We are platinum members with NCL and have taken many NCL cruises in addition to many other cruiselines. We took a Florida/Bahamas family cruise for Thanksgiving with our DD and SIL and twin granddaughters. All family members agree they prefer sailing on the GEM and comparable NCL ships that are smaller than the Breakaway. My biggest complaint was the lack of pools on a ship with 4000 passengers. That is where I give Princess the edge. There is always somewhere to get away from the crowds and find a quiet spot on the Princess ships we have sailed.

I have to compliment Breakaway staff for managing all the guests on this cruise. Bartenders were exceptional. One thing I did notice that you don't find a lot of staff taking drink orders. We tended to go to a bar and order our drinks directly from the bartenders.

The ship does have fantastic outdoor bar areas on Deck 8 all around the ship. These worked well during this cruise because it was so incredibly windy every day of the cruise. It was so windy in Nassau that we skipped Atlantis and walked to the public beach after the Hilton in the Harbor. It is adjacent to Fat Tuesdays. We lucked out because there is a seawall under Fat Tuesdays that blocked the 45mph winds. It was great for fair skinned people too because there is a tree above the seawall. Read more