jandj1224

Sapphire

We just got back yesterday from a sailing on the Breeze, June 7-15. It was a really great trip. I was traveling with my husband and our two girls ages 3 and 5. We are pretty seasoned cruisers and have sailed on a variety of cruise lines including Carnival, NCL, and Royal.

We flew into Miami on the morning of the cruise. We took a taxi to the port, $24 + tip. Our flight landed at 11 and we were on the boat by about 12pm. Embarkation was a breeze.

My thoughts:

Entertainment: We were able to see a few of the shows throughout the week. While they were entertaining, I do feel they are lacking. Inferior compared to the Broadway type shows or ice shows on Royal. We did enjoy the Hasbro game show. They also had a puppet show one day which was geared towards kids which the kids enjoyed.

We went to the family comedy night in the lounge. It was entertaining and not that crowded. We never made it to the adult only shows.

We were able to enjoy two movies at the outdoor theater. The popcorn was a cute novelty and we really enjoyed the atmosphere. The area was usually pretty crowded.

We watched one showing at the thrill theater. Wasn't too impressed. It was a cute novelty but pretty pricey considering only 15-20 minutes.

Ours was the first sailing which featured the Dr. Seuss offerings. This included a parade followed by a book reading in the theater. My kids enjoyed it. We also enjoyed the character breakfast on the last sea day which was $5 per person. The breakfast included 4 characters (Sam I am, thing 1 and 2 and the cat in the hat) with picture opportunities.

Sports and Fitness: My husband was really impressed with the competitive sports offerings on the cruise. He participated in Soccer, Volleyball, Basketball, Dodge ball, and Ping Pong. They had referees. He said it was the best experience with sports he has had on a ship. He came home with 3 medals

I participated in the body sculpting boot camp through the fitness center. It was taught by a trainer and included (4) 30 minute sessions of rapid weight training exercises. The cost was $99 and they did include a gratuity (which I thought was pretty ridiculous, I've never tipped a fitness instructor).

My husband and I each tried the ropes course which was fun and something different to do.

Our kids loved the waterpark. I had really underestimated how cool it was before going. If you have young kids they will LOVE it! My husband did the waterslides a few times and was impressed with how fast the yellow was.

Camp: For whatever reason my girls did not really take to the camp. They spent a limited amount of time here. There was 1 counselor in particular that was very friendly and they connected with named Melissa. Some of the highlights for camp was the t-shirt coloring and they did an arts and craft for fathers day.

Dining: Over the course of the week we enjoyed dinner in the dining room every night. We had a great wait staff who made my girls feel like princesses. Our waiter, Roberto would make origami for them every evening. We had actually planned to try the Italian restaurant one night but didn't want to disappoint the waiters who looked forward to seeing the girls every night.

For lunches we enjoyed Guys Burgers, the burritos at Cantina and the pasta bar. On the last day I had lunch at the Sushi place which was wonderful, I had shrimp tempura rolls and lunch included edamame. We have nothing negative to say about our dining experiences throughout the week.

Ports:

Turks and Caicos- Based on reviews from here we headed down the beach to Jack's Shack. By the time we got there, there was no chairs or umbrellas left to be rented. We were able to find a spot under a palm tree close to the bar and used two dining chairs. It was a beautiful day, and very low cost. There is free wifi offered.

La Romona- We had originally planned on doing the day pass at Dreams which would have been approximately $300 with transportation. After some thought and with consideration given to the mosquito issue there we decided to spend the day on the boat.

Curacao- We took a taxi to the sea aquarium. Admission was $21 per adult. While the property is limited they did offer a schedule of options, I believe 4 times within the day, including feeding flamingos, feeding stingrays, feeding nurse sharks, a sea lion show and a dolphin show. We were able to do everything. After the dolphin show they offer an opportunity for a dolphin kiss which was $20 and included a picture. They have a small overpriced gift shop and snack bar. Something I wasn't aware of beforehand is there is free wifi while at the aquarium, bonus!

Aruba- We took a taxi to Eagle Beach. The taxi dropped us off by Amsterdam Manor. We paid $15 for 2 lounge chairs in the shade. We were given wifi password. They had a bar, bathroom, and restaurant. They also offered motor sports from the beach, I believe they said like $70 for 30 minutes on wave runner.

Other: My younger daughter fell on the mini golf course one night and hit her head pretty bad. The bartender from the sports bar was very helpful and rushed us to the doctor on the ship. Although I wish we didn't get to experience, the staff of the medical office was helpful. (My daughter was ok, just swelling and bruising)

The candy shop was a big hit with my little ones, it became a nightly ritual after dinner.

We will be sailing on the Breeze next week. My husband is a die hard Ranger fan and is devastated he will be missing 2 of the games. I am hoping by some miracle Carnival is able to get NBC SN. If there is a chance they could win during the week, before we return, he might fly home early from port.

LET'S GO RANGERS!! WE WANT THE CUP!

My husband is a huge Rangers fan and it doesn't seem two of the Stanley cup games will be available for us to watch on our upcoming Breeze sailing as they are shown on NBC sports network.

Has anyone used the Internet on the ship to stream live tv?

Looks like you had a great trip. We will be on the Breeze in 2 weeks with our girls, 5 and 3. Glad to hear your son enjoyed the camp.

What does this mean?

I had booked in January for a June sailing and at the time of booking the promotion was a New Years Sale. Just not clear if this promotion includes price protection or not with OBC.

Can anyone tell me if you booked under the New Years Sale are you eligible for OBC for price reductions?

Just curious if you have ever sailed on the Breeze and if so how it compares...

I am considering a cruise to Alaska for the end of September with our 2 children 4 and 6. Any thoughts on weather if you have travelled at the time and if it would be too cold to enjoy with kids.

Thanks!

Does anyone have info on current children prices ages 3 and 5. Thanks

We had been on a sailing during a hurricane and received 50% off future booking. We used when booking our cruise. The original fare has since dropped $300 and they won't update for us. They told travel agent once certificate applied they will not price adjust. Anyone else ever experience that?

We are family of 4, 2 young kids 3 and 5. Cruised several times. Debating breeze vs pride for next trip. Anyone one been on these ships recently that would care to weigh in?

Thanks

I remember reading somewhere there was an automatic gratuity added to the $49 can you confirm?

I forgot to add. Free wifi in the lobby and the the restaurant. At times it even reached out to the pool and the upper part of the beach. We were able to FaceTime with our daughter in North Carolina and give her a tour.

 

I had emailed ahead but was told that there was no need for a reservation for two. Only for six or more.

Thank you so much for the great review. We are planning for a trip there next week.

Enjoyed the review! Thanks!

We had used the nursery for my DD who was around 1.5 at the time. The staff was very great however my DD, who tends to be difficult did not like being left there. She screamed and after maybe 40 minutes they called and we picked her up.

The room was very nice and they had lots of age appropriate toys and books.

Thank you for posting. We will be on the Explorer in June with our 2 kids ages 2 and 4 and a few of my nieces and nephew. Love reading review that references kids camp!

Thanks!