Norwegian Breakaway Review
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After having sailed the Breakaway last July to Bermuda, our expectations were not too high. We have been on RCL, Norwegian, Carnival, and Princess and have enjoyable experiences and always looked forward to our next cruise. Until now.
Embarkation: Much more disorganized than in July, it took about and hour and a half to board the ship. A number system was used which only seemed to add to the confusion. In July, you checked in and boarded the ship. This time you had to wait to check in and wait to board.
The Ship: There was a lot of hype about this ship prior to its maiden voyage last year. It is a good looking ship and is in very good condition, after all it is new. However, having been on Allure of the Seas last year, this ship has none of the "wow" factor of that ship. Yes, it has slides, 5 of them, and they are fun, but they take up so much space that the pools, lounging areas and hot tubs are all very small. If you are not a lover of slides, this area is not for you. There is a ropes course and the deck above, we did not use this, and it is closed when there is wind, which is often when underway. The main public area inside the ship is called 678 Ocean Place, and is exactly that, deck 6, 7 and 8. The main issue here is flow, there isn't any. This is a large ship, and the public areas are very small by comparison. On deck 6 forward is the atrium, many events take place here, the crowd at times, make it impossible to navigate aft to access the rest of the deck. On deck 8, there are kiosks in the middle of the hallway, that limit traffic to down to one person at a time getting though the hallway, if there is a scooter in the area, it is gridlock. Something New Yorkers are accustomed to. Have your Sea Pass card on you, as every inch of this deck is dedicated to pay restaurants, shops and bars, with the exception of Fat Cats, which is free. Deck 8 is also home to the waterfront, which is a walkway outside that has seating for the previously mentioned pay restaurants. Deck 7 is mostly dedicated to the casino, which allows smoking and yes, like other reviews have stated, does smell like stale cigarette smoke. Also on 7 is O'Sheehan's Irish Pub, which serves free pub style food which is actually pretty good. O'Sheehan's is also the only 24 hour restaurant on the ship.