Norwegian Breakaway Review

4.5 / 5.0
3,884 reviews

A great vacation - crowded sometimes since it was sold out

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Norwegian Breakaway
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JimD2019
2-5 Cruises • Age 50s

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Additional details

Sail Date: Feb 2023
Cabin: Mid-Ship Balcony Stateroom

We chose this cruise so that we could see New Orleans and experience Mardi Gras on the same vacation. Two couples travelling together, with 2 cabins a few doors apart.

We arrived in New Orleans the day before the cruise and stayed at an airport hotel since it was about US$200 less expensive than staying downtown near the cruise port. We arranged a shuttle to the cruise port when we arrived at the hotel, and it was $15 per person to get to the cruise port the next morning. Even with a Mardi Gras parade on the morning of embarkation, the time to get to the port was less than 45 minutes, awesome! Embarkation was busy but pretty easy, check in was fast & efficient then we had to wait a little while to board (we checked in shortly after 11am, boarded by 11:45am). Rooms took awhile to be available so we went for lunch in the Garden Cafe buffet. Buffet food was decent with lots of choice.

Our cruise came with Free at Sea perks (250 minutes of free WiFi, premium beverage package, 2 specialty dining meals for two persons each, and a $50 shore excursion credit per port). Note that taxes are charged on drinks while the ship is still in Louisiana waters, so the first night we ended up paying about US $11 total in taxes on our several drinks.

Cabin Review

Mid-Ship Balcony Stateroom

We booked standard balcony cabins on the 11th floor, so they were in a decently quiet area. Quality of cabins is very good, but USB ports are lacking since the ship was built 10 years ago before these were a common amenity. No outlet plug near the bed, so bring an extension cord if you use a CPAP machine at night.

Port Reviews

Costa Maya

The cruise port is a hick little town built especially for cruise ships I think, we didn't tour around the port at all. Just hopped on our excursion bus to the Chacchoben Mayan ruins, they were interesting to see and worth the tour (1 hour drive each way).

Harvest Caye

Too hot & humid for this Canadian, but the island is pretty - very Disney-like in a way. Food & beverages on the island are not included in any package, even though NCL has exclusive use of the island. I did the glass bottom boat tour which was okay (water wasn't too clear due to high winds), and friends did snorkelling which was okay too.

Roatan

Did the ATV Buggy tour - it was fun, and you will get dirty so bring a change of clothes!

Cozumel

We did the semi-submersible boat tour with visits to the chocolate & tequila "factories" i.e. stops to taste and maybe buy overpriced chocolate & tequila. The boat tour was awesome = clear waters, with lots of fish & corals to see.

New Orleans

Debauchery at it's peak I suppose. We're not huge drinkers although people certainly did over indulge! We went to a daytime parade which was nice & family friendly - be prepared for crowds and long wait times and everything runs late. Also did a night time parade where the debauchery comes to life. Lots of booze and weed were being consumed, but it was a good experience overall. It's worth going to the city's Gay Village near St. Ann & Bourbon St to watch the costume contest at 12noon on Mardi Gras day itself - lots of fun to see the costumes (wow, some people are very creative!). We found the food to be salty everywhere in New Orleans (maybe to get you to drink more?), no matter which restaurant we went to.

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