By Brook Bramley
Since the cruise industry's Wave Season is in full swing, therebrisn't a better time to consider a cruise vacation to reconnect with loved ones.brWave Season is a peak-booking period for cruise travelers each year and takesbrplace between January and March. This year is especially exciting because of abrslew of brand new ships that were launched over the past couple of years —meaningbrguests have more choices than ever before. Recently, I had the pleasure ofbrattending the inaugural sailing of the Norwegian Breakaway cruise ship in NewbrYork City. This was a great opportunity to preview the new ship, experience andbrenjoy all the activities options on board.
I am most definitely a “foodie,” so I was looking forward to the specialtybrdining options onboard. In total there are 29 dining venues and 22 bars andbrlounges. Being a Food Network fan, I was especially excited to see Carlo's Bakerybronboard. The Cake Boss himself, Buddy Valastro, was on the sailing with us. Asbra result, we met the popular chef and sampled his now world-famous lobsterbrtails and cannolis, which were simply amazing!
Food Network's Iron Chef GeoffreybrZakarian was also onboard. He has designed a seafood restaurant for the shipbrcalled Ocean Blue, which was a hit and was fully booked during the sailing. LebrBistro is another popular restaurant onboard; serving a French menu thatbrincludes all the classics. I enjoyed escargots followed by beef tenderloin andbrended my decadent meal with a warm apple tart for dessert.
Another popular foodiebroption is Shanghai's Noodle Bar, located next to the casino on deck 7. Manybradditional restaurants and bars can be found along The Waterfront, anbroceanfront promenade where you can take a stroll and look out over thebrbeautiful ocean.
There is surely something for everyone and cruisers will come away with many favorite-diningbrexperiences.
Besides all the fabulous dining choices, there was plenty ofbrtop rate entertainment on board. Some ofbrthe choices included the famous Rock ofbrAges musical, Cirque Dreams &brDinner Jungle Fantasy, and Fat Cats Jazz & Blues Club where we enjoyedbrlive music performed by talented jazz and blues musicians. There was even a comedy club, The Second City,brwhich performed various versions of its hilarious act while we were onboard.
For those seeking adventure, there is a ropes coursebrcomplete with a zip line, as well as an Aqua Park with some serious adrenalinebrpumping slides. Anyone who loves roller coastersbrwill surely enjoy these!
As if there aren't enough reasons to consider this amazing ship for your nextbrcruise, it was also named ‘Best New Ship' by Cruise Critic editors. The Breakaway holds 3,969 passengers and isbrthe largest ship to home port in New York City. It will sail to Bermuda onbrseven-day itineraries in the spring and summer. The ship will then to thebrBahamas and Florida in the fall and winter months.
If you are interested in all that the Norwegian Breakawaybroffers, you will be delighted to learn that Norwegian is rolling out the sisterbrship to the Breakaway in February in 2014! The Getaway will be nearly identicalbrto the Breakaway. Her homeport will be in Miami, offering seven-day Eastern Caribbeanbrsailings.
With two amazing itineraries to choose from, these state ofbrthe art vessels offer the best options in cruising today.
Brook Bramley is the owner of TripBoutiqbr(www.TripBoutiq.com), a boutique travel company specializing in familybrvacations, cruises, and custom Europe itineraries.