Maybe because I was expecting the worst after reading so many negative reviews, but I think you can disregard the low scores, but also the high ones, as IMHO, I think this ship falls somewhere in the middle. We've been on over 15 cruises, lately 4 a year, usually on Royal Caribbean, but have started to go on NCL the last couple of years. We've been on the Gem several times and like it, so my wife and I decided to take a last second cruise on the Breakaway. I'll probably do a lot of comparison to RC.

Cabin:

We were in a balcony stateroom, and it is definitely smaller than any of the cabins on RC and even the Gem, but we didn't feel claustrophobic at all. The Balcony is REALLY small, but we don't spend too much time out there and there is just enough room for 2 people and a tiny table. I definitely like the shower stalls on NCL compared to the ones on RC and the water pressure (usually a source of aggravation for my wife) was excellent. The A/C system worked great and we seldom had to adjust it. The only problem was when my wife went to use her hair dryer, which she always brings with her, it actually blew the circuit breaker (lol). The cabin attendant had to have it reset but was then told to use the supplied hairdryer which was hiding under the vanity. That didn't go over too well with my wife, especially since it wasn't as strong as hers, plus the cord was one of those that coil up and just not very long so that was a constant battle. Another annoyance, there's a slot above the light switch which you must slide you key card into for the lights to work. The reasoning being that when you leave the cabin, you take your card (if you remember) and the lights go out. The problem is, if you have your phone or tablet plugged in, they won't charge because when you remove your key card, not only do the lights turn off, but so do the outlets. Also if I have my card in the slot and I want to go out and my wife stays in the cabin, I have to remove my card and replace it with hers. The way around all of this is to use any type of card the size of a credit card and just leave it there, Which totally defeats the idea of this is the first place. But the biggest problem was that the walls are paper thin; we could hear the couple with their kid talking (constantly) in the cabin next door. It bothered us enough to ask for another cabin, but the ship was full. Read more