Just off the Breeze

[palm-tree-love]

I don't normally post - but I read a lot on here :D - so I thought I'd finally post and share our experience aboard the Breeze.

 

We just got off yesterday, the nerve of them kicking us off! I'll try to remember as much as I can. We did not do everything - too much to do!!

 

Getting on the boat was smooth and quick. We arrived at the port at 11:00 (we igorned the e-mail that said to arrive between 1-3) and were onboard eating Guy's Burgers and drinking the drink of the day by 12:15. We did not have FTTF, we were zone 17 I think, but we boarded probably 15-20 minutes (???) after FTTF did. I'm not sure exactly, but it went really fast once they started calling zones. I remember thinking I was glad I didn't pay for it.

 

My kids wore their swimming suits under their clothes and they jumped right in the pool, they practically had it to themselves.

 

Oh, back to FTTF - when we went to our room, I have no idea what time, maybe around 3:00 or so??, we had one piece of luggage out of 3, the room next to us had FTTF. Their luggage was there but they were not. We had all 3 pieces of luggage before our early dining time of 6:00. Obviously this is different for everyone, but I would not suggest buying FTTF on the Breeze, I was happy with the timing of boarding and luggage delivery.

 

So the first few hours were nice, eating, drinking, swimming. The muster drill was PACKED into the Kid's Nightclub, I think it was Circle C. Holy cow, were we jammed in there. People were complaining how hot it was and the kids were really getting restless. It took a long time to get it going for some reason, so there were a lot of unhappy cruisers.

 

The ship is beautiful, we were on the Dream last year and it is laid out a lot like that ship. But prettier. We were on the Inspiration 2 years ago and that decor literally gave me a headache. But the Breeze has sunshine inside, it is hard to describe. Just so beautiful and calm and sunshine-y. The layout is good, I never felt like I was onboard with 4700 other passengers and 1400 staff. (Yes, we really had that many!)

 

I knew what to expect since I had seen so many pictures on here, but it is still so pretty to see it in person!

 

We had a balcony on Deck 9, right under the Lido Marketplace. I was concerned it might be noisy, but it was a perfect location. One flight up to the Lido, awesome. No noise complaints. Not too far from the elevator to get to other places on the ship. The worst noise problems were when people were too loud in the hallways (think hotel).

 

We hadn't had a balcony before, we used it way more than I thought we would. Coffee in the morning, lunch out there some days, a glass of wine at night, or just watching the world go by. I'd do it again.

 

We were on the odd side (not sure if that is port or starboard) but sometimes the other side was better for views when we were in port. Some ports had views the whole way around so it wasn't too much of an issue.

 

Our room steward was awesome, he knew us by name and would even tell my kids which room was ours when they would run ahead of us. I asked him to open the balconies between our room and my parents' room and he did that right away. He also cleaned out our fridge (by request) so we could put our own stuff in there. He let my kids keep the towel animals every night (we had quite the collection by the end of the week), and yes, we had chocolates every night. He always had our ice bucket filled up.

 

It looks like all balconies open to each other. We had been told conflicting info before we boarded, but on either side of us, the balcony partitions had latches. The room steward has to open them for you, though. It was nice having one big balcony between the 2 rooms, I'd recommed that if you are travelling with others.

 

We had 4 people in our room, the sofa converted and a bed pulled down from the ceiling. My kids are 10 and 7 and we had plenty of room. He left the kids' beds made up all week, which wasn't a problem.

 

Each room has a thermostat. I heard some people complaining that their room was too hot or too cold, which made no sense to me. Change your thermostat then! I realized some people are complainers though, I heard people belly-aching all week about stupid things.

 

One complaint I do have is the free drink ticket. What a pain. It has to be used during breakfast or lunch in the main dining room. I have no idea why. Crazy. We went to the MDR around lunch time, got our drinks, and left. They made us sit down and wait for the drinks, but they had no problem with us leaving once we got them. Sure would be a lot easier if you could redeem that ticket on the Lido.

 

We are not smokers, and I did smell smoke a few times from our balcony, but overall it was not too strong and it wasn't a problem.

 

I did not feel like people could look up into our balcony, but if you stuck your head out over the balcony you could see everyone else. We could look around the partition to talk to our neighbors.

 

The food was good, there were many options. The Dining Room was fine, we went there every day for dinner and had plenty of choices - steak, shrimp, duck, lamb, lobster, chicken, pasta, pretty much anything. Something different every day of course. I would not say the food was 5 star, but definitely hot and good. Some days we were there close to 2 hours. Other days were faster. The Chocolate Melting cake was very runny, almost like hot fudge in a dish some days, but if we asked for it well-done, it was more ooey-gooey just in the middle.

 

We went to the Lido every day for breakfast. It was fine, you can get fried eggs or scrambled eggs at the omlette station. My daughter loves scrambled eggs and she said the eggs on the buffet were gross. They are "boiled scrambled eggs", not sure what that means but if you like eggs, have them scrambled at the omlette station.

 

 

My parents went to the Dining Room for breakfast every day, they were pleased.

 

No complaints about food, we had the tacos/burritos, pizza, sandwiches, Guys Burgers, BBQ, Italian place for lunch (free for lunch) - all were very good. We did not try the Steakhouse, Hotdogs by the Sports Square, Ocean Plaza, Red Frog Pub, or Sushi. Simply too much to eat!

 

Entertainment. They had something for everyone, never a dull moment on board. All kinds of music at different locations at different times. There were lines for the comedy shows. We saw 2 family-friendly comedy shows, they were very good. Hasbro Game Shows were fun and included the audience, it almost felt like a real game show. They had a few other audience-participation shows. I know they do this to cut costs, but honestly, you could not buy this kind of funny. The way the cruise director interacts with the participants, simply hysterical. They had a ventriliquist and a juggler, sounds random but were pretty good. As for the production shows - I have read a LOT of opinions on these. We did see all 3. They were not bad. I actually enjoyed the digital effects. HOWEVER, I think all 3 shows could've been combined into 1. They were all the same type of show, just with different costumes and music. It would've been nice to have 1 show with the singing/dancing and then 2 other (different) shows.

 

The best "show" of the week was the Farewell show - or at least the first 5 minutes of it. Butch and Brittany (cruise director and assistant) did a dance, it was so funny!! Carnival has hit the gold mine putting these 2 together! Oh my goodness, they were awesome. They have amazing chemistry together and were tons of fun.

 

We got the unlimited tickets ($15 each) to the Thrill Theater. We loved this! The shows were very short, but the kids wanted to do this all the time. It is a very small theater and twice when we went, there were no more seats. But we still got our money's worth. I wish it were open more often, they are only open a few hours every day.

 

My daughter loved the Ropes Course. The Waterworks was awesome, only 2 slides but a dump bucket and a HUGE splash zone. The pools should be bigger with the amount of people on the boat. But they do have a spill over zone that goes to both gazebos, which is nice. You could stick your feet in without getting in the pool.

 

Several hot tubs around the ship, but we didn't get in them, we ran out of time!

 

A few ping pong tables, a pool table, foosball, etc. scattered around. Mini golf was fun. Full-court basketball court was always full. They also had soccer nets in there, sometimes there would be a basketball game on either end and soccer mid-court.

 

Tons to do, we were going to mini golf several times but I think we only did it once!

 

Tons of deck chairs. The ones around the Lido pool were always full, but I did notice a few stickers of warning and removal of items if they were there for too long. Nice comfy chairs looking down on the Lido. Lots of open chairs if you wanted to be away from the pool. Did not visit Serenity. The steps to the waterslides overlooked Serernity (???) but I did talk to a few people who said it was very quiet back there.

 

Dive In Movies didn't offer the greatest or most current movies but we did catch a couple. Popcorn is a nice touch.

 

My 10 year old son loved Camp Carnival, my 7 year old daughter only went once but liked it. The Camp Carnival staff was very friendly and fun.

 

There is a foul smell on the top deck on the way to the basketball court, just as you pass the Carnival fin thingy. I noticed it only in that one spot.

 

The ship did rock, quite a bit actually. Our weather wasn't the greatest so maybe that's why. I never felt sick, I actually liked the rocking at night, it rocked me to sleep. I still feel like I'm rocking right now though!

 

Crowd control was good, I never felt crowded. Except maybe after a show waiting for an elevator. And at the pool on Sea Days.

 

We had 4 ports of call: Grand Turk, San Juan, Tortola, St. Thomas.

 

Grand Turk was awesome, beautiful pool and beach right at the cruise terminal. No need to spend any money on an excursion if you are looking for a lazy day. One way the beach was beautiful white sand, crystal clear waters. The other was was rocky and had a TON of seashells, specifically conch shells. There is a split rail fence, ignore that - go around it and you will not believe how many shells you will see. Gorgeous.

 

San Juan was HOT! There is a fort within walking distance, up a hill and did I say HOT??!! The fort is really neat to see, and Old San Juan is beautiful. But we didn't make it very long, we spent a few hours off the ship and then went back on to a practially empty ship and had the Waterworks all to ourselves! No need to spend any money on an excursion here either, lots of sites within walking distance. If you want to see more or are concerned with walking in the heat, then there were lots of taxis waiting to take you on a tour. I felt very safe. There is also a CVS right across from the Dock, we got some candy bars, tortilla chips for the salsa bar onboard (why do they have a salsa bar with no chips anyway?!?) and a few personal items, the prices were comparable to home.

 

We did not have an excursion booked in Tortola but wanted to see The Baths at Virgin Gorda. I had read a lot on here that it was doable on your own, and it was! We saved at least HALF the cost, thanks cruise critic!! There were lots of local people more than willing to help us get there. It was a short 10-15 minute walk to the Ferry Pier, we got several directions along the way. (People were SO willing to help.) About a 30-35 minute ferry ride, the $30 round trip ticket included the taxi ride once we got to the other island. No problems getting there and I felt safe the whole time. The Baths are amazing and a MUST SEE!! Devil's Bay Beach is AMAZING and a total surprise on the other side of the maze of boulders. We spent more time there than any of the Carnival excursion-ers (yes, we saw a lot of them) and paid half what they paid. I will admit, it was a little scary when we were the only ones waiting for the Ferry on the way back, I had to keep checking the time to make sure we hadn't messed up! But we made it and had an AWESOME day.

 

St. Thomas is the only place where we had booked an excursion through Carnival. Castaway Barefoot Cruise and Snorkel, I think it was called. We weren't leaving until 1:00 and we docked around 8:00, so we had some time to spare. We figured we'd get off the boat and go to the beach, maybe Maegan's Bay. There were lots of taxis waiting to take us, and the good news is: all taxis have the same fare - but the bad news: we were not expecting how expensive the fare would be. $9 per person one way, plus a few dollars entrance fee to the beach. Almost $25 a person for a couple hours. We figured it wasn't worth it since we had already paid $75 a person for the excursion later. Taxis were also offering island tours for $25 a person, the same excursion through Carnival was double that. You can easily get off the boat here and save half the cost on excursions.

 

We got back on the boat and had the boat to ourselves again, had lunch and then went on our excursion. It was okay. We chose a snorkeling excursion (not on our own) because we have a 7 year old daughter and a 67 year old mother, neither of who are great swimmers. We took a snorkeling excursion in Cozumel last year and they were awesome helping them out! We were expecting the same thing this year, but the guides swam in front of the group, simply showing us what to look for. My daughter was having a really hard time, even with my help, and I had to beg them to help her. Even then, they just fixed her mask and kind of pushed us along. She was really disappointed that she couldn't see much and was having a hard time. The weather wasn't great that day, so maybe that's why the waters were so choppy, but it would have been nice to have some extra hands-on help. The ride back to the Breeze was awesome though, the "kids" (probably all in their 20's) who ran the sailboat were tons of fun and kept the music going and the rum punch flowing. Kids and adults both had fun on the way back. Great party atmosphere!

 

Whew, that's a lot of typing. All in all, a great 8 day cruise on the Breeze! If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer. I didn't post any pictures because I have seen so many great ones on here already!

[Keith1010]

I really enjoyed reading your review and I am glad that you had a great time.

 

Thanks for taking the time to write such as extensive review.

 

Keith

[Followthesun65]

Thanks so much for this review! We get on the Breeze at the end of this month for our fist cruise and can't wait. Your review makes the pre-cruise excitement that much better!! -Brian :D

[xostacylee]

Me and my two girl friends are booked on the deluxe OV with 2 bathrooms... we have had several price drops and are at $1257 right now. We were originally at mid $1300s. They have 7C cove balcony's on the Breeze for about $1400. Would it be worth it to upsell to a balcony if it's still available, or should we stick with the 2 bathrooms as we are two girls? What would you guys do? Thank you =]

[mikenhe]

nice write up!!

 

tough to believe that there were so many people on board as it was so easy to find a quiet place.

 

we did have a hot cabin - and we had our thermo to its lowest setting.

 

it was fine when no-one had been in the room but it couldn't cope with the four of us in there at the same time - never really got cool at night.

 

I figured it was either faulty/ way down the line for cold air - or we were just tooo hot for the ship.

 

either way it wasn;t something to lose your cool about :D not too much anyway.

we just shrugged it off and carried on having fun!!

 

Agree with you - didn't get everything done as there was too much!!!

 

 

 

 

to xostacylee - we had a cove and loved it.. I'd give up the bathroom for a balcony like a shot (try to get one at the front - the front elevators are the least crowded as there are so many!

[Handsome58]

for the great review! I can't wait for my turn to go on this ship!

[HB Cruiser]

we did have a hot cabin - and we had our thermo to its lowest setting.

 

We had the same problem. We had an aft cabin deck 8 and temps were not cool there either.

 

Tim

[jimbo5544]

Nice review and congrats on your 1st post on CC! I echo your thoughts on the Breeze, we loved her.

[palm-tree-love]

That is so strange about the hot temps, so sorry I was being snotty about the thermostat comment! Our room was so cold, we kept turning the thermo up into the red. At night we'd turn it down into the blue, but just a little blue. When we first walked into the room it was all the way down and I felt like I had walked into a freezer!

 

Not sure what to say about the bathroom vs. balcony, tough call. I have a 10 year old son who loves to sing in the shower and a 7 year old daughter who likes to really wash her hair for a long time. And I was having a REALLY hard time shaving my legs. My husband was the only one who would take a quick shower! But I loved the balcony. Hmmmm..... not sure what to say!

 

I forgot to mention that we ordered room service one morning and we got salmon instead of melon. Whoops. And we ordered dessert one day from room service via the TV and we never got it. Not quite a complaint, just a small irritant....

[mikenhe]

That is so strange about the hot temps, so sorry I was being snotty about the thermostat comment! Our room was so cold, we kept turning the thermo up into the red. At night we'd turn it down into the blue, but just a little blue. When we first walked into the room it was all the way down and I felt like I had walked into a freezer!

 

Not sure what to say about the bathroom vs. balcony, tough call. I have a 10 year old son who loves to sing in the shower and a 7 year old daughter who likes to really wash her hair for a long time. And I was having a REALLY hard time shaving my legs. My husband was the only one who would take a quick shower! But I loved the balcony. Hmmmm..... not sure what to say!

 

I forgot to mention that we ordered room service one morning and we got salmon instead of melon. Whoops. And we ordered dessert one day from room service via the TV and we never got it. Not quite a complaint, just a small irritant....

I didn;t think you were snotty - just you were commentinng from your perstective - nothing wrong with that.

we had ours on the coldest setting the whole time - still hot and stuffy in there at night. as I said - not a biggie - just moved on and dealt with it.

 

Room service didn;t always get our morngin order right - but that brought me coffee each time so I could deal with it...

 

 

I think i'd still take the balcony

[sonicbuffalo]

enjoyed the review.............and the advice....brings back memories from our Breeze cruise (see link to review in sig.)

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report, nice write up.

[weluvcruises]

Thanks for your review, we leave in 19 days and cant wait!

[Dalton51]

We are looking at going on the Breeze at the end of August. Do they have thrbgame Quest on this ship. Might also be called Adult game? Thanks

[sue2002]

Thanks so much for this review! We get on the Breeze at the end of this month for our fist cruise and can't wait. Your review makes the pre-cruise excitement that much better!! -Brian :D

 

When are you going the 28th? We will be sailing on the 28th on the breeze

[MiamiSpartan]

We were on it, too and LOVED it!!

Carnival FAR exceeded our expectations!!

We had not had great experiences previously, but we would totally sail with them again!!

 

We actually had an oversized inside cabin and it was really great....about 20% larger than the normal rooms....off of a quiet inside hallway just steps from the main elevators.....

6369 for anyone who is interested in checking it out.....

[retiring soon]

HI all!

 

palm- tree- love ~Thanks for that really great review.:D It's making me look forward to sailing the Breeze in 125 more days!! Your itinerary sounds great!

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[backinaz]

Thanks for your review. We are booked for the July 28th sailing on the breeze...so excited but I can't find a roll call for our date?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[sue2002]

Thanks for your review. We are booked for the July 28th sailing on the breeze...so excited but I can't find a roll call for our date?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

You have to look down a couple of pages, we will also be on the July 28th sailing!!!! Can't wait

[CFERNANDEZ22]

We are sailing on The Breeze soon - thank you for the review. My wife and I have been doing RCL the past 11 cruises and were hesitant in trying carnival but we have heard awesome things about this ship. Thank you for sharing.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone

[CFERNANDEZ22]

How was the food? By any chance did you try the steakhouse? We are celebrating our 5th anniversary and booked the steak house. Just curious if it is worth it.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone

[AmberTeka]

Me and my two girl friends are booked on the deluxe OV with 2 bathrooms... we have had several price drops and are at $1257 right now. We were originally at mid $1300s. They have 7C cove balcony's on the Breeze for about $1400. Would it be worth it to upsell to a balcony if it's still available, or should we stick with the 2 bathrooms as we are two girls? What would you guys do? Thank you =]

 

My advice. Go with the Cove Balcony. it gives you another room. I know the two bathrooms sound dreamy and I hate those little showers, but a balcony....while you all rush around in one room to dress..with a balcony the quick ones can go have coffee while the others finish. Also one is a late sleeper...you are not. You can read on your balcony..talk to one of your room mates and let the other one sleep.

 

Unless the prices are so high they make you cringe..I get a balcony because it is a place to put my DH while I dress. He is done in five minutes. I am not that long..but I put on make up, comb my hair.(take my shower at night)..and instead of him picking at me...He is outside with a cup of coffee...looking for fish. Or talking to one of his neighbors on the balcony.

 

First time? Then do order coffee from RS if you get a balcony. It is free but most tip the delivery person a few bucks. I also tip $3. Carnival has outstanding RS I think. On time. Coffee is hot when you get it...cream and sugars....to me..that is one of the greatest luxuries of cruising..getting up..making a call and in a short time..having fresh, brewed coffee delivered to your cabin. And to sit on your balcony..watch the ocean with friends or a loved one....just something you will always remember.

Happy Sails to you and your friends.

[MiamiSpartan]

Not to butt in, but the steak house was very good....as was the Italian restaurant and the sushi bar....

The bar tenders in Ocean Plaza were great....in the lobby bar, not so much....Ben, the piano player in the piano bar is hysterical, and the guitar players in Rec Frog Pub are also really good....

[CalaDragonflyLady]

How was the food? By any chance did you try the steakhouse? We are celebrating our 5th anniversary and booked the steak house. Just curious if it is worth it.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone

 

 

I haven't been on the Breeze YET but I have enjoyed the steakhouse on other Carnival ships - it's excellent!

 

If you book it the first night of the cruise, you get a free bottle of wine. The only downside to that is the MDR food will be a step down after experiencing the steakhouse.

 

This is the steakhouse menu from Carnival's website. Here on CC there are lots of photos of the food..........

 

http://www.carnival.com/onboard/cruise-food/~/media/CCLUS/Images/pdf/Steakhousemenupdf.ashx

[Tyhunt]

You usually get the hot rooms at night when others leave their balcony door open at night to hear the sea and turn their air on max.:confused:. If they are near the start of the line, or before your room, for the air conditioning it sucks most of it out keeping their room cool. :o