The Breakaway Class, in one read
Norwegian Breakaway (2013) and Norwegian Getaway (2014) are the most consequential ships NCL has built this century, and not because of anything on the top deck. They introduced 678 Ocean Place — a three-deck dining, entertainment and casino complex on decks 6, 7 and 8 — wrapped by The Waterfront, roughly a quarter-mile of open-air promenade with outdoor restaurant and bar seating. Every large NCL ship since has been built around that idea. Thirteen years on, these two still carry five waterslides apiece, which is more than any newer ship in the fleet.
Fit scores, not review scores — these measure who the ships suit, not how good they are.
Value-focused travellers who want a genuinely big ship with a great promenade, five free waterslides and a free ropes course — at fares well below anything NCL has built since.
You want current-generation hardware or quiet public spaces. Both ships have documented atrium and casino bottlenecks, and those are design characteristics rather than age.
What this class was built to solve
The problem was not what to put on the ship. It was where the money would come from once everyone was aboard.
The invention: a high street inside the hull
678 Ocean Place puts dining, entertainment and the casino across three connected decks in the middle of the ship, so guests move through revenue-generating space by default rather than by decision. It is the single most copied idea in NCL's modern fleet, and it debuted here.
The Waterfront: putting the sea back in
Roughly a quarter-mile of open-air promenade wrapping deck 8, with outdoor seating for the restaurants and bars inside. It solved a genuine complaint about big ships — that once aboard, you stop seeing the ocean — and it remains the best-loved feature on both hulls.
The roof was free, and that was deliberate
NCL's first and then largest ropes course at sea, with more than 40 elements. The first Aqua Park at sea with five full-size waterslides. A three-storey sports complex. All of it included in the fare. The thrill deck sold the brochure; the high street took the money.
Thirteen years on, they're the value play
Both ships now sell at fares well below NCL's newer hardware while still carrying more waterslides than any ship built since, a free ropes course, and the promenade the whole fleet copied. What they don't have is a modern cabin product.
The rule book Norwegian threw out
This is the class where Norwegian's argument — passengers decide, the rule book burns — got its permanent architecture. Freestyle was already a decade old when these two launched; what Breakaway added was the hardware to match the philosophy, and everything the fleet does now was road-tested on these two hulls. Tap a rule to tear it up.
What Norwegian did: The Waterfront — a quarter-mile of open-air promenade with real restaurant seating — put the sea back into a sea day.
On this class: Both ships carry the original version, and thirteen years on it is still the best-loved thing aboard either of them.
What Norwegian did: 678 Ocean Place stacked dining, bars and the casino into a three-deck high street and let you wander it freestyle — no seatings, no assignments, no clipboard.
On this class: The bottleneck warnings in our honest read are the flip side of the same idea: freedom pools people in the good spots.
What Norwegian did: Five full-size waterslides and the largest ropes course at sea shipped free with the fare.
On this class: Still true on this class — and no longer true on half the ships NCL built afterwards, which is the quiet reason value hunters keep landing back here.
What Norwegian did: NCL built studio cabins priced for one, with a lounge where solo cruisers actually find each other.
On this class: Getaway's studio lounge is the best-working version at this size — her reviewers name the meetups, not just the cabins.
The full argument for why these two hulls changed mainstream cruising is in our essay: Why Norwegian Cruise Line threw out the rulebook →
Feature explorer
What these two still do better than newer NCL ships — and where they show their age. Tap through.
One of these ships is not like the others
Six ships, two families, one editor who plays favourites.
Getaway's 4.5 is the only editor rating above 4.0 across the entire Breakaway and Breakaway Plus lineup — earned on 2019 surfaces, no less. The ship NCL has spent the least on lately is the one the professionals rate highest, which tells you how much layout beats hardware.
Breakaway versus Getaway
Structurally the same ship. The gap between them now is almost entirely about when NCL last spent money on each.
| Norwegian Breakaway | Norwegian Getaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Delivered | April 2013 | January 2014 — ahead of schedule |
| Christened | New York City, May 2013 | Miami, February 2014 |
| Gross tonnage | 145,655 | 145,655 |
| Guests / crew | 3,903 / 1,657 | 3,903 / 1,646 |
| Most recent major refit | February–March 2025 | 2019 — the oldest refresh in either family |
| Cruise Critic editor rating | 4.0 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 — the only ship in either family above 4.0 |
| Member rating | 3.4 / 5 on ~4,040 reviews | 3.6 / 5 on ~3,432 reviews |
| Children's programming subscore | 3.0 / 5 | 4.0 / 5 |
| Distinctive | 24-ft enclosed climbing cage with spiral slide; Manhattan sailaway | Easier-to-navigate ropes course; the strongest solo-traveller provision in either family |
| Documented weakness | Cabins and digital systems feel unmodernised despite the 2025 refit | Visible wear throughout — worn cabins, peeling balcony trim, tired carpets |
Breakaway has the fresher hardware and the weaker reviews. Getaway has the stalest refit and the best editor rating in either family. The most likely explanation is that Breakaway's 2025 refit modernised public rooms and dining but largely left cabins and infrastructure alone — and cabins are what people review. Getaway is coasting on a decade of goodwill and a genuinely good layout, and she is the ship most at risk of a “dated” verdict in the next couple of years.
The two ships, and the one reason to pick each
Same hull, same year apart, and now a genuinely different proposition. Tap between them.
Full ship guides: Norwegian Breakaway · Norwegian Getaway.
| Ship | In service | Gross tonnage | Guests (2x) | Crew | Last major refit | Primary appeal | Durable deployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norwegian Breakaway | 2013 | 145,655 GT | 3,903 | 1,657 | 2025 | The class original; freshest public rooms and dining of the two | Caribbean and Bermuda patterns |
| Norwegian Getaway | 2014 | 145,655 GT | 3,903 | 1,646 | 2019 | Best editor rating in either family; the strongest solo-traveller ship | Caribbean, with a Miami and South Beach identity |
Which Breakaway Class ship fits you?
Three questions. With two ships this similar, it comes down to refit recency versus review record.
How the Breakaway Class is actually received
Getaway is the better-regarded ship, and by a clearer margin than a year apart should produce. She holds a Cruise Critic editor rating of 4.5 out of 5 — the only ship in either the Breakaway or Breakaway Plus family above 4.0 — plus a member score of 3.6 across roughly 3,432 reviews against Breakaway's 3.4 across roughly 4,040. On children's programming, one of the few subscores we could retrieve reliably, she rates 4.0 against Breakaway's 3.0.
What both ships get praised for is the same thing: The Waterfront, the layout, the value against comparable ships, and specialty dining that one reviewer described as A-plus in every venue. Getaway draws particular praise for easy navigation and quick embarkation, and for the strongest solo-traveller provision in either family — cabins, lounge and organised meetups all named specifically.
What both get criticised for is also the same, and it is structural rather than cosmetic. Cruise Critic's editor flags Breakaway's traffic bottlenecks in the atrium during activities and around the casino, and makes the same point about Getaway from the other direction: the three-deck atrium is packed with activities, which also means it is packed with people. On Getaway the editor adds two more — that open-seating dining becomes onerous at this passenger count, and that casino smoke drifts upward into dining venues. Those are design consequences of putting a revenue high street in the middle of a ship, and neither refit has changed them.
The wear picture is more interesting than it first looks. Breakaway has the fresher hardware — a substantial refit in early 2025 — yet carries the higher negative review rate of the two at 26.7 percent, with members calling her antiquated and one review titled around a frustratingly antiquated experience. The specific complaints are telling: a weak app, inadequate cabin power outlets, and multiple 2026 reviewers reporting they simply cannot see the 2025 refurbishment in their cabins. The refit modernised the public rooms; it did not modernise the cabin product.
Getaway has the opposite problem in slow motion. Her last significant refresh was 2019, and reviews now report worn cabins, peeling balcony weather stripping and carpets needing attention. She is coasting on a genuinely good design and a decade of goodwill, and she is the ship in this family most likely to slip on reviews over the next couple of years unless NCL spends money on her.
The theme running through both, as through every NCL ship in this era: upcharge fatigue. Cruise Critic's own editor language for Breakaway is unusually direct — tons of nickel-and-diming, and veiled sales pitches listed as activities.
Book Breakaway Class
For the best fares in the NCL fleet on a genuinely big ship, five free waterslides, a free ropes course, and the promenade that made NCL's reputation.
Book Breakaway Plus instead
For newer cabins, an observation lounge, more venues, and — on three of the four — a go-kart track. At a higher fare, and with fewer waterslides.
Ask Seabound about Breakaway Class
Tell us about your trip.
Homeport, group size, kids' ages, budget and length — and we'll tell you honestly whether these ships still stack up against NCL's newer hardware for your trip.
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Quick answers
What is Norwegian's Breakaway Class?
Two ships built by Meyer Werft: Norwegian Breakaway (2013) and Norwegian Getaway (2014), each about 145,655 gross tons carrying 3,903 guests at double occupancy. They introduced 678 Ocean Place, a three-deck dining and entertainment complex, and The Waterfront, a quarter-mile open-air promenade — the template every large NCL ship has followed since.
How many waterslides do the Breakaway Class ships have?
Five each, which is more than any newer NCL ship. Two Free Fall capsules where the floor drops away, two Whip side-by-side twisters, a family open flume and a Nickelodeon-themed kids' aqua park. Norwegian Escape has four; Joy, Bliss and Encore have two apiece.
Which is better, Norwegian Breakaway or Norwegian Getaway?
Getaway, on the review evidence. She holds a Cruise Critic editor rating of 4.5 out of 5 — the only ship in either Breakaway family above 4.0 — plus a better member score and much stronger children's programming. Breakaway's advantage is recency: she was substantially refitted in early 2025 while Getaway's last significant work was 2019.
Are the Breakaway Class ships dated?
Partly, and the picture is mixed. Breakaway's 2025 refit modernised public rooms and dining but reviewers report cabins largely untouched. Getaway shows visible wear after seven years without significant work. But both retain a free ropes course, five waterslides and the best promenade in the fleet, at fares well below NCL's newer ships.
Which NCL ship is best for solo travellers?
Among the larger ships, Norwegian Getaway draws the strongest solo-traveller feedback — solo studio cabins, a dedicated studio lounge and organised solo meetups are all named specifically in reviews. Norwegian Breakaway carries the same provision. Norwegian Joy, by contrast, has no solo studios at all.