Breeze after Oasis, Allure, etc.?

[Crystalkrt]

I need your opinions regarding Carnival Breeze, especially after sailing exceptional ships like Oasis, Allure and Regal Princess.

My last CC was in 2009 and I thought no more carnival after that. Now the breeze has a beautiful itinerary, perfect dates, and seems to be the best of carnival. So, would you recommend it as a said, especially after all those cruises? Or would I be dissapointed? I am afraid of the ship feeling crowded, too many kids, etc. please no flaming, just your honest opinions .

[cruisinlover1414]

I haven't been on the breeze, but am in a similar situation you are. We have sailed on Allure and oasis the past two summers for our vacation, and now we are like "what are we supposed to do now"?! We decided to go on the carnival freedom because we live in Texas, but otherwise we would be trying the breeze. We are giving carnival another shot after going on the triumph a few years ago and leaving a bit disappointed.

I think it would be fun/nice to try the "top of the line" carnival through going the breeze (going on their biggest, newest ship). The breeze itineraries are really nice, and we would definitely be doing that if it weren't for the extra expense in airfare for our family. The breeze has a lot to offer and I think it's worth a shot.

Edited March 16, 2015 by cruisinlover1414

[cruisintwinsmom]

I've sailed the Oasis twice (2013, 2014) and sailed the Breeze this past October. The ship itself cannot compare to the Oasis, but I had a good time anyway. You get what you pay for - I paid about less than half for the breeze, so..... It also just depends what you are expecting. I had also sailed on the Glory in Feb 2014 and did not think that there was that much difference between Glory and Breeze.

 

Happy Sailing!

[JinxyB]

I have been on the Breeze twice and the Allure and the Oasis. Nothing can compare to the Allure/Oasis! Those ships are in a class by themselves-I find myself comparing other ships to them, but it obviously is not a fair comparison! My son thinks every cruise ship should have a carousel lol! I can't afford to sail exclusively on the Allure/Oasis, so it is back the 'lesser' ships. I will say that on my Oasis cruise a few weeks ago, the service was terrible and the nickel and diming was out of control. We had the worst room steward ever. Drink prices on RCI have increased 40% plus a new 18% gratuity. For example, 2 frozen drinks by the pool cost me almost $24!! The 'sales' RCI advertise are not sales and the prices are outrageous-it will take a lot to get me to sail them again.

 

The Breeze is a great choice and I don't think you can wrong sailing her. They have some great 8-day itineraries. I am booked for the third time next year and also can't wait to check out the Vista in 2016/2017. You should also check out NCL Getaway-they are having a great sale now and that ship has all the bells/whistles.

[Cruisegirl6]

My last cruise was the Allure and she was my FAVORITE ship of all and I been on 53 cruises. After we got off of her we booked the Oasis for this coming May, same old itinerary which we don't get off the ship usually because we done it all and seen it all..well, happens to be late January I noticed the Carnival Valor sailing out of Pt. Canaveral which we can drive to (we do live in Florida and fly to FLL and MIA) and we noticed it was 8 nights and to the southern caribbean, Aruba, Curacao and Grand Turk and cancelled our Oasis and booked the Valor up instead. I know what I am giving up, but I been on the Allure and the Oasis is coming here to Pt. Canaveral next year so I go on her then, in the meantime, I get an extra night on the ship and better ports.

 

You mention that the Breeze has better ports and so far she is the best and newest ship Carnival has go for it! OP what time of year are you going, is it during summer break where the kids are home?

[jimbo5544]

We have sailed the Breeze twice (with another time coming up in April) and Oasis. From just a ship perspective, the Oasis would win. I really don't think it is an apples to apples comparison. Our cruise on the Oasis was much more like a Disney vacation than a cruise (and that is not a good statement from my perspective). We cruise to relax and enjoy the Caribbean (at least for the most part), not spend 8 months trying to schedule dinners, shows, etc.

 

Take into consideration the cost difference and we are firmly back on the Carnival side of the fence. It really comes down to all the (extra) things Oasis has and whether they are what you want and they are worth the cost.

[Jenhem31]

I sailed Allure in November, and just sailed the Breeze 3 weeks ago. We had a fabulous cruise, I would say the best one we have taken- aside from the ship. I don't know what will ever top Allure ship wise. My only complaints about the Breeze are the pools and layout of the ship. There flat out are not enough pools for that many people. It's terrible. The aft pool is a joke. I also didn't like the layout of the Breeze. You have to zig and zag to get thru the ship and Allure seemed so wide open and easy to get from the front to aft. Just my opinion.

 

The piano bar was awesome and Matt the CD was unbelievable. We have never cared about a CD before but he was great.

 

If you go with an open mind you'll be fine. The Breeze is really a nice ship and I would sail again.

[Jenhem31]

The Breeze also restored our faith in Carnival after a not so great cruise on Paradise. We are considering the Vista, especially if Matt ends up as CD.

[Camlott]

I need your opinions regarding Carnival Breeze, especially after sailing exceptional ships like Oasis, Allure and Regal Princess.

My last CC was in 2009 and I thought no more carnival after that. Now the breeze has a beautiful itinerary, perfect dates, and seems to be the best of carnival...

 

I just got off the Magic yesterday after my previous two sailings being on Oasis & Allure. So my opinion isn't specifically for the Breeze, but her sister ship.

 

For me, no other ship on any line really compares to the Oasis class, and they are by far my favorite ships. That being said, Carnival does still have its place for us. Usually if we are looking for a quick cheap getaway, we will sail with Carnival (only on a dream class).

 

I have to admit this cruise I just got off of will probably be my last with Carnival for a while, but I won't say never again. I have said the same thing in the past and within a year or two we do a sailing with Carnival. I must say that service was extremely lacking in several areas of the ship and I felt an overall feeling of apathy from the crew. There were definite exceptions to this, I'm just giving the overall impression I felt. I never assume that my experience is the same as everyone else, however I have seen quite a few people on our roll call from the site that shall not be named making the same observations. I know these things can vary from week to week and ship to ship. I have a feeling that Carnival is cutting back things from the crew even more than they are for the passengers and it is showing in morale.

 

If you have found an itinerary that appeals to you on the Breeze and the price is right, I say go for it. If you go into it with an open mind and are going more for the itinerary than the ship itself, I don't think you would be disappointed. If you are going to compare the ships to each other, there really won't be much comparison.

[Jenhem31]

You just can't compare any other ship to Allure (or Oasis) There's no comparison/competition. Breeze is considered to be a large ship but after Allure it sure doesn't feel like it. It's still beautiful tho.

[Cruzaholic41]

I need your opinions regarding Carnival Breeze, especially after sailing exceptional ships like Oasis, Allure and Regal Princess.

My last CC was in 2009 and I thought no more carnival after that. Now the breeze has a beautiful itinerary, perfect dates, and seems to be the best of carnival. So, would you recommend it as a said, especially after all those cruises? Or would I be dissapointed? I am afraid of the ship feeling crowded, too many kids, etc. please no flaming, just your honest opinions .

 

I have sailed Oasis Class numerous times, and I've sailed all 3 Dream Class ships - twice on Breeze. First, let me say Breeze is my favorite CCL ship, mainly because with Breeze, CCL finally stopped with the awful Joe Farcus interior designs that look like a bad LSD trip.

 

Nothing, and I do mean NOTHING compares to Oasis Class. You are right to be concerned about crowding because that is my #1 complaint about Breeze and about Dream Class. Also, Breeze has no entertainment on board that can touch the Broadway quality on Oasis.

 

However, Regal can't touch Oasis Class either and you seem to have enjoyed that ship. So you never know. Give it a try and judge for yourself.

 

You just can't compare any other ship to Allure (or Oasis) There's no comparison/competition. Breeze is considered to be a large ship but after Allure it sure doesn't feel like it. It's still beautiful tho.

 

And had my answer been shorter, it would have been this. I agree 100%.

[vmt514]

I could have written that same question as the OP. Thank you all for your great info.

 

Our last 2 cruises were on Oasis, one time with a Boardwalk balcony room. She is just a magnificent ship. But I will say that from one year to the next I did think the quality of some of the service was lacking.

 

This year we are taking our 2 adult sons, so now with 2 rooms, price was more of a factor. I have read wonderful things about Breeze and am looking forward to our cruise. I am also looking forward to the Spa, since we booked a Spa Balcony.

 

So, OP, did you decide your ready to try Breeze?

[riclop]

I need your opinions regarding Carnival Breeze, especially after sailing exceptional ships like Oasis, Allure and Regal Princess.

My last CC was in 2009 and I thought no more carnival after that. Now the breeze has a beautiful itinerary, perfect dates, and seems to be the best of carnival. So, would you recommend it as a said, especially after all those cruises? Or would I be dissapointed? I am afraid of the ship feeling crowded, too many kids, etc. please no flaming, just your honest opinions .

 

There is nothing like Oasis/ Allure but the breeze is a nice ship.

[momof3cruisers]

One thing that we like better on ships such as the Freedom (go on Breeze in Jan.) are things like the view of the sea. We missed the actual ocean on Allure. We were very thankful for our balcony, that is for sure. We also don't like the nickel and diming on Allure...$3 for popcorn at the movie? Seriously? We found the mdr choices to be pretty boring and not very good.

 

As for show entertainment. Clearly Allure wins hands down, but it was a little stressful having to decide months ahead of time when we wanted to be there. At the same time, we always go to the family comedy shows when sailing Carnival and that wasn't an option on Allure. We liked that Royal included a lot more family karaoke times. But my kids would rather have water slides than a rock climbing wall and the line for Flow Rider was very long.

 

The kids also really like 24 hour ice cream. As for me, I like Royal's variety of beverage programs much better than Carnival's.

 

So, I think you will find some things that are different but not necessarily better or worse. Go with an open mind, not looking for comparisons, but looking to have a great cruise.

[bucks724]

I need your opinions regarding Carnival Breeze, especially after sailing exceptional ships like Oasis, Allure and Regal Princess.

My last CC was in 2009 and I thought no more carnival after that. Now the breeze has a beautiful itinerary, perfect dates, and seems to be the best of carnival. So, would you recommend it as a said, especially after all those cruises? Or would I be dissapointed? I am afraid of the ship feeling crowded, too many kids, etc. please no flaming, just your honest opinions .

 

I did just the opposite of you (sailed Breeze, then Oasis) and I did a review comparing the two (if you care to hunt it down, it's posted in both the Carnival and RCCL forums). There were similarities and differences and things I liked better about both, but I still LOVE the Breeze and would sail her again in a second.

 

The Boardwalk and Central Park are so unique that I'll miss them on any other ship, but I loved the Breeze and it actually felt less crowded to me than Oasis did. And I found there to be more kids on the Oasis (keep in mind, I typically sail in January, but did Oasis over Thanksgiving week). Both ships did sail full, so the week didn't have anything to do with how less crowded Breeze felt to me.

 

I think you'll enjoy it. I certainly can't wait to go on her again. We are planning our next trip and it looks like Vista is the winner for that one (with the same southern Caribbean itinerary as we did on Breeze!).

[Rudyard]

Haven't sailed either, but I can offer one word of advice to anyone in the OP's situation. Don't compare them! I went from Mariner of the Seas to Triumph for my first two cruises. Had I tried to replicate the Mariner experience on Triumph I would have been disappointed. Instead I researched the heck out of Triumph until I knew exactly what I was getting into and had a great cruise. Never once while onboard did I say to myself "If this were Mariner..."

[Rottweiler Puppy]

I need your opinions regarding Carnival Breeze, especially after sailing exceptional ships like Oasis, Allure and Regal Princess.

My last CC was in 2009 and I thought no more carnival after that. Now the breeze has a beautiful itinerary, perfect dates, and seems to be the best of carnival. So, would you recommend it as a said, especially after all those cruises? Or would I be dissapointed? I am afraid of the ship feeling crowded, too many kids, etc. please no flaming, just your honest opinions .

 

I think if you compare prices at the times of sailings, set your expectations accordingly. If the price is within a few hundred, go Oasis/Allure or Regal.

 

If the price is much lies, say 40% or more then definitely consider it. I have sailed on Oasis and Ruby Princess and they were great cruises but I went on them when the prices were more competitive and off season. Were they worth 2x as much as the Breeze for the same cabin? IMHO, no.

 

I finally sailed the Breeze and it was great cruise as well. It did not feel crowded overall but there were some bottlenecks in some places. The service was excellent and considering I paid only $489 for my inside vs the $775 I paid for my inside on the Oasis, it was great. The ships are absolutely incomparable though so I won't even try. The only thing I can compare is service and food and both were equally as good, with Carnival getting the nod for slightly friendlier overall.

Edited May 11, 2015 by Rottweiler Puppy

[LeisaH3067]

I need your opinions regarding Carnival Breeze, especially after sailing exceptional ships like Oasis, Allure and Regal Princess.

My last CC was in 2009 and I thought no more carnival after that. Now the breeze has a beautiful itinerary, perfect dates, and seems to be the best of carnival. So, would you recommend it as a said, especially after all those cruises? Or would I be dissapointed? I am afraid of the ship feeling crowded, too many kids, etc. please no flaming, just your honest opinions .

 

The Oasis and Breeze are no comparison but even knowing that, I too am a little concerned about our upcoming Breeze cruise. Last year we had what was probably our least favorite cruise on the Liberty, after sailing on the Oasis. I said no more Carnival but I think I was expecting too much and unfairly comparing it so this time we decided to give the Breeze a try. Unless you are planning on always cruising the Oasis type ships, go on the Breeze with a open mind and have a wonderful trip. It still looks like a gorgeous ships and reviews are for the most part great.

[Lovetwocruz2009]

I have cruised the Allure once and the Breeze twice. Like everyone said, there is no comparison to the ship size and layout. However, we had a great time on the Breeze.

 

For me, I enjoy the speciality restaraunts on the Allure. We ate at a different venue everynight. The Breeze only offers the steakhouse and italian restaraunt. Both are good.

 

We continue to cruise Carnival for the itinerary. We enjoyed the Breeze to Aruba and Curacao last summer. And Tortola and Antigua the summer before.

 

I believe you will have a great time on the Breeze.