Although this was my first time on NCL, I have been on many of the other major cruise lines (Royal Caribbean, Princess, Celebrity, Carnival, and Holland America). Overall, I found my experience on NCL to be among my least positive cruising experiences.

First, the positives. I found the boarding and debarkation process to be well-organized and as efficient as possible. I also found the staff at the on-board shore excursion desk to be very helpful. They recommended a change to my initial tour selection, and provided me with maps and information so that I could take a solo trip to St. Georges. Similarly, the two tours I took through the ship (Aquarium and Cave/Wild West Kayak) were both well done. The guides were very nice and knowledgeable, provided good tours. Actually, the trip to and from the main events were better than the events themselves. Finally, I was in a studio room and found it to be totally adequate. I appreciate that NCL is accommodating solo travelers into its designs – I think it makes a great deal of sense and being able to meet the other solo travelers led to a far more enjoyable trip then I would have had otherwise.

Aside from the group of people I got to meet, though, I did not like several things about the Breakaway. To begin, there are many design problems with the ship. First, there are simply too many people on the ship. It did not take very long for people to realize this problem (which also makes its way into the various shows as jokes) as they waited for elevators (because there are not enough), tried to get through choke points that occur throughout the ship due to poor design, and waited in line for activities and food. For example, I was not able to get on the ‘ropes course’ because each time I tried the line was around the bend, blocking a stairwell and the ability to get to the mini-golf. Of course, not being able to access the mini-golf was not a problem since there were never putters or balls available for use (and no staff member to monitor the area). Likewise, the ‘free-style’ concept led to crowds and lines for the restaurants and shows. After paying a significant amount of money, it should not be necessary to wait in a crowded hallway to get a table for dinner, or to have to stand against a wall to see one of the shows. If I wanted that I would have stayed in New York City. Read more