Trip Review: Carnival Breeze – ‘Exotic’ Eastern Caribbean – December 2013

[OrcaGirl]

Sunday, December 8 – Sea Day #1

 

Our first sea day started with some relaxing on the cove balcony – and spotting a few of those flying fish. After the hubby woke up, we headed up to the Blush dining room for the Sea Day Brunch – no mention of Punchliner, no comedian.

 

Following brunch, we changed for some activities and headed up to the sports deck – Byron to play in the volleyball tournament, and me to go for a run. We’ve got a half marathon coming up in mid-January, and I wanted to make sure I got in at least a couple of short runs during the vacation. I hate treadmills, so I attempted to run on the SkyTrack (7 lap = 1 mile), but it was pretty frustrating. Despite the track being clearly delineated with one-way arrows, people were walking every which way, running/walking two- or three-people abreast and blocking the entire width of the track so it was difficult to pass, stepping onto the track from the mini golf course and not paying attention to where their clubs were sticking out, stopping to take group photos on the track, et cetera. I’m a stickler for running etiquette at the best of times, so this was not my natural environment. :)

 

Post-run chocolate milk on the cove balcony:

 

 

Byron fared a bit better with the volleyball tournament, but did comment that he wished Carnival would offer separate games for people who have some volleyball skills/experience separate versus just want to try the sport for the first time. There were a lot of people wanting to play on this cruise, but I do recall it being hard to get enough people for a game on past trips.

 

After a shower and change, we headed to the Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse for the cooking demo. I tried to heed the advice from CruiseCritic and get there early for a good seat, but failed – although we weren’t too far back in the initial lineup, the set-up of the steakhouse for the cooking demo meant that only the first few rows (maybe a dozen people) would have a decent view of the cooking itself. The room just didn’t seem appropriate for the activity, with a lot of blocked sightlines (not to mention the lady in the second rowing holding her full-size iPad up to take photos of the chefs, further blocking the view), and it actually seemed surprisingly disorganized, e.g. half the people in the room received misprinted recipe booklets with pages missing and had to exchange them. Also wasn’t impressed with the member of the entertainment staff who hosted the cooking demo. The food itself, however, was pretty good, especially that mushroom cappuccino. Glad I did this once, but wouldn’t bother again.

 

 

[An aside: it was while we were in line for the cooking demonstration that I learned that a Russian dental conference was taking place on board. I’ve been trying to learn Russian for the past year, in preparation for a month-long trip in February. It was very neat hearing snippets of the language in the buffet line or by the pool – especially when I could understand a few words – but I never worked up the courage to actually strike up a conversation with anyone in Russian.]

 

 

For lunch, I headed to the C-Side BBQ and Byron went up for his first (of many) Guy’s Burger. Even on the first Sea Day, there was a long line for the BBQ right at noon.

 

The afternoon was spent around the aft pool. I really wish the Breeze had an adults-only pool – I absolutely loved that feature on the Glory. Afternoon drinks (a Rum Jumper and a Hurricane Wave) were accompanied by a mushroom pizza to soak up all that alcohol – thought the pizza was delicious, great crust. When the splashy kids got too much for me, we headed up to Serenity for a (windy) nap in one of the clamshells until it was time to get ready for the first elegant night.

 

 

 

 

 

Up next: Taste Bar and evening frivolities.

[OrcaGirl]

Sea Day #1, continued...

 

Before heading to the Sapphire dining room (we had Anytime Dining), we dropped by the Taste Bar for a bite of short rib croquette and pumpkin bisque; very good. I think the Taste Bar remains a hidden gem on the ship, as it was never busy.

 

 

That evening’s meal in the Sapphire dining room was probably my least favourite of the cruise, not due to the food but due to the layout of the table we were seated at. We asked for a two-top, and were seated at the same time next to two ladies (both very nice) whose table was probably less than an inch from ours – we might as well been sitting at the same table. Fine, it’s a big ship, they have to squeeze in a lot of tables, I’ll deal. BUT a couple of inches to our other side was one of the serving islands – where the waitstaff would pile up not just the dishes about to be served but all of the dirty plates. They would scrape leftovers from one plate to another and leave them uncovered a foot from my husband’s head – it wasn’t exactly appetizing. Okay, rant over.

 

 

Foodwise, I had the spring rolls (meh – wish there was a proper plum sauce instead of tomato sauce) and the lobster (very nice). For dessert, I’d asked for the rumoured side dish of peanut butter to stir into my Warm Chocolate Melting Cake, but I think I just confused the poor waiter, who brought me two ice creams instead.

 

 

We had received a $5 match-play for the casino by buying some drink special, and bet that on roulette and won – but kept playing until we were out $20. We wrapped up the night at the comedy club – Jason Blanchard was very funny, one of the better comedians I’ve seen on a cruise ship.

 

 

And then it was early to bed, since we had an early start the next morning in Grand Turk!

[OrcaGirl]

Monday, December 9 – Grand Turk

 

I woke up just in time to pop out onto the cove balcony as the ship came into dock at Grand Turk. This was our first visit to Grand Turk, although we spent a week on Providenciales in Turks & Caicos this past March.

 

 

Quick breakfast in the Lido deck before disembarking – two passengers were taken off in an ambulance, but we hadn’t heard anything about why or what happened. We walked down to the beach and up a bit to see where Oceanscapes Spa was located – I’d heard good things but didn’t want to book an appointment in advance in case my excursion was late getting back.

 

 

Byron headed off to find a cab to take him to Blue Water Divers for his scuba trip, and I spent an hour on a beach chair, reading and watching the Westerdam dock behind us. It really is neat being able to dock so close to a beach.

 

 

 

Up next: power snorkel excursion...

[dst]

Just got off the Breeze on Sunday. Embarkation is on Deck 3. We saw a couple getting married the first day.

 

congrats!!

 

 

Thanks - we are scheduled for 12:45 :) on Deck 5 so that's not too bad at all

 

I appreciate the info

[OrcaGirl]

Grand Turk, continued...

 

At 9am (ship time), I headed back up to meet my excursion group for some Power Snorkeling. We had a short ride in a little bus to the “Beach-In”, a quick briefing, then we got our fins and inflatable vests, and into the boat. It was literally a one minute boat ride out to the drop, and into the water we all jumped.

 

After a few minutes getting used to the three-speed power snorkel thingy (that’s the technical term), the guides signaled us to follow. The drop-off itself was pretty cool – given that you’re really looking at nothingness. Saw lots of fish, one small stingray. Someone claimed to have seen a very large stingray closer to shore. The coral was okay, but not in great condition; I’m becoming a bit of a coral snob. We followed the guide from site to site, slowly making our way back to shore.

 

 

In total, I think we spent about 40 minutes in the water – but unlike some snorkel excursions where you’re tired after from swimming against the current, the power snorkel lets you toodle around without any effort. Overall, I liked it but wouldn’t rush to power snorkel again. I’m not a super strong swimmer and don’t tend to snorkel on my own when my husband is diving, but having the power snorkel gave me an extra comfort level.

 

After the bus tide back to the port (during which the driver gave some insight into life on the island and pointed out interesting buildings, wild donkeys and attractions, such as the NASA capsule monument), I walked over to Oceanscapes and was happy to find that they had availability for a 30 minute massage ($40). Partway through, the skies opened and rain poured down for about five minutes – we were under cover, but caught a bit of the spray and loved the sound. Refreshing! Following the massage, I walked up to Jack’s Shack to meet up with my husband, who had finished his dive and was awaiting his order of jerk chicken.

 

 

We hustled back to the ship, and were back on board by 1:30pm – but the jerk chicken hadn’t filled us up, so it was straight to Guy’s Burgers for a ringer and an Iguana Iced Tea. Once again, we watched sailaway from Serenity before heading over to the sport deck for the foosball tournament.

 

 

Up next: foosball and the golf club incident!

[OrcaGirl]

Grand Turk, continued...

 

My husband loves foosball – when I had mentioned that there might be a foosball tournament during this cruise, he got very excited. He was paired up with another passenger, and they crushed their first opponents, and then eked out a come-from-behind victory over the second team. Medal!

 

 

 

 

 

An aside: while I’m watching the foosball, a group of three boys playing mini golf starting goofing off, and swinging their golf clubs around pretty wildly. One of them accidentally whacks me on the ankle with his golf club – and doesn’t apologize or even acknowledge it. I’m not good at confrontation, so I basically just swear under my breath and try to ignore them. They continued to ‘threaten’ to hit each other with their clubs, and finally the staff member running the foosball tournament notices, yells at them to cut it out, and made them put away the golf clubs, and sent them on their way. Was really glad that the staff felt comfortable enough to call them out for their behaviour.

 

In the late afternoon, we hit up the Taste Bar again, this time for chicken tortilla soup and a bite of roast pork. Again, really good. We ate dinner in the buffet before heading to the Red Frog Pub for the adult pub quiz – the trivia theme that night was alcohol, something don’t know enough about to make the quiz fun. I like to have a fighting chance.

 

Finally, we went back to the comedy club to see Tommy Drake – again, very funny. I feel like the comedians were much better this time around compared to previous Carnival cruises. This was also where I discovered my new favourite drink – the BBC, with banana, Baileys and coconut (pina colada). To die for!

 

 

Up next: San Juan, lost hat #1, and the awesome free trolley!

[OrcaGirl]

Tuesday, December 10 – San Juan

 

Slept in until 8:30am! For me, that’s impressive. I grabbed an iced coffee and a breakfast burrito from the Blue Iguana Cantina and brought it back down to enjoy on the cove balcony – and I enjoyed it so much that I didn’t notice that I was dripping pico de gallo all over my brand new white shirt. Oops.

 

 

We had a late-ish arrival into San Juan, and I stayed on the balcony reading until I started to see land. Woke up the hubby, and headed back up to the Lido Deck. While he got his own breakfast burrito, I played a quick game of bingo by the pool – no luck this time. And the bad luck continued, as a gust of wind blew Byron’s hat right into the harbor as we were taking the stairs up to the top deck for a better view of San Juan.

 

 

 

Officially, this was our second time in San Juan, but last time we rushed straight from the airport to the cruise port – leaving on the Caribbean Princess for our honeymoon cruise – and didn’t see anything of the city.

 

We were off the ship by 11:30am, and after a quick stop at the CVS across the street to buy a replacement hat, we hopped onto the free trolley at stop number 14. We stayed on the trolley for one full loop (about an hour), just checking out the buildings and views. By the time we were back at stop number 1, there was a HUGE lineup of cruiseship passengers trying to get on the trolley – so huge, that maybe three or four people got on while another 30 were left behind; so turn left instead of right when exiting the port and get on the trolley at the 'last' stop instead.

 

The approximate location of trolley stop 14 in relation to the port:

 

 

Really glad we got one of the open-air trolleys -- hot day, and the breeze was much appreciated...

 

 

View a large scan of the trolley map.

 

Up next: El Morro.

[OrcaGirl]

San Juan, continued...

 

After riding the trolley for one full loop to get our bearings, we stayed on in order to get back to Castillo San Felipe del Morro. We spent an hour or two exploring the fort, and then meandered back through Old San Juan.

 

 

 

 

 

There was a sudden downpour, and we took refuge in Bad Ass Coffee – good guavaberry turnover. When the rain stopped, we continued on to the cathedral, then had a light snack at a tapas bar – sheep’s milk cheese with honey, and pork empanadas. Saw a lot of feral cats along the city walls, and watched the sunset from the end of Paseo de la Princesa.

 

 

 

Up next: dinner, cancelled shore excursions and juggling...

[I Luv Crusin]

This is one thing I'm overly cautious about. I bring a mini stapler and small roll of packing tape. Once we arrive at our pre-cruise hotel, the airline tags come off and the Carnival tags go on - couple of staples and then laminate it in a ring of packing tape. I also print off extra tags and place a sheet in each suitcase. Call me paranoid, but I want my stuff :cool:

 

I won't call you paranoid! I do the same thing!

 

And to the OP, thanks for the review! We are sailing on the Liberty in March and you've given me some ideas of things to do on Grand Turk and San Juan!

Edited January 1, 2014 by I Luv Crusin

[OrcaGirl]

San Juan, continued...

 

We were back on the ship by 5:30pm, and went for a quick hot-tub pre-dinner.

 

Back in the room, we discovered that our planned excursion for the following day in St Maarten had been cancelled due to low numbers, so we spent some time picking a new one (by which I mean I obsessed over the shore excursion booklet, used my iPad to try to bring up reviews on carnival.com but the connection was horrible, and second-guessed everything...), then headed to dinner. I would have gladly skipped the dining room in favour of the buffet, but tonight was Bitter and Blanc, so…

 

 

Another $5 match play for the casino brought us some luck in roulette, but I lost at bingo in the Ovation Theatre. That night’s show was ‘The Edge’ juggling – it was okay, some interesting moments, but again, the lack of production value was noticeable.

 

 

Coming up tomorrow: St Maarten, St Thomas, and the final two Sea Days.

[michiganirish]

loving this review - will be on this route in 31 short days! Love the Breeze and all these ports. thanks so much

[Windy56]

I am enjoying your review. Great photos and lots of detail. Did you enjoy the live music on the cruise?

[Joyride37]

This is one thing I'm overly cautious about. I bring a mini stapler and small roll of packing tape. Once we arrive at our pre-cruise hotel, the airline tags come off and the Carnival tags go on - couple of staples and then laminate it in a ring of packing tape. I also print off extra tags and place a sheet in each suitcase. Call me paranoid, but I want my stuff :cool:

 

we leave monday on elation and I was wondering how to affix the papered luggage tags. Thanks for the great idea. Can I take it as my own to impress my peeps?:D

 

Martin

[Rounder]

we leave monday on elation and I was wondering how to affix the papered luggage tags. Thanks for the great idea. Can I take it as my own to impress my peeps?:D

 

Martin

 

Some other option's, --- at most port's the porter's have the proper luggage tag's and will put your cabin # on for you.

- Cruise Critic have some neat holders, ( we use them over and over )

enjoy your cruise.

[krismas_tina]

Looking forward to the rest of your review! We are trying to decide between the Breeze and the Freedom for our next cruise...and even though the Breeze looks amazing, the lack of an adults-only pool has me a little worried.

How was the Serenity deck on the Breeze-was it reasonably easy to find a chair? Were the rules enforced (no seat saving, over 21 only)?

[CatlinSTJ]

we leave monday on elation and I was wondering how to affix the papered luggage tags. Thanks for the great idea. Can I take it as my own to impress my peeps?:D

 

Martin

 

Definitely! :p

[2bthereagain]

subscribing :D

[2bthereagain]

Love, Love, Love your review so far!

 

I have a quick question - When I was on the Legend, the Serenity area had a pool and a hot tub. Is there not a pool and hot tub in Serenity on the Breeze?

 

And one more question please - your cabin was on the starboard side, did you enjoy being on that side of the ship? From your sailaway photos, it appears the land, South Beach, the lighthouse, and all of that was on your side of the ship. Is that correct? We have #2309 booked and I have been wondering.... the ship must have reversed out of the harbor?

Edited January 3, 2014 by 2bthereagain

[OrcaGirl]

I am enjoying your review. Great photos and lots of detail. Did you enjoy the live music on the cruise?

 

We didn't specifically go seeking live music, but were pleased with the pub guitar in Red Frog and the guitar players by the pool at certain times was a great change from the very loud recorded music.

 

Looking forward to the rest of your review! We are trying to decide between the Breeze and the Freedom for our next cruise...and even though the Breeze looks amazing, the lack of an adults-only pool has me a little worried.

How was the Serenity deck on the Breeze-was it reasonably easy to find a chair? Were the rules enforced (no seat saving, over 21 only)?

 

Unlike my past cruise on the Glory, where it seemed like the over-21-only rule was frequently ignored, I only spotted one child in Serenity (in the hot tub with his mom) throughout the entire cruise.

 

You could find a chair in Serenity easily, just not necessarily one you would want, e.g. a lot of the chairs were right up against a vent and were super noisy. And the clamshells filled up fast.

 

Erin

[mississauga]

We arrived in Miami around 6pm, and since we were in no particular rush, decided to take public transit to our downtown hotel. Loved that the rail system has free Wi-Fi – wish more cities would follow suit.

 

Erin, thanks for taking the time out to do a review of our favourite Carnival ship.

 

Was the rail system that you mention the Tri-Rail? We are staying at a hotel near the airport but want to go down to Bayside for the evening. Can you please elaborate on how you got downtown to the Bayside ( your hotel ) area? Did the rail system you took take you right from the airport to the Bayside area or did you still have to take a bus to get there? Would appreciate any tips you have.:)

[cruisinsly]

Sea Day #1, continued...

 

 

 

 

I would have been a little upset by this arrangement as well. I think I would have asked for a different table.

 

Great review and pictures!!

[OrcaGirl]

Love, Love, Love your review so far!

 

I have a quick question - When I was on the Legend, the Serenity area had a pool and a hot tub. Is there not a pool and hot tub in Serenity on the Breeze?

 

And one more question please - your cabin was on the starboard side, did you enjoy being on that side of the ship? From your sailaway photos, it appears the land, South Beach, the lighthouse, and all of that was on your side of the ship. Is that correct? We have #2309 booked and I have been wondering.... the ship must have reversed out of the harbor?

 

There was no pool in the Serenity area on the Breeze -- that would have been awesome. There are two hot tubs, but one was closed (empty) for pretty much the entire cruise. The one time I did see it open, it was very sudsy -- so many bubbles, they were blowing up into the wind and onto the lounge chairs.

 

Yes, our cabin was on the starboard side. When we were docked in Miami, the ship was facing 'backwards' (we had to turn around before heading out to sea) -- if we had watched sailaway from our cabin, we would not have seen South Beach, etc. Hope that makes sense.

 

Erin

[OrcaGirl]

Erin, thanks for taking the time out to do a review of our favourite Carnival ship.

 

Was the rail system that you mention the Tri-Rail? We are staying at a hotel near the airport but want to go down to Bayside for the evening. Can you please elaborate on how you got downtown to the Bayside ( your hotel ) area? Did the rail system you took take you right from the airport to the Bayside area or did you still have to take a bus to get there? Would appreciate any tips you have.:)

 

I don't recall it being named the Tri-Rail.

 

From the airport, there was a MIA Mover train that took us the short distance from the airport itself to the Miami Central Station. There, we bought our transit tickets ($2.25 per person, I think) and got on the MetroRail train headed to downtown Miami (Orange Line). It's described here: http://www.miami-airport.com/bus_and_rail_info.asp

 

We got off at Government Center station and walked the few blocks to our hotel on Biscayne Boulevard. We could have transferred at Government Center to the free MetroMover train, which would have taken us closer to the hotel (there's a stop right on Biscayne), but we didn't have much luggage so the walk was fine.

 

Erin

[Eng23]

I don't recall it being named the Tri-Rail.

 

From the airport, there was a MIA Mover train that took us the short distance from the airport itself to the Miami Central Station. There, we bought our transit tickets ($2.25 per person, I think) and got on the MetroRail train headed to downtown Miami (Orange Line). It's described here: http://www.miami-airport.com/bus_and_rail_info.asp

 

We got off at Government Center station and walked the few blocks to our hotel on Biscayne Boulevard. We could have transferred at Government Center to the free MetroMover train, which would have taken us closer to the hotel (there's a stop right on Biscayne), but we didn't have much luggage so the walk was fine.

 

Erin

Just FYI: The Tri-Rail Train is a commuter train that runs from Miami north to Ft. Lauderdale. The closest Tri-Rail stop is just north of the airport near Hialeah. The Tri-Rail is in the process of being extended to the Miami Airport.

Thanks very doing this review! :)

[mississauga]

I don't recall it being named the Tri-Rail.

 

From the airport, there was a MIA Mover train that took us the short distance from the airport itself to the Miami Central Station. There, we bought our transit tickets ($2.25 per person, I think) and got on the MetroRail train headed to downtown Miami (Orange Line). It's described here: http://www.miami-airport.com/bus_and_rail_info.asp

 

We got off at Government Center station and walked the few blocks to our hotel on Biscayne Boulevard. We could have transferred at Government Center to the free MetroMover train, which would have taken us closer to the hotel (there's a stop right on Biscayne), but we didn't have much luggage so the walk was fine.

 

Erin

 

 

Thank you. Do you remember how long the trip/ ride took?