Worst Cruise Experience EVER!!

Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas

Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 94

Overall rating:

1 out of 5
Verified Review
Norwegian Breakaway

7 Night Bahamas & Florida (New York Roundtrip)

Sail date: February 14, 2016

Ship: Norwegian Breakaway

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 14124

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

I am ok with nature causing unplanned havoc but a lack of organization, courtesy or remediation is what made this experience so awful. 1 1/2 hours of waiting outside in 7 degree weather to enter the pier/customs/check-in area. Apparently, there was a docking delay we were not made aware of, people from the previous cruise were still disembarking. Then a 2 hour wait inside, all the while people are skipping lines and the right hand, doesn't know what the left is doing. Curt announcements over the loud speaker excusing their curtness due to the cold and unplanned delay. They were getting paid to be courteous, we paid to get treated like crap, and they were making announcements insisting we be patient with them. This let me know this was not going to be a great cruise, and we truly put forth every effort to try and enjoy ourselves, after all we were paying higher prices this week because schools were out. We had to make extra effort to do so because Norweigan definitely did not make it easy. We arrived at the pier at 1150am,  we finally boarded at 3:50 with not a single staff member in sight. No welcome aboard, no one to help the elderly or those laden with children who waited for hours standing up the deck. We were on our own, no one  to direct us to our rooms, I was shocked I'd never been on such an unfriendly cruise before. When we get to our floor our luggage is in the hall, not near or in our stateroom. We roll it to our rooms, anyone could have taken our luggage. One bag is missing we call regarding the missing luggage we are given several excuses and times it should arrive. Lunch was attended after our mandatory safety drill which was held :40min after we boarded. The food was ok , not hot, not what we're expecting, after being cold I needed to warm up and ordered a shot of patron with lime. They had lemons no lime no salt. We visited the spa let them know we had a spa balcony and wanted to see the spa as its part of our room package. Our cards were stickered and we were told to "give ourselves a tour". We did- although we noted in comparison to our other cruise experiences the customer service was sorely lacking. We visited the spa and the gym which were very nice. We then noted people actually receiving tours of the spa, so we found it odd we were told to self tour. We use the spa & gym, enjoyed ourselves finally and head back to our room, still no bag. We call for an iron @ 853pm as we have our specialty dinner at 930. We were told housekeeping only operates between 9am & 9pm and would likely not get there in time call back at 9am. I am appalled, after all we'd been through, frostbite from being in the cold, the disorganization, being treated poorly and now no iron? My husband got out of the shower and when I told him what was said he was angry and called fuming, asking where were they going, we were in the middle of the ocean that they could not deliver an iron.he received more excuses. We had to attend the specialty dinner with wrinkled clothing. At 9:10 we were then called to come to guest services to pick up our bag. I go to pick up my luggage and bring it to dinner. The ambience at Cagneys steakhouse was wonderful, our server was gracious, the seafood was awful. Too bad we don't eat red meat, I hope the steaks were good because the seafood was atrocious. We were pretty disgusted. And this is just Day ONE!
 We call for an iron @ 9 m & are told to call back when we were done, yeah we were really going to make that call! We iron our clothes for the day and evening dinner and go exploring in search of breakfast, we walked out on the deck 15 to get to breakfast it was freezing and the place was PACKED, difficult to find a place to eat, food was good, hot, fresh, nice variety. We are not expecting much at this point after our first day we are just determined to get through the next 6 days. I order the Internet service it barely works. I miss out on completing a quiz for school. I paid $180 for nothing please don't bother. I could not access the school site in a continuous manner anywhere on the ship or reserve a car for Port Canaveral internet service was awful. The ship is beautiful, from the outside decor to the inside amenities. Dinner that night at Le Bistros is FANTASTIC! Everything was perfect, staff, food, ambience we enjoyed ourselves so much we switched our other specialty dinner reservations to LeBistros we didn't want to risk not enjoying ourselves. Our dinner was at 930 and we left our room at 925 the iron was still there. Imagine our surprise when we returned to find it gone. It would seem they pick up irons after 9pm just don't deliver them. Rough waters, ship began rocking from the second night on, there was a storm we were informed we would have to slow down as a result we would not go to the private island but straight to Port Canaveral. Everyone was angry, we were commiserating with several passengers about the poor customer service, we believe over half the crew was new and inexperienced.  Everyone I spoke to would have rather gone to the private island and skipped Port Canaveral. Many ppl were seasick, the spa pools overflowed because of the rough weather. It's 3 days later and I still feel like I'm on a ship. We can't control nature but no effort was made to compensate us at all. I receive a call about going to the casino to pick up a free chip. They tell me when I get there after waiting 20 minutes after they check papers it was a mistake. 
The staff was downright rude on more than one occasion.My husband is on the omelet line, another gentleman walks up my husband is ignored and the other gentleman is asked what he would like. The gentleman says he was next, you can help me afterwards, the cook insists no it's okay. I'll take your order. My husband is livid and asks what you don't see me standing here, making him and the other gentleman uncomfortable. My husband deals with someone else not wanting him to prepare his food any longer. There was so much miscommunication between the buffet staff, where they served turkey sausage, burgers etc.  No one knew answers to questions, you got an answer from someone followed their directions, asked the people you were directed to, they had another answer- so frustrating. The singers were awful, they should stop the performing during breakfast it's not enjoyable, especially when it's crowded, noisy, cold and you can't find seats. They spray your hands at the Garden Buffet with disinfectant from a spray bottle that looks like industrial household cleaner, very disconcerting not at all chic. I'm having a drink at Fat Cats lounge I order Pisco punch, rum, lemon bitters, fresh strawberries and pineapples and pineapple juice- it tastes awful. I tell my server, I'm sorry miss that's how Pisco punch tastes -another server hears me complaining and asks if I'd prefer something else. The other server is now even more curt, not making eye contact and when he does rolling his eyes, slamming the pen foe. With my check. In fact most staff members avoided eye contact and did not greet you on the ship. Only at the two ports did they greet us upon returning with the spray bottle disinfectant, and smiles. 
Did I mention the spa and Le Bistro and our steward Abdul and the other stewards on floor 14 were great. 
Everyone we spoke to complained. The general consensus - never cruise  Norweigan from NY in the winter. 
I don't think I'm ever cruising Norweigan again, stuff happens I've  cruised during hurricane season, it's how you handle emergencies that distinguishes you as a premiere cruise line- Norweigan failed miserably- Breakaway's staff needs an overhaul!

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5

Children's Programs

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

1 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Abdul our steward was the one saving grace on this trip. He was wonderful, gracious, attentive and concerned and made our stay bearable. All of the stewards on our floor greeted us, smiled and were very friendly in direct opposition to our experience elsewhere on the shop.

Ship tip

Do not travel this ship in the winter out of New York. It is not a romantic cruise ship, designed more for families with children.

Ports of call

New York, New York

1 out of 5
Don't cruise in the winter. Make sure your bags are pre-tagged, bring your patience, you're going to need it.

Port Canaveral, Florida Did not visit port

Docked at about 8pm, nothing to do, then stayed for the next day until 530 pm paid $$ to stay in the US because Noreigan wanted their $ kick backs from the amusement parks, Kennedy Space center, none of which in the time allotted for the $ paid could really be enjoyed. They saved money and time not going straight to the private island and should have offered an onboard credit or compensation of some sort- but did not!

Great Stirrup Cay (Cruise Line Private Island), Bahamas

1 out of 5
We never went

Nassau, Bahamas

3 out of 5
Enjoyed my tour with Captain Kirk- cab driver outside the ship, just don't take the back seat, great driver, saw some of the more interesting parts of the Bahamas.
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18 Comments

Gwbigdog    1 year ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise.

Gwbigdog    1 year ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise with us.

oceanjuli    8 years ago

I always think when someone writes a review where they mention that EVERYONE they encountered while on a cruise was rude or ignored them that there is a common denominator:  The person writing the review!

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If you approach people with a smile and a good attitude, I'll bet your experience would have been better.‚  It sounds like you want 5-star, elegant service on a 3-star cruise line. If you want a higher level of service, you should pay more and go on a true luxury cruise line. NCL is not considered a luxury cruise line!

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Furthermore, why would you go to a steak house and then order seafood?‚  You should order steak when in a steakhouse!‚  And I agree with the other comments that you guys seem to not know how to be on a cruise . . .ironing your clothes every night? Really?‚  First night is always casual and all of my other clothes are designed to withstand being packed and then used on the cruise without ironing!

niteshift    8 years ago

jackieblue, you will have a blast on The Breakaway!! Beautiful ship, great crew, tasty food, and lots of great entertainment. Enjoy the Glow party!! Lots of fun!!!!! Happy sails. 🚢🚢

gillianmackenzie376    8 years ago

Couldn't agree more. People confuse a review with a complaint.

jackieblue55    8 years ago

Like a always say any day on a cruise is better than a day at work

alioop    8 years ago

Don't be nervous !!! Any vacation is what YOU make of it ! You'll have a great time. The breakaway is a really nice ship , with tons to do , great food, and entertainment. Enjoy 😃

cruisincouple06    8 years ago

Hahaha....u said it totally correct .....complainers....remember a lot of what you read and people start going on about petty Lil things....laugh about it and go on....all the negative things people were complaining about the escape...we were on that ship a few weeks ago and it was the best ship and cruise I've been on so far....going on breakaway in oct

jackieblue55    8 years ago

I can't believe all the negativity. I've been cruising for years,and love it,but I'm going on the breakaway next week, and starting to get nervous I hope it's better than what all of these complainers are saying.

niteshift    8 years ago

Sorry you had such a terrible experience. We have sailed on the Breakaway 3 times and are planning to sail on her again next year. She's a beautiful ship. The cold weather is a regular occurrence in NYC in February; the pier is especially cold and windy. Give it another try! You may enjoy it. 🚢

dcfrench01    8 years ago

Great comments guys . This will be my first time on Norwegian . But have been cruising for the last 15 years and never had such problems. They sound like they need another form of vacationing.

Cruzeing74    8 years ago

I would go in your place and you can stay home.I never had a problem on the breakaway and they went above and beyond.The staff and crew knew my name and what I wanted before I asked.😎

alioop    8 years ago

Why do these people feel so damn entitled to absolute perfection ? Or at least what THEY deem perfection ! I agree strongly with every response written here and all I wish to add is..get a life people & learn how to live it, so tired of these petty reviews(complaints) ugh

SvetlanaS    8 years ago

First day expected to be busy and hectic. You should never plan anything special for first evening. Iron? What iron? We always choose close that will not be wrincled too easy. People ( hate to break it for you but all service stuf are live humans) will always treat you better if you will treat them nice. Dont be afraid to smile and say please and thank you. With all our travels we never had any problems with service.

cruisincouple06    8 years ago

You really need to pic another form of vacationing ....and I know I sure as heck hope I don't get stuck vacationing near you ..maybe there is a reason you and your husband were ignored....can't say I don't blame them....all u did was complain

cruisincouple06    8 years ago

Y,did u even go.....heck every lil thing wasn't right....all the cruises I've been on your luggage is always waiting for you in the hall and never in your room...I bet it was awful having to wheel your own luggage in your room...and I bet ncl or any other cruise line wants to be delayed and have issues causing delays...come on people it's life and sucks it happens but it is gonna from time to time....and if u didn't like your food or it wasn't warm enough for u....HELLO GO GET SOMETHING ELSE....it's not like you had to pay extra for the food....

cruisinforaboozin    8 years ago

Sounds like you don't understand how a cruise works or how to be happy or research or follow directions our plan ahead.

zo6guy    8 years ago

Wow! It sounds like nothing makes you happy.....

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