Norwegian Breakaway Review

CR 188

This is a review of a cruise on Norwegian Breakaway to the Caribbean in February 2015. The bottom line is that this was a very good cruise experience.

Breakaway is a very innovative ship. She was one of the first ships built to the new model of cruising in which guests not only have a number of quality choices about dining but also about entertainment. Thus, she is not only bigger in size than most other cruise ships, she is different in kind.

Built by Germany's Meyer Werft, Breakaway is a good quality ship. I was pleased to see that in the year since I was last on her, she has been well-maintained. No visible rust, worn carpets or furniture past its sell-by date.

In all, I have now been on Breakaway five times. Each has been a good experience.

The Itinerary - - This was a 12 day cruise from New York into the Caribbean. The ports of call were to include San Juan, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, St. Lucia, Barbados and St. Kitts. Thus, it was a good mix of the more popular Caribbean ports.

There is always the risk of encountering a storm sailing out of New York in the winter. I have done it many times but have only been in a few significant storms along the route from New York to the Caribbean. Indeed, only a week before this cruise, I sailed nearly the same route on Quantum of the Seas and the weather was fine throughout.

This time, we were not so lucky. Breakaway encountered a major storm off Cape Hatteras and the ship had to slow down to provide a more comfortable ride for her passengers. Still, the ship pitched and slammed. (Slamming is where the ship rises up and gets hit with another wave usually on the bottom causing a loud noise and vibration).

The movement of the ship did cause some guests to take to their cabins. However, most people continued out and about, which is always a testimonial to a ship's seakeeping ability.

I believe Queen Mary 2 has the best seakeeping qualities based upon her ability to remain stable in similar (and worse storms) as the one Breakaway encountered. While Breakaway does not rise to the same level, my general conclusion is that Breakaway handled the storm pretty well.

Because of the storm, Breakaway had to cancel her call in San Juan. Even running near full speed she could not get to San Juan in time to make a meaningful port call.

Here, I will pause to criticize Norwegian. At one time, the line prided itself in having some of the fastest cruise ships in service. Thus, when a Jewel-class ship such as Norwegian Gem encountered a storm while going up or down the east coast, it was able to slow up for the storm and then use her speed to keep to her schedule. Then there was a management change and those in a decisionmaking position could not see the point in fast cruise ships. They just seemed like an expensive luxury considering the seemingly ever increasing price of fuel. As a result, the Breakaway class ships do not have the speed of the Jewel class ships. On this voyage, we saw a consequence of that decision. With the recent significant decline in fuel prices, that decision seems even more misguided.

Once in the Caribbean, the weather was fine and the ship moved easily between ports.

Food - - I found that the food on Breakaway had improved significantly over last year. The new menus in the main dining rooms offered an interesting array of dishes. In addition, the chefs executed their task well.

On previous Breakaway cruises, I had never found a satisfying place to have lunch. The meals offered in the main dining rooms (Taste and Savor) at lunchtime are too much and personally, I do not like buffets which lets out the Garden Cafe. But now there is The Uptown Bar and Grill. It had a radical change of concept last fall. It now combines the attractive qualities of the Guy's Burger Joints on the Carnival ships with the Tuti salads of the Royal Caribbean ships. In other words, it is now made to order burgers and made to order salads. These were quite good and are only available in the afternoon. Come early if you want to get a seat as this is a very popular venue just through word of mouth.

Of the specialty restaurants, we visited La Cucina, Le Bistro, Cagney's and the Moderno. All were good but dining outdoors at Moderno on a warm Caribbean night was a great experience. The sea, the stars, the good-natured waiters bringing various tasty cuts of beef, pork, lamb and fish to the table all made for a tremendous atmosphere. In addition, I met a particularly congenial group of people on this cruise and so the after dinner conversation often lasted for hours. Despite this, the staff never attempted to hurry us or even hint that we should leave. A manifestation of the attitude of putting the customers first, which was common among the crew on Breakaway..

Service - - Breakaway was humming like a well-oiled machine. The staff knew what they were supposed to be doing and executed it well.

I also liked the fact that a pair of officers circulated through the Manhattan Room (one of the main dining rooms) each night asking guests whether they had any complaints and whether there was anything that the ship could do better. To me, this showed a real interest in the guests' opinions and in providing good service.

Entertainment - - The main shows on Breakaway have not changed since the ship entered service. Since I have seen Rock of Ages twice before, I decided not to go again. I was not impressed with Burn the Floor. The dancers performed well but the show lacked a theme to bind the various scenes together into a cohesive whole. One of the people that I went with said that she thought it had too much violence against women.

Also in the theater was a tribute to Frankie Valey and the Four Seasons called “Oh What A Night.”. This was very well done and the songs are natural crowd pleasers.

In addition to the shows in the theater, Breakaway has other entertainment in more club like settings. Of these, I particularly liked the Second City Comedy Troupe who did various scripted and improvised shows. They also did an improvisation workshop that I enjoyed participating in.

Breakaway's resident blues guitarist Slam Allen was not on this voyage. In his place was Charley Love and the Silky Smooth Band. They were good but I think Mr. Allen has more star quality.

Enrichment - - Norwegian does not place much emphasis on enrichment. On this voyage, there were no port lecturers or speakers talking about the ports or the history of the region.

Hypnotist Brenda Kaye gave several talks/shows and these drew large crowds to the theater thus showing that Norwegian's guests do appreciate speakers.

This week on Beyondships we have several new items about Breakaway. There is a photo feature showing Breakaway in the various ports she visited in the Caribbean. http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-breakaway-in-the-caribbean.html There is an interview with Hotel Director Prem Kainikkara and Cruise Director Julie Valeriote in which they talk about the cruise experience that they try to present on Breakaway. http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-breakaway-with-passion.html There is an article about Breakaway's single-occupancy cabins and her Solo Travelers program. http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-breakaway-sailing-solo.html We also have a review of the Uptown Bar and Grill. http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-breakaway-uptown-grill.html In addition, our menus page has been updated with current menus from the main dining rooms and the specialty restaurants on Breakaway. http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-breakaway-menus.html .  

Quantum of the Seas and the Revolution in Cruising

Quantum of the Seas is part of a revolution in cruising. For more than a decade, the watchword in the cruise industry has been “choice.” All of the lines have wanted to give guests more options with regard to what to do while aboard their ships. But, for the most part, the new options brought forward just embroidered the traditional model of cruising. Then, about five years ago, ships started to enter service that offered a new model of cruising with real choice. Quantum carries that model to a new level.

Under the traditional model of cruising, an evening on a cruise ship revolved around the two seatings in the dining room and the two shows in the ship's theater. There was not much choice. Each guest was assigned to one of the seatings for dinner and, as a practical matter, that dictated which of the two shows in the theater you attended. The evening was pretty well mapped out. Yes, you could sit in one of the bars and listen to the piano player instead of going to the show but the majority of the passengers went to the show in the theater after dinner.

Norwegian Cruise Line broke with the traditional model when it introduced Freestyle dining. Guests were no longer assigned a dining time or a table in the main dining room but could dine when and where they liked. Most of the other cruise lines followed suit with their own versions of flexible dining. Still, because the main entertainment offering onboard was the two shows in the ship's theater, your dining time had to be scheduled around the show times. Thus, the choices as to when and what to do were still somewhat limited.

Then, in late 2009, Royal Caribbean introduced Oasis of the Seas and a few months later Norwegian Cruise Line introduced Norwegian Epic. These two ships broke completely with the traditional model of cruising. They offered not only choice in dining but also choice in entertainment. The shows in the theater were no longer the only high quality entertainment option. Thus, under this new model of cruising, guests had real freedom to plan their evenings aboard ship.

Royal Caribbean subsequently refined its version of the new model with Allure of the Seas while Norwegian refined its version with Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway.

With Quantum, Royal has taken the new model even further. It has eliminated the main dining room altogether. In its place are five complimentary restaurants each with a different theme and menu. This is in addition to seven specialty restaurants where there is a cover charge. Thus, it is no longer a choice between dining in a general restaurant (i.e. a main dining room) or going to a specialty restaurant. In effect, the choice is now between an array of specialized restaurants some of which have a cover charge and some of which are complimentary. As a result, Quantum presents guests with a better set of choices.

Of course, there are practical limitations on this freedom of choice. If a couple of thousand people decide they want Asian food at 7 o'clock and descend upon a venue that has capacity for a few hundred, someone is not going to get what they wanted. To guard against such possibilities the lines that have implemented the new model of cruising encourage guests to make dining reservations just like they would on land. Some guests feel that this is an imposition on their freedom of choice but most appear to accept it.

It is disappointing that Quantum will only be based in the Port of New York – New Jersey for one brief season. Originally, Quantum was going to be Royal Caribbean's New York ship, replacing Explorer of the Seas in that role. But then Royal decided to commit the ship to developing the Chinese market and so Quantum will be leaving in the Spring 2015.

The reason this is disappointing is that another new model cruise ship is based in New York - - Norwegian Breakaway. Thus, Quantum and Breakaway would have been competing on a long term basis. It could only have been good for cruisers to have these two innovative cruise lines go head-to-head with their first tier ships. But then Quantum's sister, Anthem of the Seas, is scheduled to take up residence in this port in the Fall 2015 so perhaps the grand contest will take place afterall.

This week in Beyondships, we have a new profile section on Quantum of the Seas. http://beyondships.com/RCI-Quantum-Profile.html This includes a nine page photo tour and commentary, which takes you through the public rooms and open decks. http://beyondships.com/RCI-Quantum-Tour-1.html

Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Jewel - - Photos, video, reviews

This week the focus is on Norwegian Cruise Line.

First, I have a number of items from a recent weekend cruise that I did on Norwegian Breakaway. This was the ship's first short cruise since her inaugural cruises. It was also out of New York in the dead of winter. How would a ship with so many outdoor facilities cope with the winter weather. Our review is at http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-breakaway-weekend.html

One of the great things about sailing out of New York in winter is that darkness has usually fallen by the time the ship sails. On a clear, crisp night the lights of the city sparkle and the cruise down the river is an almost mystical voyage. Some video highlights are at http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-breakaway-night-sailing.html

Then we have added two reviews to our profile of Breakaway. The first looks at the Manhattan Room, which is not your run of the mill main dining room. http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-breakaway-barber-shop.html I also recount my experience getting a haircut on Breakaway. http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-breakaway-manhattan-room.html

In addition to the material on Breakaway, we have a photo feature http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-jewel-photo-essay-cozumel.html and a video of Norwegian Jewel arriving in Cozumel, Mexico. http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-jewel-cozumel-video.html In it, we see the ship underway and arriving at the pier.

 We are also hoping to have some new items relating to Norwegian Getaway's arrival in New York. Keep an eye on our what's new page. http://www.beyondships2.com/index.html

Photos of Carnival Glory; Videos of Carnival Glory and Norwegian Breakaway

After several years of being based in New York City for at least part of the year, Carnival Glory has moved on and has taken up year-round residence in Florida. During her time in New York, she provided many people enjoyable vacations to Eastern Canada and to the Bahamas.

In tribute to the Glory's New York years, we have a new photo essay and video showing Carnival Glory sailing from New York. In it, we see her passing such landmarks as the Statue of Liberty and passing under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. Then we see her sailing on the open sea.

The photo feature is at http://www.beyondships2.com/carnival-glory-photos-2.html and the video is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/carnival-glory-video.html

Glory's departure will not leave New York devoid of cruise ships. New York's newest resident cruise ship is Norwegian Breakaway. In a new video, we present her leaving the Manhattan Cruise Terminal (aka the Passenger Ship Terminal) and heading out to sea. She was off o n her first cruise to the Bahamas and it was a beautiful fall day.

The Norwegian Breakaway video is at http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-breakaway-nyc-video.html

Norwegian Breakaway at six months; Cruise destinations Fecamp and Etretat France

It has now been six months since Norwegian Breakaway entered service. She is one of the most innovative ships to debut in recent years so I decided to return and see how the ship was doing after half a year in service. After all, there is no guarantee that doing something different will make people like you.

Having sailed on Breakaway last June, we were not surprised to find that the ship is working out as well as Norwegian Cruise Line had hoped. People seem to like the ship. She offers a lot to do and the format of the cruise allows you a lot of choice in deciding what to do and when.

This is even more so than the other Norwegian ships, excepting Norwegian Epic, which was the forerunner of Breakaway. Under Norwegian's Freestyle system, you always had plenty of choice with regard to when and where to eat. However, the evening's entertainment centered around the shows in the theater as on other cruise ships. With Breakaway and Epic, you have several quality choices as to entertainment as well so the evening does not revolve around the show times in the main theater.

There are other innovations on Breakaway such as her outdoor promenade that has bars and restaurants on it. Another bold move was to station Breakaway year-round in New York rather than in Florida. Such ideas seem good but I was interested in finding out how they are being received by the cruising public. So we spoke with Breakaway's Hotel Director Hugo Vanosmael about Breakaway at six months. It is at http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-breakaway-six-months.html

To go along with this article, we have added a new photo essay of Breakaway sailing out of New York on her first Bahamas cruise. Fall days can be particularly good for photographing ships sailing from New York because there is less humidity and haze. The photo essay is at http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-breakaway-photos.html

Switching topics, we have added a new shore excursion experience to the Northern France section of Beyondships. http://www.beyondships3.com/northern-france-overview.html This one is about touring the Alabaster Coast region of Normandy. In particular, we stopped at Fecamp and Etretat.

In Fecamp, we went to the Benedictine Palace. This elaborate building was erected in the late 19^th century to house the factory that makes Benedictine liqueur. A visit takes you through the process of making the liqueur and there is an opportunity to taste some at the end. However, the Palace also houses a fine arts museum that focuses on Renaissance and Medieval art. Thus, a visit is more than the typical tasting experience that you have at most wineries and distilleries. The page on Fecamp is at http://www.beyondships3.com/france-alabaster-1.html

While the experience in Fecamp was enjoyable, the highlight was Etretat. Etretat is a popular resort town located by the sea. It lies in a depression in a coastline that is otherwise made up of vertical chalk cliffs that tower over the sea. You can climb up onto the cliffs or admire them from below on the stone-covered beach. Thus, if you like natural beauty and/or hiking, Etretat has much to offer.

For art lovers, this place is of special significance. The cliffs have been painted by many famous artists. However, they are best known from the numerous studies done by Claude Monet, the leader of the Impressionist movement. Signs indicate where Monet stood to make some of his paintings. Moreover, there has been little change to the area in the century or so since Monet did his paintings.

Our page on Etretat is at http://www.beyondships3.com/france-alabaster-2.html

If you are cruising to Northern France, you will probably call at Cherbourg or Le Harve. We have added a new cruise port page about these ports. http://www.beyondships3.com/northern-france-cruise-ports.html

Norwegian Breakaway Profile and Photo Tour

The reason why Norwegian Breakaway is an important ship tends to be obscured by her size, all of the new features aboard the ship, the Peter Max painting on her hull and by Norwegian Cruise Line's decision to base its new ship, not in Florida but rather in New York City. She is an important ship because she is a further refinement on a new model of cruising.

Traditionally, an evening on a passenger ship involved going to dinner and then a show in the ship's theater or show lounge. When you did these things was pretty much dictated by the cruise line. Everyone was assigned to one of two seatings in the main dining room. There were two shows each evening geared to the dinner times, i.e., a show for the early seating and a show for the late seating. All of this generally worked fine but there was not much freedom of choice.

Several years ago Norwegian Cruise Line put a deep crack in this model by dispensing with the assigned seatings in the main dining room and giving guests the option of coming to the dining room when they wanted. They also built an array of specialty restaurants on their ships so that guests did not have to go to the main dining room at all if they choose. Nearly all of the major cruise lines followed with their own flexible dining systems and by adding specialty restaurants to their ships.

While guests now had freedom of choice with regard to dining, their options with regard to entertainment remained somewhat limited. Although there was always a piano player in one of the bars or a band in one of the lounges, the big entertainment event of the evening remained the two shows in the main theater.

The first ship to break from this was Oasis of the Seas in late 2009. She was followed a few months later by Norwegian Epic and then by Oasis' sister ship Allure of the Seas. What these ships did was give guests quality entertainment alternatives. The show in the main theater was not the only entertainment event going on each evening. In addition, the shows in the various entertainment venues were repeated, usually at different times, over the course of the cruise so that a guest does not have to worry that if I don't see the show tonight, I'll never get to see it. Under this new model, guests have freedom of choice not only with regard to dining but also with regard to entertainment.

Norwegian Breakaway builds upon Norwegian Epic. Among the entertainment offerings are full productions of Broadway shows, a Cirque Dreams dinner theater, a comedy club featuring Second City, and blues concerts by recording artist Slam Allen. There are also the usual entertainment additions such as live music in the bars, films, game shows, karaoke and deck parties. Lots of choices.

Breakaway is not just a re-make of Epic. Most notably, she has an open outdoor promenade with restaurants and bars. This feature opens the ship up and works not only in port but surprisingly well at sea in the warm weather. Not to forget dining, Norwegian has added a new specialty restaurant, Ocean Blue, developed with Chef Geoffrey Zakarian. This is an upscale seafood restaurant that has the same New York sophistication as Chef Zakarian's venues in the City.

Thus, Norwegian Breakaway is not just another new cruise ship.

Our profile page for Breakaway, with menus, daily programs, deck plans and other information is at http://beyondships.com/NorwegianBreakaway.html

We also have a photo tour that takes you through the ship's public areas, open decks and accommodations. It is longer than most of our ship photo tours because there is so much to see on Breakaway. The photo tour begins at http://beyondships.com/NorwegianBreakaway-Tour-1.html

More next week on Breakaway.

Norwegian Jewel revisited

Norwegian Cruise Line is in the spotlight this week. Its new ship, Norwegian Breakaway, is coming to New York to take up residence. This is an exciting prospect as Breakaway appears to combine the innovativeness of Norwegian Epic with the quality of a Meyer Werft ship.

Norwegian has had two ships based in New York for some time now. With Breakaway's arrival, one of those ships, Norwegian Jewel, will be re-deployed to other itineraries.

However, as Jewel takes up her new life cruising to Alaska this summer and to the Caribbean from New Orleans and Houston this coming winter, we wanted to update and expand our coverage of the ship. http://beyondships.com/NCLJewel.html

To that end, we spoke with Hotel Director Hugo Vanosmael about the various dining options on Jewel. Freestyle dining is all about giving the guests options. So to help you make these choices, we have put together a dining guide to Norwegian Jewel. It is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-jewel-dining-guide.html

Along the same lines, we have updated our Norwegian Jewel menus page. This includes the new menu for Cagney's steakhouse. http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-jewel-menus.html

Jewel is a photogenic modern ship. With better than average speed, she also manages to get around. As a result, we have accumulated a number of good pictures of her in various ports in the Caribbean and The Bahamas this winter. These have been put together into a new photo essay. It is at http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-jewel-photo-essay.html