Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Reviews - Reviews

We just felt that the theme of our vacation was that they just can't get it right.   No matter whether it was boarding, getting on a tender, we always stood on line for over an hour.  We should never see a collection of dirty glasses or dishes any common areas of the ship.  There was never anyone anywhere asking if we needed or wanted anything.

We had a wonderful time on our cruise.  The staff and crew were so helpful and friendly.  We can't wait to cruise again.  For anyone cruising on the Breakaway please look for our favorite bartender Bambing!

The overall cruise was good  but not   outstanding. The   free style dining leaves large groups  either making 5:30 pm or  9pm  reservations to guarantee a table or waiting during busy times to be seated together.   The  main dining room staff is too busy  and the meals take long and the orders/drink orders are not often correct.  Also the food was not always hot.    I feel when you have the same waiter each evening like on other cruise lines they try harder to make your dinner experience a good one.    English was also sometimes a challenge for the wait staff.     In light of this it made us use  and pay extra for the specialty restaurants which were excellent.  

The entertainment was very good but not up to par with other lines I have been on.  The seats in the main Breakaway theater are badly padded and you can feel a bar in them. They are very uncomfortable for long shows.  All of them seem to have this problem.   People were testing seats to find a decent one.  

Children are allowed in bars   and lounges  at all times  and at evening   shows ( even the very adult themed  Rock of Ages ) . It made for an uncomfortable atmosphere late night in bars with  tired children in PJs   running around.   

Overall I would not cruise with Norwegian again. 

I have the opportunity to cruise more then 20 different times and with different cruise line.  NCL is great for family and young couples.This is the second time in 2nd years that I take this cruise with my family during Spring Break, and we all enjoyed it.  I have a 9 and 6 year old and they love to go to the Kids Club, lots of activity on board.  Will not regret the trip. Hope to see yo on board

The ship was beautiful and modern.Loved the layout of the ship. Easy to get around. Now,for the disappointed part. Did not like any of the food. Way to much salt on everything, very small portions. The new change in the menu was not for me and my guest. Have had much better food on my other 4 cruises  with NCL. The drinking package was good but you had to get your own because there wasent much staff. The entertainment was so so, again have had better on other cruises. Not enough seating other than the theater. Dident like paying for some of the entertainment. I feel I paid enough and it should of been included. Having second thoughts about booking another cruise. I usually buy the deal for the next cruise on board for the savings, this time I dident like the last 4 cruise's. Having second thoughts.

The Norwegian Breakaway does not have the staff to accommodate so many people. We were offered the FREE drink package which wasn't free after paying taxes and then more taxes on the ship. It would have been a good deal however if they had a wait staff taken your order. There was one waiter on the first day on the Spice H2O. Which finally ended up being the space we spent our free time because every other place was packed and with NO chairs.  We never saw another waiter walking around after the first day. The lines at the 3 bars we got drinks from where at least 20 min. I believe this was done by design, because of the Free drink offers to discourage customers. And encourage them to get drinks from their room mini fridge. Which we eventually ended up having to do and it cost us a LOT of money. The larger ships also have you making reservations to any of the shows because they make the theatres half the size. We were able to finally get into one of the shows but had to show up 30 minutes before. Which would have been ok but the seats were made so cheaply that you could barely walk after a two hour show. We saw Rock Of Ages and it was FANTASTIC. The food on this ship is AMAZING we had NO complaints. They really work hard on this part of the cruise experience. We did try to get into the Noodle Bar 3 days but was never able to because of the lines. So the only two places we eat where the main dining room and the food court. We did order room service one night and had no complaints about the new room charge of $7.95. At dinner one night 2 of the crew staff stopped at our table to get feedback about our experience. We told them about our day at their island Stirrup Cay. We were able to make reservations to leave the boat at 11:00 and by the time all was said and done we made it over by 12:00. Once there we found ourselves walking around for almost 2 hours trying to find a chair. We finally settled on going over to the lagoon to try and find seating and had the same problem. On our way over we noticed that they had hundreds of chairs stacked up around a storage building. These chairs should have been put out knowing that the ship has up to 4 thousand people. Also they only offer 2 places to get food. One on the main side of the island that the line was over an hour wait, the second by the lagoon that also was an hour or more. So we never got lunch and a lot of people we spoke to never got lunch. We finally ended up putting towels down on a section of the island that had some sand and was able to get into the water for about an hour before having to walk all the way back to the boat. The day was a total bust. the staff then told us YES you have to plan accordingly going to the island and could have rented one of our cabana. After looking up the price for a small one in 2013 starts at $300. We just wanted a chair or two. This cruise only has 3 port stops because of the distance they have to cover from NY. Orlando, Stirrup Cay & Nassau. We went to Sandals Resort on Nassau and that was our only good excursion. We choose to stay on the ship when docked in Orlando to try and enjoy the ship with no so many people. The line at the bar at H2O was a bit more manageable, but we never got to use any of the hot tubs because of crowds. Maybe Norwegian has a staffing problem?   We will cruise again but it will not be with Norwegian, they could give us a free cruise and we would not take it. 

  We just got back and have to say the staff was excellent. They were very friendly and accommodating. The food was mostly good, with a few hits and a few misses. For example we found the NY strip steak to be fatty and chewy but the Prime Rib (only offered on the last night in the Manhattan room) was much better. Apparently there have been cutbacks in the kitchen, no more shrimp cocktail or escargot.

  The activities staff was energetic and made us laugh with their antics. They kept us entertained with all the games and contests. 

  It happened to be the week school was out in Montreal so the ship was loaded with French Canadians. For the most part they were nice but some bad apples spoiled the whole bunch, especially the bratty kids who don't know how to use an elevator (let us off please before you barge in). There was even a fistfight during the cruise! The cruise line can't help that but just a word of warning to fellow travelers to check the school calendars before booking!

  We had a 12th deck balcony cabin and I recommend that you book any deck except the 12th because that is where the kids camp Splash Academy is located and we heard tons of kids running and screaming on the way to camp.

   Overall it was a fun trip and I was limited to the times we could go. Otherwise I would NOT have gone when Montreal was off from school.

I left my house, car and store keys at the New York Terminal ladies room just before I boarded the Breakaway on Sunday, February 21st. With all the excitement of getting on the ship and starting my vacation, I didn't realize it until I packed a bag for my first shore excursion to Port Canaveral on Tuesday. When I returned I looked fervently through my luggage and sure enough, they are not there. I checked with Guest Services' lost and found, but no luck. Then I called the NY Terminal and Inter-cruises. Luckily "Latasha" answered the phone at 8:00 pm and told me she will work with the NY Terminal in the morning to locate the keys and communicate with the ship about its progress. That's where "Shiyi Huang" and "Sanja Bozinovic" come in, Guest Service Agents on Norwegian Breakaway. They took over the communications from the ship to NY Terminal to facilitate locating the keys. On Thursday, after I returned from another wonderful Shore Excursion, I got the call from Shiyi that indeed, NY Terminal found my keys! NY Terminal is such a big place, with thousands of people passing through there every day, I just never expected ever getting them back. Not only did Shiyi and Sanja work tirelessly on this, but Shiyi arranged for the keys to be delivered to the ship! I picked up my keys on Sunday morning and hugged her in the middle of Guest Services on disembarkation day! It would have been a huge hassle for me to recreate all the keys, two of them really expensive to replace, not to mention all the store cards I had I use to swipe at grocery stores, drug stores and department stores. In addition, both Shiyi and Sanja understood my anxiety and as a result, were exceptionally kind, comforting and reassuring to me. While all of the staff was wonderfully good and respectful, these two ladies sure made me feel special.  I hope to see them again on my next cruise!

I wish the weather was a little warmer but that's the risk you take for cruising from NY in February.  The day that it mattered most (Great Stirrup Cay) was absolutely beautiful - 80s and not a cloud in the sky.  Other than that, the cruise was fantastic and well worth the money we paid.

 Better at sea weather would have merited  this cruise a 5 star Breakaway. That being said 4 stars it was.Freestyle options were very well prepared.Servi email was also delightful.Planning very easy.Our next cruise will be also with NCL perhaps with more family enjoying a Haven Suite when we decide our destination. Hat tip Norwegian !

you should forget about port Canaveral as a port ,if you don,t take an excursion there is nothing to do at the port, We took the same cruise last year & liked it enough to do it this year, we realy love the ship, the ult bev backage was worth the money ,like I said this was a quick 7 day getaway and it did the job just fine

Great ship, amazing time. I would do it again.  I'd recommend to families with younger kids due to the splash academy, they kept my 7 year old son happy :)  The buffet gets old fast so make reservations to dine other places.

Overall we had a good time on our cruise. We have been on this cruise four times. Each time it is noticeable that many amenities have been reduced to save money while the price of the cruise continues to rise.  Cleanliness, ship moral and options have also declined.

Freestyle is a great theory but now if you do not plan all your specialty dinning in the first two days you are forced to eat at awkward times (due to availability).

I would still recommend this cruise but I would encourage others to not limit themselves to NCL. 

I have taken 5-6 cruise with NCL, and this one was the worst. My wife and I actually liked all of the past cruises.This time, there were delays before actually getting on the ship and my luggage arrived at my room hours later while my wife's luggage arrived soon after getting on the ship.

The departure procedure was a disaster, and although we were "walking off" with our luggage and ready to do so long before the expected 8:30-9:00am projected time, it took more than two hours with absolutely no help or leadership from the NCL staff. What a disaster and what poor supervision or assistance during these long lines and hours.

I recently traveled on the Norwegian breakaway two bedroom heaven villa.  The bathroom smiled like someone from a previous cruise was sick and it took them 3 days to get the smile out. They also never changed my bed sheets for the entire tire trip. This trip cost me over $9500.00 for 5 people to go. When you first check in at  terminal they don't have enough seats for the Haven passengers and while you're on the ship you have to continuously check your statement as they continue to nickel & dime you for everything even charging for specialty meals when we had the dining paclage.  

Vey basic cruise, does not have what we were looking for in a cruise. We have done over 25 different cruises, including getting married on a Norwegian ship.

The food was sub par for a cruise line. with that said it wasn't bad but was not what a cruiseline normally offers. In main restaurant we had a prime rib that was dried out tasted like liver, and some Asian dish that was horrible. On all cruises in the past 30 years I was offered at least 1 night lobster. This cruise it was an extra $20. That's ridiculous

The noodle bar is clueless, not only did they forget parts of our order, what they did give us was totally wrong. My wife has a gluten allergy and can only eat rice noodle not the normal noodles that are made with wheat/gluten

They offer food 24hrs but from a greasy over cooked restaurant with extremely poor svc and un friendly hostesses. Room svc is an charge of $7.95 plus gratuity.

Top floor buffet was closed between 11pm-12 am. That is ridiculous on a cruise line that is promoting drinking,gambling and entertainment until the wee hours.

Waiter service to table was horrible in all bars with the exception of Shakers. The young lady and gentlemen were on top of everything in the martini bar, really impressive.

Waited in whiskey bar for 20 minutes waiting for svc, waitress was to busy talking to other cruise staff. It took one of the ships entertainment directors who happened to walk by, asked if we were ok, we said we were waiting for service, 15 minutes later they walked by again and saw that we still didn't get served, they called the beverage director to come down to the lounge and then she got to work. Days later the service returned to next to non existant.

Chairs couches were all hard as rocks with the exception of the chairs in the casino, they want you to stay and keep gambling, but feel that they want you to move on in the lounges where most people have prepaid beverage plan. It was so obvious to someone who has cruise before. Does not make you want to stay and enjoy your drink.

Entertainment was a good quality but with 5000 people on the ship it is always making reservations. And with that many people you would think they would have more entertainment on sea days but was mighty slim.

When you walk through the ship and the air is turned off you begin to smell sour/foul smells. Mostly in the Garden Café buffet on the 15th floor.

3hour wait to get a tendor to their island, that is crazy

Room steward were great, what I would expect on a cruise ship. She knew our names, made a point to say hello, room was well kept and updated.

I thought I was a bit generous on the rating system for this ship.

they provided a service, but not up to NCL or any cruise ship class

If you want a ship to drink, party and just eat, then this is ok for you,

We prefer more than an all inclusive on a ship.

Never will cruise again. The Norwegian Breakaway is too big of a ship to enjoy yourself. People vacationing on ship were very rude and were like vultures. Weather was horrible, so outside activity was not enjoyable. Food on ship was not all that. My family &  I all came home very sick with neuro-virus. It has been horrible. We are regretting our choice of vacation.  

After going on many cruises/cruise ships - this one was a disappointment - the pool area and open spaces were very closed in due to all the water slides - if you have kids probably good but not for adults.  Also headliner show rock of ages was cancelled after making reservations, with no excuses - this was not a good cruise at all.  Need to change up the game shows etc, all the same if you cruised previously.  Also, don't waste the $20pp for the "ice bar" - it's nothing more than a small room with a chair made of ice and a statue of liberty - drinks were horrible - we had looked forward to it but after spending $80 never more disappointed

This was my second time on the Breakaway for the cruise to Cocoa Beach Florida then onto the Bahamas.  I thoroughly enjoyed it both times.  The Private Island is a fabulous day, and probably the best port to stop in.  Norwegian does a wonderful job with customer service.  Their goal is for you to have a fantastic vacation experience, and they live up to it in everything that they do.  I highly suggest the dining plan to try the specialty restaurants.  From check in to debarkation you will enjoy every minute.

This was our first cruise.  We had a great time! We spent a lot of time partaking in many events each day that the ship offers. We had a blast.  When we wanted quiet down time, we bought into the thermal spa.  That was a relaxing treat!