Near Perfection!!!
Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western
Contributor Level:
Third Mate
Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Reviews: 3
Helpful Votes: 84
7 Night Western Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)
Sail date: June 23, 2019
Ship: Norwegian Breakaway
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 10776
Traveled as: Family (older children)
Reviewed: 5 years ago
Review summary
Overall, this cruise was near perfection! I cannot recommend Norwegian highly enough for a quality ship, amazing food, and fantastic ports! If I had the money, I would cruise with Norwegian every year! Even with that being said, I WILL cruise with them again some time in the future! This cruise and my previous experience with NCL make choosing them a no-brainer!Embarkation
Embarkation was very organized and went smoothly. Even though we got there right around noon, there were already LOTS of people there. But there was plenty of staff who kept things moving and we were on board in no time. Everyone was friendly and helpful. If asked a question, they listened carefully and were prepared to answer and give direction. Suggestion: Make things even quicker by having your documents out and ready!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
I cannot rave enough about the food on this ship! Every single thing we ate was superb in every venue, from the Garden buffet all the way to the specialty dining!! I strongly suggest picking the 3 free specialty dining option for one of your free at sea choices. We ate at Cagney's Steak House which was FANTASTIC, Le Bistro which was elegant and delicious, and finally, Teppanyaki, which was not only delicious but so fun!! The main diningrooms were equally fine and the Garden buffet was not only handy, but with the variety of choices, even yoiur pickiest eater can find something! My daughter commented and I agree, just eating at the complimentary venues would have been more than pleasing for the cruise, but those specialty restaurants are amazing!
Onboard Activities
We were cruising to celebrate my daughter's graduation from college, so as two adults, we very much appreciated the Spice H2O area which is kid-free. We kept saying we were going to do the ropes course and the mini golf, but we never got around to it. They seemed to always be busy though, with the exception of the rock climbing wall. I did not see a single person on that. The water slides looked fun for those using them, but again, my daughter and I never got around to that either. We did thoroughly enjoy watching the activities in the Atrium, Deal or No Deal, the various Trivia games, the demonstrations, Movie Emojis, and the Not So Newly Weds game was hilarious! Seating quickly fills up in the actual Atrium, so we usually ended up sitting at the rails in O'Sheehan's on the deck above, which was perfectly fine for us. We are not pool people, so we always chose to sun in the SpiceH2O area, but I will say the pool area was very crowded. But the people there appeared to be having a great time. There was always music playing, so it always felt hopping!
Entertainment
If you go to any show, see "Burn The Floor"!! The talent level and performance quality were out of this world. Both of my children danced, so I was a competition dance mom for 25+ years and I know dance! They were amazing!! Even the small shows they did in the Manhattan Room (complimentary diningroom) were great! We had reservations for Rock of Ages, but they changed the start time to 10:00pm and it would not have ended until nearly midnight. We had an early excursion the next morning, so we did not stay for it. However, I heard people say it was very good. Word of warning: They announce SEVERAL times before the show that it is NOT appropriate for children, and according to the people we talked to after, they MEAN it. Leave the kids in Entourage, the Arcade, or in your cabin for that one! We went to "Velvet" the dinner show in the Speigal Tent, and it was entertaining, (the hula hoop guy was astouding!!) but it was not as spectacular as the Cirque Dreams I saw on the NCL Epic last summer. All the same, it was an excellent dinner (there's that food again!!!) and a good show. The only less-than-impressive entertainment we saw were the comedians. I would have been very disappointed had I paid for that one, but since it was free... no problem. The DJ in the pool area, as well as the band that plaed in that area, really kept that pool area fun. Even when he was not actually there, music was playing and it had a very "up" vibe. People mentioned they enjoyed the band in Syd Norman's Pour House and the Howl at the Moon dueling pianos in the Headliner's Comedy Club, but we did not go to either. Overall, the entertainment was excellent. Hint: None of the entertainment has reserved seating, even if you have booked it online ahead of time... so get there AT LEAST 30-45 MINUTES EARLY to get a good seat!!
Children's Programs
Both my daughter and I are adults. We did not have children with us.
Service and Staff
EXCELLENT!! Every... single... staff person we encountered, whether they were actually helping us or just in passing, were attentive, friendly and extremely personable! If you said hello to ANYONE, they smiled at you and replied. From the busboys cleaning the tables in the buffet, waiters in the restaurants, hostesses seating you, clerks in the shops, to the staff with stripes on their sleeves, they asked you: Are you enjoying your cruise? What did you do today? Was it fun? Is there anything I can do to to help you? We felt appreciated and important. My only disappointment, and it is a trivial one, was with our cabin steward. I think she was new and very young, because sometimes I got the feeling she was overwhelmed, but she did a great job keeping our cabin clean and stocked. What was missing was the little extra touches I had experienced before, like no folded towel characters, etc. LIke I said... trivial complaint considering how clean she kept our cabin.
Ship Quality
It is AMAZING to me how a ship this size, with 4000+ guests, can stay so CLEAN and well-maintained. People are carelessly messy and are so inconsiderate leaving dishes, etc, behind in seating areas. BUT, there were constant staff moving around picking up. I saw staff with brooms/mops and dustpans regularly moving through areas, expecially the Garden buffet. Tables were cleaned immediately. The strategically stationed "Washy Washy" staff and hand-sanitizing stations were convenient and a good reminder to keep your hands clean! I saw very lttle signs of wear and tear on the ship, even in the carpets, which is amazing considering the amount of foot traffic. Public restroom areas were always clean whenever I used one. The layout of the ship was logical once you learned it. Hint: In the cabin halls, the fish in the carpet are always swimming toward the front of the ship!
Cabin / Stateroom
I was surpised at how spacious the cabin was! I was in a minisuite on the NL Epic last summer and this balcony cabin felt much roomier, with plenty of floor space. Clean, clean, clean!!! There was plenty of storage, although I would have preferred drawers instead of the open shelving in the clost, but no biggie. I appreciated that the beds were high enough to slide our suitcases underneath! That was a big space saver!! Plenty of hanging space in the closet, and we kept our shoes in the big drawer under the couch. If you take the time to really look for it, there is storage everywhere! The beds were comfortable and the AC worked great! We had two separate issues with the bathroom: 1.) toilet wouldn't flush once and 2.) light would not turn on once. We called the operator or housekeeping and the problem was met with concern and both were an immediately solution! Other than those two issues, the cabin was great! The balcony is small, but definitely enough space to enjoy the outside air and views!
Ship tip
DO EVERYTHING ONLINE IN ADVANCE!! Make your specialty restaurant reservations, book your excursions and entertainment in advance, and USE THE NCL ONLINE APP ONCE ONBOARD to keep track of your reservations, What's Happening schedule, and your onboard account! It works great!!
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Ports of call
Miami, Florida Did not visit port
We did not do anything in Miami other than embark and disembark. Hint: Arrive the day before and stay in a hotel that has hotel to port shuttle service! We staed at La Quinta Airport East and it was excellent.
Coxen Hole, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras
Small port area, but there are excellent little shops/kiosks that offered authentic Honduran souveniers rather than the standard tourist fare. I bought some great handmade wood pieces and handmade pots/jars. Our excursion was to the Gumbalimba Nature Preserve and it was EXCELLENT! The bus transport to and from was clean and good AC. Our guide was Amos and all 19 years-old of him was funny and VERY informative. Cute kid! The park was clean but still very natural and we were able to see quite a bit of wildlife. The rope bridge was enjoyably terrifying, but there was the "Chicken Walk" if you weren't up to it!
Again, clean, clean, clean, and welcoming, very pleasant and helpful staff! It is defintely a toursit resort and not a "true" Belize experience, but we wanted a beach day anyway! Best thing is the beach recliners are free and there are a kazillion of them! Also, even though it is expensive, eat at the Landshark and get the fish tacos. A-MA-ZING!!!
Fantastic port area with more shops that you know what to do with, everything from original, signed, handmade pieces to your typical tourist items!! Again so clean!! The pool area is beautiful and winds through the area. Even though we did not swim, it was so pretty and added to the Caribbean atmosphere. We had a great time watching the dolphin encounters! We went on the excursion to the Chacchoben Mayan Ruins and it was phenomenal! It was an hour-long bus ride to and from, but the bus was comfortable with great AC. Our guide was Leticia and she was incredible, educating us the whole way there so we were informed viewers of the ruins. There was a very nice shopping area at the ruins with high quality and authentic merchandise. Impressive!!
We had so much fun in this port! Punta Langosta is only 5 years old and it shows it! We went to the other port area to embark on our excursion and it does not even compare to Punta Langosta. Again clean clean clean! So many shops, but I will say there are very agressive merchants stationed outside of practically every shop trying to entice you inside their store. Just smile and walk on by if you are not interested, but be prepared for them to pursue you until you have passed their entrance. Someone handed us a coupon for free nachos at Señor Frog's and so naturally we went there for lunch! Oh my goodness what a fun place!! It's loud and crazy which was a nice change from the peaceful laidback experience we had been having elsewhere. Word of caution: Everyone knows not to drink the water, but watch out for local ice in mixed drinks as well. Montezuma will get his revenge that way, too! Our excursion was the Reef Explorer Semi Sub and it was fantastic!! Great for kids as well as adults. It is so well done and you really can see so many different coral types and abundant fish!! Our particular guide was a little hard to understand (very thick accent) but we were still able to pick up enough information to know what we were seeing. GREAT excursion!!
Disembarkation
Organized and very smooth considering the sheer volume of people getting off the ship. Even though we had pre-arranged port to airport transport and were given luggage tags, we chose not to put our baggage out the night before and did the self-assist option. We did not have that many suitcases, so this was the easiest option for us. It eliminated the need to go to the baggage claim area in the port terminal. If you are flying, DO use the NCL transport service. They really know what they are doing and make sure you get where you are supposed to be in PLENTY of time to make your flight.