Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Reviews - Reviews

We just returned from our 7 day cruise, it was a great family vacation. Although the ship was filled to capacity, most of the staff fufilled the very personalized individual attention that cruises are known for.

The one main dislike that I had was the kids club. It was way understaffed for the amout of kids on this ship. The Staff of the kids club could not keep track of all the kids and on the first night I spent an hour looking for my kids who were released from the club program and never given instructions as to where to meet us, (even though I called them 2x to remind them to tell our children where we were.) We did complain to the director, he was apologetic, but we didn't feel comfortable leaving them there. We found them to be incompetent to keep our kids safe.  My kids (10&12) felt that the kids club was "very babyish."  Once we decided that our kids would have a better time with us, the rest of the cruise went smoothly. However, my 17 year old really enjoyed the Teen club, which held lots of fun events at night.

The 3 days in Bermuda was amazing and we really enjoyed that we had enough time to really visit the island. 

Overall it was a relaxing vacaton, the best part was leaving from NY (20 minutes from home) so from the minute we boarded the ship we  were on vacaton!

The ships restaurants, pool, slides, rock climbing, mini golf and rope climbing can not accommodate the large amount of people. The food was horrid, we were sick the whole week. The kids had nothing to do, one day we actually put them in the "splash academy" I requested a pager and to be paged if my children wanted me. When I went to pick them up, my daughter said she told the counselor to call mom and the counselor said "no, your leaving soon"! My kids begged me not to put them in the academy again, so without a thought they never went back. I couldn't wait to get off this ship. There were 4 fistfights throughout the cruise, people were fighting over chairs by the pool. Such a terrible experience...

Ship spectacular. Entertainment fabulous. Food great.The only thing I would add to the ship is An indoor pool. It was difficult to find a quiet place out near the pool . I think an indoor pool would solve that

Service in the main decks was poor.

Food in the main decks was so so.

Ship was great and very big.

Bermuda was not all that and everything closes very early.

The pros:  The ship was beautiful and clean.  The shows were the BEST I've ever experienced on a cruise.

The cons:  An August cruise was painfully crowded.  Not enough chairs to accommodate all passengers on full ship.  There were fights and I heard someone had to be removed from the ship by the time it arrived in Bermuda (2 days going to Bermuda is too much of that experience).  The pool was so crowded, I wouldn't dream of entering it.  God knows what is happening in that water.  Also, I don't like being nickeled and dimed for everything on the ship from water and pizza in the cabin to a $20 per head breakfast with characters (we've already paid for the food).  The specialty restaurants had no better food, the only positive was that there were less people in them.

e will differently travel this cruise ship again. Lots of on board entertainment and bars to enjoy. I am 42 years old and enjoyed using the water slides almost every day .Thanks 

THE GOOD

Extremely clean in all aspects, the rooms, the bathrooms, the food service areas even the buffet.  The washy-washy crew had us thinking about washing our hands all day long.  Rock of Ages and Burn the Floor were excellent shows.  We never had to wait to get a seat in one of the main dining rooms and the food is good enough as to not need to go to the specialty restaurants if you don't want to.  I was surprised at how good the wings at O'Sheehan's were for lunch, which is a very convenient complimentary "irish" pub midship looking down on the Atrium.  They have trivia multiple times per day, both general trivia and theme trivia, which was a lot of fun and the activities staff members Jovan, Kristine, and Ferdie were very lively and humorous.  The waterslides are excellent especially the free-fall waterslide.  The ropes course was fun... I overcame my fear of heights while my wife discovered hers!  We went on Gosling's rum tour and the Rising Son Catamaran Snorkel and Swim which were both very easy to arrange through the cruise and very worthwhile excursions.  Also both tours provide lots of rum, if you are into that sort of thing, which we are.  When the ship is in port the pool and waterslides are a ghost town so you will have an embarrassment of riches in using the slides and picking any spot you want to sit.  Beer buckets and draft beers at O' Sheehan's were good deals.

THE BAD

The adult swimming pool is 6'8" deep with a large shelf around the edge which is great for us because we can swim and float and so there is lots of room in the actual pool itself... but is also odd because an environment is created where a few people are in the pool being watched by 100 people all sitting around the edge of the pool because apparently nobody from New York can swim.  There was even a handrail to hold on to in the pool but still very few people went in the pool itself.  Nightclub parties at Spice H2O had the potential to be fun but it was weird having on one hand adults drinking and partying with grade-school children running around.  They have earlier parties for families who apparently don't leave when it is supposed to be adults only.  They are good at enforcing the adults only rule in the Bliss nightclub though.  Although we did book Rock of Ages before the cruise, they lost the reservation and we had to complain.  We were accommodated but it was a hassle.  I recommend confirming any reservations made prior to the cruise with guest services and the box office on your first day.  Some members of guest service were not the most proficient at communicating how different reservation and onboard credit programs functioned which was partially a language issue.  One would think that guest services, restaurant reservation  staff would be the most easy to deal with but this was not the case and was an extremely frustrating aspect of the cruise.  My wife however was appeased by the chocolate covered fruits they sent to the room as an apology gesture.  Lastly the commemorative flash drive we purchased along with our printed pictures had half the files corrupted on it so that is another issue we have to resolve with Norwegian.

THE UGLY

The worst part of the cruise came in the form of what my wife has now termed "the Leathers" usually hailing from a certain port city... you can spot them visually by their over-tanned skin that is the color and texture of a football.  A well tuned ear can sense their presence 20 yards away as they will arguing with their husbands, scolding their children, or complaining to cruise staff about trivial issues.  Although Norwegian claims that one cannot reserve deck chairs for more than one hour, the Leathers obviously did not get the memo.  One Leather will reserve 6 deck chairs for family members who will never arrive, or lay one towel across 3 chairs reserving them for the entire day.  Woe to anyone who attempts to sit in one of these obviously unoccupied chairs!  Far be it from you to sit in a chair in such a way which "blocks their Sun".  These reverse Vampires attempt to suck all the fun and joy from the pool and sun deck experience, and from the cruise experience generally.  The cruise staff fail to enforce the no reserving of deck chairs regulations and are afraid to stand up to these Leather hordes leaving other poor saps to wonder aimlessly trying to discover an unclaimed deck chair even though less than 50% of deck chairs actually have a body in them at any one time.

SUMMARY

Overall we recommend this cruise (great food, cleanliness, generally fun and courteous staff, memorable excursions, good water park amenities) but be prepared for some glitches with reservations and steer clear of "The Leathers" and if you manage to find an unclaimed deck chair...well done!  We loved the free-styling aspect and do plan to "Cruise like a Norwegian" in the future, but perhaps from a different port... sans Jersey Shore immersion experience.

I plan on taking this cruise again. Loved Bermuda. There is so much more to see and do.  I was skeptical about going to only one destination but I love it. No need to worry about missing your ship. You have two full days to explore the island. On the third day just spend a relaxing day at the beach. If you purchase alcohol on the island, they deliver to the ship for you, no hassle. On the last night it's delivered to your room unlike the Gem (Royal Caribbean and Celebrity cruise deliver to your room as well).  There is no curfew. The ship is open 24 hours. Norwegian cruise is awesome, a variety of activities for the entire family. Friendly staff. The fireworks was awesome. The Breakaway ROCKS!!!

We will differently travel this cruise ship again. Lots of on board entertainment and bars to enjoy. I am 31 years old and enjoyed using the water slides almost every day

The room, the ship, the staff, and the food were great.  We found the " Burn" show vulgar and the performance mediocre, at best.  " Rock" was similarly only so-so.  The music of the atrium saved this aspect of our cruise.  And they repeat twice instead of having a new theatre show each night.  Kids sail for free, and there were plenty of them.  The paucity of variety in entertainment choices marred an otherwise marvelous cruise.  We had a balcony room, but we were barred from using it one full day so they could do maintence/painting  on it (sorry for the inconvenience, of course). We will be more wary in the future.

This was the first cruise we have ever taken from NYC and on Norwegian. What an impressive ship. The ship is huge! The staff was extremely courteous, professional and willing to accomodste.

Great cruise!  Bermuda was amazing!!!!!!  I do wish there were more activities for kids and I wish the rope course and rock wall were open more (very limited use).

breakaway was more for kids,unless you wanted to pay for haven$$$ or spa$$$ couldn't use the standard sauna unless you paid more $$$. adult section wasn't they didn't stop kids from running around or get out of the whirlpools. even on non-formal nights wife couldn't wear dress shorts and dress shirt had to be pants or dress. the lounge chairs by the pool were packed side by side on sea days no gaps. literally had to climb up on to them. walk ways were small 2 people couldn't pass with out moving over.   BUT MY BIGGEST COMPLAINT WAS  (WE WEREN'T TOLD BEFORE CRUISE THAT BERMUDA WOULD BE CLOSED 2 OUT OF 3 DAYS SHIPP WAS THERE)

Our cruise to Bermuda aboard the Norwegian Breakaway was fabulous thanks to the wonderful crew who go out of their way to make certain that you feel welcome and that your vacation is fun, relaxing and memorable.

The ship is absolutely stunning, very modern in design and has really terrific amenities. Every inch of the ship was squeaky clean. The staterooms are typical in size but still quite comfortable. Lots of restaurants to chose from and we found the food to be expertly prepared in every single one of them. The pool deck is well thought out....the young children's pool and Nickolodeon splash pool are inviting but separated from the more rowdy adult pool which is by the bandstand and pool bars.  Spice H20 on deck 16 was the perfect alternative to the party atmosphere when we needed a quieter water / lounging area to just chill, visit or read.  And the waterpark and ropes course are for real...TONS of fun there!!!  Entourage, for our two teens, was an eager attraction.  We really enjoyed this cruise!

In the last 7 years, I have been on 11 cruises now. I've sailed with Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Celebrity, and now NCL.  I found the décor to be fine, but rather bland. Lots of expansive walls with not a piece of art or decoration.  Everything was generally kept very clean and tidy which is always nice.

As for the stuff that matters more, I have mixed opinions.  The main buffet areas left me with a very back in highschool vibe.  Basically 2 long runways of food on two sides with the galley in the middle.  This makes for longer lines, and a lot more congestion while trying to get your food.  Most of all the last cruises I've been on (all newer ships) have more or less stations to really break things up.  Now If you've never experienced anything else, I think you'd be far less likely to comment on it, but knowing the other ways it's done, it made for some frustrating times.

Also along the lines of food/dining.  As most know, NCL introduced freestyle dining.  I suspect the pitch here is don't be a slave to a schedule while on vacation.  Come and go as you please.  There is one MAIN dining room similar that you would see on all ships, then a few more.  However these are just for location as they all have the same food.  For me, quite frankly this equated to SIGNIFICANTLY less service.  Waiting forever to get a menu, waiting forever to get drinks (a couple times not even asked).  You have zero sense of that appreciated customer service that if you're a regular cruiser you've likely come to appreciate.  To the point where your servers know your name, what you're drinking, and bread you like, etc, etc.  Now if you want to get in and out, no pleasantries, then no worries, you might not mind.  For us though, service is a big deal.  It was bad enough, that my girlfriend has emailed them to have some service gratuities refunded.  Even the cabin steward stuff is different.  Typically you're used to having your room made up through the day then turn down at night.  Well because they don't know your schedule that's not really happening here.  Our steward a few times mentioned to us that he leaves at 3.  So If for whatever reason you're in and out of your room before then, it's not happening.

Aside from that, a few cool things.  The water slides are pretty cool, The irish pub is great as the Atrium is open below, and there is lots to do in there on sea days or bad weather times.  The casino is MASSIVE if that's your thing as well.

End of the day, would I cruise NCL again?  It would 100% be based on convenience, lower price, and the itinerary would have to be idea.  At that point I'd give it another shot.  When I first started cruising, like many people you're not sure who to go with.  They are all different in their own way, but for ME, Royal offers the best of all the worlds.  Celebrity is amazing for refinement and a modern look, great food, and more of a luxury feel, not a TON of families.  Carnival although not AS party ship as in other years is still the more "fun" type atmosphere.  Princess, unless your a senior, or approaching so, it's not for me, and Royal seems to balance it all.  Where does NCL fit in there.  Without specific criteria, I thin it would say they sit somewhere between Carnival and Royal.  We don't have kids, nut the NCL had some great programs for them, and there were TONS of young kids on this ship. A vast difference from Celebrity reflection we were on a few months earlier.

A few

Overall: The Good:  Super clean ship.  Smooth ride and very polite steward.  The Bad: Nickel and Dimed to death on this ship.  HATED the cruise for that reason alone.

Details:  The boarding process was smoother than I thought.  The Mini Suite #8714 was small for a "suite", but the bath was gigantic with it's dual sinks and 3 person shower.  This particular cabin had a very large balcony (requested a large balcony early in the process), which is rare on this ship.  The cable t.v. channel selection sucked for it to be 2014.  The bars were ample and the wait was minimal 90% of the time.  I paid $434.00 extra for the drink package, which Is worth it for 1 person.  They make you buy it for each person in your cabin and that's when it's a complete rip-off.  The Food was decent at best.  The Manhattan Room was the best of the included options.  The Irish Pub was second, which was pub food.  The buffet ws like Golden Corral.... Lots of very average stuff.  As for the "PAID" options, we ate at Cagneys, Le Bistro and the Circque show.  Cagney's was by far the best meal the entire time onboard.  But it should have been included in the costs of the cruise.  The Circque show was $39.99 for the show and dinner.  It too should have been included as you don't pay for entertainment on other cruise lines.  NOT WORTH the additional $39.99 each.  Even Bingo was $39.00 to play.  They Nickel and Dimed us to death on this ship.  They even charged to go into the Ice bar.  The Casino was no fun as they allow smoking and the fake barrier is a joke at best.  It's 2014 it should be completely smoke free!!!!  That was really not cool.  The Entertainment was HORRIBLE at best.  The "lounge" singers were really HORRIBLE...ALL OF THEM!!!!  The Circque talent was best.  The other singers were a joke.  I mean it was something to do while at sea for as long as we were, but who ever the talent scout is should be made to walk the plank.  The Pool was TINY for a ship of this size.  There are a few hidden areas at the front of the ship.  Go and find them and you will be pleased.  The staff was polite and professional (except for 1 bartendar named Ray near the cigar bar on deck 8).  The Waterfront was a great idea, but again unable to be enjoyed because of the blasted SMOKERS dominating the area.  The excursions were (please notice the majority of other reviews) were horrible and not even considered based on the ridiculous costs.  There were way too many kids on this ship.  I had read that in other reviews, but thought they meant tiny kids.  There were too many high school kids on this ship.  I'm trying not to be all negative as there were some good features about the ship and about the staff and the pub food.  But, it is just ridculous all that they want you to pay extra for.  I'm sorry Norwegian, but I'm not able to suggest this cruise ship based on what I and my party of 6 feel about the cruise.  I can tell that you have improved on what some past guest may have pointed out as potential issues.  There were no problems with hot water.  The water temp in the bath was great.  The diversity in entertainment was appreciated and noticed.  The effort to please 4000+ folks is always going to be a challenge.  If you just stopped with the nickel and diming of us, then our overall experience would be different.  I have cruised on Carinval and had cabin U76 which was so big it had a sectional sofa. And I was upgraded to that room.  We nor any of the other 2 cabins in our party received an upgrade of any type al all.

The overall cruise was great the ship was great the staff was great and the food, entertainment, and drinks were excellent!!!

The only negatives were if you purchased the "drink" package which cost just under $500.00 each and you had to buy it for everyone in the cabin,it did not include bottled water ($2.50 per 16 oz.) If you ordered a drink with coffee they charged you for the coffee I think $2.75. It just seems they "nickel and dime" you where ever you go on the ship. I guess that's how they earn extra revenue.

Another pestering thing they do is every time you order a drink or for that matter anything,they swipe your card, your picture comes up then they bring you over two receipts you sign one and keep one if you want, why do I need to sign every time I order a drink???? Seems like a waste of paper and this ship suppose to be "green". They have all your information on the card including your picture.

Overall the cruise was great except for my few quirks and would cruise Norwegian again.

Barbara P.

Jersey City, NJ

Plenty to do on board! Great food at all the restaurants. Nice adult area only , great kiddie area too. Go to Elbow Beach for a nice quite beach. Horseshoe Bay is very busy. Take ferry or buses for transportation, taxis are very expensive! 

We sailed on the Breakaway in June 2013 and again earlier this month.  What a difference!  In June, I seemed to spend all my time walking the passageways to the back of the ship for food and then to the front for entertainment.  What a bore.  It didn't happen this time and the only reason I can find to explain the difference is the location of my cabin right next to the aft elevator lobby.  The ship has only two banks of elevators and all the activity centers are located between them  and easily accessible.  We had a mini-suite the first cruise and a balcony cabin the second.  The balcony cabin seemed more comfortable.   We discovered Spice H2O which we didn't remember from the first cruise, but it's a lovely open deck on the top rear of the ship which is child free during the day and becomes an entertainment venue at night with an enormous led screen for showing movies and DVD's.  We loved the ship the second time around.  The only drawback for late night snackers like us, is that there's no place to get a cookie or piece of cake after eleven at night.  We wound up eating hot dogs in O'Sheehan's at midnight.

THIS CRUISE IS GREAT . JUST  DONT BOOK THRU . I DID AND IT WAS A NIGHTMARE.I BOOK TEN ROOMS AND THEY WERE GOOD, BUT I COULD HAVE DONE BETTER WORKING WITH THE CRUISELINE DIRECT.