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Just Back...Blown Away By The Breeze

Wakepatrol

By Wakepatrol,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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Wakepatrol

Wakepatrol

Posted
Posted

My wife and I (both 52 years of age) decided to take a spin on the Carnival Breeze for 8 days. It was an 8 day cruise and our ports were

 

Grand Turk

La Romana Dominica Republic

Curacao

Aruba

 

We left from Miami-

 

Yes I am a big HAL enthusiast cheerleader etc. I assumed I was going on a cruise with a bunch of party animals and booze smugglers,but decided to go for it.

 

What an awesome cruise. It was absolutely fantastic.

 

I had read that the ship held 3700 people. There was actually 4,703 aboard plus crew.

 

We drove to Miami used Premier Cruise parking which will save you $100 in parking charges. They are located about a mile from the port in a secure covered garage. They shuttle you to the port and back to your car after the cruise. we waited 10 minutes for the shuttle to get there,and then another 10 minutes when we got back. Easy peasy

 

We ended up with a handicapped ocean view spa cabin. This cabin was huge.You could play tennis in there. We were assigned a handicapped cabin with the chance we could lose it if a handicapped person needed it. No worries we were going with the flow.

 

We boarded in 20 minutes after reaching the port arrived in our cabin # 11204. What a cabin! You walk out your door take two steps and walk out onto your private observation deck. Turn right walk 5 steps and an elevator takes you to the spa,and the serenity deck (adults only) clam shells, hammocks, rattan couches etc.

 

With the spa cabin you get free use of the t-pool, tile loungers etc,slippers,robes,and beautiful bedding.

 

The ship never felt crowded (hard to believe) with 4700 passengers. The only crowded area was the pools,which are too small for this many passengers. We're not pool people so no biggie.

 

The food is endless. There's fat Jimmy's Bar B-Q on sea days which is delicious. There's Guys Hamburgers very popular and delicious as well. There's Indian food,pizza station,Blue Iguana (tacos, Burritos)

 

and then the Marketplace which is like the Lido but way bigger.

 

I'm probably forgetting more places,there's two dining rooms Blush and Sapphire. We like the blush better (prettier)

 

This truly is the fun ship. People are up till all hours of the night,no not getting drunk. They're going to karaoke,going to the adults only comedy club,dancing in the disco,singing at the piano bar,listening to an 80's band. Getting their pictures taken,watching a movie under the stars by the pool on a lounger with popcorn and a blanket.

 

I though back to HAL... two violin players before dinner and everybody asleep at 10pm. This was very different.

 

The ship is spotless antiseptic clean,friendly crew. The waiters sing and dance on their tables every evening in the dining room. Did I mention this is the fun ship?

 

We even went on the water slide a few times,more fun.

 

The ports were fantastic.

 

in Grand Turk

 

we went on a private excursion snorkeling and sting rays there were only 6 of us on the trip.

 

In La Romana we were going to stay on the ship. Thank god we didn't make a terrible decision like that. We took a private tour (12 of us) to Sanoa Island on a speedboat. Trust me you have never seen a beach like this,it truly is breathtaking. We snorkeled on the way to the Island at an abandoned pier went through some mangroves, then went to the Island. I will never forget how beautiful that beach was. We then stopped at a sandbar on the way back and found some starfish. We also had a delicious lunch on the island.

 

In Curacao we took a private tour (8 of us) to the West side of the island,drove all around and went to 2 stunning beaches.

 

In Aruba we took a ship tour. We rode in jeeps off road,all the way to the Natural Pool and then went swimming in it. This is off road seat belted in,if you have a bad back,this excursion is not for you.

 

 

This cruise was off the hook!!!!!!!!!!!

 

The ship,the crew,the ports,

 

Still reeling from all the fun we had, now I understand why they call it the fun ship. I'm still a HAL enthusiast but so glad I broadened my horizons and went on this ship. Any questions feel free to ask:)

quote.gif

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alpal1993

alpal1993

Posted
Posted

Thanks for the review.Will be doing the same itinerary as you on the Breeze in June. We have been on 3 HAL cruises and yes the ships are pretty deserted by 10.We do our cruises for itinerary,and sometimes HAL because of its smaller ships have the best ports.On our Montreal to Boston cruise we had the piano bar mostly to ourselves 3 or 4 couples only.We loved it .Some of the other ship performers joined us and we had our own private concert,to the wee hour of 1 am LOL.

It took us awhile to actually Carnival,but in 2012 we did a Med cruise on Sunshine and we were hooked. No disappointments at all.

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artmanr

artmanr

Posted
Posted

On the very same cruise. Actually just down the hall from you in 11224. I know that experiences can vary quite a bit on the very same cruise ship, but we had a blast. 2 adults and 2 teens. Busy all day and night doing something. Ports were fun and varied. Nothing too much the same. As for food, I have to say it was outstanding each night in the YTD room. We kept the same wait staff team as they were so good to us. Our cabin steward was a ninja genius and had our room cleaned faster than anyone ever (6th cruise). I am sure there will be people who do not share my opinion, but this was the best criuise ever (and we said that last October after an 8 day Breeze).

 

Did I mention that my cocktail won the Red Frog v. Blue Iguana contest? That was such a blast.

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Kcarp

Kcarp

Posted
Posted
My wife and I (both 52 years of age) decided to take a spin on the Carnival Breeze for 8 days. It was an 8 day cruise and our ports were

 

Grand Turk

La Romana Dominica Republic

Curacao

Aruba

 

We left from Miami-

 

Yes I am a big HAL enthusiast cheerleader etc. I assumed I was going on a cruise with a bunch of party animals and booze smugglers,but decided to go for it.

 

What an awesome cruise. It was absolutely fantastic.

 

I had read that the ship held 3700 people. There was actually 4,703 aboard plus crew.

 

We drove to Miami used Premier Cruise parking which will save you $100 in parking charges. They are located about a mile from the port in a secure covered garage. They shuttle you to the port and back to your car after the cruise. we waited 10 minutes for the shuttle to get there,and then another 10 minutes when we got back. Easy peasy

 

We ended up with a handicapped ocean view spa cabin. This cabin was huge.You could play tennis in there. We were assigned a handicapped cabin with the chance we could lose it if a handicapped person needed it. No worries we were going with the flow.

 

We boarded in 20 minutes after reaching the port arrived in our cabin # 11204. What a cabin! You walk out your door take two steps and walk out onto your private observation deck. Turn right walk 5 steps and an elevator takes you to the spa,and the serenity deck (adults only) clam shells, hammocks, rattan couches etc.

 

With the spa cabin you get free use of the t-pool, tile loungers etc,slippers,robes,and beautiful bedding.

 

The ship never felt crowded (hard to believe) with 4700 passengers. The only crowded area was the pools,which are too small for this many passengers. We're not pool people so no biggie.

 

The food is endless. There's fat Jimmy's Bar B-Q on sea days which is delicious. There's Guys Hamburgers very popular and delicious as well. There's Indian food,pizza station,Blue Iguana (tacos, Burritos)

 

and then the Marketplace which is like the Lido but way bigger.

 

I'm probably forgetting more places,there's two dining rooms Blush and Sapphire. We like the blush better (prettier)

 

This truly is the fun ship. People are up till all hours of the night,no not getting drunk. They're going to karaoke,going to the adults only comedy club,dancing in the disco,singing at the piano bar,listening to an 80's band. Getting their pictures taken,watching a movie under the stars by the pool on a lounger with popcorn and a blanket.

 

I though back to HAL... two violin players before dinner and everybody asleep at 10pm. This was very different.

 

The ship is spotless antiseptic clean,friendly crew. The waiters sing and dance on their tables every evening in the dining room. Did I mention this is the fun ship?

 

We even went on the water slide a few times,more fun.

 

The ports were fantastic.

 

in Grand Turk

 

we went on a private excursion snorkeling and sting rays there were only 6 of us on the trip.

 

In La Romana we were going to stay on the ship. Thank god we didn't make a terrible decision like that. We took a private tour (12 of us) to Sanoa Island on a speedboat. Trust me you have never seen a beach like this,it truly is breathtaking. We snorkeled on the way to the Island at an abandoned pier went through some mangroves, then went to the Island. I will never forget how beautiful that beach was. We then stopped at a sandbar on the way back and found some starfish. We also had a delicious lunch on the island.

 

In Curacao we took a private tour (8 of us) to the West side of the island,drove all around and went to 2 stunning beaches.

 

In Aruba we took a ship tour. We rode in jeeps off road,all the way to the Natural Pool and then went swimming in it. This is off road seat belted in,if you have a bad back,this excursion is not for you.

 

 

This cruise was off the hook!!!!!!!!!!!

 

The ship,the crew,the ports,

 

Still reeling from all the fun we had, now I understand why they call it the fun ship. I'm still a HAL enthusiast but so glad I broadened my horizons and went on this ship. Any questions feel free to ask:)

quote.gif

 

We were on the same cruise and we had a different experience than you guys. We are pool people and we felt very crowded on most activities. Still had a good time. :)

 

Here is a pic on Sea day.

 

DSCN0187.jpg

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kona_wahine

kona_wahine

Posted
Posted

Great. I googled Sanoa island and now I want to go. ;) we are same age as you and have had only wonderful times on carnival. Then again, never have tried a different line but have never felt the need to spend the extra Benjamin's.

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outdoors27

outdoors27

Posted
Posted (edited)

Great review!!!! We sailed on the Breeze on 7/5 this year on the 8 day route as well and we just booked her again for this August 10th for the 6 day route in less than 2 weeks. This is a great ship and as my signature on CC indicates I'm a Carnival Cheerleader. I like when I see someone who traditionally cruises on another line have a good experience on a Carnival ship. Carnival gets the southwest airlines discount wrap of cruising, but it can be such a great experience. We loved this ship and crew. Yes, its the newest ship as of this time and it gets the best of the best to work on her for the most part, but we loved our experience on it, which is why we decided at the last minute to rebook her. I think Carnival did it right with this ship especially with the toned down decor. Its not HAL, Princess or even RCCL but it has an elegant feel to it. I do have to say I also agree with someone who posted on this thread that experiences are different and the mid ship pool is crowded as their picture displayed. Ours was worse than that picture, but we dealt with it. There are so many other places on this ship to disappear to to find peace and quiet and avoid the mid-ship madness, which is a nice feature. I'm glad the OP enjoyed and I hope all that read this and will be sailing have a great experience as well. Happy cruising everyone....

Edited by outdoors27
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Wakepatrol

Wakepatrol

Posted
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Posted
From the deck plans, it looks like the gym was above your cabin. Any noise from treadmills or equipment, especially early in the morning?

 

No...I was all prepared to hear barbells dropping all cruise. never heard a peep

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092306

092306

Posted
Posted

It's always great to have your expectations exceeded! We would love to go on the Breeze, sounds like such a fun time. Glad you had a great cruise!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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Wakepatrol

Wakepatrol

Posted
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Glad you had a great time! I'll be sailing this itinerary in September and can't wait. For the Aruba excursion, were the jeeps driven by professionals or do the passengers drive them?

 

 

Hi- No the jeeps were driven by professionals. You have to sign a waiver before you take this excursion.

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artmanr

artmanr

Posted
Posted

As I said above, experiences can vary from person to person. My personal ***** for cruising is that "your cruise is what you make it". This means that you have to be flexible, because things happen that are not expected (weather, missing a port, getting sick, etc.) AND that you have to seize each day and make the most of it. The tools are there for you to have fun. It's up to you to take the action to participate, get involved and have fun. Or...if you doing nothing is your goal....you can do that too.

 

Not to hijack this review, but I would like to say this:

 

1. Food in MDR - we loved it. The variety was great. The presentations were amazing. We had great food. Only one thing was a dud and it was a small filet that was over cooked. Could have ordered another, but no big deal.

 

2. Room Steward - ours was a woman who was awesome. She politely greeted us on day one. We asked for ice at all times and she did it. Our room was spotless. Great job!!

 

3. Pools - on sea days the pool and chairs were packed. However on deck areas away from the pools, there were plenty of chairs. Mostly along the side of the ship on 5, 11, 12....and in Serenity. At NIGHT the pools were hardly used at all. We did the Dive in Movie 4 times and hung out in the pool for much of it.

 

4. Quality and Friendliness of Staff - I encountered many staff members and all were very polite and friendly. The manager of Cucina Del Capitano was very nice and took time to explain things to me. I didn't eat dinner there, but my lunch was fantastic.

 

5. Buffets - we had a few meals from the buffets. They were really good. Nothing spectacular, but better than average food from most chain restaurants. Also, the Deli, the Tandoori, the Blue Iguana burrito bar....all very good.

 

Ports:

 

Grand Turk - nice beaches and Jimmy Buffet's. Did a taxi tour of the island and it's small and not that much to see. I would go snorkeling or diving if I was to go there again.

 

La Romana - we did the island tour by speed boat. Great trip. Loved it.

 

Curacao - island tour with beach blast. What a good time. Beautiful island (except for the refineries)....but there is so much beauty. Would have loved to shop downtown, but our tour got back around 5 and the shops ALL CLOSE at SIX. We wandered around anyhow. Missed the opportunity to shop though. And some of the shops looked cool. This stop and Aruba are the big shopping ports. Don't miss them if you want to buy some goodies.

 

Almost bought a big wheel of cheese in Curacao. Didn't. $40 for an 8 pound wheel of Gouda. Shops right at the port also closed earlier than I expected. So make sure you do your shopping early.

 

Aruba - did the least here. Just went out and wandered shops. There are plenty. Would have done an excursion if we didn't all pass out from exhaustion (not literally). We needed some down time, so we shopped and then went back to the ship for some R&R. Great port though. And I did buy the Gouda. $35 this time. So $5 savings.

 

Enjoy your cruise. It is what you make it.

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