Just got off the 9/15-9/22 sailing on the Breakaway and had an amazing time. I would go back on the ship in a heartbeat. This was the second cruise for my girlfriend and me. We were on the Gem last year. I read a lot of negative things about the Breakaway in the months leading up to our sailing, but did not experience any of them. The main things I was expecting were crowds and a poor ship design, but this was not the case at all in my opinion. One reason could be that we are now in September and it is less crowded than the summer months. Nevertheless, I think the ship has a great design and layout. Floors 678 are great and the Waterfront is amazing. Not once did I feel like the ship was crowded. There were even times I would look around and wonder where everyone was. On sea days there were a lot of people at the pool, but it was never too crowded to swim and we never had problems finding lounge chairs. There are plenty of chairs on the upper decks and at Spice.

On Embarkation Day, we arrived at the terminal at 10:45 and were on board by 11:45. It was quick and smooth. We went right to the buffet for lunch and then to Spice to relax with a few drinks. Our room was ready before 2:00, sooner than I had expected. We had a mid-ship oceanview. I was very pleased. There was plenty of room, bathroom was spacious, plenty of storage space as well. I think it is a little bigger than the same category of room on the Gem. Our room steward Mario was very nice and helpful.

The first night we dined at O'Sheehans for the prime rib. It was not the best prime rib I've had, but it was good. We spent plenty of time at O'Sheehans throughout the week. It's a great, fun atmosphere with a good view of the atrium screen below and good bar food. We went for late night snacks after drinks on multiple occasions. The chicken pot pie was excellent. The second night we ate at the buffet for seafood night, which included lobster tails, paella and fish and chips. All were great. The third night we saw the Cirque show. It was fantastic. The food was good too. I really enjoyed the filet mignon. The rest of the week we ate dinner at the buffet and dining rooms, Taste and Savor. Each meal we had at the dining rooms were very good. The service was great too. The rib-eye steak, jerk chicken, and French onion soup were especially good. We had breakfast each morning at either the buffet or Uptown Grill. The food was good, especially the breakfast sandwiches at Uptown and the hash browns. The Uptown Grill is great to grab something quick and eat outside. Whether in the morning or at night, the buffet was never really that crowded. We always found a table easily. Read more