We cruised from the New York Pier to nowhere in the dead of winter. Yes, this two-day cruise on the Norwegian Breakaway gave us a great opportunity to see this "well talked about cruise ship" and enjoy a weekend get away for under $600 per cabin double occupancy. Fast paced and definitely the place to get your party on. The age of the cruisers on this ship ranged from 15-75 and believe me there was something for everyone.
Getting to the Ship: We decided to park in upper Manhattan and take a taxi to the pier. There is onsite parking for approximately $42 per day. Some people were dropped off and picked up. Boarding starts at 12:00 noon until 3:00pm. It went fast and seamless because we did the on-line check-in before we left. It took no more than 15 minutes. You will need your drivers license or passport to check in, but passports are not mandatory because you are not going into international waters.
What to bring/or not bring: You are allowed to bring wine and champagne on board and no other alcoholic beverages. If you bring liquor and they stop you, they will hold it until the last night of your cruise. This is only a two day cruise so you get it the next day. This is a very casually dressed ship, however, there are those who dress up at night for dinner (no gowns or tuxedos).
Our Cabin: It was located on the 5th floor. This is the first floor of cabins. Once we got into our cabin it was fine. I do not recommend being near the elevators. We got an inside cabin which was pretty good since we did not spend much time in the room most of the weekend. If you like to see the daylight come into your room in the morning, then get an ocean view for a few dollars more. This has a very large picture window. I don't really understand why you would need a balcony unless you like being in the cold. Remember this is a winter cruise. Just a little tip: Bring your own bar of soap.
The food: Norwegian is known for its Freestyle dining. The buffet is open as soon as you arrive, and the bars throughout the ship are open. Food was delicious no matter where we ate. You can go to any of the restaurants on board anytime you want, except the steakhouse and Asian restaurant where you may need a reservation and there is a nominal fee. There is enough free restaurants and a wide selection of food to choose from so we chose to stay with the non-paying restaurants. Make sure you get to O'Sheehans for their delicious corned beef sandwich (open 24 hours).
The shows and entertainment: The broadway style show was the Rock of Ages. The jazz nightclub was fantastic and Bliss, their disco (yes, I still call it disco) had their resident DJ was fun. We saw the comedy show and listened and danced to their reggae band. There was bingo, a full casino, an art exhibition and much more. I actually won some money in their casino!
The Service: Our stateroom attendant was absolutely awful. We adopted the stateroom attendant from another cabin and he was fantastic. First time I experienced this on any cruise line, but I think he was new and didn't know where anything was.
Oh, and did I mention it was our anniversary? Yes, we asked the resident band to play our wedding song
Joann this is very lovely! So nice meeting you today, love your getaways.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad to have met you also! Stay in touch.
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