We just returned from a great week on the Norwegian Breakaway. We are experienced cruisers in our 50’s. This was our 33rd cruise on various mass-market lines and our 3rd voyage on the Breakaway. I have reviews of the two previous voyages here on Cruise Critic. Don’t be fooled by the whiney complainers on this forum; this ship is excellent in most every way. There are a couple of negatives that are hardly worth mentioning, but I will anyway. Furthermore, I will address the common negatives that I’ve read here on CC and my rebuttal to them. But if you decide to not read any further than here, know that this is a beautiful ship with a great staff that combine to make a great cruise. If you haven’t been on the Breakaway, book it now. It is excellent!

Some have said that “The ship is expensive, they nickel and dime you, everything is an extra charge…”

No. Our on-board account was less here than it ever has been on any cruise, ever. We did pay in advance for the 5-night dining package, but that was barely more than $200, so my statement would have been true even if we bought that on board. There are plenty of opportunities to spend money here, but they are all optional. Drinks seem to cost less than on RCCL and there are no bar servers constantly annoying you to buy drinks. If you want one, they are around, but there isn’t any high-pressure sales. If I had to pick one thing that I thought was over-priced, I would say its bowling. $10 for two people to bowl 10 frames seems ridiculous. But I did it three times anyway. Nobody forced me. Read more