Recently sailed on the NCL Breakaway (my third cruise with NCL). Have to say overall,very good cruise. Boarding the ship was relatively smooth and was ahead of schedule. The cabin (mini suite with a balcony) was a good size, had plenty of room for storage and mobility, and was very clean,. Disembarkation was the worst part (isn't it always?) and we had to scramble to guest services to fix an issue with our bill and of course they only have 1 person manning the line.We had the ultimate beverage and dining package at a discount from their free at sea promotion. Surprisingly, they were NOT skimpy on the drinks, and had plenty of beverage staff roaming around to serve cruisers, despite the contrary from other reviews I have read for the ship. Most of the crowd was an "older" group (I fall within the 25-30 category) so not many school-aged kids running around.

The food was fantastic and similar to past experiences on NCL ships. We chose Teppenyaki, Moderna Churrascaria, and La Cucina for our specialty restaurants, and these were certainly the best. Many good food options in the main dining rooms but was disappointed that there was no lobster night as were in past cruises. The service at the specialty restaurants was exceptional and the main restaurants were above average. Word of advice - BOOK THE SPECIALTY RESTAURANTS EARLY. We booked ours several week in advanced and the two (apparently) most popular - Cagney steakhouse and Le Bistro were fully booked and there were 0 time slots available.

The entertainment was also top notch - Burn the Floor and Rock of Ages are must sees (though the older crowd didn't seem to fancy the ROA theme). Second city was a blast as well. Good opportunity to reserve the entertainment in advance so the lines were very avoidable. Also, though the pool area was packed on the days at sea, you could get a decent location as long as you showed up prior to 9-10 AM. Read more