Not impressed by the Breakaway. Food was so-so, wait staff was less than great, and I wouldn't recommend Rock of Ages for anyone under 18. Bermuda is great if you just want to park at the beach for a few days or shop in Hamilton. Not our favorite cruise so far.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Norwegian now asks cruisers to select a time to board the boat. It sounds like a good idea, but they must allow unlimited guests to choose any given time, because we stood in line for over an hour - no chance to sit. They also cleared people before the ship was ready to receive them, so it was backed up and check in was eventually halted until the waiting area was cleared. Overall, it was not up to the same levels as the Fort Lauderdale and Miami terminals we are accustomed to.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Once again, not up to usual NCL standards. All of the good waiters seemed to be in the specialty restaurants. We had a dining package, so we ate at the Tepanyaki restaurant (twice, because it's that good!), Moderno (churascarrio), and Ocean. I have local Brazilian barbecue places that are much better than Moderno, and Ocean (with a large upcharge to the package) was nothing spectacular at all. We also ate at the Cirque show, and that was truly a disaster. I was told that they were short handed that night, but not until people at the table complained two or three times about lack of service. We were seated for 1/2 hour or so before we even had water. We ate one night in each of the main dining rooms. Our waiter got tables and orders confused; whoever set the table didn't get salt and pepper, silverware, or other items onto every table, so we borrowed or lent items to the table next to us. The buffet was less than extraordinary. We're used to cruise buffets, but this was just not up to par, selection, flavor, or presentation. Like I said, everything was just a little off and not up to our other NCL experiences.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Entertainment
4 out of 5
They give you lots of warning about the potentially offensive content of Rock of Ages, but I was still a put off by the R rated nature of the show. Surely NCL can find a less offensive, more family friendly Broadway show to do on Breakaway. I LOVED the Blue Man Group on Epic, but, although I was attracted by the music, the sexual content was just too much for me.
Burn the Floor was amazing. I think I lost 5 pounds just watching the show; the energy was, well, amazing.
The Cirque act was very good, even though the food and service were not.
Children's Programs
No kids with us.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Except in the specialty restaurants, the wait staff was definitely off. As noted previously, tables weren't set correctly, waiters mixed up orders, drink requests/refills took ages to receive, and, in general, we were disappointed with the service in the general dining rooms.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
We had no problem with the cleanliness of the ship. The ship is so large that we expected more shopping opportunities. Instead, there were three basic shops, and day-to-day necessities were limited to one small area in the liquor store. We also had trouble finding things in our sizes.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Can't complain about the min-suite. The bathroom was large, the shower was huge by cruise ship standards. We brought a plug that modified the European outlet to standard American outlets, so we had plenty in the cabin. However, WHY is there no outlet in the bathroom. Electric toothbrushes, shavers, etc., with no outlet.
Ship tip
If you're going to Bermuda, take the ship out of Boston instead.
There are a few very fun things to do, such as the mini-golf course, glass fusing classes, local craft markets, and a beach. Othewise, you'll be spending your time at some other place in Bermuda.
The worst every on a NCL line. We were supposed to dock much earlier, but weren't in port until about 8:00. Everyone with an 8:00 ticket off the boat were sitting in the theater, waiting in halls, and blocking stairwells. No one announced the late arrival or told everyone to wait in their rooms until their color was called. It was a giant mess. We stood in line to get off the boat for even longer than we did to get on!
Rock of Ages is "offensive"? I'm a fairly strait-laced person and I loved it. While in Bermuda, visit the fort and spend some time in beautiful Hamilton.
according to your profile, you have no other cruises to compare it with. We enjoyed Bermuda very much. The dolphin encounter was one of the highlights. Sailed in July and will again in December.
Cannot quite agree with the statement "a cruise us what you make it" having been on 28 cruises and 29 in six days I believe a person can still have a good time and enjoy cruising as I do but you should still be able to evaluate poor service and mediocre food. When this happens there are thankfully other lines to choose from on.
Sorry the Breakaway let you down. Obviously you had better experiences on other ships. You can always return to your comfort level on your next cruise.
I have to disagree, the food was some of the best we've had on a cruise. Sailing her again in Dec so we'll see if anything has changed for the worse. I really liked not getting changed to have a sit down dinner.
They make multiple announcements and have signs posted warning about Rock of Ages being suggested for 18+. This was our second cruise on the Breakaway and we loved it even more than the last. To each their own though as everyone enjoys different things.
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