Ship not managed very well

Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Review to Transatlantic

dgdad09

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 13

Overall rating:

3.7 out of 5

16 Night Transatlantic: Italy France & Spain (Rome To New York)

Sail date: November 12, 2023

Ship: Norwegian Breakaway

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 12116

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 6 months ago

Review summary

I’ve been on 7 cruises in total, and this was the 4th NCL ship I’ve been on, (first post covid cruise). This was by far the least enjoyable cruise of all. I think the ship is not managed very well. There were line ups for everything. Sit down meals at the main restaurants were 2-3 hour affairs. There was one person on the internet desk. Waited 40 min, as we got to the front of the line, the person closed the desk for his 1-hour lunch break. Luckly, he took our room number, and we were first in line when the desk reopened. Basically, took nearly 2 hours to have our internet account reset. There was one port we tender into, Cannes France, 1.5 hour wait past our assigned time to get on to the tend. There was one port (I believe it was Cadiz Spain) the ship was tied up against the pier, they had one gangway open to board the ship. It was at least 25ft long at a 30-degree angle to get on to deck 5 of the ship. As we were walking out we, noticed the line to get back on the ship was about one city block long. The smart thing to do would have been to embark onto deck 4. Felt sorry for the older/mobility challenged people. The food in the buffet and complementary restaurants was mixed. The food at the buffet was very repetitive. I think this was the only cruise that I have come back from where I didn’t gain any weight! They ran low on tea 10 days into a 16-day cruise. Tea bags were being rationed. Coffee was running out with 3 days left. The layout of the ship is not the best. The positives, the frontline workers were very good and hard working. The ship was very clean. Our cabin steward was excellent. The wait staff was very good. The ports of call were enjoyable. After this experience, don’t know if we will cruise NCL again and if we do, not on the Breakaway.

Embarkation

3 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

2 out of 5

The food in the buffet and complementary restaurants was mixed. I would say, one third of the food I tasted was too salty and another third had no flavor. One night the buffet served meatloaf at the carving station. No prime rib, just lower quality cuts like round and brisket. The food at the buffet was very repetitive. They ran low on tea 10 days into a 16-day cruise. Tea bags were being rationed. Coffee was running out with 3 days left. The main dining room opened at 530pm, if you didn’t line up early to get a table, you would have to wait until, well past 7pm to sit down and by the time you finished dinner, it would be 9pm.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Big ship always something going on. Weather was too cool to be out at the pool.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Main theater broadway shows were excellent. One of two comedians was good. The other musicians/vocalist were average

Children's Programs

5 out of 5

Kids loved Entourage - teen culb

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

The frontline workers were very good and hard working. Cabin steward was excellent. Wait staff was very good.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Ship was very clean. Not a fan of the the layout. This was our first time on a large ship with only 2 sets of elevators and stairs. One mid ship and one aft. (Apparently may ships built around the same time only have 2 sets). At times this layout lead to congestion at the elevators. Our cabin was at the front of the ship, to get to the theater we would have to walk back to mid ship, go down and walk back to the front. This design forces the guests to constantly walk through the money-making parts of the ship, like the casino, shops, art gallery, pay restaurants etc.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Cabin steward was excellent and our room was kept clean. Balcony seemed smaller than on other ships I've been on. The ship seem to have toilet issues. On many occasions, our toilet would not flush. You would see workers out in the hall working on the system.