Just off the Maiden voyage of Breeze this morning (6/15)...ask if you have questions

[bassmaster150]

Q: DO you have a link for Pix of the Ship that you took? Ur Wrap around looks great *=*

 

A: Unfortunately not. I didn't take many photos of the ship because we were gone all the time in port. By the time we returned, I was done (i.e. stick a fork in me) with taking photos for the day.......just wanted to relax.

[gailjen]

Can you tell me do you need to book Punchliner comedy brunch? What time is it served?

[shanley]

The washers had the slots for quarters, but you could use your sign and sail cards for the machines... $3 for a wash, and $3 for a dry. There was a new machine on the wall and you could just key in which machine to activate.

 

To add to the laundry discussions: laundry was busy all the time!

 

My husband went in a 5am and started a load and when came back at 5:30 all washers were being used and there were people waiting.

 

Loved the fact you can use your card. We brought our own soap.

 

We ran out of clothes on our last few land days. Flew home yesterday in dirty clothes.

 

 

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[shanley]

Can you tell me do you need to book Punchliner comedy brunch? What time is it served?

 

Brunch does not need to be booked, just go to the dining room and you will be seated. Its on sea days 9-2. The huevos rancheros were excellent! The french toasted encrusted with frosted flakes were over the top sweet.

 

 

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[gailjen]

Brunch does not need to be booked, just go to the dining room and you will be seated. Its on sea days 9-2. The huevos rancheros were excellent! The french toasted encrusted with frosted flakes were over the top sweet.

 

 

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Sounds delicious thanks, Looks like ill be washing in the middle of the night then, we're doing 2 days after in Barcelona so will definitely need some clean clothes..

[Shatima]

Q: DO you have a link for Pix of the Ship that you took? Ur Wrap around looks great *=*

 

A: Unfortunately not. I didn't take many photos of the ship because we were gone all the time in port. By the time we returned, I was done (i.e. stick a fork in me) with taking photos for the day.......just wanted to relax.

 

Oh I totally understand that

[idiebabe]

Q: We are on the Breeze Med in mid-October. We have a ressie at the Hilton and was wondering how did you like the hotel and the area?

 

A: So all the Europe cruises I see for the Breeze in October sail out of Barcelona so I assume that is where your reservation is. We stayed at the Hilton Diagonal Mar, and it is a very nice hotel. It is right across the street from the beach...a nice one at that....and on the other side it is right across the street from a shopping mall with tons of outdoor restaurants. The area is fairly new, and you will feel safe. It is about a 15 minute walk (per the concierge) to La Rambla although we didn't go because we were too tired when the cruise ended.

 

Thank you! Yes, that is where we are staying. We were able to use points and it looked very nice when I made the reservation so very happy to hear your feedback! :) We're planning on doing a 3 or 4 hour private tour with some friends when we arrive in Barcelona at 8:30 a.m. and then they will drop us off at the Hotel afterwards. We'll be tired with the flight and then a tour on top of it but thought this way we could just settle in at the hotel and relax instead of heading out to do some sightseeing.

 

Really enjoying this thread! Thank you again for taking the time to answer all our questions! :)

[bassmaster150]

You will really enjoy the hotel. Rooms are very nice, and the views are awesome.

[maryann2]

The other Hilton in Barcelona is also really nice on Avda Diagonal. I stayed there last October. Hilton had a weekend special deal which included amazing breakfast for 90 euros/night. It is in a residential area with no tourists and no souvenir shops which was great after the noisy Ramblas area.

[bassmaster150]

That is the one we stayed at...it is called the Hilton Diagonal Mar, and it is on Avda Diagonal. Very quiet and very nice. We used Hilton hhonors points, so it cost us nothing. :-)

[enjoyinglife]

hi, BassMaster. I think you should change your name to BreezeMaster!!

 

Thank you sooooo much for your patient, excellent answers to everyone's questions. It will be super helpful to us future Bezze Med cruisers (ours is Oct 1 embarking in beautiful Barcelona). You are very knd and thoughtful to do this.

 

Did you ever wish you had joined some of the private arranged tours in some of the ports rather than the lines and busses? Though it does sound like Carnival had it pretty organized. We usually join or start some private tours, though it can be a bit of a pain getting it together ahead of time. But they are ALWAYS so well done and you see so much more (with usually about 6-8 people) and they are also always cheaper. Have never missed a sailing by being late, either!!

 

But wondered if people talked about their private excursions at meals or in conversations and wondered if they were satisfied. Any names of tour operators in the ports that anyone might recommend?

 

Thanks and I hope your jet lag is brief!

 

Joytravels

 

Q: Did you ever wish you had joined some of the private arranged tours in some of the ports rather than the lines and busses?

 

A: Didn't wish that I did because like I said in a previous post, our scheduled call into Livorno was cancelled and moved to the next day because the port of Livorno made a mistake and had a ship in our berth on the day we were to arrive. This also caused us to loose the port of Marseilles. What I heard was that many who either had deposits or had paid in full for private tours did not get a refund nor were the tour operators flexible on changing dates. Through Carnival, we received a full refund for Marseilles, and our Livorno date was adjusted. ALso because of this, our stop in Monte Carlo was shortened which also caused us to have to change. Again, no problem through Carnival. We will go to the med again, and will book all excursions through Carnival simply because of our experience with this event.

 

 

I was on this cruise and loved this ship more than any other Carnival ship I sailed on. I love the new decor!

 

I had all private tours except for Marseilles, which was booked through Carnival and was refunded.

 

I loved all of my private tours and would do them again! The people on our CC roll call was awesome and have turned out to be great friends! Some of us got together and planned private tours which toured out incrediably!!!

 

Carnival should really be commended for there assistance because they set up a lounge and let those with private tours have free internet and phone service in order to make the changes. I went in a couple of times to check on my tour organzer's progress. The few people I spoke to were very satified with Carnival's help in accomodating them and said they even had employee's who spoke the languages of the ports to help if need be to translate for them. They even put out snacks and drinks for those who had to re-arrange tours.

[enjoyinglife]

Most 'reputable' tour companies will refund your $$ should your ship not be able to dock - I always check the 'cancellation policy' beforehand - and would not use anyone who was not that flexible!

 

I set up one tour - in Greece and never had to give a credit card number or anything. I would use them again!

 

I think it is important if you will set up a tour to find out the details if you are prepaying a tour - like if the ship doesnt dock, what is there policy. Anyone who would still be charged would be a tour company I would NOT use! I did hear of one group who still needed to find out if they would get there money back.

[enjoyinglife]

Q: is Jimmy's seaside BBQ venue really only open on sea days? We only have 2 on our 8 day. That would stink. However, I'm certain there are plenty of other fattening options :)

 

Only opened on sea days!

 

Q: You were in cabin 9475. If money were no object, would you spend the extra money for the wrap around 8473 or stick with 9475? Reason please?

 

A: Great Question. We do have the financial means to book whatever type of cabin we want, but I am always looking for a value, or a good deal. Having the aft wrap was cool, but I personally like being towards the front of the ship on a deck that has the door out to the open decks so that you can move from side to side (especially for Venice sail away since we were on the opposite side of St Mark's Square). Going forward, I am not sure that I would ever get an aft wrap again as we really didn't use it that much. I would love to see the size of the Vista room though as they are bigger than a standard cabin. Hope that helps.

 

We booked cabin 7210 on purpose as I had this cabin or similar on other ships that the balcony door could open to the front of the ship and I could go out when I wanted when going into and out of port.

 

This cruise had more wind on the first balcony either by design or location (never been in the Med before) and I feel like I didnt use my balcony as much. I think the itinarary is so intensive on the cruise and that is part of my reason for not using it like normal when in the Carribean.

 

one drawback I have found in the waterparks is that they are so high there is lots of wind making it very hard to enjoy for us and the kids...did you notice anything as such?

 

How many stations for the Wok?

 

Cheers

 

There were two wok stations and each had 3 woks cooking. I loved it and ate there several times!

[enjoyinglife]

Q: Did the Breeze offer any free shuttles in the ports to center city, etc? If so, which ports.

 

A: In Olbia, Sardinia they did, and I believe in Livorno they did or it was like a few Euros.

 

Q: Did you take any of the cruise excersions, if so, which ones and were they worthy.

 

A: Yes...every excursion we took was Carnival sponsored. We loved them all....but they were all rather intense in that when you arrived back at the ship, you were totally exhausted. I didn't quite care for the Golden Coast tour we took in Olbia. We went by some really cool scenery, but the driver never stopped to let us take photos.

 

Q: Any excersions taken from outside providers and if so, who. Thanks in advance for your response. I am traveling in September with my 83 year old Mom and trying to find things she will be capable of doing.

 

A: No excursions from outside providers. Some people learned the hard way about that when we lost Marseilles as a port because we had to move Livorno to another day due to port issues. They lost their deposits / money. All carnival sponsored excursions were changed with no hassles.

 

We had to make alternate arrangements but lost no money.

[srichardson]

So glad to hear you had a nice time. :)

We are scheduled to leave on the Aug 26th cruise however I am having a problem with my knees (ie, they swell or feel like they are going to lock)

patella tracking problem. :mad: Anyhow the question I have is like you said,

you are exhausted when u get back to the ship. I am assuming there is ALOT of walking. How do you think I could get around that?

For instance, the Vatican or Pompeii. ? Any wheelchairs ?

Venice... It's all walking... I'm about ready to cancel but unfortunately I bought air alone, so I loose by the change fee of 275 ea, plus the insurance costs for the cruise etc. $ 1000.00 in all, but I'd rather cancel than travel that far and have a miserable time from knee issues.

How could I go on this trip and have a decent time???

Thanks.. Sharon

srichardson1958@yahoo.com

[bassmaster150]

Q: How could I go on this trip and have a decent time???

 

A: I heard that there were quite a few shore excursions that were far more easier than the ones we took. We chose to do the most intense ones because we wanted to see as much as possible on our first trip so when we go back in a few years, we know the areas that we want to concentrate on. I.e. We have seen and been to the top of the leaning tower of pisa. No need to go back there. We will do something else next time.

[enjoyinglife]

So glad to hear you had a nice time. :)

We are scheduled to leave on the Aug 26th cruise however I am having a problem with my knees (ie, they swell or feel like they are going to lock)

patella tracking problem. :mad: Anyhow the question I have is like you said,

you are exhausted when u get back to the ship. I am assuming there is ALOT of walking. How do you think I could get around that?

For instance, the Vatican or Pompeii. ? Any wheelchairs ?

Venice... It's all walking... I'm about ready to cancel but unfortunately I bought air alone, so I loose by the change fee of 275 ea, plus the insurance costs for the cruise etc. $ 1000.00 in all, but I'd rather cancel than travel that far and have a miserable time from knee issues.

How could I go on this trip and have a decent time???

Thanks.. Sharon

srichardson1958@yahoo.com

 

Look on carnival's tour list for the easy tours - they usually have some type of difficulty listed on them.

 

One of the ladies in our group choose not to climb up all the way to the acropolis... but she still got to see it fairly close...maybe you could modifiy it on some tours.

 

In Dubrovnik, she tried to find the one entrance to the top of the wall to climb up, but I dont think she found it!

 

We signed up for a private tour that was not planning on going up to climb the tower of pisa...

 

maybe by doing the same and similar modifications, you won't have as much difficulty.

[HB Cruiser]

So glad to hear you had a nice time. :)

We are scheduled to leave on the Aug 26th cruise however I am having a problem with my knees (ie, they swell or feel like they are going to lock)

patella tracking problem. :mad:

Thanks.. Sharon

srichardson1958@yahoo.com

 

Sharon

 

I hope this information is correct as I am going by memory but on other threads I think I have read where you can rent battery operated wheelchairs from some company to use while you are on your cruise. Maybe this would be an option.

 

I have had both knees replaced so know what you are thinking. Fortunately I'm not as old as most that have their knees replaced so I am still active and can do almost anything. Anytime I read about those that have bad knees I try to gather as much info as I can since I know later I'm really gonna need to apply it.

 

Tim

[Baby_Bear]

Sharon - I am on your cruise and traveling with my mom. She is very fit and active but has a bad left knee from an old tennis injury. She can't walk too much or fast without experiencing pain. First off, for the shore excursions, I would recommend joining small groups. We are in groups of 8 for all our shore excursions. I feel in a smaller group, its easier to go at your own pace and not feel like you have to rush to keep up. Second - there are walking sticks available that also have small seats attached, so you can sit whenever you feel tired. When we are on a tour and the guide is giving explanations, Mom just pulls out the seat and is able to take a bit of a break without holding anyone up. Lastly, even in the small group excursions, there are less tiring options and ALL the tours schedule plenty of free time for bathroom breaks, photos and lunch so you will have the chance to rest.

 

Don't let your knee problems come in the way of traveling. My mom has had this problem for years, and to date she has been dragged through Madrid and Andalucia, the Great Pyramids in Egypt, the ruins in Ephesus, Turkey, the Acropolis in Greece (and yes, she climbed up, it was slow but she did it!) and the cities of Eastern Europe. And she survived all of them and is looking forward to this cruise (the joys or downsides of having a family that is crazy about travel!) :D

[italianfemmy]

Hi. Thanks for geeking us all out with tidbits of information as we await our own cruises on the Breeze!

 

Did you happen to use the Cloud 9 spa on the Breeze? Using it on the Dream was one of the highlights of my cruise and really cemented the deal for me to book the Breeze. I hope it is just as phenomenal as it was on the Dream!

[italianfemmy]

Q: Wait, you did a drive past Stomboli? I thought they weren't going to do that anymore

 

A: Apparently the boat used to sail a lot closer than it does now. I would say we were about three miles off the coast of Stromboli. See below

 

 

 

Now, can anyone explain to me exactly why anyone would live on this island since it is a giant volcano? And what do they do? The small white things you see at the bottom of the island are homes.

 

 

Gosh, I wish I could have been there to photograph this! Lucky you! Would you mind if I post an edited shot of it here on your thread?

[bassmaster150]

Q: Did you happen to use the Cloud 9 spa on the Breeze?

 

A: We did not, but we did go in and check it out as well as the gym...phenomenal...

[bassmaster150]

Q: Gosh, I wish I could have been there to photograph this! Lucky you! Would you mind if I post an edited shot of it here on your thread?

 

A: You may edit and post away....just tell me what you did. There was some haze on that day, the sun was behind me, and I was using a circular polarizer.

[maryann2]

Sharon - I am on your cruise and traveling with my mom. She is very fit and active but has a bad left knee from an old tennis injury. She can't walk too much or fast without experiencing pain. First off, for the shore excursions, I would recommend joining small groups. We are in groups of 8 for all our shore excursions. I feel in a smaller group, its easier to go at your own pace and not feel like you have to rush to keep up. Second - there are walking sticks available that also have small seats attached, so you can sit whenever you feel tired. When we are on a tour and the guide is giving explanations, Mom just pulls out the seat and is able to take a bit of a break without holding anyone up. Lastly, even in the small group excursions, there are less tiring options and ALL the tours schedule plenty of free time for bathroom breaks, photos and lunch so you will have the chance to rest.

 

Don't let your knee problems come in the way of traveling. My mom has had this problem for years, and to date she has been dragged through Madrid and Andalucia, the Great Pyramids in Egypt, the ruins in Ephesus, Turkey, the Acropolis in Greece (and yes, she climbed up, it was slow but she did it!) and the cities of Eastern Europe. And she survived all of them and is looking forward to this cruise (the joys or downsides of having a family that is crazy about travel!) :D

With all respect if you or someone you are traveling with has mobility problems it is not fair to the rest of the group to have to wait for them. Hopefully you have made the rest of the group aware of the issues prior to booking.

Most of the tours in Europe are very active as people want to see a lot in a short time.

This is where the Carnival tours are useful as they do take mobility issues into consideration. Another option would be to travel at your own pace by taking taxis etc.

[avd79]

Bassmaster, thank you so much for taking the time to answer all our questions!! We will be sailing on July 9th and was hoping you could tell me if any offerings/specials were given for laundry on your cruise. If yes, at what point in the cruise was it offered (early on or later on0? I really don't want to get up early to do laundry or wait in long lines. Given that we are staying on in Europe an additional 2 weeks after our cruise, getting laundry done prior to leaving the ship is imperative. Thank you again for your time.