Norwegian Breakaway Review
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We've been on a couple of the other cruise lines, but mostly on NCL because of the freestyle dining, some of the onboard entertainment, the programs for kids and teens, and the convenience of the Manhattan departure location.
Unlike some of the others, we have found the layout of the ship to be very convenient. It's easy to find your way around and to get from place to place. It is true that the elevators can get overloaded at certain times but the stairs are always reliable and are usually quicker, and you seldom need to go up or down more than 4 or 5 floors at once.
On our first trip on the Breakaway, we had a great dining experience at the French restaurant, but on our second trip, last year, our experience there was a disaster. The food was prepared so poorly we had to send it back and order something different. The replacement was as bad as the original so we just left. And, for this experience, we were forced to eat at an outside table where the service was not good. This year, we decided not to even try any of the specialty restaurants.
Cabin Review
Balcony Stateroom
Small but adequate al long as you aren't going to spend a lot of time there. The TV didn't work at first but was quickly fixed. The string across the shower stall was helpful for drying wet things but was not sufficient by itself. I like the idea I read here about bringing a portable clothes line to string across the balcony. We did bring a few of our own clothes pins.
Port Reviews
New York (Manhattan)
We live in Westchester, a 30 minute drive away, and parked on the pier right next to the ship. This is very convenient for us and is one of the reasons we like taking NCL. The parking is a bit expensive, but you can't expect to park for a week in midtown Manhattan cheaply. We did the flexible walk-off disembarkation right after breakfast and were back home by 9:00 AM on Sunday morning.