Norwegian Breakaway Review

4.5 / 5.0
3,880 reviews

Not what we paid for... Shame on you NCL... Buyer Beware

Review for Bermuda Cruise on Norwegian Breakaway
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SquishieFishie
2-5 Cruises • Age 50s

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Additional details

Sail Date: Oct 2016
Cabin: Family Balcony Stateroom

We chose this cruise specifically because we wanted to have three days in Bermuda to scuba dive. We had taken a prior trip on another cruise line several years ago and chose this itinerary because it offered the most time in Bermuda. Unfortunately, we did not get what we paid for because the ship never sailed to Bermuda. We waited in long lines to embark in spite of arriving early. Just prior to the time that the ship should have left port we heard an announcement from the Captain that due to a weather forecast of hurricane conditions in Bermuda later in the week, that we would most likely not be going to Bermuda and that the crew was working out a new itinerary. It was also announced that this time that the ship would be docked in NY overnight. A "nice" bonus of staying overnight in NY was that we got to pay NY taxes on all purchases on board that night. This meant that even though we had purchased the Premium Beverage package (supposedly with tax and gratuities included) that we had to pay NY taxes on all of our drinks while overnight in NY. Since this was not our choice to spend the night in NY, NCL could have covered the taxes, but they did not.

The next day we left port early in the morning and an announcement was made that we were going to Port Canaveral for 10 hours on Wed. and Nassau, Bahamas for 6 hours on Thursday. It was also announced that as a "gesture of goodwill" NCL would give a $200 non-refundable on-board credit per cabin. I did the math, the $200 credit was 7% of the cruise fare that we paid (not including the specialty dining package or other extras). Hardly made up for the fact that we did not get the trip that we paid for. While NCL cannot control the weather (especially during Hurricane Season) they certainly could have notified passengers at check-in of the complete change in itinerary and offered us options to re-book or get a portion of our $$ back. They did not.

So, we sailed to FL and the Bahamas with many other dissatisfied passengers. Having been on four previous cruises with another cruise line at a similar price point, we expected a certain level of service and attentiveness from the crew. Again, we were disappointed. We had good service in the specialty restaurants Teppanyaki and Moderno Churrascaria, but the service in the main dining rooms at breakfast and dinner was terrible. We waited more that 15 minutes in most cases to be greeted and offered drinks after being seated. Breakfast was the worst which seems counter-intuitive as it was much less busy than dinner. After two harrowing experiences with unruly crowds, dirty buffet plates in the clean rack, and no place to sit, we avoided the Garden Cafe (main buffet) unless we had no other options. The worst meal experience was also the most expensive - Ocean Blue. We were so looking forward to enjoying some seafood, but the best part of the meal was a beet salad that my spouse ordered. I ordered Stone Crab claws as an appetizer and they were waterlogged and tasteless.

Cabin Review

Family Balcony Stateroom

Cabin B2

Cabin was very nicely designed with excellent storage. Closet door did not operate smoothly which was annoying, but not critical. Bathroom was larger than others we've had on smaller ships. The balcony was very small. The room was somewhat clean, but it was obvious that it had not been dusted or thoroughly vacuumed in some time.

Port Reviews

New York (Manhattan)

It was okay. There were long lines at check-in even though we arrived early.

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