Observations and Impressions Breeze 5/23/2015

[bruadhin]

First of all, this is not a review. I never intended to write a review and I don't believe this qualifies. It is merely my thoughts about the Breeze. Also, this is mainly my opinion, feel free to disagree. I will gladly answer any questions.

 

As so many have said, the ship is beautiful. She is colorful, without being over the top as with so many of the previous ships.

 

The waterpark is a winner. We had to chase our son out every time he went. Unfortunately, the first two sea days saw the slides, power drencher and skyropes closed due to high winds.

 

A dispatch elevator system was installed in the forward elevator bank during the night. I believe it was on the second port day, but it may have been the first. At first I thought this was great, it turned out to be a disaster. The abandonment rate for the stairs or the glass elevators was high and wait times were long. Also, the passengers were completely confused by it. There were contractors and employees at times to offer guidance, but not always. Carnival really needs to rethink this. For anyone who doesn't know what this means, there is a panel where you select your destination. It then shows you which car to get in. There are no longer up and down buttons and there are no floor selection buttons inside the car.

 

The American Table needs work. I commented with several couples we befriended while waiting to board. Several nights the appetizers were much more interesting than the entrees. Also, it seems to have confused the wait staff. The Feast nights are quite different than the regular Table nights and the change in service standards can be confusing. It feels less special and more like a chain restaurant now.

 

The children's menu needs to come back. Previously it was a coloring book and was great. If not for the child, at least for the surrounding tables. It was a great way to keep kids occupied. Fortunately our son is well behaved, but he definitely enjoyed it. Right now, I don't think one even exists. It was posted outside each night, but several requests for it never turned up one, even as the servers fawned over our son. We took to reviewing the menu prior to entering and making his selection in advance. That should not have to happen.

 

There are slowing becoming more options for dinner. While the lido continues to be a ghost town at dinner, both Guy's Burger and Blue Iguana were open for dinner. We tried the steakhouse but not the Italian place. The steakhouse was good, but I'm not sure it really justified the $35 price tag.

 

Some pictures are deceiving. I had envisioned the lido buffet being much more spread out. Instead, it is about the same as any Conquest class ship, just no more steam tables. Instead, they are using enameled cast iron cookware on induction pans. Fortunately the seating is vastly improved. It looks better, is much more comfortable and there seems to be more of it.

 

There need to be more drink stations. As best I can tell, the lido deck lost one or two stations. Also, Carnival should just accept reality and put one on the Promenade deck. I realize they want the revenue from the bars and coffee shop, but they were already putting pitches of water next to the taste bar and had a waiter near C-Side BBQ on sea days.

 

The ship really isn't crowded. Other than getting a seat in the lido on a sea day lunch or port day breakfast, which is a challenge on any ship, it never really felt crowded on the ship.

 

Chair hogs beware! This isn't an issue for me, but I was curious after reading this forum. There was an employee on the lido deck with a clipboard. He was noting times and removing towels and other belongings from loungers that had been left vacant for too long. They didn't seem to be out all the time, just when it was busy.

 

The Rev Dr. E is excellent! You could have asked me on any previous cruise who my cruise director was, without looking at the Fun Times I wouldn't have had a clue. Dr. E. cured that. He is brash, he is loud and he loves attention, but he is hilarious and will deliver. Carnival should encourage him and cultivate more like him. He has a personality and isn't afraid to show it.

 

One of the best shows was his shore excursion talk. Brad deserved to get every last excursion given away, he was a wonderful sport for Dr. E. I could watch it on the cruise director channel and laugh every time it came on. "Have you ever been on a catamaran?"

 

The fly on entertainment was good. Granted, I never attended an evening show before this cruise. The hypnotist was great, we got to ride in a cab with him as he went to the airport. Richard Guzzi. This was his first time on a cruise ship, based on what his assistant said, they may do more in the future. The juggler, Edge, was good. Although the best part of his show was when he pulled someone from the audience to help him put on the stilts. Edge saw the humor in the positions David, the audience member, was putting him in. It was mainly double entendre that the kids missed, but it had me rolling in my seat in laughter. The illusionist was also good.

 

That is it for now, but questions may jar loose more thoughts.

 

Hopefully the mailman from Boston sees this. I bet my wife forgot to email, but we did make it home safe early in the morning.

[jazm2011]

We were on the 5/9 - 5/17 Breeze sailing, and they had the elevators shut down quite often. Apparently they must have been going thru the preliminary stages of the change you mentioned.

 

Dr E was tag-teaming it with Matt on our itinerary, as it was Matt's last cruise before his vacation. I only noticed Dr E towards the last few days. They are cut of the same cloth, for sure!

 

Totally agree with your disappointment in MDR. There were several nights that I ordered 2 apps because I had a strong hunch I wasn't going to like the entrée. Menu's were just ok. I didn't starve. But I wasn't overly excited about many of the choices.

 

Our service was not good either. Our main waiter mentioned he was new and this was his first sailing. None of us questioned it, but I took it to mean as "head waiter". He was a nice enough guy, but not overly competent as a waiter. And none of the others that helped seemed a whole lot better. (Grabbing and delivering dishes from both sides of the guest and/or across the table, not preparing silverware for the next course, etc.) Our table mates literally ended up passing up on an app because the entrée was delivered and they were still waiting for silverware to eat with! All of us had to practically beg to get our water or tea glasses filled. It was not our best experience.

 

This is the first time in a while that we opted to skip the steakhouse. And although we had full intentions of trying the Italian restaurant for dinner, we went for lunch one day and hubby was not a fan (I thought it was ok). But he was turned off enough that he was a little jaded about wanting to pay to eat there for dinner. Maybe next time.

 

All in all, we had a great cruise. But it will not go down as our favorite cruise or favorite ship experience.

[SMSACE6]

Thanks for the report. Was that elevator issue just the forward elevators? No wonder people were confused. What was Carnival thinking to do that?

[bruadhin]

I'll mention now, my wife is a Filipina, we never lack for service on a cruise ship. Our head waiter was a Filipino as was one of the assistant waiters, the other was from Costa Rica. The guy from Costa Rica was good, but he was new to the ship and the weakest of the three. He was a good guy, but he didn't know a lot about the new menus and didn't seem to care.

 

One night our headwaiter was sick, that was a complete mess. They sent another waiter to help them, but he kept getting the orders wrong. Another night the table next to us was talking to themselves and complaining we got preferential treatment because of my wife. In reality, they ran out of dishes and had to get some from a storeroom in the lido. The table next to us were commenting how hot the plates were, how happy they were about it. Little did they realize it is because they were just out of the dishwasher.

 

The crew is failing, but it is really the fault of management. It seems like the leadership just wasn't there. The service definitely wasn't the same. It seems silly but the server taking your spoon and making a hole for the sauce in the bitter and blanc and grand marnier souffle was something special. Now it is just in a ramekin on the side.

 

That said, I think the entertainment staff was something of an improvement. More Americans and they really seemed to enjoy what they were doing. Although the Circle C director was about beside himself. He had waterslide duty on the last sea day, the last day of the cruise. Kid after kid came up without a wristband and he kept telling them to go get one at guest services. He then told something to the hotel steward who came to replace him. He didn't really understand and was going to make the kids go directly to guest services, not after they got off the slide.

 

I'm glad you mentioned lunch at the Italian. I did it once. I really liked it, the problem is I wanted to take it down the lido with my family. Of course I could do it, but it is really set up for everyone in the party to just sit there and eat there. I felt awkward sitting on the couch with this huge number on a stick in front of me while I waited. Some friends at dinner at the Italian and said it was excellent.

[bruadhin]

Thanks for the report. Was that elevator issue just the forward elevators? No wonder people were confused. What was Carnival thinking to do that?

 

Yes, just the forward ones, when we left. I'm sure they will eventually convert the entire ship. In theory, a dispatch system is great. It can be very efficient. The problem is, you get no indication of how long you have to wait. So if people had any wait at all, they'd just ditch it for the stairs or the glass elevators. So now the elevator is making stops to pick up and drop off, but no one is there.

 

Before, people would just hit the button for the glass ones and the forward bank and jump on whichever came first. A dispatch system isn't set up to tolerate that.

[trvlgirlmq]

We were on this cruise as well. Just got home from our two days of driving and started the laundry!

 

I disagree about the lack of service in the MDR. We had an amazing team of servers and felt well taken care of each night. The new menus are another story. I liked most of the appetizers and desserts I tried but there is little imagination to the entrees.

 

The entertainment staff was my least favorite of the cruises I have been on. I really hated Dr E and his cheesy singing and Ciao Ciao Double Ciao sign off. I miss Butch.

 

The wind on the first 2 days put a damper on our fun so we ended up by the pool for the most part. It was ok but we really wanted more time to have fun and not just work on our suburns!

 

Ay yi yi the elevators were horrid! We were on one coming back from port on the second day they were running and it let people off and then we had one more floor to go for our deck but it started to go back down and then it would show the up arrow and then the down arrow but the doors would not open. It did this from deck 10 down to deck 4. We started to get a little scared but the doors finally opened on 4 and we got off and took the stairs to 11! It was crazy. I do not like this system.

 

We had a good time and look forward to next year on Vista.

Edited June 2, 2015 by trvlgirlmq

[jazm2011]

Forgot to comment on the drink stations and that was definitely something that needs improvement. Who in the heck designed the drink station layouts on this ship?!!! I've never seen such a recipe for chaos. Putting the cups in the middle of the ice and drink station rather than in the order of how you would expect to serve yourself (cup, then ice, then beverage).

 

That was a big enough problem in itself. But then you have a huge percentage of the population filling their own (and often times, multiple) personal water bottles which backed up the lines even worse.

 

We often ate on the high tops right there in the middle near the beverage stations. So I had an opportunity to watch this chaos for extended periods and not just while I was waiting in line for a drink.

[bruadhin]

We'll have to disagree then. I thought Dr. E was a hoot. At first I thought, "What the heck???" except in stronger language. But getting to see him on stage and listen to him more, he was great in my opinion. I also liked his disembarkation video. It was over the top to try and drive home the point.

 

He and his team also did a wonderful job with the Dr. Suess parade and storytelling. There is one woman on his team, Mauratus (I think), she comes across as a stick in the mud. The rest really want you to have a good time.

 

One other thing. When they say take photo ID with you, take photo ID. The port is San Juan is manned by CBP. Quite a few people got left standing outside the gates while someone ran back to the cabin for driver's license or passport. Strangely, they pretty much waved the crew through, just glancing at the IDs they were. For passengers, they compared the name on the S&S card to the photo ID.

[SIENA6334]

I agree - Comic Edge is hilarious. But I have now seen him 2 years in a row and the show is exactly the same. I hope he either comes up with a new routine or they find someone else for variety.

[Bandet]

How long is Matt on Vacation? Will he be back by June 20th sailing ?

 

 

anyone know?

[bruadhin]

How long is Matt on Vacation? Will he be back by June 20th sailing ?

 

 

anyone know?

 

Dr. E said two months, so I doubt it.

 

I would say most people will either love or hate Dr. E. I personally loved him, but I can easily see others not.

[CruzCrazy]

How long is Matt on Vacation? Will he be back by June 20th sailing ?

 

 

anyone know?

 

No, according to everything I've seen posted, Matt won't be back until July 18. We will have Dr. E for our July 12 sailing.

[SMSACE6]

Interesting re that dispatch system on the elevators...still not sure I understand:D but then I am a bit dense when it comes to innovations.

 

As for CD's. One person likes one, and another does not. That seems to be par here from the reviews/reports I read.

 

Last November on the Freedom, we had Jen Baxter. I had read here that so many disliked her for this that or another reason. I thought she was very good! I liked her enthusiasm, and I really liked her "style";)

 

I have read many good comments on Dr E.

[bruadhin]

Interesting re that dispatch system on the elevators...still not sure I understand:D but then I am a bit dense when it comes to innovations.

 

As for CD's. One person likes one, and another does not. That seems to be par here from the reviews/reports I read.

 

Last November on the Freedom, we had Jen Baxter. I had read here that so many disliked her for this that or another reason. I thought she was very good! I liked her enthusiasm, and I really liked her "style";)

 

I have read many good comments on Dr E.

 

So, they removed the up and down buttons in the elevator lobby. They removed all buttons from inside the car except open doors and close doors.

 

In the elevator lobby, they installed four touchscreens where the buttons were. They are motion activated so when you approach, they light up. It shows a menu with each floor, along with some options at the bottom for the staff. You select the floor you want and then it displays a letter for the car you should use along with an arrow in its direction. It arrives, you board and it goes directly to your floor. It may already have passengers onboard and it may pick up passengers with you on board. It only stops where requested either to pick up or drop off. You cannot select a floor once inside the elevator.

 

It is trying to manage the requests and be as efficiently as possible. Unfortunately, it breaks down when it gets repeated requests but no one is there. It is trying to service them all, but it appears as wasted effort to passengers as there is no one to pick up or drop off. Passengers started just jumping on the next elevator and hoping to get off at a close floor, walking up or down a flight or two of stairs as needed.

[SMSACE6]

Ok...thanks, I get it now! I can see some merit to this, but also as you say, some drawbacks. I guess they will test it until it works better?

 

My sneaky childish mind, thinks that this will cut down on kids pushing all the buttons inside the elevator making them stop on every floor, but they can still foul things up by asking for elevators, putting in floors, then taking off and hiding around the corner? Why am I even thinking this:D Probably because I was one of these goofs at age 10.

 

Thanks for the explanation though, I now get it.:)

Edited June 2, 2015 by SMSACE6

[BullDawg91]

We were on this cruise too. We really liked Dr. E. This is the only cruise where a cruise director made an impression. My kids really enjoyed him and promptly downloaded his Good Morning song when we got back on land.

 

We never had a problem with the forward elevators once they were changed. It was chaotic when people were coming back from port, but I would think it would be under any circumstance. I should add that our cabin was aft so we didn't deal with the forward elevators too much.

 

We also liked the food and found it way more interesting than on Disney. We never missed dinner because there was always something interesting. We did often have multiple appetizers because they were interesting so the uncomplicated entree worked after two apps. We thought the lido deck food was quite good as well. The things we tried and didn't like were few and far between. The lasagna in Cuchina (for lunch) was awesome.

 

Our servers were quite good and we never waited a long time for anything. I particularly liked that they would begin taking orders just after a party sat down whether everyone was present or not. We had a team of 3 for a 12 top table (3 parties of 4). They were very organized and kept things moving. I wish they would do away with most of the shows in the dining room. If you want a somewhat formal dining experience, do you really want your servers being made to sing and dance while you wait on your dessert? It looked like the crowd enjoyed the shows, but I felt kind of sorry for the servers.

 

The ship does desperately need more and better organized drink stations. The cups provided are also ridiculously small. I broke down and bought a tumbler to use. I do wish they had fountain soft drinks instead of cans somewhere on the ship.

 

We were impressed by the limited trash produced around the food areas - cloth napkins everywhere, no paper plates, few paper cups.

 

I was surprised that such a new ship had a sewage odor problem. We smelled it in various places around the ship, but not in our cabin, thank goodness.

Edited June 3, 2015 by BullDawg91

[steviejack]

thanks for the information about the breeze. I have friends who are sailing in July.

[ZRC1MLC2]

We will be sailing the Breeze in November for Thanksgiving. We have a tradition of everyone coming to our house for Thanksgiving but this year they were told to make other plans. I am very appreciative of all the comments (good and bad). I scour and almost stalk these boards when we consider booking. The only cruise ship I have been highly disappointed with was the Conquest in 2012, before her renovation. Other than that, there are little things here and there that could or should be changed, maybe are not as convenient, or just don't make sense. All in all a bad day sailing is still better than a great day at work. Thank you for all of the comments. It truly does help with our planning. I believe I will have a Guy's burger on Thanksgiving (and a chocolate melting cake)