Norwegian Breakaway Review

First time cruising couple!

Review for the Bahamas Cruise on Norwegian Breakaway
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ScottandHaley
First Time Cruiser • Age 30s

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Sail Date: Apr 2016
Cabin: Mini-Suite with Large Balcony
Me and my cruise partner
8716

Well, after deciding to take our first vacation by ourselves (without the kids), my wife and I started looking into either a Cruise, or an All-inclusive resort. We booked pretty last minute, so after finding out we needed to spend nearly $400 to get our passports expedited, we decided to cruise (only needed photo ID and birth certificates). My parents are avid cruisers so it came highly recommended. This was the first cruise for either one of us. I suppose the only thing I would do differently next time (we are already looking to book another cruise, this time with the kiddos) would be to fly to Orlando and leave from Port Canaveral. Nothing wrong with leaving out of NY, I just dont think every cruise would get as lucky as we did with the weather. That being said, Where to begin?.. The ship. Ohhh the ship. This thing is absolutely massive. Breathtaking really. Its way bigger than I could have ever imagined. Not to mention its gorgeous. As soon as we walked onto the ship, we were blown away. From the casino, to the bars and restaurants, to the theater and shops. It was awesome. Our room was on deck 8. Front of the ship. We had a mini suite with a large balcony. Very satisfied with everything about it. We brought a case of water, and had our steward clear out the mini fridge so we could keep it cold. Not to mention, everything in the mini fridge was embarrassingly overpriced. Other than that, the balcony was sweet. The view was great. We got the sunset every night on our way down to the Bahamas, and the sunrise on our way home. What a view! When we booked our cruise, we decided to get the ultimate beverage package, and the specialty dining plan. Well worth it. (Sorry NCL, I am assuming because of me, you are rethinking the price of the beverage package ;) ). The bars were excellent. We had such great weather every day so we became regulars at Waves pool bar. I cant really think of any negatives about any of the drinking establishments. I personally loved Maltings too because im weird and strangely love the smell of cigars. With the dining package, we were given 3 specialty restaurants to dine at. We also got a fourth choice with the honeymoon/anniversary package we purchased with our trip. The three specialty places we chose to eat at were Cagneys, La Cucina and the Manhattan room. We also got to dine at Le Bistro. Rating best to worst in order - La Cucina A++. From the food to the service. Cagneys was also very good. A+ food, B service. Words of wisdom.. Dont get the 32 oz porterhouse. The 20 oz will be plenty, and probably cooked more accurately. Manhattan room was very nice, Food was ok. Not impressed with portions, or food quality. Service was mediocre. Dont get the pecan pie. It was absolutely awful. Le bistro food was probably a B, and I dont really like to give really bad reviews on service because i was in the service industry for 15 years, but the service was absolutely terrible. Would not recommend unless its included in a package. As far as the other dining establishments that are complimentary, Osheehans was great. However, dont order food in the bar area. Sit in the main dining room. Bar food takes too long and was usually cold. The Buffet was absolutely phenomenal. We ate breakfast there every single morning and it couldnt have been better. There were a few other places to eat that we didnt get a chance to dine at. Would have loved Wasabi, but my lovely wife only craves sushi when we are in upstate NY lol. Ocean Blue would have been great as well I think. The entertainment was far beyond expectations. We only went to two shows. First was Burn the Floor. Absolutely excellent. Wife loved it, I loved it. Perfect length. Just great all together. Second show we went to was Rock of Ages. Here is a note: Do NOT bring your children. It will be uncomfortable. The show was absolutely hilarious and well written from beginning to end. The only knock was the length. I had to pee for about half of the show, which made me just as uncomfortable as your kids would have been watching the show. The ports were great. I was SO happy that we got to go to Great Stirrup Cay. I had read that the previous two cruises on the Breakaway didnt not get to tender over to the island because of the weather. Boy did they miss out. What a beautiful place. Port Canaveral was beautiful as well. We decided to take the shuttle to Cocoa Beach. Well worth the 30 bucks. Not to mention, as soon as you get off the shuttle, there is a little tiki bar that sells margaritas for $1. Yes, One dollar. Another note: Order 4...Per Person. Totally worth it. Cocoa Beach was gorgeous. Also, when you get back on the ship, look for dolphins. You will see them, and it will make you smile. Nassau was different. If you are like me, and like to talk a lot, try not to. Because you will be sucked in as soon as you get off the ship. Just ignore and walk. Keep walking and just enjoy the views and the beautifulness of the land. As my shuttle driver from Port Canaveral said, "at the straw market in Nassau, the first price is never the best one. Liquor and Cigarettes are almost always cheaper on the boat as they are on the island (which they were) and take the taxi to cabbage beach and get a drink in a coconut. Its 20 bucks, unlimited refills." Thanks for the advice Ed. Also while in Nassau, if you decide to eat at the outrageously overpriced Senor Frogs, ORDER THE CONCH FRITTERS!!!! One of the best things I have ever eaten. So, to wrap up this review, I think im just pleasantly fulfilled with everything that NCL had to offer this time. I think my kids would love it, and I will totally be booking another cruise. I hope you found this review helpful, because if you are like my wife and I, you read reviews about everything. Happy cruising and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Thanks for reading!!

Cabin Review

Mini-Suite with Large Balcony

Cabin M6

Our cabin was MUCH bigger than we had expected. I suppose not really expecting how big it was gonna be was sort of an advantage. The large balcony was excellent as well. Very happy with the cabin. Our room steward Lawrence was the BEST. Everything we needed, we had. Every day. It was excellent. Hard to imagine a harder worker. Thank you Lawrence and the whole crew of the Breakaway. Bravo!!

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