1st time on Carnival (Breeze) and have a few questions.

We were able to book a last minute girls trip on the Breeze for next weekend and are so excited! I have been on 3 previous cruises on 3 other cruise lines but each seemed to have their own way of doing certain things. However this is the first time that no one in my party has had prior experience with the line.

1. Room Cards - how do you carry your room card around? Do you use a lanyard with a sleeve/punch a hole/just carry it? And once you are in the room are the lights/ac turned on by putting it in a slot?

2. Bubbles - I have read several boards and am a little confused. Is this a fountain drink/bar drink gun or is it purely poured out of cans? Can you use this to get drinks in the MDR? Does everyone in the room have to get the Bubbles package? (My cabin has already decided that we do not drink enough to make the Cheers package worth it and I am not a soda drink - it looks like this can be done online, but I don't want to find out later that it was automatically added on.)

3. Dining - We are listed as 6:00 (confirmed) and Your Time (waitlisted). If we are busy (port activities) and do not have time to get ready in time for the 6:00 time, can we still go to the anytime dining room or should we plan on eating at the buffet? (Princess let us do that, but it was not an option on Disney - and I don't remember on RCI).

4. Lunch - Are all of the multiple eating options that are available for lunch open everyday or are some of them only open on sea days?

This board is amazing and I have already gotten some great information. Thank you!

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1. Room Cards - how do you carry your room card around? Do you use a lanyard with a sleeve/punch a hole/just carry it? And once you are in the room are the lights/ac turned on by putting it in a slot?

 

2. Bubbles - I have read several boards and am a little confused. Is this a fountain drink/bar drink gun or is it purely poured out of cans? Can you use this to get drinks in the MDR? Does everyone in the room have to get the Bubbles package? (My cabin has already decided that we do not drink enough to make the Cheers package worth it and I am not a soda drink - it looks like this can be done online, but I don't want to find out later that it was automatically added on.)

 

3. Dining - We are listed as 6:00 (confirmed) and Your Time (waitlisted). If we are busy (port activities) and do not have time to get ready in time for the 6:00 time, can we still go to the anytime dining room or should we plan on eating at the buffet? (Princess let us do that, but it was not an option on Disney - and I don't remember on RCI).

 

4. Lunch - Are all of the multiple eating options that are available for lunch open everyday or are some of them only open on sea days?...

The Breeze is a great ship, she is my personal favorite and we are going back to her in August. Anyways...

1) You can get a lanyard and your card punched at the casino. This is really a popular way to carry them around. I tend to use a small wallet like I do on land. For the lights, I don't remember if Breeze requires a card or not to keep them on, some ships do. I usually bring an old expired store credit card or casino card for that purpose, so I don't need to worry about my S&S card.

2) I have not seen fountain drinks on Carnival ships, only cans so far. I have never gotten the Bubbles package because I am a cheapskate, so I don't know what they have behind the scenes. Anyway, it should be good for pop (soda) throughout the ship, including the MDR. I don't know if it has to go to everyone in your cabin, of if you can do it individually. I know for Cheers, it does have to be the whole cabin. We are trying Cheers on our next cruise.

3) I always do anytime dining, but I am curious about the answer to your MDR question. I have not heard of it happening. On the other hand, Breeze also has three added pay restaurants open during dinner. There is the Steakhouse ($35), Cucina del Capitano ($15?), and Bonsai Sushi (a la carte menu) as well. I haven't had Cucina yet, but the Steakhouse is open pretty late, and worth the cost if you wanted to plan ahead on a port day, you can make reservations. The sushi is good, for the price. Of course there are the Lido restaurants and buffet

4) Lunch. Yes, and Yes. There are MANY venues open for lunch. On sea days, the MDR has a "brunch" and there is the BBQ place. I think there is/was a Sea Dogs hot dog place too, but I never paid attention to it. Open every day, there is of course the Lido Buffet, Guys Burgers, the Deli, Pizza (24 hrs), Blue Iguana (tacos and burritos), and Tandoor. Tandoor is Indian food, and it is the some of the best food on the ship IMHO. You can also go upstairs in the buffet, and they repurpose Cucina del Capitano as a free pasta bar during lunch. I have heard rumors of a fancy salad bar somewhere, but I have not seen it myself. Anyway, You won't go hungry during lunch.

Something else you might overlook, there is a Red Frog Pub that has Caribbean style pub munchies (for a charge) that goes with beers, etc. Something NOT to overlook is the sea-day tea. Even if you are not into tea very much, the desserts and munchies served are very good, and it is worth doing, and free, unless you want to pay a few dollars for the fancier teas.

Anyway, you picked a great ship for your last minute cruise, you will have a great time. When done, let us know how the Carnival Breeze compares to other lines. I have only ever been on Carnival and would love to know!

We were able to book a last minute girls trip on the Breeze for next weekend and are so excited! I have been on 3 previous cruises on 3 other cruise lines but each seemed to have their own way of doing certain things. However this is the first time that no one in my party has had prior experience with the line.

 

1. Room Cards - how do you carry your room card around? Do you use a lanyard with a sleeve/punch a hole/just carry it? And once you are in the room are the lights/ac turned on by putting it in a slot?

 

2. Bubbles - I have read several boards and am a little confused. Is this a fountain drink/bar drink gun or is it purely poured out of cans? Can you use this to get drinks in the MDR? Does everyone in the room have to get the Bubbles package? (My cabin has already decided that we do not drink enough to make the Cheers package worth it and I am not a soda drink - it looks like this can be done online, but I don't want to find out later that it was automatically added on.)

 

3. Dining - We are listed as 6:00 (confirmed) and Your Time (waitlisted). If we are busy (port activities) and do not have time to get ready in time for the 6:00 time, can we still go to the anytime dining room or should we plan on eating at the buffet?

 

This board is amazing and I have already gotten some great information. Thank you!

Above is a partial quote.

1. Room cards- I use a lanyard and recommend that you do the same. It's so much more convenient then carrying a purse or wallet around with you.

2. Bottomless bubbles gives you Unlimited juices and soda pops. For me it's worth it but it's an individual thing. I have often purchased a bottle of Vodka from Bon Voyage Department and then carried vodka in my Carnival Tervis mug around in the evening to spike my juice. If you do not usually drink anything other than tea, coffee, or water then you probably don't need to purchase this.

3. You can request a change to my time dining when you get on board the first afternoon but if you are new to Carnival Cruise Line you may not receive it. I'm Platinum so I always get the dining time I want because that's one of the perks. If you are assigned to fixed 6 p.m. dining and you can't get ready in time for that dining time then you will need to eat at the buffet. But you will not be in Port when dining time begins since the ships final boarding time is before the earliest dining time. The only exception to this are cruises that are staying overnight in a port.

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We were able to book a last minute girls trip on the Breeze for next weekend and are so excited! I have been on 3 previous cruises on 3 other cruise lines but each seemed to have their own way of doing certain things. However this is the first time that no one in my party has had prior experience with the line.

 

1. Room Cards - how do you carry your room card around? Do you use a lanyard with a sleeve/punch a hole/just carry it? And once you are in the room are the lights/ac turned on by putting it in a slot?

 

2. Bubbles - I have read several boards and am a little confused. Is this a fountain drink/bar drink gun or is it purely poured out of cans? Can you use this to get drinks in the MDR? Does everyone in the room have to get the Bubbles package? (My cabin has already decided that we do not drink enough to make the Cheers package worth it and I am not a soda drink - it looks like this can be done online, but I don't want to find out later that it was automatically added on.)

 

3. Dining - We are listed as 6:00 (confirmed) and Your Time (waitlisted). If we are busy (port activities) and do not have time to get ready in time for the 6:00 time, can we still go to the anytime dining room or should we plan on eating at the buffet? (Princess let us do that, but it was not an option on Disney - and I don't remember on RCI).

 

4. Lunch - Are all of the multiple eating options that are available for lunch open everyday or are some of them only open on sea days?

 

This board is amazing and I have already gotten some great information. Thank you!

1A) I carry my sign and sail card on a lanyard without a hole punch. One where it is a little pocket. The lights ARE turned on with a card but I use a old used up gift card to operate the lights.

2A) Bottomless Bubbles does NOT have to be purchased by everyone in the cabin unlike Cheers. The soda is poured out of a can into a glass with ice but they normally DO not give you the can. You can use Bubbles for drinks in the MDR and I believe there you do get the can. No self serve drink dispensers. You can preorder this online yourself or wait to purchase it on the ship (same price)

3A) If you are assigned early dining you cannot go to the anytime dining room for dinner if you are running late. You can go see the maitre'd when you first get on and see about changing to anytime if available. You can eat also in the buffet, or one of the specialty restaurants for a extra charge.

4A) There are places open for lunch. On sea days, the MDR has a sea day brunch and there is the Guy's BBQ place(super busy) They have Sea Dogs, the Lido Buffet, Guys Burgers, the Deli, Pizza (24 hrs), Blue Iguana (tacos and burritos), Tandoor, and Cucina del Capitano as a free pasta bar during lunch.

This ship is a awesome. I have cruised on it twice. You will have a great time, so much to do and so many places to eat.

My last two cruises the card already had a hole punched in it. I don't like lanyards, always get in my way. I have pockets is virtually everything except formal/elegant night dress. Then it goes in my bra. EM

It looks like everyone has answered your questions, but I do have one thing to add. Like others have said you aren't usually allowed to go to Your Time dining if you miss your 6:00 PM dining time. However, I have a friend who was allowed to do this on a cruise a couple years ago. They were inexperienced cruisers and didn't realize that wasn't allowed. So they just walked up to the Your Time dining room and the hostess sat them without a problem. They just assumed that was how it worked. Then a few nights later they went to do the same and were told it wasn't normally allowed, but they would make an exception. So they were able to do it twice, but it sounds like something that would be up to the current host at the entrance to the your time dining room.

If you haven't sailed Carnival then be sure to download the Carnival Hub app, it's free. It has an interactive ships map, location & opening times of all restaurants, a list of daily activities (fun times), you can view and purchase pictures, and you can view your account. And for $5 per device per cruise you can add the chat feature where your party can text each other.

You can also purchase reasonably priced wifi plans on it too. I'm sailing the Breeze the second time in a couple weeks. Right now I can go to my booking and pre-purchase the "Social" wifi plan for $4 a day. With this plan you have access to Facebook, Facebook messenger, WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Snapchat. Or I can purchase the "Value" plan for $10.25 per day which includes everything the Value plan has plus you can surf the internet and check emails. The "Premium" plan is $14.88 a day and is similar to the Value plan but it boasts much higher speeds, but we saw no difference on our last cruise. These prices are discounted 15% for pre-purchase. The normal prices are slightly higher. But definitely download the app, its a lifesaver. We love not having to keep up with ships maps or the daily fun times schedule. And getting to keep up with where everyone's at with the chat feature is soooo much better than walkie talkies that don't work or using post it notes in your cabin. :)

And while you're on the Breeze definitely check out the 3-D Thrill Theater, we had a blast there. And the Sports deck with free hot dogs, free mini golf, the ropes course, shuffle board, pool tables, and foosball is one of our favorite places to hang out.

I don't use lanyards because I don't want anything hanging around my neck, but the cards do come pre-punched in case you'd like to use it that way.

I do not use my S&S card for the lights and there is no need to use an old card either as a folded up piece of paper works just fine.

As others have said, if you miss your dining time, you can eat at the buffet, deli, pizza or one of the specialty restaurants (based on availability). You can also order room service, but the free menu is pretty limited and the pay menu isn't that extensive either.

Lunch options are great. The seaday brunch is good (steak and eggs is really good), but we found the service there lacking on two visits. Be aware that the BBQ is only open on embarkation and sea days. Also it, along with the Blue Iguana Taco place close around 2:30. Guy's is open until 6 or 6:30, can't remember.

All the soda I received was served out of a can. Although in the MDR they served us the whole, unopened can, which was nice to take back to the room. There is no self serve soda fountain, but they do have coffee, iced tea, water, etc.

You might reconsider the Cheers program as well (although it's not available until the second day out of Galveston). I didn't think we'd get our money's worth, but decided to give it a try anyway and am glad we did. With a Frappuccino or Specialty Coffee each morning, a couple of Diet Cokes throughout the day, a pre dinner cocktail and then 3-4 Alchemy Bar drinks in the evening and we more than broke even. We drank more than we might have if we didn't buy the package, but we never had to worry about limiting ourselves due to cost. Anyway, I know it's not for everyone, but we enjoyed having Cheers.

We loved the Breeze and hope you do too. Have a great cruise!

Thanks for all of the great information!!!

In addition to the coffee, tea, and water - do they also serve juice at breakfast and lemonade at lunch? Or is that only if you have Bubbles.

Thanks for all of the great information!!!

In addition to the coffee, tea, and water - do they also serve juice at breakfast and lemonade at lunch? Or is that only if you have Bubbles.

Yes. Full choice of juices in MDR at breakfast and on Lido you will have orange apple and guava punch. Switched to lemonade at lunch.

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You could fold a piece of paper to put in the "light" slot, if you need to....anything in the slot will work.

You WILL have time to get to dinner...no worries! You have to be ON the ship 30 mins. prior to sail away time....if you don't do your fixed seating, there are other options...but not "anytime" dining , unless you're signed up for that.

How do you carry your room key in a hotel? Well, do that on the ship, too! I bring a very small purse for my lipstick, tissues, comb, etc....just because you don't need your entire wallet, doesn't mean you don't need to fix yourself up once in a while!

do they have hair dryers in each cabin

Thanks for all of the great information!!!

In addition to the coffee, tea, and water - do they also serve juice at breakfast and lemonade at lunch? Or is that only if you have Bubbles.

At breakfast, you can get juices from the self-serve dispensers in the Lido buffet, or in the MDR. There's apple, orange, and my personal favorite....orange-guava-passion fruit!

Iced tea and lemonade are also available from the self-serve dispensers at lunch....the morning juice selections "disappear" until the next morning!

Also not to be missed.....Carnival's hot chocolate! It is so, so good!

do they have hair dryers in each cabin

We sailed on the Breeze a couple of years ago, and there was a hair dryer wired into the top desk drawer. Be prepared, though....it was very, very weak. I have short, thin hair and it still took forever to dry! You might want to consider bringing your own, if you have long or thick hair.

Now, I have added the guava punch and hot chocolate to my must try list.

1. Room Cards - how do you carry your room card around? Do you use a lanyard with a sleeve/punch a hole/just carry it? And once you are in the room are the lights/ac turned on by putting it in a slot?

I kept my card in my phone case.

2. Bubbles - I have read several boards and am a little confused. Is this a fountain drink/bar drink gun or is it purely poured out of cans? Can you use this to get drinks in the MDR? Does everyone in the room have to get the Bubbles package? (My cabin has already decided that we do not drink enough to make the Cheers package worth it and I am not a soda drink - it looks like this can be done online, but I don't want to find out later that it was automatically added on.)

Sorry, I didn't do the bubbles package so I don't know much about it.

3. Dining - We are listed as 6:00 (confirmed) and Your Time (waitlisted). If we are busy (port activities) and do not have time to get ready in time for the 6:00 time, can we still go to the anytime dining room or should we plan on eating at the buffet? (Princess let us do that, but it was not an option on Disney - and I don't remember on RCI).

You generally leave the ports at 5 at the latest, and the last tender boats generally leave 45 minutes before the leaving time. You should have plenty of time.

4. Lunch - Are all of the multiple eating options that are available for lunch open everyday or are some of them only open on sea days?

There are so many options open for food on lunch. You won't be disappointed.

do they have hair dryers in each cabin

yes