This was my 4th cruise (all with Norwegian) BUT I've only ever gone with my sister (just the two of us) save for our Pacific Coastal on the Jewel last September when my parents joined us. This time, it was me and 26 other family members on my mom's side. The fact that we ended up on NCL was kind of a fluke. My Grandma, who is almost 86, wanted to take the whole family on one last big trip.

I, like most NCLers, had been following the Breakaway's assembly via NCL's social media accounts but it wasn't a ship in my "top 5" next cruises to take. Frankly, I don't like New York (I spent a very bleak period of my life living there) and I had no interest in going to Bermuda.

I was in a balcony on deck 10 with my mother and sister. My brother, his wife and their 1 year old daughter were in the room next to us and everyone else ranged from inside cabins on deck 5 to owner's suites in the Haven. I think we had a little of everything. Read more