Earlier this week when the names of the two upcoming Project Breakaway ships were announced, I glossed over any actual details of the ship. Since I was so vague I figured today I would expand upon the information that has been released by Norwegian Cruise Lines thus far.
As you know, the names Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway were selected from a pool of nearly 250,000 applicants in a contest that ran earlier in the summer. The winners each received a prize package including a trip for two to the first ships inaugural festivities, christening ceremony and a balcony stateroom. The exact date has not been determined as of yet but the ships are expected to debut in April 2013 and 2014.
Each ship will weigh-in at over 140,000 tons and be capable of carrying over 4,000 passengers. So as you can see Norwegian chose not to go quite as large as the Norwegian Epic which weighs over 155,000 tons. The two ships will feature 1,024 balcony cabins and 238 mini-suites.
For the cruise industry and Norwegian in particular the Epic really was a leap forward in design. However, instead of just copying that design for these new ships Norwegian Cruise Lines went a step further, they took what they did on the Epic and refined things for the new ships. Gone are the clouded-glass bathroom doors and flood causing in cabin bowl sinks. Instead they decided to go a bit more conservative and traditional which will please many cruisers.
Norwegian has also borrowed several niche cabin categories from the Epic and added some new ones. For instance, on the Norwegian Epic single passenger cabins have been clustered together in their own section of the ship. The bad news is there will only be 59 of these cabins on each ship compared to 128 on the epic. The good news is it should be easier to get a drink in the complex’s private two-story lounge complete with bar.
Project Breakaway Balcony Cabin
Other Project Breakaway cabin news
Oceanviews have returned: Unlike the Norwegian Epic where every outside cabin had a balcony, the Norwegian Breakaway and Getaway will have standard oceanview staterooms in addition to balcony cabins. Each ship will have 158 oceanviews with each of those rooms having huge picture windows making them more family friendly than balconies.
Speaking of families: 42 of the oceanview cabins will be termed “Family Oceanview” and are able to accommodate up to 5 people. This is great for families with more than two children as it cuts down on the expense of moving up in cabin category and also allows for better supervision of children. There will also be a number of inside cabins that connect to other inside cabins to for even larger families.
Built With Children in Mind: There will also be a number of Family Mini-Suites located on Deck 12 and 13 near the children’s facilities. There will also be quite a few staterooms with bath tubs for families with small children.
Project Breakaway Mini Suite
For Spa Fanatics: For those passengers, who live in the spa during a cruise, why not live in the spa? Well not necessarily in the spa but as close to the spa as possible. The Norwegian Breakaway and Getaway will each have 28 spa balcony cabins and 20 spa mini-suites located next to the spa and fitness center. Passengers staying in these rooms also receive complimentary access to the Thermal Spa Suite.
Stayed tuned for more details, which I am sure will be steadily trickling out from Norwegian Cruise Lines.
