Lounge Chair Problems

Item: Norwegian Breakaway
Rating: 3
Author: billang

Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Review to Bermuda

billang

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 9

Overall rating:

3 out of 5

Verified Review

Sail date: July 24, 2016

Ship: Norwegian Breakaway

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 11788

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

We had two cabins on this cruise - 11778 and 11734. This was our fourth Norwegian cruise and we never experienced problems getting a lounge chair like we did on this cruise. It was horrible. People were putting towels and other personal items on chairs at 6:00 am or earlier then they left the ship and didn't return until the afternoon so these chairs were taken but unoccupied all day. The staff did nothing to stop this. It was impossible to get a chair unless you got up at 5:00 am and looked for one. Also, I never saw the pools as overcrowded as they were on this cruise. You couldn't get near them. There were too many passengers on this ship. Even our mini suite was much smaller than usual. Looks like they cut down on the square footage. I am seriously considering going on a different cruise line next time. I spoke to many people on the ship that was cruising for the first time. They said NEVER AGAIN on Norwegian. It was such a bad experience with the lounge chair situation and the overcrowded pools. It got so bad that people were fighting over the chairs. I never saw anything like this before. Another thing that was a problem was that most of the staff's english was so poor that you couldn't understand what they were talking about.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

Our cabin was small for a mini suite. Our steward, Lawrence, was excellent and took very good care of us. The carpet wasn't very clean. Should be replaced

Ship tip

Bring your own lounge chair ha ha

Thumbs up

20 Comments

Gwbigdog 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise.

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Gwbigdog 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise.

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sorca 8 years ago

I will move peoples stuff no problem. You are not there.. you dont reserve.

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evy65 8 years ago

Great I'm going in October n hopefully won't run into those problems, I'm a early riser I will hit the pool early. .

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Kristiscraft 8 years ago

Same as everyone else. If I see a towel on a chair and it sits there for more then 30 minutes or so. I move it. You can clearly see no one is using it. Also the pools are always crowded. But we never minded it. We actually love it because get to meet so many new and interesting people. We have met bounty hunters, police, judges, tap dancers and many more :) You have to learn to mingle

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gllwave 8 years ago

September and October, great time to cruise, no kids, school, if you can do it!

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gllwave 8 years ago

I would have put the person's belongings somewhere else and took the chair!🚢

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ckaplwn 8 years ago

Vibe area truly makes the trip hassle free

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ckaplwn 8 years ago

If you want to get into Vibe, you need to go to guest services immediately upon boarding as they sell out right away. You cannot book it beforehand

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RayPat 8 years ago

Fish face: Vibe is $179 pp but that is for 14 day cruise in January. Don't know what it is for shorter cruise

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Loyalist 8 years ago

Sailed Celebrity Solstice class a few times. Never had issues. They monitor closely unused loungers and remove the towels...

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ckaplwn 8 years ago

The only way to avoid the overcrowding at the pool area is to get into the Vibe area. Pay extra for the amenity. Well worth it

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andrew2600 8 years ago

I didn't have this issue when I was on the Breakaway in October. In sailing on her again in September!

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SvetlanaS 8 years ago

Not really.... We never had problems finding a lounge on any HAL ships.

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deboftheseas 8 years ago

All ships are the same regardless of size, if you want to sit near the pools you must be there by 8 am at the latest

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SvetlanaS 8 years ago

This is a problem of all megaships, not only NCL. Try medium to smaller size next time. We prefer ship with 1200 to 1500 passengers. This will give you the best customer service.

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RayPat 8 years ago

I agree with billang

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alioop 8 years ago

When I wait & wait for a lounger & it's obvious no one is returning any time soon, I remove the items & place them on a nearby table. I don't wait for the staff to do/not do something about it

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RayPat 8 years ago

If I saw a chair empty for an hour I would have removed towel and used it until the "owner" returned

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crstine3 8 years ago

Well you did choose a big ship that holds a large amount of people. Sounds like your fault not NCL.

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Other reviews of this sailing

Nice Cruise

Hey NCL, can I borrow a few of my nickels and dimes for a bus ride home?

Summary