In exactly 18 days from the time I'm writing this post (4:30 EST), I will be setting sail on Norwegian Cruise Line's new ship, the Norwegian Breakaway! This ship is huge, it's over 1000 feet long, holds 4000+ passengers and 1600 crew members, and has the largest water park at sea. Yes, I said water park. See those slides? Oh yeah!We set sail to Bermuda out of NYC on May 11. We like to sail out of Boston or New York so we can drive instead of flying. We actually drive to a city outside NYC, park at the train station, and take the train to Grand Central Station, then a cab to the terminal.
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| An inside stateroom. |
If you've never been on a cruise before, let me start by saying that they are awesome. You get to spend 7 days aboard a floating city, with all the food you could dream of, awesome entertainment, and you get to go to a beautiful, warm location. Can you imagine doing this any other way? Plane tickets alone are hundreds, plus hotels, plus paying for each meal, and paying to go to shows. And you get to go to the beach while you're there. It's literally the best invention ever, if I do say so myself.
If you have been on a cruise before, you may have been on other cruise likes. If that's the case, you may remember that you are assigned a specific time to eat dinner and you must sit at a certain table with other people whom you don't know. On NCL, you can go eat when you want, where you want, and as much as you want. It's great because there is so much going on, you can decide how you plan (or don't plan) your day's activities and find some time to eat when you can. With scheduled eating times, things aren't always at the right time, or you simply aren't hungry!
Let's talk more about the food on board. There are many places where you can eat for FREE on board. There is the Garden Cafe, which is a huge buffet style eating setting. The variety is endless all day long. You grab a plate, stack it high, and sit inside or out by the pool if you want. There is another free spot to eat out on the pool deck, usually a deck or two above the pool deck, where burgers, hot dogs, and fries are served. Often on the pool deck a barbecue where more food is served!
There are also "sit down" restaurants on board, free of charge, where you can order from a menu and be served. The food is great here too and some places are more formal than others. On the Breakaway, the Manhattan Room even has a dance floor and a stage! Dinner AND a show? Wow! There is also a "restaurant" on board, O'Sheehans, that's open 24/7. Have a craving at 3am for some chicken wings? No problem! You cannot go hungry on this ship. It's impossible.
If you're feeling a little fancier and have some extra cash to spend, you can eat at what they call specialty restaurants, such as a steak house or an Italian restaurant. Prices range from $10-$30, but these meals are generally more high quality and often kid-free, so people can eat in peace a little more. On our upcoming cruise, we purchased the Ultimate Dining Package (I'm going to refer to it as the UDP from now on.), where for $119, you can eat at any specialty restaurant for free too. There are a few exceptions, such as places with a A La Carte, such as the Sushi bar, but that's okay with us. Reservations at these specialty restaurants are required, but with the UDP we can eat at 5pm in the steak restaurant, and head over to the Italian Restaurant at 8pm if we want.
Now that your tummy is full, let's go see some shows! On the first night, there is a Cirque Du Soleil show, with a circus theme! This show isn't free, but those who purchase the UDP get free admission on the first night of the cruise. This show is under a "tent", to give the circus feel. Dinner is included. There are also a couple other Broadway style shows, as well as the cast of Second City to make you laugh until you pee. (And I'm not joking). There are also comedians and singers on board!
I think that's enough for now. I will be back later to talk about the activities and amenities on board. For now, go do some research on this ship yourself, you will be amazed. Thanks for listening - let me know if you have any questions about cruising. I am only 19 years old and this is my 6th cruise. ;)
