dadof2boys

Just got off the Panorama. My wife and I were booked in two different cabins as we had adjoining rooms so that our teenage boys would be in one room, with us in the other. We have gotten the Cheers package in the past where the both of us were required to purchase. It was definitely NOT worth it as she does not drink at any level close to making the purchase worth it for her. However, this time, I only had it. 
 

Was it worth it? I would say yes. But what does “worth” mean to you? If I was to price out every drink I maybe broke even, definitely didn’t “save” money. However, the prepay feature is what makes it worth it for me. I love being able to go on a trip and have minimal additional costs when I am there. Being able to try new drinks, order when I wanted, visit the coffee shop, not worry about a bar tab, it’s great! I really think it helps me to relax more as I’m not calculating my bar tab or holding back because I’m concerned about overspending. 
 

Not sure if my long winded answer helps, but I do think it’s something to really consider and will be different for each person. 

Skyguitar:

We have two boys, ages 6 and 8. The Breeze is their favorite ship. It sails out of Galveston. We live in North County San Diego and have always had great luck getting reasonable flights to Houston.

The prices in Jan. And Feb. will be off season (better for you) Do a 7 night. Mexican Riviera doesn't compare to the Caribbean. Based on ship alone, it doesn't compare. The Breeze is the second newest ship in the fleet and the Miracle is well...old.

Your boys will love the water slides, ropes course, mini golf, giant arcade, thrill theatre, the list goes on.

If you have any other questions, just ask, everyone here is super knowledgeable.

If you have any questions the pertain to traveling with kids, let me know. Our boys have been on about 10 cruises and we've experienced it all (in regard to the ups and downs of traveling with two kiddos.)

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It is weird. Going to sea is now a very similar experience to going to our local Fashion Island Mall. Why pay money to go do what you can already do down the street?

We just got off a ship yesterday. It was our 15th cruise. We want to try a Beaches resort. We'll see how that goes.

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She is getting the upgrades at the end of the month.

 

Didn't know when I booked so this was a pleasant surprise.

 

I'm one of the few who is not a fan of the wok. Looking forward to the taco bar.

Same with me, not a fan of the wok. Now Guys and Blue Iguana, HUGE fans.

We've sailed on the Breeze twice and both times, didn't really end up eating in the dining room very often. There were just so many other choices.

These two spots are awesome! The breakfast tacos are incredible. The burgers are better than most restaurants I've been to. I'm still in shock that a fantasy class ship is getting these upgrades AND it's a west coast ship, no less.

Also, I think the Alchemy Bar is going to be a great addition. The Red Frog Pub is my favorite place on any Carnival ship that has one, but this will do in its place. Plus, with the addition of the Red Frog Rum Bar, we will get Thirsty Frog Red (if the ship doesn't already have it) which is an awesome beer.

Finally, one of my kids' favorite spots is Cherry on Top. We found ourselves in there multiple times a day, just to pick up a few pieces of bulk candy. I know they will be excited to see this addition to the ship.

And to think, we had just given up on Carnival a year and a half ago, vowing never to sail her cost cutting ships again. I guess, never say never?

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There is probably a thread on this already, I tried to look through.

My family is so excited about Carnival Inspiration's dry dock. Guy's Burger, Blue Iguana, Alchemy Bar, it's so awesome! It's so rare So. Cal. gets some love. Hey, it may not be a new ship, but these new eateries will sure enhance our experience.

We just booked a 4 night July cruise based on this new information.

I think that the information has changed. The themed party nights with a set price, seemed to have gone away on the ships that now have Camp Ocean. At least, that has been our experience. The hourly rate was charged, and my kiddos did miss this "owl jam" parties with the goodies (back pack, dance contests, night light, etc.) It was basically babysitting only after 10 pm.

For those who feel that after 10 pm is too late, some parents don't adjust the family schedule to new time zones. At home, San Diego, bedtime is around 9:00 pm. However, on a cruise in the Caribbean with a time zone three hours ahead of ours, we don't adjust to this new zone. This allows our boys to stay out later, midnight, but sleep in the next morning. We can usually pull this off for the first 4-5 days before their bodies naturally adjust to the new time zone. It's one of our favorite things about traveling to the East Coast. We all get to stay up later AND sleep in.

Oh my gosh! I am so sorry to hear this. I have loved reading about your guys' adventures. You are so lucky to have had all those experiences and memories together. I'll be praying for you and your family.

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We got this on the Magic in November. My boys used it to pack all their toys and trinkets bought in each port. They're actually pretty cool. But, I guess I'm the opposite than most, I loved the hat. We get four of each gift, as a balding male the hats sure are handy in the scorching sun.

I am a school administrator and we take our kindergartener and second grader out of school for a week each year. I don't plan on stopping. My DW is a stay-at-home mom and budgeting is necessary to make that happen. Spending time as a family like this is important to us.

We cruise most often in September, after our kids have been in school for a few weeks. We start school in August. We have gotten lucky on pricing that was over our Spring Break. The other time we have gotten amazing deals was the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. People typically aren't traveling then. Plus at school, those are the weeks I refer to as, glitter and glue. As I walk around the classrooms I see a lot of holiday projects and activities. If I'm pulling my kids, it makes me feel better that they're not missing as much of the academic rigor.

As others have mentioned we have made cuts to our family budget. We don't have cable (check out Apple TV), we canceled our gardener (this might be a regional thing, but in SoCal not very many people mow their own lawns) and typically take advantage of as many community activities as possible. Keeps the kids busy and costs down.

Umm...I was too excited! I am a teacher and thought this was going to be awesome. We have two boys who are the perfect age. I think all of my anticipation ruined it. The staff didn't seem to really enjoy it much. They just humored the kids and parents. I think if I didn't know about before hand, then found out while on the cruise, I would have thought, oh, this is cool.

Booked! Family Harbor Cove Balcony. First time cruising from NYC, and first time doing a repo- soooo excited!

Are you taking children with you? If so, what age? We have what will be a 7 and 9 year old by the cruise date. We keep going back and forth.

Every ship I have sailed on that doesn't have the above mentioned upgrades has plenty of staff that say they will be getting them in dry dock ext. I will believe it when I see it. Personally I won't book anymore cruises without those additions on the ship or book on speculation.

I feel the same way, as far as not booking a ship without these additions. We sailed the Magic after 2 sailings on the Breeze. We thoughts, well there's some of it (red frog, cherry on top), but it wasn't. I mean don't get me wrong, it's a nice ship. But truly, we won't be sailing on another ship without Guys and Blue Iguana again.

The Breeze is just so much better.

When we sailed on her in November, one of the guys working the ropes course was very chatty. He was an American recent college grad who was just finishing his second contract.

He went on to explain that the were adding guys burgers, blue iguana cantina, etc. He said they were going to do it while the ship was sailing. While we sailed they had just finished the transition and remodel from Camp Carnival to Camp Ocean (a down grade for sure!)

Anyhow, who knows if there is any actual truth to it. I haven't read anything that supports his comments.

Can. Not. Wait. For. Autotrain!!!

I just like that there continues to be opportunities for different experiences. I remember back about 15 years ago when it was much more limited. It's truly becoming a destination in and of itself. No longer a floating casino.

I would feel the exact same way. I know that everyone says not to count on/book for the ports, but that seems crazy. Who would book a vacation just for the hotel/ship. Where you're going has 100% to do with your vacation.

Sorry to hear that things went this way. Others said to book in less harsh winter months, honestly, weather is always a gamble. We've had wonderful weather in December and awful weather in August.

All that to say, it sounds like you at least had the one nice day. The ship sounds like a bummer, thanks for the heads up. As Carnival moves forward with it's renovations and new builds, it makes those that are the old style look even worse.

The drink matches the taste bar food as others have said, however they're not sold at the taste bar. I have had them on the Fantasy class as well as Dream class.

Fantasy Class: they are sold at the casino bar.

Dream Class: they are sold at the bar in Ocean Plaza.

I've had the drink specials on three Fantasy ships and two dream ships (not the dream itself though)

The only ones I've had are the blue's blue margarita and the red's rum punch. They did have a red wine on Italian night, but I'm not a fan.

Years ago the Spirit would do 5 nighters from San Diego. It was just two days in Cabo, then back up. 100x better than Catalina and Ensenada! If it were winter, you truly got away for some fun in the sun. The weather in Ensenada and Catalina is the same as it is in Southern California. They were the best. One of those Fantasy class ships should move to San Diego and start that run again. Let the other stay in Long Beach and do the Ensenada/Catalina. The Miracle can run the 7 day. There, solved. [emoji1]

She won't be getting anything exciting. No waterworks, no guys burgers, no Redfrog rumbar. Pretty much just going for maintenance. I was going to book Miracle because I thought it was going to get the 2.0 features like the Pride did, but when I found it wasn't, booked a princess cruise from San Pedro.

Ditto, it sucks.

Also, people keep mentioning the discounted prices that the west coast offers. Umm, not the case. A 7 nighter here is more than any on the east coast. Sure maybe the 3/4 nighters, but the 7 day are way pricey. We flew to Texas because with flights it was still less.

Breeze, breeze, breeze, breeze, breeze

Looking forward to more.

Thanks! Can I ask what hotels you've used in Miami and outside? It looks like, according to the roll call thread for our cruise, that a lot of the hotels are booked since we're going on Valentine's and there is the Miami boat show then as well. Much appreciated!

We have been on the Breeze a couple of times and one trip we ran into a similar situation with the hotels being booked near the pier in Miami. We ended up flying into Fort Lauderdale and staying at a Hyatt of some sort near the airport. We used SAS transportation the next morning. The hotel was less than $100 a night and the shuttle wasn't too bad. It also helped that flying into FLL was a lot less expensive too. Good luck and you will LOVE the Breeze.

That's a bummer to hear that about the kids clubs. We have always loved Carnival's kids programming, but on out most recent trip (last month) aboard the Magic, we were not fans. The space was what you described on the liberty, however the programming had switched over to the new Camp Ocean. So what we thought was going to be an upgrade ended up being a downgraded experience. The kids still had fun, but just had their fun spending ALL their time with us! [emoji12]

I notice a theme of being concerned with crowds, sold out ships, and excursions. I am the same EXACT way! I drive my wife crazy. She's so calm and go with the flow. That is NOT me.

Really enjoying the review.