Freestyle cruising on the Atlantic

Taking a cruise is not like any other experience. If you like it, you’ll become one of the ‘cruise people’, or if you don’t like it, you’ll call it good. In my case, after the first cruise to the Bahamas in 2012, my wife and I fell into the former category. So, this time we decided to go to Bermuda on the Breakaway, one of the largest ships in the world owned by Norwegian Cruise Line. We chose Norwegian because they have thrown the formal rules of cruising overboard. On their cruises, emphasis is on the words ‘freestyle’ and casual. 

We embarked on the ship at New York Harbor on August 7. Once on board, we felt like we were inside a floating five-star Las Vegas hotel. We had a balcony room – reasonably spacious, comfortable bed, air conditioned, safe box, minibar and TV. 
The ship is a monster. It has 18 decks and holds 3,963 guests and 1,657 crew. The crew is from just about every country. Filipinos accounted for almost 75 percent, followed by about 10 percent Indians. The captain was a Finn, his deputy a Swede and the executive chef an Indian. The hospitality crew was fabulous and would do anything and everything they could to make everyone’s cruise experience the very best it could be. 
There are 27 dining options, 22 bars and lounges and 24-hour room service. Save a few à la carte restaurants, the freestyle buffet dining was included in the package and everything was made on board. It was all-you-can-eat international menu, all the time, as many times as you want. There was a huge choice, from fairly healthy to diet destroying menu. 
There are duty-free shops, spa and salon, gym, aqua park with swimming pools, water slides and jacuzzi, sun decks, internet café, library, art gallery, video arcade, theatre and a fully staffed hospital. There’s a three-storey sports complex – bungee jumping, rock climbing, rope courses, zip line, tennis and basketball courts, bowling lanes, mini golf course, jogging track, etc.
Large ships move painstakingly slow. The Breakaway sailed mostly through the Sargasso Sea in the Atlantic at 10 to 20 knots. The sea was calm and the night sky was starry throughout. Yet, the ship rocked non-stop. No, a giant cruise ship like the Breakaway doesn’t get tossed violently back and forth in the 8 to 10 feet waves. It is the life inside the ship that rocked. And it kept on rocking even after the ship dropped anchor at the Royal Navy Dockyard in Bermuda. 
Whether the ship was at sea or at the port, there was never a boring moment. Afternoons bled into evenings that were long, late and entertaining. The casino was alive until the wee hours, but only in international waters.  
The nightlife – revues, jazz and blues, comedy club, bingo parlor, piano bars, lounges with live music, live performance by a Broadway superstar and much more – continued well past midnight. After all, where do you have to be the next morning? Nowhere! So the good times kept on rolling, or, in our case, sailing. 
We’re still in awe of how on a moving ship they were able to perform a dance show called ‘Burn the Floor’, produce the Broadway musical ‘Rock of Ages’ and the breathtaking extravaganza ‘Cirque Dreams and Dinner Jungle Fantasy’.
Cruising on a ship this size does come with certain requirements. If you want to see the shows, you must book online in advance, as the theatres are simply not big enough to hold everyone. If you enjoy specialty dining, such as Brazilian Churrascaria, Chinese, French, Indian, Italian, Japanese, to name a few, you’ll want to make reservations in advance, too, although most of these restaurants hold a certain number of tables for walk-in customers. 
Is a cruise all about entertainment and dining? No. A room with a balcony allowed us to see spectacular sunrises and sunsets, listen to the music played by the rolling ocean waves and gaze at the starry night sky free of light pollution. We felt the gentle ocean breeze, got lost in the serenity of the environment and reflected upon our existence in relation to the depth and vastness of the ocean.  
After seven days of freestyle cruising, the ship came back to New York on August 14. All in all, we had a memorable cruise. We would do it again in a heartbeat, because once the sea casts its spell, it holds one in its net of wonder forever. Our only disappointment – we didn’t see sargassum weed in the Sargasso Sea. 

The writer is Professor of Physics at Fordham University, New York.

 

Freestyle cruising on the Atlantic

Taking a cruise is not like any other experience. If you like it, youll become one of the cruise people, or if you dont like it, youll call it good. In my case, after the first cruise to the Bahamas in 2012, my wife and I fell into the former category. So, this time we decided to go to Bermuda on the Breakaway, one of the largest ships in the world owned by Norwegian Cruise Line. We chose Norwegian because they have thrown the formal rules of cruising overboard. On their cruises, emphasis is on the words freestyle and casual. We embarked on the ship at New York Harbor on August 7. Once on board, we felt like we were inside a floating five-star Las Vegas hotel. We had a balcony room reasonably spacious, comfortable bed, air conditioned, safe box, minibar and TV. The ship is a monster. It has 18 decks and holds 3,963 guests and 1,657 crew. The crew is from just about every country. Filipinos accounted for almost 75 percent, followed by about 10 percent Indians. The captain was a Finn, his deputy a Swede and the executive chef an Indian. The hospitality crew was fabulous and would do anything and everything they could to make everyones cruise experience the very best it could be. There are 27 dining options, 22 bars and lounges and 24-hour room service. Save a few la carte restaurants, the freestyle buffet dining was included in the package and everything was made on board. It was all-you-can-eat international menu, all the time, as many times as you want. There was a huge choice, from fairly healthy to diet destroying menu. There are duty-free shops, spa and salon, gym, aqua park with swimming pools, water slides and jacuzzi, sun decks, internet caf, library, art gallery, video arcade, theatre and a fully staffed hospital. Theres a three-storey sports complex bungee jumping, rock climbing, rope courses, zip line, tennis and basketball courts, bowling lanes, mini golf course, jogging track, etc. Large ships move painstakingly slow. The Breakaway sailed mostly through the Sargasso Sea in the Atlantic at 10 to 20 knots. The sea was calm and the night sky was starry throughout. Yet, the ship rocked non-stop. No, a giant cruise ship like the Breakaway doesnt get tossed violently back and forth in the 8 to 10 feet waves. It is the life inside the ship that rocked. And it kept on rocking even after the ship dropped anchor at the Royal Navy Dockyard in Bermuda. Whether the ship was at sea or at the port, there was never a boring moment. Afternoons bled into evenings that were long, late and entertaining. The casino was alive until the wee hours, but only in international waters. The nightlife revues, jazz and blues, comedy club, bingo parlor, piano bars, lounges with live music, live performance by a Broadway superstar and much more continued well past midnight. After all, where do you have to be the next morning? Nowhere! So the good times kept on rolling, or, in our case, sailing. Were still in awe of how on a moving ship they were able to perform a dance show called Burn the Floor, produce the Broadway musical Rock of Ages and the breathtaking extravaganza Cirque Dreams and Dinner Jungle Fantasy. Cruising on a ship this size does come with certain requirements. If you want to see the shows, you must book online in advance, as the theatres are simply not big enough to hold everyone. If you enjoy specialty dining, such as Brazilian Churrascaria, Chinese, French, Indian, Italian, Japanese, to name a few, youll want to make reservations in advance, too, although most of these restaurants hold a certain number of tables for walk-in customers. Is a cruise all about entertainment and dining? No. A room with a balcony allowed us to see spectacular sunrises and sunsets, listen to the music played by the rolling ocean waves and gaze at the starry night sky free of light pollution. We felt the gentle ocean breeze, got lost in the serenity of the environment and reflected upon our existence in relation to the depth and vastness of the ocean. After seven days of freestyle cruising, the ship came back to New York on August 14. All in all, we had a memorable cruise. We would do it again in a heartbeat, because once the sea casts its spell, it holds one in its net of wonder forever. Our only disappointment we didnt see sargassum weed in the Sargasso Sea. The writer is Professor of Physics at Fordham University, New York.