1st Time on NCL Breakaway from Barcelona

My wife and I had taken 9 other cruises all out of the west coast and all to Mexico, but the last cruise was 14 years ago. We were excited to go to Europe for the 1st time and cruise with NCL. Going in to the cruise we were looking forward to the freestyle dining, Syd Norman's and the Waterfront. I was dreading embarkation and disembarkation based on past cruises. Barcelona-We arrived Friday morning for Sunday sail away and feel like that was a great choice. Two days was plenty of time to get acclimated to the time change and see a lot. We stayed in the Gothic Quarter at the Kimpton Vividora and were able to check in as soon as we arrived which was about noon. We put in 20,000+ steps the 2 days in Barcelona and saw everything we wanted to see including Sagrada Familia, the Cathedral of Barcelona, Montjuic Castle, Barceloneta Beach and everything in between. Sagrada Familia is an absolute must see. We pre purchased the walking tour through Get Your Guide and I think it wouldn't be the same without the guide explaining everything. She was awesome. Embarkation- We checked in early and had a 10:30 arrival time. We arrived at the terminal at 10:15, dropped off our bags and walked right up to the counter. There was no line at all. We were given a number 6 and told the boarding would start shortly. By 10:45 we were on board with a Bloody Mary in hand. The part I had been dreading couldn't have been any easier. I don't know if that's changed along all cruise lines since our last cruise, but I was very happy with how fast and easy boarding went. On the ship- I purposely picked a balcony room due to its proximity to Syd Norman's and the Waterfront. Our room was ready by 2:30 and we were very pleasantly surprised at the size. We over packed but had plenty of room in the closet and shelves to put everything away. We've had balcony rooms on past cruises and the rooms seemed cramped compared to this room. The bathroom and shower were bigger than we expected. The 8th floor cabin location was perfect for us. We enjoy sitting outside and The Shaker's Waterfront Bar and Syd Norman's Waterfront Bar were really close to our cabin which was convenient. We spent a LOT of time at those bars depending on which side the sun was on. The bartenders were awesome. I tipped for great service and it got even better. I challenged the bartender, Lonnie, to make something I'd like and he made up 2-3 drinks that were different and amazing. Since our cabin was close to the stairs, it was a quick walk to O'Sheehan's and the Casino which are only 1 deck down. Noise was never a problem and we slept really well. Dining- My wife and I aren't really picky eaters and overall enjoyed the food but I'd say for the most part it was just OK. O'Sheean's- We spent a lot of time at O'Sheehan's and really enjoyed the atmosphere. We usually sat at the rail overlooking decks 6-7 where we could see what was going on down below. The service was good and we usually didn't have to wait long for drink and/or food orders. I really enjoyed the wings. At one time or another we tried just about everything on the menu. Everything was good, but not great. We did have O'Sheean's for breakfast a couple of times because it's open earlier than the dining room. I had a ham and cheese omelet and my wife had the corned beef hash. We thought the quality of the breakfast was better than the normal menu. We learned that If you just want a cup of coffee you can walk up and grab one to go. Main Dining- We tried Taste, Savor and the Manhattan Room. We never had to wait for a table. We just walked up and were instantly seated each time which was really nice. I love eggs benedict and unfortunately in Taste it showed up without the ham and in Savor it was cold.....not cool...cold. I thought the service was slower than past cruises on different cruise lines. The food portions are small so I'll usually order 3 appetizers. Only in the Manhattan Room was the server good enough to bring the next appetizer as soon as you finished the 1st appetizer. In Taste and Savor there was quite a lag in between each serving. I tried the shrimp fettuccini alfredo and was disappointed in the sad little shrimp. They were very small and not many of them. The dish had good flavor, but I would have liked more and bigger shrimp. Overall we did enjoy the complimentary dining but nothing there wowed us. Buffet- We said we would would avoid the buffet but......since we were on the boat so early and walking around we had to check it out. There was a nice variety to choose from and the food was good for buffet food. I couldn't figure out the push button soft serve ice cream machine so I figured that was a sign that I didn't need it. Le Bistro- Our 1st specialty dining was Le Bistro. The food here was MUCH better than the main dining room as was the service. I had the escargot, mushroom soup, french onion soup and the lamb chops. All of it was exceptional and it was one of our favorite meals on the ship. I highly recommend Le Bistro. Teppanyaki- Our 2nd specialty dining may have been my favorite. The chef was entertaining, but the food was the best part. I ordered the seafood and my wife ordered the steak. He started off by making the rice and serving that while he cooked the proteins. Typically cruise food portions are smallish, but not here. There was as much rice as you could eat, but the best part for me was the sea food. I had scallops, shrimp and calamari. The shrimp was not the sad little shrimp I found in my fettuccini, but rather nice large delicious shrimp. The scallops were huge and the calamari tasty and done just right. My wife's steak was equally as good. We left there full and satisfied. Cagney's- The most disappointing of the specialties. I love a good rib eye and a good steak house. The steak was just ok. It was a small piece, not as tender as I'd hoped and lacking flavor. Now I am a little pickier with steak because I do a pretty decent steak at home, but I expected more of a Ruth's Chris, Flemings, high end Las Vegas steak. I'd compare what I received to an Outback Steakhouse steak.......good but not great. La Cucina-This one was a whim and a pleasant surprise. We didn't have reservations, but while sitting at Shaker's Waterfront Bar enjoying a cocktail waiting for sail away we noticed La Cucina outdoor seating was empty. We asked if we could get a seat without reservations and were immediately seated outside. It was really a nice evening and sitting having dinner while sailing away was perfect. I ordered the 3 appetizers like I usually do but the portions are bigger at La Cucina. The carbonara was really good. I ordered Shrimp Scampi and although it was the sad little shrimp, there seemed to be more and the flavor was on point. We enjoyed La Cucina and would rather go there than Cagney's in the future. American Diner- We ate breakfast there once and really enjoyed it. It's a buffet with a cook to order omelet station. The omelet was very good (much better than O'Sheean's) and the buffet items were your typical breakfast buffet and good. Entertainment- Syd Norman's was our favorite. On this 9 day cruise they had 4 shows. The doors open an hour before the show and we were there when they opened each night. While waiting for the show, there is music playing and the bar is open. There is a server walking around taking orders or you can walk up to the bar. We actually enjoyed this time to listen to music and talk about our day while enjoying a cocktail. The shows were really good. They didn't just sing.....they had some joking banter in between songs. We never missed a show and planned our evening around them. You do need to get there early as the venue is small and fills up fairly quickly. Rumors- On this cruise the Syd Norman performers told the story of Fleetwood Mac and performed the Rumors album in the Breakaway Theater. I thought the show was awesome, but I am a Fleetwood Mac fan. Comedy show- We enjoy adult comedy but this one was disappointing. Even after 14 cocktails, I don't think I as much as chuckled once. Casino- I wasn't sure how this worked but found out it works like a casino. The machines take dollars and you tap your room key to make sure you get credit for your gambling. When you cash out it prints a ticket that you can cash out or reinsert in another machine. I was VERY lucky on this cruise and actually won another cruise. Pool Area- We only went there on our one sea day and it was fairly crowded as they usually are. I'm an adventurer and went down all the slides. The freefall caught me off guard and almost scared me.....almost, but I really enjoyed it....once. Disembarkation- I was dreading this but another pleasant surprise. We docked in Barcelona before 5AM. We had an 11AM flight and I was a little concerned about getting off the ship and to the airport on time. There is an option to carry off your luggage if you're able to do it. If not, you can select a time, tag your luggage and set it outside of your cabin the night before. Carry off passengers disembark 1st and then group 1, group 2 etc. We chose to carry off our luggage and were cleared to exit at 5:30. We immediately found a taxi and were at the airport by 6 Am. On other cruises we set our luggage out, had to exit our room and fight the crowds to exit the ship. It was so nice and easy doing it the NCL way! Overall Impressions- The entire trip, the ship, the itinerary exceeded our expectations! I really love the freestyle aspect of NCL, the Waterfront, O'Sheehan's, the dining options, the bar options and the entertainment (Syd Norman's especially) I would definitely recommend specialty dining if you're a foodie, but overall it's all enjoyable.....even the cold benedict. The criticisms I had of some of the food didn't change our view of how enjoyable the experience was. I just wouldn't want anyone to be disappointed if you're expecting AMAZING in the complimentary dining rooms. We enjoyed it so much that we booked the NCL Aqua to Bermuda Sept 2026 with the free cruise I won at the casino. Looking to forward to seeing a new to us ship!

Heaven on earth

It was heaven like experience on earth. This was our second cruise with Norwegian out of three. Very clean and superb comfort . No pressure for tipping. Wheelchair friendly for my wife. Entertainment was mediocre but not bad. Boarding was slightly chaotic but it was orderly. Tea selection and coffee machine were great. Their ginger honey tea was hit. It disappeared the moment the shelves were filled. Deck 8 with walking track surrounding the whole ship and relaxing under full moon on a luxury arm chair was bliss-full exercise. Their Irish pub open 24 hours for free soft drink and food was a bonus on the ship. Their eight elevators were also in great condition. Stairs to their garden cafe on deck 15 from our deck 11 was gentle exercise that I never failed to take. When Guest services became busy, they came over and sat with us in a bar for us to avoid standing in queue. Shore excursions were expensive but had all the answers.

Loved it.

Just back from our second cruise with NCL. Out of 13 previous cruises with various cruise lines our first NCL cruise, NCL Spirit, was the best but NCL Breakaway was even better. I really cannot understand some of the negative reviews we found it difficult to find real fault with anything. The food was outstanding, yes you find the same food in the buffet everyday but the choice is so vast that you can eat something different everyday and still not get to eat every choice available. The food in the main dining rooms is delicious, the service and ambience professional and friendly but it's the speciality dining that is truly special the standard of food and service is excellent and a real treat. The entertainment was great, so many choices, loved the bars, though two of the shows we booked where cancelled due to injury and we where so disappointed as we where told they where very good. Our balcony cabin on deck 12 was spacious, comfortable with loads of storage, larger than normal balcony, huge comfy bed and a decent bathroom which could do with an upgrade but was always kept immaculately clean. Overall there was a great atmosphere on the ship, I loved the Waterfront, the outside deck where you can sit and have a drink watching the sunset, but what made this cruise for us was the paid upgrade to The Vibe Beach club, a private adults only section of the upper deck with gorgeous comfy sunbeds, brollys, jacuzzis, cold showers to cool down and our two fab, friendly. fun waiters who constantly brought us flavoured iced water, drinks and fruit skewers, it was pure luxury, a little expensive, but worth every penny. Our only negitive would be the cost of the excursions which where a little steep but overall an excellent experience and I think we will definitely stick with NCL from now on.