Italy/Greece 2023 – Day 2: Board the Breakaway (September 3, 2023)

Trip: Rome and Cruise through Italy and Greece (Norwegian Breakaway)
Dates: September 1 – 15, 2023
Who: Me (Jess), Emily (one of my best friends), Beverly (my mom), Jeff (my stepdad), Jen (my aunt), and Megan (my sister).

The morning of embarkation, we all woke up about 7am and got situated. About a block away was a large train/bus station that also held a food hall, which was perfect for breakfast. We grabbed a quick bite to tide us over until we got on the ship.

We ate pretty quickly and headed back to our AirBnb, as the driver was supposed to be there in about 15 minutes. When we got back, he was already there! (Again, I can’t say enough about how great our experience with IterItaly.com was). We told him that we just needed to grab our things and he said there was no rush. We threw all of our luggage in the extremely tiny elevator to send down, ran down the stairs to meet it, loaded up the van, and were on our way!

I did a horrible job of photographing our ride and when we arrived to the port, but I will say this…. You are much better off getting a driver or a shuttle bus to the port than parking. The garage is NOT close and the amount of people we saw walking a very long haul with all of their luggage was crazy. Our driver was able to pull us right up to the door. We went through a door to drop off bags (had tags your could get) and then went through security. You go upstairs to check in (super easy) and then waited about 5 minutes before being called to board.

As we were walking up the bridge to get on the ship, I called Mom to see where they were. It was 11:30 and they were JUST getting on the bus. We told them that we were boarding and to call us when they arrived. First call of duty was to find our muster station….. we did that easily and quickly. Seriously, just get it done. It was SUPER crowded in the atrium and a bit overwhelming. We went to the Mixx Bar and saw that the MDRs were opening for lunch in 15 minutes. We hung out there until it opened.

We had our first cruise lunch in Taste and thoroughly enjoyed it…..

Lunch above was a Spinach Caesar Salad (just ok), Chicken Quesadilla (really good), Fish & Chips (excellent), and Basque Cake (really good).

After lunch, we got our reservations made for SIX, the Broadway show being performed on our ship. One thing to note is that you really want to get that done early. There are limited shows and the reservations fill up quickly. Emily and I had a question of the Shore Excursions desk, so we got that done while Megan and Jen tried to get their drink package fixed at Guest Services.

At that point, our rooms were ready. We headed to check them out and saw that our luggage was being brought up. It seemed like the perfect time to get everything unpacked and put away in our little home for the next ten days. Emily and I had an Oceanview cabin, Mom and Jeff (who still weren’t there) were also in an OV next door, and Megan and Jen were in an Interior across the hall. I’d always heard that NCL’s cabins were on the smaller side…. I was pleasantly surprised. It was not exactly the largest cabin I’d ever been in, but was roomier than I was expecting.

Jen wanted to chill, so Emily, Megan, and I headed out to explore the ship. I’m the type who likes to walk the whole ship, floor-to-floor, on embarkation day to get my bearings. We also stopped in the spa for the tour and booked pedicures. After properly walking the entirety of the ship, we all went to our rooms and took a little nap.

We woke up to texts from Mom and Jeff. They were finally on the ship and wanted to meet up. All the ladies hung out on the Lido deck for while until it was time to clean up for dinner.

The Breakaway has three Main Dining Rooms – Taste, Savor, and The Manhattan Room. Taste and Savor are your standard MDRs. The Manhattan Room has a bit more ambiance, with a band that performs. You don’t have to have reservations for any of them, but I’d made one for the first night so that we could enjoy our first dinner together in a fun atmosphere.

Dinner above: Crab & Cheese Wontons (just ok); Crab Cake (ok); Chicken Piccata (ok); Apple Pie (good); Chocolate Caramel Tart (PHENOMENAL). Not pictured was the worst French Onion Soup I’ve ever had. It was disgusting. We all agreed that it was a travesty. After a wonderful lunch, we were a bit disappointed. However, we definitely enjoyed each other’s company and had a lot of laughs. This was the first time we were all together since being dropped off at the AirBnb, so we caught up with each other’s adventures.

After dinner, I walked around with Mom for a while. She hadn’t done a lot of exploring, so I went with her. Then, I went to the Lido Deck to get water for the night. I went back to the room and was in for the night!

Italy/Greece 2023 Trip Report (September 1 – 15, 2023)
– The Beginning (Vivi Alla Giornata!)
– The Planning Process (Rome)
– The Planning Process (Greece Ports)
– The Planning Process (Italy Ports)
– Flight Confusion
– Day 0: Leave for Rome (September 1, 2023)
– Day 1: Rome Arrival and City Tour (September 2, 2023)
– Day 2: Board the Breakaway (September 3, 2023)
– Day 3: Sea Day (September 4, 2023)
– Day 4: Santorini, Greece (September 5, 2023)
– Day 5: Athens (Piraeus), Greece (September 6, 2023)
– Day 6: Mykonos, Greece (September 7, 2023)
– Day 7: Olympia (Katakolon), Greece (September 8, 2023)
– Day 8: Valletta, Malta (September 9, 2023)
– Day 9: Messina (Sicily), Italy (September 10, 2023)
– Day 10: Naples, Italy (September 11, 2023)
– Day 11: Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy (September 12, 2023)
– Day 12: Disembark and Vatican City (September 13, 2023)
– Day 13: Rome (September 14, 2023)
– Day 14: Leaving Rome (September 15, 2023) and Some Final Thoughts

Italy/Greece 2023 – Day 2: Board the Breakaway (September 3, 2023)

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