My Better Late, Than Never BREEZE review! Lots of pics!

[tampabrat22]

Headed to Miami in just a little over 2.5 weeks for another cruise on the amazing Carnival Breeze and well, I need something to make the time go by a little quicker! I've been wanting to write this review for months, but I work a very hectic job, have 2 kids that keep me busy and I do part time work as well, so time just slipped away from me. During our vacation I kept a journal & took tons of pics, so even though this is *really* late I am hoping you still enjoy the info and the pics!

 

A little about us...this was our 8th Carnival Cruise (10th cruise all together). Along for the adventure was my mom, my 15 yr old son, my 10 yr old daughter, my friend and her 17 yr old daughter, my cousin, her husband and their 14 yr old son and 10 yr old daughter. Me & My cousin always cruise together but this was our friends first cruise and our first time sailing out of Miami!

 

Our cruise was Dec 2012 on the Carnival Breeze 8 day Itinerary to St Thomas, Tortola, Antigua & Nassau. So enough of my rambling, let's get this party started!

 

My friend and I decided to rent a mini van and ride together. I rented a one way (Tampa to Miami) mini van from Alamo for $62, and went to pick it up about 9am Friday morning. My friend met me at my house where we loaded up the van with our luggage and the kids, made a quick stop at the local Chick Fil A for lunch and then got on I75 for our 4 hr road trip to Miami!

 

Gorgeous day on Alligator Alley (no worries, my son took this while I drove)

 

We made good time, there is a lot of interstate construction going on around the airport but even with one pit stop we were at our hotel within 4.25 hours. We wanted a hotel close to the airport since we would need to return the car in the morning and after reading many online reviews we decided on the Red Roof Inn- Airport location. I had already booked and paid for both of our rooms online, check in was quick and the staff were friendly. We liked that the property was gated and the rooms had been recently renovated.

 

Our home for the night

 

the room

 

 

 

Our room faced the North so we didn't have much of a view

[tampabrat22]

After settling into the hotel and resting for a little bit we headed to Little Havana for dinner. Based on recommendations from friends & online reviews we decided to try Versailles, a local Cuban restaurant that has been around for ages. We LOVE Cuban food...my mother is Cuban and I live right by Ybor City (where the Cuban sandwich originated) so I grew up eating some of the best Cuban food around and I am a bit picky when it comes to my Cuban food.

 

We arrived about 6:30p and were seated quickly. The restaurant is large and very open, which made for a very high volume, so if you are looking for a quiet romantic spot this is not it. But the wall & ceiling decor is gorgeous!

 

 

 

 

FuFu Con Masitas $6.25 (Smashed Plantains with Fried Pork Chunks)

 

"The Classic" Sampler Platter with Rice, Black Beans, “Picadillo” Ground Beef, Roast Pork, Sweet Plantains, Ham Croquette, Cuban Tamale, and Cassava with Cuban Mojo $12.95 (the meat at the top of the plate is my daughters pork from her Cuban sandwich that she decided to toss onto my plate as I was taking the pic, ugghh kids!)

 

Cuabn Sandwich $5.95

[cjknox]

Looking forward to the rest!

[tampabrat22]

The Criollo Sampler- Yellow Rice, Black Beans, “Ropa Vieja”, Fried Pork Chunks, Ham Croquette (missing from pic, he already ate it, lol), Sweet Plantains, Cuban Tamale (already eaten), and Cassava with Cuban Mojo $12.95

 

And the absolute worst Sangria I've ever had ($16.95 for a pitcher). I am absolutely not kidding when I tell you that this had canned fruit salad mix in it and tasted like watered down Yago Sant'gria! Horrible!

 

My daughter and my friends daughter as we were leaving...

 

Overall impression: Nice building & decor, staff were friendly, service was quick, helps if you speak Spanish, food was good, not the best we've ever had but it was good, HUGE portions and the prices were really quite low. My Mom & the girls got dessert to take back to the room (amazing cheesecake & guava pastries)!

 

After dinner we stopped by a CVS and grabbed some soda & wine and headed back to to the hotel. My friend & Mom were tired so they decided to call it a night. I took the kids down to the pool and had some wine while they burnt off their last bit of energy. The planes from the airport were flying overhead about every 10-15 mins and it was crazy LOUD, but we didn't let that bother us.

 

 

Saturday (cruise day!)

So after a good nights rest we were up early and headed to the Miami Airport Car Rental return center. After doing a few circles around the airport we finally found it, lol. Dropping off the car was quick and easy. My son dropped one of our 12 pks of soda and it ripped open so we gave it to the Alamo guys, they were so appreciative, they said it gets really hot in the garage and can never get enough liquids. The shuttle arrived shortly after we made our way to the waiting area and then we were headed to the port (around 10am).

 

If you look really hard, you can see the Breeze's funnel in between the two smaller buildings on the left! The excitement was building!

 

Bayside Shopping Area

[Beachlover1964]

Looking forward to your review. We will be doing the same itinerary on the Freedom in December.

[tampabrat22]

My friend Tacha on the shuttle bus

 

My son on the shuttle

 

Pulling into the port, our first glimpse of the pretty new BREEZE!

 

Love all these signs!

 

Our shuttle pulled into the lot and right away there were porters waiting to help us. We gave the porters our bags and a tip and they directed us towards the building. We made our way through security and then to check in. There weren't many people here yet so check in was quick, we were given our zone tag and then we found a nice spot to get comfy. Being that this was the big "christening day" I knew we would have a little wait ahead of us, it was only around 10:30am.

 

Oh yeah, zone 1!!

 

My mom & daughter patiently waiting

[tampabrat22]

The Miami terminal is really nice and very large! I liked the glass artwork hanging from the ceiling.

 

 

 

From the time we got there all of the VIP's were boarding, not the cruise VIP's but the special guests that were there for the Christening ceremony. Around 11:30am they finally called our zone and off to have our pictures taken and then we were able to board.

 

A bit blurry, I didn't want to stop walking and hold up the line, but this should give you an idea of the crowd around 11:45am or so.

 

My kids making their way to the ship!

 

First view of the atrium!

 

We took the elevators up and headed towards the buffet so that we could grab a bite to eat before the crowds were too big.

[sml3]

Looking forward to reading more and seeing more pictures!

[Dee777]

Loving your review and pictures! Will be sailing the Breeze in February 2014 :)

[michelle1836]

better late than never! cant wait to see the rest of your review. love cruise pictures :)

[allenee]

We were on the Breeze 12/08/12 and will be on 10/26/13 too. See you on board, small world.

[Avril]

Thanks a lot for your review Jessica, I'm sailing on the Breeze in December and am really enjoying seeing pics of the ship!! :D Did you get to see the Christening Ceremony? I've always wanted to see one of those!! :D

[MrFunInTheSun]

Great review and pictures! Thanks for sharing your cruise with us!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - Please excuse any errors.

[Samityna]

Thank you! We're 68 days away from sailing away on the Breeze and can not wait! We're also cruising with kids and we are first time cruisers... so exciting!!

 

I've been reading all the reviews and should probably stop because it is making the wait that much more painful! LOL!

[oncruisecontrol]

Great start to your review. Looking forward to more. Thanks for posting.

[cruizinisthebest]

keep it comin'! great job so far!

[tampabrat22]

Thanks for reading everyone, I will be adding as much as I can to this each night until it is done. I have so much more to add!:D

 

Thanks a lot for your review Jessica, I'm sailing on the Breeze in December and am really enjoying seeing pics of the ship!! :D Did you get to see the Christening Ceremony? I've always wanted to see one of those!! :D

 

Unfortunately no, we did not get to see the ceremony. We did see Tracy & Alonzo Mourning walking around the ship after the ceremony along with a lot of the little girls that are from the foundation she created. I was worried with all the "VIP's" it was going to cause a lot of delays but it really didnt seem to effect the cruise at all.

 

Thank you! We're 68 days away from sailing away on the Breeze and can not wait! We're also cruising with kids and we are first time cruisers... so exciting!!

 

I've been reading all the reviews and should probably stop because it is making the wait that much more painful! LOL!

 

You will have so much fun, we have been cruising with our kids since they were around 3 & 4 yrs old. Great family vacation!

[tampabrat22]

We were on the Breeze 12/08/12 and will be on 10/26/13 too. See you on board, small world.

 

Small world indeed! I think we both have fabulous taste in our vacation choices ;)!

[Igerster]

Nice review so far. My wife and I will also be on the Breeze for Halloween.

[tampabrat22]

OK, so when I left off we were making our way to the buffet area for lunch. We found a nice big round table about midway into the buffet area. Everyone scattered to pick their faves, we hadn't had breakfast so everyone was hungry and Carnival did not disappoint!

 

A few of the things they had out...

 

 

 

The strawberry cake pops there in the back, be sure to try one! They are so delicious!

 

And of course my son made a beeline to Guy's Burger joint for a Piggy Patty Burger! I had a few during the cruise, good stuff! We really liked Guy's Burger joint!

 

 

And let me introduce you to Traveling Teddy. This is my daughters teddy that she has had since she was 2, she goes everywhere with us and has traveled all over the Caribbean & USA (and even has her very own own cruise wardrobe, lol). Me & my cousins husband like to put her in precarious spots & situations and photograph it, but my daughter doesn't seem to find the humor in our shenanigans!

 

[tampabrat22]

Nice review so far. My wife and I will also be on the Breeze for Halloween.

 

Thanks! Looks like there is going to be a lot of CC members on board! Its going to be a great cruise!:)

[wrigley80]

Nice start to your review and it's better late than never...hehe

[tampabrat22]

Everyone was happy with their food and the fact that we were finished right as the crowds were starting to come in. We decided to go check out the kids area, the lido and our cabins!

 

Our cabin was midship so we used that bank of elevators the most. Every time I went up to the Lido deck, I stepped out these doors and was greeted by this lovely view! The Breeze truly is a beautiful ship!

 

 

We loved these comfy loveseats!

 

 

And one of my all time favorite things to do on board is watch the outdoor movies! My kids loved the complimentary popcorn and the cozy blankets at night during show time!

 

 

We poked our heads into the Camp Carnival area...

 

 

 

My kids!

[tampabrat22]

Finally we made our way down to our cabin!

 

Loved these new ship maps, much better than the ones everyone has to squeeze around by the elevator doors to see like on other Carnival ships!!

 

I surprised my kids, they did not know until we entered our cabin that we had a cove balcony. They were thrilled, we usually book insides so this was only their 3rd time with a balcony. Sorry about the yellow tint, my camera is very sensitive to tungsten lighting. The rooms are not yellow in real life, lol!

 

 

In the pic below you can see where the 4th bed (bunk) is hidden in the ceiling, the steward pulls it down at night.

 

 

Funny new luggage mats, lol!

 

 

Vanity area. See the lighted area around the mirror? LOVED it! It made putting on makeup so much easier, very good makeup lighting ladies! But I noticed my friend did not have it in her inside cabin.

 

 

And the toiletry samples they left us...

 

[tampabrat22]

When we arrived at our cabin some of luggage was already there. I am the type that likes to unpack and get everything put away as soon as possible. When everything is neatly tucked away and I slide that last suitcase under the bed...my vacation has officially started!

 

My daughter was excited to go to the water park area so we headed up there to check that out. The new water play area was great, and I can not thank Carnival enough for putting in more seating and umbrellas in this area. When they first put the water works on the Inspiration I about melted out on the deck while my daughter played. No seats, no shade...it was awful. I think they have now added more seating to all of the water play areas on all ships. But they really outdid themselves on the Breeze!

 

My daughter zipping thru the tube!

 

 

 

 

And my cousin & her family finally made it on board! We ran into them on the lido, they were the last to board the ship!

 

 

the kids playing ping pong

 

 

After we spent some time catching up and looking around the pool area we all headed to the muster drill. Our muster station was in the Sapphire Dining Room and was quick and painless. We then headed up to the lido for sail away!