Just got off of the Breeze: 5/14/2017-5/21/2017

Well, another cruise on Carnival and on the Breeze is complete. We did this same exact cruise back in Sept and it was great then as it was great this time around as well. We went to Cozumel, Belize, and Roatan again. We mostly do this cruise just for Roatan but we enjoy the other ports as well. There were a total of 6 of us. My wife and I, the two kids (ages 5 and 2), and the grandparents. We are from Houston, Texas so it was an easy 50-minute drive from house to port area. We parked at Lighthouse Parking (two cars). Easy. No traffic.

First off -- the Pros:

The Breeze just came out of dry dock last month and it was in great shape. Really enjoyed the addition of the Alchemy Bar and the Pixels Gallery. Lots to do on board and the kids really enjoyed the Waterworks and the pool although I never had the chance to play in any of the water.

Embarkation - We had FTTF. The line at 11:30 am was outside of the Terminal and went halfway back. Very long lines. We breezed right through and was onboard in less than 30 minutes. Room was ready and everything at check-in was perfect.

Guys Pig n Achor - new addition and only ate there once. The pulled pork and the sauces were good. Didn't care for any of the other meats there though. Liking one item there is a very positive thing for me. Pretty picky about my BBQ since I live in Texas.

The Main Dining Room (Dinner) - TOTALLY AMAZING! We had tables 501 and 503 - back corner at the window. This is our favorite table area to dine and we lucked out getting it again (had it on the Magic in 2015). With small children, this area was perfect. What made it more amazing were the servers. They were excellent with the kids and always there to make our dinner enjoyable. Main server was Ronald - will always want him as our server for now on. The food was good every night. I tried some different things on this cruise and was quite surprised. I am a foody that lives in the Restaurant Capital of the U.S. - Houston. Very picky and the food wasn't great, other than a few dishes here and there, but it was good. I even ordered a couple entrees to try during each meal. Kids always got the pizza, chicken nuggets, Fried Shrimp, and French Fries. The desserts were great. Elegant Nights were amazing as always.

Food enjoyed elsewhere on the ship -- Guy's Burgers were good, loved the breakfast burritos at Blue Iguana, Pizza was good, ice cream machine was always great to have 6-10 times a day, deli late at night was good, and we really enjoyed the tasting bar. LOVED Bonsai Sushi. Never ate at the Lido Marketplace since we can't stand buffets so no opinion there. Missed out on the apps at Red Frog Pub but had it in Sept and we enjoyed it. Missed out on Tandoor and the Italian Restaurant this time around too.

Bars - the Alchemy Bar was awesome. Loved every drink they made us. We love to order things OFF THE MENU and have them create something for us. So good. Red Frog Pub is always a favorite with us. The Casino bar made great drinks and so did the Atrium Bar. The Blue Iguana Bar at the Lido pool was our go to spot there - made the drinks strong when requested.

Entertainment - Flick. Second time seeing it and it was even better this time around. The Piano Bar was excellent. Gregg was a lot of fun and sounded great. I always requested a song or two and he played them while everyone sang along. I always requested a song that you wouldn't normally hear and he rocked it every time. The bar staff was great as well. The String Trio was amazing once again. Really enjoyed watching and hearing them. The Latin Duo was very good and did a lot of songs that kept us dancing. The cover band onboard -- BLEW US AWAY! The country duo was outstanding and she knew Cody Johnson's music -- winner! So good and a lot of fun. Only spent about 5 minutes in the Dance Club this time and just wasn't feeling it this cruise. The films on the Dive In Movies were great. Popcorn was freshly popped and always a chair to sit at to watch a movie. Didn't make it to the Thrill Theater this time around but we enjoyed it in Sept.

Cruise Director - Schwartz was our CD and the best we have had yet. The guy is everywhere and so much fun. He really did make this cruise a fantastic one. Not sure when this guy sleeps. When he showed up for an event, we knew we were in the right place. Can't say enough great things about him.

The Decor - the ship was just out of dry dock and you can see where it got a lot of fresh paint, updated furniture, carpets, and things like that. Really looked great in September and looked even newer this past week. The Breeze is definitely our favorite Carnival ship so far. The interior is bright and tropical.

Camp Ocean - the two year old wouldn't stay but the 5 year old loved it. She probably spend about 3 hours total there but they were outstanding. Great activities for the kids and they don't just put them in front of a TV screen. The kids participated in the Dr Seuss activities as well -- the parade and story time with Cat in the Hat. A lot of fun!

Cabin - we had two cabins. Ours was the Cove Balcony Cabin 2306. This was our second time in a Cove Balcony room and it is our first choice. We love being close to the water and having that enclosure area for privacy. The one bad this was that there was a camera hanging down from the life boat that looked right into our balcony. Didn't really bother us and we were amused by it. We did put on some funny shows for whomever might have been watching. We saw huge pods of dolphins jumping and playing while we sailed. Most amazing site I have ever seen out in the wild. There must have been close to a 100 of them all jumping at once and going on a feeding frenzy out there. So close to the ship too. Love the Cove!

The Weather - PERFECT! It was calling for 80-90% rain and thunderstorms the whole week but didn't rain at all. I keep telling folks to stay away from the weather forcasts. It is the Caribbean.

CONS:

The Punchliner Comedy Club was good for a few laughs. Went to the R rated late night show and wasn't impressed with the comedian compared to others cruises we have been on. Wasn't worth the wait to get in or the time.

Cove Balcony was not cleaned. There was lettuce, tomatoes, and other food scattered about on the balcony - never cleaned.

Red Frog Bar by the pool. Staff there were not good. I ordered a drink there a few times and it was always a mess. The last time I went there for a drink, I ordered one and they guy started making it. Then three women came up and he went to them to get their orders. He made their drinks while mine sat there half made. I sat there for more than 10 minutes I mentioned my drink politely and he laughed - then I said forget it and walked to the Blue Iguana Bar for a drink.

Sea Day Brunch - we got a great table every time at the aft window of the ship. The service was very slow and the eggs were always burnt. Not edible. The French Toast was good though while the bacon was not edible either. Took 30 minutes to get a coffee refill. Breakfast there was always a 90-minute event. Still better than the Lido Marketplace for us though.

Disembarkation - Not Carnival's fault. This is on the Port Authority in Galveston. We were Faster to the Fun so we departed the ship along with the Platinum folks. They seated us in the Ovation Theater and let us disembark the ship at 8:10 am. From the time we exited the ship at the Gangway to get outside of the Terminal - 90 minutes. The lines were so long. Our bag was not with our Zone 3 luggage so it took 30 minutes to find. It was over by Zone 5. The porter found it. After that, it was 60 minutes to get through Customs. Same thing for us back in September and we didn't even have FTTF then.

Gold Pin - Once again, they didn't have gold pins for those who are Gold Members. Same thing happened in September. Not a big deal for us but they shouldn't even have it as one of the perks if they are constantly out of them.

Pixels - we loved the technology of Pixels but the prices are crazy! We ended up buying $800 worth. My wife loves pictures and it is her favorite thing about cruising. For me, I can't stand it. We all know the saying though - "If mama ain't happy, nobody is happy!" Gotta keep mama happy.

Internet Packages -- tried a couple of the packages on this one again. We had the Social and the Premium packages. I had to pay a couple bills and the wife had to do some college work. Could not do either with any of the packages. Couldn't even upload a picture to our Facebook. Wasn't worth it. We wanted to not have the internet anyways but needed it mostly for the wife's college work. Total fail. They gave us a refund.

Will be posting pictures and port info as soon as I can. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Will be happy to answer any as best as possible.

Thanks for the review! I don't think that I could have gone a week without saying something to somebody about the veggies on the balcony.

Thanks for the review! I don't think that I could have gone a week without saying something to somebody about the veggies on the balcony.

We did say something the first day. Then again the third day. He kept the cabin clean but the balcony wasn't not cleaned at all.

Hi, pictures are one of my favorite parts too. Just wondering if you would share the prices. Have they gone up?

Hi, pictures are one of my favorite parts too. Just wondering if you would share the prices. Have they gone up?

$14.99 per digital photo.

Additional for prints.

Thanks for your review.

I had the same experience at the Red Frog bar. Went once and never went back.

And the garbage on your balcony is unacceptable.

I'm happy you enjoyed the cruise overall. The Breeze is my favorite ship and I have nearly three months to go.

Happy sailing!

The other cabin we had, for the grand parents, was an interior cabin 2308. Sorry, forgot to add that part.

Here is our Cove Balcony cabin 2306. My wife and I were celebrating our 6th Wedding Anniversary so got those decorations ordered through the Fun Shops prior of the cruise along with some cases of water and Powerade. The Anniversary Package included a picture frame and a cake as well.

John Heald sent us a treat for our Anniversary:

The view from the balcony as we left Galveston.

Thanks for your review.

 

I had the same experience at the Red Frog bar. Went once and never went back.

 

And the garbage on your balcony is unacceptable.

 

I'm happy you enjoyed the cruise overall. The Breeze is my favorite ship and I have nearly three months to go.

 

Happy sailing!

Happy Sailing to you as well. Thank you for reading along.

Thank you for your objective review,

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The atrium:

Disembarkation - Not Carnival's fault. This is on the Port Authority in Galveston. We were Faster to the Fun so we departed the ship along with the Platinum folks. They seated us in the Ovation Theater and let us disembark the ship at 8:10 am. From the time we exited the ship at the Gangway to get outside of the Terminal - 90 minutes. The lines were so long. Our bag was not with our Zone 3 luggage so it took 30 minutes to find. It was over by Zone 5. The porter found it. After that, it was 60 minutes to get through Customs. Same thing for us back in September and we didn't even have FTTF then.

Same thing for us in Galveston...twice! I won't even consider another cruise from Galveston. It's just too much of a fubar!!

Disembarkation - Not Carnival's fault. This is on the Port Authority in Galveston. We were Faster to the Fun so we departed the ship along with the Platinum folks. They seated us in the Ovation Theater and let us disembark the ship at 8:10 am. From the time we exited the ship at the Gangway to get outside of the Terminal - 90 minutes. The lines were so long. Our bag was not with our Zone 3 luggage so it took 30 minutes to find. It was over by Zone 5. The porter found it. After that, it was 60 minutes to get through Customs. Same thing for us back in September and we didn't even have FTTF then.

Same thing for us in Galveston...twice! I won't even consider another cruise from Galveston. It's just too much of a fubar!!

I spoke to the Port Authority folks and a couple of the porters there -- they said it was mostly cruise folks on the Belize cruises. Always a mess for some reason. We were on the Magic in 2015 to the Caymans and it was easy compared to this last one. They need to figure something out. Customs only had half the lanes open.

How far is the Lighthouse Parking from the terminal and is there a shuttle? Do they have security? My mom reserved the one recommended through Carnival and it's $80 but Lighthouse is $65.

How far is the Lighthouse Parking from the terminal and is there a shuttle? Do they have security? My mom reserved the one recommended through Carnival and it's $80 but Lighthouse is $65.

This was the 3rd straight time we booked with Lighthouse Parking and we do covered parking. The discount code is ANYSAIL. They have a shuttle that runs continuously. They are secured as well. It is not even a 1/2 mile from the Cruise Terminal. We had great service with them and they even helped us with the luggage.

I spoke to the Port Authority folks and a couple of the porters there -- they said it was mostly cruise folks on the Belize cruises. Always a mess for some reason. We were on the Magic in 2015 to the Caymans and it was easy compared to this last one. They need to figure something out. Customs only had half the lanes open.

Yea....that must be the problem....???? I guess the Belize Cruisers are putting all the bags in different zones!?! Exactly what are the "Belize Cruises"???

No....this port is a mess in so many ways. I understand that it is extremely convenient for the Texas people, but if New Orleans can handle the cruisers, then I don't see any reason why Galveston can't get their act together.

I also don't like the car rental situation there. The price is off the charts getting a car from Houston or vice versa.

It's a shame....because I really do love the Breeze.

Glad you had a great cruise!

We are booked in 2306 for October this year. Any pics that you can post of the room would be appreciated. we want to show the kids what the room looks like. Glad that you had a good time.

Very nice review. Sailed the Breeze in January and didn't get any pins either. I forgot about them until you mentioned it. Also, the disembarkation was very slow for us too.

The Breeze is our favorite ship. We sail on her again in August and we can't wait.

Were the veggies on your balcony the first day, or did someone throw them there during the week?

You should have told the steward. That is unacceptable.

$800 on pictures?????

Nope. DH would NOT go for that. LOL. Damn!!!!! That's a lot of pictures!!!! LOL

Breeze is our favorite ship too! But then she moved to TX, so we're trying Magic in June.

Cannot wait!!!

Thanks for the review and pictures!!!!

Thank you so much and for the code as well. I'll reserve when I get off work.

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One more question, do I need to drop my luggage off if I'm carrying it in myself? I've never cruised out of Galveston and I'm carrying my own luggage on.

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Entertainment - The films on the Dive In Movies were great.

I'll be on this cruise next Sunday. Which movies did they show?