Norwegian Breakaway Review
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We like to chase away the winter blahs with a cruise. Although we had been to the western Caribbean before we decided to try it again, this time only planning a couple of shore excursions. The Breakaway was a really nice ship. It offered many entertainment venues from dancing and singing shows to comedy. We had a mini suite which was not much larger than a regular balcony room. Our balcony was the smallest we've ever had. It hardly fits 2 people and 2 chairs. Our room steward was very good and kind.
The ship was very clean. Kudos to the workers as there were over 4000 cruisers onboard. Dining venues were in abundance. We did not patronize the restaurants that charge extra. We did visit all three dining rooms (complimentary). We never had to wait to be seated. If you have an early booked show you would not make it as the service can be very slow. Yes, it is best to book shows on these large NCL ships. The Garden Cafe buffet offers a large variety of food. The food overall was very good.
Boarding the ship in New Orleans was a long and tedious event. This is my 3rd time out of NOLA on NCL and they still can't get organized. I've traveled twice on Carnival out of NOLA and the embarkation is smoother and faster. Getting on and off the ship at the ports were very easy and swift with the exception of Ocho Rios. The port was nothing more than an industrial cargo port. It was dirty and small, and no facilities.The parking lot could barely hold a dozen buses to transport the thousands of cruises debarking at the same time. Again, NCL proves how disorganized they can be. Debarking at home port is a breeze if you leave early enough to avoid the masses.
Cabin Review
Mid-Ship Mini-Suite with Balcony
The cabin was very nice and clean. We were disappointed by the size. It is much smaller than expected. I've had regular balcony rooms large then this mini suite. There was only one closet, instead of the usual two. The sofa was much larger therefore pushing the bed closer to the closet. Only one person at a time on the closet/storage side. The bathroom was much larger than usual. We had a double sink that was never used by the two of us at the same time.The tub/shower had the usual shower head. The web site advertises a cascading shower (?) The balcony is very small. There were no reclining-back chairs found on most other ships. Our steward was excellent. He was thoughtful and friendly.
Port Reviews
Harvest Caye
This is a beautiful private island for NCL guests.Lots of activities and sandy beaches. The pool was on a grand scale. Even with so many cruisers from the ship, you had plenty of space for swimming and sunning. Bring your own water from the ship as everything will cost you. The bars charge more for water, soda, etc., than the push cart vendors. So shop around.
Ocho Rios
We were booked on a tour to Dunn's Falls. But this was a totally unorganized port. The time changes confused all involved. The port was an industrial cargo port, very dirty and small for the thousands of people debarking at the same time. Tour guides did not know when we would be leaving. The traffic was all jammed up as the parking lot couldn't hold more than a dozen buses at once. We decide to forego the tour and return to the ship. There was a cruise port less than a mile from where our ship docked. Another ship was there. It seems these older cruise ports cannot handle the mega ships thus our docking in the industrial area.