Cruise from New York to Bermuda or Caribbean on the Norwegian Breakaway

♦ Routes (free): Detailed travel itineraries in USA

Article by: Orad Eldar Bar

Want to reach magical destinations, such as Bermuda or the Caribbean Islands?

Norwegian Breakaway, the ship from Norwegian Cruise Line, will lead you on a magical cruise to tropical destinations.

This article describes a cruise to Bermuda from New York. Sailing on the Norwegian Breakaway, which was selected when launched as the best new ship by the editors of Cruise Critic, will guarantee you a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The cruise combines the best of New York City, with the best pampering at sea.

Norwegian also offers a variety of cruises from New York that reach the Caribbean Islands.

General Background on Norwegian Cruise Line - NCL

Norwegian Cruise Line is undoubtedly one of the most successful cruise companies for families. It is a dynamic company with a fleet of new and renewing ships, most of which include attractive and unique facilities. Norwegian Cruise Line began its journey in 1966 with an idea that was revolutionary at the time: regular cruises to the Caribbean from the Port of Miami. The company offered good food and friendly service at an attractive price, a winning combination for people seeking entertainment and activity. The company was founded by the Norwegian Kloster and his Israeli partner Ted Arison, who later left and founded Carnival. The company's first ship, then called "Norwegian Caribbean Line," was a steamship of only 830 GRT that sailed to the Bahamas. In 1979, the company acquired the ship SS Norway, which was 70,000 GRT and was the largest passenger ship in the world at the time. The company developed many destinations in the Caribbean such as Ocho Rios in Jamaica and was the first company to purchase a "private island" in the Bahamas. A lot of water has passed since then in the Caribbean... Today the company has ships in volumes between 77,000 and 168,000 GRT, six of which were built after 2010. In recent years, the company launches a new ship every year. Even the older ships were renovated by the company. In fact, all the company's ships were renovated at the earliest in 2013. In Norwegian, only one ship was built before 2000 (built in 1999) and it too was renovated (in 2013). This is the reason why Norwegian is considered the company with the "youngest" fleet. It was the first company that started (back in 2001) with the "Freestyle Cruising" method, where you can choose when and with whom to eat and completely abolished the traditional method where everyone has a fixed table and fixed time for a meal. The company is also known for the wide variety of alternative restaurants it offers passengers in addition to the standard dining rooms. In the state-of-the-art ships, there are more than 10 different restaurants in various styles on each ship (some involve an extra charge). Today many companies are adopting, at least partially, the Freestyle method, given its great success. Those who are not enthusiastic about formal meals, where everyone dresses in their finest clothes and all the men wear evening suits and tuxedos, will be happy to know that Norwegian is much more flexible on the subject and less formal.

The company has many sports activities. Every ship currently has a climbing wall. NCL offers a program for learning to dive called Dive-In Snorkeling on its cruises in the Caribbean, Bermuda, and Hawaii. There are basketball courts, volleyball, jogging tracks, bowling, and additional sports facilities on the ship. Many of the ships have climbing walls, a ropes course, and a water park. The company has a rich program of activities for children and youth, as well as a rich variety of shows and social games for adults, with an emphasis on competitive games. If you are competitive and active - this is the company for you! The company organizes many activities and parties around the pool. On the new ships, the variety of shows in the evening is very impressive. Not only independent productions in Broadway and Las Vegas style, as in most companies, but also successful productions brought from Broadway itself such as: "Tony n' Tina's Wedding," the "Blue Man Group" show, dinner with a circus show, "Comedy Club," and jazz clubs. Many honeymoon couples, families, and many for whom this is their first cruise, choose to sail with this company. The company's new ships have many rooms with a connecting door, which makes it attractive for families. The company began its journey in cruises to the Caribbean and now offers a large variety of itineraries in Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, South America, Alaska, and Bermuda, in addition to a wide range of Caribbean itineraries. Norwegian is the only company that offers cruise itineraries between the Hawaiian Islands in all months of the year on the ship "Pride of America," which is the company's first ship sailing under an American flag with an American crew. On the rest of the company's ships, the officers are usually Norwegian, but the crew, as in all companies, is from all over the world. Each of the ships has a giant colorful painting on the side from the bow to the middle of the ship that distinguishes it from the others. (For example: Norwegian Sun has a sun painting, Pride of America has a US flag painting, etc.).

In 2010, Norwegian Cruise Line NCL announced a new line of luxury cruise ships called the Breakaway class. The line currently includes three identical ships, each of which is the eighth largest in the world. One of the ships is the Norwegian Breakaway - inaugurated in May 2013 and it is intended for about 4,000 passengers and over 1,600 employees and crew members. The ship's main home port is currently in New York, and you won't be able to miss the "Big Apple" atmosphere in the paintings on the front of the ship, in the art details, in the public spaces, and even in the restaurant names. It is of course recommended to combine a visit and tours in New York City before or after the cruise.

The ship Norwegian Getaway was inaugurated in January 2014 and it is intended for 3,969 passengers and 1,640 employees and crew members.

Additionally, Norwegian launched even larger ships: the ship Norwegian Escape (started activity in October 2015).

In the spring of 2018, Norwegian Bliss was launched, which is an upgrade of the Breakaway class with many additional surprises. In 2019, a twin sister ship to Bliss was launched named Encore.

Another successful ship for families is the Norwegian Epic, which sails in the summer months in the Mediterranean from Barcelona and Rome to the Western Mediterranean.

Cruise Itineraries

Cruises from New York:

Sailing from New York has two prominent advantages: the first is that New York is the closest US destination to Israel and the flight to it is shorter and cheaper compared to flights to Florida or the Western US. The second advantage is that departing from the Port of New York (and of course returning to this port at the end of the cruise) is an impressive scenic experience: sailing from the port in the Hudson River along all of Manhattan both north and south, passing near the Statue of Liberty and going under an impressive bridge that almost touches the ship's masts.

For those arriving in New York:

♦ Available for you: Recommended hotels in New York

Norwegian offers a selection of cruises from New York both to Bermuda and the Caribbean Islands:

♦ Cruises to Bermuda:

To Bermuda, the cruise is seven nights long, during which the ship anchors in Bermuda for three nights. This is the ship's only port, and passengers get to enjoy three full days on the island of dreams, can spend the day on the beaches and the evening in the many restaurants and bars. About Bermuda you can read in my article: Trip to Bermuda Island - An Island of Magic and Mystery.

♦ Booking tours and excursions in Bermuda adapted for cruise ship passengers (except for the catamaran cruise) from Viator:

♦ Guided Bicycle Tour and Swimming at the Beach - Railway Trail Bike and Beach Tour in Bermuda Starts and returns from the cruise port.

One of the beaches in Bermuda:

View over Bermuda:

♦ Cruises to the Caribbean

The second route from New York reaches the Caribbean Islands and is usually 10-12 nights.

Cruises in Europe for the Norwegian Breakaway:

In 2018, the Breakaway sailed "close to home" in Europe on a wonderful itinerary to the Baltic Sea.

Peterhof Palace

Description of the Norwegian Breakaway

On the Norwegian Breakaway, there are 1,025 living rooms and another 238 pampering suites with a rich specification. The ship also offers private and luxury studio rooms intended for a single passenger. In the room complex, there is an exclusive atmosphere, with private passages, personal support staff, and a private lounge with drinks and light refreshments, allowing single passengers to socialize and meet additional passengers.

Entertainment Programs on the Ship

The Norwegian Breakaway is suitable for the whole family – everyone will find an entertainment and amusement program throughout the cruise days.

The central show on the ship is a Dinner Show called Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy. This is a spectacular show of acrobats, dancers, and musicians, taking place entirely in a spectacular setting of a magical jungle, a variety of colorful costumes, and stunts that will leave you open-mouthed. The show also includes a three-course dinner. The show involves an extra charge, but the experience is definitely recommended. In addition to the acrobat show, entertainment on the ship also includes top-tier Broadway shows. The first among them is the show Rock of Ages, which tells the story of rock bands and the club scene in Los Angeles in the 80s. Dance floor enthusiasts will very much enjoy the "Burn the Floor" show - a particularly invested dance show. Another entertainment option is "Wine Lovers" - a unique musical that combines lunch, wine tastings, and a comedy show (at an extra charge). Also throughout the ship, you will find jazz ensembles, the successful Chicago stand-up and improvisation group, The Second City, and more. Families with young children will surely enjoy spending time at the Nickelodeon Pajama Jam: a particularly fun breakfast and show with Nickelodeon stars including Dora, Diego, and SpongeBob. Entertainment programs for children include rich and invested activities for every age: balloon folding lessons, singing competitions, dance parties, treasure hunts, and more. Teenagers will also enjoy spending time at the Entourage club, where you will find a variety of activities such as a fashion show, creative workshops, dance parties, themed parties, pool parties, and more.

Sports and Extreme on the Ship

Heard about a water park on a ship already? The Norwegian Breakaway proves everything is possible. The water park which is located on the 15th floor of the ship includes five water slides for all ages and among them even free-fall slides and two "whirlpool" slides built in a spiral shape. On the ship they thought of everything and children too will be able to enjoy a water park of their own, including smaller slides, shallow pools, and a colorful experiential environment entirely dedicated to "SpongeBob" and his friends.

Want more? Sport and extreme activities on the ship really don't end here. An especially experiential challenge you will find in the largest ropes park on a ship! In the ropes park, you will pass through 40 different points, beams, ropes, and a zipline, but the real challenge is Walk The Plank - walking on a thin beam, 18 stories above sea level... think you're capable?

Additional sports activities you will find at the climbing wall, the invested mini-golf course, soccer and basketball courts, an equipped gym, bowling alleys, video games, and more.

New York's Culinary Scene Reaches the Open Sea

On the ship, there are 6 different dining areas without charge, 8 restaurants for a fee, 4 cafes and snack bars for light snacks, and no less than 12 bars. The main dining room is called Manhattan and there are two other main dining rooms, smaller: Savor and Taste. In these restaurants, breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served. Besides the restaurants, you will also find buffet-style cafeterias, where food in all styles is served: salads, pizzas, meats, pastas, seafood, and fish, and of course - many desserts.

The paid restaurants offer a variety of flavors and styles - a Brazilian meat restaurant ("all you can eat" style, recommended!), Japanese restaurant, French, Italian, sushi bar, American steakhouse, and more. One of the recommended (but also expensive) restaurants is Ocean Blue by Chef Geoffrey Zakarian. In the restaurant, you will find a variety of fish and seafood and you can also dine on the ship's promenade and overlook the sea and the cruise.

Norwegian Breakaway sailing along Manhattan

With so many entertainment, dining, hospitality, and fun options – all you have to do is pack and board the ship.

In the spring of 2018, as mentioned, the Norwegian Bliss was launched, which is an upgrade of the Breakaway class with many surprises, innovations, and changes. Below are several short videos describing the innovations: a racing track for race cars, a large laser tag complex, a huge observation lounge and more, and you will also see the pools, slides, special restaurants, shows, a luxury complex called Haven, and also a description of crossing the new Panama Canal.