Norwegian Breakaway Review
4.5 / 5.0
bhorv67
6-10 Cruises • Age 50s
Rating by category
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Additional details
Sail Date: Mar 2019
Cabin: The Haven Aft-Facing Penthouse with Balcony
Traveled with children
This was our 5th cruise with NCL. Overall I think Norwegian did a good job. This was also our first experience in a Haven suite. While we were in the Haven complex, we had an aft penthouse balcony. I think in all the cruises we've ever done, this was the first one I noticed we were spending more time in our room. The balcony was just fantastic.
As a first time cruiser in the Haven, I did go into it with pretty high expectations. Being the cost of the cruise was about 3 times what we'd pay in the past for a mini-suite, I'd have to say I really didn't feel the Haven delivered service on par with the cost. While there are certain perks that are appreciated, like escorted boarding on the first day, and private debarkation, to me, for what the cost is, the Haven really should be an all-inclusive experience. There is the private Haven dining room, but the menu is the same each day.
For $10000 (yes, that's what we spent on just the cruise fare, booked about 45 days out), Haven guests SHOULD be able to have:
Cabin Review
The Haven Aft-Facing Penthouse with Balcony
Cabin H6
The room was really nice. Loved having the spacious balcony and the living room. Also nice having the second bathroom, but I was surprised how small the shower was in the master bath. I'm not a big person (180 lbs) and could not take a shower without banging into the walls. It was the size of a phone booth (no exaggeration). The rest of the master bath was huge, but I think it should been designed differently.
I also wasn't aware that there are 2 different designs of the Aft-facing Penthouse. We had the one where the master bath was behind the bedroom, and there is a sliding glass door from the bedroom to the balcony. The other Aft-facing penthouse has the bathroom facing the balcony, and there's no exit from the bedroom to the balcony. Not sure if the shower is the same size in both, but I think I was glad to have the sliding door from the bedroom to the balcony. Was nice to have the door open and hear the water.
On a negative note, we did have some water leakage from the guest bathroom into the living room. The carpet outside the bathroom was wet almost the whole week. We reported it right away (second day), but nothing was done until we got to the next port day. The solution from maintenance was to put a large fan in the room to try to dry the carpet, but if the shower was used, the carpet was wet again.
While the work was being done to try to fix the leak, maintenance left the room unlock, and unattended for about 4 hours. We came back to the room to find the deadbolt locked to keep the door propped open. We figured out from when the workers were there, the room was left unlocked for about 4 hours. We right away reported it to security. They didn't seem too concerned that it happened.
Port Reviews
Harvest Caye
You'd have no idea you're in another country. You may as well be at Disney. If that's your thing, you'll like it. I'd prefer to experience what the country is really like.
The drink plans should be honored on the NCL island.
Costa Maya
Another manufactured Island. I'd prefer to go to somewhere real.
1 Helpful Vote
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