Very Mixed Bag Here - Tips Forthcoming.......

Item: Norwegian Breakaway
Rating: 3.7
Author: saslifka

Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

saslifka

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 29

Overall rating:

3.7 out of 5

7 Night Western Caribbean (New Orleans Roundtrip)

Sail date: March 24, 2019

Ship: Norwegian Breakaway

Traveled as: Family (young children)

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

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Embarkation

2 out of 5

New Orleans was a mess as there was an event at the convention center nearby and extremely confusin on where to park. Others had no problems, but I wanted to tear my hair out. Ended up parking in Fulton Garage. Once finally parked, the shuttle took us right there and after the cruise took us promptly back to the garage. Costed less than I thought also.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Food was good. I suggest going to Garden Buffet for breakfast and lunch and for dinner do Taste, Savor, or Manhattan. Served good steaks in all of these restaurants. The menu was basically the same in each. Some people dressed up, others wore nice shorts - was a mixed bag. For drinks, I don't drink alcohol, so me and my boys had the soda package. If I could do it again, I would have saved money and drank lemonade, milk, chocolate milk all week. You had to get your soda from the long slow bar lines which was a mess. Save yourself the headache and be healthier and don't get the soda package. Also, upon entry of our room, there was a fridge stocked with alcohol and soda. My son and I each drank a can of Coke right away. Soon found out even though we had the drink package, they charge extra for ALL drinks taken from the dorm fridge in your room.

Savor Restaurant

4 out of 5

Very good choice for dinner. Service varied by server it seemed. Fast one night, dirt slow the next. Not as swift as like previous cruises. Desserts on this ship were not good. I'd have been happy with good old fashioned chocolate cake or cheese cake. Weird desserts.

Taste Restaurant

5 out of 5

The Manhattan Room Restaurant

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Ping Pong, Shuffleboard, Slides. Played Bingo, but was a major money maker for the ship. Went to art auction one day - again, big money maker. Norweigian was definitely looking to increase wallet share while on board. I'm used to paying my fee upfront and enjoying my vacation as opposed to being nickel and dimed for everything along the way.

Breakaway Casino

2 out of 5

This is free smoking zone. Not a very good filtration system at work. Have to walk through it to get to various other places (maybe there was an alternative I didn't know about). No fun. Did not have any luck in the casino (my fault for playing....). The charging to your room part on the slot machines was more confusing that I thought it needed to be. Best to just bring cash.

Aqua Park

4 out of 5

Not bad, but steps very hot. If you have sensitive feet, beware.

The Collection Art Gallery

1 out of 5

Could have just sold the paintings instead of make it appear to be an auction. Was kind of a joke to be honest. Nice paintings but prices were way inflated compared to other cruises I've been on.

Sports Complex

3 out of 5

Like the design but was crazy crowded with all the kids, then kids club on one day came up and kicked everyone off. Seemed somewhat rude.

Ropes Course

4 out of 5

Was a lot of fun. The plank was closed because of the wind though. Still fun.

Mini Golf

4 out of 5

Was fun. We spent a lot of time here with my boys.

Jogging Track

1 out of 5

Yeah, right!! Couldn't use it if you wanted to with all the traffic in that area.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Enjoyed the comedians the most. Rock of Ages was really good. Burn the floor was good if that's your thing - not mine really but after nearly 3 solid days of rain, was good to have something to do indoors besides watch the 2 channels available on the TV. Other channels were informative regarding the ship, ports or advertising on how to spend more money on your cruise.

Headliners Comedy Club

5 out of 5

Best part of our trip. I enjoyed all the comedians. Michael most and the comedian that did the intro for the 2nd was funnier than the actual comedian.

Video Zone

3 out of 5

Expensive, but seemed to be good working games.

Children's Programs

Kids older

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Good experience here. Loved the washy washy people (sprayed your hands with sanitizer as you entered the buffet) and the happy happy drink coffee gals serenading the breakfast patrons. Very cute I thought.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

I like the layout and design. As I read prior to the cruise. The cigarette smoke is bad. They try to contain it but it doesn't work well. You're still constantly smelling it and have to walk through the casino (aka - free smoking quarters) to get to some of the restaurants.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Cabin was good. Small, but served the purpose.

Ship tip

Bingo is expensive (tickets for final drawing for a free cruise used as a way to get you in on the final day to sepend more money. 2 hours I can't get back. Don't buy the soda package - have to wait in long bar lines - waste of money!!

Thumbs up

Ports of call

New Orleans, Louisiana

2 out of 5

OK, but was a mess parking with events going on prior to our cruise. Went on an aliigator tour - was good but expensive.

Thumbs Up 0

Cozumel, Mexico

3 out of 5

Was nice. Went to Mr Sanchez. Pool was nice, but ocean had a ton of seaweed.

Thumbs Up 7

Belize City, Belize

5 out of 5

Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico

3 out of 5

Was were we did a lot of shopping for souvenirs. Can talk prices down atleast 75% - don't pay full price. Many NFL, college logos on handcrafted items.

Thumbs Up 4

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Very smooth and shuttle took us promptly to our parking garage.

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Other reviews of this sailing

Ports were great, Ship was okay

We had a wonderful time. The ship was a bit crowded but it was Spring Break time. Staff managed the masses well. I love NCL Freestyle Cruising so I can manage my schedule myself. The food was excellent, entertainment good.

Beautiful ship!