Norwegian Breakaway Review
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Additional details
I had read all the cruise critic reviews for the last few months, including the ones in July just before my cruise Aug 2-9, 2015. I promised myself that when I got back I would write a detailed review to tell others of my experiences. I was a little concerned at first with some of the negative reviews in June and July, but I must say, we overall had a great time and NCL did a great job. I was traveling with my mom, sister and brother-in-law. We had two balcony staterooms on deck 10 next to one another. On-boarding was a little crowded and long lines, but we loved being able to go straight to our stateroom and drop off our carry-ons and then go get lunch.
Sailing out of NY was wonderful - the skyscrapers, Statue of Liberty, and under the Verrazano Bridge. Also sailing out of NY reduced having to fly and deal with airports. The Breakaway is a gorgeous ship - new, modern, a "floating city with a waterpark on top" is how I described it to others when I got home. Our stateroom was very nice - clean, modern, comfortable "Marriott-like" beds, great storage (closet and drawers under the couch), and the nice bathroom and shower exceeded my expectations. We loved our stateroom attendant Aron who took very good care of us - and yes, there were cute little towel animals every night. Balcony is small, like in other reviews, but we did not spend a lot of time in our stateroom and on the balcony, so it was more than sufficient for our uses.
We found the crew and service to be excellent across the board. We had the Ultimate Beverage Package (UBP), which was great. Bar staff was very friendly and good service with a wide selection to choose from (under the $11 cap). The UBP worked exactly how it was advertised and we had no issues. The At-Sea Days were very crowded on board, as expected. There were well over 4000 people on this cruise and there is nowhere else to go when the ship is at sea. You have to get to the pool deck very early for seating, but we did find a decent selection of lounge chairs on the upper sun decks (16 and 17) in the morning. Chair saving is the norm, so just beware and get there early if you want to do this. And the pool deck is insane during at sea days (as you have probably read in other reviews) - overcrowded and very loud. It is quieter on decks 16 and 17.
Cabin Review
Balcony Stateroom
We overall loved our cabin. We were deck 10 forward - between mid ship and forward. For the most part it was very quiet and not too far from the forward elevators and stairs. The room was a decent size for two people, and very modern in décor. Lots of storage, closet space, nice bathroom and shower (especially for a cruise ship) and comfortable bed (like Marriott-style). Balcony was small, but we knew that from the other reviews, and we barely used it anyway. We enjoyed it more for being able to open the curtains and see out, and all the natural light that it brought in.