We chose this cruise as we have always enjoyed Norwegian cruise line and the itinerary fit our timeline and price point. The good. The stops were great, embarkation was smooth and quick. Compared to the other interior rooms found on the Norwegian Jade style ships these interior rooms felt spacious and well laid out. We were located at the front of the ship (Deck 8) and found the room quiet. Entertainment was very good. We caught most of the shows including the rock opera and the Cirque show and they were very professional (although the rock show was very raunchy, almost over the top, surprised to see kids at it...). Food was good but not great. The buffet was open long hours. We went to three specialty restaurants and they also were good. Getting on and off at ports was effortless. We were surprised. We thought with so many people it would be a crush but it never was. The excursions we paid for were good. Decent value, maybe a little overpriced.
The not as good. What we missed compared to the smaller ship was a quiet place to sit, enjoy a drink and look out at the sea. The smaller ship had the Spinnaker lounge located at the top with great views over the water. Trivia and dance lessons were held here and it was a great lounging area. The Breakaway had no lounge that faced out to the sea (except for the Bliss lounge which was only open at night with bands playing, and the waterfront which was mostly occupied with smokers, diners etc.) All of the bars and lounges are on the central promenade and are not really a restful at all. Additionally the chairs are not super comfortable. Trivia, dance and game shows are always done in the central bar next to the shops and guest services which is very noisy. The only really quiet place was the library which was not a great place to hang out in.
Overall good. Great rooms, great entertainment, good food, and in our opinion a weird layout.