Before I booked my cruise on the Breakaway, I was getting some reservation about some of the reviews I've been reading, and since I've gone on at least 3 other Norwegian cruises I found it surprising. But now I can safely say now that most of my fears was unfounded.

Embarking was fast and painless, but then again I'm a Latitudes member so that probably helped. Got to port around 11:30 AM, was on the ship by 12:45. If you've been on other Norwegian cruises, you're gonna find that some things have changed. The staterooms I found was a little smaller, but the bathrooms are more roomier, especially the shower area. Not as much drawer space, the majority of it is in the closet. There are two small cabinet space on the side of the desk and two small shelf spaces near the beds, so if you brought a lot of clothing, you may find yourself a bit pinched for space. Also you should know that the room is powered by your keycards. If there is no keycard inserted, nothing will work. Also, there are light switches where it indicates when it's OK to make up your room or DND. It also indicates whether you are inside the room or not.

Food: There is no shortage of food. There are 3 main dining halls, Taste, Savor, and The Manhattan Room. The Manhattan Room is by far the largest, but it's only one level (unlike some of the other ships which have a dual level). However, the Manhattan Room has a pretty strict dress code, while the two smaller dining halls (Taste/Savor) are more casual. For other options, there's the Garden Cafe (buffet) up on Deck 15, and O'Sheehan's Bar and Grill in Deck 7. For the paid restaurants, there's plenty of them, most of them on Deck 8 (I didn't bother though I've overheard that Cagneys was well worth the price). I would warn you to avoid O'Sheehans, as the choices are very limited (basically all bar & grill type foods), and they don't know how to make proper mozzarella sticks. Read more