This was the second part of our back to back cruise holiday, after doing a nine day Baltic cruise, unfortunately the bad weather continued. Tropical storm Leslie hung around the North Atlantic for over a month, with 40 knot winds and 3 to 5 metre swells making life on board uncomfortable on most days. We did make all of our ports on this cruise and we enjoyed good weather while in each of the cities and towns. However due to the high winds and rolling seas the outside decks were closed for 8 of the 10 sea days, so you had to find things to do inside the ship. The crew did their best putting on extra shows and events to keep people entertained and to be fair I was never bored. On our last day at sea we woke to flat seas and a warm breeze and everyone was outside doing everything they possibly could. On a few port days if you got back to the ship early you could go up to the pool deck and use the water slides, pool and spas and do the activities on the upper decks too. By all reports from experienced cruisers, the weather was most unusual for that time of year with one man commenting it was the roughest of his seven crossings. The captain and crew did a great job throughout the cruise and I was sure to tell them. Read Less

Transatlantic cruises are such a great value and this particular cruise visited 4 different ports after embarking in Copenhagen. Wonderful friendships are made during this 14 day cruise and we love the rest and relaxation during the final days of the cruise after some super excursions. Our best excursion was in Ponte Delgada and was arranged by Darlene through Cruise Critic.....be sure to check the excursions available with other Cruise Critic members for your trip....smaller groups, less expensive...lots of pluses over the excursions offered by the ship. We chose an outside cabin on deck 5 and were very pleased with it....lots of room, good location close to elevators and easy access when we left the ship and the various ports. The ship itself was very clean and the crew was wonderful. We wish we had taken advantage of the "free" drink package offered during our cruise. The hidden loophole is that you have to pay $280 for taxes and tips so it actually isn't "free". We aren't big drinkers so we passed. However, the cost of 2 average drinks on the ship averaged $22 which gets pricey on this long trip. Also didn't like the fact that you could earn free drinks in the casino with 1500 points....I reached the points and was told "only standard drinks....no kahlua and cream, no old fashioneds, no cosmos, etc.... house whiskey, vodka, gin with mixer only." Seemed rather "cheap" to me and a slap in the face. I'll avoid the casino next time. Read Less

This was our second cruise with Norwegian and overall our 35th cruise. We were interested in the transatlantic crossing and the 4 ports, as well as Copenhagen. We were very happy with Copenhagen and with the ports the ship visited. We always enjoy cruising, and find you can have a good time no matter what. We had plenty to eat and drink, we were entertained, and we had a relaxing time, so this was a good vacation. Having said that, we find some of the Norwegian practices could be better. So I will comment on the positives and the negatives below. Staff: Most of the staff on the ship are very friendly and cordial and have been well trained. They say good morning when you pass them and they look you in the eye and are very nice. These folks work an incredible amount of hours, seven days a week and we are very appreciative of their efforts. I am amazed at how hard they work, in order for us to have an enjoyable cruise, and the staff on the Breakaway generally did a good job for us and we are appreciative. Food: Breakfast always had a huge variety of everything any of us could want. The food was served at the right temperatures and everything was plentiful. They did have trouble keeping up with dish washing and ran out of cups, glasses and plates at times. Lunch was also fairly good. But the offerings are substandard for a large cruise line. (A made to order deli, taco bar and other enhancements would be nice.) Breakfast and lunch do not have adequate seating space in the buffet area. There is overflow seating near the pool, but when the temps are in the 40’s and 50’s, it’s not too appealing. Dinner was somewhat disappointing. Service was very slow in the Taste/Savor/Manhattan dining rooms. (I don’t feel they have enough staff here.) The food options seemed to be lower cost items. Items such as shrimp cocktail, fried shrimp, lobster, and crab were not offered. Salmon was served occasionally. Steaks were cheap cuts and not very desirable. There were plenty of choices, but many were not appealing to the six at our table. One reason for the slow service is the wait staff serves wine and adult beverages, in addition to food. I’ve not experienced this on other cruise lines. We did eat at the buffet one evening, and the food seemed similar to lunch. We did eat at Shanghai, the Noodle restaurant, and were very disappointed. Service was rushed and disorganized. Food came out in random orders. 2 dishes never arrived, and when we mentioned this, the server argued with us, instead of just getting it. We had planned to go twice, but did not go back. While we had plenty to eat, we feel Norwegian has focused so hard on 7 “specialty” restaurants that the “inclusive” restaurants have been reduced to a very basic experience without a focus on great service or quality food. If you want a decent steak or a good piece of fish on Norwegian, plan on spending $50 – 75 per person for a very nice meal, including additional gratuity. Entertainment: The best music act was “Shanti Lleone and the Guilty Pleasures”, who played instruments and made real music. The played a couple hours a night, on about half the nights we were onboard, at a room called Syd’s Pour House. They were great, if you like 70’s and 80’s rock and roll. Overall, entertainment was a mixed bag. The ship had several good entertainers, including 2 Comedians, a Magician, and a Comedic Juggler. The biggest issue on this ship is a lack of space for entertainment. Norwegian has dedicated too much space to “specialty” restaurants, which means revenue generation for the cruise line. We refuse to eat at the “specialty” restaurants, since we have already paid for food in our fare. On the entertainment side, the main theater holds about 6-700 guests at a show and is as impressive as a high school assembly hall. That’s pretty inadequate for a full ship of 4,000 passengers. So they make a big deal out of getting reservations for their “big” shows. Nothing but a marketing ploy to make people think they’re getting something special. I found the “big” shows disappointing and well below Broadway standards. “Rock of Ages” and “Burn the Floor” were big production shows, but were average at best. We went to see the “Adele” singer in the big theater. The theater was full 30 minutes before show time, so we were unable to see the show. Due to the size of the space, there were a lot of passengers who were left out. The Mersey Boys were pitiful singers and dancers. It just didn’t seem they practiced sufficiently. Roxy was a group of 4 singers straight from college Music Theater. They sang fine, but the act was disingenuous. The biggest entertainment negative was the lack of a live band to support the shows. All shows and most entertainment was supported with “karaoke style” background music that sounded like what you hear on an elevator. Some shows had a drummer and a couple of guitars, but it was just very disappointing music. The ship has a couple of small “theaters” (about 100-200 seats), and you can see some of the main theater acts at the smaller venues. The Atrium is a large open space spanning 3 floors, with a large screen. It’s used as a theater, because there is nowhere else to go. This space is terrible. People camp out on the limited seating and never have to leave. Movies, bingo, activities, future cruise sales and everything else is presented in the area, and it is very noisy. Just incredible poor planning and very disappointing for such a nice ship. Outdoor and other activities: The outdoor activities are great on this ship. We did the ropes course, the climbing wall and putt putt. But the weather was so poor, these activities were open for brief periods. Including the water slides, this ships has great amenities for the Caribbean, but not so good in the middle of the North Atlantic. The Outdoor activities were all free. Many of the activities offered each day have a fee associated with them, which is consistent with Norwegians approach. On most of the days we were sailing, the seas were very rough and the winds extremely strong. As a result, the ship moved about quite a bit. I never hold the cruise line accountable for poor weather. However, the communication about weather was incredibly poor. There was rarely a forecast on the TV for the next day. Many days there wasn’t a temperature reading. And the seas and the wind speed were shown the same day after day on the Navigation channel. It just seemed as though no one on the bridge had time to keep the info up to date or the passengers weren’t a high priority. Embarkation was well organized and went fairly well. When they announced boarding would start, they only had 3 wheel chairs, so my wife had to walk the length of the ship. Debarkation was very orderly and went well. Wheel chairs for the ports were never visible, so it didn’t seem they had any. Due to the issues we had with food, beverage and entertainment, Norwegian is not a cruise line we will use in the future. The quality of their product is substandard to other lines. On top of the above issues, Norwegian charges for everything. Bottled water of any sort is not allowed to be brought on Board at any time. Their “ultimate” beverage package is not ultimate. It does not include bottled water, flavored waters, canned sodas or even a $2 cup of Americano coffee, much less coffee drinks with alcohol. On top of it, they have the gull to charge gratuity on the retail price of the package, and then don’t have adequate bar and wait staff to serve their guests. I’m not sure where that “gratuity” goes. So this will be out last Norwegian cruise for a long while. I need to see improvements from other reviews before I would consider this line again. Read Less

Part of a group of two Australian couples, we were looking forward to this cruise as something a little different. (This is our 6th cruise) This was the second of a back-to-back cruise holiday. The first cruise also on the Breakaway (Russia & Scandinavia from Copenhagen) was fraught with problems so we were hoping for a better experience. Our planned 5pm departure came and went and at 5:20pm the Captain (who now elicits a groan from many who were on the previous cruise) announced that departure would be delayed a ‘few’ hours as a ‘couple’ of passengers were on a delayed flight from JFK airport. Simple enough. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Finally, at 10:10pm the ship set sail. Anecdotally, certainly not officially, it transpired that the ‘few’ passengers were in fact nearly 300! Apparently on a charter flight organised by Norwegian. Made more sense than a couple of passengers, like us, calling the ship and asking them to delay sailing as we should have arrived the day before but thought things always go to plan. Not. We arrived on time in Gothenburg, the sun shone, and all was well. A pretty city. Next stop Southampton. Be aware that you will probably have to handover your passports for entry into the UK the day prior – to UK officials. Like many, I’m not comfortable doing this but each country has their own visa and customs requirements. It’s not personal. The process was seamless and well-handled. Just check when you collect your passport after leaving UK waters that you have the correct one. Mistakes happen. Such experiences and challenges are part of the joy of travel to other countries whose laws and processes (like the language, customs, food and coffee) are different to your own. If you don’t like different, international travel might not be for you. Having said that, I wish NCL would learn how to make tea - tea bag in first with HOT water poured on top with cold MILK not cream/er. :) Southampton The day started out with a heavy fog – couldn’t see a thing on shore – but it cleared by late morning into a stunning day. For the first time jackets, jumpers and beanies could come off. The Titanic exhibition was fascinating and we spent more time there than expected. Lots of interactivity and information we had not heard before. Thankfully, no icebergs interrupted our Atlantic Crossing. The Old Town is an eclectic mix of buildings, including the remains of the original town wall, WWII bombed buildings, an original Tudor house (sadly closed on Fridays), old pubs, new houses, and businesses and medieval buildings mixed with (distressingly awful) architecture of the 60s and 70s. There is a modern shopping complex very close by if you need some extra clothes, etc. So much change to the world has emanated from the port of Southampton – trade, immigration, etc. An interesting day. BTW - we didn't get British pounds for the port, just used a travel money card. The port has free wifi (blocked by NCL when on the ship) – so the terminal was filled with passengers getting their fix of the internet, which is horrendously expensive on board (though it works very efficiently even in the middle of the Atlantic). Off to Ireland (Euros) One of the few tours we booked for this trip was for Cork – with About Cork Taxi Tours. Basically hiring a cabbie to take you to wherever you want. What did we want? I wanted to drive by the historic family home not far outside of Cork (Fermoy) and hubby wanted to have a Guinness in a local pub. Boy did we get what we paid for - and more! I highly recommend About Cork Taxi Tours! Other companies declined our request. We will be coming back to Ireland and using About Cork Taxi Tours again. Next up Ponta Delgada, Portugal (Euros) What a pretty place is Ponta Delgada. I’d heard of the Azores previously but had no idea where it was. I can see why it is a holiday place. We had the most perfect day to take a horse drawn carriage ride through the cobbled streets, have coffee on one of the many town squares (with a chocolate donut and Portuguese tart), visit the military museum, spend some Euros (it’s surprisingly cheap here). The weather improved and the layers of clothing and beanies are no longer necessary. At sea, many of the decks were regularly closed as the winds were high (three hurricanes surrounded us – but we were assured that there was no imminent danger.) Too cold for waterslides - but mini golf was fun. Last stop New York. What a wonderful town. We will be back! Cruise summary The ports were all wonderful (none were cancelled) and we enjoyed the experience of the crossing – though five days at sea is a bit long (our group learned to play Canasta). NCL did not provide sufficient variety of activities for the long sea days (particularly with the decks often closed). Many venues were not used or under-utilised and too many activities were in the Atrium (over-crowded, noisy and next to Customer Service and the iCafe). Many activities were just sales pitches. The ship did provide board-games on sea days which was great. The library is very small, as is the card room. The book exchange was a great idea. The port ‘historian’ on board needs presentation skills training. The dining choices are excellent (though don’t bother with the noodle bar – disorganised, and the advertised 24hr ribs at O'Sheehans did not exist). The buffet area is poorly laid out. The coffee (free and paid) is awful. The coffee in the room is ok. Stateroom was clean and well-cared for during our cruise. Our attendant was fantastic. The TV information on current and forecast temperature, sunrise, sunset, etc. was rarely up to date (despite the captain's advice) and the wave height was provided in mm (though we suspect someone mistakenly added the extra ‘m’). Stateroom TV viewing is limited with the same movies repeated endless. If you are into sports, there’s heaps available – especially soccer. There are also news channels. The Cruise Director should consider a career change – no sense of humour and hard to understand. The assistant Cruise Director ‘Shirley’ saved the day on many occasions. The shows we saw we very good but we couldn't understand why many of the 'big' events were not available during the 5 sea days. This was a repositioning cruise and last of the season, so we were expecting cold weather (it was very cold). There are a lot of time changes as you sail half-way around the world. Hardly surprising. You are on the open ocean folks - take a seasick pill morning and night to avoid spending extra time in bed. Easy peasy. The Breakaway is a lovely ship, however there are some curious design elements resulting in over-crowding in some areas, e.g. *the Atrium, the venue for many of the activities, is adjacent to Customer Service and the iCafe (both always busy and noisy). We avoided the area as much as we could. *cigar room doors open, and spread smoke, into the Maltings Bar area - joining the smoke blowing in from the outdoor smoking area. I'm sure ship board the experience would be better for families - in hot weather. It is also very oriented towards the USA market. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Sometimes NCL forget there are other nationalities and languages on board. Gratuities are high and there seem to be more onboard even if you pay in advance. Celebrity is still our favourite cruise line. Read Less

We chose this cruise based on the ports on the itinerary of this Transatlantic cruise. The only port which proved to be less than desirable was Gothenburg, Sweden. There just wasn’t much to see or do. The embarkation port of Copenhagen and the destination ports of Southampton, Cork, and Ponta Delgada were extremely enjoyable. Hamlet Tours in Copenhagen has a wonderful full day tour of many of the more interesting points of interest including a stop for lunch (not included in tour price). Check out their Grand Day Trip Around Copenhagen. You won’t be disappointed. Southampton is great as it provides the must see opportunities of Stonehedge and the Salisbury Cathedral. There is much to enjoy in seeing the countryside when in transit to those sites, as well. Cork, Ireland is a very special place. We thoroughly enjoyed a full day shore excursion provided by Paddywagon Tours. The tour encompassed a visit to Blarney Castle and the historic city of Cobh. It was great! Our guide was both informative and entertaining. Our last stop before the big float to New York was Ponta Delgado. The beauty of this place cannot be overstated. It is a must to go see the geothermal vents and Nissan Senhora da Paz which is a lovely chapel with a legend, stunningly beautiful views, and thousands of colorful hydrangeas. The Breakaway is easy to get around and has some great things to enjoy. The free dining choices are passable. O’Sheehan’s has great hours and a varied menu for any palate. The specialty restaurants are all worth a try. Jimmy Buffets Margaritavile is outstanding but only open for lunch. We felt Ocean Blue was not as good as we anticipated and would not recommend it. We, also, ate at Le Bistro, La Cucina, Moderno, and Cagney’s. Each provided very nice ambiance, great service, and the type of menu choices one would expect based on the specialty of the restaurant. We were both happy with our choices. There is plenty of entertainment on the Breakaway. We paid for the dinner show, Cirque Dreams and Jungle Fantasy. The cost is $39.99 for premium seating and $29.99 for standard seating. Whichever is booked, it is still imperative to get there early as seats are not assigned. Dinner comes with the show and was good but not great. The show more than made up for that. The set and costumes were imaginative and the performance entertaining. We, also, went to Burn the Floor. It is a free show based on dance. It, in our opinion, was just ok. There was no story line just dance to various musical genres. There was lots of energy on stage but beyond the dance moves it failed to engage us. A free show we thoroughly enjoyed was the Mersey Boys. They are a rock band. Very talented guys who have a repertoire encompassing Motown up through the rock of the 80s. The Casino aboard the Breakaway was disappointing to us. We like to play Blackjack and are experienced players who understand odds and smartest plays on hands dealt. We tried playing several times on different tables and got our clocks cleaned every time. I think we will avoid their casinos in the future. All in all this was a wonderfully memorable cruise. I would highly recommend it based on the livability of the ship and visitability of the ports. Read Less

If you are going to take a tranatlantic cruise, be prepared for it to be overwhelmingly older folks. They told us the average age for the guests was 63 years old. As far as the entertainment is concerned, we enjoyed it, but for every show the sound was 1) way too loud; and 2) poorly balanced, where the instrumentation was louder than the voices. I found the food to be above average. We tried four specialty restaurants (Moderno, Cagneys, Le Bistro, and La Cucina) all very good, and also ate at all three main dining room, the buffet (for most breakfasts and lunches) and O'Sheehans once. Activities were limited because so many of them were held in the Atruim, which has poor sound and poor seating for activities in such a large ship. Because of the wind outside, the pool, the ropes course, and the rock-wall were all closed almost the entire trip. Read Less

I am active, active, active onboard transAtlantic cruises and NCL keeps me busy with dance classes, cardio, origami, trivia games, mystery games, lectures, speakers, movies, NFL football games shown on the big screens (YIPPEE!!), audience participation events, the reading room's daily puzzles, art classes, the 24 hour freestyle food buffet, the rock climbing wall, the ropes course, bowling, the golf course, ping pong, basketball, the walking track, the gym. So much to do, I get worn OUT!! I do everything and wear myself out. And in doing all the activities, I accomplish my cruising goal of meeting folks from all over. The customer service desk and box office staff are always so helpful and friendly to me on NCL ships, I can't even begin to describe how they follow up on every little detail if I need them or make a call. One example is Renata printing out the NFL complete satellite TV schedule and having it sent to my room, knowing I love football. I have cruised NCL forever and have been a platinum member forever now and get all kinds of special gifts onboard. Stick with one cruise lines, folks, and build up your status. Pick one and stick with it, the one you like, there are many out there. Most of all, cut loose and have fun and don't be all stodgy and stiff. Loosen up. Read Less

We chose this transatlantic cruise mainly because of the ports offered. When we booked, Amsterdam was to be the first stop from Copenhagen. This was changed to Gothenburg, Sweden....very disappointing, but all the other ports remained the same. First the pros of this mega ship: Balcony cabin storage was plentiful Angle balcony was larger than others but due to wind and weather, we only used it one day Most of the staff was welcoming and happy We played games in Savor as outdoor decks were closed due to gale force winds and waves...cookies and water, coffee, and tea were available The bedding was comfortable but do not choose a bed by the closet...tight squeeze Balcony bathroom had plenty of storage space Cabin steward was excellent We liked the sinks for hand washing before entering the Garden Cafe Food was ample and good. It was better in the specialty restaurants but this came with a fee. Manhattan Room was good but service was erratic. At times we thought it was the training venue for new waiters. Size of ship handled huge waves very well...we were not seasick. Now the cons of this mega ship: You have to walk through the smoke filled casino...no other way. With outside areas closed due to weather, only three public decks for 4000 people...crowded. Staff who said "it's not my job". Staff who refused to clear tables in crowded buffet Arguing staff in Moderno in front of guests at breakfast. The theater layout causes claustrophobia...seating rows offer one way in and one way out...try to sit on an aisle. Embarkation from terminal 2 in Copenhagen required us to walk two blocks outside in wind and rain...no photos please. Being charged for juice at dinner in Manhattan, savor, and taste dining rooms Crowded and chaotic Garden Buffet...it was a jungle No donuts or popcorn No chapel Could not hear captains announcements if in cabin. Had to listen from doorway. All in all, we were satisfied with this cruise as the ports made it for us. We became platinum plus after this cruise, so we may sail on NCL again but NOT this ship. We prefer the Sun or Jade size. Read Less

Overall, the trip was fine, but I truly object to the mandatory daily "service charge" that supposedly pays gratuities to the people behind the scenes. I did some investigating and found out that the benefit they derive from that is PATHETIC and not nearly enough to tip and compensate the people that we interacted with on a daily basis. Furthermore, I have never been on a ship that had so many restaurants, activities and entertainment that cost extra money. The acoustics on the ship were terrible. The NOISE in the diningrooms and public areas was deafening, and the theater mic was entirely too loud. The ship was clean and the room stewards and waiters I encountered were wonderful, however it is abundently clear that NCL is focused on separating cruisers from more of their money. I would have put this comment on the email I received requesting a review, however after wasting my time filling out the first page ID section several times, was never able to access the page for the narrative. Read Less

To join my wife's sister and husband returning from St. Petersburg cruise. Comments from the four of us: 1. Poor on board Communications between captain and guests, infrequent and marginal information given 2. Terrible television selection, too much children's programming 3. Terrible movie selection, no program guide 4. Outdated television system, maps over 20 years old, navigation antiquated 5. Terrible weather information in dailies and television 6. Terrible port information on television 7. Vending machines onboard inoperable 8. Several gym machines inoperable 9. Inadequate floor space in gym for stretching 10. Terrible show reservations system 11. Needlessly long lines to get into shows 12. Poor crowd management and control 13. Deck numbers missing from dailies for shows and events 14. No deck information in elevators 15. Poor casino ventilation smells like smoke 16. Bowling and games should be free 17. Screws out of synchronization, shuddering entire trip 18. Not enough shows and variety during the day 19. Buffet food stations randomly opened or closed, staples missing like nuts or muffins 20. Siegal Tent food oversalted 21. Cruise Director difficult to understand 22. Activities poorly scheduled 23. Furniture and seating worn-out and uncomfortable 24. Terrible acoustics in Atrium Deck 6 25. Bathrooms well maintained for women , no soap in mens rooms 26. No quiet areas for reading or working 27. Maintenance work done during the daytime, peak eating hours, noisy 28. Loud explosion on Saturday early am and no explanation from the captain 29. Dining services too slow in Manhattan, +2 hours for dinner 30. Staff is not trained to provide satisfying answers to complaints 31. Officers walk in front of passengers 32. Alcohol pours very light in every bar 33. Laundry carts in Deck 9 hallway around the clock 34. Dedicated movie room needed and not Atrium 35. Lower rental movies charges 36. Bottled water should be part of drink card 37. Ship's directory on each floor 38. All entertainment rooms are too small for this size ship 39. Captain only important messages in rooms 40. Staff generally not trained in etiquette and right-of-way courtesy 41. Better hand sanitizer dispensers through out the ship 42. Buffet music too loud 43. Not all elevators announce floor numbers 44. Entertainment was good and varietal 45. Variety of food choices 46. No vegan/vegetarian menus 47. Breakfast in Manhattan was too short ending by 0930 48. Housekeeping staff is friendly and personable 49. Towels were good 50. Plenty of shelves in stateroom bathrooms 51. Better toiletries 52. Bar hours good but inconsistent service at tables 53. Jacuzzi temperature not warm enough 54. More variety of sports on television 55. NFL feed was appreciated 56. On/off boarding was good 57. Personal special diet assistance was good 58. Cruise Director tried to mollify disenchanted passengers 59. Pillows were old 60. Better distribution of comment cards through out the ship 61. Ship interior lighting was good 62. Well cleaned ship through out 63. Good selection of alcohol 64. Good number of deck chairs 65. More knowledgeable and enthusiastic lectures needed 66. Good gym programming 67. Poor pastries in buffet 68. Ice-cream flavors good 69. Corkage fee should be waived for first two bottles brought onboard 70. Chlorine smell around whirlpools 71. No bananas after 10 day 72. Poor graphics on monitor screens around the ship Read Less

Too many people and not enought things to do. The theater is way too small for the 4500 people. At 45 minutes before an open show, all seats are taken. So you miss most of them. You can get seats at the pay for view shows, but who can pay the fees they want to collect for them. It seems that everything inside has an steep added fee. Just like the airlines are now doing. Indoors only three decks are accesable for people and each only half are available for roaming. Very little indoor places to sit and read, so they use the all the dinning rooms for reading room when not in use. Try sitting on them for awhile Room service has a service charge of $7.95, so nobody are using it anymore, so the dining rooms are very crowded. The buffit dining room was geared for Asian and Spanish foods and was not the best grade of food. It was usually over cooked and dry. They used powered eggs, so don't order scrambled or omletts, only eggs over are real eggs The ship is too big and does not have the amenities to handle them Read Less

We decided to try a transatlantic cruise and we liked the ports. We also like Norwegian. The ship is big so there is a lot of walking, but laid out well. The crew was wonderful and we loved the fellow passengers. There was something for everyone. There were handicap people on the ship who seemed to get around okay. They have studios for singles with a special lounge. We particularly liked the bridge instructor who held lessons and playing duplicate every sea day. The food was great and the entertainment was fabulous! Some shows you had to pay for and the wait time was often almost an hour for good seats, but they were worth it. The food in the main dining rooms were repetitious, but the buffet and speciality restaurants were very good. We did a tour of the behind the scenes which was fascinating. They are environmentally far ahead of anything you can imagine. They even have as n incinerator. Amazing how they can keep up with all the laundry. The water was rough at times, but we did not miss any ports. We would love to take a cruise on this ship sgsin. Read Less

We chose this cruise to experience a Norwegian large ship, open cruising and a transatlantic experience. All were wonderful. We flew to Copenhagen Denmark a day early and had a full day to explore the city. Embarkation was smooth, painless and very quick. Probably the best embarkation experience I've had. The ship is just beautiful. Very easy to find your way around. And even though we were close to 4000 people it never seemed crowded......no long lines for meals or long waits, no crowded elevators. Our cabin was wonderful......plenty of space with more than enough storage space. Very decent sized bathroom. Wonderful shower with a door instead of a curtain and no wet floor. We enjoyed dining and having many choices of places to go. The food was delicious and service was impeccable. Our favorite place to eat was the Manhattan dining room. We went whenever we wanted to and never had a long wait. We liked the choice we were given as to whether we wanted just a table for 2 or we wanted to share. Nice to have a choice. The entertainment was fabulous especially Arvin and Emily in the Atrium.......they were fabulous. Our only problem was with our room steward. He didn't do a very good job keeping the bathroom clean and sometimes didn't leave clean towels and we only requested clean ones every other day. He also neglected to leave important information in our room in the evenings. The day before disembarkment he never left the information about luggage tags, schedules etc. We were kind of surprised. The ports and excursions were wonderful. We would definitely go again. As a matter of fact we are booked on the Escape in May for a Bermuda cruise. Read Less

Actually it was a YMT offer which they selected NCL not us. However, we chose it for combination of reasons: time of year, price, a cruise with bus trip in U.S. and ports of call were of interest. We were a little disappointed port changed from Amsterdam to Gothenburg but it was a lovely city and we enjoyed ourselves. Let me start with we have cruised 3x before so have a comparison, first time with NCL. Inside cabin SMALL no seating. Weather cool/cold windy so had to stay inside either your cabin or elsewhere. However, couldn't get a chair to sit, like in the Atrium people sat and didn't move ALL day. No extra seats to enjoy any of the programs NCL offered like games. Bar stools filled up early. Felt like vultures waiting for a seat. Layouts in some bars wasted space can add more tables and chairs. Our favorite bar was the Shakers Martini bar but again seating inadequate. Food in Manhattan Club excellent as was the service. Had a couple really great meals in the Garden Cafe Italian and Seafood nights. Other wise nothing in cafe really special some very good to some just OK. Lots of times we waited in lines for the comedy show then for the shows in the theater. Need to open sooner to be able to SIT DOWN. SERVERS very professional. We especially appreciated the attention from our Housekeeping personnel & Supervisor. EXCELLENT. Thank you for listening. Read Less

We thought it would be fun. We were not particularly impressed by the Breakaway and would not go on it again. There is not enough spaces available to get away to, because it was cold outside. We heard this from others as well. The best spots were always taken by those who got up very early in the morning and we could never sit by a window. The Atrium was too small to handle everything and all the people. The The noise volume was so high, that it took away from the experience. We would retreat to our room. I did not like to have to make a reservations for the entertainment in the theater, which compared to other NCL ships,was way too small. The whole ship was not user friendly compared to others in the fleet. The food in the specailty restaurants was excellent! The staff were excellent as well and professional. Read Less

We have cruised with Holland America, Celebrity and Princess mainly, once on Carnival (enough said). We have always wanted to try a transatlantic but were nervous about having a lot of sea days, however this one offered interesting ports and only 5 sea days prior to arrival in NYC. We flew to Copenhagen with a stopover in Iceland (amazing) and spent a day and a half exploring beautiful Copenhagen. We booked the cruise with 6 other friends and acquaintances about a year ago and received the drink package and specialty dining package as perks, along with OBC from the cruiseline. There was nothing 'free' about these perks - we had to pay gratuities on both packages upfront. We have had the drink package on Celebrity in the past and were not required to pay extra....in addition specialty coffees, fresh juices and bottled water were all included - not so on NCL. Embarkation was fine, there was a power failure for a bit that slowed things down but all in all everything went smoothly. We were impressed with our cabin, a mini suite on deck 10. The bathroom was large, balcony was tiny, bed not very comfortable and pillows rock hard. First impressions of the ship - huge but public areas too small for the number of passengers. It was difficult to get a drink at any bar as understaffing seemed the norm throughout. We had dinner in the Manhattan room the first and second nights, just 2 of us and we found it extremely noisy and dark, service very slow. Night 3 we dined with our friends there for the last time, service was extremely slow and not friendly at all. We also dined at Le Bistro (food okay to good, service surly), Teppanaki (great food, good service), Ocean Blu (excellent everything), La Cucina (food and service good), Cagneys (food generally good but not hot, husband had to send his raw prime rib back, service ok). We used the buffet for breakfast and lunch and found the food to be pretty good. We dined once at Savour with our friends and this was by far the worst experience - wine steward was positively surly and service SLOW. Six of us were done our entrees while 2 still waited for theirs! The remainder of our dinners onboard were at Taste where we found a lovely waitress (Melanie) and several other great staff. For the first time we were asked how our day was and advised of the chef's recommendations. On the whole, other than some standouts in specialty restaurants, food was ok to good, maybe 3 star. Food was often just barely warm, rarely hot. Entertainment was good, there was an Adele tribute singer who was fantastic, a quartet of young guys from England (Mersey Boys) was very good and an amazing violinist. On the whole we enjoyed the entertainment....what we did NOT enjoy was lining up an hour before the performance started in order to get in. Venues are much too small. This is not a great ship for cruising in cooler climates. Outer decks were often closed due to gale force winds and rough seas which meant everyone was trapped inside. It was very difficult to find a quiet place to read. I do not understand why there isn't a dedicated casino either; having to walk through deck 7 with slot machines clanging and playing annoying little tunes day after day is extremely irritating and I don't care what anyone says - there was always a smoke smell to the place. In room entertainment was a joke! Ten bucks to watch a movie??? I don't think so. Regular TV shows were intermittent with the exception of MSNBC, BBC News and Fox News....watch as much of those as you can stand. We found a lot of our fellow passengers to be unfriendly to downright confrontational. Being trapped inside with 4000 of your closest friends for days on end, fighting lineups could be the issue. The final straw for us was the last evening when we discovered we could not use our OBC from NCL towards our gratuities, as we have done with every other cruiseline we have sailed with. We were advised to remove gratuities from our account which speaks volumes about how the people in corporate value their staff. Very upsetting. We will not be cruising with NCL again. Read Less

We did the Transatlantic Cruise previously on a May sailing and enjoyed it. This cruise was less enjoyable than the previous cruise. Activities were held in the Atrium which did not have room enough for the 3000+ people on the ship. Service in the restaurants has declined. Dinners took 2 hours to complete. Meals that were served in the complementary dining rooms were very basic with no WOW meals or desserts being served. Reservations were needed for many of the shows and events on board. Cabin steward did not make up the rooms promptly. Shore excursions could not accommodate the number of people travelling on the ship. There were no comfortable seats anywhere on board. Disembarkation was very unorganized. No buses were available for transfer to the airports and we had to stand outside on a cold, windy day for over 2 hours. There was no Norwegian attendant to let you know where to go for your bus transfer. This experience will really make us rethink taking another NCL cruise. Read Less

The restaurants were very good especially the speciality group. Service at all venues and bars was friendly, prompt and well done. For port excursions, we were pleased with them all on this cruise and the ports we visited were ones we had not experienced before so that added to our enjoyment. The entertainment was quite good even though one show was not our cup of tea, but for other passengers it was. Our experience with service was good and all of our questions were answered and full of humour too. Our cabin met our expectations, was conveniently located and the cabin attendant was very good with her services and in responding to our few requests. We will travel with Norwegian again and have purchased Future Cruise Certificates to use for ourselves and for family members too. We found the overall experience was pleasing for us. The Captain always had the safety of the passengers and crew in mind when considering safety at sea due to weather conditions. That is and was very important to us. Read Less

This cruise was wonderful! I particularly enjoyed the “Freestyle” format. The venues provided everyone with a variety of options for dining. The Manhattan Room was my personal favorite. The staff was both pleasant and efficient. Entertainment on this beautiful shop was first rate. The “Adele” tribute was incredible. There was something for everyone to enjoy. Port stops, though short, were great. The excursions that I booked through NCL were both informative and well organized. I particularly enjoyed the excursion on the island of Sao Miguel in the Azores. It truly has to be one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Around every bend was a picture postcard view. My cabin (9720) was spacious with plenty of storage. My only criticism would be the lack of effort of our cabin steward. He could have been much more thorough. All in all this was a very pleasant vacation experience. It was my first Transatlantic crossing, and I would gladly do it again! This cruise on The Breakaway provided memories to last a lifetime. I look forward to sailing with NCL again. Read Less

This was the cruise for us!! Four stops in a transatlantic package!! Ideal! It was our first experience on a larger ship and it was a worthwhile experience. The facilities were luxurious and the ropes course was sprine tingling! Our cabin was perfect for us, not fancy but it had everything we needed including a surprising amount of storage space and the entertainment was outstanding! Totally top shelf! Cirque, Burn the Floor, Rock of Ages, Helen Ward-Jackson, Justino Zuppo all fantastic! The food was very good with lots of variety and the service was courteous, friendly and prompt. A new addition was a lecturer who briefed us on each of the destinations and tied the trip into a theme of American Immigration. Finally!! He was wonderfully informative. That said, I don’t believe we will choose a large ship again. The theater was too small to seat even half of the guests so that not everyone could see the shows. There were long queues for nearly everything, The fitness center had lots of machines and they were adequate.The trainers were knowledgeable, professional and friendly but the workout room was entirely too small to accommodate the number of people who wanted to attend morning stretch and abs classes. Many people were turned away. We had to be sure to arrive 15 minutes early for class to claim a slice of the floor and a mat. We did like the fact that a fitness pass was offered which allowed us to attend as many classes as we chose to attend for one price but there was an overwhelming sense that additional charges were a theme. There was no longer a shower or sauna in the gym. The only saunas or steam rooms were available at an additional cost in the spa which was beautiful but expensive and not our vibe. Read Less

When Norwegian changed the first port of call from Amsterdam to Gothenburg, Sweden I knew it was an omen. Embarkation was rainy with no cover for the very long walk to the ship. The ship's crew were not friendly and service was terrible. Food was mediocre at best. The Manhattan dining room served up food that was slightly warm and tasteless. The specialty dining rooms scored better but only on the food side. Service was certainly lacking. Our cabin was very spacious (mini suite mid ship) and the bathroom was the roomiest I have ever had on a cruiseship. The chairs throughout the entire ship were the most uncomfortable chairs ever. I guess Norwegian didn't want any loitering. Entertainment was quite good. In cabin TV was a boring loop of old movies and TV shows. If you wanted a movie, you paid for it. It seemed like every time you turned around, Norwegian was squeezing more money out of you. GOTHENBURG - why any cruise line would stop here is a mystery to me. There is nothing there. We were unable to walk on the pier and were forced to either stay on the ship, take one of their tours or pay $15 for a transfer to a city where there was nothing to do. The day before disembarkation, I found out that I couldn't use my onboard credits towards gratuities. This came as a surprise. There was no place they could point out in my documentation where it stated that. But they wouldn't budge. Not impressed. I am giving this cruise an AVERAGE rating although even that is a stretch. Read Less

Small embarkation area in Copenhagen, but things moved smoothly. Loved our large balcony when we could, but transatlantic sailings have a long way to go, so we were going fast. Lots of wind closed decks a lot, plus traveling between two hurricanes. Closing decks meant more time in our cabin, which was hard on our steward since he needed to straighten up! But Lawrence did a great job and let us do our thing. Cruise director was the best we have had in all of our cruises. Dan Dan was engaging, very natural, and really enjoyed what he was doing. He is also a great singer. Our best time onboard was the first night of Howl at the Moon. Other singers and comedians joined the musicians at the pianos and it was a fabulous party. A bit disappointed we arrived in the very early morning into NYC -- it would have been great to do a sunrise entry past Lady Liberty, but with the tides and bridges, it was what it was. Overall a great time. Read Less

To be fair we chose this cruise for the itinerary…not the ship. However, the ship was a big disappointment. The upper decks were closed for the vast majority of the cruise and there were no accommodations made even though there were 4000 people jammed in the lower decks. They have 3 main restaurants and they were almost never open at the same time. We utilized the “pay’ restaurants 6 times and they were great (as usual). The other restaurants were extremely slow. Our average meal was 1 and ½ hours. This includes breakfast. Several times our food was either wrong or didn’t show up at all. As for the entertainment, it was average. The Cirque Jungle Fantasy was very good. Many things were not working on the ship. The pool was drained and only available on the last 2 days. The spa hot tub was broken for 2 days and the spa therapy pool was broken for the last 5 days. The “ropes” course on the upper deck was closed for the majority of the cruise and, when it was to open, they would not open even one minute early. When they did and we “walked the plank” we found out that the camera was not working so….no photo opportunity. Overall the experience was poor to say the least. This is our 6th cruise with Norwegian and was our worst. Read Less

NCL Breakaway is a wonderful ship with a captain who is way to eager to close off access to outer decks. He closed the lower deck often with sunny skies and 15 mph wind. Our transatlantic cruise consisted of 8 sea days and only 2 days warranted closed decks. This may have been due to reduced staff who could not manage the chairs and cleaning duties. The food was very good and our wait staff was superb. The embarkation was not good. We were made to walk in the rain to terminal 2 which was 100 yards away from main terminal. Disembarkation was great. Did not like having to pay extra $15 per person for shuttle to main city stop at Gottenburg. This should have been included in the cost of cruise. The entertainment in the theater was 2 of the best shows ever. Every seat had a good view of the stage with great sound. Read Less

We made a mistake in booking a cruise on this ship. It was too big for our liking and had too many passengers (even though it was not full). Many activities, such as they were, were in the atrium where it was very difficult to find a seat. This class ship has no central elevator, meaning my partially disabled husband had to walk many extra steps every day. Even with reservations in the main dining room, there was a long line at peak dining times. The major productions in the theater required reservations; this was OK for us since I booked in advance, but others were not so fortunate. However, the "big show" in the theater, "Rock of Ages," was very disappointing. Rated 18-and-over, it was crude, offensive, and unsuitable for the senior citizens who made up the bulk of the passengers on this 2-week repositioning cruise. However, service was, as usual, excellent. Food in the dining rooms was usually very good. We had a premium dining package where food was generally excellent. The exception was La Cucina which was horrible. Our one excursion, to Bath, England, was excellent. The lecture series content was very good but the delivery could put you to sleep. Read Less