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Norwegian Breakaway

Cruise line Norwegian Cruise Line

• Miami (Florida)
• New York (NYC Manhattan-Brooklyn)
• Barcelona (Spain)
• New Orleans (Port NOLA Louisiana)
• Port Canaveral (Orlando, Florida)

Norwegian Breakaway current position

Norwegian Breakaway current location is at Caribbean Sea (coordinates 18.73134 N / -87.68693 W) cruising en route to COSTA MAYA^2C MEXICO. The AIS position was reported 4 hours ago.

Current itinerary of Norwegian Breakaway

Norwegian Breakaway current cruise is 7 days, round-trip Caribbean Harvest Caye, Cozumel Roatan , themed as "Easter". Prices start from USD 1049 (double occupancy rates). The itinerary starts on 31 Mar, 2024 and ends on 07 Apr, 2024 .

Specifications of Norwegian Breakaway

•   Itineraries
•   Review
•   Wiki

Norwegian Breakaway Itineraries

Norwegian breakaway review, review of norwegian breakaway.

The 2013-built Norwegian Breakaway cruise ship is the first of two Breakaway-class NCL liners, together with NCL Getaway , which debuted a year later. NCL Breakaway is the largest passenger ship ever to be homeported in New York City. The next (biggest class) Norwegian vessels are the new Breakaway-Plus ships Norwegian Escape (2015), Norwegian Joy (2017) and Norwegian Bliss (2018).

The vessel (IMO number 9606912) is currently Bahamas- flagged (MMSI 311050800) and registered in Nassau .

History - construction and ownership

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is a subsidiary company of the shipping corporation Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd (NCLH). NCL was founded in 1966, headquartered in Miami (Florida USA) and publicly traded (NASDAQ) company listed on NYSE ( NYC ). NCLH's major shareholders are the corporations Apollo Global Management (American), Genting Group (Malaysian) and TPG Capital (American). In 2017, the brand NCL had a worldwide cruise market share 8,7% (passengers) and 8,4% (revenue). NCLH (shipowner) owns the brands NCL , Oceania , and RSSC-Regent .

The 4000-passenger ship Norwegian Breakaway includes the best of what the current ships from the line give customers, like the exclusive Haven (Suite- and Villa-passengers only complex), calm spa and a plethora of dining options. People who decide to board this cruise ship will enjoy all that Freestyle Cruising has to offer while being on the vessel to the picturesque island of Bermuda. Remarkable cuisine, family fun, and daily entertainment, as well as wonderful staff and crew, that's what you could get.

Decks and Cabins

Norwegian Breakaway staterooms (2014 total, in 42 grades) include 1343 outside, 530 Inside, 59 Studios (single cabins). Most staterooms are sized 160-170 ft2 (15-16 m2). Balcony cabins are 998, Oceanviews 156, Inside 449. Wheelchair-accessible cabins are 42. The largest accommodations are The Haven Deluxe Owners Suites (740 ft2 / 70 m2, with wraparound terrace sized 190 ft2 / 18 m2).

The boat has 18 decks , of which 14 are passenger-accessible and 10 with cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

When it comes to dining on Norwegian Breakaway, Freestyle is the norm. It means guests can eat virtually when they want, where they want. This applies to the extra-fee dining, as well as included or free dining. Traditionalists enjoy the three "main dining rooms": The Manhattan and more-intimate Taste and Savor. Thanks to Norwegian's drive to improve all dining options in 2014, quality is generally good. Guests had complained about the declining quality, and NCL invested in improving on standards and new menu options. Healthy and vegetarian options are always available. One of Norwegian's greatest strengths is the vast range of dining venues. Passengers can try a French bistro, Italian trattoria, Asian Teppanyaki, Brazilian churrascaria, steakhouse, seafood restaurant, a raw bar, and a noodle bar. All specialty dining carries an 18% auto-gratuity.

Follows the complete list of Norwegian Breakaway restaurants and food bars.

• Savor Restaurant (282-seat forward Dining Room, complimentary)
• Taste Restaurant (282-seat forward Dining Room, complimentary, with Your Time dining)
• Le Bistro (114-seat French specialty dinner-only restaurant; reservations-only; US$20 cover charge)
• Teppanyaki (96-seat Japanese Hibachi specialty, reservations-only restaurant; US$25; open for Lunch and Dinner; features live cooking demonstrations)
• Manhattan Restaurant (632-seat aft Dining Room; NYC private club design; complimentary; Freestyle dining, Dinner only)
• O’Sheehan’s Neighbourhood Bar & Grill (285-seat sports bar, with 24-hour American cuisine - burgers, steaks, desserts; complimentary)
• Shanghai’s Noodle Bar (53-seat Asian cuisine complimentary restaurant inside O’Sheehan’s Pub area)
• Cagney’s Steakhouse (specialty dinner restaurant for prime steaks and gourmet seafood specialties; reservations-only, US$30 cover charge per person and free Kids Menu).
• Moderno Churrascaria (124-seat Brazilian steakhouse; reservations-only; US$20 per person cover charge; with outdoor seating waterfront area)
• La Cucina (168-seat Italian specialty restaurant; reservations-only, US$15 cover charge; with outdoor seating waterfront area)
• Ocean Blue (seafood specialty restaurant; reservations-only, US$39 per person cover charge. “Ocean Blue on the Waterfront” is the outdoor seating area)
• Raw Bar (10-seat seafood restaurant)
• Wasabi Sushi Bar (a la carte)
• Garden Cafe (complimentary buffet restaurant with various cuisine stations)
• Open-Air Garden Cafe (the outdoor extension of Garden Cafe restaurant; complimentary)
• Uptown Bar & Grill (complimentary casual restaurant by the Aqua Park).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

The Breakaway Theater hosts ship's most elaborate extravaganzas. It's where guests will find the Broadway-style musical productions "Rock of Ages" and "SIX", as well as the dance revue show "Burn the Floor".

The ship's 3-deck Atrium is Breakaway's activity center throughout the day with morning trivia, Nintendo U Dance 4 competition, cooking demonstrations, towel animal folding, dance classes, games. Elsewhere, other activities include seminars for detoxing, art auctions, wine tastings, bingo, international crew talent show, and solo travelers' meet and greets. The ship has a total of 9 jacuzzis and 3 pools. Entertainment options also include the NCL's FIREWORKS show (on each voyage), "Rock of Ages", "Cirque Dreams", "Illusionarium" (magicians show).

Additional amenities include: Complimentary 24-hr Room-Service, Supervised Kids Program ("NCL Kids"), Internet/WiFi Access, Laundry. NCL Breakaway tipping/gratuities (US$12 pp per day).

Follows the complete list of Norwegian Breakaway lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens, and adults.

• Breakaway Theatre (800-seat; features Broadway-style musical productions; two grand-shows per night). Ship's evening shows include the grand musical productions "Rock of Ages" and "SIX: The Musical" (British pop musical themed on Henry VIII’s 6 wives), as well as the dance revue show "Burn the Floor".
• Spiegel Tent (217-seat theatrical entertainment dining venue “Cirque Dreams & Dinner Jungle Fantasy”, with grand-style aerial acrobatics; surcharge $30-40 PP)
• Atrium (3-deck midship hub area - “678 Ocean Place”, with a big-size LED screen, dance area and live entertainment)
• Atrium Cafe & Bar (112-seat specialty tea & coffee bar)
• Headliners Comedy Club & Lounge (features “The Second City” comedy show and “Howl At The Moon” piano show)
• The Library; Card Room; Internet Cafe (24-hour)
• Mixx Bar (live piano music; pre-dinner cocktails); Bar 21; Maltings Beer & Whisky Bar; Prime Meridian Bar; Shaker’s Cocktail Bar; Humidor Cigar Bar & Lounge (smoking venue)
• Carlo’s Bake Shop (cakes, pastries, bakeries; cupcake classes)
• The Collection Art Gallery
• Breakaway Casino
• Bliss Ultra Lounge & Nightclub
• Dolce Gelato (Italian ice cream); Cakestand (cakes, pastries)
• SVEDKA Ice Bar (25-seat; with sculptures, glasses, and seats made of ice; room temperature is -8 degrees C/ 17 F)
• Boutiques (tax-duty free shops); Tradewinds (watches, jewelry, perfumes, handbags, alcohol, tobacco); Tides (gifts); Click (Photo Gallery & Shop)
• Waterfront Promenade (1320 ft/402 m long; open-air dining and entertainment venues)
• Studio Lounge (cruising solo guests-only venue)
• Splash Academy Club area (kids' programme for 6 months to 12 yo kids)
• Mandara Spa & Pulse Fitness complex (with 22 treatment rooms, pool, aerobics studio, and relaxation lounge)
• The Market Place (shopping alley)
• Aqua Park (3-deck, with two pools and 5 multi-level waterslides); Kid’s Aqua Park
• Spa & Fitness (Thermal Suite, Salt Room, Medi Spa, Beauty Salon, Barber Shop, fitness classes)
• Spice H2O (adults only; served by Breezeway Bar & Grill)
• Entourage Teen Centre (jukeboxes, table football, video arcades, teen disco)
• “The Haven” (Suite- and Villa-passengers only complex; consists of The Haven Courtyard, The Haven Restaurant, The Haven Lounge)
• Rock Climbing Wall; Jogging Track; Sports Complex (Spider Web - enclosed 24ft/7m tall kids' climbing wall with a spiral slide, Bungee Trampoline, 9-hole Mini Golf course, the largest at sea Ropes course, Zip Line, The Plank - 8ft/2,5m extending platform)
• Vibe Beach Club (adults only)
• Syd Norman's Pour House (American rock 'n' roll bar & lounge added during 2018 refurb and replacing 160-seat Fat Cats Jazz & Blues Club).

Itineraries

Norwegian Breakaway itinerary program is based on year-round roundtrip cruises from homeport NYC New York to Bermuda and Bahamas. In November 2018, the ship was repositioned to the Carribean and homeported in New Orleans (NOLA), making Breakaway NOLA's largest homeported liner ever. Departures are from Julia Street Cruise Terminal. The inaugural cruise departure was on November 11.

The new 7-day Western Caribbean cruise program includes 5-7-10-11-day roundtrips visiting Mexico (Cozumel, Costa Maya), Belize (Belize City, Harvest Caye Island), Grand Cayman, Jamaica (Ocho Rios).

In 2019-2020, NCL Breakaway cruise program is based on Florida departures from homeports Miami and Port Canaveral .

Norwegian Breakaway - user reviews and comments

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Other Norwegian Cruise Line cruise ships

• Norwegian Aqua
• Norwegian Bliss
• Norwegian Dawn
• Norwegian Encore
• Norwegian Epic
• Norwegian Escape
• Norwegian Gem
• Norwegian Getaway
• Norwegian Jade
• Norwegian Jewel
• Norwegian Joy
• Norwegian Pearl
• Norwegian Prima
• Norwegian Sky
• Norwegian Spirit
• Norwegian Star
• Norwegian Sun
• Norwegian Viva
• Pride of America

Norwegian Breakaway Wiki

Fun fact is that the ship's name was selected through a public contest (submitted by Kimberly Powell). The ship's Inaugural Cruise (Maiden Voyage) was on April 30, 2013. Ship's Godmothers are the "ROCKETTES" (from the NYC’s "Radio City Music Hall"). They were special guests on the ship's first 6 cruises, and since then - on the first sailing of every month.

Breakaway is the first of two Breakaway-class NCL ships. Her sister in the fleet is the NCL Getaway . The ship's interior design company contractors are Priestmangoode (UK) and Tillberg (Sweden). Hull art designer is Peter Max.

Breakaway's construction started on September 21, 2011. The vessel's name was announced on Sept 14, 2011. The first Bermuda cruise was on May 12, 2013. The first Transatlantic crossing (from Southampton  to  NYC New York ) was on April 30, 2013.

Breakaway is the biggest NYC homeported ship - leaving from New York City the whole year-round.

NCL Breakaway refurbishment 2018 review

The list of deckplan changes and works done during ship's drydock 2018 refurbishment (April 28 - May 8) at  Damen Shiprepair Brest (France)  included:

• fully refreshed public spaces (new flooring/carpeting, updated furniture)
• new carpeting in all staterooms
• added Syd Norman's Pour House (former "Fat Cats Jazz and Blues Club") - changed decor, new carpets, furniture, live performances of classic rock songs, an updated drink menu
• repair of shaft bearings and replacing slewing seals of the vessel's two ABB azipod thrusters (propulsion units). The operation required both propellers to be removed from the hull. Both bow thrusters were also dismantled and maintained. Both Fincantieri-made stabilizers were refitted. The hull was repainted.

Drydock 2018 was part of NCL's "Norwegian Edge" program for fleetwide upgrades (2-year project budgeted USD 400 million). Each drydock costs around USD 35-40 million.

Cruising on the Norwegian Breakaway

Last Updated on February 20, 2024 by Grant

In February 2023, Grant and I took our seventh cruise together, a seven-night Western Caribbean cruise on the Norwegian Breakaway . After seven cruises, all on different ships, we’ve definitely figured out what we like and don’t like. In this article, we’ll review the Norwegian Breakaway , including its layout and amenities.

When booking a cruise, we have primarily focused on the itinerary and dates to determine which cruise is right for us. Being teachers with limited days off, the dates we can travel are fairly restricted, so that tends to limit our options. Thus, we typically aren’t picky about what ship or cruise line. As long as we like the itinerary and can get to the ship’s departure port and back home within our break, we’ll book it.

As such, we have sailed with Norwegian, Royal Caribbean and Princess. While each cruise line has its strengths, we have found all three to be about the same in terms of service and overall operation. The biggest differences are the ship’s size and capacity, along with its layout and offerings in terms of restaurants, bars, activities and entertainment.

Honestly, though, we’ve never really focused on those things before booking a cruise. Our biggest takeaway from cruising on the Norwegian Breakawa y is that we shouldn’t ignore those things. So, let’s take a look at what the Breakaway offers and how that impacted our overall cruise experience.

(Disclaimer: When we link to places where you can buy our stuff or places we stayed, we are using special codes that earn us commissions on the sales at no additional cost to you. Please see our  Review Policy   for more information.)

On Board the Norwegian Breakaway

The Breakaway is now considered a mid-size cruise ship, with a gross tonnage of 145,655 and a guest capacity of 3,963 (double capacity). At its launch in April 2013, it was the ninth-largest cruise ship, by gross tonnage, in the world. With the move by the entire cruise industry to bigger ships, the Norwegian Breakaway is now only the 39th largest ship. 

Its sister ship, the Norwegian Getaw ay, is very similar in terms of size and layout, though they do have different features and amenities.

Highlights of the Breakaway include The Waterfront, a 1/4-mile oceanfront promenade that runs down both sides of the ship, along with several water slides and a ropes course with a zip line. 

Complimentary Dining

One reason we love cruising is the fantastic food that you are sure to overindulge in! In terms of complementary offerings, the Norwegian Breakaway includes three main dining rooms, two specialty restaurants and a buffet for all guests. 

Main Dining Rooms

The biggest dining room is The Manhattan Room, which spans the aft of Deck 7. Just above it, on Deck 6, are two smaller dining rooms, Taste and Savor, one on each side of the ship. Over the week, we dined in all three, with Taste and Savor being our favorites. Note: The Manhattan Room is only open for dinner while Taste and Savor are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

In terms of food, all three main dining rooms were fantastic. For us, The Manhattan Room just felt too busy and almost frantic at times. I suppose that is mostly due to the size difference between them. The Manhattan Room also tended to have a long wait, even when there was absolutely no wait for Taste or Savor. 

The other staple dining option on just about any cruise ship is the buffet, known as the Garden Cafe on the Norwegian Breakawa y. As we get older, we like the buffet less and less. Not because it’s bad, but because it is often crowded and noisy. We just don’t like fighting for a table and all the chaos.

We did get lunch from the buffet when we first got on the ship. Honestly, that was mainly because it’s where we were “funneled” and we didn’t realize the main dining room was actually open. We also grabbed a snack from the buffet one day.

As usual, the buffet offered a wide selection of salads, soups, entrees, burgers, pizza, and desserts. What we did have was good for a quick, basic meal. I certainly understand why families with kids (or other picky eaters) would prefer the buffet. It’s also great if you are in a hurry or just want a snack at an odd time.

Complimentary Specialty Dining

The complimentary specialty options are Shanghai’s Noodle Bar and O’Sheehan’s Bar & Grill. We do appreciate having these options at no additional fee. While we enjoy the main dining rooms, we also enjoy a change after several days. It’s nice to not have to pay extra for that!

We enjoyed both breakfast and lunch at O’Sheehan’s, which is a classic Irish pub. For breakfast, you can enjoy traditional American classics like eggs, omelets, French toast or pancakes. But, since we were headed to London in about six weeks, I couldn’t pass up the English Breakfast, which includes eggs, baked beans, grilled tomato, sautéed mushrooms and hash browns. 

Read more about our trip to London in Bonnie’s upcoming article.

For lunch, O’Sheehan’s offers traditional pub fare of burgers and sandwiches, along with a few appetizers, soups and salads. We found both the food and the service at O’Sheehan’s to be fantastic for both breakfast and lunch. 

Sadly, we never got to dine at the Noodle Bar, as it was extremely popular and always had a long wait. Honestly, though, it looked very crowded, so I’m not sure we would have enjoyed the atmosphere. If you are interested in dining here, plan on arriving early or having a bit of a wait.

Specialty Dining

The Norwegian Breakaway has nine specialty dining restaurants, plus a gelato shop and a bakery. Offerings include seafood, sushi, a raw bar, a steakhouse, a Brazilian churrascaria, plus Japanese, Italian and French restaurants. For something more casual, there is an American Diner near the pool. 

Two of these restaurants charge a flat cover fee while the others are a la carte pricing. While some people may balk at the idea of paying extra for food on a cruise, I understand it is necessary for specialty dining. With limited seating, the fee helps to ensure that the restaurants don’t get too busy. 

That said, I’m not a big fan of a la carte pricing, which seems to be what many are moving towards. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues. I suppose that as long as there are people willing to spend the money, the industry will continue the trend.

We had dinner at both Le Bistro, the French restaurant, and Moderno Churrascaria. 

I don’t think that Grant and I have ever eaten at a French restaurant. If we have, it was so long ago that we don’t remember it. So, we were thrilled to have that option on the Norwegian Breakaway .

Grant started with the escargot, which he really enjoyed. Personally, I am not a fan of the texture, but I could tell that it was well-seasoned and well-prepared. I opted to start with the mushroom soup, which was perfectly creamy but not too heavy. For our entrees, I had the Coq au Vin (braised chicken) and Grant went with a dual lamb dish. Both were expertly prepared and tasty.

Overall, we really enjoyed our dinner at Le Bistro. Both the food and service were fantastic. Really, our only complaint was that the wine list only included a couple of French wines offered by the glass that were within the price limit of the drink package. 

Moderno Chuscarria

We first dined at Moderno when we did an Alaska cruise with Grant’s family on the Norwegian Pearl in 2018. As you might guess, we enjoyed it so much that we decided to return on this cruise!

Read more about cruising Alaska aboard the Norwegian Pearl here.

The concept of a Brazilian churrascaria is fairly simple… think of it as a meat buffet that is brought to your table! 

Our meal started with a visit to the salad bar. Here, you can load up on salad, soup, bread and various vegetables, cheeses, and other charcuterie. Of course, the key is to try to not eat too much!

From there, servers bring around various types of meat including filet mignon, flank steak, top sirloin, chicken drumettes, bacon-wrapped chicken, lamb, pork, pork sausage and pork belly. We were each given a card with green and red sides to set on the table, indicating if we do or don’t want more food: green for more, red for hold off. Of course, sometimes you think you don’t want more until you see what it is they have! 

Again, everything was delicious and it was definitely a struggle to not overeat!

Technically, there are 15 different bars and lounges plus a Starbucks on the Norwegian Breakawa y. That includes a couple of private access or extra-fee bars. Still, there is a wide range of places to get a drink, as you might expect on any cruise ship. 

Perhaps the biggest downside of the Norwegian Breakaway for us was that we had difficulty finding a bar that offered the opportunity to escape from the crowd. I know that you pretty much just have to expect crowds on a cruise ship. But most ships also have one or two places where you can find a quiet spot to relax with a drink. That was pretty much non-existent on this ship. 

Still, we did find a few good places to get a drink. 

Our Favorite Indoor Bars

The Atrium Bar is located right in the middle of Deck 6 and is pretty much always open. It’s a great place to grab a drink as you are walking around or when catching a scheduled presentation or activity in the atrium. The bartenders here were some of the best, as you might expect.

Another favorite was the Prime Meridian Bar, located between Cagney’s Steakhouse and Moderno Churrascaria. That was a great place to grab a drink before (or after) dinner, even if you are dining elsewhere. Our biggest complaint was that they didn’t have a lot of seating other than right at the bar.

For a martini, we recommend Shaker’s Cocktail Bar, where you can get a classic gin or vodka martini or a wide range of specialty martinis. Surprisingly, Maltings Beer & Whiskey Bar did not have that extensive or unique of a menu. You could find the same whiskey offerings at most of the other bars. Still, it was a good place to get straight whiskey or a cocktail. 

Our biggest complaint about both Shaker’s and Maltings is that the seating area was quite small and they were open to the main corridor. That meant that they both were busy and loud most of the time. 

You’ll also find a bar at the casino, inside O’Sheehan’s, between Taste and Savor and inside a couple of the evening performance areas. 

Our Favorite Outdoor Bars

Much to our surprise, the outside bars tended to be a little less crowded and noisy, at least away from the pool. And, as easily as I burn, we tend to not spend a lot of time by the pool.

Along The Waterfront, you’ll find one outdoor bar on each side. We generally opted to go to whichever side was in the shade!

Our favorite of these was Syd Norman’s Pour House. The bartenders there seemed to have big personalities and really know how to entertain people. Unfortunately, the seating area was fairly small and not super comfortable. But, we did manage to find space to enjoy an amazing sunset one night! 

On the other side, the outdoor area of Shakers offered a little more seating and much more comfortable chairs and couches. It also was one of a few places where we could get a mojito, one of our favorite warm-weather cocktails! 

Skyy Vodka Ice Bar

I put the Ice Bar in its own category since it truly is special. For starters, you don’t find ice bars in many places and, certainly, not typically on a cruise ship. Additionally, it does have an additional cover charge. But, if you’ve never been to an ice bar, it is definitely worth the charge!

At the Skyy Vodka Ice Bar, you’ll find the entire bar made out of ice. Yes, that means it is housed inside a very large walk-in freezer which is kept at 17 degrees Fahrenheit. It features four specialty cocktails made with Skyy Vodka. As you might guess, that is all you can get at the bar, though there is one non-alcoholic option. Note: your cover charge includes two drinks. 

Entrance to the ice bar is at the bottom of each hour (5:30, 6:30, etc) in the evenings only. Stop by the host stand when it opens, around 5:00 each day, to reserve your spot. We found that some days and times were very crowded and other times not at all crowded. It really was very hit-or-miss. 

When we visited, we were actually the only people inside. That was kind of nice since it gave us the opportunity to take pictures and just enjoy the experience. But, it probably would have been more fun with more people. 

You’ll get a large poncho-like parka to wear inside. Of course, I was wearing a skirt and sandals, so my legs and toes were frozen by the time we left! Still, I handled the cold better than I thought I might. I suppose that the novelty and excitement helped to keep me warm for a while!

The Skyy Vodka Ice Bar is certainly unique and something that I would definitely encourage you to visit. But, it’s not going to be a place where you hang out often. 

Activities and Entertainment

One thing we have noticed out of all our cruises is that the cruise lines really do a good job of making sure the ship offers a good variety of activities on longer itineraries with multiple at-sea days. That certainly can be said for the Norwegian Breakaway .

You’ll find the usual variety of pools, hot tubs, spa, fitness center and basketball courts. But the Norwegian Breakaway also has several water slides and a ropes course. The water slides definitely looked as though they were geared toward kids, so we skipped those. But we did make a point to try out the ropes course.

Ropes Course

I will be the first to admit that I am not a fan of heights. Still, when it comes to zip-lining or similar activities, I usually do ok since I have a harness. I have to say, that really did not help much on this ropes course. Overall, it was just a terrifying experience for me. But, that is my own fear, not anything wrong with the course!

Indeed, the harness was perfectly secure. And the safety system that they have set up to keep you “attached” at all times works great while still giving you options of where you can go. There were a variety of challenges and obstacles that you could choose from, some easier than others. 

Still, being that high over the ship and the water was a bit too much for me. And, we did the course while in port. There is seriously no way I could have done that while sailing! Of course, we saw several kids on the course who were zipping through it without any hesitation. 

For young kids, they do have a very small ropes course that is only about one foot off the ground. That might have been more my speed!

Grant typically loves to spend time in a casino when cruising. We generally budget a certain amount and spread it out over three or four nights. If we walk away with any of that money, great. If not, we’ve made sure it is an amount that we are comfortable spending for a few nights of entertainment.

Unfortunately, that didn’t work out the way it usually does on this cruise. On the Norwegian Breakaway, the minimum bet for blackjack (Grant’s game of choice) was $15. That really just doesn’t go very far on our budget. In fact, with our budget, he only managed about 20-30 minutes of play one night. 

After that, it just wasn’t worth the money. That’s the thing for us – he never gambles if he isn’t prepared to lose everything that he starts with. On past ships, we have seen $5 or $10 minimum bets for blackjack, which is far more affordable. Honestly, based upon the number of empty tables in the casino with idle dealers, Norweigan might have priced themselves out of range of a lot of recreational gamblers.

So, instead of nightly gambling, Grant decided to enter a Blackjack Tournament on the last at-sea day. For just a $35 buy-in, he was able to participate in the tournament. Each round included six people with $2,000 worth of chips. The winner of each round advanced, with the top six earnings making the final round. 

Sadly, Grant did not win his round. But, he did have fun and it was nice to get more play out of $35 than he would have otherwise. Still, that was just one afternoon but it was also a lot more affordable for us than $15 bets and a lot of fun.

Other Things to Do

As usual, the ship generally had a good variety of scheduled programs and presentations on the at-sea days. I attended a martini tasting one day and Grant and I both participated in a Macallan scotch tasting another day. 

We also attended a presentation with the ship’s Captain, Engineer and Hotel Manager. This was a great opportunity to learn about the workings of the ship and what it takes to keep everything running smoothly. 

Grant also attended a presentation on upcoming Norwegian ships. In fact, that prompted us to go ahead and book our next cruise, which will be on the Norwegian Viva , a brand-new ship coming in July 2023.

Entertainment

I have to say, the entertainment on the Norwegian Breakaway was absolutely phenomenal. With several different small venues and the main theater, you are able to get a variety of nightly entertainment.

At Headliners (a small performance venue), you could find either a comedian or Howl at the Moon, a dueling piano show. We attended Howl at the Moon a few times over the week and enjoyed the show every time. The rotation of three performers kept things interesting. 

Another small venue is Syd Norman’s Pour House. Some nights they offered Karaoke while other nights were a performance such as Rock the Prom. Unfortunately, that venue was very small, and lines for shows formed well ahead of time, which we didn’t want to wait in. 

In the main theater, we saw Burn the Floor , a Broadway-inspired dance show, and Six , the Broadway show that tells the story of the six wives of Henry VIII. Both of these shows were absolutely amazing.

I know, ballroom dancing and a history lesson may not sound all that exciting. But, both performances were tremendous and hands-down entertaining. 

We opted for a balcony stateroom, which is our preferred type of room when cruising. Our room on the Norwegian Breakaway was fairly standard when compared to balcony rooms on other ships. In fact, it was a little bigger than our room on the Regal Princess .

Read more about our cruise aboard the Regal Princess here.

The room had a king-size bed with a sofa and a small desk area. What we did not like was that the closet was right next to the bed with very little space in between. This made getting to the closet very difficult. And, there was very little space outside of the closet to store anything. 

On the flip side, I think the bathroom was a little bigger than average. And we certainly had plenty of storage in the bathroom. 

The balcony was also fairly small, with barely enough room to sit in the chairs. We have found that balcony sizes can vary greatly, though – we’ve had some that were about the same size and others that were much larger. I think that just depends on the ship and the location of the room.

Overall Layout of the Norwegian Breakaway

Overall, the layout of the Norwegian Breakaway was fairly standard. It had the main shopping, dining, and entertaining areas on Decks 6, 7 and 8. Decks 14-18 housed the spa, pool, buffet, sports complex and other outdoor areas. 

We really enjoyed The Waterfront on each side and were surprised at how quiet that area was most of the time. That said, I think it made the inside area feel a bit more cramped. 

The majority of the indoor bars were right off the main corridor. It seemed that when trying to relax with a drink you constantly had the noise of people moving about and even from other bars or restaurants. 

A few of the restaurants and small performance venues had doors but most were just open to the walkway. Again, that just added to the noise and overall feeling of everything being busy.

I don’t know that there was anything specifically bad about the layout of the Norwegian Breakaway . For us, though, the number of people onboard combined with the layout definitely made the ship seem busy and chaotic most of the time. That said, our last cruise was less than 1/3 full following COVID, so that might be coloring our opinions a little. 

Norwegian Breakaway Itineraries

The Breakaway sails out of several different ports throughout the year. In the US, the ship sails from to the Caribbean from New Orleans and Miami. From New York, it sails to Canada and New England, along with Bermuda and several places in the Caribbean.

In Europe, the Breakaway sails to the Greek Isles and Italy from Rome and the Mediterranean from Barcelona or Venice.

As you can see, this ship offers many different options on itineraries from several different departure ports. These sailings change throughout the year and with the addition of new ships to the fleet.

Western Caribbean Cruise on the Norwegian Breakaway

The cruise we did was a seven-night cruise of the Western Caribbean from New Orleans. Our ports of call were Costa Maya , Harvest Caye (Norwegian’s private island in Belize), Roatan and Cozumel . We also had two at-sea days. 

This itinerary took us to two new ports, Harvest Caye and Roatan (also a new country for us!) and allowed a return to Costa Maya and Cozumel, which we had visited on the Regal Princess . We also really liked that the at-sea days were the first and last days of the cruise, allowing us to relax both at the beginning and end! The itinerary really was just about perfect for us.

We could have done basically the exact same cruise out of Miami. But, we chose to depart from New Orleans since we had never sailed from that port. Additionally, we were able to find inexpensive flights and take advantage of our promotional Southwest Companion Pass. 

What we failed to consider is that we were sailing out of New Orleans the weekend before Mardi Gras! Yep, even seasoned travelers make mistakes sometimes! That meant hotel prices were insanely high and getting to the ship took a bit of advance planning to avoid road closures due to parades. 

Finally, the cruise itself was absolutely packed since schools in New Orleans are out that week. We know this definitely played a large part in how we felt about the ship’s layout.

Read more about visiting New Orleans here.

That was, perhaps, the biggest downfall of the Norwegian Breakaway . For us, its capacity is just too large compared to the ship’s size and layout. We know to expect crowds on a cruise. But there almost always is a place where you can escape the crowd, other than your stateroom. That really wasn’t the case on the Norwegian Breakaway .

Final Thoughts on the Norwegian Breakaway

Overall, we really did enjoy our Western Caribbean cruise on the Norwegian Breakaway . The itinerary really was just about perfect. Our stateroom was comfortable. There are plenty of activities and things to do on the ship.

I don’t know if I can say that the food and service were the best I’ve ever had on a cruise ship but they certainly weren’t bad. There were a wide variety of restaurants, even if most of them carried an additional charge. 

While we didn’t find the perfect bar for us, that really is because we are fairly specific in what we prefer. And none of the bars were necessarily bad. I think what was most disappointing in terms of the bars was the lack of variety. It seemed as though most of them offered the exact same thing with only a few minor specialties. 

The biggest takeaway for us was to really compare the capacity of the ship with its size. When Grant attended the presentation on the upcoming Norwegian ships, the capacity-to-size ratio really sunk in. In fact, hearing that the Norwegian Viva will be about the same size as the Breakaway but with about 75% of the capacity really sold us on that ship. We are very much looking forward to a Southern Caribbean cruise in February 2025 on the Viva , especially since our friends Dave and Jen will be joining us!

I definitely think we would have enjoyed Norwegian Breakaway more if our cruise had been less crowded. But, that’s just part of the experience. We’ve definitely learned that even with the same itinerary, the ship will make a difference so it is not something to ignore.

Travel Resources

What do you use to find a flight.

We use Skyscanner to find deals on flights. Skyscanner has a great interface and compares tons of airlines for the best pricing and routing. That said, it does not always have every airline and some airlines will have better deals on their website. Still, Skyscanner is a great place to start. Click here to search for a flight.

What do you use to find a hotel?

We typically stay at Hilton properties , so we use the Hilton website . You can find good Hilton Honors discounts or AAA discounts for a hotel there. We make great use of our free night certificates from our Hilton Honors American Express. Click here to book a Hilton property.

If there are no Hilton properties available, we use TripAdvisor to read reviews and book the hotel. We find we can get the best price that way. Click here to search for a hotel.

We recently partnered with Stay22 to add interactive maps to each of our destination posts. This will allow you to see a plethora of hotels and vacation rentals all in one responsive map of the area.

What if I need more space than I can get at a hotel?

We use Vrbo for the times when we have rented a cabin for a weekend getaway, like this cabin in Townsend, TN , or needed to rent a house for a large family vacation. We had a great experience with them in terms of refunding deposits when COVID hit and will continue to use them. Click here to search for a vacation rental.

Who do you use for rental cars?

As a general rule, we book with Hertz for rental cars. We have had nothing but good experiences with them. Plus, we really like unlimited mileage and not worrying about crossing state lines. We have even rented from Hertz overseas in both Slovenia and Croatia . Click here to book a rental car.

How about booking a cruise?

We have found some amazing prices for booking a cruise through Cruise Direct . We have saved a lot of money on our cruises compared to what we found elsewhere, making a last-minute Bahamas cruise even cheaper. Click here to book a cruise.

What if I want to rent an RV?

We highly recommend Outdoorsy for RV rentals. We rented a camper van for a week to visit Rocky Mountain National Park for the elk rut and Custer State Park for the Buffalo Round-Up and had a blast. The program was easy to use and we really enjoyed the freedom of having a camper van for that trip. Click here to rent an RV.

What do you use for booking tours?

We don’t often book tours. Typically, we like to do stuff on our own. That said, there are some experiences you can’t have any other way. So, when we do want to book a tour, we always check Viator first. Click here to book a tour.

Do you use anything to get discounts on the road?

We make extensive use of both Good Sam and AAA on the road. Good Sam is normally regarded as a discount card for RVers at campgrounds and Camping World but anyone can use the 5 cents off a gallon at the pump at both Pilot and Flying J. Click here to get a Good Sam membership. We have had AAA as long as we have been married and it has more than paid for itself in discounts at hotels, aside from the peace of mind of having roadside assistance. Add in paper maps and the ability to get an international driver’s license and it is more than worth it for any traveler out there. Click here to get a AAA membership.

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Norwegian Cruise Line passengers were stranded on a small African island after missing a deadline to re-embark

• A couple says they were stranded on an island after missing their cruise ship's boarding time.
• They were on a tour of São Tomé and Príncipe with six others, per US local media. It overran.
• The stranded group flew to Gambia on Sunday, hoping to catch the ship at another port.

A couple says they were stranded on a small African island after they missed a cruise ship 's boarding deadline, according to local media.

Jay and Jill Campbell, from Garden City, South Carolina, described their ordeal with a Norwegian Cruise Line ship in an interview with WPDE, their local ABC affiliate.

Norwegian confirmed to Business Insider that they were denied boarding, saying it was their responsibility to be on time.

The Campbells said they were frequent cruisers, embarking on Norwegian Dawn on March 20 for their third voyage with the cruise line in a year.

However, an excursion last Wednesday with six other people to São Tomé and Príncipe , an island nation of some 220,000 people off West Africa, took an unfortunate turn.

The couple says the tour overran, and its operator informed the captain that eight passengers were running late.

They were refused entry to the ship upon their return, according to WPDE, even though they could still see the ship from the shore.

The ship was anchored, Jay Campbell said, but the captain refused to let them board despite repeated calls and emails by the passengers to the ship and the cruise line's emergency hotline.

The São Tomé and Príncipe Coast Guard even took the passengers to the ship, but they weren't able to get on and had to turn back, WPDE reported.

In total, WPDE said that nine passengers were not allowed to reenter the ship, including four elderly people and one person who is a paraplegic.

The Campbells told the news outlet that the ninth passenger was late for another reason — an 80-year-old woman who got a concussion on the island and was hospitalized there.

Most of the stranded passengers didn't have their medication or working credit cards, WPDE said.

The Campbells, who had a working card, said they covered $5,000 worth of expenses for the group in food, toiletries, and hotel bills.

"We have never had an experience like this before," Jill Campbell told WPDE.

The Norwegian Cruise Line said in a statement provided to BI by email that eight guests on the tour missed the last tender back to the vessel.

The cruise line said the passengers missed the "all aboard time of 3 p.m. local time." It said it was a "very unfortunate situation" but that passengers were responsible for being on time.

It added that the deadline to return was "communicated broadly" over the ship's intercom, in printed communications, and on posts shown at the exits of the ship.

The elderly passenger who was concussed was returned to the US, where she has made a "safe return," a spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Line said.

According to WPDE, the group flew to Gambia on Sunday, hoping to rejoin the ship at another port.

A spokesperson for the cruise line said that the ship could not safely dock in Gambia due to adverse weather conditions, adding that efforts are being made for the guests to rejoin the ship in Senegal on Tuesday.

Though cruise ships need to stay punctual, ruined-vacation stories like this are a reputational risk and might put people off.

For instance, two MSC Splendida passengers were stranded last summer at an Italian port after arriving too late for departure.

A TikTok video showed the couple waving and begging the crew to wait for them, even though the gangway appeared to have already been removed.

Other passengers may face the stress of becoming stranded in remote locations through no fault of their own. Last September, more than 200 people got stuck in a remote part of Greenland after their cruise ship ran aground.

And last November, passengers were stranded at a Brisbane port after a Royal Caribbean ship was overbooked.

If you enjoyed this story, be sure to follow Business Insider on Microsoft Start.

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NORWEGIAN BREAKAWAY

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