Overbooked and Understaffed

Item: Norwegian Breakaway
Rating: 3.8
Author: bekahchica

Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Review

bekahchica

Contributor Level: Second Mate

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Reviews: 8

Helpful Votes: 59

Overall rating:

3.8 out of 5

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: May 22, 2022

Ship: Norwegian Breakaway

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 12900

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

If this was my first NCL cruise, it would have been my last. Health protocols were few and far between, long lines for every service desk, restaurant, and bar. Crew did the best they could but they were understaffed and NCL should have capped capacity accordingly.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Buffet always crowded, hand washing not enforced. Long wait for main dining rooms. Crew rushed and overwhelmed.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Not enough appropriate spaces for activities. Trivia, newlywed game, etc all in atrium. Getting a seat even when arriving early almost impossible.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

Crew were always hard working but clearly overwhelmed. NCL should have capped capacity as this compromised crew wellness and guest satisfaction.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Smoking permeates the whole center of the ship from the casino. Tiny cabins and halls for the size of the ship. Not nearly enough gathering space for the number of pax.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

This is the biggest ship we've been on and somehow the tiniest balcony cabin. Crew kept it clean but halls and rooms were all tight.

Ports of call

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

3 out of 5

Great Stirrup Cay (Cruise Line Private Island), Bahamas

3 out of 5

This is a tender port which I normally don't take issue with, but one ships worth of people took hours to tender and the island still felt crowded. Not much to do, long lines, not enough dining hours. We had to leave early to eat on board because there was no food available on the island when we were ready to eat.

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Tortola, British Virgin Islands

5 out of 5

Amber Cove (Puerto Plata), Dominican Republic

5 out of 5

Miami, Florida

5 out of 5

Disembarkation

3 out of 5

11 Comments

bekahchica 2 years ago

Similarly we cruised NCL last September and had an amazing experience on the Jade. The biggest issue recently is they increased capacity without having the crew to support it, leading to a poor experience for both parties.

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gmababy 2 years ago

Had a wonderful time on the Breakaway will be sailing her again again soon. O'Sheehans was the best.

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Mapcruise 2 years ago

Popdog I was on in October and had no issues. It was probably the best cruise. For the OP the staff does try to get people to wash their hands. Sadly adults shouldn't have to be told.

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Popdog 2 years ago

Thankyou for your comments. I guess we were fortunate to have a terrific experience last October on the Breakaway.

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javawoody 2 years ago

Appreciate your view

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Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Oops 😬

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AuntPinkie 2 years ago

Appreciate your feedback. Sorry many things didn’t measure up to your expectations.

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GabeNSteph 2 years ago

Thanks for your review

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byhisgrace 2 years ago

Thanks for your review. I was on the Mardi gras in April and there were staffing shortages and I wish they would have increased the staff before increasing capacity.

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karlgrgurich 2 years ago

I can understand your view. I think your comment about crew wellness is well said.

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Jwharris 2 years ago

Wow, life's a beach, unless you're on a cruise.

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Other reviews of this sailing

Expectation high, but sadly disappointed

Staff was overwhelmed. Ship has 22 bars but on 2-3 were open at any time & poorly staffed. The $200 onboard credit was not used for all onboard charges so the $226 bill was unexpected. Diner & show reservations were not honored.

Norwegian Breakaway Cruise