Don’t bother over crowded

Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

corygc

Contributor Level: Deck Hand

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 57

Overall rating:

1.6 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: November 03, 2019

Ship: Norwegian Breakaway

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 12244

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

We left Miami Nov. 3 on the Breakaway. We booked with NCL after our last cruise out of New Orleans with NCL was one of the best cruises we had ever done. I went with just my wife for our 20th anniversary and my 40th birthday. Getting on went pretty smooth but quickly realized the service on the ship was very poor. My guess is the unlimited bar and prepaid gratuities takes away from the staff’s motivation to care about the cruisers. The entertainment was not good. I might call it decent if they didn’t make it such a pain to get into. They had larger venues they could have done comedy show or the karaoke in but crammed people into small spaces and locked out many. Similar with the events in the atrium or on the pool deck. It is a huge ship but very little room for entertainment. It felt like the ship was just designed to house a large number of people. The specialty dinning rooms were hard to book before the cruise and on the cruise and the staff was rude about it. All the restaurant staff was slow and only the matradee at the hibachi grill stood out as as good and the rest of the restaurant staff could have been brand new for all I know. In summary, I would never pay to go on the Breakaway again. I don’t if know if I’ll cruise again after this and that was my 9th cruise and cruising use to be my favorite type of vacation.

Embarkation

3 out of 5

Went pretty smooth

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

Main and specialty dining were ok. It was hard to get into the specialty dining and the menu was pretty much the same everyday.

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5

Everything was over crowded. The dance shows were a waist of time and other entertainment didn’t provide space to actually enjoy it even if you could get in.

Entertainment

1 out of 5

Some of the musicians were good but the stage shows were not.

Service and Staff

1 out of 5

My guess is with the unlimited drink package and prepaid gratuities the staff has no motivation. They were horrible it seemed like they told not to help cruisers unless they absolutely had to.

Ship Quality

1 out of 5

Horrible design. The ship has too many people or just too small of entertainment spaces. Way over crowded.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

The room itself was good. Our attendant did nothing extra and often didn’t make are room up until around lunch time and we would leave it around 8am.

Ship tip

Try and get you money back or try to upgrade to the Haven.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

San Juan, Puerto Rico

2 out of 5

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

2 out of 5

Tortola, British Virgin Islands

1 out of 5

Disembarkation

1 out of 5

Our flights were through NCL and my wife’s return flight was cancelled. It took a hours but they did get her a ticket. But not a relaxing end to a vacation.

8 Comments

Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise with us.

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

LifeIsCruising 5 years ago

My wife and I were on the same cruise and our experience was just the opposite of yours. We had great service in the MDR and the specialty restaurants and we had no problem getting into shows. We treat people with a lot of respect and talk with the staff which might explain why we received exceptional service.

Thumbs Up 2

Flag

PandBs 5 years ago

We sailed on the Breakaway in November of 2018 out of New Orleans. We did not have prepaid gratuities or unlimited drinks but were treated the same way. There were so many unfriendly staff that a friendly one really stood out. We were loyal to NCL up to this point but have moved on. I don’t understand how they can still be treating guests like this a year later and still have a full ship.

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

Cruiserike0322 5 years ago

So sorry for your disappointment. After 11 cruises, we have enjoyed them all.

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

NJCruiseGuy 5 years ago

Glad you enjoyed it!

Thumbs Up 1

Flag

willwork4cruz 5 years ago

I take it that it has been a while since you cruised last. Some things have changed. Definitely, as long as drink packages are the norm you won't see quick efficient bar service. Automatic tips certainly change the service dynamic but not as much as many feared. If those two things make a bad cruise for you then yes you probably need to try something else. I think there are still lots of other good things about cruising. I do hate that they put popular entertainment in tiny venues and exclude the majority of the guests. Hopefully they will snap out of that trend. Good luck in future vacations.

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

cruisereckoning 5 years ago

Sorry you were disappointed

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

bobduck1993 5 years ago

Sorry that you didn't enjoy your ship or your destinations.Don't give up cruising the next might just be the gem!

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

Other reviews of this sailing

Excellent cruise for a first-timer

Nice Caribbean cruise

Great time with some flaws