We probably won't do NCL again. We had average expectations, as we hadn't cruised in awhile. (This was my birthday trip). The entertainment was good, venues were small. The drinks were good. Poolside entertainment was poor. It was stressful when mealtime came and we had to worry about food being hot. We think we might try Princess or Celebrity next time.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Boarding the ship was easy. We picked an early time and just waited in the port and avoided the rush.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
The main dining room and buffet was ok. We had a problem with food temperature almost every day. Nothing was super hot, except for the soup, made to order omelets and the pizza. The selection of food was good, I just wished it was hot. We did address it with a maitre d, but nothing seemed to change. We did have two great specialty dining meals. It's a shame that you have to have specialty dining meals just to insure a hot meal.
I'm giving it one star just because you shouldn't have to rely on specialty dining to make up for the remainder of the ship's food. Drinks were good.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Most things of interest were in the atrium. The atrium was small and people were saving chairs, so there were hardly any places to sit. Poolside activities were very few. The recorded music played was mostly Caribbean when the one group was not performing. Other music could have been played seeing that Caribbean music was playing in port. No variety. Not everyone plays bingo.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The shows were good, but limited. The comedians were good, Burn the Floor show was also good. Perhaps, a magician act would be nice. The main shows were in high demand, so you had to get in line at least 30-45 minutes prior just to get a seat. Other entertainment was in much smaller venues throughout the ship, so seating at those venues was not even an option.
Children's Programs
I didn't have kids on the cruise.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
We had amazing service from Ray ("a ray of sunshine") at Cagney's and Mr. Olivia ( I can't remember his first name) from La Cucina. Both men were exemplary on all levels. I can't say enough about them. The were two of the highlights. Renato, our stateroom steward was great.
The line at guest services is ridiculous. I stood in line for 25 minutes at 6:30 am. Some officers were just milling about. After I was done in line, I approached Vuk, the general manager about the long line at 6:30 AM, then he proceeded to make a phone call.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The NCL Breakaway needs a bigger pool. So many people could not get into it. Most everyone was just treating it like a hot tub. Also, I'm surprised at the lack of trash cans in common areas. If you needed to throw out a cup or something, you couldn't because you couldn't find a trash can. If trash cans were available, especially by the pool, it would be nicer. Wasted space on the upper decks, I really didn't see anyone using the climbing obstacle course or the water slides. Some of them had certain operating hours or use was weather permitting. We cruised awhile ago and I understand why it's so much nicer to have a ship with a promenade. The flow is so much better.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Cabin was very nice. I was surprised at the last of electrical outlets, although I did read this online. The hair dryer was over by the desk by the sliding door. I had to fix my hair over there as well.
The port was nice. We didn't know that we could have stayed in the little beachy area right outside the ship. We did do the Countryside Safari excursion. It was cultural and quite eye opening into the every day happenings of the people that live there.
The port was nice, but crowded. We did a a tour with an operator that had a booth inside the gated area, so not sure if they were "vetted" by NCL. The van we had was dirty, older and AC not working. The tour guide was nice and informative, but if we thought about it, we would have sought out another vehicle.
Even though our flight was at noon. We opted for taking our luggage off the ship ourselves in the first group. It was a bit hard, but worth it. Breezed out the port and our ride was able to pick us up earlier.
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