Norwegian Breakaway Review

4.5 / 5.0
3,884 reviews

A great option for cruisers in the Northeast

Review for the Bahamas Cruise on Norwegian Breakaway

Rating by category

Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service
Cabin

Additional details

Sail Date: Apr 2014
Traveled with children

On this cruise our group consisted of just myself (43), my husband (52), and our daughter (8). We are all experienced cruisers. I myself have previously sailed Carnival twice, HAL once, Princess twice, RCCL three times, and NCL twice, so I do not consider myself a cheerleader for any particular cruise line.

We specifically chose the Breakaway for the following reasons:

1) Ship's amenities

Cabin Review

We were on Deck 10, cabin 10912, which is an Aft-Facing Penthouse Suite. We really liked the layout and decor of the suite. The decor is very classic and chic, not cruise-shippy at all really -- no flowers or pinky-orange colors to be found. The suite had a living room, small bathroom, separate bedroom (separated by a DOOR, not just a curtain), and a very large master bathroom with walk-in (large) shower, huge tub, and WC. There was also a HUGE balcony, which had a square dining table for 4, four chairs for the table, two comfortable chaises, and two other upright chairs with cushions. You are doing yourself a disservice if you find yourself in a suite like this and don't have breakfast on your balcony at least a couple of times. Back to the room. The living room has a flat screen TV, armchair, and a sofa which turns into a twin bed (max. occupancy is 3). There is also a table with 4 chairs for dining, and a bar with a refrigerator/mini-bar, Lavazza coffeemaker/coffees/teas, and various cutlery/glassware/bar tools that might be needed. The smaller bathroom is here as well, with just a single sink, toilet, and a shower. The master bedroom has a king-sized bed, flat screen TV, and the big bathroom. (I will note that considering the size of the bathroom overall, a few more inches could have been spared on the WC portion of the bathroom -- the toilet cubby felt VERY much like being in airplane bathroom, unfortunately. Slightly claustrophobia-inducing.) One thing that is important to note if considering booking an Aft-Penthouse Suite is that NOT ALL FLOORPLANS ARE THE SAME in this category. I am thinking this is why they do not show a floorplan for this category of suite on the NCL website! I believe most of the suites are like ours, where the entrance to the balcony is from the sliding door in the living room only, and the master BATH, not the master bedroom, has the big picture window looking out to the balcony/sea. There are two decks (I BELIEVE it is 11 and 14 but am not positive) that feature a different layout, in which the master bedroom and bathroom switch places, so the bathroom would not have the seaview but the bedroom does, and consequently also has a secondary door (not a slider) out to the balcony. I can see how it would be useful if you wanted to get outside at night without waking whomever is sleeping in the living room. That said, I liked this configuration perfectly well and loved the shower with the big window to the sea. The rainfall shower-head was heavenly and I thought the bathroom was really well designed overall. Plus, I could still see the sea from my bed as the bed faces the doorway between the bedroom/bathroom. (Which, by the way, does NOT have a door, but just a curtain. The WC does have its own door though.) Lastly, the storage space in this cabin is UNBELIEVABLE. I way over-packed, and I had everything put away neatly with drawers and closets to SPARE. I cannot imagine a scenario where this cabin wouldn't have enough storage space for someone.

previous reviewnext review

Find a Norwegian Breakaway Cruise from $278

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.