Value of NCL cruises has been steadily decreasing over the years.

Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Reviews: 3
Helpful Votes: 44

Overall rating:

3 out of 5
Verified Review
Norwegian Breakaway

9 Night Eastern Caribbean & Bermuda (New York Roundtrip)

Sail date: July 01, 2016

Ship: Norwegian Breakaway

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 13148

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

The Breakaway was intended to server over 4,500 passengers, but the pools, theaters, and Atrium area cannot accommodate this number of people. They can no longer claim to be "freestyle" when reservations are required for many dining and entertainment functions. The service was very slow. This was not due to the staff themselves since they always tried their best to make the customer happy. The problem appeared to be under-staffing. NCL has implemented cutbacks in services as well as increases in fess and charges. They will no longer allow bottled water or soda to be brought onboard and will soon replace the free Uptown Grill with an a la carte fee-based version of Maragritaville. I can no longer recommend NCL. If you do wish to try an NCL cruise, I suggest doing the Gem out of NY rather than the Breakaway.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5
Food was great, but took a while to get your meal.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5
Breakaway has some of the best attractions on board.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Children's Programs

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

3 out of 5
Staff were great, but they couldn't keep up with demand.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5
Beautiful ship, but many design flaws.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Great Room Steward. Did not feel vibrations while ship was in motion like at mid-ship two years ago.

Ship tip

Try O'Sheenans for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Uptown Grill has great burgers and salads. Make reservations in advance for specialty restaurants. Try the liquor tastings on At Sea Days. There are lunches available in Modernos for free on some at sea days.

Ports of call

New York, New York

3 out of 5

San Juan, Puerto Rico

1 out of 5

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

5 out of 5

Tortola, British Virgin Islands

3 out of 5

Royal Naval Dockyard, West End, Bermuda

5 out of 5
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4 Comments

Gwbigdog    1 year ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise.

lucylopez    8 years ago

I went on the gem twice and don't really like it... That buffet is to small! The food is ok... Just came back from carnival Sunshine and the food is way much better and had a great waiter... Just saying.... I went on Breakaway last year but I went with my two grandkids so I didn't enjoy it that much I always in the kiddie pool😂😂I going to try the breakaway again in Nov 2016... Let's see😬😬😬😬

Ejan    8 years ago

It's just a matter of time before they start charging for all food.

seagal5    8 years ago

I'm sorry you found your cruise to be so full of issues, that stinks. I think freestyle to me means I can go to any free dining venue any time I want & not have to be in "dressy " clothes to do it. I'm saddened that uptown grille will be gone , it was so good. I do agree that it's a bit much to change the water/soda policy. I don't mind making reservations for shows or dining as it ensures no wait

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