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Breakaway needs help

Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Review to Bermuda

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 20

Overall rating:

1 out of 5
Verified Review
Norwegian Breakaway

7 Night Bermuda (New York Roundtrip)

Sail date: May 14, 2017

Ship: Norwegian Breakaway

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 12856

Traveled as: Family (young children)

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

As a frequent cruiser on NCL my family and I were disappointed as to the quality of service, food and overcrowding. The ship could not handle the amount of people on board. Chairs around the pool were not enough for all folks on the cruise. Service in all restaurants was terrible. Slow and food came out cold. In addition, the staff seemed unhappy and were not pleasant. All in all this was the worst cruise we have taken and the last on NCL.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5
Quality of food was terrible.

Entertainment

1 out of 5

Children's Programs

1 out of 5

Service and Staff

1 out of 5
Staff not pleasant.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5
Cabin was ok

Ship tip

the only decent place for food was the Mahattan Supper Clu.

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Ports of call

New York, New York

1 out of 5

Royal Naval Dockyard, West End, Bermuda

5 out of 5
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21 Comments

kr122212    7 years ago

I was in Bermuda in April , they just opened up a swimming season , water was cold .... people just absolutely wonderful ! going again this August ....
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clferr    7 years ago

We went in April and it too was extremely windy. Couldn't even go in water because i was sure it would be a bit chilly getting out. Might do Bermuda again later than April but not during middle of summer. Was nice when we went last Sept.
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Mommau3    7 years ago

What time did you disembark?
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drpepperlady    7 years ago

We just finished this cruise this morning. We elected to disembark with our luggage rather than check them. We were off the ship and through customs within 25-30 minutes! There were no problems. Follow the rules and directions of those there to assist and you'll do fine. The service onboard was excellent. The main pool is too small to accommodate even 5 % of the passengers and the 4 hot tubs were always full. The kids water area is as big or maybe bigger than the adult pool area; that was a space that could be better used; i.e. Maybe a small adult pool in the same area of the children's or a hot tub... the food was great, most entertainment was OK but Burn The Floor is a must see 5 stars...very talented) great steak at Cirque and Cagney's. The main thing I would do differently is cruise at a different time. We arrived on Bermuda Day and all the shops were closed; St George's was completely closed except one little convenience store and a gift shop. Most of the celebration took place and in Hamilton. Secondly, It was very windy the whole time and didn't even get in the water.. :( don't bother fixing your hair. St George's is a very cute town. I would've loved to be there during normal time. Oh also, the people there are so friendly and helpful.
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cruisemaniac    7 years ago

I agree when you book all you have to do is glance at ships stats it clearly says Breakaway holds 4000 passengers common sense would tell you there's not going to be 4000 chairs or lounges. Same goes for theater and shows that's why they have same show on few nights
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Kfenton66    7 years ago

anyone who does any investigation before they book a cruise will know that no pool on any cruise ship is big enough for all the passengers to have a chair near it. I have yet to get into a pool on any of the NCL boats I have sailed on. The showers on the deck are good enough from me.
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fishface    7 years ago

This complaining moaner is not describing the ship I sailed on last November, it was brilliant. Some people will never be satisfied, and some of the comments are just so stupid for words, how on earth can you design a ship, hotel, beach or what ever to accommodate everyone in one place at the same time!
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TripNerd    7 years ago

As a travel agent/home based agency owner, I spend time reading these reviews for research purposes.  Not only am I researching the ship/destination for myself but for potential clients as well.  It is part of the service I offer.  What astounds me most is how many times people would rather complain about their vacation rather than take some ownership of their vacation.  We need to remember that there are 4000 people vacationing on this ship with approximately 1700 people working/living on this ship.  At times, service is going to be slow.  So what!  You are on vacation, what are you in a hurry to do?  If dinner take 2 or 3 hours, then it take 2 or 3 hours.  Complaining will not change it.  Going to dinner at a non-traditional time could change it however.  The most popular times are 6pm and 830pm for dinner.  This is why most cruise lines have those as set times so they can manage the rush of people.  NCL does it differently, but that does not change the popular times that people want to eat.  If you are someone that wants to eat at 6, then be prepared for a leisurely dinner.  Take that time to enjoy the company at your table.  If you are fortunate enough to sit with people that you are not traveling with, take that time to get to know them.  If you absolutely MUST have a quick dinner, consider going to a different venue or changing your dinner time to one that is not as crowded.  By possibly changing the time you go to dinner, you may also solve the issue of poolside seating.  Try going to the pool during the dinner rush and you will find plenty of seats.  And depending on the time of year you are cruising it will likely still be plenty warm and sunny.  In short (I know…too late), you get back what you put out in the world.  If you don’t smile at people, don’t expect them to smile at you.  If you don’t say hello in passing, then don’t expect the same in return.   If you are miserable and unhappy on your vacation, take some ownership to fix it.  Lastly, if you are not booking with a travel agent, then you should start.  A good travel agent can point out these things in advance so you are prepared when you board.  A good travel agent can provide you with alternatives and guidance to avoid the pitfalls you have mentioned.  Using a travel agent should rarely if ever cost more than booking yourself so why not use one.  I hope that your future travels will be better and more enjoyable for you!

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rgbenning    7 years ago

I have never been on any ship that has one deck chair for every passenger the ship is designed to carry! Think about it for a minute! If they did that every square inch of deck space would be filled with a chair and even then that would not be enough deck space for all the chairs needed. Also it is beyond the realm of possibilities that every single passenger would be needing a deck chair to sit on every minute of the cruise.
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esm54687    7 years ago

and unfortunately the disembarking is 98% impacted by US Customs, Terminal Operations and guests who don't follow direction. .
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tony111459    7 years ago

I went 5/7 everything was perfect incept for disembarking
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cruisemaniac    7 years ago

VIBE is an adult only secluded area with it's own bar, lounges and 2 hot tubs. There are only a number of passes given out on first come first serve at customer service desk they are 89. pp and sell out quickly on day of embarkation. But it you can escape crowded pool area. Pool area on sea days it's the one area on ship it's very crowded. But on any cruise I have been on pool area is always congested on sea days.
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clferr    7 years ago

We have been on BA 5 times and never had any issues or problems. We try to stay away from the pool area and instead go to H2O on deck 16 aft. Yes, it is crowded but usually still able to get seats. And no kids there either. We dine in Taste or Savor and service is always prompt and food delicious. As i have stated before, when you say any type of greeting to staff then you will get the same response back. If you dont acknowledge them and treat them poorly then you have no right to complain about them.
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bcfl0bb    7 years ago

love the breakaway dont listen to complainers
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Mommau3    7 years ago

What is a VIBE card and what does it do?
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cece1951    7 years ago

Maybe. I love Norwegian overall and have 2 cruises with them already booked. Been on the Sun and going again. Not been on Epic but heard great things.
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esm54687    7 years ago

I think it will always be more bad than good (people tend to write negative things instead of positive)..... when was the last time you walked over to a manager and said the clerk was wonderful or when you had to talk to customer service on the phone did you ask to be transferred to a supervisor to give kudos..... probably haven't but you certainly would if it was a complaint (not "you" as in cece1951 but the general public)
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cece1951    7 years ago

More bad than good so far. Will give it more time.
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esm54687    7 years ago

cece1951: I wouldn't conclude. the Breakaway is the troll of the fleet based on the small number of negative reviews per itinerary here on ShipMate..... especially considering there are 4200 passengers who haven't weighed in good or bad.
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cruisemaniac    7 years ago

What week did you sail I just got off Sunday and had a great time. Will agree pool area is horrendous but we ran to board and got a VIBE pass best thing ever. Every worker on ship was friendly some even went out of there way to say hi and smile. I ate in 3 specialty restaurants and manhattan diningroom 3x and loved every meal. Waited between courses but servers are trained to do this so not to seem like they are rushing you. One evening we wanted to make a show told server and got food very fast and we were early for show. Walked into howl at the moon 2x booked 2 shows on board and attended. Every bar I walked up to I was able to sit at bar stool and got a drink right away. I have been on Breakaway 2x would go on her again if not planning my next cruise for Jan and don't want to have 3 days of cold weather sailing out of NYC
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cece1951    7 years ago

Breakaway is the troll of Norwegian sounds like. Many complaints on here. That said there are still plenty of good ships in this fleet.
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