Source: GCaptain.com
Last Sunday we were invited by Conde’ Naste Traveler to spend a day on the new Norwegian Breakaway. I was immediately intrigued as my kids have never been on a cruise and I was eager to teach them more about the whole cruising phenomenon They have long lusted over the idea of going on one, so why not spend a day showing them what it’s about? Nothing wrong with that.
Getting to the pier was easy. The ship was docked at pier 88, right around West 57th Street and 12th Avenue and there was easy parking access right there. At fist sight, we were all knocked out by the size of the ship, which holds 4,000 passengers. Personally, I liked the Peter Max art on the outside. There are pieces of NYC inspiration all over this newly designed vessel, from murals to pastries to an exercise class inspired by the Rockettes to Broadway-inspired performances. Plus, upon departure, you have fantastic views of NYC from all sides. The ship sails from NYC to Bermuda or the Bahamas.
First we were led to the dining room and served a meal fit for a King, accompanied by performers from the ship’s entertainment line-up. From Nickelodeon to Second City to a Cirque Du Soleil inspired group called Cirque Dreams, we got a good look at what the ship has to offer at night. I was thrilled to see a performance from Rocks of Ages, which I caught in NYC a few years back, and my husband liked the short bit of jazz music that was played for us. When the Nickeloden actors came out and slimed a fellow audience member, my kids’ eyes and ears perked up. You can read more about the kids who was picked to be slimed here and find out just how slimy the slimy was. I also grew up watching kids get slimed on Nickelodeon and used to work for the cable network, so this act had an element of nostalgia for me, as well. With full stomachs, our adventures continued around the ship as we walked around to check everything out.
All my kids had to do was spot the new Aqua Park & Sports Complex to know the Norwegian Breakaway was a ship after their own hearts. The ship is the only cruise ship in the world with five multi-story water slides. Its accompanying Sports Complex offers three levels of adventure for all ages, including the largest ropes course at sea and the Plank, which extends 8 feet over the side of the ship. My kids were mesmerized and kind of upset that mom hadn’t brought their swimwear and found the experience incredibly tempting as we had a finite number of hours we were allowed to stay on board.
Still, they found it all very exciting to be walking around a cruise ship amongst the rest of a very large group set to sail to the Bahamas later that day. We walked across the deck and saw the Splash Academy, a huge two-story facility for kids ages 6 months to age 12, and a mini golf course to boot. I secretly dreamt about staying on board as stow-aways so my kids could enjoy the kid’s club and my husband and I could drift off to the adult areas, sipping cocktails and staying in hot pools all afternoon.
Maybe another time. No, definitely another time, it’s my kids’s new resolution to go on a cruise and sail the seas. After all that temptation, can you blame them?
It’s nice to know that we can pack our bags, head to midtown and jump on a cruise ship that sails to the Caribbean, with all the amenities we could ever need.
To book a cruise on Norwegian Breakaway, call 1.888.NCLCRUISE, contact your travel professional, or visit Breakaway.NCL.com
Disclosure: I was invited as a guest to explore the ship with my family and was not compensated for this post.
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oooh, looks fabulous.