Breakaway has its positives - good sized bathrooms, very comfortable bedding, a band playing in the main dining room, rope walk and water slides, stability in seas - but readers should note that NCL have taken their conception of cruising a very long way from the traditional with this ship. I've cruised on other NCL "freestyle" ships with enjoyment, but found much to dislike about Breakaway. Many of the public areas are in my view just plain ugly, the entertainment (which often requires reservations) was the among the worst of any I've encountered across many ships and companies (the first cruise night main theatre event was particularly vacuous), the buffets are minimalist, dining choices for ova-lacto vegetarians virtually non-existent, shorts and jeans (so long as not visibly dirty, holed, or overly faded) appear to constitute dining room attire even on what passes for a formal night, there is no public lounge overlooking the bow (and relatively few nooks and crannies of the kind that add to the special charm of many ships), few lounge chairs on the promenade (overwhelmingly the seating is for commercial purposes, e.g. bar stools, dining tables in extra payment restaurants), a poor staff to passenger (approximately 1600 to 4,000+) ratio, erratic and very slow dining service, extra charges abound; the list goes on... I can't decide which description is more apt for this ship: floating strip mall or upmarket ferry (each is perhaps a little unfair, but not by much). As a lovers of ships, the sea, and most cruising traditions I was disappointed with this ship.