We will try another Norwegian ship, but I doubt we will ever return to the Western Caribbean.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
We displeased to have our sodas and cranberry juice removed from our carry on. During check in proceed, the Spanish-speaking couple next to us told the NCL Representative in broken English that they did not understand the health questionnaire which asked 4 yes or no questions in regards to the guest having a fever, diarrhea, vomiting, measles and pregnancy. The NCL Representative told the couple that the did not speak Spanish and he took the form and showed them and told them to just mark on the NO side of the form. We were appalled to know that an NCL Rep would do this. We reported it to another NCL Representative in the terminal as well as a cruise staff member at guest services. We were told that they would check into the matter.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
My husband and I have been on over 35 cruises and we both agree the food choices were phenomenal in all of the food venues on the Norwegian Breakaway. The complimentary drinks were also great...so many choices. We each purchased the 3 Specialty Restaurant package and we choose the Teppanyaki, Cagney Steakhouse and Modern Churrascaria Brazilian Restaurant! All 3 choices were excellent from the food to the service! Note: if you want to get the MOST for your money you should choose restaurants that are al carte versus a set price per person. The Jimmy Buffet Margaritaville Restaurant charged $15 per person and you can order whatever you want on the food menu and it was a tremendous amount of food. For example, under starters my husband ordered the nachos and Ordered the conch fritters. We assumed it would be an individual portion of food, but the nachos could have feed 4 people easily. Also, there were 4 huge conch fritters. I ordered the fish tacos and a side salad, but the waiter brought me the dinner portion caesar said with 4 huge shrimp! The tacos were filled with big pieces of fish, slaw and toppings! So much food and we could not finish it! As far as bar drinks....way too much money for such small portion and very little alcohol in the drinks.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
We enjoyed lounging near the pool,, but we were shocked that the size of the pool was so same for such a large ship. We thoroughly enjoyed the aerial obstacle course.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Comedians were funny, but we were turned off by the female comedian who had to bring politics into her routine. The Burn the Floor was filled with foul language, sexual innuendos and sexual preferences that was not appropriate for children in the audience. Yes, the announced the nature of the show's contents prior to the start of the show, but I think parents didn't realize how bad it would get. Many parents left with their children throughout the show! Was it replay necessary to have a show like that on a cruise that was geared to families??
Children's Programs
It was just my husband and I on the cruise.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
We were disappointed that our room was not cleaned until later in the afternoon even on the days we were off the ship. I am not sure I can fault the cabin steward because he had 16 cabins to take care of. Since we have been on other cruise lines(Princess and Royal Caribbean) we found that the staff on Norwegian not as friendly....buffet crew rarely smiled or spoke to us. The regular dining staff and speciality dining staff were extremely efficient and friendly.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The pool was too small for a ship with that many guests and for the itinerary.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
We have never been in a cabin that did not provide drawers for storing items. There was a small shelves in the closet, but not enough lighting to see well. I had to constantly take out all of the items on a particular shelf to see what clothes I wanted to wear. There was an ottoman under the desk area where I stuffed my under clothing and bathing suits. The ottoman was heavy and cumbersome to move out from under the desk which I had to do several times a day. It was very difficult to get in and out of bed due to the bunk beds that were folded up on each wall on each side of the bed. You either had to slide in sideways and bend forward to get into bed or crawl into bed. This caused me to have back pain several times during the cruise due to the awkwardness of getting in and out of bed. When our cabin steward was able to get to our room, he did an excellent job. However, there were many days that it took him all day to get to our room to clean it. we found out that our cabin steward had 16 cabins to clean??? That is too many cabins for one steward to try to clean on a daily basis. We enjoyed the ample room and design of the bathroom and shower!!
Ship tip
If you want to experience the phenomenal food in the specialty dining restaurants definitely get the dining package. However, to get the most for your money go to the restaurants that are ala carte versus a set fee per person. Ask for a map of the ship at check in.
We have always been able to take sodas and cranberry juice on other cruise lines, but we could not bring it on this cruise line. See previous notes about NCL Rep telling Spanish speaking couple to just say NO to the health questions after they told the Rep that they did not understand the questions.
We did an excursion that was offered through Cruisesonly - Roatan by Land and Sea We were able to a lot of Roatan in a very comfortable air-conditioned van. The guide was very informative and nice. We had a great driver. We enjoyed the boat ride and Oscar the Captian of the boat was great. He was very concerned about safety and made sure everyone was safe and having a great time in the boat and while snorkeling.
We did not do an excursion at this port. It was shocking to find that when it started raining that many of the guests tried to enter the restaurant and the wait staff locked the doors. Only a handful of guest were let in to the restaurant.
We did not do an excursion. We went into town and stayed at a local beach. We did not like being constantly approached by the locals to buy their merchandise. We could not enjoy our selves when we were having to constantly tell them to leave us alone.
We went to Tequila Beach on our own. Then we went shopping bar the cruise port. Again, we were bombarded by the locals wanting us to buy their merchandise. It was overwhelming....we ended our shopping early because we did not feel safe.
What displeased you about having your contraband confiscated. If the rule is that you can't bring it on but you still try to sneak it and are caught, how should that upset you. I think that set the tone for a bad cruise. If you get caught breaking a rule and they still let you on, count your blessings. Also, give the steward a break. What is the big deal what time of day her gets to your room as long as he cleans it. With 16 rooms, someone has to be last. Why not you?
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