Norwegian Breakaway Review
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I figured I'd better get my thoughts down before I started to forget things. DH and I were celebrating 50 years of wedded bliss (LOL) and decided to book a family cruise. Sailing were 17 people including 4 adult children, their spouses or significant others, 6 grandchildren who's ages range from 8 to 17 and 2 dear family friends. We sailed out of Manhattan, NY to Florida and the Bahamas on the Breakaway. This ship is not only big and beautiful, but she's classy and sophisticated, just like her home port. Needless to say, all of us had a fabulous time. For those of you who usually sail on a smaller ship and think that Breakaway will be too large, crowded and noisy for them, don't worry. There are plenty of places to get away from the crowds and noise. We saw Cirque Dreams and it was beautiful. We ate at Cagneys and of course, it was delicious, as usual. We did not see any of the shows since both of us came down with some kind of upper respiratory virus mid cruise so we retired to bed pretty early at night. The only two shore excursions we signed up for were the Kennedy Space Museum and the Atlantis Water Park. Embarkation and disembarkation were the most uncomplicated I've ever seen. We left our hotel in Long Island City (Nesva Hotel) at 9:30 a.m., got to the port by 10:00 a.m.
and were one of the first to get onboard because we are Platinum with NCL. By 12:00 we were sitting in Taste having lunch. We did early disembarkation and got to the car by 7:30 a.m. The ship did not disappoint and we'd sail her again tomorrow, if we could.
Cabin Review
Mid-Ship Mini-Suite with Balcony
Our group stayed in either a mid ship mini suite or in a balcony cabin. DH and I had stateroom 10236. A smallish, but very comfortable room. Lots of storage and plenty of closet hanging area with more than enough hangers. The bathroom was the biggest I've ever seen on a cruise ship and the shower was fabulous. Our steward, Julito, took good care of the room and us. As has been noted before in other reviews, the balcony was small, but big enough to sit out there with a glass of wine or cup of coffee and contemplate the ocean. The only thing I found awkward was the placement of the TV.
It faces the area between the bed and the sofa, so the person lying on the right side of the bed has a good view, but the person on the left does not. The same with the couch, the person sitting on the left of the couch has a good view, but the person on the right does not. The TV does swivel, but not enough to make viewing easy. Other than that, the room was very nice.
Port Reviews
New York (Manhattan)
Our family group stayed at a hotel outside of Manhattan for 2 nights and took the subway in and out of the city. While in New York, we went to Times Square and into the Toys r' Us store to view the Lego's exhibit. Also went to the Empire State Building, both of which visits were decided upon by the grandchildren of the group.
Great Stirrup Cay
The beach area is very nice, but beach shoes are a definite requirement. Lots of rocks. The food was excellent, especially the burgers. I just wish they would place the beach loungers a little further apart so that you don't feel you are sitting on your neighbor. Taking the tender to the island was not as bad as I anticipated.