The Norwegian Breakaway is a big beautiful ship and many cruisers will enjoy it - but it's not for everyone. This is a loud, busy ship. Don't expect quiet moments and down time - unless you plan to spend a lot of time in your cabin. The ship's public areas are always hopping and far too many of them are open to the always smoke-filled casino.

The crowds in the ship are worse when the many outside areas are closed - a big issue when you cruise out of New York City in the winter. The north Atlantic is cold and often stormy. When the outdoor ares of the Breakaway can't be used comfortably everyone is jammed into the interior and space is tight and noise is deafening. If you like to drink, gamble, and party and don't mind crowds this is your ship. If you want quiet time at sea, find another boat.

Our trip was badly impacted by a horrific embarkation - we waited 4 hours to get on board, a large part outside in freezing temperatures. The Breakaway doesn't handle crowds well and we found waiting in line a fact of line after embarkation too. We had barely recovered from our rocky arrival to get into a storm that left half our travelling party sick. The weather caused us to miss Great Stirrup Cay, which was a big disappointment. Read more