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This is a small ship and not as "fancy" as the large ships, but the smaller size made the ship more intimate and easily to get to know the staff. Our favorite bartender was Jinyess; very nice and very funny and our waiter in the dining room was Marce who was beyond accommodating, polite, and helpful. Every meal Marce recommended was prepared perfectly. We arranged balcony rooms and were very pleased with the size and storage available. Our room steward kept our room at tip-top shape the entire cruise and always had a smile on his face (room 9106!). The dining options were varied and the food, which needs to meet a variety of international diners, was very good. There was a variety of options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for vegetarians as well as 'regular' eaters. There were enough entertainment options and activities that if anyone was bored, they would have been bored anywhere!. I must say that embarkation and disembarkation were the smoothest we have ever experienced! I wish they were all that smooth! This was a big relief! The only thing I would recommend anyone double checking is their beverage package. We registered and paid for the "easy" drink package which didn't cover any of the alcohol options we drink; We're vodka, mixed drink, and wine drinkers. None of the drinks we wanted were in the package. I really wish our travel agent had perused that more! We may have chosen a different cruise line if the price were cheaper total package. We had to spend a lot of $$$$ extra to get the next level package. Every other cruise we took had ONE alcohol package: you paid one price and every drink was covered. That's my only complaint. The gym was very nice. It had machines to work every muscle, free weights, stretch/yoga area, and cardio. In summary, I would recommend the cruise line and ship but, if paying for a drink package (and it IS vacation!), I strongly suggest that you look it closely. Read Less

We chose this cruise because it was the same itinerary from the same port we took on our honeymoon 25 years ago. Embarkation/Debarkation were both very smooth. Quickest on/off the boat we have had. Carnival's new procedures for priority were amazing. We were on the boat in probably 20 minutes including security, and off and in the uber in 15 or less. Really liked our cabin - 8320. Afternoon there is some noise from Lido, but nothing that bothered us. It's a good location for getting to the lido, and I really like the decor and the amount of storage. Dining was just ok. Enjoyed Guys Burgers, but everything else was pretty much just average. This was our first shorter cruise in many years, and will probably be our last. Lends itself to a bit more of a rowdy bunch than we are, and the crew doesn't seem to work on the connection to passengers that you get on the longer cruises. We didn't meet our steward until later in the evening, and I really felt that I was bothering him. It was a struggle just to get our wet pool towels changed out. And the cabin wasn't nearly as clean as it should have been. Our waiter Thomas was very nice and worked hard to provide service, but his assistants seemed overwhelmed, and we had almost no interaction with them. But not because they weren't there, they were just constantly working! Really enjoyed Key West, but they really need to give us more time. Nothing opens until 10, and we had to be on the boat at 1, with the last shuttle leaving for the boat at 12:30. Felt a little rushed and didn't get to see all that we would have liked to. On the other hand, loved the schedule in Cozumel. 12-10 was just perfect. Got several hours at the fabulous Mr. Sanchos and got to close it down, then onto town for a delicious dinner at Palmeras where we dined on our honeymoon, followed by Cuban cigars and delicious, reasonable drinks across the street at La Casa del Cabano. Did enjoy the big screen movies, and the smoking area is very large and comfortable for my DH who is an avid cigar smoker. The Latin Duet was really good as well. We didn't go to any of the bigger shows. Spent most of our time in the adult pool which never got too crowded with plenty of tables around. Read Less

We booked this cruise at the last minute for my Birthday. It was on sale and we got a killer deal. Pros. Loved my group of people. Loved the other cruisers. The pizza & gelato were great. Embarkation was smooth. The port stops were great. Cons Boat does need refurbished. (Warped decks, loose tiles in the shower) Dining room service was awful. At one point we walked out after sitting there for 30+ minutes without getting water. Beds were the least comfortable of any line we have cruised. Constant announcements early in the morning. Our room was straightened but never truly cleaned. For example a tissue on the bathroom counter would stay for days. Or a cup with a melted half eaten icecream cone would just stay unless we placed it outside the door. Ports. Jamaica---- we did Dunns River Falls. No excursion. Just walked out to the street and caught a ride over for $20. Grand Caymen---Google Captain Marvin's and book straight through them. Cozumel----4th visit. So wandered bought vanilla and jumped back on the ship to enjoy the pool. (Do reccommend taking a taxi to Mr. Sanchos beach club if you are looking for s beach break). Key West.---- wandered town, had conch fritters and frozen chocolate covered key lime pie. Read Less

I'll preface to say that I work in hotels, and reading reviews ahead of time is something I do religiously. There were a ton of negative reviews about this ship, so I was very nervous. HOWEVER, the trip was awesome, and my wife and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Most of the negative reviews we saw ahead of time were about O'Sheehans, turns out, this is where we hung out the majority of our trip! Our bartender Sachin, or "Sachi" as he became known, made our trip, he was awesome. Our cabin steward Lemuel, "Lemmy" was amazing as well, never missed a beat. TIP - there's a button in the room you have to click if you want service, if you keep the do not distrub button on, you can't complain your room didn't get cleaned! We did not eat in any of the main dining rooms, as we had the premium package. We ate at Moderno, La Cucina, and Teppyanaki, all 3 were awesome! The buffet was lacking slightly, but still just fine for us. I can see where people say that this ship nickle and dimes you a bit, because that's apparent with the premium drink package we had, not including bottled water or energy drinks. C'mon, we're paying $220 each/per day, and you can't throw in bottled water or some red bull?? Loved our excursions, snorkeling at Tabyana Beach in Honduras was amazing! We also thought the secret river in Cozumel was a once in a lifetime bucket list item, so we were glad we did it. A few more tips ... tip your bartenders, room stewards, etc. Yes, you prepay for those tips, but a few extra bucks goes a long way with them, and you're on vacation, right?? Try and get the private Spa room, I forget the name of it. It's worth the money. This ship has 1 pool for 4,000 passengers. A private pool, with no kids, equipped with 2 saunas, a steam room, salt room, heated loungers is worth every penny!!! Other than that, don't be scared of negative reviews, no trip is going to be perfect, and yes, you might have to wait for a drink here and there, but so what?? Read Less

Several issues keep me from rating the overall experience as excellent. 1. The Blue Lagoon excursion was a dump with terrible food and a total waste of time. I would have preferred to be on the Ship or back in Costa Maya. Senior Management should visit and evaluate before charging guests for the experience. 2. The Guest Service Desks (All) should be in a quieter area, and not in the main very loud atrium. Consider you have multi-lingual staff and guests trying to understand each other, with constant craziness just feet away. 3. The demeanor of the photography manager seemed sharp and arrogant and not friendly. The photographers were phenomenal. 4. The pools were cold and extremely crowded. It would be nice to have a relaxing pool with light music for older adults. 5. Restaurant reservations were hard to get. Better instructions should be provided to first time cruisers, or some reservations withheld knowing they will get booked on the ship. Read Less

To start. Buffet shuts down early, low quality food, not much changes. I got to a point where I was eating salad for lunch and diner. The salad bowl is always empty, the celery is brown, and a lot of the romaine lettuce was brown too. The tomatoes was always mushy, and a lot of the buffet food was just salty, and low quality. Fruits salad bowl consist of watermelons, and cantaloupes, and it was always bruise. I saw you tube reviews before I went on this cruise. They mention Wednesday was seafood buffet, and Osheehan have prime rib. Could not find one shrimp, or prime rib anywhere unless you paid for it at Cagney. Service people was not very friendly. From buffet to house keeper, from casino dealers, to dinning room staff. In my pass cruise. Dinning room staff know you by you first name after your first dining, and knows your drink, and how you like your foods. I did not feel that personal level of service on NCL. Manhattan, Taste, and Savor menu are the same. Read Less

Been on 5 cruises total. This was my first with Norwegian and I'm sad to say it will be my last. We traveled with a group of ten, ages ranging from 35 to 65, all who have cruised before and all were pretty disappointed. The bars were not staffed for the amount of people needing to be served, and if you wanted to enjoy any shows, comedy clubs, or entertainment, you better make sure you make a reservation the moment you get on board and plan your whole week out right away. Which is not something they tell you. Without a reservation you are unable to enjoy the entertainment they have. I have never had to book to see shows on a ship. We did manage to get into the rock of ages show!! Super amazing, if you get a reservation I highly recommend it. I've also never had to have a reservation for the free normal evening dining. The food is so so. I was not impressed. We enjoyed three of the specialty restaurants along with the normal Buffett and evening dining, the only one I was impressed with was the French restaurant. The service in the restaurants was wonderful as well as our room service and staff. However when out and about on the boat I found it odd to not see staff members waiting on guest or seeing if guests needed drinks etc. The atmosphere for myself and the group I went with was way to laid back. The whole ship was quiet most of the time including leaving port. Missed the music, dancing and excitement that usually comes with a cruise to the Caribbean. Lastly the two shore excursions we did were wonderful. I've been to Tabayana beach more than once it's still one of my favorites for snorkeling. We also did four wheeling in Cozumel, this too was wonderful. Have nothing bad to say about the ports. Overall this was the most expensive cruise I've been on, with the poorest overall service and enjoyment. Read Less

Day one before we even left port, we had a bomb scare on the ship, which delayed us from leaving port. Day one and two, very rocky waters, hard to walk on the ship. Now I do understand it is hurricane season, so forgiven there. Day 3 we finally arrived in Puerto Rico around 4 pm to find that the town had pretty much closed down. There had been an earth quake on the island, so people were urged to stay home, so only a few store and restaurants open. Again mother nature. We were to leave at midnight on day 3, but had to stay in port over night and all day the next day. With this being said, we missed our next port which was to be St Thomas. So we started onto the Bahama's late the day around 6 pm. Overnight there was a person who was so drunk, was kicked out of some the entertainment clubs, and then went into a bathroom falling and cracking/cutting her head open. So when we got up early Saturday morning about 6 am, we had the coast guard come to get the patient off the ship, only to find out we were back at Puerto Rico. Needless to say for the next 2 days we were sailing back to Miami because again, we missed out port in the Bahama's. All because of a drunk person. Not a happy person at all. I do understand that the weather played a part into missing one port, but not the second port. Both the ports we missed was the 2 that my husband and I wanted to see. Many of the people on board was going to customer service desk to see about what Norwegian was going to do for us. At the desk, it was very confusing. The desk could not give us any answers, as we were told we would have to contact the main office in Miami. However, over night we received a letter that they were giving us a $50 credit for on board us. This is and was very unacceptable. Yes, I will never go on another Norwegian cruise again, and I will be contacting Miami about all the issues. Read Less

I've been on many cruises on many lines. I've read many of the review of the Breakaway and can't believe the comments made by disgruntled passengers. I thought the food was very good. I ate breakfast ast the buffet every day because I got up too late to go to the dining rooms. The food was very good. The omelets were delicious. The pastries and fruit were also very good. Even the precooked scrambled eggs were good. I ate at Cagne's, Le Bistro and La Cucina. The service was impeccable, the ambiance very pleasant, and the food excellent. Not your top end restaurant quality, but one step below. I had the filet mignon twice and the lamb chops once and they were cooked perfeclly and were delicious. The appetizers and deserts were outstanding. The ship was in excellent shape and nicely laid out. The staff everywhere were polite and friendly. Also very efficient. The entertainment was great. The dueling pianos and the Billy Idol show were outstanding. I didn't care for Rock of Ages, too weird for me. I booked the Spa Package and used it every day. It was well worth the money. I don't bother getting off the boat because I've been to all the islands before and don't care to do them again. My cabin steward was extremly frienly and efficient. I aways book an inside cabin because I only use it to sleep in. It was plenty roomy, had lots of hangers and had a large shower and bathroom. I use the Spa to shower after using all the facilities: sauna, steam room, jacuzzi, etc. People complain about the smoke in the casino, but as an ex smoker, it didn't bother me. One of my complaints was that the cigar lounge was used by cigarette smokers who hogged the place. Another was the price of drinks: $17.00 for a shot of bourbon, or $19.00 for a martini was excessive. Read Less

It started with a can’t beat price, and it ended being a vacation to remember. Embarkation was a breeze, best of all the cruise lines. The ship is older but we found it to be well maintained and very clean. We were upgraded to a suite which added to the vacation. Our steward Jimmy was great always taking care all our needs, we were very pampered. Dining was solid a bit bland on some nights but nothing that salt and pepper couldn’t fix. Our waiter Christian was very attentive and always had my lemonade ready at the table. Only issue was we wished the dinners had been more Italian inspired. Entertainment was old school which we enjoyed. The crew was great in the variety show, and the performers were talented. Service on the ship was excellent never had to wait or had any issues that weren’t addressed. Ports were fun, met some very nice people and we especially loved costa maya (4 wheeling followed by a couples message, can’t beat the combo). Our guides on the 4 wheeling excursion in Costa maya, Genesis I believe was his name was excellent. I have been on many excursions and never felt that our safety was the #1 priority like it was in costa maya. All in all msc did so well by us we are already looking to book in December on the Maraviglia. Read Less

I was on the MSC Seaside last year and fell in love with the ship. It's just beautiful, and the service was wonderful. And, the drink package was a nice perk. However, this year I found the service somewhat lacking, the food was mediocre this time, and the drink package seemed like more of a hassle. The food was so lackluster in the MDR, that we ate at Butcher's Cut one night, and teppanyaki on another night. We usually do not splurge for the upcharge restaurants, but after looking at the menu on the MSC app. we realized we had little choice. Butcher's Cut was phenomenal. My husband had the 12 ounce filet mignon and I had the salmon. Both were exceptional. Teppanyaki was a lot of fun and the food was also very good. My husband and I do not eat garlic and the chief was very good about cooking our rice and other dishes with out garlic. So, special requests were not a problem. The show's were exceptional for the most part. I like that they add some acrobatics to most of their shows. I'll continue to cruise with MSC, but I prefer other cruise lines if the price is compare. Read Less

This was the second week of our Back-to-Back on the Conquest. We love the crew, especially our room stewards, Dan and Muzaki! They did an outstanding job both weeks as they cared for our cabin and requests. The waiters in the Monet Main Dining Room were excellent. Sherwin, Wendell, and Leila made every evening special. All of the wait staff in the Monet were great at breakfast and brunch also. Customer service was very helpful, as was the excursion desk. Entertainment was fun, from evening shows (even if aimed at a younger crowd!), to the musicians throughout the ship every evening to the Mardi Gras party on the last evening. BTW - We LOVE Carnival's Groove for St Jude's parties and donation opportunities. That hospital for children with cancer does incredible work! I really hoped this was a GREAT GROOVE!! The food in the MDR was great with a wide variety, and lunch at Guy's Burgers and the Blue Iguana is always fun on sea days. We started the week at the The Point steakhouse on embarkation day. We ordered filet for my DH and lamb chops for me. WOW cuisine!!! Lovely evening! Worth the upcharge for sure! Read Less

I came back to Carnival after almost 10 years. I am a Platinum Guest. The priority boarding was the best part of the cruise. The ship is showing its age. I dislike the way they went with their entertainment. No reggae band. Just a guy playing a steal drum to canned music. They have too many rug rats on board. They run around free even in the adult areas. The food has gone downhill too. The wait staff is great they can’t control the food they put out. Overly spice. Got sick the second day from fish dishes. The pools are dirty I doubt they test the water. They smelled. The bar staff overall were not too friendly. The rugs in the ship could use a replacing. The ship should be sent to dry dock for a full overhaul. The ship was built in 2002. The furniture in the cabin is worn. Read Less

We chose this cruise because of the Cuba ports, unfortunately they were cancelled. Our 10 year old child LOVES MSC mini and Juniors club. MSC Orchestra was our first ever cruise in 2014, and we've loved them ever since. We been on Divina and Seaside and now Armonia. The only complaint, well not complaint I had this whole cruise was on Italian Night, there was no "show" if you will, we always look forward to that. But at least they had the baked Alaska cake :) FREE GELATO!! It's was a pleasant surprise to be able to have complimentary gelato!! We partook daily :) And of course the pizza is always the best on MSC Cruise liners, secretly I cruise MSC just for that reason :) I wish the arts and crafts were better, maybe a paper rose making class, or adult coloring books, orgami, etc. Loved the Rum bar and the Pub!! Seemed to be our only hang out spots. Wonderful staff and stewards on this trip. Except for a sassy girl that served us in the Pub, she didn't know what she was doing. Oh well...no one is perfect. Now, this may be a sensitive issue but when did formal nights become so casual? I understand that some people may not like to dress up for that night, but maybe those select few should be directed to the buffet for that evening. I literally seen a man wear a bandana, t-shirt and jean shorts to both formal nights. Not a huge deal but he was always seen in the background of my families photos on formal night. Let's make cruising classy again, MSC!! Read Less

First time..2 week cruise for our family of five. My husband and I have already been on 2 Carnival cruises which were fun and decided to book a 2 week cruise for us and our 3 children (first time on a cruise for the kids 18, 16, 14). CONS: - Food was mediocre. Luckily my kids are really easy to please and were content with pizza, burgers, fries and gelato. The buffet was average, normal breads and pastas but I would say lacking in variety. Being on a 2 week cruise is great but the food choices become mundane and repetitive which makes eating less exciting. Lol. Blah and average. Wait staff was attentive, but some were a little less friendly which could be attributed to cultural diversity since they all come from different parts of the world. So I’m definitely understanding in that aspect. - Unfortunately room cleanliness was lacking. I always bring Lysol and Lysol wipes to scrub down my cabin at first walk through. Being a nurse I know the importance of disinfection and would rather have piece of mind from the very beginning. That being said, my bathroom shower stall had mold. Very gross. My room steward was the sweetest person and I hate confrontation. But I brought him in the room to point out the areas of mold in the shower. He told me he would clean it and it was never done (or if he did do it, it wasn’t done well). I went down to guest services and told the staff and they said it would be taken care of with a deep clean. Upon returning to my room, the bathroom smelled like bleach or some kind of cleaner, however the mold still remained. I basically threw my hands up in the air and decided to let it go. I didn’t want a long drawn out battle and wanted to enjoy the rest of my vacation without any drama. Therefore, mold was my cabin mate for 2 weeks. Read Less

We took the cruise to celebrate our 31st Wedding Anniversary on 9-17-19. Though the reviews were sketchy we really had few options with a limited last minute budget. The only good thing to say about my MSC cruise is that we were upgraded to a suite which was nice. The food was nasty and limited in selection, there were continuous options of foreign cuisine that did Not appeal to any of us. There was no decent variations of the food selections at any of the meal times throughout the day. If it weren’t for the burger buffet we would have starved for seven days. The common areas were routinely dirty with slick or sticky floors and tables, the language barriers were often frustrating and made communicating with staff impossible. After pretty much being forced to buy a drink package the cocktails were watered down so basically you pay hundreds of dollars for soda and water which was the only tolerable thing besides canned Miller light beer. The entertainment, if you can call it that, was ridiculous and childlike. We had no viable options for recreational activities except for 2 fuzball tables and 1 small ping pong table. Smokers were crammed in a tiny section with roughly 10 tables right next to the tiny pool. There were limited selections on the dining room menu making us avoid it after day 2. Every port the ship was docked about a mile away and they were short day stops. Shore excursions were ridiculously expensive through MSC and what they offered was very disappointing. In Costa Maya my GoPro was stolen while on an MSC sponsored excursion to Beach Escape beach & reporting this was a big hassle because of the misunderstandings with the language. The cabin steward was pleasant but the beds are uncomfortable and the balcony door rattled the entire cruise from turbulence and rough seas. Many of the staff were decent enough, but the overall atmosphere of the ship as a whole was complete rudeness and disregard. European passengers were Extremely rude most of the time and there was really nowhere on the ship except staying locked in my cabin to avoid it. I wish I could get a refund because this has been a horrible experience and ended up being a lot more expensive than planned with all their “extra” fees for every little thing. Making the experience more disappointing is that there was NO acknowledgement of our 31st Anniversary and the ship photographers couldn’t even take decent pictures of us so we could capture our special day!!! Just dreadful cruise, and horrible ship for Americans in my opinion. Luckily debarkation was quick enough because we couldn’t wait to get off that ship!!! Read Less

Originally booked this cruise for Cuba, but since changes in itinerary, we visited Honduras, Costa Maya, Cozumel, and Key West. Great ports, ship docked close to all restaurants and shopping. On board the Armonia, the food was typical, shopping good, and shows great. Ship is in need of updates, since its an older ship. Cruise critic put in an amazing private party with cake, drinks, and hor'dorves. Great to mingle with fellow cruisers and get good information on their experiences, and to get insight on future crises. Pros and cons of other cruise lines. Cruise critic does not sell anything during this private party. They only want you to have fun and meet and mingle with other guests. Cruise director was there and we had a group picture that we got free, delivered to our stateroom the next day. 8x10. That was awesome! Looking forward to next cruise and definitely the cruise critic patty! Thank you Cruise Critic! Read Less

i was so excited to be going on this cruise ,i had never been on this cruise line before but had heard they were good.once on board we went to the buffet and was disappointed at the choices they had to offer ,hoping it would get better as the days went on ,but it never did food was horrible ,cold or lukewarm always ! i will say the hamburgers,hot dogs, French fries were good and hot every time ,but eating that everyday got old.the pizza was good also.i was afraid to eat some of the things like dressings for salads they were never put on ice they were warm always good way to make people sick.the drink stations !!!either out of ice or ice tea and you would have to go to 2 different stations just to get a drink if you wanted both at the same time.they should also put a drink station out on the pool deck for more convenient to the guests all the other cruise lines I have been on has this.now on to intertainment what a joke.love marriage game and quest game were the only games that was fun.went to 4 of the theater shows the staff had put on they were okay.casino was so small and not much to choose from so I really didn't stay there to long for this reason.found a smoking area on the 6th floor which was nice and quiet but not a chair to sit in so you could enjoy the view and smoke.suggestion put some chairs out there !!!! I never receive a bill on the last night there as they stated everyone would get the day before so I went down to front desk but the line was so long.so I didn't know what they charged me and had no opportunity to dispute ,got home and checked my account took 4 days to take out the money but still don't know what I paid for.i will say caleb Charles bar server was the highlight of the cruise he was very personable and helpful telling us where to go and what to see when we got into the ports.cudos to caleb !!!! Read Less

I was very disappointed with this ship. Starting from the staff down to the food. I have cruised 3 different times in the past. Twice with Royal, and Once with Carnival. I can honestly say Carnival seems to be slowly falling off a cliff. You can definitely tell they're cutting around every corner they can to save money. The food wasn't up to par, with any of my previous cruises. The food on the menus at the restaurant, would stay the same almost every day. And only 2 or maybe 3 things would change on the menu. The buffet seemed to lack variety, and the 5 options they had weren't edible. The wax they put on the floors makes it very slippery. I slipped on it and fell carrying my 2 year old. Carnival and the crew aboard the ship know about this issue but just don't seem to be worried or care to fix the problem, so people just keep slipping and falling all over the place. Our rooms weren't cleaned thoroughly enough. The plumbing in our bathroom stunk from the first day we walked in. The curtains and floors had stains on them. Finger prints on the balcony glass door. Dust build up on top of the tvs. Trash inside one of the cubby compartments under the kids tv in our family harbor suite. Also it seemed to me and a few other passengers aboard that some of the staff seem to be overworked and unhappy. The whole ship seems to be way too crowded. Especially in the buffet and main attraction areas. Allure is twice as big of a ship and Royal will only put 1200 more passengers. I did however like the bar, my kids loved the kids pool area. I like that in camp ocean they watch my kids for free. And also that Carnival does offer better ports to visit. But i do not think that for the $3200 i paid this ship was worth it. This ship changed my overall view of Carnival as one of the best in the cruising industry. And i do not see my self ever cruising again with Carnival, even with all the ports they offer to visit. Read Less

Embarkation was fast and efficient. Room was roomy, washroom was wonderful, dual sinks ,large shower with multiple jets. Food and entertainment was good. Speciality restaurants, Cagney’s and Ocean Blue were fantastic, great that they were benefits,. Drink package did not include bottled water, had to buy water package for the room. Drink package should include water as the trip was the Caribbean and it is hot. Smoking lounge needed better ventilation. Glad we prechoiced all restaurants, entertainment, excursions before boarding, made everything go faster. Food in the cafe restaurant was varied and had all options for choosing whatever was desired, fast service. Beautiful large ship with various play areas to enjoy. Shore excursions in Belize and Cozumel were the most enjoyable. Resort in Belize , Harvest Caye, was picture perfect, beautiful day with the amenities of a large pool area and beach. Wonderful seven nights , food and entertainment cruise. Read Less

We picked this cruise for the Itinerary and the features on the Breakaway. Embarkation went smoothly and we were on the ship in no time. Our cabin was ready and quite comfortable. A Ocean View which provides more space than an Inside. The ship, overall, was very clean. You could see workers cleaning 24/7. One big, big problem with the Breakaway is smoke in the Casino. I spent a lot of time there as a gambler and the smoke was horrible. IT was also quite warm in the casino, so sadly, the place I spent the most time was very uncomfortable. I also like to use the gym, but we only used the gym on the Breakaway once. None of the TV's worked on any treadmill so that was disappointing. We tried 6 different restaurants and all were very good. We might try a different one next time to replace Teppenyaki. A standard Japanese Steakhouse was just that....standard. Our favorite was the Manhatten dining room with its wonderful Jazz band. Entertainment was excellent. We seen Burn the Floor which may have been the best ocean cruise show I have ever seen and Rock of Ages which was very good. We were upset that the outdoor activities were closed almost the entire cruise. The water slides and rope course is something we like to do and it was shuttered 6 days. Service throughout was pretty good. Our cabin steward Neil, was a rock star and many of our restaurant servers were top notch. We did not do any NCL excursions. We always use private vendors and our favorite was South Shore excursions in Roatan. We were treated to a private, guided, snorkel of the Meso-American Reef in Roatan. It was the BEST snorkeling I have done in my life and I highly recommend them. Overall, we had a great time, but I would not sail the Breakaway again, unless it went non-smoking. That ship cannot handle the smoke. Read Less

The Ship was amazing and getting on the ship was the best experience on any ship or cruise we have been on. The Ship itself was very clean and crew members were very nice. For the not so good reviews. As a Platinum Member I'm use to the Captain coming on the speaker announcing the weather during Sea Days or when we come into port and never heard a word from him. Wasn't impressed with the Entertainment crew. Clay the Cruise Director was ok but never saw him around the ship and when he made the announcements he didn't sound to happy, basically just read off the script. Debarking was a mess. So unorganized. A part of our group did the walk off and said the crew members were yelling at everyone and telling them they should have been down there at 6am when clearly they were told not to go down until 0730 Even at 0900, it was still a mess. The Dinner Show Velvet was ok, but not really impressed at all for the additional fee. You were not given an option of how the filet was cooked and food was just ok. The one singer looked like is was 16 years old. The match ups and performances were not up to par like other NCL shows we have attended in the past. Now for the Good Stuff ! The Food and Service in the Speciality Restaurants was top of the line. I felt like we were part of the Food Network in Ocean Blue. We also had dinner Cagneys, LeBistro, Moderno. The Bartenders at the pools were overworked. The Best part of the trip was listening to the great band of the Syd Normans Pour House. The Bar outside on the waterfront was the Best Bar around and had the best bartenders. We loved the Syd Norman House Band with them performing and singing Classic Rock. These young adults were so talented and made our cruise so much fun. We usually attend the white out parties but chose to stay and watch them instead. They need one of these bands on every ship. There was standing room only every night they were playing. We ate at the Garden Café for breakfast and lunch. Great fun staff and food was great with great variety. I like the idea they open up Margaritaville and Moderno also for Breakfast so they Café isn't as crowded and more options. Loved the layout of the ship. Smooth Sailing 6 of 7 days. We had a Mini Suite, shower big enough to hold 2 people with 5 shower jets. I would definitely sail on the Breakaway again. Read Less

As always, we had an amazing time on our most recent cruise. From the food, to destinations, to entertainment, bars, and service, the entire trip was top notch. The boat was very clean, we had amazing service and made a new favorite bartender Lawrence Dimaano. He had a great personality, was a lot of fun, and gave our group a "home bar" to hang out at. The specialty restaurants and buffet were good as always. There are plenty of choices, and the food quality was great. We did not go see any shows this trip as the shows at the lounges and bars were fabulous. The group at the Pour House was amazing. They put on 2 shows that we went to that were nothing short of amazing. What a great addition to the entertainment onboard. We took two fun excursions. One in Rotan where we saw parrots and monkeys and the other in Cozumel where we swam with dolphins. Both trips were great. However the pictures at the dolphin swim are nothing short of extortion. The spa was relaxing and having a spa room really enhances the trip. I don't think I will take a cruise again without one. Our cabin was clean and well maintained. Our only complaint was not getting towel animals. It is a highlight of every Norwegian cruise and we were disappointed not to get any. Read Less

I chose this cruise line because of a past experience on the Escape which is another awesome ship. This is my forth NCL ship and the staff on board both the Escape and the Breakaway could not have been better. We really enjoyed ourselves. Embarkation and disembarkation went real smooth.. The food was very good..I would recommend that the menu be changed up a little more in the buffet..other than that it was almost perfect because staff/service was perfect!! I would recommend this ship to everyone. The ports were great except Honduras..not much there but it's understandable. Harvest Cay made up for it though..I'm a beach and pool person and Harvest Cay has both. Cozumel was another favorite..a beautiful place it is..!! Lots of stores..some good shopping there and I can't wait to go back! Our stop at Costa Maya was very nice also. We shopped and sat at the pool and just enjoyed the entertainment provided by the locals. Great time ..all the way round. Read Less