Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Reviews - Reviews

With the exception of rough seas and wind the cruise was excellent.

Embarkation & disembarkation-terrible-long lines for both. So many people wanting on/off early. Do you blame them? If only the ship could arrive in to port 1 hour earlier, and disembark then I could then see less congestion in the hallways. It's miserable even when you select tag to be first off ship (1 hour standing & being herded thru mazes on the ship). I get why, just wished there could be a better option for those who need to get off fast to meet transportation out of the city.  

Ship is beautiful. Staff very helpful & friendly for staff that deals with the same questions over and over day after day/week after week. I took my daughter (12) for her first cruise and time away from home. We enjoyed the buffet all week (I would typically go to the restaurants, but this was "her" cruise). The buffet was clean and staff was friendly. Great food selections that we both were happy with. Splash Academy did what they could, many children my daughters age group were rude to staff, unruly, so much so that my daughter didn't want to go any more than 2 hours each day the first 4-5 days then not at all. There were a lot of kids on the ship but it was vacation week and most were in Splash Academy so you really didnt notice it except in buffet or evening. She enjoyed most of the activities and made some new friends. 

Not thrilled with excursion selections. Seemed dated in Cocoa Beach. Glad we waited to book them until the day of. Mainly based on weather and time. So happy we didn't book Orlando excursions. Only had 6 hours to enjoy and ended up being 5 hours due to ship arriving late in to Port Canaveral. Very expensive for only a few hours and a busy vacation week. 

I love cruising and the option to leave from NYC was fantastic the waters were not rough as I thought they may be. Love big ship experience (no sea sickness) and lots to do if you haven't already done it in previous cruises. 

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. 

Where to start, when you get into NYC it is chaos and I don't mean that by the traffic. The peer has no organization, lines everywhere, luggage all over. We waited for about an hour in lines to get on the ship. Before we got to the room the romance package was to be delivered to our room. We only had the dozen of roses in our room. Not only did we have to stand in a line again but we had to stand in line to look for the rest of our package. So I thought we had it all figured out. Again I was wrong, we had to go back and stand in line once again in guest services. Guest services was unsure of how to help us so we had to make a phone call to get further assistance. Finally after TWO days we got everything that was in the package that we bought. Norwegian did not win us over. The hot tubs on deck 15 clearly state that it is for adult use only, it was always full of children and not teens but like 6-12 year olds. There was really no quiet place on the ship. The intercoms did not work in our room so we had no idea what the announcements were. Food was always room temp or cold. The only hot meal we got was at La Cucina. Many things required you to pay extra. What we did LOVE our room stewardess Freddie he was great!!! We also loved the staff at Taste and Savor, as well as the men who worked at the shakers martini bar. There was a woman who worked there but she was always rude and never smiled. We ordered most of our drinks from this bar.. ONCE we ordered a strawberry daiquiri from the Irish pub place it was HORRIBLE it was just like a child's icee. Half way through the drink it was just ice... It was like kool-aid.... not impressed at all on the Norwegian Breakaway! 

This is a huge ship.  It was very tastefully decorated, but some areas were too dark for my liking. It is modern and basically very clean.  The Sunday we left was a bit chilly and you couldn't swim comfortably until the ship got to Florida two days after debarkation. The hot tubs were clean but NOT hot- no way near 104 degrees as most are.  They must have set all of them lower for some reason. We had to choose March due to our kids spring break- would have preferred May of June though.

The bathrooms in our cabins were not carefully cleaned after the last guest because there was personal soap etc. left behind in the showers in both of our room.  The cabin and balcony were otherwise great.  Aft was a good choice for many of the restaurants and the garden cafe, which was only one deck up from us.  I was not happy to have to pay for some of the entertainment- it should have been included.

The shows we did see were good quality and the food in the specialty restaurants were great. Some waiters were great, other were average- but the food was over all very nice and in general they tried to accommodate and please you.

Getting on and off this huge ship was the slowest I've ever experienced- it's  just too many people.

Shore excursions were great-loved Kennedy Space Center, at the private island we swam with the stingrays and that was excellent.  We just walked around in Nassau because we were there before a few times.

I was with my husband and our three kids who are in their twenties.  We loved to dine together and see shows together daily.

All in all it was convenient to leave from Manhattan because we live 30 minutes away- one of the reasons we chose this itinerary.  Usually we prefer to leave from Florida and see more of the Caribbean.

....a very nice cruise and a good time was had by all...

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. 

Varied restaurants & well planned activities to satisfy guests. Cordial and professional crew. Amenities to satisfy all needs. The entertainment was top notch and we were pleased with the show Rock of Ages which we had planned on seeing in New York.

This was overall our 14th cruise and 3rd with NCL.  

PROS:  the ship was beautiful, clean, well maintained and had lots to do. The food was good, but not extraordinary the employees friendly and there were plenty of things to do.  There was a ropes course, a mini golf course, rock climbing wall, people size chess game, video games, trivia contests, pool games and much more.  You could be busy all day or not at all.   We liked the comfortable dress attitude, however, when we tried to make a reservation for dinner for our large group we were told that the reservations for the night were filled.  Each night due our size - 8 - we had to wait for dinner.  JULIE the Cruise Director was fabulous, she even jumped in on some of the dance shows.  Fireworks on the open ocean - really cool.

ICE BAR:  Gotta go just so you can say you did!!  Really cool and really cold!!

CONS:    Overall my husband and I felt that they were trying to fit TOO MUCH stuff on the ship.  The hallways were barely wide enough for the workers cart and one person - two people could not walk side by side down any hall.  WE had a balcony room and felt the set up could be better - the space between the closet door and the bed was approximately 18 inches.  NO LOBSTER night - my children were very disappointed.  NEVER saw my room steward--dirty cups were never removed.  POOLS:  Were small and there were only 2 of them.

Freestyle cruising is the only way to go, but these large ships take freestyle out of the equation as reservations are required for most entertainment & dinning. Also game shows should not be held in the Atrium, not enough room to be comfortable, cannot get to the internet terminals, and all the chairs removed. Game shows should be held in the theater. Smoking in the casino should be limited to a side area, as walking deck 7 midship  makes it hard not to breath second hand smoke.

Getting more passengers on a ship may be more profitable for the cruise line...but it doesn't satisfy my level of comfort on this 7 day vacation. Main central corridors at times felt like a transfer tunnel at a subway interchange. Elevator banks at times felt like a black Friday sale before the doors opened. Entertainment offerings on Megaships changed from the usual generic musical-dance variety show/stand-up comic/magician/tribute singers to a specific high budget-recognized name Broadway Musical Licensed Show. In this case, Rock the Ages, is over-the-top unnecessarily sexually raunchy (plenty of warnings posted), with so-so music, all in the name of a "famous" Broadway show.

Highlights: Breakaway Bermuda Debarkation Pier party w/crew dancing alongside a welcoming Red Carpet.

Dining  superbly excellent (Food, Service) in all Main Dining Rooms (no specialty restaurants necessary - save your money).

Heated pool and Jacuzzis.

Bermuda: Most welcoming hospitable and civil people in the World!

Bermuda: Snorkeling and beaches, good transportation offerings including fast ferries (Hamilton, St. Georges).

Negatives: For the first-time cruisers, be aware that the 40-70 hour crossing from NY-Bermuda more than 50% of the time has a 6-8 hour window of Rough Seas with swells often 10-15 feet. This is especially true in Sept - Oct. but is true in other months as well. Once you pass the continental shelf (about 8 hours out), the waves have a tendency to be at the very least "choppy" as the Captain says.

This is not usually the case on the NY-FL-Bahamas itinerary or any Carribean itinerary (Eastern, Southern, Western).

Negatives: Not sure how to navigate the ship's layout. More steps between stateroom and any activity...sometimes leading to unnecessary frustration (as compared to a smaller or mid-sized ship).

Negatives: Entertainment lounge "Hardliners" has improbably designed hard-wooden chairs that are very uncomfortable nor appropriate for a club. Atrium stage -where the cruise staff are forced to present much of their "group games"  (i.e. New Newlywed Game; Deal or No Deal, etc.) - does not have sufficient seating for those who would like to watch.

All in all, my next cruise will be more ship specific (i.e. Pearl, Gem, Jewel, Dawn) so as to keep the fellow passenger count down to below 2,800.

Good Luck on your selection!

I say good due to this ship is so different, we love to go to the shows on stage and on this ship we we unable to see any. This ship has kid programs going on while people are getting drunk in bars and Dora with the kids are about 10 feet away..NOT GOOD.

This  picture tells it all really. We will never forget this cruise. From the washy-washy girl at the mess line to the Skipper, a great crew. We never had a question or need that was not addressed. Our room Steward Clifford seemed to always be near to help, one great guy. The Ship was clean, messing facilities varied and plentiful. The weather caused a change to our advantage, we enjoyed an extra day in Nassua. Our wives enjoyed the shopping on and off ship, our credit card company loves you folks. As a retire Navy Chief I really enjoyed the time at sea, these cruise ships ride darn nice and She handles well. Loads of entertainment of all sorts, rock wall to off Broadway, game show with crew and guests, dancing, and comfort just laying about. Our best cruise yet and first with NORWEGIAN. PS:I always miss the ship's tour, some other event requires I be elsewhere, could have one later during the cruuise. I'd like to see the working guts of her from Bridge to engine room.

My wife and I love cruises but of all the ones we have done this one was the most awesome. 3 Days in Port is so much better than any multiport stops that this is on our list to do it all over again. Bermuda is such a wonderful place and to have sufficient time to explore, enjoy and relax is a dream vacation. Don't do the Horseshoe Bay Beach - there are many isolated beaches that are a lot nicer. Buy the public transportation pass - well worth it and very easy to get around as Bermuda is safe and caters to tourists. The Breakaway Staff was absolutely wonderful and did an outstanding job in all aspects. We enjoyed the shows which were much better than any previous cruise though make sure you take age appropriate into your planning. Book all shows EARLY in the cruise as if you put it off they fill up quick. Ignore the negative reviews you read on here and realize that majority of the people cruising from NY are exactly that New Yorkers. I love New Yorkers but that are in nature just a tad bit inclined to complain about anything. The food is good and we ate the buffet everyday and did not try the other restaurants - I came to relax and I eat out at sit down restaurants literally 5 days a week on business - I look forward to shorts and casual shoes on my vacation. Love the washy washy team and wash stations - cleanliness is key on cruises. The Breakaway does have some design issues - the jogging track is always wet - pool areas are crowded and in high winds they upper deck area is roped off - which I waited till the last day to attempt but was not able to do so. The itinerary for this cruise is the best ever - enjoy The Breakaway it is a massive ship and a massive good time.

Overall, the cruise was nice. We usually cruise on the smaller ships and wanted to try a big ship at least once, but we will probably return to doing those smaller, more comforting, itineraries.

Cruise was amazing. Staff were attentive except the bartender at the atrium. He was rude and yelled at me for saying a cuss word. 🙄

The was not our best cruise. It rained every day, and NCL did not step up and compensate for the bad weather very well. We had to have our Gold Member discounts applied retroactively and it just seemed like the entire crew wasn't on the ball. Just a lot of little nitpicky things that we had to compensate for, take time our of our enjoyment of the cruise to deal with, and other things like that.

Fun cruise. Really enjoyed the ship and ports. It was interesting being in colder and English speaking ports.

Overall, great ship/service/staff/excursions. Loved it!

We had a great time on the cruise. We made the best of the situation. Food overall was good. Speciality restaurants were nice, taste was very good. Breakfast at the buffet - good overall. We wish they could have figured out how to handle: *More speciality dining slots *Better lounger management by the pool- never could tell if a chair was abandoned *Better management of the thermal spa- same issue as above *The Manhattan room the first night we waited an hour and 20 minutes for our food after we ordered. *Great Stirrup Cay… no words- who in their right mind docks 4 ships at the island. Not even chairs or shade. Total waste. Exiting the ship today- just NO. Quit telling people to go to 7 when the line starts on 8. Fix the facial recognition machines!!finally the culture your staff are working in is clearly toxic. No one is really happy and that is sad to watch! Really one of the worst managed vacations I have been on😳

We loved NCI Breakaway! It is all ages and the All Inclusive Package was great...the ship is very clean and has lots to do!