Chrissandra's Carnival Breeze US Inaugural B2B Review (11-22 thru 12-2)

[ardnassac79]

Inappropriate. Where's the moderator when you need one?

 

LOL!!!!! :D

 

LOL! I made it a separate post in case it was "flagged" - easily removed ;) :rolleyes:

 

We were in Grand Turk the week after you on the Liberty-- we spent the day at Jack's-- got to talk to him, his wife, and his step-daughter, and got to spend some good quality time with Topher as well! :)

 

What a great day it was--the beach, the area, and the people--all awesome!!

 

Absolutely... love this port, Jack and family are hard not not like!

[ardnassac79]

Topher, true to form, was already digging in the sand and also a bunch of Funatics already enjoying the beach.

 

 

He's looking back for something!

 

 

Funatics in full force:

 

 

We dropped our stuff off and got in the water for a bit as it was a gorgeous day (water was great too). After redeeming our free shot of rum coupon we both ordered drinks. While the drinks are good, I won’t lie, they are pricey. Some people even went down the beach a bit where the drinks were much cheaper. However, the drink I had (It was blue... think it was called Reef Runner?) was GREAT, and after 2, I was certainly feeling it! I think it was straight alcohol - coconut rum, pineapple rum, and blue curacao... (It also turned my mouth blue for the rest of the day)...

 

The great guitar player from the Red Frog Pub on board the ship, Timmy, stopped by and we ended up having a great conversation with him. It was nice to get to know him a bit, and we promised to stop by the Pub to hear him play next time he was scheduled. He's a great guy, and it was nice to see him and his lovely girlfriend together on the 2-day sailing a few days earlier.

 

We were also lucky enough to get a group photo, which Timmy joined in for - right up front. Pic courtesy of Debbie (aka realtyexecdeb)

 

 

Hanging with Floatie - our fun and fearless leader!

 

 

 

All the while Topher had been digging, digging, digging... Chris decided to get in on the action.. here's a shot, and a very short video... too cute!!

 

 

Unfortunately I can't embed video here on CC.. but this is a link to a quick and cute video:

 

[Eng23]

Hi. I have been reading your review for the last hour and enjoying it immensely. :) I have yet to cruise on Carnival (my first Carnival cruise will be in May on the Glory) but I am really thinking the Breeze looks like a great ship to try. Thanks for taking the time to share your trip with us. :D

[carnivalcruiser10]

Aww pretty island and I watch video that funny Chris and dog play sand!!

[ardnassac79]

We got back in the water for a bit, and then tried to get our cell phones to pick up the free wireless they have at Jack's... Friends of our (Rob) had no problem connecting to it, but neither of our iPhones would connect - even when we went inside the shop and to the right where they have the router set up. We tried for a few minutes and finally gave up. Fantasy Football isn't worth it...

 

On the way out of the shop, I found a new friend as well... this little cutie was a teeny bit timid at first, but was all lovey dovey after some ear and chin pettings.

 

 

 

Resident sales clerk

 

 

 

We then decided to head back to the ship since we had an early reboarding time (1:30pm back on board time)… It’s a shame our view of the Breeze was blocked because we were looking forward to getting some great pictures... not so this time..

We came up to the pier and……..what the hell is this?

 

(Hi Bob! ...aka Kokomo Man)

 

I know something happened to cause this back up but no one seems to know exactly what. We were in line for a good 45 minutes, the worst part was that there was no shade. I was seriously starting to feel the heat, and even with copious amounts of sunscreen, I was worried of burning (I can burn to a crisp very quickly) so I was covered up with my beach towel for most of the wait. Some people later said there was a problem with the ramps into the ships, I also heard rumor of a medical emergency... I also know they were trying to funnel both ships into one large line, but I have serious doubts to the organization of that... we saw passengers for the other ship sauntering by at frequent intervals.

 

We were able to get some good shots of the water and ship while we were waiting...

 

 

 

 

 

Either way, Butch the cruise director later came on the PA after we had set sail and apologized for the long lines, and said everyone was entitled to a free voucher at the Casino... it ended up being a free play ticket to the Casino Vault machine with the iPads, one per person... I failed miserably on both attempts...

[ardnassac79]

Hi. I have been reading your review for the last hour and enjoying it immensely. :) I have yet to cruise on Carnival (my first Carnival cruise will be in May on the Glory) but I am really thinking the Breeze looks like a great ship to try. Thanks for taking the time to share your trip with us. :D

 

Thank you! The ship was gorgeous, and there were wonderful additions to the decor and overall layout of the ship that were definite improvements to other ships we have been on. I will say there was a large staff change between our 2-day and our 8-day and there were some bumps in the road, which for us was ultimately OK - our attitude is, we're on a ship, we're happy.., little things won't ruin our vacation.. but I'm confident that in a few months they will have things running much smoother. I would definitely recommend sailing on her!

[JLC@SD]

Great review and it is obvious you both had a great time. Thanks for sharing your photos of your fantastic trip.

[navybaby1113]

That video of Chris and Topher was adorable!

[ardnassac79]

We got more tacos from Blue Iguana because we were starving by this point (we didn't eat back at Jack's thinking we could get back on board quickly as it was around noon and avoid the rush.... ha!) and went back to the room to eat on our balcony and wait for sail away.

 

 

 

The Eurodam still docked

 

 

 

Goodbye Jack's!

 

 

 

 

 

[whisker2193]

I have a question about the lifeboats directly above your cove. We are in 2309 (next door) in March. Was there a space between the boats above you at all to allow any sun onto the balcony?I am really enjoying your review. Getting me fired up for March. I made our hotel arangements yesterday.:D

[ardnassac79]

After sail away, we both decided a nap was in order... however we were woken by a call on the security loudspeaker for "Sierra Team". We assumed that security was needed somewhere but we’ll get to this later. It was close to sunset by this time (sunsets were a lot earlier on this trip - starting around 5ish every day) so decided just to get up and get ready for the evening.

 

Polar Express was in the Thrill Theater and I love the full length movie, so I was interested to see how this would be. We got there and it was empty so sat front and center. The movie translated well for the 5-D experience, and they pulled together clips from the movie. Chris thought it was OK, but I admit I teared up a bit... Christmas movies get me every time! (Chris joked I was crying like a teenage girl at a Justin Beiber concert.) Yeah Yeah, I'm a softie.

 

We ran into our friend Linda who invited us back to her room so we could use their internet to check email and our fantasy teams (Chris was thrilled to see he clinched a playoff spot... me, not so much). We then went back to the room to make a drink... but first went back to Deck 4 to check out the Library Bar and take some photos. I admit, we haven't spent any time in any of the Libraries on any ships, just a guick look to snap some photos - but this one was by far the nicest and the addition of a little bar in there was a nice touch. The self-service wine dispensing system looked cool too... unfortunately neither of us are big wine drinkers. If you're looking for a quiet spot to enjoy some drinks with friends before dinner (or even by yourself!) this is a good place to do it. Very warm and inviting.

 

 

The book selection was also decent - I saw quite a few newer books, as well as the classics. (Saw a few of the Song of Ice and Fire books as well (Game of Thrones).

 

 

The bar is there to the left, and the self service wine tap is to the right (forgot to get an up close picture of that).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After making some drinks in the room, we went to the Red Frog Pub to spend some time listening to Timmy who sung a couple of songs by request. He does a good "Guitar Man" - akin to Billy Joel's Piano Man - and also a hilarious Closing Time song. He also poked fun at our "Homemade Drinks" LOL! Those room glasses are a dead giveaway!

 

 

The lighting was pretty low, and this didn't come out as well as I'd hoped:

 

 

 

Timmy's very talented though, and a nice and funny guy as well - if you're on board, don't pass up a chance to sit down and listen!

 

[ardnassac79]

We met up with Deb & Erman, Lee & Mikey, and Will & Evelyn for dinner again. Amazingly they let us in the MDR again but this time put us in a corner. There was a bit of a mix up when they wanted to put us at 2 separate tables "next to each other" for 4, but we asked if they could push the tables together, and they obliged. I think that just opened us up for more shenanigans. We were lucky that Lee and Mikey knew their waiter so he had an idea of what to expect. Stanimir our Waiter was awesome though and went along with our silliness.

I got the study in sushi for an appetizer... evidently most people order more than one of these, because Stanimir asked me twice if I was sure I only wanted one... I knew my main course was gonna be big, so one was good enough for me. Chris skipped the app altogether.

 

 

For our main course, we both had the Jerked Pork Loin. We both really like this dish, and wasn't disappointed.

 

 

 

 

All the while the conversation was brimming on the point of hilarity, and I'll just say that what is talked about in the Sapphire Dining Room will stay in the Sapphire Dining room...

I’ll just say that our topic of conversation led to Will ordering shots for us ladies (they have a very funny name, and are Kahlua, baileys, and topped with whipped cream... and if you're unfamiliar with them, they are to be taken with no hands!) and they came in the wrong size glass (larger!) which just added to the hilarity. Stanimir was game, and even shot video of us all trying to attempt these... again - sorry folks! CC would likely not approve...

 

We had an absolute blast though.

 

Lee and Stanimir

 

 

 

It came time for dessert, and Chris and I both skipped, but Erman ordered something that isn't on the menu - Banana Split!! He was in 7th Heaven. I absolutely love this photo!!

 

 

 

 

[ardnassac79]

After dinner we headed to the Piano Bar and spent most of the evening in there.

Cheeseburger in Paradise? Silviya and her Props for the win!

Mikey was still hungry :D

 

 

 

So remember that call for Sierra Team earlier in the day? Apparently that’s the code for a stretcher. A very somber Butch came over the PA system around 10pm and announced that we had to turn around so we could meet a Coast Guard team so this passenger could be airlifted for a Med-evac. I think it was around 12:30 when the airlift actually happened and we had lost several hours. He said that they would make the determination on La Romana (D.R.) in the morning.

 

Originally we were going to make this an earlyish night because we had an awesome excursion planned for La Romana which started early, but now we figured we’d at least be late getting in and would be able to sleep in some so we closed the Piano Bar out again.

 

There was no line for pizza so we grabbed a quick snack and while we were heading back to the room to eat it on our balcony... my clumsiness kicked in and my pizza slid right off the plate and planted upside down smack all over the Lido floor... Luckily it wasn't on carpet, and there was an attendant there who was able to get it cleaned up quickly. I was embarrassed and apologetic, and Chris being the wonderful man he is just told me to head back to the room and he'd wait for another slice for me... he got to the room a few minutes after me and we ate and called it a night.

[ardnassac79]

I have a question about the lifeboats directly above your cove. We are in 2309 (next door) in March. Was there a space between the boats above you at all to allow any sun onto the balcony?I am really enjoying your review. Getting me fired up for March. I made our hotel arangements yesterday.:D

 

Thank you! Glad you are enjoying it!

 

Actually, we lucked out with our room because it was in the space where there was no lifeboats above us. If you look a the pic below, we were right under the space after the first 2 (except on the other side)... We got a lot of sun, but I unfortunately do not know if they blocked the sun for the other rooms. As for "tanning" out there, either way it probably wouldn't work too well with the railings anyway... just my opinion. I will say we never had a problem finding chairs to lay out on - Deck 11 is filled to the brim with them!

 

[JaniceB]

Love the pictures of Grand Turk, can't wait for my first visit there in January.

[retiredgram]

Loved the video of Chris & Topher. I got to see Topher when we were there in Oct.

Keep it coming

Edited December 8, 2012 by retiredgram

[deedle7544]

Love your review, its official, it will be the Breeze for my 50th bday cruise next year. Love the Food Porn too!

[ardnassac79]

Love the pictures of Grand Turk, can't wait for my first visit there in January.

 

It really is a beautiful port, I remember seeing it for the first time and thinking how wonderful the water was. Enjoy!

 

Love your review, its official, it will be the Breeze for my 50th bday cruise next year. Love the Food Porn too!

 

Awesome! Yep, certainly an excellent choice for celebrating such a milestone!

[kenholt]

I loved all the pic and the adventure of your cruise!!! Can't wait till summer of 2013 when i sail.

[ardnassac79]

Almost Forgot - Fun Times for Grand Turk:

 

FUN TIMES - 11/26/12 - 8-Day Breeze, Day 3 - Grand Turk

 

We are actually going to take a little break, time to put up some Christmas Decorations and gotta run a few errands, but we will be back later today with the next day's installment :D

[athenasbyshanna]

We went back to the room to freshen up for dinner and Cass wanted to put out our door decorations that she had spent the previous weekend creating.

 

 

I stepped out onto the balcony and was greeted with a salt spray shower. It was rather rocky this evening and the wind was blowing back in our direction.

 

 

And here's another quick picture of the cabin with the curtain pulled back a little.

 

 

A quick note on this room, it was an adjoining cabin. I did not realize it until this cruise was well oversold and wasn't going to change since we were in the same cabin on the 8 day. It wasn't as bad as I've heard stories of but there is definitely more sound coming through that wall than the solid wall. It's not a deal breaker but I'll certainly be more cognizant of booking rooms in the future.

 

 

That looks like some tasty shampoo!! ;-)

[NHNEV2003]

Topher is digging for crabs--he's just in it for the hunt.

 

Also---if you see him in the water, he is "fishing!":)

[kerrytens]

Loved the video of Chris & Topher.

Totally agree!!! Great stuff.

 

I'm really enjoying your review:D

[jackdis]

Wonderful review!!!! We were on the 2 day. Really enjoying this!

[Anung Un Rama]

That looks like some tasty shampoo!! ;-)

 

Yes it was. But the mouthwash was better :D