It was not a perfect cruise and not enough to make us 100 percent loyal to Norwegian as we will look to give other cruise lines a try next time, but overall we had a great time and already miss it!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
I went for the priority upgrade and embarkation was very smooth, not sure it was worth the cost especially since some of the other “perks” of priority they advertised were not quite as advertised but as far as embarkation it was great.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
We only went to the main dining room (Manhattan room) once the first night. It was average and the service there was poor so we did not return. Our two Specialty restaurants were Le Bistro and Cagneys, both were very very good but Cagneys was quite possibly the best meal my wife and I have ever had. We ate at Savor three times for dinner and were very happy with it. Great food and much better service then Manhattan room. We had the buffet once for dinner and it was not great, but we loved the buffet for breakfast and lunch we ate lunch at buffet every day and were always happy with it. We tried to eat at Shanghai noodle bar each night we didn’t have a specialty reservation but the wait was always excessive it’s simply not a big enough venue for its demand. Overall we were very pleased savor and specialties but had a few underwhelming experience elsewhere
Garden Café
4 out of 5
My wife loved breakfast here, I thought breakfast was just average. I loved lunch here she thought lunch was good not great. Dinner was a mixed bag. Overall we were pleased with it but it wasn’t perfect.
Cagney's Steakhouse
5 out of 5
Best meal we have ever had. We had the shrimp cocktail, crab cake, lobster bisque, wedge salad, ribeye, surf and turf, omg cheesecake and raspberry crème brûlée. Everything just kept getting better and better and the bread was delicious too, I cannot recommend it enough
The Manhattan Room Restaurant
2 out of 5
It may have been an off night but it was enough to make us avoid it for remainder of the trip. Service was very very bad, with waitress seemingly annoyed when we would ask for a refill of a drink and drink refill then taking ten minutes or more. Food was average not great but service really ruined experience for us.
Savor Restaurant
5 out of 5
We enjoyed savor much more then Manhattan room thanks mainly to better service, but we felt the food was better as well, even with similar menus.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
We did the thermal suite and it was great but overpriced.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Six was AMAZING!!!! They need to run it more often we would have gone back over and over so so so good. I know Burn the floor is popular with a lot of people, my wife and I did not really enjoy it but perhaps just not our taste. Howl at the moon was great but the constant comments seeking tips was annoying. Most of the entertainment was very good but there were also a few that really were not ready for prime time let’s say. Overall though pretty good entertainment.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
There were standouts who provided fantastic service but there were also a few that seemed to be very unhappy and frankly were rude at times. It was a big shock after the amazing service and smiles we experienced across the board on our first cruise and I’m not sure if it was a Norwegian issue or simply the fact that times have changed in 7 years. We were not fans of our cruise director or assistant cruise director. The ship seemed understaffed and that perhaps could have contributed to the experience. Even our room steward made my wife uncomfortable with how he would stare at her. 3 stars may be too generous now as I write this out but as I said there were some standouts who were worthy of praise.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
The ship was very clean no issues there at all. The design was not fantastic they hold so many events in the atrium but there simply is nowhere near enough room there for as many things as they have there it’s constantly a battle trying to see and good luck actually finding a seat. The theater needs an update the seats are old and breaking down and it’s too small for the ship size
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
We loved this cabin, the aft facing balcony is an experience that will be hard to top. Shower was roomy for a non suite on a cruise ship. Plenty of space for two of us and storage. Only two outlets was an annoyance and the big downside was the bed we found the bed to be incredibly uncomfortable, and after the amazing bed on our only other cruise on princess it was a huge let down. If the bed was more comfortable this would be an easy five stars.
Ship tip
Overall I would recommend the ship but be prepared for some frustration with the staff and some small annoyances here and there.
We loved it, beach was relaxing if not the most beautiful ever, the wildlife area was a nice little perk that we enjoyed. Only annoyance is not having food and drinks included like all other cruise line owned islands.
I am sure based on the popularity of this port that if you schedule an excursion it’s probably great. We did not and the port itself was nothing special and as we began to walk toward the exit to port to explore more we began to feel uncomfortable. It is not a port I care to return too.
We found most of the problems on Breakaway had to do with their being overbooked and understaffed. They regularly cram 4,700 people on a ship designed for 3,900.
Please give Roatan another chance WITH any beach excursion, and you will be glad you did.
Appreciate your detailed and informative review. The beauty of the the cruise industry is the amount of options. Sorry this cruise didn’t quite meet your expectations.
Thank you for your review. We have been fortunate regarding rude crew and staff, never, but the same can not be said for passengers on our most recent cruise.
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