Norwegian Breakaway - problems sailing from New York?

[Paul Motter]

First of all - I like NCL and I am not picking on them.

Secondly - it is not as if I think they have not already thought of this themselves...

Third - I like New York and I like homeland cruising - so having the ship sail out of NY year round is a great idea. It is a well-deserved tribute to my favorite city. Plus let's be honest, when you have so many cruising sailing out of Florida, South Carolina, Texas, Louisiana, etc you start to get a pretty strong "Southern" element to the mix, so I welcome having some Yankee cruises.

BUT....

How can ship designed with outdoor areas called the "Waterway" with outdoor seating and relaxing areas for so many restaurants and bars sail out of NY year round.?

The summer cruises to Bermuda will be fine - but the winter cruises from the city to Port Canaveral and Bahamas will have a number of pretty cold days each cruise.

I am just asking - isn't this a factor? Wouldn't this ship be better suited to a warmer home port?

[Trip]

Paul, I would tend to agee, having sailed out of Boston on the Gem, in a blizzard! It appears this may have been planned to be a short lived itinerary, possibly? Even without the snow,with low temps, no one goes out on deck, for any extended periods..And when it cruises elsewhere, a new paint job will be in order.

[Paul Motter]

I sailed on Norwegian Epic from Uk too NYC in JUNE and it was freezing cold every day until we avctually entered NY harbor. Of course we were more northerly.

[Beachmonkey]

It is not unlike the ships that begin the Alaska sailings. It will be interesting to see how they manage the Waterfront area and the more robust winter weather of the northeast.

How many people can fit in the hot tub???

[Lakers Fan]

As a lifelong resident of NY I love ships that sail from NY . I am cruising from NJ leaving in a winter month . Having said that if my health does not have restrictions in 2014 I will not sail from NY/NJ in the fall or winter .I will opt to leave from a warm climate.

[jasonfromnj]

NCL has 2 ship now with no roof on there pool so what

[Paul Motter]

and soon three, but two will be sailing of of Miami.

[jasonfromnj]

If NCL was not making money they would not put there new ship there. Cruise ships move faster in the winter time to get to the hotter weather why is carnival going year round from nyc now. And breakaway has a pool roof in its haven.NCL will still be at two ships when breakaway come 2 nyc not 3 JEWEL is not in nyc after APR 21 and rcl goes year round and has no pool roof

[jasonfromnj]

I do agree with you half the ship is out side hope they put heaters on the boardwalk lol .But if people been going on 4 ship out of nyc in the winter this year why spend the money on a indoor pool they make more money in the casinos and in bingo in the winter on those days then miami does.

[zactak]

This was a concern of mine as well, Paul. I booked a cruise on the Breakaway leaving on October 6th. Hopefully it won't be too chilly for long. If it is, then I guess it'll be a lesson learned for me. Once we get through the first cold season, I think we'll have a better idea if cruising out of NYC year round will work for the Breakaway.

I saw the Breakaway has cruises to nowhere in January, which I find rather odd. I don't think they would have any time to spend outside during those short cruises.

It'll be interesting to see how all of this pans out.

[thecruisequeen]

Breakaway looks like an awesome ship with top notch entertainment however would book it only from May to October will not cruise out of NY/NJ in the winter months.

The one night party cruise on Breakaway is very expensive the last time I checked the rate.

Looking forward to reading reviews once they start rolling in.

[LikeToCruiseAgain]

I agree with you, one cant comfortably cruise from New York or Boston in the winter and its not practical to cruise south in the summer. Also Bermuda is not the prettiest beach in my opinion nor the most exotic port. But in the spring and fall (assuming no hurricane which can be an issue in the fall), it is good to have relaxing cruises which leave from New York and Boston, so much easier and less time consuming to just hop on a ship without air fare expense and reservations etc.

Originally Posted by Paul Motter

First of all - I like NCL and I am not picking on them.

Secondly - it is not as if I think they have not already thought of this themselves...

Third - I like New York and I like homeland cruising - so having the ship sail out of NY year round is a great idea. It is a well-deserved tribute to my favorite city. Plus let's be honest, when you have so many cruising sailing out of Florida, South Carolina, Texas, Louisiana, etc you start to get a pretty strong "Southern" element to the mix, so I welcome having some Yankee cruises.

BUT....

How can ship designed with outdoor areas called the "Waterway" with outdoor seating and relaxing areas for so many restaurants and bars sail out of NY year round.?

The summer cruises to Bermuda will be fine - but the winter cruises from the city to Port Canaveral and Bahamas will have a number of pretty cold days each cruise.

I am just asking - isn't this a factor? Wouldn't this ship be better suited to a warmer home port?

[Manuel]

Originally Posted by Paul Motter

I am just asking - isn't this a factor? Wouldn't this ship be better suited to a warmer home port?

If you ask me, I think that all ships are better suited to warmer ports.

TM

[Travelbuggs]

Originally Posted by Manuel

If you ask me, I think that all ships are better suited to warmer ports.

TM

, I was just thinking the same thing when I read your post. I agree, NYC or anywhere in the northeast is not ideal for the start of a cruise, but given the population of NYC and the surrounding area within a few hours drive, you have a tremendous demand for a cruise option close to home which does not require a plane ride.

The Breakaway class ships do have the outdoor Waterfront areas, but if it is chilly outside, the "inside" portion of these venues are still there after all. With all the activities and entertainment available, I doubt if anyone will miss the outdoors for a day or two until warmer climes are reached.

I have not sailed the Breakaway yet. From the reviews, I have noticed many people mention that the Waterfront areas seem to be underutilized, even during the summer months. Not sure why that is, as I assumed they would be very popular and crowded. They are most often mentioned as a good place to find a quiet corner for a drink and a good book! Hope this remains true for our Getaway cruise in February.

[cscharles]

You are right Paul. We sailed the Breakaway July 2013 and found the "Waterways" just to windy and chilly to you while underway. Once in port we were off the ship enjoying Bermuda so we didn't use the space then either. Great idea but need better wind brakes and warmer climate.

[Manuel]

cscharles, welcome to Cruisemates.

I see that you live in Florida. I am a Floridian as well, and let me tell you that you can't beat a cruise from one of the ports in the ' Sunshine State' .

TTM