I choice this cruise for the jazz promotion. The ship is beautiful and there were plenty of restaurants. Getting on and off ship was smooth. I did not like this ship for jazz shows. Venues are too small for that kind of activity with so many people. The worst part was the cabin. We had a balcony and a pull out bed for 3rd person. Not worth the money for a balcony. Rooms look like they are chopped in half. Beds were comfortable, but not sofa bed. Don't recommend 3 in a room. Balcony was small. This ship would not be my first choice. Food was good and I like they have all kinds of food available until late in the night. Most ships are limited. Room service was superb. Getting ship in New York was wonderful for me, coming from Baltimore,Md. Entertainment was not the usual cruise entertainment. Company brought out ship for the Smooth Jazz Event. Really enjoyed shows. I forgot there are no drawers to put your clothes. Read Less

We chose the cruise because we found out we had CruiseNext deposits expiring in November. We had taken this cruise about 3 years ago and thought it would be fun to do it again. Personally, we like embarking from NYC since our son lives there so we get a mini visit with him on both ends of the cruise. Embarkation in New York was the fastest we have ever experienced. We went through security and had to ask which way to go next. Our area seemed to be Haven only, but it was ours, too. After getting our health form, we moved so quickly there was no time to fill it out, so we did while we were getting out cabin key cards. We had a new trainee checking us in, and that slowed us down by about a minute but I think we went from Uber to onboard in about 15 minutes. Disembarkation went as well as possible. We put our bags out by 11 on Saturday night, vacated our cabin by 9:00 am and went to the buffet with the carryon bags. The only problem was hearing them call the groups to disembark. Some of the areas he signs that said, but the buffet did not. We were one of the last groups to be called so it was quite a long line getting to the final checkout but we walked off the ship pretty quickly. Our baggage was altogether in the "Blue" area. We got that and customs was quite speedy. And, we were out on the street. Our son and fiancé met us and we were in an Uber within about 10 minutes. The cabin was what we expected it to be. Not super-large, but on par with other cruises. The bed was very comfy and possibly king-size. We had hurricane conditions for most of the sea days and the closet doors would rock back and forth on their rollers and slam into the opposite wall. Very noisy at night until we used backpacks as stoppers. One thing that was new to me was the inclusion of used sharps containers in the cabin bathroom and around the ship. I'm on daily injections now and it would have been good to know this before investing in travel-sized sharps containers. One morning, there was an issue with non-flushing toilets. My DH complained and it turned out someone had put something in the toilet that shouldn't have been there. Guest services sent us chocolate covered strawberries and wine for his efforts We didn't do any of the entertainment or activities this time. The ones we were interested in we did last time around and this year, most of the activities were closed due to some serious hurricane activity. The pools were usually closed as were the rock-climbing wall, ropes course and many of the decks. We did enjoy sitting in the comfy chairs on Deck 8 when the cushions were available, though. We love Bermuda, which is partly why we chose this particular cruise. Unfortunately, due to the hurricanes (Jose and Maria), we left a day early. I particularly like the new NCL ferry to St. George. That was very convenient and saved us some money. We did an excursion, but not through NCL, although the same one was offered through them. We were supposed to go out on Friday, on the Rising Son but, when we learned that our ship was leaving port on Thursday afternoon, I contacted them to cancel. They offered us a Thursday morning snorkel trip, which I accepted. Had we been on the same excursion as offered by NCL, it would have cost us more money at the outset but it would have been automatically canceled, so we would have missed out. We did not travel with children. We would go again in a heartbeat! Read Less

We were with a special interest cruise. I would not choose to cruise in hurricane season, but that is when the group was going so we did. We knew if would be an adventure. We left on September 17th, out of NYC. Embarkation was a breeze. We ate a good breakfast at our hotel so we could just relax in the shade with some cocktails, waiting for our room to be ready. Our room was ready by 1:30, which was awesome! We wish someone would have knocked on the door when the luggage arrived though. We went to dinner and it was there, we have no idea how long it sat out in the hall. I thought our balcony room, 9294, AFT I think was amazing. No trouble finding a place for everything, We thought the balcony was a perfect size, very private, we loved it. The room steward was great and we had no trouble figuring out the electricity/do not disturb lights at all. The bathroom was the same size as mine at home, no complaints there. We ate at Taste, Savor, OSheas, Wasabi, Teppenyaki, Moderno, Margaritaville, and the Garden Cafe. It was all great! Service is slow at Taste and Savor, so just be prepared to relax. Garden Cafe is a complete madhouse, we only did that once, too crazy. The view from Margaritaville is awesome, and portions are huge but you can't take leftovers to your room. We loved the penny slots and did pretty good, well, on Wheel of Fortune, I did good. We never waited in line for anything, and were able to get last minute reservations for specialty dining. We had a ball in the Ice Bar, thought that was hysterical. We never saw any shows, as we were pretty busy with our special interest group. Due to weather, we only had one night in Bermuda, no ones fault, just the Captain keeping us safe. We were surprised how much the ship rocked though, on the way to Bermuda, such a big ship, we didn't expect that. We carried our own luggage to get off the ship, but man, it's really really far to walk. Probably a couple miles, just be prepared. Overall, I prefer a cruise where everything is included, I really didn't like the cover charges, automatic tips, paying for gelato, etc. I also think the staff is way overworked. They all told me they work 10 hours a day, for 8 months straight. I know Carnival has a pool for their staff, but not NCL. I asked. I think I prefer a smaller ship in the future. I enjoyed it though, the ship really was beautiful. Leaving from NYC is really fun too. Read Less

I chose this cruise because i have been on about 16 norwegian cruises. They were all excellent. The cruise on the breakaway was a little disapointing. For the size of the ship the pool was quit small and was closed for the majority of the cruise. Also for 6200 people on board they only had 4 hot tubs. 2 of which were always cold. The two that were at least warm was swarmed with kids. They were using it as a pool. They were jumping up and down and landing on the adults feet. Also we lost one day in bermuda on account of the weather. We lost one of our days in port. THE CABIN WAS SMALL, BUT THAT WAS ALRIGHHT THE DINING WAS EXCELLENT AND THE SERVICE WAS EXCELLENT I was suprised that you had to make reservations for the shows. I was turned away from a show for not having reservations. Also the games that they played on the ship were so crowded that if you were not there a half hour before they started you had to stand and couldn't see the game anyway. For a ship that big the theater and other gathering areas are to small. I love norwegian cruises and will go on norwegian again,but not on the getaway. The smaller ships to me are a better cruise. Read Less

We loved NCL so much we booked the same ship, same stateroom but a different location. Due to Hurricane Jose we had to leave Bermuda a day early. The Captain always had our safety in mind and other than a few rocky moments, we felt safe. If you're looking to celebrate a milestone I would suggest booking the Haven. Once you travel that way, you'll never want to stay in a different area. When the weather was rough we lounged in the Haven Courtyard. The pool and hot tubs were still available to us as they are indoors even though the pool was closed in the main area. There are no lines at our bar and the Haven restaurant is nothing but the best. If you want a cheeseburger made specifically to your tastes, they will do it. Embarking and disembarking are so easy being in the Haven. You get escorted priority boarding as well as escorted priority embarking. No escalators for you, you get an elevator. For those who think you will be secluded from children in the Haven, that is not true. There are children in the area but not many unless you travel during school break. If you just want to hang out in your stateroom, you can without feeling you're in tight quarters. The rooms are large and airy. We ended up using the stairs for our exercise as the gym was constantly full. No matter what time of the day. Read Less

i do not like to fly and ncl has the most ships sailing from nyc.one of the mani reasons i may try a different line is because the dining package is getting to be a sad experience you pay the price they ask and then you do not get the benefits they have in the free dining rooms .Also they have taken the better foods off the menu like they have surf and turf (shrimp and steak no lobster) they changed the shrimp cocktail to 3 from 4 and added extra you can order and pay another separate fee for the package only covers a 20.00 main dish on the menu and the waiters have to explain this to you and suffer the gripe from passengers making it not a pleasant experience when must people are upset over being nickel and dimed to death for no good reason charge more if you must but spell it out on the menu give the waiters a break Read Less

i just went on the Breakaway from NYC to Bermuda 9/17 to 9/24....everyday for the first 5 days bathrooms on our end of ship (12 deck ,aft section) would not flush. Norrwegian cruise line could care less about the inconvience of its customers...! As of now i would recomend going to any other Cruise line...! Most of crew were excelent, some had attitudes in the early am...since i had to find a working bathroom i went for early coffee run....staff wasn't to happy to see early risers. How can you trust a ship if bathrooms dont work.... The entertainment was really good,24 K was excellent,The better dining was only above average,I went to le bistro,Ocean Blue and Cagneys....i was expecting better..Ocean Blue was the best out of the three,The food was good at all of the restaurants , the staff at all of them were excellent. I did like the ship was clean and always had sanitizers everywhere! The ship had to leave early from Bermuda because of hurricanes , I applaud the Captain for looking out for the safety of everyone... if asked would i go on Norwegian ? as of now no...there are plenty of other crusie lines and in my opionion they dont care that much about there passengers inconveniences once they have your money....! Read Less

Took this cruise with my mom and 2 sisters. Stayed in side by side staterooms. My third cruise, sailed on Norwegian Jade in January. This is a much larger ship. Took some time to get used to the size. Departed NYC for Bermuda and had a rough couple of first days. Overcast and rough seas compliments of Hurricane Jose. Arrived in Bermuda on time but were VERY disappointed when the Navigation Crew and Captain announced we would be leaving Bermuda Thursday at 6 rather than Friday at 3. I get it...until the journey home, although smoother and with one good day of weather, landed us back in NYC EARLY!! I set my alarm early in the hopes of seeing the city upon our return but when I got up at 5 a.m. we were already docked! We were then encouraged to disembark early by our cruise director as well! Not completely sure why we lost a day in Bermuda, OUR DESTINATION. The cruise home was slower and we arrived early! The ship was fine. Crowded with plenty of kids, which I expect with this cruise line. The food was quite good. It did not however, wash away the bad taste of our early departure. The decks on this ship were closed much of the trip due to weather. I get it. The pools were also closed most of the trip. On our final day, the main pool was closed, even though the deck was open, crowded, and other activities continued. It wasn't even particularly rough. Some other minor annoyances: the last day sale when the shopping area was RIDICULOUS, the scheduled entertainment in The Manhattan was M.I.A., lack of coffee available for our staterooms, s-l-o-w service in the a la cartes, the 60 min. auction went over 2 hours and never did offer many of the works chosen. This was my second and final cruise with NCL. Too many nagging issues. Our other cruise had it's own issues. LOVED Bermuda though! Looking forward to continuing my exploration cut short... Read Less

We arrived at the terminal around 11:00 am, and we were on the ship within 15 minutes, didn't even get a chance to sit down. We were in cabin 9918 aft. I LOVE the aft !! This was our 3rd time on the Breakaway, we heard creaks and groans this time around that we didn't hear before. I heard the ship is going in for a dry dock, and it makes sense with that size. Our cabin steward Maria was great. No problems with housekeeping at all. There were however issues with some passengers on our deck that kept clogging the toilets 3 nights in a row. After the 3rd night it seemed they has communicated what was to be put down the toilets and what wasn't. Guest services sent us chocolate covered strawberries, and a bottle of wine... and then the next night they sent us a cheese tray and wine, lol. We are mainly a fly by the seat of our pants type of family. We eat when we are hungry, and do stuff when we are bored. We aren't really reservation and timeline type of people. That being said we did go to Savor and we reserved a time at 5:30. We had prompt attentive service, and the food was good as well. We saw Rock of Ages for the 3rd time, loved it. We saw the Man From Mars, which was decent. We also saw another act which was mostly card tricks, and the guy bounce around in a purple balloon, which was funny. Over all that show was meh, but good if you had nothing else to do. The waterfront is my favorite spot on the ship to pull up a chair and read, or just watch the ocean go by. Spent many many hours here. This was our second time to Bermuda, and I just love the people and the atmosphere. I can't express enough how friendly and safe I feel Bermuda is. We visited the Aquarium and zoo, and Tobacco Bay on the first day followed by drinks at the Frog and Onion. We had a shortened stay due to Hurricane Jose, and Maria, so the second day we hung walked to the glass beach, and shopped at the dockyard, and visited the Commissioners house. After we left we visited O'sheehans. This is the only place on the ship after 3 cruises that has not improved in service. It is very slow on the sports bar side. and the restaurant side wasn't much better. I was hoping for the chicken pot pie, but it was off the menu.. boo. We tend to eat more in the garden cafe due to flexibility, and every day we found enough fresh food, and variety to keep us satisfied. Flavors were good, hearty. All in all a cruise is what you make it, and we enjoyed our time on the Breakaway very much. Within a week I have used our cruise next certificate to book the Escape, the Breakaways sister ship. Read Less

We sailed the Breakaway in Feb 2016 with our kids and then decided to take a cruise ourselves.. We picked Bermuda due to having 3 days on land so we thought it was a great mixture.. The seas were very rough in the beginning so there were many sick passengers. We planned ahead just in case and used the Patch for motion sickness which worked perfect. We splurged and stayed on the Spa level which gave us free access into the Thermal suites to use the Salt room, Sauna, steam room & thermal pools which was awesome since the main pool wasn't open while at sea due to wind and roughness. The heated lounge chairs they have were wonderful. We enjoyed time at the Spa this cruise and splurged for a massage which was wonderful- expensive but worth it especially since we had on-board credit. The Breakaway normally never disappoints (that is as long as you don't want a seat by the main pool or to use the main hot tubs). Even when we sailed with the kids this place was never accessible because there is such limited space around the pool area it's always packed and that's where they have the smoking area. The 2 bars they have located there are also packed don't go there for a drink you wait FOREVER!! There is plenty to do when on the ship for sure. Rock of Ages is the greatest show and I've seen it twice so far, The Cirque & dinner show is well worth it and very entertaining, The Atrium always has some great things going on. 24 Karat is a great duo to listen to they really get the crowd involved and know how to put on a show.. However the Atrium is also an area that is short on seating as people show up and reserve seats for entire families so lots of times there is no where to sit but if you're good with standing you'll always find a spot out of the way.. Food on-board was great. The Buffet is just that a buffet where everyone and their brother eats and if you hit it at the wrong time its CRAZY BUSY! They carry the normal dinner items you would think and have different themed food evenings. We only ate here for lunch & breakfast which seemed to be the best food (in my opinion). If you do any specialty dinning I highly recommend Moderno- EXCELLENT food & atmosphere. It was awesome to see the skewers of meat that they bring around to your table. And everything was so delicious. Cagney's serves a great pork chop which I opted for since I had a ton of red meat the night before & their Prime Rib & Porterhouse steak were mouth watering to look at. The Japanese Teppanyaki was so entertaining and very tasty. So for tips while in Bermuda- DON'T book an excursion to Horseshoe Bay through the boat crazy expensive and at the end of the pier they have mini buses that will take you to the beach drop you off for the day and another will take you back to the ship for $8 a person each way. Nicest people in the world and they tell you about the island on the way. We also bought tokens for the paid ferry to Hamilton and spent as much time there as we had wanted to. Caught the Ferry back and it was like $36 for 4 people round trip. They have a free ferry also but it takes and hour to get there where the paid ferry only takes 20 minutes. If you sit through one of the for lack of a better term lectures from Shannon the shopping guru on the ship she will give you great tips to save money!!!! So now for the Disappointments that we encountered this time. We had to leave Bermuda early on the captains decision, Didn't get to see all of the things we had on the list for Bermuda due to this which was SOOOO disappointing, pool was never open when @ sea, hot tubs were packed, when shopping the sales everyone is a vulture it's like they've never seen anything for $10 before, ice cream was extra $$. But that's about it.. Will I sail with Norwegian again ABSOLUTELY!!!! Read Less

Friends went on this cruise last year and had a good time so decided to go again this year and I tagged along. We were all disappointed. My first negative was immediately upon entering my cabin. There were no towels or drinking glasses. I opened up a cabinet and there was a pair of men's slippers. At 5:30 I asked for towels. When I got back into the room at 11:30 I still did not have towels or a drinking glass. My room steward would be knocking on my door late in the afternoon when I was in and getting ready to go out. On all other cruises I never had interaction with the steward unless I wanted him there. One night I told her I was going out for dinner at 9:00 and she could come back then and give me clean towels. She said "oh no, too late." My drinking glass was rarely replaced. Once I brought a glass of lemonade down and the cup was still there after she cleaned the next morning. I finally freaked one day and called housekeeping and told them they better get there immediately with a clean glass and take away the skanky dirty glass. The restaurants all seemed to use spice on everything. Steak, chicken .. even potato wedges. Everything had what was like a peppercorn rub. Except for the filet mignon at The Cagney. Delicious. I just wish that my sides were served at the same time and not over five minutes later. The worst dining experience was the Ocean Grill. We had a three "free" dining experience. All lobsters were overcooked, so was my steak. One diner didn't receive her clams, one did not receive her drink order. And the shrimp was NOT deveined! At the end we got our bill, with a $17 uptick!! We had to pay another $17 for rubber lobster and the worst service. I would never get the dining package again. Totally not worth it. The public restrooms were usually dirty, with one stall being out of order. Headliners, where I went to enjoy the Dueling Piano show, had the hardest chairs. I was hoping the room would be like I'm used to on cruise ships. Nice banquettes and soft chairs with tables for drinks. These were set up conference style. So uncomfortable. And how is it possible to NOT have stand up comics and only improv and sketch comedy? I paid $59 for the 300 mg plan which I was assured would last me for the little bit of internet I would be using. They don't tell you that you have to manually click off the internet when you are not using it. I lost all 300 mg during the first night. My only positive was that the bartenders were all attentive and it was easy to get a drink. Perhaps it is because there are so many bars. Maybe they could trade in a bar and put in a comfortable lounge for the dueling piano show or karaoke (NOT family). I was happy I paid the $99 for Vibe. Although the weather wasn't the best, we were able to use it most days and had a great experience. The bar staff and wait staff were amazing. This was my first experience with NCL. I would never cruise with them again and I will never recommend NCL. Read Less

We recently returned from our 7-day (9/17-9/24) Norwegian Cruise to Bermuda. We had a tremendous experience, except for my wife’s 2 days of sea-sickness. The Norwegian Breakaway ship is a fabulous vessel, it was extremely clean and very modernized. It has an unbelievable abundance of options in regards to dining, bars and entertainment. Our favorites were, Ocean Blue restaurant, Mixx Bar and Fat Cats Jazz & Blues Club. There is something for everyone to choose from to adequately enjoy themselves. A very special thank you must be sent to Mr. Robert our state room attendant, and to Gareth Jones the Casino Manager. We would like to thank you again for the tremendous service you provided during our trip. Your attention to detail was a byproduct of the enjoyable time we experienced on your cruise line. The cigar bar was my most anticipated room to enjoy, however, I was disappointed by the size and the exhaust system that is utilized, it was very underwhelming and we had to constantly open the door to relieve some of the smoke. Cigar smokers weren’t allowed to smoke on the outside deck with the cigarette smokers (but they could smoke in the cigar bar), hence we were regulated to the inside of the cigar bar. It would be great if the policy would change to allow cigars smoking outdoors as well or upgrade/fix the exhaust system. That being said, the group that gather daily was SUPER. It was a great bonding experience with such a diverse group, we even took a group picture and duly named ourselves “Men of the Leaf”. There were some serious weather concerns related to Hurricane “Jose” but the cruise line did an excellent job of keeping us abreast of the travel arrangements/routes. Our number of days spent in Bermuda were cut in half due to the captain deciding to leave early to adjust for “Jose”. That being said they did provide “Onboard Credits” for the inconvenience. Overall, l the trip on the Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Line was a tremendous experience…….. Read Less

My main complaint is that the captain announced that we would only spend 2 days in Bermuda instead of 3 days. He said that because of Hurricane Jose we would have to travel along the east side of Bermuda on the way back to avoid Jose. This was told to us on Tuesday morning. We traveled back along the east coast of Bermuda and the waters were smooth. No sign of Jose at all. There was an Carnival ship parked in back of us that did not leave early. We were given on sorts of explanations by Guest Services from it was the captain, it was corporate, to the Carnival ship was going to Los Angeles - it was going to Baltimore! I guess the rep didn't know you would have to go through the Panama Canal to get to LA. My guess is this was a money saving excuse from Norwegian's corporate headquarters. I doubt I will ever take another Norwegian cruise! Also, guest services people should be better informed. We were told only 2 bottles of liquor bought on the ship would be duty free. It is actually 7 bottles. We went to three speciality restaurants. The French restaurant was awful. I got what was on the menu as jumbo shrimp in a wine sauce. The shrimp were very small and tasted off. Cagney's filet mignon was delicious, but the sides didn't arrive with the platter and were cold. Ocean Blue was by far the nicest and most attentive. However, my lobster was overcooked. The Taste and Savor Restaurants were very ok. I could usually find only one item on the menu that I actually wanted to order. The TV stations were very limited. Mostly news stations - I'm on vacation! The balcony room we had was smaller than other cruise ships we have been on. They had two twin beds pushed together but didn't put anything in between the beds to connect them. I thought the gap was annoying. The balcony itself was really, really tiny. The entertainment I will say was really good. Burn and Floor and Rock of Ages were both fantastic. First time I was at Karoke and really enjoyed it. The Wine, the Musical show was entertaining, but I would not do it again. There was an upcharge of $29 for it and the food was not good. I had been on this same cruise two years ago and loved it enough to go back again. I can tell you after this experience Norwegian Cruise Lines is off my list! Read Less

We enjoy cruising but really love the destinations. I realize weather can be unpredictable and things change in order to keep the passengers safe. Safety first. Our stay in Bermuda was cut short by 24 hours because of the hurricanes???? All the weather maps we saw showed that our route would have been even further away from any remains of Hurricane Jose if we had left as scheduled the following day. Hurricane Maria was never even close. The other ship with us at the port stayed as scheduled with no problems. NCL profited from a full extra day of customer spending on board at shops, casinos, restaurants, bars, spa..... instead of cruisers spending their time and money on Bermuda. If the rumors are true, the captain receives a bonus for fuel savings. On our way to Bermuda we needed to take a very long route at a quick pace with large waves (22 foot waves, 40 plus knot winds) to avoid Hurricane Jose and get to Bermuda on schedule (Thank you to the Captain for getting us there promptly and safely). On our way back to NYC we took the normal route at a slow pace arriving nearby our destination far ahead of schedule but still waiting to dock at the normal time. Shame on NCL and the captain to seemingly put profit ahead of customer service. I feel cheated with multiple plans and opportunities cancelled and that overshadows many of the positive experiences. Read Less

I read many negative comments about this cruise prior to the sailing and I wasn't sure if I had made the right choice, but I can tell you i had a great time. Yes, some areas are more crowdy and some restaurant services are slower than the others but there are over 4000 people on the boat! The staffs are friendly and helpful and food was definitely better than other cruise lines. I highly recommend the Moderno, the Brazilian restaurant, the food was so delicious, especially the salad bar, the service was excellent and if you are seated by the window you can watch the sunset while dining. The steakhouse is located right next to Moderno but way more popular and the service was slower than the Moderno. If I go back to the steakhouse again I would make the reservation more toward the beginning of the week than the later of the week. The Mahattan dining room service was way more better than the Savor, where the wait time for the food was just too long. Teppanaki was very entertaining and the food was good but it can be little too noisy if you are going for a quiet dinner. I wouldn't go back to the Le Bistro because the food was just average and the service was almost none existent that I almost walked out. That's not what I expected of a French restaurant. Just to get a glass of wine took forever! I bought the unlimited spa package to relax but it wasn't quiet and relaxing as I expected. The noise from the jacuzzis and the people were just irritating. The hot stone seats are limited to thirty minutes and sometimes you have to wait just to find an empty one. I paid $200 extra! It's better to get one nice massage and save money. One more thing, I've been on four cruises prior to this one, and by far this embarkation and disembarkation process was the most quickiest one ever. My family got the call to leave the ship at 8:20 and we were in taxi by 8:50! Read Less

My fiancé and I always wanted to travel to Bermuda so we figured what would be the best way to try it out for the first time other than take a cruise. We chose the Breakaway because we love Norwegian and the larger ships that they have. We arrived at the port without a hitch and made our ways to the check in lines. As we got in line Norwegian’s computer system went down! Of course this wasn’t the best way to start the embarkation but at least we could see the ship. We wait in line for 2 hours before they finally got the system up and we were able to walk directly onto the ship. Once on the ship we noticed obvious similarities to the Getaway and Escape. We decided to go relax on the waterfront until our cabin was ready. Shortly after sitting down at the waterfront with our drinks the announcement was made that we could go to our rooms. Our cabin was 8126, a mini suite with a large balcony. This was our first time with a mini suite and large balcony, normally we just do the regular balcony cabins. We immediately noticed the size of the bathroom right away which made my fiancé very happy. We loved having the double sinks, which made it easier to get ready for dinner every night and loved the extra room in the shower. We had the large balcony which was very spacious, the only drawback I could see was the cabins above you could see about half of your balcony to the railing. Our room was always made up very promptly and turn down service was always done prior to us returning back to the room from a wonderful evening. We had the ultimate beverage package, specialty dining package and $150 obc when we booked the cruise. We always enjoy the beverage package and never had a problem with ordering our drinks the way we wanted them or with a certain number of drinks per day. Just remember that NCL doesn’t allow you to tip your bartender on the NCL receipt anymore. We learned this on our previous cruise on the Escape so we were prepared this time with about $50 worth of one dollar bills. We would tip the bartenders often for their great service or any server that provided great service. The dining package we had let us chose 3 nights of specialty dining at any of the restaurants that were listed as specialty. We chose Cagney’s, Moderno and Teppenyaki for our restaurants and spread them out to every other night. Every ship that we have been on, Cagney’s has been wonderful with great steaks and great service. The filet mignon was cooked exactly as we ordered and very tender. My fiancé loves Moderno the best because of the variety of food that you are offered from the time you enter to the time you leave. The salad bar that you’re offered to start with has plenty of options to choose from, even for picky eaters. Once you’re finished with your salad and you start the main course which consist of many different kinds of meat on a large metal skewer and several side times that are standard. They will bring out different kinds of beef that are prepared several different ways. This is also the same for the other items brought out which includes chicken, pork and lamb. Once you’re finished with the main course and you flip your card over to red, you will be brought a desert menu. We aren’t big desert eaters so we always choose the fruit plate if it’s offered. Our last specialty that we decided on was Teppenyaki Japanese, which is like many of the Japanese restaurants that you go to locally in your hometown. The atmosphere is very upbeat, loud and seating can be a little cramped sometimes. I’ve seen and heard complaints from people that don’t like the fact that their clothes smell when they leave the restaurant but you should understand that this will happen because the food is prepared directly in front of you. No different than using your grill at home and your clothes smelling because of that. We’ve always had a great time at Teppenyaki, enjoying the food and atmosphere. As for the other dining facilities that you have that are free, they all have something for someone. The Garden Buffet is what it says, a Buffet. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and have different ethnic foods during these times also along with traditional meal items. They also have a different food theme every night which will be in your freestyle daily to let you know what it is that night. If you looking for pub style food and food that you can get after midnight O’Sheehan’s is the place to go. They have a bar area that is separate from the dining area and you can also get ice cream from there, from milkshakes to banana splits. The main dining rooms are very good too, the menu changes daily and some of those will serve breakfast too. All of the dining room hours will be posted in the freestyle daily given to you every evening. The Breakaway does offer a lot of activities onboard to keep one busy everyday on board, especially when you have days at sea. I didn’t do the rope course or the water slide this go around since this was truly a relaxing cruise for us. We normally have family with us so this was nice to just sit back and relax and spend time on the balcony. We did catch the shows that were offered on the ship which were Rock of Ages and After Midnight. Rock of Ages incorporates a lot of 80s music and does have foul language used in a comedic way so I wouldn’t recommend bringing small children. We both loved Rock of Ages since we were 80s kids. After Midnight was also a great show, a lot different than Rock of Ages which is good in that you go from one end of the musical spectrum to another. If you love big band music you’ll love After Midnight. What makes the Breakaway great in my opinion is the staff. The staff on board has always gone out of their way to make us happy, whether it is our room steward bringing us more towels or a server in the main dining room bringing us a specialty drink very promptly. The ship does have a great layout and it will only take a whole day to get the layout down pat. I know that some people unfortunately have had a bad experience on board a NCL ship but I would definitely recommend given NCL another try. With anything especially cruising, the companies won’t be able to please everyone. I’ve sailed 8 times with NCL and haven’t had one problem with them. Read Less

First , I had brand new hard shell suitcases and the larger one I Checked came to my room and as I put it on the bed, there was 12 to 14” crack down the side. I took pictures of it and went to customer services on the 6th level,explained what happened and showed him the picture of my suitcase and he abruptly said it was not their problem and blew me off by calling next. I was extremely upset. I’ve taken Norwegian before, but this time wasn’t good. I was in studio room and service there was lousy... had to ask for glasses,ice and tissues. The last incident was the worst... I went to the Manhattan room,ordered prime rib and halfway through discovered a SCREW in my meat!!the waiter quickly took the dish to manager, she came over and apologized and wanted to give me another meal, but I told her no, I ate half and couldn’t eat another. She took my card and studied it so I figured she would send me something. Needless to say ,I got nothing. When I got home I sent a letter to Norwegian headquarters and for all my trouble, all they offered me was $100.00 off my next cruise!!!! Good for 1 year..... big deal. Well no thank you. I will use different cruise line that really cares about their customers. Just want to let people know. I belong to a widows group with 300 members and I will make sure to let my experience be known. Marion Roeland Read Less

We took this cruise since it was a "No-Fly" cruise for us. We had the restaurant option and we enjoyed the dining in Le Bistro, La Cucina and Teppanyaki. The food and menu choices were nice. My husband truly enjoyed the buffet. I wasn't happy however, with our room steward. He really didn't clean the room that well. I had been on Royal Caribbean and Carnival cruises before. This was my first Norwegian cruise. I was disappointed that I only received 3 animal towels and our room-steward only took the duster off the bed for the evening. He never turned the bed down or provided mints. I was used to this treatment on Royal Caribbean and Carnival cruises. I also felt teh entertainment was mediocre. Bermuda however, was beautiful! I truly enjoyed the island and the fact that we didn't have far to travel after we disembarkment. Due to a great deal to go to Alaska, we reluctantly booked another cruise with Norwegian. Read Less

My wife and I chose to take a much deserved vacation aboard the Norwegian Breakaway to Bermuda, and although we had previously sailed 10-14 times previously with Princess and Carnival, we were favorably impressed in general with our Norwegian experience. Norwegian is unique in offering the opportunity to pre-reseve dining, entertainment and shore excursions. By all means, we suggest that these be pre-reserved, as they save valuable time and minimize stress and pressure when you want to take in all the ship has to offer. We pre-reserved dinners at 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 pm on various days of our cruise and never had to stand in line for any of them! When we arrived on board, we used the Norwegian app on the cell phone to book Burn the Floor, Rock of Ages, and Howl at the Moon on dates and times that didn't conflict with dinner, and our cruise card was the admission "ticket" to the theater or lounge. We appreciated avoiding the pressure experienced on other cruise ships of having to get a seat 45 minutes before showtime... High tech a useful tool, and a great job, Norwegian! My wife and I were impressed with the authentic experience of the Manhattan Dining Room (truly a "1940's supper club experience" with a vocalist and dance floor during dinner, the full Irish menu and beer selection at O'Sheehans Irish Bar and Grill, and the unique "Waterfront" experience of Deck 8, offering outdoor seating and dining areas for specialty restaurants. We appreciated the contemporary arrangement of the Garden Cafe buffet and the wide selection of food. All food was consistently good, not exceptional, but very good.... With 4,000 people on board, we were pleased that accessing a chaise lounge was never a problem, especially with Spice H20, and deck space up forward on Deck 16-17. We did resent the pool towel rules- we were provided with complementary towels in the stateroom on Day 1, but we assumed that if we left the used wet towels in the stateroom bath at night, the steward would replace the pool towels with fresh ones. No way that happened! When they were not replenished, we had to go to the pool towel desk and sign our room number to get a new towel, and if we didn't return it to the towel desk, our account would be charged $25 for each towel not returned!!!! I can understand that folks stealing the towels and taking them home must be a problem, but come, on, Norwegian! At least allow stewards to replenish wet pool towels left in the stateroom! (Word to the wise, guard your towel as you would your wallet, and obtain a direct replacement at the pool desk before the complementary towel is "lost" so you're not on the hook for it!) We enjoyed our cruise not only because it round tripped New York, near where we live, but because it stayed 2 1/2 days in Bermuda. No pressure to hurry and see it all and get back before the ship left port, we could leisurely get on and off the boat, even walk around after dark if we chose. With Snorkel Park Beach 10 minutes walk from the pier, we could hop over for a quick swim with the tropical fish in 95 degree ocean water at any time, and the Hamilton ferry was only steps away. My wife commented that the Royal Naval Dockyard was perhaps the best cruise port dock for onshore activities she had been to. We took the Sunset Swizzle Shore Excursion Catamaran cruise our second night. The cat took us up and down the Great Sound and the guide was quite knowledgeable. The rum was wonderfully intoxicating, and seeing the Breakaway from a distance lit up in the darkness was memorable. Highly recommend the tour company! Our interior stateroom was a bit small compared to other cruise line interiors. There is no chair for the vanity, which is notable as the lack thereof increases floor space. We found using a room key to activate the lighting to be inconvenient when only one of us left the room (and the other in the dark). And the toilet flushing was "temperamental", mostly failing to work between 2-4 AM, and our steward and staff were not fully able to resolve the problem... We found the entertainment to be the best on any cruise ship we had been on. Burn the Floor, and Rock of Ages left nothing to be desired in comparison to Broadway equivalents- both were most professional and "high tech" experiences. Howl at the Moon and Second City in Headliners Bar were audience engaging, and the former was the most fun I can recall having on the last night of any cruise. What captivating personalities! Because my wife was a little under the weather, we were not able to do all we intended on this Bermuda journey. However, the dining, entertaining, and sense we were onboard a 4 Star hotel make it likely we will repeat the trip next year, (On the Norwegian Escape while the Breakaway is in Europe) Read Less

This was our third time on the Breakaway--2nd time on its NY Bermuda itinerary. Even though we know the ship, eaten in every restaurant, had a drink in every bar and seen every show...it was still fantastic. Part of the newness of this trip was the addition of another couple (wife's cousin and her husband) who had never been on a cruise before. Everything was new to them so it made the (re)experience that much better. We ate at Manhattan on the first day and then ate or way thru Moderno, Cagney's, Teppanyaki, Dinner at Cirque (the show was different than the last one we saw on the Epic and it was GREAT), and Le Bistro. Every meal was delicious and the wait staff were all "vacation heroes". Rock of Ages and Burn the Floor is still awesome. "The Mystery Man" or "Man From Mars"---depending on when you saw his show---was new for us and he was amazing (as was his wife!). The band at Fat Cats was really good, we enjoyed 24k in the Atrium a few nights. The 2nd City crew on this cruise was REALLY good. The Howl at the Moon crew was "ok"---we've seen better on this ship and the EPIC before. If I had to answer the "what would you improve" question...the only glitch on the entire cruise was the computer glitch they had at the port during embarkation (computers were down for a good hour+) so the check in lines got long and some people were a little bent out of shape (but not us!). Bar staff was great, the ship never felt crowded and you know it was a great cruise because our "first time cruising friends" ended up doing the Cruise Next and are already looking forward to another NCL cruise! Read Less

I traveled with my husband and adult daughter. This was our 4th cruise. We live in Toronto and choose cruises from ports where we can get by car. Also we love XL ships. Cabin initially was inside and I put a bid for balcony and got one on the same deck. Cabin has enough storage room and plenty of hangers. Before cruising read many reviews from very negative to very positive. The truth is in the middle. If you like to be next to pool you will be disappointed. We avoided that area. During this cruise we attended art auction, comedy (Second City was very good), shows Burn the Floor (in Theatre and in Manhattan Dining Room) - excellent, Rocks of Ages - very good. Our stewart John from Philippines was very efficient and fast. We had cocktails in the Ice Bar. Ticket includes two cocktails of your choice out of five in an ice glass which is placed in a plastic one. They give you gloves and poncho. The temperature inside is -9C (minus nine). You have 45 minutes to be there. We stayed there for 30 minutes and stayed longer that others from the group. Get dressed warmer than usual on the ship, put on socks and shoes, not flip-flops. On first and second day Bermuda we went on Horse Shoe beach using a shuttle bus from the port for $7 per person one way. Last day we walked around the area, visiting local shops and mall. There are no beach towels in the room. You get them after exiting the ship and drop them back when you return. On embarkation we had to wait longer time as they had computer issues. On the ship we were before noon. They let us live our staff in the cabin and we went for lunch to Garden Cafe on 15th deck aft. Disembarkation started earlier than scheduled and went very fast. Before 8 a.m. we were out of the terminal. Public washrooms/restrooms need a deep cleaning as you can feel smell. In general it is clean. Mobile application Norwegian iConcierge is not very helpful as it is not as interactive as on Carnival. Needs improvement. We put a deposit for our next cruise on Norwegian. They allow you to use your deposit on any cruise in next four years. Read Less

This was my second time on Breakaway to Bermuda. Enjoyed this cruise both times. Cabin steward Mario was excellent. Dined at Manhatten room, savor & Taste. All restaurants & service excellent. Saw Burn the Floor & Rock of Ages for a second time. Loved the music & performers. Booked horse back riding excursions & was not disappointed. Would definitely do it again. Had acupuncture & massage at the spa. Both experiences were first rate. I do wish the garden cafe was set up to flow more smoothly but that won't fix rude/ pushy passengers who wouldn't follow the directions anyway. The delay/ wait time for boarding the ship was exhausting & although word of mouth was there was a computer problem, it would have been nice to hear that information from staff present. We could not hear any announcements made at that time. Also announcements could not be heard in cabins while on the ship. Looking forward to my next cruise. Read Less

My friends raved about Norwegian's Bermuda Cruise, and this one definitely lived up to the rave reviews. Top Broadway quality shows, delicious food, and expert housekeeping services. Terrific value if you're avoiding flying, especially for residents from the NYC area. Leaving out of NY harbor with exceptional views is the best way to start off the trip. The only negative to speak of is that the ship was full to capacity, and there really isn't much quiet space except for your cabin. The "library" is a suitable quiet space, but since it's adjacent to the Atrium, it's rarely quiet. With only 1 port of call, i.e., Bermuda, it gave us ample time to explore the island. As for shore excursions, you get a better value by booking a tour with a local taxi driver or tour bus once you're on the island. It's more economical and you have more flexibility on departures and return time back to the ship. Yes, as a solo traveler, I would travel with Norwegian again. Read Less

My wife & I needed a quick get away and since we live on Long Island this was perfect. Bermuda is always lovely and although we took a chance booking for September with Hurricanes the week we left the weather was perfect! This was my first cruise on Norwegian To be fair, I'm a huge Celebrity Cruiser and am comparing NCL to Celebrity in this review. Unfortunately embarkation turned out to be a disaster. They claim they had computer issues and blamed it all on Hurricane Irma knocking out their servers in Miami. We arrive at 10:30 AM and was stuck on line for over an hour & half before we finally were able to check in. I shouldn't complain because it looked like thousands of people were waiting behind me. The ship is Big, Beautiful & Spotless! All the public restrooms were very clean with the exception of the pool deck ones. These should have an full time attendant in each restroom to keep up with the mess. I found the floors wet & disgusting and empty soap & paper towel dispensers at times. My cabin was very clean. NCL claims it's a mini suite but in all honesty it's no larger than a basic cabin on a Celebrity ship. I felt it's misleading to advertise as such. I can't imagine what a standard cabin must be like The bathroom was one of the nicest I've ever had, with a very large shower that had multiple spray heads with tremendous water pressure, a double trough like sink with 2 faucets and plenty of room to move around. I loved it! The balcony was the smallest I ever had, but I believe the designers decided to take the space to make larger bathrooms which for me was a good trade off. The hallways were also very narrow, barley able to fit a room cleaning cart, strollers or handicapped scooters. It gets bad when one is trying to pass. Again, I believe it's a trade off to squeeze in more cabins I was impressed by how many restaurants are on board. Although there are many 'complimentary" restaurants there were many more "specialty" restaurant for an additional cost. We bought 6 specialty dinners for the 7 day cruise. Again, comparing to Celebrity cruises I found the overall quality of the food in these specialty restaurants not as good by comparison. The only complimentary restaurant we ate at was O'Sheehan's Pub. The atmosphere looks great but the food was awful. My wife ordered an Artichoke dip appetizer that looked like it was reheated thickener with water and a few pieces of Artichoke added. It was tasteless! She also ordered Chicken Fajitas which was cold and tasteless as well. The chef should be ashamed of himself for serving that meal. My BBQ burger was better, but mostly BBQ sauce, I wouldn't recommend that restaurant. The Oceans View specialty restaurant is not only additional money, they charge another $35.00 for two surcharge on top of the specialty price to go there, plus if you order the Seafood Extravaganza thats an addition $40.00 more! I ordered Surf & Turf and the lobster was over cooked. The steak was delicious. I would not recommend this restaurant. We also went to La Cucina Italian restaurant. Very disappointing, the pasta was pasty and my wife's veal looked like a patty.. Olive Garden is better. We complained to the head waiter and he was very apologetic offering us another dinner on the house at any other restaurant. It never was received. The steak houses were very good, I would recommend any of them. Teppanyaki was an experience but when the chef was done it was obvious he was looking for a tip. No one had any cash on them and it felt awkward. If i had some cash, I would of given him an additional tip because he was very entertaining. The other two steak houses were Cagney's a typical NY style steak house & Moderno Churrascaria a Brazilian style that they keep coming around with skewers of beef. A large salad bar is included. All excellent choices. Entertainment: By far the best I've ever experienced on a cruise ship. The Burn the Floor & Rock of Ages shows left me exhausted watching! The cast & crew were phenomenal. There also is plenty of music through out the ship including a Jazz Club that we went to 4 times throughout the week. Overall the service was good, but we found a lack of enthusiasm through out the ship. It seemed a chore to get most crew to smile or even make a recommendation in the restaurants. They need to turn up the enthusiasm here to compete again with Celebrity. In regard to the drink package, we purchased Ultimate package that includes beers, mixed drinks and even some top shelf brands. However, bottled water, special coffees and even fresh squeezed OJ is not included. And you can't add it onto a package. Some cruise lines including Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Carnival allow passengers to bring on a case of water or 2 bottles of wine. Not the case with NCL. Another thing I didn't care for is the lounge chairs, they were very uncomfortable without a mattress and there are very little shaded areas outside to avoid the hot tropical sun. So, this is a review, and I'm pointing out things that stuck in my head. Would I go again? Yes. Overall its a Big Beautiful ship. The guests as a group are very diversified, from young families with kids, teens, newly weds, anniversary couples of all ages. (one couple was celebrating 64 years) and even a wedding on board. There's enough to do or just do nothing. I believe that NCL can really up the anti if they made some tweaks. Read Less

Was one of the best cruises we have taken. Great weather, food, staff, ship and beautiful island. Wait staff was great. Concierge was very help with dinner reservations and escorting us to dinner each night. Entertainment was good. Saw the dueling pianos and the second city. Had 2 of the best steaks i've eaten in years on the ship. One was in Cagney's and the other was out LeBistro. Haven pool area was just right with the two hot tubs. Fitness center was good for me and the spa suited my sister in-law just right. Getting on and off the ship couldn't be any better. I think we might have been one of the first on the ship and one of the first off of the ship. Felt sorry for all the people standing in line but I don't think we will ever give up the Haven experience again. Great ship. Read Less