June 2024: A Rejuvenating Western Caribbean Cruise On NCL Breakaway
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Cruising the Western Caribbean allows you to explore ports in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, as well as Belize and Honduras, southeast of Cuba. We recently took another Western Caribbean cruise on NCL Breakaway, our third, and had a great time. We love Norwegian Cruise Line and travel with them often.
Not all cruises have to be fast-paced, hard-partying, port-filled vacations. At our age, and as much as we travel, we’ve begun to slow down a bit, to pick and choose which ports to get off on and which to stay aboard. We take more advantage of the ship’s amenities and tend to sleep in later, skipping breakfast. It’s your vacation, so you can do what you want.
In this post, we will share the itinerary, let you peek at our cabin, and fill you in on how we spent our days on the Breakaway.
The Ship
The Norwegian Breakaway was the namesake and first of its class when it was introduced in 2013. Refurbished in 2020, it has the capacity for 3,903 passengers at double occupancy and boasts a crew of 1,657.
The Itinerary
Our seven-day cruise on Norwegian Breakaway began and ended in Miami. We flew in the day before, which was a bit of a nightmare with flight cancellations. As a result, we didn’t arrive at our hotel until the wee hours of the morning on embarkation day, which was stressful, as you can imagine.
Note to self: Always travel to the port two days before the cruise.
Exhausted, we finally made it to our hotel in Miami and got a few hours of sleep before packing up again and heading to the port.
The itinerary for our cruise was as follows:
- Day 1: Embarkation at Miami
- Day 2: At Sea
- Day 3: Roatan, Honduras
- Day 4: Harvest Caye, Belize
- Day 5: Costa Maya, Mexico
- Day 6: Cozumel, Mexico
- Day 7: At Sea
- Day 8: Disembarkation at Miami
Day 1: Embarkation
The embarkation process was quick due to the priority embarkation perk because we were booked in the Haven. Once onboard, we reported to our muster station for our safety drill and headed to our cabin to drop off our cruise carry-on bags.
For this cruise, we booked a Haven Owner’s Suite for the first time. Once there, I gasped at how beautiful the suite was before I took photos and video for you. It was by far the best cabin we’ve ever stayed in on NCL.
Cabin 16100 on the bow at Deck 16 consisted of a large combination dining and living room with a half bath, a spacious master bedroom with a slider leading to the balcony, a walk-in closet/dressing room with a makeup station, a bathroom with double sinks, a soaking tub, and a large shower, and a sprawling balcony with a table and four chairs and two loungers. Amazing!
Once I’d documented the cabin, we headed to the Haven Restaurant for lunch with friends who were also on our sailing. We spent time that afternoon making dinner and spa reservations with Monica, the fabulous concierge, and then had dinner with our friends at Shanghai’s for the first time.
After a fun and delicious dinner, we headed to the casino for the evening.
Day 2: At Sea
I love it when an itinerary has a day or two at sea after embarkation. It allows you to slow down, relax, explore the ship, and enjoy its amenities. For us, that meant sleeping late and then going to the spa for treatments. Myron enjoyed a massage and I had a much-needed manicure.
That evening, we dined at La Cucina and shared an order of lasagna and a meat pizza, starving because we’d skipped breakfast and lunch. They were delicious!
Day 3: Roatan, Honduras
Since we’ve been to Roatan twice before, we decided to stay on the ship for more relaxation. It had only been two weeks since we returned from our previous cruise, a fifteen-day transatlantic, and we’d been sick both during and after that cruise. We were starting to feel better but were still exhausted, so our intention for this cruise was more rejuvenation than sightseeing.
While Myron slept late, I returned to the spa for a massage and then a facial.
My afternoon was spent roaming the ship, taking photos for this website. Although we’d sailed on the Breakaway before, I’d never done an entire ship tour for you before. Those photos appear in a separate post.
That evening, we dined with our friends in the Haven Restaurant. Myron and I ordered the Surf and Turf, but I asked for my lobster to go to him, leaving me with a petite filet.
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Day 4: Harvest Caye, Belize
On the fourth day, we woke up in Harvest Caye, Belize.
Although we’d been to Harvest Caye before, we hadn’t done an excursion there yet (that I can remember), so we booked the Catch-And-Release Fishing excursion, a three-hour tour that cost us $139 each, less a $50 Free At Sea credit. We were a group of 16 or so in a small boat.
After receiving a quick lesson on how to fish in these waters, we set out for our first stop, eager to see who would catch the first fish, the most fish, and the most beautiful fish.
We made four stops in all, trying for better fishing, and with only three fish caught, I was the one with the least fish. Myron pulled in a good many, plus this double catch.
It was a fun day, definitely different from any other excursions we’ve done before.
That evening, we had a great dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Teppanyaki.
Day 5: Costa Maya, Mexico
In Costa Maya, we slept in late again, opting not to book an excursion. We did venture off the ship, though, to wander the streets a bit.
That evening, we enjoyed a fabulous meal at Ocean Blue with our friends. I had the filet and Myron ordered the cioppino.
Day 6: Cozumel, Mexico
For Cozumel, we booked a four-hour excursion to Chankanaab National Reef Marine Park for the VIP Sea Lion and Manatee Encounter All-Inclusive, a four-hour tour that cost us $139 each. There, we had the chance to interact with a sea lion and a manatee, up close and personal, which was exciting.
A good bit of the excursion was spent taking individual photographs with the animals, which were offered at the end of the tour for $140 (!). Sunscreen isn’t allowed to protect marine life, so we got a bit sunburned. Also, cameras weren’t allowed, and because I didn’t buy the exorbitantly priced package, we have no photos. I regretted that later, despite the high cost.
That evening, we had dinner at the Haven Restaurant with our friends, who had graciously arranged with the staff for us to have the ribeyes we’d been craving from Cagney’s delivered to the Haven Restaurant and served to us there. Between our concierge, the maitre d’, the galley staff, and our butler, it all came together perfectly. Bravo!
And what a treat it was…
Day 7: At Sea
On the last full day of the cruise, we went on a Behind The Scenes Tour, a free perk for certain levels of members of Casinos At Sea (the casino loyalty club). We’d been on BTS tours of other ships, but Myron hadn’t had the opportunity to visit the bridge and the engineering control room before, so we joined the tour for those areas. Again, photos were prohibited, but we were allowed to take this shot from the bridge.
And we got a free souvenir photo, which was a little cheesy but is a nice touch and appreciated.
Day 8: Disembarkation Day
Disembarkation Day was sad as we had to leave our friends behind, but we had a very nice cruise. The only bad part was it went by too fast!
Final Thoughts On A Relaxing Western Caribbean Cruise on NCL Breakaway
As this was our third cruise on the Breakaway, we were familiar with the ship and what it has to offer, which is a lot. If you decide to cruise on the Breakaway, be sure to explore it fully. You might be surprised at all there is to do.
Happy cruising!
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