The Norwegian Breakaway is completing ten years in service this month.

First in a series of ships known as the Breakaway Class, the vessel was delivered to Norwegian Cruise Line on April 25, 2013.

Built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany, the Breakaway was originally dedicated to year-round cruising out of New York City.

Soon after joining the cruise line’s fleet, it sailed to Southampton to offer a seven-night transatlantic crossing to the Big Apple. Upon arriving on the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, the 144,000-ton vessel was christened during a special ceremony on May 8.

The event was hosted by Buddy Valastro, star of the Cake Boss TV series, and saw The Rockettes serving as the ship’s official godmothers.

As part of its maiden season, the Norwegian Breakaway offered a total of 22 seven-day cruises to Bermuda before adding longer itineraries to the Caribbean as part of its first winter program.

The 4,000-guest ship continued to sail from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal through 2018, when it repositioned to Europe for a summer program in the Baltic.

In 2023, the Breakaway is scheduled to spend the summer cruising in the Mediterranean, with itineraries departing from Civitavecchia – the port for Italy’s capital city Rome.

The vessel then repositions to New Orleans for a winter program offering seven-night cruises to the Western Caribbean.

As the first ship in its class, the Norwegian Breakaway introduced several new features, including the 678 Ocean Place.

Located on Decks 6, 7 and 8, the entertainment complex offers several dining options, a selection of bars and lounges, an 18,000 square foot casino, retail outlets and more.

The Breakaway also introduced The Waterfront, an open-deck promenade that spans the majority of the ship’s Deck 8. Described as a “quarter mile boardwalk” on both sides of the ship, the area features five outdoor dining venues, as well as exterior seating for different bars and entertainment venues.