Norwegian Breakaway Review
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We embarked on our voyage in NY, the ship seemed quite nice, rooms were not quite ready so we had lunch in Savor and it was quite enjoyable. We left on time, and proceeded to enjoy the cruise. Our family of 4 had two balcony rooms, right next to each other but with no adjoining door. The balcony is so small, there is barely room to walk around. It's not worth the extra money, just go for the outside stateroom if you like a view.
I have never experienced a cruise with so much smoking. Someone near our room was a chain smoker, and every time I tried to open our balcony door, all I got was a room full of cigarette stench. I asked the cabin steward if smoking was permitted in rooms, and apparently it is permitted on the balcony, if you have one. The casino also seemed to have an abundance of smokers, making it difficult and not enjoyable for those of us who are sensitive to smoke.
I have been to Cocoa Beach, so I knew what to expect. It is not the most exciting place, but it's not that bad. You can check out the original Ron Jon's, or have lunch on the pier, or go to the beach. It is a very laid back place, and the people are friendly. The next stop was Great Stirrup Cay, and here is where it began to fall apart a little. Since the cruise was during a school break week, it was filled to capacity. The tendering process was confusing, and not well run or supervised. There were only 2 or three staff members trying to maintain order in the theater where everyone had to be seated first and then led to the tender by group. The problem was that there was not enough staff to keep it orderly and people started to become agitated if they felt they had been waiting too long or someone jumped the line. It got a little ugly, (some shouting) and I couldn't help but wonder what might happen in an actual emergency. I tried not to think about it. The swells were quite high, and the tender ride was scary. We did make it to the island and enjoyed it very much. The beach is nice but quite rocky. The food and entertainment were fine.