BREEZEing through the Mediterranean 6/27 - 7/9/12

[sunshine&shiningstar]

Around 6pm, John made an announcement that we would be disembarking a sick passenger. Soon, a boat (Italian Coast Guard?) appeared on starboard side. By 7pm they (and we) were on our way. I never heard what happened to the passenger and hope everything turned out OK.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was our first Elegant Night. I’m sorry I slacked off on taking photos. My few attempts at food porn turned out badly. The dining room was more crowded and hectic than on other nights. I did not notice anyone who was inappropriately dressed. I know there have been some threads here where people claim their dinner was “ruined” by someone wearing a tank top or whatever. I didn’t notice this being a problem at all. People all over the ship looked fabulous. Our server this night was not really very attentive (maybe just was overworked, the dining room was busy), but my prime rib was great. Paul said his tiger shrimp cocktail was just OK, just your basic shrimp cocktail.

 

 

 

 

We went to the comedy show at 9:45 but weren’t terribly impressed. We loved the Punchliner Club in general and went several times, but on this night we left early.

it look like yo were using a kodak play sport were you and how happy were you with the pictures?

[Shatima]

Thank you SOOOOO much for taking time out and doing a review with pix.. I cant find any "REAL TIME PIX" any where.. and Im getting married on here :)

[Lovharvey]

The Hairy Chest contest drew a crowd. Here is a Conga Line being led by one of the finalists.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s the aft pool. It struck me as odd that they have a "wet floor" warning cone out. I mean, yeah, it's a pool. ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

At some point during our wanderings I took a photo of the menu at the Burrito Bar. We ate there once. It was good, and the salsa bar is great.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our cabin was just down the hall from a laundry room. It was busy ALL day. We went in and out of our cabin several times during the day, and noticed a line outside the laundromat every time. The place would stay very busy for the rest of the cruise. I had done a load early on with laundry from our time in Barcelona, and there was no line then, but beware. After a few days, you will definitely have to wait. Also, for this reason, I would very strongly recommend NOT booking a room right across from the laundry (in this case, that would be in the area of cabin 10264). At one time, I saw security asking a very belligerent man to not loiter and leave his bags of laundry in the hall. The man argued what else was he supposed to do while waiting? Apparently, security gave up, because there often would be people hanging around the area, sitting on the floor, chatting with each other, etc, for the remainder of the cruise. Since the doors did not afford much sound insulation, I’d have been unhappy having this constant parade of cruisers outside my door if I were booked in a nearby cabin. Laundry is open from 6:30am to midnight, if I remember correctly, and costs about $3.50 a load, charged to your S&S account, no coins required.

 

 

 

 

Since the weather was so hot, we were changing clothes twice a day. Instead of waiting in line, I decided it would be worth it to send out a bag of laundry. You’d be surprised how much you can fit in a bag if you roll it very tightly. It cost $15. But beware: one bra disappeared from our load, and I did not realize it was missing until a couple of days later. Keep note of what you sent, and check to be sure it all comes back. I did not bother asking about the missing bra, because it was a couple of days later and I figured by that time it was probably a lost cause. I also recommend taking a bit of powdered laundry detergent and hand washing small items in your sink.

 

Loving the review, but, sure didn't want to read that about the laundry room around 10264 since that is my cabin on BC6.

[mikefox2hotmail.com]

AWESOME review and thanks so much!!! We are on Breeze's last Europe cruise on October 25th and you have totally pumped us up for it!

[luckybecky]

it look like yo were using a kodak play sport were you and how happy were you with the pictures?

 

Yes, that's my husband's video camera that you can see in the photo. It is waterproof and took good videos. That's what we used for the waterslide video that I posted earlier. It's a really handy camera, very small, fits easily in your pocket.

 

Loving the review, but, sure didn't want to read that about the laundry room around 10264 since that is my cabin on BC6.

 

Oh, sorry about that! But look at the bright side! This room has lots of positives -- balcony, just steps from the lido pool, including all that it has to offer: Guy's Burgers, burrito bar, tequila bar, rum bar, plus it is convenient to the elevators and the Fun Hub computers. It will be Ok. :)

[luckybecky]

Thank you SOOOOO much for taking time out and doing a review with pix.. I cant find any "REAL TIME PIX" any where.. and Im getting married on here :)

 

Congratulations!!! Be sure to come back and show us some pictures. :)

[luckybecky]

AWESOME review and thanks so much!!! We are on Breeze's last Europe cruise on October 25th and you have totally pumped us up for it!

 

You're going to love it! You have even more of an issue with jet lag than we did. Coming from the West Coast, you are going to have a long day of travel. I hope you are giving yourself some extra time in your departure port (Barcelona?) to adjust to the jet lag. Have fun on the Breeze!

[sunshine&shiningstar]

luckybecky,,

i did not get to see the video but did you have any trouble with the stop and go not making a complete movie?

[Lovharvey]

Yes, that's my husband's video camera that you can see in the photo. It is waterproof and took good videos. That's what we used for the waterslide video that I posted earlier. It's a really handy camera, very small, fits easily in your pocket.

 

 

 

Oh, sorry about that! But look at the bright side! This room has lots of positives -- balcony, just steps from the lido pool, including all that it has to offer: Guy's Burgers, burrito bar, tequila bar, rum bar, plus it is convenient to the elevators and the Fun Hub computers. It will be Ok. :)

 

 

It really won't be bad. I'm not in my cabin that much during the day and not back in the cabin until very late. I will be on BC6 and there will be lots of things going on. The reason I booked the cabin on the Lido is because it is so close to everything. Once again your pictures were super.

[i need a holiday]

Becky........this review is just perfect, just what I needed, especially the photos of the cabin, such excellent detail (something most people don't think of doing) - thanks so much! Hubby and I are embarking in 2 wks :)

I have a question, not sure you will be able to answer as probably didn't concern you - we are from the UK and I was told there are 2 plug points (which I see in the photo), but would you recall if one of them was a european 220v? All our appliances are 220v!!! I was told there was one 220v and one 110v.

Many thanks again and also had such a giggle at your Duty Free escapades :))))

[onebzyldy]

Love your review and your photos are fabulous!!!

What make and model of camera were you using???

 

Happy Cruising.....

DonnaF :D

[KNITWITS]

Love your review-it's been so helpful for planning our Breeze trip!!

One question if you have a chance-

Did you notice if the crowds to enter Piazzo San Marco were constant throughout the day or if the tickets you purchased for 1 euro pp for entrance would be needed mainly for going at certain time such as morning or when the music's playing in the evenings?

[luckybecky]

Becky........this review is just perfect, just what I needed, especially the photos of the cabin, such excellent detail (something most people don't think of doing) - thanks so much! Hubby and I are embarking in 2 wks :)

I have a question, not sure you will be able to answer as probably didn't concern you - we are from the UK and I was told there are 2 plug points (which I see in the photo), but would you recall if one of them was a european 220v? All our appliances are 220v!!! I was told there was one 220v and one 110v.

Many thanks again and also had such a giggle at your Duty Free escapades :))))

 

I'm envious! You're going to have a great time. Yes, I'm almost certain there was a 220v outlet. At the vanity, on the left is a US style plug and on the right there was another outlet which I'm pretty sure was 220. I think you can see it in one of my photos, kind of close to where the Fun Times is sitting on the vanity.

 

Love your review and your photos are fabulous!!!

What make and model of camera were you using???

 

Happy Cruising.....

DonnaF :D

 

Hi Donna, I am using an Olympus digital camera, Stylus Tough 6000. I've actually had it for quite awhile, it is not a new, late-model camera. I don't know anything about photography and I don't use any special lenses or anything like that. I just took hundreds of photos. If you take enough pictures, at least a few of them are sure to turn out OK. :o

 

Although my Olympus is very easy to use and I like it, I wouldn't recommend buying it. The reason is that Olympus takes a special type of memory card that costs about 3 or 4 times what a normal memory card does. I wanted to take several cards on our trip. My plan was to use a different card for every port, and put the cards away in the safe after using them. That way, if the camera was lost, I would not lose all my photos. But at about $35 a pop for memory cards, I quickly changed my mind!

 

Love your review-it's been so helpful for planning our Breeze trip!!

One question if you have a chance-

Did you notice if the crowds to enter Piazzo San Marco were constant throughout the day or if the tickets you purchased for 1 euro pp for entrance would be needed mainly for going at certain time such as morning or when the music's playing in the evenings?

 

Lines were much shorter in the evening, longer in the morning and afternoon (this also applied to going up in the bell tower). But, you are going to be there in October. I think you will find much shorter lines everywhere because you are not travelling in high season. The heat and the lines were both very big issues on our trip, but we were there smack in the middle of summer.

 

In fact, I think they only sell the 1 euro line pass for high season. I don't think it is even available in winter, because it is not really necessary. I'd have to go back to their website to be sure, but I'm pretty certain this was the case. You should have great weather and manageable lines at the time you are travelling. :)

[heatherbelle]

Loved reading your review. I am trying to decide whether to cruise on Carnival instead of Disney next year. Carnival is a lot cheaper. The only thing that is putting me off is all the different food options that you have to pay for, if you want to go and a lot of posters say that the food in MDR sn't very good. I can't decide whether it is because they are foodies or whether the food is bad.

 

The food on Disney ships is excellent and my DS could have 2 steaks sometimes three each night instead of having a starter.

 

Off to read some more trippies. My friend is currently on the ship now. My SIL is due to sail on the sunshine next year.

[luckybecky]

Loved reading your review. I am trying to decide whether to cruise on Carnival instead of Disney next year. Carnival is a lot cheaper. The only thing that is putting me off is all the different food options that you have to pay for, if you want to go and a lot of posters say that the food in MDR sn't very good. I can't decide whether it is because they are foodies or whether the food is bad.

 

The food on Disney ships is excellent and my DS could have 2 steaks sometimes three each night instead of having a starter.

 

Off to read some more trippies. My friend is currently on the ship now. My SIL is due to sail on the sunshine next year.

 

Heather, it is true that there are some restaurants that you have to pay for. The main ones that come to mind are the Steakhouse, the sushi restaurant, and the Italian restaurant at night. However, we only paid for one meal during our 12 days on the Breeze. That was our night at the steakhouse and it was very good. The rest of the time, we ate at the free venues.

 

I did not care for the food on the buffet. But then again, I don't like buffets generally. Whether a Chinese buffet here at home, Golden Corral, or a Las Vegas buffet -- I just don't find the food quality to be good at all on buffets, and this was true on the cruise ship too, in my opinion.

 

So what you have left is everything in between the buffet, and the premium restaurants. On our ship, that included a LOT. I actually liked the food in the MDR. It was very satisfying. And remember, you can order as much as you want, so if one steak is not enough, you can order two. I am almost certain that there was some cut of steak available every night that we went to the MDR.

 

In addition, there is the C Side BBQ on sea days, Guy's Burger Joint which was outstanding, the Burrito Bar, the pasta at Cucina del Capitano ($12 for supper, but free for lunch).

 

So although I have never been on a Disney cruise and therefore can't say how the food compares, I will say that we never went hungry and we enjoyed almost everything we tried aside from the buffet.

 

We are considering a one week cruise next June on the Breeze. For our family of 4 in 2 cabins it would cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $4000 including taxes, depending of course on what rooms we chose.

 

I looked at Disney and was shocked to see that it costs fully DOUBLE what Carnival does! I mean, that is a huge amount of money. Maybe the food is better, but I'm not sure that I can eat another $4000 worth of food. Just how good is it, to make it worth that much?!

 

If you and your family are really foodies, and the food on Disney is that much better, then you should go for it and splurge on Disney. For us, it just does not make any sense at all no matter how you slice it.

 

Whatever you choose, I hope you have a fantastic time! :D

[heatherbelle]

Thanks for the reply, really useful.

 

The trick with Disney, is to book when prices first come out or around 70 days prior o sailing, as they sometimes have price reductions.

 

We aren't foodies at all, but with Disney, the only things you have to pay extra for are fancy coffee, alcohol, a soda if it comes from the bar and Palo, which is an upscale dining room.

 

Does the buffet place also have an outside area where you can sit and eat. We use to like to sit outside Topsiders for our breakfast on a morning, it was far nicer than sitting inside.

[getmetoanybeach]

Loved reading your review. I am trying to decide whether to cruise on Carnival instead of Disney next year. Carnival is a lot cheaper. The only thing that is putting me off is all the different food options that you have to pay for, if you want to go and a lot of posters say that the food in MDR sn't very good. I can't decide whether it is because they are foodies or whether the food is bad.

 

The food on Disney ships is excellent and my DS could have 2 steaks sometimes three each night instead of having a starter.

 

Off to read some more trippies. My friend is currently on the ship now. My SIL is due to sail on the sunshine next year.

 

 

We have been on both Royal Caribbean and Carnival numerous times and in our opinion, the food isn't that much better or worse on either. We have eaten in fine restaurants (such as in NYC) and know what decent food is and we do not hesitate to book on Carnival. Way back when Carnival was not as great maybe but they improved on that long ago. Quite frankly I get tired of hearing people complain about the food. I believe these people would not be happy if they had their own private chef on a ship! We never pay for any of the extra restaurants as we have found the food in the dining room is usually just fine. I'm not a big fan of any buffets either so I try to avoid that if possible too. Keep in mind that if you don't like something at dinner, your waiter will gladly bring you something else. Just my .02

 

Oh yes and THANKS to Becky from us too. We are boarding the Breeze in two weeks!

[CupKayke]

Thanks for the reply, really useful.

 

The trick with Disney, is to book when prices first come out or around 70 days prior o sailing, as they sometimes have price reductions.

 

We aren't foodies at all, but with Disney, the only things you have to pay extra for are fancy coffee, alcohol, a soda if it comes from the bar and Palo, which is an upscale dining room.

 

Does the buffet place also have an outside area where you can sit and eat. We use to like to sit outside Topsiders for our breakfast on a morning, it was far nicer than sitting inside.

 

Thought I would chime in that you will have a nice time on Carnival and for the price difference, I can't see using a Disney ship overseas... but everyone is allowed their opinion. The overseas cruises are 99% about the ports, not the ships, IMHO.

 

To answer a few of your concerns about Carnival, however...

 

All Carnival ships have a place to eat outside near the buffets. We are also al fresco diners and enjoy this little addition.

 

The only items you have to pay extra for with Carnival are also specialty coffees, soda & alcohol. There is one optional pay steakhouse.

 

I would have to agree with the poster above. The food on Carnival is not spectacular nor is it any better or worse than RCCL, for example, having traveled with RCCL overseas and seeing no difference. They are both similiar, in my opinion, to an Applebee's Restaurant - standard fare with a little flair here, a little flair there, no big deal or big disappointments either way.

 

As far as traveling overseas on a ship... Carnival's rates are sooooo much less expensive than most of the other lines, I can't imagine choosing a last-minute deal when airfare seems to be as much as the cruise these days, if not more!!

 

Good luck with whatever you choose and happy cruising. :)

[mycruise2000]

Loved your review. Great job and thanks for sharing.

[pga33]

Excellent and thorough review, Becky! Enjoyed the numerous, exceptional pictures. We are from San Antonio and we're cruising on the Breeze on September 19th. We were already excited; after your review we are...super excited!?

 

Thanks again for publishing a great review.

[onebzyldy]

Does anyone know if Carnival sells a coffee card ? [like on the Princess line]

 

Happy Cruising.........

DonnaF :D

[pcvtmom]

Loved reading your review. I am trying to decide whether to cruise on Carnival instead of Disney next year. Carnival is a lot cheaper. The only thing that is putting me off is all the different food options that you have to pay for, if you want to go and a lot of posters say that the food in MDR sn't very good. I can't decide whether it is because they are foodies or whether the food is bad.

 

The food on Disney ships is excellent and my DS could have 2 steaks sometimes three each night instead of having a starter.

 

Off to read some more trippies. My friend is currently on the ship now. My SIL is due to sail on the sunshine next year.

 

My husband and I are platinum cruisers with Carnival. We love good food, but I don't guess we qualify as "foodies", because we have ALWAYS been satisfied with Carnival's MDR and buffets. We don't pay extra for the steakhouse (but my husband has as many steaks or prime rib as he wants in the MDR...and likes them just fine!) We raise beef cattle, by the way, so we KNOW good steaks. I can't imagine that you would be disappointed with the Carnival product, which is such a great value. We, too, are booked on the Sunshine for the med cruise next June. Can't wait!!

[yank268]

Becky:

 

Thank you for the pictures of the Continental! We're booked here for several days pre-cruise in April and my husband has said he'll deal with the pink for the 125 euros a day balcony overlooking La Rambla... lol I jotted down notes of your restaurant recommendations and walking tour photos. Much appreciated. :)

 

~ Sheryl

 

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FYI...if you show the front desk Rick Steve's book you get a discount. I believe it was 15%. We had a group back in January and we passed the book around. I believe it was 15 different rooms and we all received the credit.

[GRAMMYTAN]

FYI...if you show the front desk Rick Steve's book you get a discount. I believe it was 15%. We had a group back in January and we passed the book around. I believe it was 15 different rooms and we all received the credit.

 

 

I wonder if they will accept seeing it on my Kindle? We have ressie there with another couple for 2 rooms in October. I'll probably be too tired from the overnight flight to even remember to do that. Guess I need to put a sticky note on my hotel ressie . LOL

[heatherbelle]

Bucky, we have booked the Sunshine, Venice to Barcelona. We also have a balcony on deck 8. Thank you to everyone for the helpful food updates.

 

Can I ask Becky, did you have to pay for cakes that are in the coffee bar? Did you try tea time?