Carnival Breeze Review Dec 15-21

[bell777]

Little about the background.

 

We are a family of 5. Two adults, two 23 year olds and a 15 year old. All but one of us are Diamond members of Royal Carribean and this was our second trip with Carnival. We had gone on the Dream last year and I was hoping the items which the Dream lacked were not there on the Breeze.

 

Boarding: We arrived at the port around 12 and my husband dropped us off and parked the SUV in the port parking with no problems he was back within 15 minutes and the walk was not too bad. For those who are not sure the cost is 120.00 for a six night stay. We were waiting in line were the lady that set us up had no clue what the hell she was doing she was unable to take our picture on the cards. since it would not work and she told the guy next to her to take care of us which he proceeded to take our picture and give us our cards. We were handed a number and when called were to go up the escalator to enter the ship, it took 45 minutes. Once we were upstairs to get in the ship bam the card did not work and our pictures did not work we had to wait another 20 minutes for them to reissue the cards so we could board. Finally around 2 we were on the ship and i was aggravated but glad it was over and we headed for our rooms. My room was ready and clean and our cabin steward greeted us. My daughters room which was 17 rooms down was done but still had garbage in the cans in the rooms from the previous cruisers yuk. So we are all laying down waiting for our luggage and wanting to take a short nap when we had someone knock on the door and before we could answer walk right in with ice, scared the heck out of me and made me nervous for the rest of the trip when dressing or to be in the room alone. What ever happen to waiting to be invited in.

 

More to come

Edited December 25, 2013 by bell777

[bell777]

Can someone tell me how to install a picture on this thread

[bell777]

Since were did not get our luggage in time we decided to go to dinner in our jeans and shirt and make the most of it. We were greeted by our waiter and the assistant which appeared to be very nice. We waited and waited and waited finally they took our order hey only the first day give them a break I said to myself. He took our order and 1 and half our later we finished dinner and did not wait on desert maybe tomorrow will be better. We left the dining room with a sense of daja vu but tomorrow is another day. The food was luke warm but i was starving so I ate it and hope that the next day would be better. We went from there to the casino played hundred bucks lost it in the slots in 20 minutes and off to unpack. Once unpacked we decided to walk around and explore the decor on this ship is very nice down to earth the beach theme everywhere i really liked it. By the way for those who want to know yes there are table clothes in the dining room and single serving appetizers .

[CruiseCouple02]

Its funny you should mention about the cabin attendant walking right in.... we had the same experience on the same cruise! Twice we had our attendant knock and then walk right in 5 seconds later before I could even get up to see who it was! It was quite unnerving! :(

[bell777]

DAY TWO

 

The seas were calm and a sea day was in order. We went to the breakfast buffet since breakfast is much the same to me. If you want eggs other then boiled you need to go to cook to order the scramble eggs on the hot plates are not eatable. You can no longer take bacon they will give you couple of pieces at time which is fine with me i dont eat it but lots of people complaining. The grits are good and cooked and the coffee and cocoa is good as well. I normally drink regular milk but they only have 2 percent i guess they think the guess all have high cholesterol. Since that does not go off well with me i took regular milk from where they keep the coffee next to the cream but it did not taste the same. We went to the jacuzzi for a little while which was nice not overly crowded as they have several of them throughout the ship. I had to try the pizza which on the Dream was great and quick. OMG the pizza guy service is so slow that i could order Dominos get it delivered and still be waiting on this pizza guy.

So for lunch since I did not like anything on the buffet i tried the cheeseburger and finally something worthy of greatness. Not only are they quick but the burger is really good and take this from someone who does not eat mcd, burgerking or wendys.

 

Took shower and out to try the casino again since the machine were so so so so tight and when you get a bonus you get 9 dollars. 15 dollars never more then 30 there is no play time so table games here i come. Played craps best odds in a casino right $200 gone in 30 minutes so maybe blackjack lost there too okay time to go maybe better luck tomorrow. Time to shop not bad but nothing i wanted maybe later. My husband and i decided to look at the pictures which were okay and back to the room for a nap and then dinner. I tried to get my son 15 to go back to the teen O2 but he said it was boring and left never to go back.

More to come

[firemanbobswife]

Its funny you should mention about the cabin attendant walking right in.... we had the same experience on the same cruise! Twice we had our attendant knock and then walk right in 5 seconds later before I could even get up to see who it was! It was quite unnerving! :(

 

I'm paranoid about stuff like that too so I always lock the deadbolt when I'm in the room. No surprises that way!

[bell777]

OH Lord time for dinner formal night. Lots of guest were not even somewhat dressed up but to each his own right. We got our nice warm bread which was always great. I had to get the lobster which was more like a langostino on steriods and can be eaten with one bite which is probably why they give you shrimps next to it. Once again the waiter very nice but very slow I am not sure if they just did not know what they were doing or if getting the food out of the kitchen was the delay none the less here we are again 1 and half hour later and still waiting to order desert which i just can not sit that long and wait so we left.

 

Back to the casino as my husband wanted to lose his money now and sure enough he plays no table games and lost 100 in about 30 minutes. I played roulette for 2 hours with 40 dollars not bad. We headed to see a show which was in my opinion street performance material with yoyo and such waste of time and we left and hear some music and went to bed. OH I think tomorrow in Grand Turks will bring much better times.

Edited December 25, 2013 by bell777

[bell777]

DAY THREE

 

We arrived at Grand Turks early and we were out of there by 1 this is not enough time for anyone to enjoy themselves. I loved the Turks I took some others advise and we walked down to Jack Shack. The water is much much nicer down there less cloudy and the jerk chicken is excellant you must try it.

The water although chilly was great and refreshing. We took a stop at Margaritaville so the kids could go in the pool but the water was too cold for me and thats when we walked down to the beach.

Warning between Margaritaville and Jack SHack there are these two guys which have horses walk on the beach for a fee if you chose to sit in that area the horses poop in the water disgusting right well it flows down so keep an eye on which way the wind is blowing cause you will meet with poop im sure.Great time at the beach and great food just way too short.

 

Back on ship back to buffet not good so if you go upstairs the Cucina de Capitana is open and free for lunch not too bad you should try it once. My husband tried the burrito and said it was good. The line for Mongolian was so long all the time that i never even got to try it. The desert are all plain with cake and mouse type filling not worth the calories only cookies are good but not great.

 

Walked around some more and shopped and hit the casino again i never learn we lost on the machines again both of us now and then took our sorry butts to dinner.

[Cruzinbabe06]

I plan on booking the Breeze for December.

 

We have had slow waiters before also. Also, have had waiters that just didn't want to be there. It happens. They're human. So, anytime we have an issue with our wait staff, we see the person up front at the computer, and ask to be seated somewhere else.

 

I use to suffer in silence, not anymore.:)

 

Thanks for posting your review. Keep it coming.

[bell777]

Is it time for dinner again, can i bring a pillow for my back today the waters are in a bad mood and since we have a seat all the way at the back of the ship on the window we are rocking and rolling and the family decides too rocky for them to sit there that long and left my husband and i to eat alone. I ordered the Seafood Pasta mix it was warm and acutually good even was daring and tried sushi for the first time not bad. My husband had the meatloaf which he said was pretty good. We were alway greated with smiles and they appeared to try hard but the wait was just so long so when he picked up my plate i said can you give me desert now as not to wait and from there on we did this every night and waited but not a long time and the assistant always bought be coffee even without having to ask, love that. Dinner improved the ocean got worse but i was happy.

 

Time to see a show OMG the Divas are terrible i almost felt bad for them and then i left i didnt feel that bad. Had to go back to casino with husband again which lost more and i won 300 on the roulette and left only to have my husband put it all back in the machines only good thing FREE drink card.

The whole trip the drinks were free provided you are in the casino playing, the waiters provided you give them dollar tip, are there every 15 minutes with a drink of your choice. Time for bed as tomorrow is Jamaica and all the drinks and the bad seas are making me feel sick.

Edited December 26, 2013 by bell777

[bell777]

DAY FOUR

 

Jamaica here we go. Woke up and i was so tired that after breakfast sat outside on the lounge chair and woke up 2 hours later. Now I have heard terrible stories from Jamaica and the pushy people and when we went several years ago a swore never to go back but no i had to get off and try again and i am really glad i did it was not as bad, yes they push but if you say no thank you and keep walking they do not bother you again. We asked at the port how much for taxi to staw market and it was 10 dollars one way per person no way. I told the kids hold on to your wallets and we exited the port turned left walked half mile to the shops and a taxi took us to the market for 2 dollars each and we made arrangement for her to return for us in 2 hours gave her nice tip and she was back on time. The market had great prices but keep in mind you may be the only customer of the day so they try their hardest to get your attention needless to say we left with no money other then taxi. I felt bad i bought wallet and she was like thank you so much i can eat lunch today. Dont be scared be wary and you will be fine lots of police with guns walking around.

Edited December 26, 2013 by bell777

[bell777]

Back to the ship starving and once again the food was so so and so Guy burger again which was good but i was scared to take in too much grease but no did not make me sick it was delicious. Went back to the room son ordered room service and he was in heaven from then on movies and free room service his best friends. Took a nap and decided to walk around to see what was going on since we were still in port what a surprise casino opened OH NO. Played roullete again won 200 and husband gave it back to the slots. He finally won 250 on the dollar machine and now he was happy. We went ourside and watched a movie under the stars what a great experience. It was almost time for dinner so we went back changed and off to dinner we go.

 

Warm bread how i miss you. Ordered fish it was terrible salmon, the waiter noticed i did not like it and ask if i wanted something else which i replied no as i did not feel like waiting. My husband had ordered the macaroni and cheese with chicken he gave me some of his and we were good. My son order the steak which he said was ok and the other two ordered room service as they refuse to wait so long rocking in the back which made them ill. Once again coffee was serviced and desert although not good gain was serviced in a timely manner. Every night the waiters perform some sort of dance or singing show which in my opinion just delays them more if i want to see a show i will go the the auditorium when they have them.

 

We go back to the room to change and go out and we have chocolate covered strawberries delivered by the casino. How nice, NOT, they must of come off a cake as they had the cake residue on them how pathetic i was more insulted then anything i would have preferred nothing then to know these are leftovers and warm at that.

 

Back to the casino for free drinks my husband now watched me play roulette in hope of keeping his money we played all night for hours with free drinks on 40 dollars not bad. It was getting late and we were going to be in the Bahamas and i did not want to pass out on lounge chair again so off to bed but first a night cap. WOW a deck party no sleep for me we heard and danced and danced some more my feet will never make it tomorrow but thats another day. Party is over time for bed OMG i will never get up.

[bell777]

DAY FIVE

 

Bahamas here i come. I have always loved this place, the market, the nice people and Atlantis. What a joke, the people are now rude and the prices in the straw market are higher then Macys. Needless to say the casino was tight and the internet non existent unless you paid we did 20 dollars rip off. Now it use to be you could walk to some areas now everything is you have to pay for a ticket to come in, even the main lobby, *** are you going to charge me to breath your air next. Please get me out of this place as if i wanted to be nickled and dimed i can do this at Disney in the US. Another 20 for taxi back and decided that i would never return again unless they come back down to earth.

 

I was so disappointed with the Bahamas that i though i would cry but you know it is their loss i think people will just stop coming here if they continue with the greediness.

 

Had lunch at the buffet which once again was so so and nap time. Woke up saw some contest at pool walked around and back to the room to get ready for dinner.

[bell777]

Dinner was alway a surprise so here we go. Had shrimps grilled pretty good again service very slow it seemed lots of people stop coming back my kids included the wait is just too long. Once again desert was ok but not great. We left and went to see a movie under the stars which again was nice and hit the casino after that. Once again the slots are not untouchable they just dont pay so back to roulette lost and left as there was a women on board they kept yelling and screaming why did they not leave the trash in the Bahamas. Went to see comideian lady she was terrible and we left. The comedians all of them on the Dream had been good but they sure left our ship. Oh well, off to the casino more drinks broke even and left.

Edited December 26, 2013 by bell777

[bell777]

LAST DAY AT SEA

 

Nice weather going home no problems there. Did the breakfast thing as usual and went to jacuzzi and today they had a BBQ which was okay and the chocolate buffet which i was so looking forward to was terrible all leftovers and not one strawberry to dip in chocolate. They had donuts, marshmello pineapple. How can you have so much chocolate and no strawberries what kind of place is this.

 

We had heard such great things about the Hasbro show we couldnt miss it so off we went around 2ish to see it. It was ok more of a kiddy game show and many people trying to get free stuff not for me, we stayed to kill some time but that it.

 

We went back got dressed up again and off to second elegant dinner. They had tenderloin the kids knew it so went to dinner. I order medium which was luke warm but good put my poor daughter asked well done and she said it taste like pot roast i thought she was exagerating so i tried it and sure enough she was right it was awful how could they pass this for filet is news to me, yet another insult.We left the last night wondering how disappointing it was both with the food and slow service although they appeared to try. What a shame there is so much potential yet they just cant make it happen. Food can be cheap and good and service should always be quick as to service hot or even warm food, this ship did not have this at all.

 

Listen to some more music had some drink went to the dance bar and a lady slipped and poured her whole drink all over me, did i hear sorry Nope.

Went back to the room showered and dressed again and went back for drinks and casino.

[bell777]

DISEMBARKMENT

 

THIS WAS THE WORSE EVER IN ALL MY TRIPS. We left the ship and the machine broke and they kept trying to fix it instead of moving to another belt and keep moving. Finally after 2 hours they moved all luggage to letter B only to say 10 minutes later that C was open and to look for you stuff on B and C and then change their mind again to C. What a joke it took us almost 3 hours to get our luggage and out of there.

[bell777]

CONCLUSION

 

The trip was not all bad from a 1 to 10 it was a 6. If you are looking for cheap and party ship this is it, do NOT expect quality its not there, the food nor service. They give you casino perks but the cost of free drinks is just as high as purchasing the drink cards maybe even more.

 

As for the tips because they tried hard i left them but if i were in a restaurant and had this service 5/10 percent would push it. I think the buffet was reconstruction of dinner leftovers and the deserts are tasteless and they really need to replace him or her, this is one of the simplest things to do, they all practically taste the same what a shame.

 

Two out of three ports are good but i know carnival has better ports.

 

I thought that the Dream was a 7 to 8 so i decided to try Carnival again and see if maybe thing would improve with a newer ship but no it just was worse. I was excited thinking i could save some money by going Carnival but I am not sure i would chance another ship. If i dont have enough to pay and go RCCL or try another line i just wont go till i do. I just dont see the perks of cruising which greatly geared towards fine dinning and service here and this is heartbreaking as i love to cruise and am fairly easy to please. Carnival get you A..in gear you have great potential train your staff, get better chefs, get more employees to improve service and remember why people chose cruising in the first place and i am sure you can get many past guest back but dont keep going on this track as you will not keep up with the competition even if your prices are low. CEO take a cruise try your food go undercover see the service and make the changes.

 

These all reflect my opinions and my opinions alone, do not take them personal or offensive. thanks for reading.

 

I will try post pictures

[Cruizinman]

Welcome home, and I must say I agree with you on so many points in your review. Especially with the service in the MDR.

[Cruizinman]

Can someone tell me how to install a picture on this thread

 

I usually upload to photobucket , then you will see links to share the photo.

Click on direct and it will copy ,then click on

and place your photo copied in the field. Remove the http:// as you will have the full addressed link that you previously copied .

 

 

 

 

Hope that helps ;) Edited ,to much Egg Nog :)

Edited December 26, 2013 by Cruizinman

[erewhon]

Thanks for taking time to write your review.

Hope your next cruise will be a better experience.

[Ykgorbie]

Wow, so sorry you're cruise wasn't up to par. We were on the same cruise on Nov.3rd and our experience couldn't have been more different than yours. Our wait staff in the MDR (Lower Blush, early seating) were outstanding. Although we found the food is not the same quality it was in 2007 when we took our first Carnival cruise, we never once had a "bad meal" and every service was far better than we are used to eating at home. Our casino experience was fantastic with my husband winning a $2038 jackpot on one of the slot machines on the first day ! While we have never been huge fans of Jamaica, we also thought they weren't "in our faces" quite as much as last time we were there. We did a snorkeling excursion in Nassau - it was fun, though I was surprised at the cool water temperature. Afterwards, we did a bit of shopping and found a little store full of hand made crafts. I bought a few Xmas ornaments and the lady working there asked me where I was from. When I told her Canada, she told proceeded to surprise me with her knowledge of Canada and actually named off all of the provinces and territories. My husband commented afterwards on how polite she was. We were never pressured into buying anything. We had a much better experience in Nassau than our last trip there when we went to Atlantis for the day.

Anyway, I am so sorry your trip was lousy. I guess we were just in the right place at the right time. Hope you're able to have a much better cruise experience next time !

[MeghanJ]

Honestly,

I do believe a cruise will be as good as you expect it to be. With that said, I don't want anyone to think that I believe Carnival can do anything and I am OK with it. I have gone on two cruises with Carnival, with another coming up in March, and I am psyched! Have the Dream and Liberty been perfect--well no, but pretty close! I do admit I enjoyed the Liberty more, which makes me wonder how I will feel about the Breeze! Ultimately, I think it comes down to what you expect on the trip--I expect joy, relaxation, and fun. I have never been short of any of my expectations!!!:)

Wow, so sorry you're cruise wasn't up to par. We were on the same cruise on Nov.3rd and our experience couldn't have been more different than yours. Our wait staff in the MDR (Lower Blush, early seating) were outstanding. Although we found the food is not the same quality it was in 2007 when we took our first Carnival cruise, we never once had a "bad meal" and every service was far better than we are used to eating at home. Our casino experience was fantastic with my husband winning a $2038 jackpot on one of the slot machines on the first day ! While we have never been huge fans of Jamaica, we also thought they weren't "in our faces" quite as much as last time we were there. We did a snorkeling excursion in Nassau - it was fun, though I was surprised at the cool water temperature. Afterwards, we did a bit of shopping and found a little store full of hand made crafts. I bought a few Xmas ornaments and the lady working there asked me where I was from. When I told her Canada, she told proceeded to surprise me with her knowledge of Canada and actually named off all of the provinces and territories. My husband commented afterwards on how polite she was. We were never pressured into buying anything. We had a much better experience in Nassau than our last trip there when we went to Atlantis for the day.

Anyway, I am so sorry your trip was lousy. I guess we were just in the right place at the right time. Hope you're able to have a much better cruise experience next time !

[cruiseclues]

Thanks for taking the time to post a review. :):):):)

[fsufancc]

Hmmm.. I was on the same cruise and could not have been more pleased. We had a group of 22. We all ate dinner together in the MDR and then ate on our own during the day. Our waitstaff was timely and the food was cooked as we requested. I ordered my steaks rare and got the ususal rare/med-rare, but I expected that since they are feeding 1,500 at a time.

 

Of all the Carnival trips I have been on (around 6), this one had the best food by far. The MDR food was great, Guy's Burgers was really good. I got some fire roasted chicken (I think it was called clay pot chicken) from the Tandoor Indian food station and it was to die for (got it several times during the trip). The taco/burrito bar was good too.

 

True the ports were not really great, but we had some cracked conch and local beers in Grand Turk. Did not do anyting in Ocho Rios or Nassau....got off the boat, looked around a bit and then got back on.

 

The only real lame entertainment was a "trivia" contest in the Red Frog that was not trivia at all. Dumb MC would say... if some team buys me a shot, I will award 1 point. Blathered on between half-baked questions and was moving so slow, we finally got up and left. It was more of a "buy some drinks while I try some lame comedy".

 

Daughter won the Hasbro game and got a few hundred bucks in games and gift cards.

 

We had winners and losers in the casino, but I was not expecting to pay for my cruise with winnings.

 

We had a lido deck balcony, so it was nice to walk out and grab a drink or some food and then head back to the room without having to take an elevator.

[otisishere]

Me and my husband were on the same cruise and we absolutely loved the ship. We ate in the dining room (my time) twice and both times were excellent regarding service and food. We were there for lobster night and the waiter asked my husband when he served him whether he would like another lobster dinner because they were on the small side. Of course he said yes, :rolleyes:

 

We are so spoiled since the Breeze that we don't want to go on anything else. The comfortable seating arrangements located thru out the ship are wonderful. Sitting on a couch at the back of the ship watching the wake can't be beat. We also had Guy's burgers (I am not a hamburger person either) but they were great! I especially loved the Blue Iguana tacos and burritos. The Bonsai Sushi was nothing less than perfect. The only meal we didn't like at all was the Italian restaurant.

 

Our balcony cabin was also on the Lido deck. We couldn't have had a better cabin location. The room steward was excellent, Sergio.

 

I burn easily so the umbrellas everywhere were great. Everything was spotless, they are always cleaning. We didn't run into any crew members that were not friendly, however there were a few passengers that were a tad rude but why let that ruin a wonderful vacation. Its a big ship, I can walk the other way. :eek:

 

The ports are not the best but we did not book for the ports but for specifically this ship and it did not disappoint.

 

I am sorry your cruise was less than perfect but give it another try. We are platinum on RCCL and we actually prefer Carnival now. Go figure...:D

 

We didn't get into the comedy show because of the crowds but heard from several people that the female wasn't that good so was glad I didn't miss anything.

 

I can't wait to book the next cruise on The Breeze.