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
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