My family had a plan for our sailing aboard the Norwegian Breakaway: Arrive early and board the ship as soon as possible. This was a short, short cruise, and we didn't want to waste any of it.
Each winter, on a handful of occasions, the New York-based Breakaway operates a two-day cruise to nowhere. The cruises, which tend to depart on a Friday afternoon and return early Sunday morning, are a weekend of floating fun.
We weren't the only group planning to make the most of the first day: the terminal was busy before lunch. By 3 p.m., the stools at the bars along 678 Ocean Place were occupied. Guests were dropping by Le Bistro to peruse restaurant menus arrayed on the tables to make specialty-restaurant selections for their Friday and Saturday nights. Those who were undaunted by the subfreezing temperatures outside lined up to reserve a time for the Svedka Ice Bar. Upstairs, the spa desk was humming.
Cruises to nowhere often are used to show off a new ship to the trade, but they are rarely offered as a revenue option.
Still, said Andy Stuart, the new president of Norwegian Cruise Line, the Breakaway's short-short-cruise program from New York is considered a success by the company, both from the standpoint of ticket price and onboard revenue. The cruises appeal to both the brand enthusiast and the first-timer.
The writer’s husband and daughter order from the Sabrett hot dog cart onboard the Breakaway. Photo Credit: Rebecca Tobin
"Lots of people do it as a taster," he said. "People who cruise bring people ... 'OK, come on this two-day thing and you'll see how fantastic it is.' It's a good way for people who are unsure to get off the fence."
He added that many travel agents will lead groups on the Breakaway to convince clients who are new to cruise. A two-day cruise, he said, doesn't have big margins for a seller, "but it's a brilliant way to lock in a customer."
The Norwegian Breakaway two-day is different from other types of short cruises — say, a three-day, warm-weather Bahamas cruise. For one, unless there's a fluke in the weather pattern, passengers will spend most of the voyage indoors.
The energy level on the Breakaway was high, as guests packed a whole cruise's worth of entertainment options into two nights.
Stuart said the passengers on the short cruises were "definitely a livelier crowd" even as he said that the layout of the Breakaway, with many of the public areas on Decks 6 through 8, often makes for a lively evening.
On Saturday, our sea day, my husband and his iPad were ensconced in a deck chair in the Haven, and my daughter was playing the day away at Splash Academy. I did periodic walk-throughs of the Breakaway.
I ended my 11 a.m. tour in the Atrium, where a crowd was cheering on a passenger who was dancing to the Nintendo Wii U "Just Dance" game projected on the atrium's two-deck-high screen.
For passengers who hadn't bought a Haven cabin and therefore did not have access to the enclosed pool and hot tubs, the best option to make use of a bathing suit was the thermal suite in the Mandara Spa, where a row of heated tile loungers commanded views over the bow; day passes were sold out.
Later in the evening, guests donned their best for dinner, drinks and dancing. We cruised over the Valentine's Day holiday, so plenty of women wore red dresses. The mood was festive.
As we made our way back to collect our daughter from her own evening entertainment (a party with Dora the Explorer), there was a line for the photo kiosk, where passengers could take a photo and upload it for free to Facebook. "Norwegians take better selfies" the kiosk proclaimed.