Norwegian Breakaway Review
Frozen NJ Cruisers Thaw Out on the NCL Breakaway.
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Just came back from a great cruise on the December 14th sailing of the NCL Breakaway. This was my first NCL cruise and 4th overall; it was my boyfriend's 2nd NCL cruise and his 12th overall. We live in NJ directly across the river from the Manhattan cruise ship terminal, so traveling to and from the ship is a breeze. We were fortunate to have amazing weather for the entire cruise, so we did not have to skip Great Stirrup Cay as 2 previous cruises did.
Embarkation went rather smoothly; we arrived at the terminal at 10:00am and were through security and sitting in our seats at 10:15am waiting to board the ship. Boarding began at about 11:30am, and although we were in boarding group 16, we were able to get onto the ship at about 11:45am. We were able to head straight to our cabin (see below and our separate cabin review) to drop off our carry-on luggage and then we went to have lunch in Savor (one of the 3 complimentary main dining rooms) and then explored the ship, which is massive.
Overall, our experience was extremely enjoyable, with just a few things that could be improved on. We had the good fortune to snag an upgrade to a Spa Balcony room (Category B9) due to a price drop (there was no additional charge) so we had free unlimited access to the ship's thermal suite in the Mandara Spa for the entire cruise. If you're doing a winter cruise, I HIGHLY recommend either trying to catch a deal on a spa inclusive room, or purchase a day pass for one or two of your cold weather sea days. This gave us the poolside and relaxation experience when we couldn't be on deck. Highlights of the thermal suite were definitely the steam room and thermal massage pool.
Cabin Review
Spa Balcony Stateroom
Cabin was nicely appointed but a little bit smaller than we were expecting. We didn't feel cramped, but it was definitely cozy. The balcony however, was rather cramped, with barely enough room for the 2 chairs and tiny table. The bathroom was a nice size, as was the shower, with plenty of shelf space for all of our toiletries. The bed was very comfortable and there was plenty of storage creatively worked into the room design. We had great weather and calm seas so despite behind high up and in a forward cabin, we barely felt the ship move at all. We chose the starboard side so that we could watch the sail away from our balcony and still enjoy great views of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Scenic New Jersey, and the Verrazano Bridge.