Overall, it was a nice cruise but I think this is my last time on a large NCL ship. We ALWAYS cruise this time of year as most people do not do so and the ships are usually not crowded. (most people will wait under Christmas break if they are going to cruise after Thanksgiving) It was my understanding that the NCL Gem was out of service and NCL moved those people onto the Breakaway bringing it to a fuller capacity than it normally is this time of year.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
This is our 3rd trip with NCL. We had priority boarding so were able to jump the lines a bit. Boarding was smooth and easy.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The buffet was always crowded and at times it was difficult to find something decent to eat. You had to circle during peak times to find a table. We ate breakfast at "Taste" and it was nice not be crowded out, but it took a little longer. We tried O'Sheehans for breakfast and it was okay, but nothing special. The Manhattan Dining Room was a good experience especially on "Burn the Floor" night. Overall, the food at the complimentary restaurants was good, but nothing special. We ate at Cagneys. The steaks were good and service was excellent. We also ate at Le Bistro and La Cuchina. Again, a better menu, better food and better overall service and worth the up-charge, however none of them were 4-star restaurants and more American-Ethnic vs ethnic. For example, the dessert list for La Cuchinna did not include a cannoli or any of the other treats you might find in the Little Italy in NY, All of the restaurants had the same wine list. Wasabi is an excellent option for a light snack, It would be nice if they had an outdoor grill where they serve hamburgers, hotdogs and fries like some of the other cruise lines do... along w/a pizza station - for those mid-afternoon or later night cravings versus having to get dressed and then circle the buffet. There was one night in the buffet that they served Crepes made to order - Yummy!
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
The Thermal Spa pass is worth the price if your goal is to relax, It is a nice escape from the crowds. It also allows you access to an indoor pool on Day 1 - when you are leaving NYC at the end of November.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
This is our 2nd trip on the Breakaway and the bigger shows have not changed. We saw them the first time around. Howl at the Moon is very entertaining as was the comedian, Frank Townsend. Headliners is a very comfortable space for both of those types of acts and it is almost like you are out on the town versus on a ship.
Children's Programs
No children
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
With the exception of our cabin attendant and the bartenders who are always crazy-busy, there are some NCL staff that need to learn to be empathetic when listening to a concern or be better trained in customer service My husband went to get something off the buffet and because it was close to the clean-up time, the serving spoons were removed first. He asked one of the buffet attendants for a spoon, and the guy just told him that he would not give him one and to go to somewhere else,
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
People in large groups can be pigs and the ship did a decent job of picking up after them. At times, the Garden Cafe tables were not cleared fast enough. In addition, they need to be more aware of moving the containers with the dirty dishes around as one staff member carried a container over our food while we were eating. We sailed on the Breakaway in 2013 when she was new and we noticed that paint on our balcony ceiling was pealing.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Our cabin attendant, Noel was very nice. The cabin was spacious enough for both of us. It was nice not having a shower curtain as the shower had a glass door. The bed was comfortable. After a few nights of sleeping on the fiber-fill pillows the made my neck hurt, Noel brought us some feather pillows which were very comfortable to sleep on and did not make my neck hurt.
Ship tip
Be prepared to muscle through crowds of people, wait at the buffet and be crowded out at the bars. On occasion you might have to wait a while for an elevator. Overall, the flow of the ship can handle the larger numbers.
We did not get off in this port, however it was a nice day. We were hoping to see a rocket launch like we did our last time in Port Canaveral but there were none scheduled.
We started to tender people over, but then stopped due to weather conditions. The people who had already been tendered were returned to the ship. We started for Nassau a few hours later and actually arrived there for an overnight stay, Some people did get off the ship even though most of the shops were closed and took a taxi over to Atlantis.
We chose to have 2 of our 4 bags tagged for a latter leaving time. We have done this countless times before with no issues, We did not have any flights to catch and it allowed us to leisurely wake up, shower and eat breakfast before leaving. We had a disembarkation luggage tags that were not the latest, but not the earliest and the NCL crew will call your color so that you can leave . It was very obvious that NCL was just looking to empty out the ship as quick as possible, It took us 90+ minutes of waiting in a line to leave the ship. NCL said that it was Customs fault, but NCL was the one calling the people to leave. They had us get in a line to leave that started in the middle of the ship, and went to the back of the ship before finally being able to leave near the front. Had we known that we would have spent 90 minutes in a line to just leave the ship, we would have not gone when they called us but lingered a little longer.
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