The Norwegian Breakaway has started sailing from Pier 88, and contrary to the nonstop TV ads pumped out by Norwegian Cruise Line, it is not crowned with fake skyscrapers like a Vegas version of New York.
But it is a mega-ship for Manhattan: 1,062 feet long, bearing a semi-psychedelic livery by city resident Peter Max, and capped by a three-story spaghetti knot of water slides.
Norwegian has long sold cruises to New Yorkers departing from the Hudson River, but on older ships that were, shall we say, “pre-sailed.” This one is fresh from the shipyard with all the latest twists, and from now on it’ll live west of Hell’s Kitchen and head to Bermuda, the Bahamas and the Caribbean on seven- and 12-night runs. For those without time or patience, there will be the odd two-night dash into international waters for drinking and gambling.
Beyond the Rockettes being made “godmothers” of the Breakaway, there’s nothing particularly Manhattan-esque about the ship — unless you count how it doesn’t make the mistake of telling passengers what they have to do next.
There’s no required dining room or set time to eat. Instead, the mall-like heart of the ship is stocked with a few core come-when-you-want places where meals are included in your fare. Those are embellished with another two dozen restaurants (serving cuisine from Asian to steak), including three seafood spots from Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian. At those, you pay an extra $20 to $35 per meal to take the monotony out of a week at the buffet.
Make no mistake: This is a ship that wants you to spend money. And to make it easier, well-known licensees are a staple. Hoboken “Cake Boss” Buddy Valastro of Carlo’s Bakery directs the pastries at two shops, Mandara runs the spa, and the Second City comedy troupe entertains in a faux-brick nightclub also used by the Howl at the Moon dueling piano brand. (Current “SNL” featured player Cecily Strong is a veteran of Second City on a smaller Norwegian ship, the Jewel.)
It was an odd choice to license the Broadway ’80s tribute musical “Rock of Ages,” especially since the real thing is playing just a few avenue blocks from the pier. But in trimming it by an hour and sanitizing none of its naughtiness, Norwegian has found a show that, unlike the warmed-over, out-of-a-kit jukebox shows other cruise lines offer, lives in the same world as its audience.
Other things Norwegian touts loudly include the line’s largest kids’ club areas at sea, the largest ropes course at sea and an ice bar.
The Breakaway also carries a Norwegian innovation from its 3-year-old Epic: some smaller, stylish “studio” cabins that enable solo cruisers to avoid the double-occupancy burden. They can be connected for single people traveling together.
The preponderance of choices means many passengers (the ship fits 4,028 at double occupancy) must spend a chunk of time making reservations and waiting in lines — a real, under-discussed drawback of ships that purport to have it all.
That’s what makes the Waterfront, the Deck 8 promenade lined with places to eat and order cocktails, so welcome. Cruise lines bombard guests with options that keep them indoors and spending money. It’s refreshing to have a space where they’re actually encouraged to — gasp — admire the ocean they travel. breakaway.norwegian.com
Other new wrinkles in the increasingly noisy cruise niche:
Next month, an 8-month-pregnant Kate Middleton is scheduled to serve as godmother to the 3,600-passenger Royal Princess (princess.com/royalprincess) in Southampton, England. The ship ups Princess’ game, but not too obnoxiously, with the largest top deck in the fleet, an adults-only pool and SeaWalk, a glass-enclosed walkway with a clear floor that arcs out over the water. By night, there’s a small-scale, Bellagio-style light-and-fountain show. The ship will do the Mediterranean all summer, then hit the Eastern Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale in the winter.
In Europe, Viking River Cruises (vikingrivercruises.com) is launching 10 ships, bringing its two-year total to 16 brand-new longships. Avalon Waterways (avalonwaterways.com) just christened the 166-passenger Expression, its fifth new European ship in three years, with three more to come by next year.
Carnival’s 18-year-old Destiny ship, sister of the ill-fated Triumph, got a $155 million makeover that includes a tangle of topside water slides and an appreciable expansion of deck area. It’s now called the Sunshine (carnival.com).
And in late 2014, Royal Caribbean’s humongous, 4,180-passenger Quantum of the Seas (royalcaribbean.com/quantum) arrives at Cape Liberty in Bayonne, NJ, for seven- and 12-night voyages to the Caribbean. It’s loaded more like Six Flags than a ship, with a trapeze school, bumper cars, roller skating, indoor skydiving and the North Star, a viewing pod that carries passengers 300 feet over the ocean.