In the weeks preceding our cruise to the Bahamas on the Norwegian Breakaway, we grew increasingly anxious about the number of negative reviews we encountered. Complaints ranged the gamut from surly crew members, cold food, long waits at restaurants, unclean staterooms, and even an invisible Cruise Director. Having never experienced anything like this on an NCL cruise, we’ve sailed on the Epic and the Pearl, we crossed our fingers and hoped for the best. Happily, we had a wonderful cruise on the Breakaway and experienced none of the claims of previous disgruntled passengers.

In the cold months, when Breakaway sails to Florida and Nassau, she can appear at times to be very crowded. During the days at sea getting to and from a warmer climate, very few passengers are drawn to pools, waterslides, the ropes course, mini golf, climbing wall, etc. On these days, the indoor public decks and activities feel quite crowded. We didn’t find this to be a particular problem. It’s just an observation. As residents of New York State, this is something I was prepared to put up with in exchange for the convenience of a Manhattan departure. But, if you are trying to escape winter, as we were, realize that at least half of your vacation is going to be spent in a cold climate. This limits the amount of time you will want to spend on your balcony. On the plus side, Breakaway has almost endless diversions and dining options that will keep you entertained.

We had universally excellent food on the Breakaway, although we had only one dinner at one of the included dining rooms. This was at Savor on the night of our departure. We had no wait at all, with no prior reservation, although we ate early at about 6PM. Our food was excellent, hot, and was served quickly and expertly without feeling rushed. On another evening, wishing for something a bit lighter, we ate at the price-included 24-hour O’Sheehan’s English pub. Once again, the food arrived fresh and hot and was served efficiently with no waiting. We took all our other evening meals at the supplement restaurants including Moderno, Wasabi, Cirque Dreams Dinner Theatre and Le Bistro (twice). When we booked, our travel agent found us $550 of on-board credits which easily paid for all our pre-paid gratuities and as many specialty restaurants as we could fit into our schedule. We loved all the specialty restaurants, particularly Wasabi and Le Bistro, where we had two extraordinary meals. As an appetizer, be sure to try Les Quatre Cornets at Le Bistro, a savory collection of four small cones filled with a variety of delicious salad concoctions. The food at Le Bistro was sublime. It was perfectly prepared each time and the service was beyond noteworthy. On one occasion, our server encountered a particularly demanding guest at the next table to us. He did not want any of the entrees listed on the menu. He insisted that he wanted a plain, grilled chicken breast. I can’t imagine why he chose Le Bistro, but our gracious server was able to satisfy his demand by obtaining the chicken breast from another Breakaway restaurant. Read more