Photo Journal from NCL Norwegian Breakaway

Photo Tour from NCL Norwegian Breakaway Naming Ceremony

The naming ceremony on Norwegian Breakaway was held this week in New York City under slightly rainy skies. But the weather could not wash away the smiles on the faces of the people boarding the ship for a two-night preview cruise or who were onboard for the christening ceremony.

Let the Good Times Roll

Blues guitarist kicks off the naming ceremony.

The ceremony was broadcast live via the Internet for those that could not be on the ship and the team at Norwegian Cruise Line did a great job producing a lively production that featured performances filmed at the various venues: Fat Cats Jazz Club was the location for the opening number “Let the Good Times Roll”and there was a performance from the Spiegel Tent featuring the Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy; The Rockettes and singers from the other entertainment venues also got in on the act.

Live from New York

Cruise Buzz — Live from New York, it’s me at the Kimpton Hotel the night before the ceremony.

Lucky for me, I was in New York and managed to find my way onboard for the festivities. However, I was only on the ship for less than five hours so I had limited time to enjoy all the features on Breakaway. My game plan was to search out the spa, the water park, and to look at the public spaces before heading into the theater to watch the naming ceremony.

I will say that this new ship looks great. The interior decor reflects a more modern palette, one that I would not normally associate with Norwegian Cruise Line, which I usually associate with bold colors, and large screen tv’s. I can say that the New York theme is not overdone and that most cruise visitors will not be overstimulated by lights and noise, which could happen if designers wanted to go to that extreme.

Norwegian Breakaway Rocks New York

Interior shot – focal point – 3-story cascading LED chandelier

Norwegian Breakaway photos from naming day in NYC. Photos by Carrie Finley-Bajak.

Meet Peter Max (and by the way, he painted the hull)

The naming ceremony included a video welcome filmed from the streets of New York.

And, just in case you missed it…. The opening bell of the NY Stock Exchange was rung by Norwegian Cruise Line today.

From NASDAQ Twitter feed — What cruise line got to ring the bell at the Nw York Stock Exchange?

Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Kevin Sheehan

Kevin Sheehan welcomed guests onboard New York’s ship. His connection to the city is real. As a former student who worked as a cab driver in New York City, this hard-working CEO is very passionate about Norwegian Breakaway’s New York theme.

Foodie Alert

Geoffrey Zakarian, a Food Network Iron Chef, has three restaurants on Norwegian Breakaway.

Celebrity Chefs — Cake Boss Buddy Valastro and Geoffrey Zakarian

Let them eat cake

While the theme of the ship is all about New York, Hoboken, New Jersey pastry chef and star of the show “Cake Boss” Buddy Vlastro served as emcee (and his bakery Carlo’s Bakery made a cake). There is a Carlo’s Bake Shop onboard for Breakaway, with a la carte pricing.

The Spa and Gym: standing by to provide opportunities to get fit@sea

Kids (and some adults) will love the water park. Patrick and some of the SpongeBob gang are in the water park, which is below the web of water slides, and the three-story sports complex.

Other highlights inlcluded The Rockettes, who are the Godmothers of the ship, and seeing Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Catholic archbishop for New York who blessed the ship.

Cruise Buzz