Norwegian Breakaway 2 parents 2 kids
Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Review
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 20
7 Night Western Caribbean (New Orleans Roundtrip)
Sail date: April 10, 2022
Ship: Norwegian Breakaway
Cabin type: Suite
Cabin number: 9208
Traveled as: Family (young children)
Reviewed: 2 years ago
Review summary
The cruise that could have been. Everything was set up, but a combination of Norwegian booking errors and not being able to get to the port stop we were looking forward to put a damper on it.Embarkation
The boarding area had very few signs and the staff was pretty much fed up by the time we arrived at 2:30 pm. Almost had an issue with COVID testing, but got through. No info was given out at the port upon embarkation in regards to returning and any services offered. Getting on board was easy and the drill was very easy now also.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
As usual, the food on the NCL cruises is pretty solid. The first dinner at the Manhattan Room wasn’t all that great and the service at Taste and Savor were pretty slow as usual, but the specialty dining restaurants brought it home as usual. The buffet was also good and was where we ate the most on the cruise.
Onboard Activities
I was on this ship for my first cruise. All the slides were open this cruise which was key. They were all fun. They got rid of the mini golf, rock wall, laser tag, and the bungee trampoline, which was NOT GOOD because they closed the Splash Academy Kids Club and the kids water pad area for the entirety of the cruise. They did allow open gaming in the Splash Academy and gave each kid $100 to the arcade, but the only fun things were the slides, ping pong, arcade (which does cost extra), and the ropes course. The pools were good as I remembered from before. The fitness center was very good. The cruise director did try her best to make everyone participate.
Entertainment
Burn the Floor didn’t happen the whole cruise. No one informed us why, but it didn’t. The Musical Six was very very good and the women in the show and band were all outstanding. It’s colorful and fun and can be seen by parents and kids alike. The comedian, Mark Simmons, was also very good. We went to his G rated show with the kids and he did a great job including them and keeping it G rated while still bringing in real life stuff. My son, Max, laughed his whole show. The performers were all pretty solid. The band is now a tropical band from St. Lucia (and not the rock band they used to have). The DJs were also solid. We missed a port stop and I give them all credit for stepping up and working hard to fill in the gaps and entertain on a day they weren’t supposed to be that busy.
Children's Programs
The Splash Academy was closed the whole cruise. Each child was given $100 to the arcade, which was gone in about 2 hours. The kids splash pad was closed also. We have two 9 year olds and we felt really really bad for parents with smaller children. NCL didn’t let us know if the issue until the week of the cruise. One of the cruise reps said that this has been standard for a little while now due to COVID. Not sure what the issue was since we were all vaccinated and tested prior to the cruise. I think many parents on the cruise, including us, we’re about ready to get the heck off the cruise after the 6th day of spending non-stop time with our kids. They did try to do some kids entertainment with the comedian and the Musical Six wasn’t as adult as previous entertainment so they helped for 2 hours. Honestly, the kids clubs on board aren’t just for the kids. They should have done more for the parents to try and give them an hour away at the spa or something.
Service and Staff
Much of the staff was very nice and helpful. The host at Teppenyaki was not all that great. Charging $50 for a kid to eat there off the kids menu is ridiculous. The guest services staff was hit or miss again on the ship. Some were great and some not so helpful. The photo staff was awesome and they were a stand out on the cruise. Same with Jenipher, the Maitre D at Cagneys, and the Maitre D at La Cucina. The staff at Moderno was also very good. Just awesome and respectful. The room steward we had was also very good. Reminded us of things and always did fun stuff for the kids. The bartenders at the Garden Cafe bar, at Maltings, at the Headliners Bar, and at the starboard pool bar (taller skinny Phillipino guy) were solid bartenders.
Ship Quality
This ship has definitely gone a little more downhill since I first cruises on it 4 years ago. They got rid of some of the ships fun features and also got rid of the quiet sitting area by the front of the ship on the upper decks where they had the model of the ship. Overall, it’s still easy to get around and they work hard to keep the ship clean. It’s just a bummer that they removed features, especially since the 2 cruises I’ve taken on the Breakaway have each missed a port stop.
Cabin / Stateroom
Nice and spacious with a nice large bathroom.
Ship tip
Oh gosh…I’m steering clear of the Breakaway going forward. I feel like some of the staff is a bit rough and doesn’t really wanna deal with problems, though 2 cruises and 2 missed ports are issues that need fixing. Definitely book shows, Cagneys, and Ocean Blue early. Teppenyaki on this ship doesn’t treat kids the right way (the Bliss didn’t charge for my son to eat off the kids menu there) so don’t go there if you have kids.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
A lot to do and buy in Cozumel. You just need to walk through a whole port area of shops to get there. We did the Chankanaab Park visit and there was so much to do and see there. Iguanas, dolphins, sea lions, manatees, and more. We snorkeled and our guide (Flower) took us right over to the dolphin enclosure for a look…very cool. They did a good job looking after our kids, who were first time snorkelers. If our kids were more patient, I’m sure we would have had an even better time and would have found some great buys.
We didn’t have anything planned here since we were there from 7 to 12:30. We just went to the port area and hung out. They have the best shops here for buying stuff and souvenirs. Food and drinks are really expensive. The show put on by the Native Mexicans was very impressive.
Great little island with plenty to do for everyone. Zip line was a lot of fun. Kids splash pad and slide were fun also. Beach was nice. Maybe a little seaweed around, but nothing out of line. Shops were good…could have used a better clothing shop instead of just beach gear and souvenirs. The wildlife walk was pretty cool and we saw a green tree snake outside of there. Overall, we had a great day.
Disembarkation
What a hot mess. Our flight was booked by Norwegian and so was our transfer out. The flight they booked was 5:20 pm and I was told our transfer was as soon as we got off the ship to the airport. I thought that was ridiculous that you make customers sit in an airport for 7-8 hours, especially with 2 kids. I told guest services I wanted to do something different and they were little to no help. Acted like they didn’t give a crap about my concern. Just told me that they’d refund the transfer as a courtesy and we can figure out our own transport. After thinking on it, my girlfriend didn’t want to lug kids and bags around NO so we went with the transfer. Waited in line to get off for 30 mins and then when we did, we had to get our bags and wait in more lines. No signs showed what to do…only people herding us. Went through a pretty useless passport check and then started down a long corridor. Down the corridor, there was a bag check for the day. Would have been nice to use that and explore, but without being told we couldn’t now. Kept walking. One agent at the port told us the transfer line was in a long line. Turns out the people in the line didn’t know where to go so they were standing there waiting for taxis and Ubers. Waitied 30 mins and then got on bus. Went to airport at 10 am for our 5:20 flight. Got to airport and were told by Delta that bags can’t be checked until 4 hours before flight. SUPER PISSED!!