NCL BREAKAWAY

I recently had the privilege to spend a night and a day on the brand new Norwegian Breakaway ship. There were 2,500 agents on board in Southampton before sailing to New York on its inaugural transatlantic sailing. She will sail out of the Big Apple to the sun and fun of Florida and the Bahamas. If you like large, family friendly ships with lots going on, then this ship would be for you. It can hold 4500 guests and 1600 crew. The Aqua Park on board boasts the largest water park ever seen on a cruise ship, which has two of the fastest water slides at sea. Breakaway's Aqua Park has five slides in total - the line claims 1,000 people can ride the slides every hour. You can take yourself up to The Plank and if you dare and walk eight feet over the side of the ship! This is a modern ship with contemporary decor and comfortable staterooms (I found the bathrooms spacious but balconies on the small side). There are Spa staterooms, studios for singles and suites in The Haven area of the ship. Norwegian Cruise Line is a 'Freestyle' cruise company which means that rather than having a more traditional approach to cruising with formal nights and set dining times, they are more relaxed on board. The dress code is 'resort casual' (smart casual) and the dining times are not set at all, allowing passengers to dine where they want, when they want. There are lots of dining venues (28 dining choices!) to choose from, ranging from Japanese to steak house and Italian and French and more. The main dining rooms are included in your cruise fare but the speciality restaurants have a cover charge (up to $30 per head). I ate in the French restaurant and I couldn't fault the food - well worth the extra cover charge. Other colleagues ate in the other venues and I did not hear a bad word about any of them. The service was excellent too. Alfesco dining is one of the many features of this new ship. Among Norwegian Breakaway's 28 dining choices are four out on The Waterfront - La Cucina, Moderno Churrascaria, Cagney's Steakhouse and Ocean Blue by Geoffrey Zakarian for fine seafood dining. Broadway on Board offers rocking entertainment and includes three live Broadway shows - Rock of Ages with its 80's anthems; Burn the Floor, a reinvention of ballroom dancing; and Cirque Dreams & Dinner Jungle Fantasy. There is definitely domething for everyone. The Waterfront is a revolutionary quarter mile long boardwalk with bars, restaurants and entertainment where you can enjoy drinks or dinner under the stars. For family there is a two storey Splash Academy children's club with Nickelodeon theme and teens have an area of their own at Entourage. Other highlights are the Ice Bar, Haven Courtyard with two levels of private beach club and private pool and 678 Ocean Place (a daytime and night time entertainment venue with bars, nightlife, shopping and dining). In all, this ship exceeded my expectations - it is well laid out and tasteful. There are high quality fitments in the cabins and the crew were very friendly. My only issue was that the suites were on the small side as were the balconies. If you are looking for a family friendly ship with lots of facilities you will not be disappointed in the NCL Breakaway. To discuss this or any other ship with me please don't hesitate to get in contact (direct line 0845 058 7051).......happy sailing.