Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Reviews - Reviews

I got 6 other people to book. They all got the drink and dining package.  We only got the drink package!  Cheap cruises couldnt even do that for us even after we got them additional business.  I will be sure to post negative comments on my author website (author of 12 books$")!!!

Overall an awesome experience! Staff was great, unlimited supply of food and tons of entertainment. One night we had dinner at the Garden Café and when we were done with our food we went to get dessert. Unfortunately, the dessert area was already closed for the night but we really wanted their Raspberry Sorbet so we asked if we could have just one scoop and they totally did it, they gave us two. Like I said great customer service! Our room attendant made a different animal for my daughter each night. On a different day, when we were returning to the ship from our excursion the staff was at the dock, dancing and singing. Some other cruise liner was across from us and even their passengers were laughing and smiling. Already planning another one! Thank you Norwegian for such an amazing time!

The cruise looks amazing and has many attractions and activities to do. However, when I'm on vacation, I like to relax and catch up on sleep. We couldn't sleep the entire week due to the dip in the mattresses! We kept sinking in the mattresses and asked to have them flipped over...this didn't help. 

The tenders to the private island took more than an hour to get on then another 20-30min to leave the ship! When we got there, the lines to get food were long and we couldn't get any food. While traveling with a toddler this to me is unacceptable. There were no beach chairs to sit on so we sat on the sand for a a while but decided to go back to the ship to eat and feed toddler. 

Ship was always clean and the food was great!!! The balcony room was amazing. I tried to have a good time and make the most out of my vacation but I had no sleep so this didn't help at all. Will not be cruising for a long time or maybe not at all. 

Had a great time. NASA trip was great. Rented a car and drove there. Worked out great $40 for a mid size from Hertz. James Sullivan, piano single on the boat was excellent!

this was my first cruise I had a great time ...  next time I will get drink package.  amber was so nice the lady who fixed the room every day.

thank you

Great cruise overall. "Port Canaveral" or what NCL calls Orlando had some lackluster excursions so I went with a friend to the local ropes course in Cocoa beach. It was great fun and under $50. In Great Stirrup Cay due to wind and other factors they were only able to tender from one side of the ship and were running hours late calling tender groups. This was out of NCLs control but still a bit disappointing.  In Nassau we went to Atlantis, lots of fun slides but several areas of the resort were closed for renovation or repairs. There was expected to be about a 60 minute wait for lunch so we left and went back to the ship, and staunchly assured us this was out of their control. Although true we did pay for lunch as part of the excursion and would have stayed longer if we were not so hungry!

the NCL Breakaway is a beautiful ship and well kept by the happy crew.  We had great dining experiences overall although OSheehans and certain bars did become crowded on some days and times.  This was especially true when sailing from New York as there were actual icicles on the railings so no one was outside but I must say the crew handled it quite well.  Our cabin steward and room were both top notch and we got a great price from ,

Favorite parts : Dining selection, Food choices, Friendly/considerate  staff

Improvements:  Tendering to private island took an eternity.  Bigger ships require better facilities on the private island.  Stood in line 1 hour for lunch.  Line for bathrooms way too long. 

Recommend to others:  Yes. NCL 'gets it'.  They strive hard to please by giving good food, good drinks, clean rooms and a happy environment.

Too many people for the size of the ship.  Not enough help.  Wait wait for everything.  No seats at buffet crowds everywhere.  Lines for everything. Kids everywhere casinos, bars, so called adult shows. Tripping over kids EVERYWHERE.  Food was a disappointment.  Could not get off the ship for the ports because the tender lines were so long.  Had to wait over twenty minutes for a drink at the bar.  Could go on.  Worst cruise ever.

This is my first cruise, with family and younger kinds, overall it was a good experience, had good time. Main highlights for me were the shows (comedy - second city, dance - burn the floor, some lively competitions, cirque jungle fantasy show etc.), aqua park and splash academy for the kids.

Food was good in the buffet but NOT at all happy with main dining options for vegetarians like my family. Manhattan had one veg option but none at taste and savor. 

Another unfortunate experience was the beach at GSC (NCL's private island). There are so many rocks in the beach, don't understand why NCL can't get their act together to clean up the rocks from the beach so that guests can have a great experience... 

I would not recommend NCL for vegetarians, others may like the food but they will NOT like the beach at GSC for sure. 

The ship is itself beautiful and big...and its stabilizer is fantastic; it was one of the smoothest sailings I've had on the high seas. But its decks are narrow (as are its staterooms) because they've put so much "junk"--e.g. restaurants, etc.) on the decks. The public areas were kept clean and well-maintained but the casino, which is dead-center on Deck 7 is smoke-filled which is a turn-off; indeed, the smoke permeates and seeps through to other (i.e. no-smoking) parts of the ship. Ditto for Deck 15, where we have to endure the smoke from the smoking section as we pass through from forward to aft for the Garden Cafe buffet and where passengers frolic. Smoke rises, so Deck 16, too, is smoky. Food the first day was off, and hardly ever hot or varied. Improved on day 2, variety-wise and temperature-wise. My stateroom was small and the heat malfunctioned and was never fixed. The shower drain was clogged and water seeped onto the flooor everyday--that, too, was never fixed. Because kids drew stuff in the toilets, other passengers' toilets were clogged, overflowing, and smelly. Complaints to Guest Services went unaddressed; the staff were contemptuous of passengers with complaints. Speaking to the Guest services Manager and the assistant manager aboard was like talking to robots. Two associates on their staff were mean-spirited and hostile. one sucked his teeth at and shuffled off, rather than deal with a customer. He also ignored a long line so as to avoid serving a customer. Another associate smirked and mocked a customer. The Manager and assistant manager backed their staffers,. The Hotel Director mario is a nice guy--but he is new and the Guest services staff run over him. The Guest Services Manager seems to be in charge, and she can get hostile, if her whims are challenged. She is unhelpful, uncooperative, as is her Assistant Manager. The Hotel Dirctor Mario needs to take charge and have the entire Guest Services staff retrained in the buisness of customer service and hotel management. I did not get the sense that anybody is ever fired. Moreover, the Guest services staff, almost to a perosn, needs cultural/sensitivity training or retraining.    Mickey Michaels

Whole experience was great. Wish there were a better description of shore excursions and check in and disembarkation was easier.  Food was excellent,  no need for specialty restaurants.

This was our 4th cruise, 2nd on the Breakaway and in things have really changed in a few short years. As always, the room steward and bartenders were fanastic, however we were disappointed with the many changes that have been made.  For starters the Garden Cafe, was difficult to figure out, it took me 2 days to find the toasters because they weren't located with the breakfast foods, but at the end after the beverage station. The cafe is 4 sided and suppose to be opened until 11pm, however,  it was reduced to approx. 2 sides around 7pm, and it was usually the sides that were farthest from the entrance. Again, you had to walk all around the cafe. The omelette station took anywhere from 10-15 minutes in line, maybe if there was more than one person making the omelettes it would have sped things up. The speciality restaurants were great, you have to try Moderno, it was out of this world! The pool deck as always was crowded due to its small size and the Market Center that was opened everyday last cruise, was not opened once on this one. Children aren't allowed in the adult pool and were instructed to leave if they entered. However, the hot tubs were filled with kids even tho there were signs stating adults only. When another passenger brought this up to the pool attendant, nothing was done. If you want a quiet place to relax without kids, try Spice H2O on deck 16, until sunset at least, after that they host different parties on the deck. The shows were the same as they were when we sailed on this ship 2 years ago, only the cast changed, so we weren't interested since we had already seen them. Plan on waiting for elevators, they are horrible, especially when embarking and disembarking or when the shows end. Take the time to see Howling at the Moon, dueling pianos and the show at Fat Cats blues club, both are great!  The disembarking was horrible. It took us just 2 hours to get off the ship and through customs. We talked with several other cruisers as well as staff and all agreed that a lot has changed with NCL and not always for the better. This might be our last cruise on the Breakaway, we prefer the much smaller and more cozy Gem.

We were lucky enough to be able to upgrade from a balcony to a front facing Haven Suite 2 weeks before the cruise and it was worth every penny and more.  The whole experience of the Haven is awesome.  We were on this same cruise last year in a balcony and loved it and loved the ports. 

I have been on Norwegian Breakaway 4 times.  Not only do I love it but I have made many friends among the crew.  Each time I see them it is like being with family.

The one reason we keep going back is the excellent customer service.  They resolve issues immediately and with a smile.  It seems like nothing is impossible for them.

When I am on that ship,I am truly happy.  My problems seem to disappear,  It is my little bit of heaven on earth.  

I would recommend Norwegian cruises to anyone.

The only thing that I would improve is the debarkation process.  It is very chaotic but  then again, with 4,000 to 5,000 passengers on board it is bound to be chaotic.  

The Breakaway is a big ship. That being said, it was not crowded. Reservations in specialty or other restaurants was not a problem. There were not many children on this cruise so most activities were always available. 

I was surprised that there were not many scheduled FREE activities on board for the five days at sea. The stateroom TV had the same three episodes of Mike & Molly, Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half men for the entire cruise. No Discover, History or other channels.

Even though all the staff were extremely polite and helpful they were at times clueless as to what was going scheduled or when. Restaurant staff (especially) in the Garden Cafe  could not describe most of the food they were serving.  One young lady told me a white sweet sauce for the apple cobbler was caramel.  The egg chef did not know what over easy meant.

Hidden items; unless you knew to ask, Smoked Salmon  was never displayed. Nor were Gluten free items, sugar free deserts including some flavors of ice cream.  Peanut butter. I did not find out to the eleventh day that Blue Moon beer was available, not on menu. Same with select Alcoholic beverages.

Snack time (after returning to ship before departure) there was a large cheese selection, no crackers, chips, salsa or guacamole. 

With a few exceptions, all restaurants served same food. Specialty Restaurants did have their own menus.

Favorite - every port was interesting and each excursion great for us as first-timers

Improvement - only a few comfortable seats in entire ship.... too many pub tables with high chairs  

Unacceptable - disembarkation was a total fiasco

Everything was great, the food,the Broadway Shows, entertainment everywhere you went.  The help on the boat was very accomadating.  I can't think of anything I would change.

great shows very good food !!!  smallest balcony we ever had we mean small it was fine to sit outside   the tv service needs a lot of work make sure you you sey the dates for the shows before you go

The Breakaway is a very large and very stable ship.  The food in the main complimentary dinning rooms was very good.  And the cabin and overall service aboard the ship was very good. Excellent staff and overall professionalism.

The bad - Well for me the worst thing was the cigarette smoke.  There was only one adult outdoor pool area (which would become very crowded at times) and the system was that smokers owned one side of it and claimed one of the two bars.  And non-smokers had the other side.  In reality cigarette smoke does not care about side of an open area and would swirl around in the wind to make it impossible to get away from.  So be OK with constant poisoning if you want to use the pool area.  Also the ship itself had various smoking areas both inside and outside that created an overall smokey atmosphere in many parts of the ship.  The casino in the central atrium is a smoking area with obvious consequences.  If you are a smoker then this is the ship for you.

The other bad - This is a huge ship, however the entire front of the ship is taken up with the "Haven" (First class area off limits to everyone else) and the SPA (very expensive and off limits unless you pay).  So the effect is that you are on a huge ship with thousands of people but limited to a much smaller area than on other ships I have been on.

I had a good time, but would look for a different ship in the future as I am a non-smoker and like a little more space.

If it is convenient for you to sail out of NYC, you don't mind a few sea days on both ends of the cruise in the North Atlantic, and you would like to visit 8 Caribbean Islands on one cruise - this is it.  NCL has made this a very affordable cruise, especially when they include free gratuities and a drink package (other options - such as dining package, excursion credits, or internet time were available as well). We really enjoy the outdoor dining at some of the specialty restaurants. Over 10 years, we have seen a reduction in staff, meal variety, etc.; however, there is still great value for the price. Staff was super friendly and attentive. Food was excellent (served hot/cold as appropriate) even though not as much variety as in the past. Sorry to see the Ala Carte Margarittaville replace the Complimentary custom burger, sandwich, salad bar outside eating area on deck 16. Very low use of a great outdoor lunch location now that you have to pay.  It was still available for FREE breakfast. Also sorry to see Ala Carte pricing on most of the other Specialty restaurants - but there is a lot less wasted food being left on tables. Nice kids area with large water slides. Small pools. Smoking area on pool deck is too close to the kids pool. Smoking outside of Maltings and in Casino filters into Maltings and La Cucina and hallways.  Cirque show was excellent and they had some afternoon performances by other entertainers in the Cirque "tent" - this is a great, comfortable venue.  Make reservations before you go on the cruise for restaurants and entertainment - lets you skip the line waiting without reservations.  Entertainment was OK - the best was "Oh What a Night" 4 Season Tribute and "Burn the Floor".