This was our first cruise on NCL, with previous ones being on RC and Carnival. We chose this cruise out of convenience as it left from Manhattan during Spring Break, so we wouldn’t have to drive. It was also going to 3 ports of call – Cape Canaveral, Great Stirrup Cay, and Nassau.

Our thoughts on the ship were that it was the classiest of the ships we’ve been on. We’ve been on Carnival Dream, Carnival Pride, RC Harmony of the Seas. We thought that the Carnival were gaudy with the red and gold décor (not sure if they had been updated since we were on them 5 years ago). RC Harmony was a gorgeous ship and very open where you could walk down the atrium and look at the sky. The NCL Breakaway’s décor and restaurants just seemed a notch higher than the others – personal preference. There were stone walkways outside of the French Restaurant, outside seating available on some of the restaurants, dark wood paneling in the restaurants – again, all personal preference.

Comparing the way people treated us on the 3 different cruise lines, I’d have to give the RC Harmony of the Seas the top grade. Everyone smiled and was welcoming, and you got the feeling that you were a returning friend. It didn’t take a long time to get a drink, and the drinks were consistent as the bartenders weren’t in as much of a hurry as the Norwegian Breakaway. Read more