Too Many Passengers for the Ship to Accommodate and Rude Crew

Item: Norwegian Breakaway
Rating: 2
Author: carmensmom06

Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Review to Bermuda

carmensmom06

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 33

Overall rating:

2 out of 5

Verified Review

Sail date: May 22, 2016

Ship: Norwegian Breakaway

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 13108

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

The only reason I am giving this cruise 2 stars is because the ship itself is beautiful. However, there are way too many passengers on this boat and it can't accommodate them all. All of the shows were booked within the first day of the cruise. My husband and I didn't get to sit at a bar once because all of the stools were always taken. The quarter machines in the casino were always full, except very late at night. My husband and I both got what we believe was food poisoning at Taste, and we were sick for about 24 hours. Most importantly, many of the crew members were rude! Finally, there were over $800 in preauthorized charges on my debit card, then NCL took out the full amount of onboard expenses (in addition to the $800 that was already pending), so we had no $ and our account was in the negative from Sunday morning when we got off the ship until Tuesday morning when the bank opened (Monday was a holiday). Also, we were nickeled and dimed to death on this cruise. Overall, it wasn't a good experience.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Entertainment

1 out of 5

Children's Programs

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Ship tip

Do not use a debit card for your onboard expenses.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

New York, New York

1 out of 5

Royal Naval Dockyard, West End, Bermuda

5 out of 5

16 Comments

Gwbigdog 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise.

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JCioc 8 years ago

Will be sailing the Breakaway for the 5 time next month and never had a bad experience. Yes, the ship gets crowded it does accommodate what 4,500 people. You might find the smaller ships a better fit. But I must say, I love Norwegian staff. They are great.

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tennisman1982 8 years ago

Agreed

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tennisman1982 8 years ago

It's not a boat...IT'S A SHIP

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scarletsmummy 8 years ago

Maybe cruising is not for you ,most of the points you raise could happem on any busy vacation resort,getting seats at bars get there earlier,charges on your account ,guest relations,pool crowded again its a holiday resort the prices would double if they sailed half full

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andrew2600 8 years ago

Was on the Breakaway in October with a party of 6. The people in my party never had a hard time finding open space at the bars.

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LidoDeckLaura 8 years ago

Food poisoning takes 48 to kick in...

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Bxborn504 8 years ago

On the May 29th cruise first time and never experienced any problems. We booked our show and restaurant reservations two weeks before we sailed no problem. The crew was always pleasant no problem the food at all the restaurants was fine no problem yes the pool was crowded but we always found lounges on upper deck. On my experience I would sail on the breakaway again.

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brat81978 8 years ago

A spot somewhere if u must sit at the bar. We prefer to walk around, although the bar next to trade winds liquor store had plenty of seats and an awesome performer singing and playing the piano.

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brat81978 8 years ago

Haven is amazing! I'm hoping to get another 2 br villa on my next cruise. Well worth the money for the amenities you get! To the OP, unfortunately using a debit card is not a good idea. Next time use a credit card, or if u don't have one, purchase a prepaid Visa card with enough money on it to cover the preauth charges. Ship does get crowded but with the number of bars on board there is usually

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Carol86 8 years ago

Sad you had such a bad experience and worse getting sick! We were on last week and had the complete opposite experience. Every time we walked into the casino there was always seats and the service was excellent by all crew members. The ship does get crowded but we always were able to do what we wanted. Yes, we stayed in the Haven which was outstanding but we did venture outside The Haven often.

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breakaway11 8 years ago

So what was the $800 charge for ?

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Cruzeing74 8 years ago

I always had a seat at the bar and never had to ask for another.The bartenders were great I tipped well and they knew me and what I drank.I love the ship and crew I go 3 times a year.You can't use a debit card they put a hold on it.You live and learn

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rondashappy 8 years ago

We were on the may 22nd sailing as well. We always found a seat at the bar. I agree that the ship did seem crowded.....the main pool was " standing room only". I feel as though we were lucky we had the Haven to retreat to as it was much quieter in the Court yard. And we found all of the staff there to be very polite

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zs 8 years ago

There is a channel in your cabin that allow you to see how much money are you spending and being charge on a daily basis. There are no surprises, i guess you didn't know about that

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alioop 8 years ago

Should have booked some shows up to 30 days in advance of your cruise, there are many many bars to choose from we had no difficulty & the ship was full as it & every other ship always are, there aren't 4000 quarter machines to accommodate every single guest so I would expect machines to be full(choose something else ), and how were you nickled & dimed ?? We weren't

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overall review

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Good cruise, bad food