew (friendly, efficient); the Waterfront (great for a stroll after dinner, except for the area around Fat Catz and the Cigar Bar which is like walking through an ashtray)

SHIP CONS: If hanging out poolside is your thing, you're likely to find it crowded and noisy.  Debarkation was a bit disorganized; long lines on the pier. We took a late time and waited until the final call to leave the ship and avoided most of the chaos in the terminal.

SHIP SUMMARY: Beautiful, clean and lots of fun. You can find a party if you're looking for one, or a quiet space if that's your thing. Ignore the whiners complaining about having to wait for everything - their experience is the result of their lack of planning and unreasonable expectations. Would definitely sail the Breakaway again.

BERMUDA PROS: The weather (super hot and super sunny all three days we were in port), friendly people; efficient bus and ferry system (buy a pass and just ride the lines around the island for some amazing views, take a ferry from Dockyard to St. George's, a UNESCO World Heritage site); St. Catherine Fort (plan a couple of hours to explore the entire thing and take in the views); Gibbs Lighthouse (worth the climb up the hill and up the lighthouse); National Museum (save this for the last day in port, it's a 5-minute walk from the ship); Dockyard (again, save it for the last day in port); the Unfinished Church in St. George's; Art Mel's Spicy Dicy in St. George's (the best fish sandwich you'll ever have); Barritt's Ginger Beer (a delicious non-alcoholic soft drink); Tobacco Bay (near St. Catherine Fort, climb on the rocks for amazing pics of the ocean and the Fort)

BERMUDA CONS: Use your credit card carefully (I used mine three times - the visitor booth on the dock to buy transport passes, and a t-shirt and frozen yogurt shops in Hamilton - and someone hijacked my card number; my card was frozen by the credit union and I couldn't use it to purchase gifts from the glass and pottery studios in Dockyard); ignore the pointless walking tour in the Bermuda guide book (it will take you down some sketchy backstreets - three shifty characters on a front stoop yelled some homophobic epithets at us after we'd walked by - and it offers no history of the buildings it takes you past).

BERMUDA SUMMARY: Loved everything about it and will definitely return.