8 Days on the BREEZE: FlyingCruiserNJ's Southern Caribbean Vacation Review

[Crusin Karen]

Oh, that was wonderful! We did the kooka kanukka whatever it's called on Voyager OTS years ago. It was a bar hopping excursion. I think doing a tour of the island would have been better, tho we did have a FUN time! :D:o DH'es cousin and SO have a timeshare in Aruba and are actually leaving TODAY to fly down for 2 weeks. They RAVE about the island. Very interesting about the airport runway and a bit scary too! THANKS for the share!

[Jenner9]

Thank you for taking the time to do your review! I look for the next installment daily!! :D I am doing the same itinerary but not until 2016! :eek:

[Crusin Karen]

LOL...DH'es cousin's SO just emailed me that she is at the airport to fly to Aruba. I told her to watch out for cruise ships below her! :D:eek:

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Thanks for the review- sailing on the same itinerary on the Breeze today! Did the eastern Caribbean last year on the Breeze and loved the ship so I am back again!

 

I did the eastern on the Victory I believe back in 2012 and it was great. Loved all the stops we made. Great time of year also as long as the hurricanes stay away which they did both this time and that time.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Oh, that was wonderful! We did the kooka kanukka whatever it's called on Voyager OTS years ago. It was a bar hopping excursion. I think doing a tour of the island would have been better, tho we did have a FUN time! :D:o DH'es cousin and SO have a timeshare in Aruba and are actually leaving TODAY to fly down for 2 weeks. They RAVE about the island. Very interesting about the airport runway and a bit scary too! THANKS for the share!

 

Thanks for checking out my review! I had read that the Kukuu Kunuku was sort of a party bus but my mom really wanted to go on it. Probably better off that she got to do an excursion with not as many stops though. Aruba seems like a nice place, just not the green Caribbean paradise people picture it to be, like the more northern islands. I am sure either the pilots saw us or the tower saw us and the plane wasn't going to hit us but it was sure neat to watch. We clearly obstructed their path and they had to wait for us, how many times can you say that ever happens? Nothing to be worried about though. As they say, go-arounds and missed approaches happen many times a day at some major airports and they happen because of safety procedures in place and to keep us all safe. Anyway, part 8 of the review is forthcoming, hope you continue to enjoy reading.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Thank you for taking the time to do your review! I look for the next installment daily!! :D I am doing the same itinerary but not until 2016! :eek:

 

Next installment is coming up :D. Thank you for following along. I booked this about 4 months prior to sail date but had it under consideration long before that, after reading all about the ship and the reviews from a number of cruisecritic members, who pretty much all said the ship was incredible and the stops were really good. Enjoy your cruise and 2016 will be here in no time. Really, 2015 is almost here and it seems 2014 just started.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

LOL...DH'es cousin's SO just emailed me that she is at the airport to fly to Aruba. I told her to watch out for cruise ships below her! :D:eek:

 

LOL, if they came in from the ocean look to the left. That is where the ships dock. Maybe the ships should look out for the planes next time :cool:. They're encroaching on the planes' space now haha. But there is nothing like seeing the cruise ship you are about to go on or just got off, or any parked ship from above in a plane though.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Welcome back aboard folks, here is the long-awaited part 8 of my Carnival Breeze southern Caribbean journey from September 27. Thank you all for your kind comments and thank you for following me through my cruise vacation adventure. All our port stops were complete and now it was time for us to head back to Miami. Since the ABC Islands are so far away, we had two sea days to enjoy on the way back. Today was a sea day.

DAY 8: SEA DAY

With all the excitement of the island visits done with, today was a day to just relax and check some stuff out on the ship. I woke up fairly late as usual and just kind of kicked around some. I spent some time out on the balcony and got a few nice shots of the ocean. I have to say the ocean was extremely calm for this entire voyage. Almost like glass some days. Forgot you were on a ship more than a few times it was so calm. I guess we got lucky considering it was early October in the Caribbean and everything.

This was the ocean from my balcony at midday - lots of ships going in the opposite direction all day long. Must be a very busy shipping corridor.

 

They had the ice carving demonstration up on lido today or so I heard but I didn't go. Probably the first time I haven't at least glanced at it walking past. Just too much other stuff to do. I walked around down on the promenade deck some and was going to go to Jimmy's BBQ again but the line was ridiculous and I just didn't feel like waiting out in the heat for an hour for food. The bbq closes at 1430 so if you don't get there early enough you miss out. It would be open again tomorrow however. So I went back to lido and got a burger and some mongolian wok. I just got up there before the wok closed. They will allow anyone who is still in line when the official close time comes, just no new entries.

I also stopped by the Deli, which is in the middle of the Lido Marketplace, and got a few steamed 1/4 lb hot dogs. Only problem with the deli is that service can be really slow here for some reason. Lunch was good however. I met up with my mom here and she got some deli sandwich and something from the regular lido buffet. Honestly I can't say I went to the lido theme buffet even once on this cruise. I missed Caribbean day and that is really the only day they have anything I would want there. The only other exception might be American day when they have fried chicken and roast beef carved to order.

After lunch my mom went to the gift shop to buy some stuff, who knows what lol and I went back to get a nap in the cabin. I only stopped in the gift shop once on this voyage and didn't buy anything. I usually get a ship-specific mug and maybe a few magnets but for some reason I did not this time. Truth be told we have a cabinet full of mugs from cruises and we don't need any more. I figured I got enough Breeze memories from my photos and other things and I didn't need to buy any more stuff. My mom said the sales they had in there that day were good however. The gift shop is located in the main promenade area with all the high-end shops and the like and I will talk a little about that setup when I summarize the last sea day.

After taking a nap, I geared up to go for my evening swim and hot tub therapy. Sunset was around 1830 and so I got this pic of the sunset from my balcony before going to the lido. Nothing like a cruise huh?

 

Tonight was the second formal night, or cruise elegant night so I had to get sort of cleaned up for dinner. We went to the mdr and I got some NY strip that was on the regular menu and a half chicken I think IIRC. The steak was really good. If you order a steak cooked medium they usually deliver a pretty good cut of meat cooked just right. I cannot remember what the starter was for tonight but it might have been navy bean soup. Carnival makes the best navy bean soup, man. I mean it. I actually will get two bowls of it sometimes. I did NOT get wcmc for dessert tonight, as there was something else that I cannot remember on the menu and I elected to take that instead. Note that there was no Williams Pear on the menu all week which kind of disappointed me a little bit. I did get the fresh fruit plate for dessert a few nights and Carnival hits it out of the park with these. They include many types of berries and melons. Really artfully done also. Also, you can actually preview each night's mdr menu on your room television now so you can plan out your dining for each night at the very beginning of the cruise if you so choose.

Pic of me getting ready to take out that dinner on my plate, lol:

Dinner lasted until about 2215 tonight so we stopped back in the room for a little while before going to the 2315 comedy show. Standing outside the lounge for a half hour waiting to get in didn't sound like much fun. We headed back towards the lounge at about 2245 and the first, very crowded show was just letting out. We did get seats as we were very early arrivals into the lounge for the late show. You just have to get there very, very early to actually get seated. Just bad logistical planning by Carnival. I understand they have to have it in that venue because of the George Lopez Punchliner branding and all that but the layout of the lounge just plain sucks. They only have a couple hundred seats and a few dozen couch type seats and that's it. Not a lot of standing room available either. If they know they are going to get 500 people or more at the show plan accordingly for that.

Anyway, tonight's act was again Jaylyn Bishop and she was again extremely funny and entertaining. It is just how she presents the jokes that make her funny. She could tell any kind of story and make it entertaining and laugh-worthy. Much better than the guy they had the next night. At about midnight, after the show was over I again went upstairs to lido to get some pizza and hot chocloate with a soda on the side and hang out for a while. I note that there are about a dozen beverage stations located on lido. The lemonade and iced tea along with tap water is free but they have coffee and hot chocolate machines every 50 feet or so. Good touch. On some ships the drink stations get way too crowded because there aren't enough of them for the volume of people. We headed back to the cabin at about 0100, I sat out on the balcony and just hung out for a while and I went to sleep shortly after that. The cruise was beginning to wind down, just one more day to go. Day 9 is upcoming shortly and hope you have all enjoyed reading and following along so far. I really did a lot of exploring on the last day and got a lot of pics to share from that exploring so be sure to check that out.

Evening turndown and funtimes in cabin:

Edited October 29, 2014 by FlyingCruiserNJ

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

I finally got the time to post the long-awaited Day 9 of my Carnival Breeze southern sailing from about a month ago, to Grand Turk, La Romana, Curacao and Aruba. So far we have chronicled my pre-cruise, on-ship adventures and my island visits. Today was the second sea day, on our way back to Miami. The cruise was beginning to wind down. Plenty to do and see on the ship this day however. I have a few dozen pics that I took on this day so I will include them in separate posts so this single post isn't ridiculously long. Here goes!

DAY 9: FINAL SEA DAY

As I said, today was the last sea day on our way back to Miami, FL. I woke up at my normal time and contemplated what I wanted to get done on this last day of the cruise. Gold and above cruisers get a coupon for a free drink at brunch on sea days on all cruises and I hadn't cashed mine in yet. Seaday brunch is in the Blush dining room if I recall, and goes until 1300. I guess a lot of other people got the same idea and there was a line to get into the mdr at approximately noon for seating. Ain't nobody got time for that. The brunch isn't that good that I would wait a half an hour to get seated but the bar staff was good about getting people with coupons their free drinks just outside the door quickly and therefore I didn't have to go inside the dining room. I got a Miami Vice for my free drink. Yeah, yeah, you got jokes I am sure. It tastes good, not a lot of alcohol though. In the past I have gotten a Foster's oil can but I think they stopped offering that because it was such a good value people were always ordering them instead of other stuff. Margaritas are good as well but I didn't get one this time. Anyway, my mom did go into brunch and met some new friends over a bloody mary but she said the service was slow although the food was good.

Anyway, before going to lunch I walked around the ship some to take photos of popular public areas and attractions that I frequented during the cruise. I got shots of Guy's, the cantina, nightclub, the outsides of the specialty restaurants and lounges, outer decks, pools, etc and I will happily share them after writing about this last exciting sea day. Here, Captain Alcaras gave us the daily weather briefing and conditions that we should expect when we arrive back in Miami the next morning. He gave us a nice briefing every day around midday and that was a nice touch. We sailed right along the coast of Cuba, between Cuba and Haiti on our way back to Miami today. We could see land almost the entire time. I did get a pic of the ship position screen they showed on the big information tv on promenade, right next to the sushi bar later in the afternoon.

I have to mention that it is funny that out of thousands of pax and even crew on a ship this big, you always see the same hundred or so people everywhere you go. I have mentioned this in the past but it rings true every time. I don't get it, maybe someone else does. I guess people in all areas of the ship experience this, it just must be the idea that you will see more of the people who have similar daily routines to yours. It's just perplexing, one of those weird things about cruising I guess.

Back on track, after exploring and getting some photo memories of my favorite areas on the ship, I went to the Jimmy's C-Side BBQ at about 1400 to get some grub. The line was long again today but it was bearable. Very little wind in this area, on lanai, midship right outside the casino. Very calm seas again on this day as well. I got my pulled pork and some sausage, which I actually had to wait a few minutes for them to cook, The volume of food being churned out here today was impressive and they had a hard time keeping up with the demand. My sausages were fresh though, for sure. Good. After that I went upstairs and got one last bowl from the Mongolian wok. Come about 1530, I met my mom at the deli, she got a sandwich and I got another few hot dogs. I also got a few mugs of hot chocolate to enjoy with a later lunch here.

I have to say that the lido marketplace is really well set up on this ship. It never feels crowded although it usually is and you can almost always find a table, somewhere anytime. It's hard to explain but the layout is genius. It is divided into little dining rooms inside one big area and the restaurants are not located too close together so as to create a logjam in any one area. Much nicer than some other, older design Carnival ships. Do keep in mind that the floor is slippery even when dry though. I had mentioned this earlier. I had heard some other people discussing the design of the ship and they said that basically Carnival took feedback about all its ships and tweaked everything to try emphasize what they do well and improve on what they usually didn't do so well. They did a good job with this Breeze.

Now, earlier I had said that the cabin televisions and your actual s/s account as viewed by guest services tended to differ. It was actually very confusing. You can view the individual folio of each person in the cabin on the tv, which is handy. Platinums get I think, 2 or 3 free bags of wash, dry and fold laundry on a 7 day or longer sailing. We turned ours in on Thursday and noted that we were platinum and got it back on Friday, and that wasn't a problem. However, there was a charge showing on my mom's account for the $15 or whatever laundry charge. When she went to GS to get it resolved, they told her she was never charged although it clearly showed on our tv that it was charged. Whatever they did to get it taken off, we didn't have to pay it at the end but the discrepancies between systems is annoying. They were very gracious about it and did take care of the situation however so I give them credit for that. I do have to say that while there were some mistakes made in charging us for things we should not have been charged for, they were resolved without any incidents all week long.

At 1600 I went upstairs and played some more minigolf and walked a few laps around the track. I didn't get a chance to go into the waterworks on this ship. Waterworks is open during daylight hours and is located beween the Serenity deck and the main lido deck, forward. It has a huge enclosed waterslide and a few children's slides, in a water park setting. There is a huge water bucket that fills up and dumps on whoever or whatever is below it every few minutes. There are also a few water cannons that people can shoot at targets walking past or at each other. Bottom line is that it looks fun although I don't like high waterslides, so I didn't try it. You will also get wet if you walk past the area, even if you are not actually in the area. I didn't get any pics of this area however, unfortunately.

I went back to the cabin to help pack for the trip home and took a short nap around 1700. I went to the hot tub on serenity one last time at 1900 and it was not busy at all. It is the last day and people were probably busy getting ready to pack up and prepare to get off the ship the next morning. I got back to the cabin at 1945, got ready for dinner and we saw Mariusz, the cabin steward to thank him for his good service and give him a nice tip. It was on to the last dinner of our cruise, always a sort of sad time.

I got frog legs for an app tonight. Neat. They really do taste just like chicken. LOL. I have had them before so I kind of knew what to expect but they were really good this time. I got prime rib as it was again offered tonight and also some sort of fish plate I believe but my memory is kind of fuzzy by now, a month after the fact. Everything was good and of course I got one last chocolate melting cake for dessert. The waitstaff did their leaving on a funship routine and that always kind of signals the end of the cruise, doesn't it? The maitre'd also gave a nice speech thanking us for cruising and the staff for serving us and each other all week and it was over just like that. Of course we made sure our entire wait staff was taken care of monetarily and we thanked them for taking care of us all week and it was off to the cabin to put our 3 suitcases outside to be picked up by the staff for debarkation day. We also filled out our customs declaration form, which is required for all pax coming off a cruise, re-entering the USA through any port of entry. One less thing to do at the very end.

At 2245, we lined up to go see the last comedian show in the limelight lounge. Tonight's entertainer was Michael Macy, and truth be told, his performance was forgettable and was a big waste of time. It is the last night however and nobody wants the fun to end so a few hundred of us stayed the whole time because leaving would mean the cruise was really pretty much over. haha. His jokes were not funny, he ridiculed members of the audience and was not funny doing it, and just generally was not entertaining.

That was over at around midnight and we headed upstairs one last time to get a drink and some hot chocolate along with one last piece of pepperoni pizza. The pizza is OK but not as good as what I am used to at home. I joked with the guys from Chicago about that also earlier in the cruise, they have pretty good pizza there also (Giordano's anyone?) but for cruise ship fare it was fine. What I can't understand though is the fact that there were still people getting trashed at the bars at almost 1 AM on the last night. How are they going to be functional to get off the ship the next morning? Not my problem though but when I passed through the casino on the way back to the cabin at almost 0200, there were still a lot of people in the casino. I don't go on cruises to gamble but I know some people do but wow, that is dedication there.

I hung out on the balcony for a little while and finished off the wine that we brought on the ship with us and was in bed by 0300. I kept the position map with our progress back to MIA on the tv screen all night so if I woke up at any point, I could see how close we were to home port. It turns out that we got back very early on debark morning but I will talk about that in part 10, the last day of the vacation. I hope everyone has enjoyed re-living my vacation with me, I surely have enjoyed writing about it and I will also include a general observations and comments section at the very end of the review. Thanks again for reading.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Here are some pics from the last sea day and of the ship itself.

My Miami Vice from the seaday brunch. Due to the volume they had at the mdr today, they let people get their drinks without having to enter the dining room which was cool. No need to go to seaday brunch twice in the same cruise.

 

 

Guy's Burger Joint - open 1200 to 1800 every day, pretty good burgers and fries.

 

 

Blue Iguana Cantina - good burritos, never a long line, open 1200-1430 every day. Located on lido, right near Guy's.

 

 

The gift shop. They have the usual stuff in here it looks like, although I did not buy anything. Open late except when the ship is in port, as with the casino, other shops, photo gallery, etc. Also located in this area were Cherry on Top and the high-end jewelry shops.

 

The casino as seen from the corridor coming back from the gift shop area. It is so big it is divided into two sections, with a large main street corridor going right through the middle.

 

 

Ocean Plaza, Lanai deck. Doors like this on both sides of the ship, hot tubs right here on both sides of ship. Also in this area was the Red Frog Pub, which I went into but didn't eat or drink at. Apparently they have food on the menu there but it isn't publicized nearly enough and it wasn't ever crowded.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

The lanai deck from all the way forward, I was told by a few other cruisers that this was a secret deck and the bridge crew would always wave to people walking by here. Peaceful although very windy here. This deck wraps all the way around the ship, they stack some deck chairs here at night I think also. Lots of people out here on this day.

 

 

Fat Jimmy's C-Side BBQ, everything freshly made here, very good.

 

 

The Chocolate Extravaganza list of items. This thing made such an impression on me that I forgot to talk about it in my DAY 9 summary, LOL. It is from 1430 to 1530 I believe the last sea day in the lido marketplace, and it wasn't that good. They have a chocolate fountain, like they have at Golden Corral, but it wasn't much. They covered a donut for me but no strawberries, huge disappointment.

 

 

A pic of the ocean from my balcony on the last afternoon at sea. Glassy smooth seas. Incredible, really. Couldn't see Cuban land but it was in sight for much of the day.

 

 

Mini golf and ropes course. I was too chicken to do the ropes. People who seemed to be in great shape were struggling to do this. Pool tables also, and there were also foosball tables in this area. Also located here was Sea Dogs, a hot dog stand open during the afternoon.

 

More views of holes 4 and 5 IIRC on the mini golf.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Outdoor workout area. Weight resistance machines. Also a jogging track here and basketball/soccer court near here. Located right atop Cucina Del Capitano and we could hear the activity above us while at dinner one night in the restaurant.

 

 

Main lido deck pool. They had a huge video screen that played swim-up movies a few nights and some of the movies were good. A good Kevin Hart movie showed here one night and the movies were well-attended each night.

 

 

Aft pool and hot tub, I preferred this to the other pool on lido. This is also where the tandoor and pizzeria are located. Open until 0100 most nights I think.

 

 

Lido Marketplace entryway. I have talked a lot about the marketplace. Unique to this ship, at least from my experience. Nice place. Good food.

 

Internet cafe. Located throughout the ship, you can get online to check email and stuff here. Pricey and not that fast but it is available and if you need to get online, this is where to do it. They have a feature where you can check major world news, sports, etc headlines on their homepage before logging on as well. Never seen that before.

 

 

Nightclub. I didn't go in here at all but supposedly a happening place. Located on promenade, near the piano bar. Also an entry from the lanai deck, if you want to get in through that way during the day it is there.

 

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Limelight lounge, where the comedy shows and karaoke was held. You can see how small it is, considering how many people go to the shows in there.

 

 

Steakhouse. Located next to limelight lounge on promenade. OK experience, not great, open for dinner only. $35 upcharge plus any extra you want to tip.

 

 

Live position map. You can see we are only a few hundred miles from Miami, and you can also see our cruising route and how close we went to Cuba all day on the last sea day. This can be viewed on your cabin television also.

 

 

All the goodies we brought on with us on embark day. We got this stuff at the K-mart right across the street from the Springhill Suites in Dania Beach, the night before the cruise. Much cheaper than buying this stuff on board. One 750 mL bottle of wine per pax in carryon bag only.

 

 

The sun setting on our cruise. Both literally and figuratively. Taken from my balcony the last evening, before dinner.

 

The frog legs in the mdr on the last night. Pretty good.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

My final serving of warm chocolate melting cake. With two ice creams some nights by request. A Carnival staple. They had better not get rid of this from their menu.

 

Last towel animal and turndown chocolates. I still haven't finished all mine that I collected from this cruise, a month later, lol.

 

 

Obligatory bathroom picture. Wouldn't be a review without one. Decent sized for what we needed. However, you have to put the seat all the way down to flush it and you have to push the button in, you can't just flush it with your foot. Kinda unsanitary but whatever. The shower comes with shampoo and body wash in the dispenser but I always use my own stuff.

 

 

That is it for now. Day 10, debark day is coming soon, and that will be the end of the cruise. Hope you enjoyed my review and pics!

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

I hope you have enjoyed my cruise review, and it is now time to wrap it up and put final closure on my vacation. After 4 ports of call and three sea days, it was time to head home, back to reality, the cruise is over. Here goes.

DAY 10: DEBARK IN MIAMI AND TRAVEL HOME

We were not supposed to dock until sometime around 0800 on this humid Sunday morning but we were parked around 0600 or 0630. Very early. We woke up around 0730, packed any last items into our carryons and backpacks and were out of the cabin by 0830. They were cleared by customs and border protection before 0800 and began self assist debarkation then. Much earlier than usual.

The view of Miami from the ship, last day. Always kind of a depressing sight.

Although we had zone 2 on our checked bags, we didn't want to leave the ship too early and hung out with breakfast on lido until a little before 0900. I have had debark experiences where they didn't begin until this time but they were more than halfway done by this point today. We got off around 0900 and called SAS Transportation to pick us up for the ride back to FLL. The baggage claim is an absolute circus, think 5000 bags all coming out onto just a few carousels within about an hour and a half time frame. It took us a while to find our bags, we did finally get them and were quickly through customs thereafter. SAS pulled up right to the curb, across from the terminal building, right near the palm trees and we got on and rode in a van full of people going home from cruises back to FLL.

We got back to FLL around 1015, got our bags from the driver, tipped him and checked in for our flight back home. It was slightly delayed back to BWI but no significant problem. We flew back to Baltimore and landed from the east, on a pretty windy day (so said the pilots - landing was pretty good if you ask me) and got to our gate pretty much on time. Too bad we didn't get to take off from the new runway in FLL. That cost a lot of money, took a long time to build but it will supposedly help with traffic flow quite a bit in the future. We got our bags, got our EconoPark shuttle from outside baggage claim, rode back to the lot and were on our way after getting a jumpstart from a lot attendant. It seems a car sitting there for a week and a half in the fall, where weather conditions can significantly vary from day to day, caused my car battery to get a little tired. We thanked the staff for the help, were on our way by 1530, drove back home up 95 (past the Carnival Pride at the Port of Baltimore) and were home by 1830. And with that, my vacation was over.

My ride home - a pleasant flight:

It sure was fun and I hope you all enjoyed reading my review of this awesome ship and itinerary. Any comments, questions, whatever, are welcome. I also will include a little bit of an editorial review section in another post before this is totally wrapped up. Happy cruising!

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS/COMMENTS SECTION

After my reviews, I always like to include a few comments about the ship itself, the service and the overall experience.

I would have to rate this cruise pretty high overall. I have been on 12 Carnival cruises and although this wasn't my best, it surely wasn't the worst and was pretty enjoyable. I would say I like 75 percent of everything about Carnival and strongly dislike the other 25 percent in general. I am a fan and always have been. Carnival has made a lot of changes in 8 years and some have been for the better while some have been for the worse. Still the best value and fun atmosphere out of all the cruise lines I think. I do have a NCL cruise booked for May of next year, to Alaska so we will have to see about how that compares. I am also going to go on another short cruise before the end of this year with a few cruise newbie friends, probably on a Fantasy class ship. Looking forward to that.

Anyway, the food service outside of the lido dinner buffet and lunch national theme buffet is pretty good. They do a great job, considering how many people they have to serve and how many tastes they have to cater to. I really love the experience of the main dining room, it is a huge reason I cruise and I always have. I hope they don't change it too much in the future, as I know they have rolled out the American table menu setup to some ships and I have heard it just isn't that great. There is always some sort of food that you will like, somewhere on the ship and at pretty much any time. The specialty restaurants were probably worth the extra charge, as what you get in a comparable land restaurant would surely cost much more.

The entertainment was OK overall, I always love going to the comedy shows. I stated my likes and dislikes concerning the comedy show setup, I have to say the lido things such as hairy chest contests get old after a while but maybe new cruisers would get a kick out of these things. The stage shows suck now and are not varied much from ship to ship. I didn't even bother with any of them. They do the audience involvement shows, like the love and marriage game and hasbro, but again, I didn't go to these shows. They just don't appeal to me. The music was ok in general - they had a pretty good DJ onboard and the house band and cover band in the promenade area were both pretty good. Cruise Director Matt Mitcham did his best to keep things fun, such as the VIFP club party. I also believe the trivia contests were pretty well attended although I didn't actually participate in any of them. I am disappointed there was no mini golf tournament though. Most cruises have a mini golf tournament at some point. Oh well.

The ship layout was pretty good. They really got away from the traditional glitzy designs of the past with the Breeze and it looks good. Rarely overcrowded in public areas, many elevators and stairwells to get anywhere on the ship quickly, rarely a long wait for an elevator even at busy times such as dinner or debarkation. The layout of the food venues and entertainment plus areas such as pools and lounges, was pretty genius too. I don't know if they are going to continue this trend with future ships and possibly make older ships more like this one when they go in for heavy maintenance/dry docks or what but they should consider it. A win here.

The crew was pretty good in general. Other than forgetting about delivering our chocolate delight, room service and our steward were pretty good. Our steward always took care of our specific requests and the staff was very friendly, accomodating and pleasant and efficient. Our dining room staff was very good. The entertainment staff was good as well, although a few of the comedians and the stage shows themselves left a lot to be desired. Guest services was very accomodating as well and on many ships they often aren't. Our captain always kept us informed of weather conditions and made us feel welcome on his ship. Pretty good overall here.

The islands we visited were good. The excursions offered were pretty good quality although we only booked one through the ship. The others we did on our own or we just didn't really venture far away from the ship, like in La Romana. The itinerary and times in port were pretty good, although I wish we had more time in Grand Turk. Like Key West, we leave there too early. I still can't figure out why they go to La Romana as there really isn't anything too close to there that you can easily get to without a tour or a cab ride into town but maybe they are partnering with the locals to build the area up and it will be a nice port of call in the future. Aruba and Curacao were great and perfectly timed. The sea days were nice, I usually do not get three days at sea, even on a long cruise. They give you time to relax and just chill out and enjoy the ship when you're not in port.

The overall customer service, from checkin to debark and baggage claim was better than average here but it is Miami, the main Carnival departure point so it should be. I know platinums get a little better and quicker experience checking in than non-platinums but bad checkin service or service when debarking in the terminal and at baggage claim can be a big time downer. On a past cruise the wheelchair debarkation process in Tampa was completely disorganized and really left a bad taste in our mouth when we cruised with my grandmother but the whole debark process seemed very orderly and organized this time. That is largely the work of a good cruise director who obviously has a lot of experience. Our cabin location and quality was great. We paid a higher rate for an interior cabin on a higher deck in June when we booked but our PVP had no problems putting us into a really nicely located cove balcony at no additional charge when we called him to resolve the price drops that came up in August.

Overall, I give this cruise an A-minus. Fun, enjoyable and memorable and I would recommend it and this ship to anyone who asks my opinion and advice. That is the end of my review, I do hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing it. Happy cruising all!

Edited November 2, 2014 by FlyingCruiserNJ

[nybumpkin]

I enjoyed your review and pictures - thanks for sharing! I'm looking forward to doing this cruise next year.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

I enjoyed your review and pictures - thanks for sharing! I'm looking forward to doing this cruise next year.

 

I'm glad you enjoyed and thanks for following along. I have done 4 reviews now but I think this was the most thorough but then again there was a lot to see and do this time around. I can't wait to experience and review the Norwegian Jewel on an Alaska sailing next year. I've never sailed ncl but I've been to Alaska on Princess so it should be fun. Will be neat to check something other than carnival for once. Anyway, enjoy your cruise on the Breeze next year as I'm sure you will.

Edited November 3, 2014 by FlyingCruiserNJ

[retiring soon]

HI all!

 

Thanks for doing such an in depth review with lovely pictures. I loved the Breeze so much I went on it again 6 months later & actually wouldn't mind doing it again. I found Carnival late in my cruising history but really like how much fun they are. I was wishing my last cruise (HAL) was a little bit more like Carnival.;)

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[bluehenfan01]

Really good review and pics!! Thanks for sharing and glad that you had a great cruise!!

[clearwatergirl]

Thank you so much for taking the time and sharing your review. We will be sailing for the first time on the Breeze next February so I'm reading reviews about the ship as it's so different from all the others I've sailed on.

 

Sounds nice. Our itinerary is a bit different from yours but it's an 8 day. I love to cruise and I'm looking forward to sailing on the Breeze. :D

[cruisexlife]

Thanks for the review :D

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

HI all!

 

Thanks for doing such an in depth review with lovely pictures. I loved the Breeze so much I went on it again 6 months later & actually wouldn't mind doing it again. I found Carnival late in my cruising history but really like how much fun they are. I was wishing my last cruise (HAL) was a little bit more like Carnival.;)

 

~ Jo ~ :)

 

I appreciate you taking the time to read all through my review and pictures. I really enjoyed putting the whole thing together. It took a while but it was worth it I think. I rarely go on the same ship twice, as I always like a new experience each time I cruise but someday I will probably sail on the Breeze again. It is a really nice ship and just think how far cruising has come in the last 20 years, even the 8 years I have been cruising. It is incredible. Like a floating city. It really can't be topped in terms of vacation options. Carnival was the first line I sailed on and is my favorite, along with my mom's favorite. I do feel more comfortable on Carnival for whatever reason even though I am very vocal in my displeasure with a lot of the stuff they have done in recent times. For the prices they ask, it can't be expected that we will get a Cunard experience. Nor am I looking to be pampered and waited on hand and foot. I am fine with an attentive room steward, dining room wait staff, good entertainment and good food with some good port stops. I have been on other lines and will sail yet another new line next May but I would say Carnival is definitely my style at the end of the day.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Really good review and pics!! Thanks for sharing and glad that you had a great cruise!!

 

Thank you very much for the kind words and I am glad you enjoyed following along. I rarely have a bad cruise as you know they say a day at sea is almost always better than a day at work. I have my next long cruise planned out for next year but I can't decide which short Caribbean hop I am going to go on before the end of the year, as I have some vacation time I still need to use and may as well go somewhere warm during the cold and dark month of December. Whatever it is though, I will surely have fun and will come back at y'all on cruisecritic with a review. :D

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Thank you so much for taking the time and sharing your review. We will be sailing for the first time on the Breeze next February so I'm reading reviews about the ship as it's so different from all the others I've sailed on.

 

Sounds nice. Our itinerary is a bit different from yours but it's an 8 day. I love to cruise and I'm looking forward to sailing on the Breeze. :D

 

Thanks for checking out my review for sure. I read a number of really awesome reviews of the Breeze over the last year or so and that pretty much helped me make the decision to sail the Breeze for this vacation over the Breakaway or Getaway, which were also options this time around. I had to return the favor to the community here and have a little fun in the process. These reviews take a long time to do but they really are fun and help me and others to re-live the cruise adventure for a little while longer at least. The Breeze really is different, even from ships like the Liberty and Freedom. It is even nicer than the Glory, which is an awesome ship in its own right. I felt like at the end of the 8 days, there was still stuff that I didn't get to do or experience, which is crazy but true. The decor is different, the layout is a lot different, and there are features and attractions on this ship that no Carnival ship has ever had. You will love the ship.

 

And I love Clearwater. I used to have close relatives there, who have unfortunately moved across the state recently, but I still go there every March for Phillies spring training and have done this for about the last 10 years. Tons of fun. I love Lenny's on 19 near Drew St. and Frenchy's grill, right on the beach. I also attended a big wedding in Clearwater Beach some years ago, great place.