Just off Carnival Breeze...disappointed

We cruised the Breeze April 3 - 9 to Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. We had been to GC and Coz before but this was the first trip to Ocho Rios. All in all we had a great time. All of the ports did not disappoint and we had plenty to do.

The ship, however, did not live up to my expectations. The food was horrible! The breakfast buffet had a variety but was the same every single day, the scrambled eggs were the equivalent of a sponge and completely inedible and the breakfast meats were greasy and under cooked. The bagels and toast were pre-toasted and sitting under a heat lamp making them hard, rubbery and old tasting. I am by no means a foodie but I was very disappointed in the quality as well as the taste of the food. The Omelette station was pretty much the only place to actually get "fresh" tasting eggs, but the line, early or late was at least a 25-30 min wait every single day, in or out of port. The Omelettes were very very good and worth the wait!

The tried the lunch buffet twice and found it absolutely terrible. The salads were pretty good but the entrees were just plain bad and not tasty at all. I don't understand why Carnival has resorted to covering every cut of meat or meat dish in some kind of sauce. It might be to cover the fact that they are using very low quality cuts of meat, but whatever it is, it's just not appetizing. Needless to say, The Guy's burgers were pretty much the lunch time go to place. One afternoon I decided to try the "Sea Dogs" but alas after trudging up there, I was informed that they had no hot dogs, just sausage. I was just a tiny bit upset but oh well. I remember the days of the lido grill with the grilled hamburgers and hot dogs available all afternoon and wish that were still an option. The deli was ok but I wasnt a big fan of the slapping the meat on pre-toasted bread and calling it a "grilled ham and cheese". Didn't try the BBQ as the lines were way too long and all I heard were people complaining that it just wasn't worth the wait.

The MDR was visited only once because of the bad service and sub par menu choices. I had ordered the beef tenderloin cooked medium rare and it was fatty, grizzly and hard to chew, again, it was covered in some secret sauce that was just terrible tasting. I ate one piece and left the rest on the plate. The baked potato came in a bowl, uncut but turned out to be the best part of the dinner. The wedge salad was good as it is hard to mess up lettuce and the dressings were very tasty. My son ordered the grilled Mahi Mahi and it was rubbery and tasteless. Disappointing to say the least.

The Italian restaurant on board was the best meal we had all week, but then again, I would expect it to be since we paid extra for it.

The room steward was very nice but very pushy, he was extremely irritated when we were in our room when he decided that he wanted to service it at 7 am in the morning. I asked him for an extra pillow and he was openly exasperated with the request.

The bartenders on board were the best! They always remembered who we were and what we drank and we never had to wait very long for a cocktail.

The casino staff was top notch and the casino wait staff was as well.

All in all, I liked the ship but I think it really needs some improvements in the culinary and staffing areas. I have never sailed anyone but Carnival and have always received the best service and enjoyed every other ship I have previously been on. The Breeze, however, just did not meet my expectations. Might be time to try another line or move back to the smaller ships.

Sorry to hear that :(

Breeze is our favorite ship.

Food is a tough one. We didn't go hungry.:D:D

Always found something to satisfy us.

Hope you find what you are looking for, if you decide to leave Carnival and try something new.

Good Luck!!!:D

We cruised the Breeze April 3 - 9 to Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. We had been to GC and Coz before but this was the first trip to Ocho Rios. All in all we had a great time. All of the ports did not disappoint and we had plenty to do.

 

The ship, however, did not live up to my expectations. The food was horrible! The breakfast buffet had a variety but was the same every single day, the scrambled eggs were the equivalent of a sponge and completely inedible and the breakfast meats were greasy and under cooked. The bagels and toast were pre-toasted and sitting under a heat lamp making them hard, rubbery and old tasting. I am by no means a foodie but I was very disappointed in the quality as well as the taste of the food. The Omelette station was pretty much the only place to actually get "fresh" tasting eggs, but the line, early or late was at least a 25-30 min wait every single day, in or out of port. The Omelettes were very very good and worth the wait!

 

The tried the lunch buffet twice and found it absolutely terrible. The salads were pretty good but the entrees were just plain bad and not tasty at all. I don't understand why Carnival has resorted to covering every cut of meat or meat dish in some kind of sauce. It might be to cover the fact that they are using very low quality cuts of meat, but whatever it is, it's just not appetizing. Needless to say, The Guy's burgers were pretty much the lunch time go to place. One afternoon I decided to try the "Sea Dogs" but alas after trudging up there, I was informed that they had no hot dogs, just sausage. I was just a tiny bit upset but oh well. I remember the days of the lido grill with the grilled hamburgers and hot dogs available all afternoon and wish that were still an option. The deli was ok but I wasnt a big fan of the slapping the meat on pre-toasted bread and calling it a "grilled ham and cheese". Didn't try the BBQ as the lines were way too long and all I heard were people complaining that it just wasn't worth the wait.

 

The MDR was visited only once because of the bad service and sub par menu choices. I had ordered the beef tenderloin cooked medium rare and it was fatty, grizzly and hard to chew, again, it was covered in some secret sauce that was just terrible tasting. I ate one piece and left the rest on the plate. The baked potato came in a bowl, uncut but turned out to be the best part of the dinner. The wedge salad was good as it is hard to mess up lettuce and the dressings were very tasty. My son ordered the grilled Mahi Mahi and it was rubbery and tasteless. Disappointing to say the least.

 

The Italian restaurant on board was the best meal we had all week, but then again, I would expect it to be since we paid extra for it.

 

The room steward was very nice but very pushy, he was extremely irritated when we were in our room when he decided that he wanted to service it at 7 am in the morning. I asked him for an extra pillow and he was openly exasperated with the request.

 

The bartenders on board were the best! They always remembered who we were and what we drank and we never had to wait very long for a cocktail.

 

The casino staff was top notch and the casino wait staff was as well.

 

All in all, I liked the ship but I think it really needs some improvements in the culinary and staffing areas. I have never sailed anyone but Carnival and have always received the best service and enjoyed every other ship I have previously been on. The Breeze, however, just did not meet my expectations. Might be time to try another line or move back to the smaller ships.

Maybe next time it will be better.

The Breeze was my first ship I have cruised on. The only complaint I have with the food was that it was warm. I didn't really like the American Table, but now that I have tried the old menu I can see that there is not much difference. One thing I will say is that there are way to many choices to be so unsatisfied. I absolutely loved Tandoor and I wish I would have had the BBQ. Hell you could have even had Bonsi Sushi. It seems you only went with MDR and Lido and there are so many other options on the Breeze. I hope you have better luck seeking happiness elsewhere; whether that is with Carnival or another cruise line. Good Luck.

So all your one meals were bad in the MDR? lol

I'm so glad I've had accommodating room stewards in all of my experiences. I try not to be too demanding and never had an issue. I asked my steward on the Magic sailing the same time as you for a pillow and he got it without hesitation, even asked if I didn't need another one. I wish your experience was like mine. :(

Food is completely and 200% subjective. Sorry you were disappointed. At least the casino staff was great.

Try another ship. Bigger isn't better for everyone.

Truly sorry to hear this. After sailing 4 times on the Magic we are booked for the first time on the Breeze next summer.

After trying the breakfast buffet twice and the lunch buffet once we totally stopped going there but we always enjoyed the MDR and a couple of the lunch options and the sea day brunches. I don't expect five-star quality but I sure expect variety and good food served hot.

None of our previous cruises featured the American Table. Could this, rather than the ship, have been the problem?

We have reservations at the Steakhouse and the Chef's Table but I sure hope the other 5 nights in the MDR will be enjoyable.

Thanks for your review.

# NEVER LIDO

The buffet is the last place to eat never the first.

JUST SAY NO TO BUFFET's :D

Sea Day Brunch for B-fast or the Blue Iguana Cantina.

Lunch at Tandoor, or Cucina pasta bar

Dinner at the MDR, or Cucina or Steakhouse

Snacks all over but Red Frog Pub Wings

#NEVER Buffet

# NEVER LIDO

 

The buffet is the last place to eat never the first.

 

JUST SAY NO TO BUFFET's :D

 

 

Sea Day Brunch for B-fast or the Blue Iguana Cantina.

 

Lunch at Tandoor, or Cucina pasta bar

 

Dinner at the MDR, or Cucina or Steakhouse

 

Snacks all over but Red Frog Pub Wings

 

#NEVER Buffet

Game plan set!

The Breeze was my first ship I have cruised on. The only complaint I have with the food was that it was warm. I didn't really like the American Table, but now that I have tried the old menu I can see that there is not much difference. One thing I will say is that there are way to many choices to be so unsatisfied. I absolutely loved Tandoor and I wish I would have had the BBQ. Hell you could have even had Bonsi Sushi. It seems you only went with MDR and Lido and there are so many other options on the Breeze. I hope you have better luck seeking happiness elsewhere; whether that is with Carnival or another cruise line. Good Luck.

Great post! So many choices to leave unsatisfied. I love breakfast and lunch in mdr. We always eat dinner there but feel like we get more bang for our buck eating there for breakfast and sometimes lunch. We tend to eat burgers and pizza for lunch and late night snacks.

# NEVER LIDO

 

The buffet is the last place to eat never the first.

 

JUST SAY NO TO BUFFET's :D

 

 

Sea Day Brunch for B-fast or the Blue Iguana Cantina.

 

Lunch at Tandoor, or Cucina pasta bar

 

Dinner at the MDR, or Cucina or Steakhouse

 

Snacks all over but Red Frog Pub Wings

 

#NEVER Buffet

Word. Buffet is never the first choice.

Sorry to hear you didn't like the Breeze though - we loved her! The Cucina was awwwwwesome!

Sorry you were disappointed, but thanks for the feedback.

Can i know what cabin you had and who was your room steward. We sail on sunday and Are demanding but we also tip very well. I have little ones so i have diapers and need crib and also we spend a lot in our rooms. We love to nap....

So all your one meals were bad in the MDR? lol

I was thinking the same thing. You should always give something a second chance before completely writing it off. Flukes happen.

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We cruised the Breeze April 3 - 9 to Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. We had been to GC and Coz before but this was the first trip to Ocho Rios. All in all we had a great time. All of the ports did not disappoint and we had plenty to do.

 

The ship, however, did not live up to my expectations. The food was horrible! The breakfast buffet had a variety but was the same every single day, the scrambled eggs were the equivalent of a sponge and completely inedible and the breakfast meats were greasy and under cooked. The bagels and toast were pre-toasted and sitting under a heat lamp making them hard, rubbery and old tasting. I am by no means a foodie but I was very disappointed in the quality as well as the taste of the food. The Omelette station was pretty much the only place to actually get "fresh" tasting eggs, but the line, early or late was at least a 25-30 min wait every single day, in or out of port. The Omelettes were very very good and worth the wait!

 

The tried the lunch buffet twice and found it absolutely terrible. The salads were pretty good but the entrees were just plain bad and not tasty at all. I don't understand why Carnival has resorted to covering every cut of meat or meat dish in some kind of sauce. It might be to cover the fact that they are using very low quality cuts of meat, but whatever it is, it's just not appetizing. Needless to say, The Guy's burgers were pretty much the lunch time go to place. One afternoon I decided to try the "Sea Dogs" but alas after trudging up there, I was informed that they had no hot dogs, just sausage. I was just a tiny bit upset but oh well. I remember the days of the lido grill with the grilled hamburgers and hot dogs available all afternoon and wish that were still an option. The deli was ok but I wasnt a big fan of the slapping the meat on pre-toasted bread and calling it a "grilled ham and cheese". Didn't try the BBQ as the lines were way too long and all I heard were people complaining that it just wasn't worth the wait.

 

The MDR was visited only once because of the bad service and sub par menu choices. I had ordered the beef tenderloin cooked medium rare and it was fatty, grizzly and hard to chew, again, it was covered in some secret sauce that was just terrible tasting. I ate one piece and left the rest on the plate. The baked potato came in a bowl, uncut but turned out to be the best part of the dinner. The wedge salad was good as it is hard to mess up lettuce and the dressings were very tasty. My son ordered the grilled Mahi Mahi and it was rubbery and tasteless. Disappointing to say the least.

 

The Italian restaurant on board was the best meal we had all week, but then again, I would expect it to be since we paid extra for it.

 

The room steward was very nice but very pushy, he was extremely irritated when we were in our room when he decided that he wanted to service it at 7 am in the morning. I asked him for an extra pillow and he was openly exasperated with the request.

 

The bartenders on board were the best! They always remembered who we were and what we drank and we never had to wait very long for a cocktail.

 

The casino staff was top notch and the casino wait staff was as well.

 

All in all, I liked the ship but I think it really needs some improvements in the culinary and staffing areas. I have never sailed anyone but Carnival and have always received the best service and enjoyed every other ship I have previously been on. The Breeze, however, just did not meet my expectations. Might be time to try another line or move back to the smaller ships.

Glad you liked some of your cruise! When you told the waiter you didn't like your dinner in the MDR, didn't they bring you something else or a better tenderloin right away?

Am I reading correct, you gave up on the dining room after night 1 of a 6 night cruise? Anyway sorry the cruise didn't live up to your expectations. We loved the Breeze. Hoping to sail on her again from Galveston.

In the past I have enjoyed the food in the MDR. However on our last cruise on the Miracle, I felt the same was as you. Buffet food was just plain bad. All the beef dishes were rubbery. Chicken was overcooked and dry. However the pizza was outstanding. The MDR was hit and miss. Some things were good some were not, nothing was great. I am a trained chef (Culinary Institute, New Orleans School of Cooking), so my opinion is a bit more than just subjective. Cheaper cuts of meat can be made tender and tasty. But I feel Carnival has just given up. We now cruise Princess and the difference is remarkable. The buffet food is quite good and the selection is great. At breakfast you order your fresh cooked eggs and they will bring them to your table. No waiting around. The MDR is terrific and the staff really cares. The variety is creative. Dinner there is a real treat, not a crap shoot. Next cruise try Princess and enjoy the difference.

First of all, I'm sorry that the ship was not up to par from what you were expecting, but i am glad that "all in all" you had a good time. One or two things that i would say. First of all, you only went to the main dining room 1 night, there is a different menu each night...why not try again?

I would agree with the eggs in the buffet, never good on any ship I've been on. lol. The dining room usually has better breakfast foods.

I understand your frustrations on some things like the hot dogs, lunch buffet and so forth, but as someone said, there are sooooooo many things on the ship, that if you kept going back to something you don't like, well that's kind of your own fault.

The one thing that kinda gets me is the room steward thing. I've only been on 3 cruises, but I've never had a room steward trying to get in my room at 7am, and to be honest, never hear anyone else have that happen either. I don't usually sleep in, but I'm not up at 7am every morning on vacation, that's for sure. What was he doing that made you feel the was extremely irritated?

Lastly, I don't cruise for the food, and in fact, if it sucks...i won't gain weight. So that's a plus! ;) lol better luck on your next cruise.

Hi Trpschick

Sorry you didn't have a great experience on the Breeze.

Personally, we were on the ship last summer and really enjoyed the ship, so it could have been just a bad week.

I see you have been on several Carnival cruises, so you know what you could expect. I would think if a cruise left me very disappointed I would, as you suggest try a different cruise line. You might find something that you enjoy much better. After all that is what you are looking for in a vacation. Trying something different is always a good decision.

If you want to give Carnival another go in the future, it will still be there.

Happy hunting.

Have a great time on you next cruise

We cruised the Breeze April 3 - 9 to Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. We had been to GC and Coz before but this was the first trip to Ocho Rios. All in all we had a great time. All of the ports did not disappoint and we had plenty to do.

 

The ship, however, did not live up to my expectations. The food was horrible! The breakfast buffet had a variety but was the same every single day, the scrambled eggs were the equivalent of a sponge and completely inedible and the breakfast meats were greasy and under cooked. The bagels and toast were pre-toasted and sitting under a heat lamp making them hard, rubbery and old tasting. I am by no means a foodie but I was very disappointed in the quality as well as the taste of the food. The Omelette station was pretty much the only place to actually get "fresh" tasting eggs, but the line, early or late was at least a 25-30 min wait every single day, in or out of port. The Omelettes were very very good and worth the wait!

 

The tried the lunch buffet twice and found it absolutely terrible. The salads were pretty good but the entrees were just plain bad and not tasty at all. I don't understand why Carnival has resorted to covering every cut of meat or meat dish in some kind of sauce. It might be to cover the fact that they are using very low quality cuts of meat, but whatever it is, it's just not appetizing. Needless to say, The Guy's burgers were pretty much the lunch time go to place. One afternoon I decided to try the "Sea Dogs" but alas after trudging up there, I was informed that they had no hot dogs, just sausage. I was just a tiny bit upset but oh well. I remember the days of the lido grill with the grilled hamburgers and hot dogs available all afternoon and wish that were still an option. The deli was ok but I wasnt a big fan of the slapping the meat on pre-toasted bread and calling it a "grilled ham and cheese". Didn't try the BBQ as the lines were way too long and all I heard were people complaining that it just wasn't worth the wait.

 

The MDR was visited only once because of the bad service and sub par menu choices. I had ordered the beef tenderloin cooked medium rare and it was fatty, grizzly and hard to chew, again, it was covered in some secret sauce that was just terrible tasting. I ate one piece and left the rest on the plate. The baked potato came in a bowl, uncut but turned out to be the best part of the dinner. The wedge salad was good as it is hard to mess up lettuce and the dressings were very tasty. My son ordered the grilled Mahi Mahi and it was rubbery and tasteless. Disappointing to say the least.

 

The Italian restaurant on board was the best meal we had all week, but then again, I would expect it to be since we paid extra for it.

 

The room steward was very nice but very pushy, he was extremely irritated when we were in our room when he decided that he wanted to service it at 7 am in the morning. I asked him for an extra pillow and he was openly exasperated with the request.

 

The bartenders on board were the best! They always remembered who we were and what we drank and we never had to wait very long for a cocktail.

 

The casino staff was top notch and the casino wait staff was as well.

 

All in all, I liked the ship but I think it really needs some improvements in the culinary and staffing areas. I have never sailed anyone but Carnival and have always received the best service and enjoyed every other ship I have previously been on. The Breeze, however, just did not meet my expectations. Might be time to try another line or move back to the smaller ships.

Unrelated question: in your signature line you list the Holland Westerdam as a ship you cruised in November of 1998. Not sure how this was possible:

The Westerdam was christened on 25 April 2004 in Venice, Italy.

The comment about breakfast being the same everyday j don't get. They offer every single breakfast item available. What did you want that they didn't have?

In the past I have enjoyed the food in the MDR. However on our last cruise on the Miracle, I felt the same was as you. Buffet food was just plain bad. All the beef dishes were rubbery. Chicken was overcooked and dry. However the pizza was outstanding. The MDR was hit and miss. Some things were good some were not, nothing was great. I am a trained chef (Culinary Institute, New Orleans School of Cooking), so my opinion is a bit more than just subjective. Cheaper cuts of meat can be made tender and tasty. But I feel Carnival has just given up. We now cruise Princess and the difference is remarkable. The buffet food is quite good and the selection is great. At breakfast you order your fresh cooked eggs and they will bring them to your table. No waiting around. The MDR is terrific and the staff really cares. The variety is creative. Dinner there is a real treat, not a crap shoot. Next cruise try Princess and enjoy the difference.

Princess uses the same 'powdered' egg stuff that Carnival uses for scrambled eggs. Their toast and bagels are also pre-toasted.

Agree that for the most part Princess's buffet is better than Carnival's. Though I did have a bug crawl out of the asparagus in the salad buffet on the Golden.

Princess's MDR menu is uninspiring to us.

It's great we have choices.

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Unrelated question: in your signature line you list the Holland Westerdam as a ship you cruised in November of 1998. Not sure how this was possible:

 

The Westerdam was christened on 25 April 2004 in Venice, Italy.

There have been three MS Westerdams. The one I assume the OP was on is now the Thompson Dream.

Thanks for the review! It's good to hear all different perspectives and viewpoints - sorry to learn the food wasn't great. When I was on the Liberty a couple years ago, I found the buffet food to be subpar for the most part as well. Like, worse than Golden Corral.

The room steward was very nice but very pushy, he was extremely irritated when we were in our room when he decided that he wanted to service it at 7 am in the morning. I asked him for an extra pillow and he was openly exasperated with the request.

So... it doesn't sound like he was that nice? :p :p