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

Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Review to Bermuda

shipmatemike

Contributor Level: Captain

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 3

Helpful Votes: 86

Overall rating:

3 out of 5

Sail date: July 24, 2016

Ship: Norwegian Breakaway

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 12146

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

I bet NCL has a full-time staffer putting those in rolls.

Let me start off by saying that I had a great cruise. We did a 7 Day Bermuda sailing from New York City with 43 family members on our biennial family reunion. My family is amazing and we could sail a shipping barge and have a blast.

If I were a first-time cruiser, I'd probably rate the trip as 4 or 5 stars. But, I've been on over a dozen sailings and have a baseline for comparison. Our past five family cruises were all on Royal Caribbean.

Most of the family lives in New England, so we figured Boston or NYC would be the most convenient ports. We've done the Caribbean a bunch and decided on Bermuda. With the combo, our options were limited. The Breakaway is a fairly new, larger ship so it was an easy choice.

We all got balcony cabins and paid roughly $1,700 each.

The consensus among the family was: Royal Caribbean > NCL

I'll get into detail in the specific sections below, but as a summary, here's our reasoning.

- not a fan of the "freestyle dining"

- we felt constantly "nickle-and-dimed"

- it feels like half of the ship is specialty dining restaurants

- felt too crowded

- staff wasn't as personable or friendly

- leaving and returning to NYC was pretty terrible

Also - when you get home, prepare to have your email inbox flooded with more than an email a day from NCL.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

We'll never do "freestyle dining" again as a big family. Main dining room seating is much easier for us to all meet for dinner. The main dining rooms had decent food - we were far from impressed. Make sure to leave plenty of time if you have a post-dinner show, because service can take a while. With a large group, we didn't get a chance to do any of the specialty restaurants other than Wasabi, which was great. It was frustrating that the majority of the common areas felt as if they were off-limits (specialty dining we couldn't access)

Onboard Activities

It felt the entire ship was taken over by specialty dining restaurants.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Burn the Floor was amazing... best dance show we've seen on a cruise. Truly world class talent. Rock of Ages... we ended up missing most of it, but made it for a taste. Multiple people described it as "corny." There didn't seem like enough shows. On most cruises, we'd catch 3 or 4 shows... on the Breakaway, we were only able to see one.

Service and Staff

1 out of 5

I very much respect their hard work, but compared to other ships, they weren't very friendly and didn't provide the best quality of service. A few incidents come to mind in which we were disappointed with the staff. - we were having a great time on the shuffleboard court and managed to get most of the 43 family members there. A staff member came and kicked us off at 10pm and wasn't very nice about it. Rules are rules, but c'mon. - we bought the overpriced family pics. The stated rate was $100 for 10 pics (already a ripoff). When we went to check out, the guy tried charging double because "there are a lot of people in the picture." - the casino pit boss was overseeing a blackjack tournament. She "promised" four times that it was the last buy-in round. The winners obviously wanted the final table to start asap. She went back on her word four times, bringing in an extra few hundred dollars in tournament that already brought in tens of thousands of dollars with a total payout of $500

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Everything was very clean. Most common areas were packed with specialty dining restaurants, which was very frustrating. It constantly felt crowded... like way more crowded than any other ships I've sailed. If you can afford it, get The Haven for some peace, quiet and elbow room.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

The cabin was great.... spacious and clean. The bathroom was bigger than on other ships. Our balcony was great.

Ship tip

On one night while "at sea," the cast of Burn the Floor put on a show in one of the Main Dining Rooms. If you can get a table by the dancefloor on this night at this time, you'll get the best show of the week.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

New York, New York

1 out of 5

When getting off the ship on the last day, take your time if you can. Let the herd thin out or be ready for a hot, crowded mess for an hour+.

Thumbs Up 1

Royal Naval Dockyard, West End, Bermuda

5 out of 5

We golfed at the main, public course. It was crazy expensive (like $200 with clubs), but was AMAZING. So beautiful and well kept.

Thumbs Up 3

Traveler Photos

21 Comments

Gwbigdog 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise.

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Lovecruisingwithmyhubby 8 years ago

We love the Breakaway and got more than our money's worth. We never felt nickeled and dimed and can't wait to go again!!!

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alioop 8 years ago

So true ! Andrew. Hats off to you as well nypd !! 👏👏👏😄

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andrew2600 8 years ago

People like to complain and hope they ruin other peoples vacations.

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Nypd11483 8 years ago

I do not work for NCL, and have sailed on the Breakaway. Me and my wife were not pressed to purchase anything on board at anytime. There were shops, and events to browse through but that's it. No different then any other cruise lines (and I have been on quite a few). As for the staff, they are people. Treat them with respect and they will go out of their way to assist you. Furthermore, you mentioned that you and your family are so awesome that you all could have a blast on a barge? Great news!!!I heard that barge rates are allot lower then your average balcony room. You may want to consider that option, as you will not find any unfriendly staff, and nobody will be there to nickel and dime you... Problem solved. Can't wait for that review.

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bata 8 years ago

Imesser1959, Great year by the way ! :-) Excellent Advice, whilst I read & absorb what reviews say, positive & negative, somewhere in the middle, Is the truth, fact & the fiction, It is ultimately up to ME, what feels right End of Story ! & where I choose to spend my bucks ! Not a price gouging Cruise Line, a prestigious line at that Or " WAS " Over & Out. :-)

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lmesser1959 8 years ago

I was on Breakaway in March. I, too, was concerned, due to reviews about nickel & diming. I was pleasantly surprised and had a wonderful time; cannot wait to sail Breakaay again. I did a lot of planning for meals, entertainment & excursions. I can see how someone, who did not plan ahead would get caught in a web of extra charges. Take the time; plan ahead and you will have a great time.

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alioop 8 years ago

That could be bata, but this isn't the first time I've heard this "nickel & diming " nonsense !

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bata 8 years ago

Gee, How about we let, this particular negative poster, reply ! He's got a reputation, on here ! Believe it ! I would be interested in him, justifying his review too ! :-)

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alioop 8 years ago

Anyone ??

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alioop 8 years ago

I'd like to know what in particular, other than the price of water, is ncl "nickel & diming " anyone for that other cruise lines do not. I really would.

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alioop 8 years ago

Almost every cruise line charges for ALL the SAME things as ncl. Not sure why all of a sudden , other than the price of water, ncl is being attacked. It makes no sense to me

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bata 8 years ago

alioop, I appreciate what you say, & certainly respect your opinion. I recently saw the Mighty ships episode of the Breakaway being built ! Don't get me wrong, I am very impressed, with The NCL brand, their ships & their fantastic crews ! It's the new direction, in policy that has soured my attitude, the under lying tones of, as you guys say, nickel & dimeing, Just turns me off ! cheers ! :-)

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alioop 8 years ago

I don't know beta, you're losing me a bit🙃

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bata 8 years ago

Yep, certainly & issue, but a dangerous judgement call, going to the extreme ! " it's plain & simple gouging! " No ifs...No buts..No maybe's ! Why NCL, of all CCLC brands ? If the problem is so big, & varied, why not implement policies to curb the issue, where the problem is, "probably " more prevalent & wide spread on another CCLC brand ?

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alioop 8 years ago

That's too beta..don't let bottled water ruin what should be a great experience . Remember, for every negative review, a positive seems to follow. We've sailed on 5 different lines & the breakaway(ncl) was fantastic 😊

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bata 8 years ago

I even go as far as making the call, We will see, a new, and dynamic change in policy, sooner, rather than later, with this bloodied minded, current Executive Management level, outrageous new policies, if the door is not shown to the man at the top, where the buck stops ! And the Bucks are drying up at a rapid rate of knots ! I was researching a cruise with NCL, Sadly, not any more.

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alioop 8 years ago

My thought is that there is too much smuggling of booze so they had no choice. Yes, the water could and should be offered at a lower price, I feel they are gouging . But..I can get ice water at the buffet, albeit not as convenient as grabbing a bottle, but I can get it

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bata 8 years ago

What were & are, you thoughts about the no carry on water policy, recently implemented ? From my analysis, NCL, is going to get hammered ! Their bottom line, is in the firing line, P & L statements will reflect that, next financial quarter for sure ! The native's are not happy & restless ! There's a noticeable increase % wise, of negative reviews, not trickling, but flooding in.

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alioop 8 years ago

I didn't encounter this "nickel & diming " , most cruise lines charge extra for the same things as ncl , i.e. , specialty dining, photos, casino, shops, room service fee, bingo, upgraded steak or seafood in main dining room etc... It's a shame you had a rotten crew, we didn't experience that either. We never felt crowded , plenty of places to escape & I received no emails(must be something new).

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Kostik 8 years ago

Thank you for your review. We are looking forward to Breakaway cruise, but bracing ourselves for sale pitches. One question, if you got balcony, why did you pay so much? We got suite for about 1400 total each.

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Summary

Vacationing with the kids