Freestyle, I call it wait and pay

Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Review to Bermuda

cgurbisz

Contributor Level: Third Mate

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 30

Overall rating:

2 out of 5

Verified Review

Bermuda - New York

Sail date: October 09, 2016

Ship: Norwegian Breakaway

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 12288

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

My 6th cruise, 2nd with NCL. Im really not a fussy person but the service on this cruise was poor. 3 days of shower flooding, had to ask for ice frequently, went half the cruise with out face cloth or hand towels. Don't bother getting the drink package you will never get enough drink service to make it worth it. Funny this was one of their free choice options when booking. Constant lines at bars for drinks, bartenders had no ideas who was waiting patiently for their turn and who just cut in. People were standing in line for drinks while other bars were closed. Never had anyone the entire cruise offer bar service. I'm really not a big drinker but people are on vacation. The ship was very under staffed, average of two hours to get through dinner, waiting to take order, waiting to be served, drink order often finally taken halfway through meal and by the waiter. Food was good but certainly not hot. Orders were getting mixed up and cruise cards given back to wrong people. Always check you name on your card as it may not be yours. Buffet was a good selection but often overcrowded, hard to find table. Again no one ever came around to take a drink order or even refill your coffee. On several days they closed half the buffet for maintenance having people enter and exit from same way, mass confusion. I was very disappointed. The ship was big and nice but due to weather and ruff seas a lot of options were canceled and closed off with no alternatives. Im new to this freestyle and although its a great idea NCL is not geared up for it. You definitely give up good service for this freestyle approach. And be prepared to pay extra for a lot. Freestyle does not mean free. I have never complained about a cruise before. Traveled with Royal, Princess, Celebrity and NCL back in 2008. Things have really changed. I don't blame the staff they were overwhelmed and understaffed and poorly directed. Our 3 days in Bermuda cruise was redirected due to hurricane Nicole instead made a short stop in CapeCanverial and Bahamas both just hit by hurricane Mathew. Not a great option. They offered a $200.00 onboard credit which had to be used or loosed. Really??

We made some complaints one night about food service and next day got 4 chocolate covered strawberries sent to our room. Really food reward on a cruise ship LOL .How about a massage, specialty dinner, or free show. Well if you've stayed with me this long thanks and good luck. I truly hope you NCL experience is better. BTW the ship was not full, I heard it was down 1500 passengers, can't imagine what it would have been like fully booked.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

1 out of 5

Understaffed. The staff was not rude just mostly not available, overwhelmed and improperly trained.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Room was nice, we never had a balcony before. They are small, two chairs and small table. Saw our cabin steward twice through the entire cruise. He did mention the first day most of his rooms were on the other side of the ship.

Ship tip

It is a big ship with many options. But be prepared to pay for options too. My feeling is sometimes big is too big if your are not trained, staffed and prepared to handle large numbers of passengers and changing weather.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

New York, New York

3 out of 5

35 Comments

Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise.

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esm54687 8 years ago

That's awesome!!

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emay 8 years ago

I'm having a great time with my sons...

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Spoiledtcangel 8 years ago

Highest package they offered but their photographers acted annoyed almost every single time they were taking pictures except the one girl who took them on the 8th floor. She was amazing with my 2 year old, not to mention $25 per shirt for 10 family members and they lost our embark photo ... Wouldn't even look for it!! Come on now!

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Spoiledtcangel 8 years ago

That more attention is put into the food and service in the pay for places. The free dinning rooms were lacking in service and quality. Also if you read my original post you will see I said I liked having the picture package so I didn't care about spending $249 before even boarding, I thought the pics would be like all others I've ever gotten on ships, pretty damn amazing which is why I bought the

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Spoiledtcangel 8 years ago

Let's just clarify here, carnival does not charge for room service unless you want a special item their regular room service 24/7 hour menu is still free of charge. Only tables charge you a 3% fee slots no fee, trust me I haven't paid for a carnival cruise since my first due to gambling. They do not charge you just to carry wine on, I didn't mind the dinning up charge as much as the obvious fact

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alioop 8 years ago

Perhaps some of these up-charges are more expensive on Breakaway than another ship or line, but the complaints seem to suggest that they don't exist on other lines which just isn't true. This may or may not be why Esm asked for clarification, in any case he wouldn't be the only one who is curious .

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alioop 8 years ago

Not everyone evy65. I too am confused by all the complaints surrounding "up-charges ". Most lines have them, for most of the things that were complained about in this thread. The Breakaway is a large ship & can provide more choices of specialty venues when some ships may have only one or two simply because of their size. There were plenty of free things to eat

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CruisingQueen21 8 years ago

I'm not here to argue but each line is different. Each line is unique in their own way. You can't really compare ship to ship because none are the same. A cruise is what you make if it ..I'm not pointing anyone out by saying you. But of u go on cruise and constantly compare this to this then I think u set yourself up for a fail. And not a,good time. Be blessed we can all afford to go on a,cruise and enjoy life ..you're away from home and work. Try to overlook the small stuff. Because you will miss the good things. Sorry I don't mean to sound corny. And yes everyone's entitled to their opinion. But eat drink and be happy. Just my thoughts. Ty

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wl1962 8 years ago

Esm, I have been on ncl, princess, hal, cunard, carnival, celbrity, rccl, and msc. I do have ships to compare i the breakaway with and was not impressed with it. I do happen to like ncl and have sailed on 3 of their ships several times, the breakaway has negatives that should not be overlooked. That is not to say it is not a wonderful vacation, so if you are leaving on the ship soon enjoy. That said, 795 for room service, MOST restaurants are an upcharge, NO lobster any night included, slow drink service, if you don't have drink pkg. Drinks seem to be more than on other ships, additional cost for SOME shows, No late night buffet extravaganza (people look forward to this on a cruise). Put it all together and ncl is trying to nickel and dime their way to a higher cost cruise line without actually earning it with better service, food, and shows included in the cruise fare. I think that at equal fares you get more on most lines and if ncl charged the higher fare they would suffer so they back into it with upcharges. Again, I like ncl for what it is, a very good value, casual vacation that you can totally relax on but if they price it too high or remove items that had been included there are options with better food and service. I know some people will now say how great the food is and how they loved their room stewards and I am sure they did but there are better. Just my 2 cents based on over 25 cruises on several lines. Ok maybe 4 cents worth. Now that's some funny stuff, to all getting ready to sail ENJOY. Life's too short to argue over a vacation is great

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4ria 8 years ago

Lol esm is a shill for NCL !

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wl1962 8 years ago

Emay have a great trip

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evy65 8 years ago

Enjoy emay

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emay 8 years ago

I be on the breakaway in 5 days..I'm so excited...

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evy65 8 years ago

First time I addressed you, but everyone got a bone to pick with u.

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esm54687 8 years ago

Yet you sought me out to engage me..... that's just a weird obsession ☺

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esm54687 8 years ago

It's weird how I'm the favorite lightening rod to be called out by name all the time..... I've sat back recently and said nothing while watching other people say exactly what I say but the ShipMate Police have nothing to say to them. I'm flattered I take up so much of people's time.

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evy65 8 years ago

Esm54687 you always want to have last word.. regardless I spent less on carvinal than I did on NCL.. and enjoyed it more on Carvinal. . Something Spoiled angel left out $15 for corkage fee that has twist cap, even if they don't open. .so they charge you for just bringing bottle of wine with you on ship! To buy case of water, you might as well go thirsty! There wifi is what like $30 per day .. carvinal $25 for basic wifi face book, IG, and free text app..for the whole week , about $60 for week for total Internet access.. ncl charges for everything, so they can make up the money on the UBP...

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alioop 8 years ago

Carnival charges for room service, all ships charge for photos, they also do have upgraded items for a fee on their complimentary menus, the ice cream is on in the buffet until very late, and other lines charge a fee in the casino as well. They also have specialty dining that you don't have to dine in...😘

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cgurbisz 8 years ago

Spoil thanks for clarifying extra charges I totally agree. We paid extra for special show. I've never been on a cruise until breakaway that they made u pay for lobster or any food in main dinning hall. They could of at least offered one night full menu for free.Drink service all around was poor especially at dinner and by pool. Also charging for room service never had that until ncl. Freestyle$$$

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Spoiledtcangel 8 years ago

Let's see all but 3 dinning options have an up charge and the service is by far way better in the pay ones, 3% fee in casino for every transaction, if my kids wanted ice cream late at night there's a fee, room service a fee, want decent coffee a fee, I liked having the picture package however the photographers weren't that great so I ended up with 35 pictures 6 of which I like.

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alioop 8 years ago

Good luck getting what you're asking for Esm...don't hold your breath

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esm54687 8 years ago

For all those who complain about nickel and diming......it would be a tremendous help to all of us if you actually gave concrete examples comparing it to other cruise line's offerings. Please itemize every other cruise line extra costs and then provide the total fare for identical cruise itineraries so that the comparison is apples to apples. Complaining about NCL and the cost for "extras" without providing support information is an empty complaint.

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clferr 8 years ago

We have been on Breakaway 3 times and going again next month. Ok, I realize they charge extra for certain items, but if you want something then you have to pay extra for it. There are plenty of other choices for dinner to try. We never went to dinner during rush hour. Usually went to either Taste or Savor after having a few drinks at Mixx bar. Had the same great bartenders who took good care of us

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jarobb 8 years ago

Our worst cruise out of nearly 10 was the Breakaway.

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brat81978 8 years ago

Clferr I've only been on one other cruise besides BA, wayyyy back in 2003. I'm guessing ppl are referring to the upcharge for lobster and filet in MDR (free way back when) and the myriad of extra activities they charge for like bingo and Deal or No Deal. I didn't spend nearly as much on extras for my first cruise.

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clferr 8 years ago

Im still trying to figure out what everyone means by nickel and diming for things? We have been on Breakaway 3 times and haven't had any problems. First time we did hit rough seas and did miss a port, but that was understood. Service in Taste and Savor was always great. Buffet is usually crowded, but it depends on the time you go. We found a bartender who we had in March and stuck to that bar and had great service. Going to miss him next month! If you are the type of person who are on a schedule ,then you will find dining times usually crowded. Relax and try to eat at less busy times.

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brat81978 8 years ago

Evy I do agree about the pics. Esp since they look at them before letting u walk away. We were very disappointed with the ones they took and only bought like 4.

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evy65 8 years ago

I was on cruise that he/she was talking about and I agree on everything they said. . I thought the same thing for the amount of people they do not have the adequate help dinner literally took like 3 hours from beginning to end and unlike Carnival where they're always hounding you to see if you want to drink I guess in the region because most people had the unlimited beverage package they really didn't care if they came to you to or for a drink forget the picture quality of the pictures they took it looks like they took it with no interest of trying to sell them because they look like crap from like 20 pictures I took of me I was able to buy two so yes it was some kind of a horrible experience for my first NCL Cruise

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emay 8 years ago

I was on the breakaway for Valentine's week in February of this year and it was wonderful. I am going again October 30th with my sons and some family members. I am so looking forward to it no matter what happens it's what we make of the time that we have.

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Cruzeing74 8 years ago

I got off on October 2nd that was my fourth time on the breakaway in a year.I never waited more than 3 minutes for a drink anywhere.The bartenders remembered me from my previous cruises.I did tip them every drink so that helps and the keep asking if I'm ready.The buffet was half opened on a few days but never crowded timing is important.I go for the ship.Sorry you were not happy

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kinjon 8 years ago

Good for you

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kevinb7315 8 years ago

Joy don't worry about reviews I just got off the breakaway Oct 9th everything was great as far as getting good bar service what I do is I gave a waiter named Ryan on back of boat a big 100 tip from that point on I had and so did my family drinks with in minutes of ordering considering I had drink package the money nothing he kept a eye on us all week best money ever spent

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CruisingQueen21 8 years ago

I went on the breakaway in October 2015 It was great we had the free alcohol pkg. Drank as Much as we wanted no hassles. ..pool was never crowded. I mean I've been cruising for years. We had a great cruise. Everything was perfect. Food entertainment and staff We go again in a few weeks. All these reviews make me nervous. But a cruise is what u make if it. I'm away from work and that will be great

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wl1962 8 years ago

Have to agree. Like ncl but breakaway is less than ideal, nickel and dime ship, not all inclusive

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