can anyone compare NCL Breakaway to DCL?

[BethA]

Has anyone done the NCL Breakaway and can give q comparison to DCL? My dad wants us all to do this next summer out of NYC.
Any comments on shows, food, service would be helpful, as well as cabin size.
We have no one under 18 so kids programs are not important.

Thank you

 

[js]

We have sailed Breakaway three times, fouth time being next August in the Haven. We have also sailed in a regular BA balcony cabin on Deck 13, which
was a great location. We sailed on DCL three times, and my fourth being next month in concierge, but the other sailings were in regular balcony cabins.
Next month on DCL, it's just my mom and me although we sailed with my family, my sister's family and my mom over NYE on the Disney Dream. My kids are older, 22 and 17 and they much prefer RCCL and NCL but a cruise is a cruise LOL I am not loyal to any brand and we usually choose the ship and then itinerary depending on what we want at the time for our vacation. My families preference in order is RCCL, NCL, DCL and CCL. (We are sailing RCCL over NYE this year.)
My dd-22 has been sailing since she was 4 and enjoyed RCCL over DCL programs (more structured but you don't need that information).

You will get many, MANY on here telling you to do DCL since, well, you are on the disboards I get it. I LOVE Disney and sailing next month, but using my
DVC points. If I were paying cash with two adults, I would be sailing RCCL or NCL. I would seriously weigh the pros and cons of each and
make your decision. Go to cruisecritic to read about the BA. BA balconies are small. Pools are small but they really don't look any smaller or more
crowded than DCL as much as I can see. I do like that on RCCL and NCL, there is a longer nightlife on board even though I have to keep toothpicks in my eyes to keep them open after midnight. Over NYE cruise we did hang out in the Dream District each night but it was usually empty by 10-11 pm. On NCL, comedy shows and other areas of the ship are just starting. Movies on the deck are geared more towards adults on NCL, while the movies, IMO are more for children on DCL, although they do appeal to some adults. NCL is offering drink packages or speciality restaurants with their bookings, I still believe.
Cabins on DCL are bigger and offer a second bathroom, which is helpful but that is not a decision maker for me.

If there is anything specific, I'd be happy to try to help answer.
We love both products but for just adults, I would sail NCL or RCCL and even CCL Vista or Breeze. Let us know what you decide.

 

[BethA]

Thanks for the reply. You will love concierge on DCL. We have sailed disney over 20 times so obviously are huge Disney fans. Wondering what to expect on NCL.how was the cabin size? We will have a group of 13 and wonder how that will be for dining, especially dinner since you have no assignment and I know my dad wants us all to eat together. How was the service? We have done several cruises on RC and never felt the service was as good as Disney.
I appreciate all your input. Glad to hear there is more to do in the evening.

 

[js]

Thanks for the reply. You will love concierge on DCL. We have sailed disney over 20 times so obviously are huge Disney fans. Wondering what to expect on NCL.how was the cabin size? We will have a group of 13 and wonder how that will be for dining, especially dinner since you have no assignment and I know my dad wants us all to eat together. How was the service? We have done several cruises on RC and never felt the service was as good as Disney.
I appreciate all your input. Glad to hear there is more to do in the evening.

We sailed with 11 on BA in Haven and not Haven and never had a problem. You can most certainly eat together. Make sure visit the M'd and
let them know your party size and you can reserve the same time each night if that is easier for all of you to sit together. My servers on Disney have been OK, nothing outstanding but they do their jobs and get it done and that is what I would want/expect. Same for RCCL and we felt the staff/severs on BA have been very friendly, same as RCCL but I see you have had a different experience. With 20 DCL cruises that you have, it's good you are giving something else a try. It's always good to try new things and go in with an open mind and plan your Bermuda days! Concierge on DCL won't compare to the Haven but it looks okay. Cabin size on BA is small but okay for 2-3 people and if you want, you can always make 4 work but that is difficult no matter what standard cabin you are in. Go and enjoy a new port!

 

[MissMet]

We've sailed both. There are pros & cons to both. NCL very much nickel & dime's you once on board, but the cost of DCL is higher. The service is not the same as DCL, but you move around so much odds of getting the same server again are slim. They have a lot to offer to the young adult crowd where DCL is lacking. The big shows were cheezy & not worth it to us (Me28 & DH34), but the dueling piano bar & other smaller entertainment venues were better. NCL staterooms are some of the smallest & DCL has the biggest so you'll definitely feel the difference. But for two adults in a balcony room we never felt cramped. It's a very big ship with a lot of people so peak times feels very crowded & elevators were extremely hard to deal with- the worst I've ever experienced. As soon as you get on board make your dining reservations. We enjoyed the specialty restaurants. The main (free) dining rooms left a lot to be desired & always had a wait. Eating on the boardwalk is really nice & I wish DCL could have an area like that. As for Bermuda, we absolutely fell in love with Bermuda & loved being docked for a few days with no rush to get back to the ship. There's a mini golf place right near where the ship docks & it's fun to play at night- they even have a bar there to make it interesting. Lots to do right there by the ship & the main town has a carnival night one of the nights you're there. They close the street & have vendors, live music, dancers... real fun. You'll enjoy your time, but in some areas you'll miss DCL, but in other areas you'll see NCL do it better. We didn't regret going on the Breakaway, especially since it sails 30 minutes from our home, but we definitely missed DCL & knew that in the end, there's no comparison for DCL's service.

 

[perditax]

A lot more dining options, including more complimentary options at greatly expanded hours. (E.g., buffet is running almost all the time and o'sheehans is 24 hour comfort/bar food).

 

[afyoung]

On cruisecritic there is a guy named gambee who has some very thorough reviews. mayeb they will help you.

 

[KashasMom]

We sailed the Breakaway with 8 when it was first sailing from NYC. As with any new ship there were some glitches We never had any problems finding tables in the buffet and enjoyed the dining room food and service. There were some nights we did have to wait for a table since we didn't book anything in advance. Adults enjoyed the casino and live music. We didn't particularly care for Rock of Ages but the Cirque show was fantastic. In general NCL has much better itineraries that DCL (a big yawn there!) and Bermuda is just stunning. I would recommend making reservations for dinner with 13 people. (We just had 11 on the Getaway and everything was totally amazing - from the service to the food to the fun stuff to do on board.) I'd suggest calling guest services and let them handle all your reservations - nice and easy. The Waterfront is so nice - great place to watch the sea, have a drink or meal. We also really liked having a dinner buffet option after a long port day. I don't really remember much about the Breakaway rooms - we tend not to spend much time in our rooms....(Getaway's were nice with so much storage!). I don't get the nickel and dime comments since with the exception of soda you pay for pretty much the same things on DCL - photos, spa, bingo, up-sell restaurants, etc.

We are not such fans of DCL that we don't enjoy other lines. We've also never really experienced the amazing service on DCL that others have. (We actually had a horrible dining team that told us 5 out of 7 nights that they needed an "excellent" rating from us on the comment cards.) The shows were a little cheesy for grown-ups. We only sail DCL for our daughter who enjoys the characters/princesses and dance parties but not the kids clubs. Personally, I much prefer WDW to DCL. I have a hard time justifying the difference in price between DCL and other lines. That being said, with 20 Disney cruises behind you, you may be constantly comparing.

 

[darwinsrule]

On cruisecritic there is a guy named gambee who has some very thorough reviews. mayeb they will help you.

Gambee has his own blog as well where the reviews are posted. He did the Bermuda cruise on BA a couple of years ago and the pictures are wonderful. They still don't do Bermuda justice. Three days are not enough time on the island.

Standard balconies on the AWAY class are small (from what I have seen). Look at booked a Cat B6 or M6 (both have extended balconies that fit a couple of lounge chairs). Had a B6 last summer on Getaway, loved it. Have one of the four BX cabins with the extended balconies booked for August 29th. Can't wait.

 

[afyoung]

Gambee has his own blog as well where the reviews are posted. He did the Bermuda cruise on BA a couple of years ago and the pictures are wonderful. They still don't do Bermuda justice. Three days are not enough time on the island.

Standard balconies on the AWAY class are small (from what I have seen). Look at booked a Cat B6 or M6 (both have extended balconies that fit a couple of lounge chairs). Had a B6 last summer on Getaway, loved it. Have one of the four BX cabins with the extended balconies booked for August 29th. Can't wait.

Yes, I did also find the link to his blog. I like reviews that give me all of the details so I can tell if the person even has a similar travel style to mine. So I enjoyed his versions of these trips and knew more about how my family would be able to fit that into our style.

 

[BethA]

So am I correct that other than the buffet and MDR most venues are extra? Also do you tip at each meal or only outside of the MDR? It looked like certain desserts and ice cream was extra. Is there a list anywhere of what is not included?
Can those between 18-21 still go in all the adult venues? What is the gambling age? Thank you for all replies.

 

[gigi1313]

Thanks for starting this thread and all those that replied... currently looking at BA for next summer... these comments and commentary are very helpful!

 

[perditax]

So am I correct that other than the buffet and MDR most venues are extra? Also do you tip at each meal or only outside of the MDR? It looked like certain desserts and ice cream was extra. Is there a list anywhere of what is not included?
Can those between 18-21 still go in all the adult venues? What is the gambling age? Thank you for all replies.

My experience was from the Getaway not BA, but:

There is a "grill" on deck 16 with more complimentary food. On the GA it is a fantastic Cuban grill. Can't recall the name of the one on BA.
There is O'Sheehan's, a 24 hour complimentary bar food/comfort food eatery, they also have complimentary prime rib nights several times a week.
There is a noodle bar/Asian place that is complimentary.
If you're in the Solo studios, there are complimentary pastries almost all of the time.

Combine that with greatly expanded buffet service and hours, and there are far more complimentary food options on GA/BA than on DCL.

 

[Mickeymil]

We didn't love the Breakaway.
The salt water pools, the break down of ages at the kids club, and the lack of family shows after dinner were a deal breaker for us. Maybe when my kids are older we will try it again but.... I felt very nickle and dimed on that cruise.

 

[MissMet]

I'd rather pay more for my cruise and nearly never find myself spending any more once on the ship, than to pay less months in advance then to get on and feel nickel-and-dimed...pay to enjoy quality food, quality entertainment, quality baked goods, quality ice cream, etc. If I'm not cruising DCL, I prefer NCL, but the Breakaway ship is so over the top with paying for upgrades. Want to see the cirque show...well, it's a dinner show so it's $50 per person and the food is known for being terrible. Everywhere you look it feels like it's another extra charge venue...plus soda which really adds up. It really doesn't feel that great to us. Don't get me wrong, the specialties are great restaurants, it just doesn't feel so relaxing & care free when every day you're getting multiple bills, paying an extra tip, etc.

Included on the Breakaway is the buffet, 3 main dining rooms (they all serve the same food), a very limited room service menu, a pub which is great, but some of the items are extra charge & not all the menu items are available 24 hours, & the noodle bar. Below is a link to NCL's info on pricing of restaurants. They include the free hot dog cart as a location but the limited hours it's available I find it hard to classify that as a dining option.

http://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/Dining-Flyer-081215.pdf

 

[Alex Aymar]

I'd rather pay more for my cruise and nearly never find myself spending any more once on the ship, than to pay less months in advance then to get on and feel nickel-and-dimed...pay to enjoy quality food, quality entertainment, quality baked goods, quality ice cream, etc. If I'm not cruising DCL, I prefer NCL, but the Breakaway ship is so over the top with paying for upgrades. Want to see the cirque show...well, it's a dinner show so it's $50 per person and the food is known for being terrible. Everywhere you look it feels like it's another extra charge venue...plus soda which really adds up. It really doesn't feel that great to us. Don't get me wrong, the specialties are great restaurants, it just doesn't feel so relaxing & care free when every day you're getting multiple bills, paying an extra tip, etc.

Included on the Breakaway is the buffet, 3 main dining rooms (they all serve the same food), a very limited room service menu, a pub which is great, but some of the items are extra charge & not all the menu items are available 24 hours, & the noodle bar. Below is a link to NCL's info on pricing of restaurants. They include the free hot dog cart as a location but the limited hours it's available I find it hard to classify that as a dining option.

http://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/Dining-Flyer-081215.pdf

Can't you get the soda package ?

 

[MissMet]

Can't you get the soda package ?

Yes, just pointing out another expense once on board. Although, when cruising NCL I don't buy the package since for me it's cheaper to pay as I go. Plus, I want canned. We've found the ship's fountain soda is hit or miss. And the package is only for fountain.

 

[BethA]

These have been so helpful. My dad is set on this so we are doing the july1 9 night out of NYC. Does anyone know if 18-20 can stay in the lounge areas for shows? Heard today they have to leave at 11

 

[perditax]

I'd rather pay more for my cruise and nearly never find myself spending any more once on the ship, than to pay less months in advance then to get on and feel nickel-and-dimed...pay to enjoy quality food, quality entertainment, quality baked goods, quality ice cream, etc. If I'm not cruising DCL, I prefer NCL, but the Breakaway ship is so over the top with paying for upgrades. Want to see the cirque show...well, it's a dinner show so it's $50 per person and the food is known for being terrible. Everywhere you look it feels like it's another extra charge venue...plus soda which really adds up. It really doesn't feel that great to us. Don't get me wrong, the specialties are great restaurants, it just doesn't feel so relaxing & care free when every day you're getting multiple bills, paying an extra tip, etc.

Included on the Breakaway is the buffet, 3 main dining rooms (they all serve the same food), a very limited room service menu, a pub which is great, but some of the items are extra charge & not all the menu items are available 24 hours, & the noodle bar. Below is a link to NCL's info on pricing of restaurants. They include the free hot dog cart as a location but the limited hours it's available I find it hard to classify that as a dining option.

http://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/Dining-Flyer-081215.pdf

Mild devil's advocacy, but weren't there several other production and entertainment shows that were free of charge such as Rock of Ages?

I've spent a lot of time defending NCL today, but my idea of nickel and dime is when they take away something free and charge for it without providing other options. There was more free entertainment on the GA than I could have ever made time for ... And one (1) upcharge show option. And I feel like NCL's multitude of free dining options and particularly their 24 hour availability (no forcing you into the MDR on the first and last nights) mean that I am pretty much neutral about the fact that they also have way more specialty venues than DCL.

 

[perditax]

Yes, just pointing out another expense once on board. Although, when cruising NCL I don't buy the package since for me it's cheaper to pay as I go. Plus, I want canned. We've found the ship's fountain soda is hit or miss. And the package is only for fountain.

Isn't that the same as DCL, though? The free soda is only from the fountain? I've also heard people complaining about the taste of the fountain drinks lately. (Don't drink soda, wouldn't know.)