[Travelandtourism] Review of Norwegian Breakaway
cheryl echevarria
cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com
Wed May 29 16:22:48 UTC 2013
You are welcome.
I hope you will be at the National Convention Jana, and we hope you will be in attendance at our meeting on July 2, 2013
Cheryl Echevarria, PresidentNFB Travel & Tourism
Disabled Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 of NY StateLeading the Way in Independent Travel!
Cheryl Echevarria, Ownerhttp://www.echevarriatravel.com631-456-5394reservations@echevarriatravel.comhttp://www.echevarriatravel.wordpress.com
Affiliated as an independent contractor with Montrose TravelCST - #1018299-10 FL CST T156780Your old car keys can be the keys to literacy for a blind child. Donate your unwanted vehicle to us by clicking https://nfb.org/vehicledonations or call 855-659-9314.Echevarria Travel has partnered with Braille Smith. http://www.braillesmith.com for all her braille needs.Gail Smith is the Secretary of the NFB of Alabama
> From: jana at janajackson.com
> To: travelandtourism at nfbnet.org
> Date: Wed, 29 May 2013 11:11:52 -0500
> Subject: Re: [Travelandtourism] Review of Norwegian Breakaway
>
> Hi, Cheryl! Wow, this is a great review! Thanks for sharing it with us!
> I'm up to my ears in getting things ready for a major opportunity for my
> music ministry, but I will call you soon. Take care, and have a blessed
> day!
>
> Jana
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Travelandtourism [mailto:travelandtourism-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of cheryl echevarria
> Sent: Wednesday, May 29, 2013 10:35 AM
> To: travelandtourism
> Subject: [Travelandtourism] Review of Norwegian Breakaway
>
>
>
>
>
> Good morning all:
> I had written a review for my Business Development Manager, Jackie Day, to
> send to Montrose Travel my host agency, since I was the only Agent from
> Montrose that went. I thought I would send you this review.
> Also, the elevators are brailled and do talk. The public bathrooms on the
> ship are also now brailled.
> The TV Description in the rooms for the customers to access to make
> reservations for dining, spa, etc.
> We don't even use them, one they aren't not voice accessible. I think they
> need help in the design of this, Cathy is saying, but I recommend anyway,
> prior to cruising to everyone is that 45 days prior to cruising that you go
> to www.ncl.com and create your account with your confirmation which is
> assigned when you book your cruise. And make your excursion, dining and spa
> options, if you wait until you get on the cruise, then you may not get what
> you want.
> The have the wall kiosks, there is a button with the handicapped accessible
> logo on it, but when you press it, nothing happens. These kiosks tell you
> what times shows are going on, where you can on the ship and how you can go
> to get to another area, like if you are on the deck where you room is and
> you want to go to the water park, it will tell you how to get there, but it
> doesn't talk, Cathy Vazquez is looking into this, because when I was on the
> EPIC, Breakaway's sister ship in 2010 they had the same thing, and she had
> indicated that this needs to work. So the whole team is having a conference
> on June 11th.
> Camille Olivere, Vice President of Sales, said she will also have an answer
> for me about the donation for the National Auction for Cyber Monday.
>
> Sincerely,
> Cheryl Echevarria
> Please read below.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Dear Andi;
>
> I am sending you this review of Norwegian Breakaway from Cheryl Echevarria,
> who (as you well know) is a Home Based Agent for Montrose. Cheryl is
> amazing, she
> has been in the industry for several years now, and has had a positive
> impact on everyone she works with here at Norwegian!
> Cheryl is blind, and was
> named Disabled Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 of NY State. She has been on
> the Norwegian
> Travel Agent Advisory Board for over a year now, and has been a tremendous
> advocate as far as our on board programming. She has been helping us to
> get braille menus on board our ships, and has offered many other important
> suggestions that are being discussed
> and are in the implementation stages. We are very lucky to have her 'on
> our side' as they say.
>
> As an Advisory Board Member, Cheryl was able to sail on the two night cruise
> to nowhere on Norwegian Breakaway a few weeks back.
> I asked her to share her feedback with her Montrose team members. I am
> hoping that you will share this review with your other Home Based Agents, as
> well as your internal staff. We have turned a corner with this
> innovative new ship, and I am hoping that
> 'team Montrose' will embrace this exciting new product!
>
> Thank you!
>
> ~Jackie
>
> Jacqueline Day | Business Development Manager
>
> jday at ncl.com
>
> cell 805.341.0961 | fax 786.336.5458
>
>
> Norwegian Cruise Line
> 7665 Corporate Center Drive | Miami FL 33126
>
>
> Freestyle Cruising
> ncl.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Review of the Norwegian Breakaway of Montrose Travel
>
>
> By Cheryl Echevarria
>
>
>
>
>
>
> I have been asked by Jackie Day, Business Development Manager, Norwegian
> Cruise Lines, who I met at spoke with on the Breakaway. She asked if I would
> give a full review of this beautiful, fabulous
> ship that is right in my backyard here in New York City.
>
>
>
>
>
> First of all, this is not your grandmothers, Mothers, or even your Norwegian
> Cruise Line. Since CEO Kevin Sheehan, whom Nelson and I met on the ship,
> what a great guy he is as well, Oh yes before
> I go on, Kevin Sheehan doesn't like any one referring to the company as
> "NCL"; that is a big No! No!, he feels it sounds like the "C" could stand
> for the word chicken, joking said by Andrew Stuart, Executive Vice President
> Global Sales and Passenger Services
> during one of the travel agent seminars that went on during the cruise, so
> that is why no more referring to Norwegian as "NCL", anymore.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Picture of Andrew Stuart at
>
>
> Seminar on the Breakaway
>
>
>
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>
>
> At little past and present history; CEO, Kevin Sheehan, born and raised NY,
> and in his early days was an actual, NY City Taxi Driver, took over
> Norwegian Cruise Lines back in 2008, the line has
> improved dramatically, from going public on the NY Stock Exchanged and one
> of the fastest growing stock in the industry (NCLH) NYSE, to having
> Norwegian Cruise Lines one of the most accessible suppliers to the travel
> professionals in this business, as a side
> note, I sell primarily Norwegian, as my preferred cruise lines, because
> being someone who is disabled, they are the only ones who allow me to work
> directly with them to help improve in the area of people with disabilities.
> Norwegian puts their money where
> their mouths are.
>
>
>
>
>
> No other cruise lines offer this to me, and being a travel partner, who has
> a clientele of not only people with physically disabilities, but for those
> that don't have a disability.
>
>
>
>
>
> Being also a member of the NCL U Advisory Board - Elected in 2012 and they
> will be looking for new members in August 2014, they just added us for
> another year. All 8 of us were asked to sail
> on the Breakaway. It was free to us to attend. No we weren't on the day
> of the Christening, but it was wonderful all the same.
>
>
>
>
>
> Even before stepping on the ship, we were all sent an app to use on the
> ship, I tested it out to make sure it is good for blind people as well, and
> there were a few bugs, but they are working
> them out. Don't know if this is something that will be giving to all
> clients prior to their cruise. It allowed us to tweet and take pictures and
> post directly to facebook/twitter/linkedin, etc all the social media, we had
> free wifi, so we were able to do this.
> It also allowed us to view the itineraries that were set up for the Travel
> Partners that were on board what times, etc.
>
>
>
>
>
> Breakaway is ported at Pier 88 in NY City on 12th Avenue right next to the
> USS Intrepid Air & Space Museum, which will be her home port, 52 weeks a
> year, she is dedicated to the City of NY and
> all her glory. I am very proud of this year. I feel she is also my baby. I
> said to Andy Stuart, I said, I love our ship. I was concerned, was I able to
> say our ship. He reassured me that, this is our ship.
>
>
>
>
>
> She does Bermuda 7 day cruises from April through October, 7 days to Orlando
> and the Bahamas, a few 10 Day Caribbean Cruises and 2 day weekend cruises to
> nowhere in January 2014 and January/February
> 2015.
>
>
>
>
>
> The pictures that are online don't do her any justice, standing outside
> taking pictures prior to going into the port area, we were in awe of her.
> Painted by Pop Artist, Peter Max, New Yorker.
> She is painted with the face of the Statue of Liberty on a blue background
> and it is signed above her the signature, Peter Maxx, also painted are stars
> and planets. I have posted some pictures here but to see more of them go to
> my facebook page Echevarria
> Travel to see them all.
>
>
>
>
>
> Now to the nitty gritty of things
>
>
>
>
>
> As soon as you walk on to the ship you are on deck 7 and have to take the
> elevator down one flight down to deck 6, which is the Atrium, there is what
> I call the videotron, if you have been on
> the EPIC in the past, some things have stayed the same and some things
> thank god are gone. We are welcomed aboard by none other than BDM (Jackie
> Day and Meg Daly (Manager, BDM from the New York Area) I am so sorry I
> didn't get a picture with Jackie but below
> is Meg. We love Meg, know her since the PhD at Sea, and whenever we see each
> other she always hugs us and makes us feel like family. Below is a picture
> of the both of us.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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>
>
>
> This is where the guest services desk is, the Atrium Bar, the excursion desk
> (which was being used by the all the BDMs from around the country and
> Canada, as well as, people from the groups department,
> we were able to book group space and also speak to the manager of the
> excursions department, they were also taken space for the "Getaway" as well
> and for the other ships. Did you know you can actually earn commission or
> at least do a markup on excursions
> for groups? Well you can! Remember to study up at NCL University at
> bookncl.com.
>
>
>
>
>
> Many people were signing up for the specialty restaurants and we were not
> alone on this cruise. The Katie Couric Show, a few months ago, had an
> audience of people that were badly affected by
> Hurricane Sandy from Staten Island, Long Island and New Jersey, and
> Norwegian paid for all these families to come aboard as well.
>
>
>
>
>
> Very big spacious area.
>
>
>
>
>
> If you think that Mega Ships are huge and not comfortable, think again.
> Breakaway is smaller than the Epic, but even when I was on the Epic, it
> didn't feel like a mega ship. It was longer of
> course, but not overwhelming which I have found on some of the competitors.
>
>
>
>
>
> Remember, Freestyling is not the food option of eating where ever and
> whenever you want, and if you are just focusing on that to sell to your
> clients, you are missing the big picture.
>
>
>
>
>
> Freestyle, which I have found on Norwegian and not the other cruise lines,
> is it a resort vacation without the land resort, or when I put it to my
> clients that way, I tell them you have the resort
> of the hotel and when you get to the place you are going to you can visit
> another resort in Orlando or the Bahamas, etc for the day as well, or you
> will have your beach day at Great Stirrup Cay.
>
>
>
>
>
> Freestyle is a resort vacation at sea.
>
>
>
>
>
> Anyway, getting back to my review of the Breakaway.
>
>
>
>
>
> We went to our room right away. We had a Balcony! All of us TAs had them.
> You will be happy to know that Norwegian is listening to us. They got rid of
> the frosted glass shower stalls and put
> back the sinks back in the bathrooms, bigger and wider sinks.
>
>
>
>
>
> The TVs have a service that you can check your account, check when
> entertainment is, make dining reservations if you have not done so already,
> make a spa reservation or a gym class reservation.
>
>
>
>
>
> Beautiful bed, etc.
>
>
>
>
>
> After dropping of our luggage, which was carryon only. We went out exploring
> the ship.
>
>
>
>
>
> FYI, I had my guide dog, Maxx, with us. If you are asking, there is a
> company that works with all the cruise lines that is called Special Needs
> Group, I know the CEO, Andrew Garnett, his company
> does all the relief boxes for the ships, and now especially for Norwegian
> Cruise Lines with all my working with them, Braille Menus on all sailings,
> so when you are working with your clients and you know they are blind, ask
> them if they read Braille, if they
> do. They can request it from the access department once reservations are
> made for their cruise. I am very proud of doing that with them. My guide dog
> Maxx was the 1st to Sail on the Breakaway.
>
>
>
>
>
> The ship is amazing.
>
>
>
>
>
> 18 decks which includes:
>
>
>
>
>
> World's Fastest Water Slide (no we didn't do this) and water park
>
>
> First ever Rope Obstacle Course which include being in a safety harness, of
> course, a zipline area and able to walk the plank, and yes it is a plank.
> You can have your picture taken on the plank.
> They do not do this while you are sailing, this is done while the ship is
> in port, my husband was going to do it, but we got so busy.
>
>
>
>
>
> They have the kids Nickelodeon Water Splash Area, which is behind the family
> pool area, that has fountains coming from everywhere, Patrick Starfish has a
> statue with water coming from his belly
> spraying and other water coming from Spongebob, and statue of Sandy
> Squirrel, and more. It was hot and I would have gone and played with the
> kids it was so inviting for all the families with the kids.
>
>
>
>
>
> The Family Area has 2 pools, hot tubs, band area. Nicely designed
>
>
>
>
>
> Plus they also have beside this the Climbing wall, Spa Thermal Suites, Pulse
> Fitness Center (which now includes Zumba Classes, Spin Classes, also special
> classes designed with Rockette themes
> since they are the godmother of the ship, and yes they were onboard and I
> will get to them later. But heads up, 2 Rockettes will be on the 1st Sailing
> of the month on the Breakaway.
>
>
>
>
>
> They also know have a Salt Room - which I am just going to describe here. I
> didn't see it.
>
>
>
>
>
> Salt Room
>
>
> Our Salt Room mimics natural salt caves found in Eastern Europe. The
> noninvasive treatment, halotherapy, is relaxing, natural and scientifically
> proven to improve respiratory and skin ailments
> and aid in overall wellness.
>
>
>
>
>
> The hub of the ship is 678 Ocean Place, which includes decks 6, 7 and 8 that
> flows and connects three decks of daytime and nighttime amusements.
>
>
>
>
>
> Example Deck 6, has Headliners Comedy Club (where Second City has there
> nightly shows, the Spiegel Tent where Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy is and
> Breakaway Theater where they show Rock of Ages
> and Burn the Floor as well as other entertainment. Also 2 Complimentary
> Dining Restaurants Savor and Taste, as well as 2 specialty dining options
> Teppanyaki and Le Bistro. It is nice to walk these areas and not feel
> rushed getting some where.
>
>
>
>
>
> Deck 7 they have the Manhattan Room which comes also from the Epic,
> O'Sheehan's Bar and Lounge both of these dining options offer complimentary
> dining, as well as the Casino, which they got it
> right, they put the non-smoking area of the casino at a totally different
> area of the Casino, same tables etc if you want to play the table games,
> much better, we love to play Black Jack and on the Epic you couldn't get
> away from the smoke, but here you would
> never know there was a smoking area.
>
>
>
>
>
> Deck 8 they also brought over from the Epic the Ice Bar, all the ice
> sculptures represent the Empire State Building Statue of Liberty and of
> course 1 World Trade Center. Fat Cats is also here,
> Slam Allan Blues Band plays here, he moved from the Epic, since he is from
> NY so they moved him here. It was the first time we heard him, since on the
> Epic, we didn't have time to. He is great, plays all kinds of music, talks
> to us, hangs out with everyone.
> Just wonderful. I highly recommend seeing him to your clients. Here is
> Slam below. Also there is the Humidor Cigar lounge, and more bars and
> lounges.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Also the first at sea is the Waterfront, this is my kind of cruise, nice and
> relaxing
>
>
>
>
>
> Deck 8 The Waterfront, now this is great for when you are leaving NY City,
> and having a glass or wine or something soft, and watching the Statue of
> Liberty sail by in front of you or when you
> come back from your excursion in Bermuda where you have 3 days in Bermuda,
> to sit there and enjoy the sights and relax.
>
>
>
>
>
> It reminds me of Long Island where I live during the summer and the
> restaurants on the piers and you sitting there eating and drinking and
> enjoying the day.
>
>
>
>
>
> They have Bar and Restaurants outside on the Waterfront some of your options
> are Moderno, Cagney's Restaurant, La Cucina and Ocean Blu (restaurant by
> Geoffrey Zakarian), as well as bars and lounges
> all along the deck.
>
>
>
>
>
> They have some of the features of the old and implemented a lot of the news.
>
>
>
>
>
> Spiegel Tent was also included on the Breakaway from the Epic, which this
> cruise does Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy. This is $35.00 per person to see
> since it is a food venue.
>
>
>
>
>
> Broadway Show - Rock of Ages, which is the full length show and not parts of
> it. The characters also interact with the audience. It is a little edgy so
> if you are bringing the kids just be warned
> of language etc. Included on your cruise. I have seen the movie but not the
> show. It was awesome.
>
>
>
>
>
> Burn the Floor which is in the Manhattan Room free dining optons at 9PM most
> nights and alternates with Rock of Ages in the Breakaway Theater.
>
>
> Burn the Floor is a sizzling and sexy show based on the world-renowned
> Broadway performance, it is a 45-minute show on the 7 day and longer
> cruises, on the 2 day they are in the Manhattan Room,
> Cagney's and Moderno actually have windows overlooking the Manhattan Room
> and if you are eating dinner around 9pm, which we were the 1st night we saw
> them dancing. If you love Dancing with the Stars you will love this
>
>
>
>
>
> It is a non-stop display of pop variations on classic styles, performed with
> precision and polish from Harlem's Hot Night at The Savoy, where the Lindy,
> Foxtrot and Charleston were born, to the
> Latin Quarter, where the Cha-Cha, Rumba and Salsa steamed up the stage,
> experience the passion of many popular dance styles. You may even be asked
> to step up and show off your best moves. And if you want to brush up on your
> Rumba, dance and exercise classes
> are offered throughout your cruise by the amazing dancers.
>
>
>
>
>
> Again included on your cruise.
>
>
>
>
>
> What else can we say. Oh yes the Haven Suites. Well let me tell you they are
> even better than on the Epic, Norwegian out did themselves here.
>
>
>
>
>
> Including a large outside bar and lounge bigger space for the pool area,
> dining room just for Haven Guests, and so much more.
>
>
>
>
>
> Last but not least of the trip on your last day of the cruise or in our case
> it was the last day. Normally, on other Norwegian Ships you have the "White
> Hot" party. They finally listened to us,
> they got a party for us that rocked the 80s. They have the 80s Party at
> Fire Island H2O, it is the Spice H2O, but they named it Fire Island for Long
> Island. Many areas of the ship have signs and pictures from around the NY
> area.
>
>
>
>
>
> Music and dancing from the 80s, also the last night is Fireworks.
> Unfortunately, we had a thunderstorm, which you never knew we were on a
> ship, because it was just so smooth, so the party was
> moved to the Atrium dance Floor on Deck 6. We had a great time the whole
> time. There is much more to the Breakaway.
>
>
>
>
>
> Highlights: Dedicated ship to New York itself, Sabrett Hot Dog chart pushed
> around the ship. Names and locations of NY highlighted. 3 Broadway shows
> (Rock of Ages, Burn the Floor and Cirque Dream
> Jungle Cruise.
>
>
>
>
>
> So it was just wonderful
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Disabled Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 of NY State
>
>
> Leading the Way in Independent Travel!
>
>
>
>
>
> Cheryl Echevarria, Owner
>
>
> http://www.echevarriatravel.com
>
>
> 631-456-5394
>
>
> reservations at echevarriatravel.com
>
>
> http://www.echevarriatravel.wordpress.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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