Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Review

I meant to write and publish this in late September after returning from our trip. Unfortunately, I had sustained an injury during the course of the trip which put me out of commission for a bit on return. So writing hasn't exactly been the first thing on my mind upon coming home.

However, I still don't think it's too late to critique the cruise that my husband and I took to celebrate our honeymoon. We sailed with Norwegian on their Breakaway ship. My husband is a seasoned traveler when it comes to cruises. Me, however, this was my first time. This was definitely a good introduction to cruising for me.

We went on a 7-day trip starting in New York City, and going up the New England coast and into parts of Canada (New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, to be precise) before making our way back to New York City.

Both my husband and I were not feeling 100% during this trip, due to my aforementioned injury and him coming down with a slight sinus infection just before the trip. But we still managed to enjoy it. A big part of the enjoyment came, not only from exploring the ports, but also from the hospitality and friendly vibe the entire ship had.

Here are my thoughts on the vacation, and whether or not I think it's the type of cruise worth taking.

Staff

Norwegian, funnily enough, is based in the US. However, it sails all over the world. So as you can expect, the workers come from various cultural and ethnic backgrounds. It's really cool getting to speak to people from all over the world on a daily basis during the trip. I lived in Asia for a year, and the thing I missed most about the US was the cultural diversity. So this was an aspect of the trip that I particularly enjoyed.

Apart from the cultural diversity of the staff, there was something else that impressed me immensely. Everyone on the team was always so upbeat and friendly. No one ever seemed exhausted or worn down despite having to serve thousands of people--some of which were probably not always the most pleasant--with a smile. I guess this is why I never fared well in customer service, I'm bad at hiding how annoyed and burned out I am. So when I see people who work similar jobs as I have who seem to be enjoying themselves, I think it's great.

The ship director and her assistant were both incredibly lively and made the experience more than just a cruise--They really tried to make everyone on the ship feel like we were all neighbors. And it actually kind of worked! My husband and I are quite introverted, but we still found small talk on the elevators and waiting in lines with strangers to actually be quite pleasant. It felt like a little temporary community. When my husband and I got dressed all fancy for dinner one night, so many people--strangers--stopped us to tell us how stunning we looked. It was like everyone was neighbors for a week. It was the kind of interactions that make you happy to be part of the human race.

Food

There's a lot of food on board, and something that will delight every palate. O'Sheehan's--an Irish style pub--had some of the best food on board, in my opinion. Very good burgers and wings. But my favorite was their loaded nachos. I had it several times throughout the trip. We went into the main dining hall several times for meals, and the artistry of the food was wonderful. Sometimes the taste left something to be desired, though. I tried a chicken and shrimp curry dish, and was very excited to try it. But the chicken felt dry and too chicken-y? The beef cuts were sometimes a bit too rare or fatty for my taste.

The desserts were always top notch though. Whether it was gelato, lava cake, or just the free soft serve ice cream you could get from the buffet--it was all absolutely delicious.

We mostly dined in the complimentary onboard restaurants. However, we did decide to treat ourselves one night at Moderno, a Brazilian steakhouse. The food here was delicious. My biggest regret was that I had filled up on appetizers before the main course, because I didn't eat as much as I could have otherwise. But the meat I did have was delicious--and they serve it to you on a skewer, which is pretty cool. The best part was the roasted pineapple though: Truly divine, I thought I was seeing heaven as I ate it: Warm, cinnamon glaze with the tropical tang--Truly delicious.

Comfort

We stayed in an interior stateroom, which was about the size of a small hotel room. (In all honesty, it was probably even a bit bigger than the hotel we stayed at in Manhattan). It was fairly comfortable for what it was, and it acted as a nice private retreat when I needed to recharge my energy between ports or onboard activities.

There were pull out beds in the cabin, so technically it could sleep four...I really wouldn't recommend trying this though, unless you LOVE having people in your personal space. Sleeps two perfectly fine, but four's a crowd.

For anyone who has not cruised before, it does take a bit to get your sea legs. When there's turbulence, it can be very uncomfortable. I had very bad seasickness during one of the days because of turbulent winds. It definitely helps to have Dramamine in case this happens. This isn't really Norwegian's fault, it's just a drawback of cruising in general.

They do really try to make everything as comfortable as possible, despite any motion sickness you may have. They know people go on vacation to relax, so all of the seating options are pretty comfortable. Lots of lounge chairs near the pools that you can easily stretch out on and take a nap. There's also big cushioned seats that can fit two people, overlooking the ocean.

Entertainment

This is where it could get a little overwhelming at times. There was so much to do. I think that's great for people who would prefer to stay on the ship--as there's not really any internet access. However, if one of the daily activities does strike your fancy, you need to show up at least 30 minutes early or there will be no seats. (Though, we were cruising at full capacity, so this may not always be the case.) Even if shows and gambling and clubbing aren't your thing, there was still always some kind of trivia game, class, movie, or something else to make sure no one was ever bored.

There's also live music pretty much everywhere you go, especially by the pools. We had reserved space to see the onboard show, but because of technical difficulties, they had to postpone. But they had a substitute lined up, a Tina Turner tribute that was really good. It made me exhausted watching though, because the performer had so much energy. I say that as a positive, though.

Ports and Excursions

We took two excursions on this trip: One was a mini-cruise in Bar Harbor to the outskirts of Acadia National Park. The other was in Halifax, Nova Scotia to see Peggy's Cove and the Titanic cemetery. Both were great, and gave us a chance to see some beautiful sights we probably wouldn't have seen had we not gone on the excursions. They were also both very educational.

I think no matter where you are cruising, everyone should take at least one excursion: Because they are planned by Norwegian, that means nobody gets left behind if they are running late, and also the ship will not leave until everyone on an excursion returns back. You can also learn a lot about the places you are visiting, and see things you might not see while just wandering the ports on your own.

Overall Rating

For me, there were definitely some drawbacks. As I mentioned, I wasn't always impressed by the texture or taste of the food. I'm going to assume this is a one off though, because I've heard really good things about the food otherwise, and my husband seemed to enjoy everything he ate. So maybe I was just unlucky those few times that the food wasn't up to par.

This was, admittedly, a minor drawback however. The buffet was open most of the day, so if I wasn't satisfied with what I'd eaten for dinner, it was pretty easy to grab a late night snack to fill my stomach.

Everything else was wonderful. You get high class treatment in a fun, relaxing environment. You get to visit some beautiful locations. You get to relax by the ocean. You get to browse a constantly changing selection of original artworks in the atrium. You get to meet new people. There really is something for everyone.

I will definitely choose Norwegian again, if the opportunity to cruise presents itself. And I will definitely try to sail on their Breakaway ship, if possible! I suggest anyone else looking to cruise do the same.