Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Reviews - Reviews

I had a couple of huge disappointments that will keep me away from Norwegian cruise lines in the future.  Also, I will not be recommending Norwegian to my friends and family.

i paid $200 gratuity up front, and my bed wasn't made before 8pm at night every night except for my last day.  This ruined my entire trip.

also, I'm hearing Impaired, and the televisions on the cruise do not have closed captions unless you purchase a movie.  I couldn't even watch a news channel because of this.  When I complained to the customer service desk the employee said no and just shrugged his shoulders.

never again.

I enjoyed the easy going pace of having entertainment and relaxation at my fingertips-- could just wake up and go about my day spontaneously and freely.

This was our 3rd NCL cruise with family and I was saddened to see many of the things I was looking forward to were no longer available.  The salmon and loxs I had on previous trips was no longer available neither were the lobster tails offered in the dining room. Chocolate night had also removed from the itinerary as well as the firework show from 2 years ago.  The late night outdoor buffett was also no longer being done.  This cruise also never had the grilling out by the pool of hamburgers and hot dogs with salads. The 2nd stop was cancelled due to wind and choppy waves. Lots of little things were no longer available and the company was just nickel and diming us ever time we turned our back.  I was supposed to have a $100 room credit per each of the 2 rooms I booked but I had to call and send an email with a snapshot of my credit card charges to hopefully get this reimbursed.  A few hours after we boarded our 4 daughters went out to check out the levels. During this time they announced safety procedures and our girls were forced to separate. My daughter called me in a panic because she was alone and my friends daughter was left crying alone in another section of the boat. I was very upset to hear that staff had touched them and separated them and split them up. Especially since we always tel them no always buddy up! Luckily we still had cell service and my daughter was able to call me. I also noticed that None of the servers seemed happy.  I'm glad to say that we found two wonderful accommodating servers, Edna, at Shakers, and the man who took care of our room! They made our day. We traveled with 3 other families and they kept commenting how Royal would do this or that, and they are right. We picked NCL due to the activities for the kids. They enjoyed it but I wish the adults could have been more pleased. 

My favorite part of this cruise was the shows, I enjoyed at 100%. Activities were good. I definitely recommend this cruise to others, it is a excellent experience to get away with the family. 

Burn the Floor, Dueling Piano's, Interactive Events (Atrium) and Men's Leg contest pool, friendliness and responsiveness of staff - Great.  Quality and availability of food, Other shows, excursions - good,  Internet policy/ charge, bottled water chinziness, (see below) - Ugly

The whole atmosphere of the cruise experience is not to be missed. The fact that it is a "floating hotel" makes it so convenient to travel and explore all that is offered. The staff is very attentive, professional, friendly and personable! I would definitely recommend this cruise to everyone!

They don't keep to the itinerary. They get to the ports late and if you bought shore excursions they want to rush you. Also, they don't go to the ports they are supposed to go to. We never went to Stirrup Cay. The Captain said it was inclement weather. After being on board for 3 days you meet crew staff and we were told that the Norwegian Breakaway rarely stops at the Stirrup Cay Island because it's too many people and the work is too much. They have to use tenders from the ship to transport everyone to the island. It's too much work so they just don't stop. So I believe I paid too much money for a cruise that was not worth it. Also, the Officers especially the Captain are very rude. I've cruised with Norwegian many times and this cruise has made me not want to travel with them anymore. Don't waste your money especially if they are not going to go where they are supposed to go.

This was our third cruise, our first with Norwegian. The boarding process took over an hour. The entire common area in the center of the ship stunk like a wet ash tray. Our balcony was smaller than either of the Royal Caribbean ships we had been on, and the chairs didn't recline (there wasn't enough room to anyway.) I was overcharged for my $3 for drink at one of the bars and it was never corrected even after going to guest services​. They each blamed the other. Our first dinner we were told we couldn't be seated because we were 3 minutes early, they weren't open yet. We could see the staff hanging out in the dining room. During our meal we sat with empty glasses for 15 minutes while our waiter visited with another table. All of the main "restaurants" had the same menu, a few of the meals did change each night. The meats were good but the sides were comparable to a frozen entree. The peppercorn steak came with shoestring french fries. Seriously. The food at the buffet was better, but limited. Usually four Asian dishes, burgers, fries, chicken tenders, two different meats (often the same meat just prepared different), and a few salads. The deserts looked good, that's it. The servers in the buffet area walked around with trays of drinks but not once were we asked if we wanted anything. As for the entertainment, at best you were given the performer's name, but no description of what the show was, i.e. singing, comedy, etc. We weren't able to stop at Great Stirrup Cay because the water was too rough to tender in. According to others we spoke with this was not the first time that happened to them. Communication in general was very poor. Disembarking was absolute chaos. Our stateroom attendant was excellent and we looked forward to the Ande's pillow mint chocolate.

The people on board were very polite the food was amazing the amount of activities were great so you couod never get board the entertainment was phenominal and it was an overall great first impression and i plan on doing it again next year

My stateroom was excellent and well-cleaned. The entertainment at night was excellent- dualing piano shows, comedians, Broadway show, acrobatic dinner. The excursions were great, and the check-in/out process was easy. The variety of day shows was great. The dine as you want restaurants were always available with good service.

I think the buffet could use improvement. Very chaotic and cafeteria-like, not very tasty, too many entrances so hand-washing on the way in wasn't enforced. I've been on Royal carribean and I liked how there was two entrances with staff standing outside with purell machines, it wasn't as chaotic, and the food was much better tasting and variety. The staff also didn't seem very friendly or professional in buffet area and elsewhere. Many staff couldn't understand or answer my question (ie front desk, pool area), and the cruise director didn't have the fun energy that is usually common. Both actually were a little rude to excited guests (ie making fun of them). I also was disappointed in pool/hot tub situation. Adult pool was beautiful, and kids was small. I would have been fine with that except for the adult hot tubs were not enforced at all (kids were in all hot tubs all the time, even with signs that said "adults only". Staff stood there and did nothing. Seemed unfair that I couldn't let my kids enjoy the beautiful pool if I wasn't able to have a pee and chaos-free hot tub experience.

i have sailed with Norwegian before and was always pleased.  This time however, I was very disappointed with the entertainment and I found the dining and housekeeping staff very unfriendly.   Two of my coworkers have also gone on the Breakaway and said the same thing about the staff.   

Way too many people on this cruise. Over 5000 people on the boat. Didn't feel like a vacation because you had to wait on line for everything and battle to get a chair at the pool deck. Everything is a sales pitch (the spa, fitness center, or 'educational' art seminars). If you are dissatisfied or didn't use a service, guest services refuses to refund your money. The wifi is the biggest rip off. Beware to log out properly - even if you turn the wifi off on your phone, it still uses MBs. The cruise ship could not stop at the private island which, I heard another guest mention, happens regularly. The bathroom floods every time you shower. 

To top it all off, the stateroom attendant asked my daughter to "go out dancing" with him in the Bahamas and followed her into the stateroom and closed the door behind him. This made my daughter feel very scared and uncomfortable. We felt the cruise line was less than accommodating in this situation. We had to argue to either have our stateroom changed or have the attendant removed from our floor. This should have been a no brainer for Norwegian. Should not have even had to argue about such a thing. Ultimately, we had to switch our room in the middle of the cruise and little was done in way of the inconvenience. 

I have been on many cruises (over 10) and I have never had such an experience. This trip has made me never want to take another cruise again. I definitely feel like I need another vacation after this "vacation"

Great entertainment, delicious food.  And the support Guest Services provided for my mom who is legally blind was wonderful.  They had reserved seats for us at the shows so she can have an opportunity to see up close.  They also helped us disembark.  I was disappointed with not being able to visit Great Stirrup Cay.  This is the second time I was on this cruise and the second time they had cancelled visiting the island.  They did however go straight to Nassau and we had an over night there.  Ship was very clean and beautiful. 

The positive attitude of the crew members was unbelievable.  Made you feel welcomed and were also attentive to all needs.  We will miss them all.  Boarding and departure is well organized, which as you can imagine is quite a task with as many as 4000 passengers.  Boat is huge, but with the exception of the pool areas the crowds were never a problem.  Accommodations (mini-suite) beverages, dining, massage therapy, entertainment, etc. exceeded my expectation.  Norwegian keep up the good work and take pride in the professionalism of all your staff. 

I do have one complaint the WiFi package.  I spent close to $150 and after the second day realized it didn't work well.  Approached someone for a refund / cancellation and that wasn't possible.  Very disappointed based on the overall amount that I spent on the cruise.    

I guess my favorite thing was that there was so much to do on the ship. Not only for us, but for our kids too. In addition to the constant eating and drinking, but I guess that is the big draw for cruises. Yes I have already recommended it to many of my friends that are uncertain about going on a cruise. One thing you need to improve is the people that heard us onto the ship from the port before we get to the lines. The front gate women, two that I remember, were very rude and assuming. In other words, they think we were all there everyday, week or whatever working with them and should know what to do and therefore yell rudely at people coming in!!

Our favorite part was the staff,room staff,Maltings and H20 bar staff, as well as the restaurant staffing.  With one exception to be discussed in section below.

Disappointment when we could not get to the Stir Cay destination due to choppy seas. Understandable, however the only compensation was getting to Nassau early. One day in Nassau is more than enough.

The adult only sections were not monitored by staff, little children should be in their designated areas, older adults looking for peace and relaxation could not due to children taking up chairs and lounges.

 What a great time we had on board the Norwegian Breakaway. The staff was fantastic, the food was delicious and entertainment with never ending.  This is not the first time we traveled on Norwegian; so we knew what we were getting into and we were not disappointed. I'm only sorry I didn't sign up for a future cruise while we were onboard. You need to make sure you sign up for your next cruise because once you get home you'll want to go again.

Great ship, food very good to great, cabin was perfect!  Ship was totally full including over 1,300 kids (school spring break) but never appeared crowded.  Bars were under-staffed at times and so a 8-10 minute wait for a soda or drink, with passengers jockeying for attention so that was not relaxing as it could have been.  We booked early so had the dining upgrade and drink package included for free which was nice.  But aggravating that water and the good coffee was not included!  Bring an insulated coffee mug with lid if you want to bring coffee out of the cafe (only small cups and no lids in the cafe)   Had to skip Great Stirrup Cay due to rough weather for the tenders but ship itself was very stable.  Would not hesitate to go on this ship again.

I have been on many Norwegian cruises, and have always had an AMAZING time. The cruise staff and ships are unparalleled in my opinion. That being said, I think the Breakaway is the exception to this rule. The ship is overcrowded, and the layout squished everyone in the middle of the ship. Very different from any other cruise I've been on with them. The entertainment director was barely visible, and even when you tried to attend programing, it was in the atrium so there were no seats and it was overcrowded. The saving grace of the whole cruise was we had gotten upgraded to the Haven with a suite and butler. The Haven experience was amazing. We would not take a cruise on this ship without it! Embarkation and Debarkation was a MESS for everyone else.

the cruise was great.  We were disappointed with our cabin.  We supposedly got an upgrade.  Can't imagine if we didn't what it would have been.   We have had inside cabins many times before and were well satisfied. Not this time. I think the travel agent could have done a better job with the cabin.  Loved the specialty restaurants.  The entertainment was fabulous.