Carnival Breeze Review - June 20th

[Nolefan95]

Background: Myself, wife and DD (10) tried Carnival for the first time. We are platinum on RCCL and have been on the Disney Dream and NCL Getaway. I will try to compare this cruise to my experience on the other lines in this review. Please understand that I will be pointing out positives and negatives. I came into this with an open mind as many people told me to avoid Carnival. We ignored them and tried it for ourselves. Please understand these are my OPINIONS, not facts so please don’t take my negatives personally.

 

Embarkation – I was worried based on the previous reviews that this would be a nightmare. We purposely arrived late (around 2PM) to avoid the masses and this seemed to help. From time of arrival it took about 30 min to get onboard. Not bad at all. It was longer than NCL and RCCL but I can’t complain about that. 30 minutes is very reasonable to me.

 

Cabin – We booked a spa cabin balcony on deck 11. The cabin was a good size. We like quiet when we sleep and I was concerned based on previous reviews about noise from the hall and other cabins. I will say that noise from the neighboring cabins was fine. We could hear them occasionally but it wasn’t bad. What was bad was the hall noise. We could hear everybody talking as they walked by. We were in a low traffic location so it wasn’t too bad but if we were booked in an area with more foot traffic, I could see it becoming an annoyance. Since there were 3 of us, one had to sleep on the sofa. It was like sleeping on the floor. So hard. My daughter complained and she never complains so I slept there. It was bad. Adequate storage similar to the other cruise lines. Good size balcony. Didn’t like the balcony door. Prefer the sliders on other cruise lines.

 

Staff – No complaints. They were fine. I would say they were better than the NCL Getaway but not as friendly/helpful as compared to RCCL and Disney. I could tell some were overworked. We noticed one dining room staffer (because she had the same name as my wife) worked in the dining room, specialty restaurant, the buffet plus had duties helping people off and get on the ship from islands and during debarkation. She always tried to keep a smile but she looked so tired. We felt bad and gave her a $20 tip at the end of the cruise during debarkation. The staff working the slides/splash area seemed unhappy/disinterested. The dining room staff were all very nice/friendly.

 

Entertainment – Better than I expected.

 

· Playlist Productions - I found playlist productions to be refreshing. I didn’t go into it expecting Broadway entertainment. I knew what it was about beforehand. I enjoyed it. Sure the singing wasn’t spectacular but I did find the singing/dancing entertaining and that’s exactly what I was hoping for. I liked the short duration too.

· Comedy – Loved the comedy. So much better than other cruise lines. Didn’t mind the line-up process. I knew what I was getting into from reading the reviews beforehand.

· Piano Bar – Disappointing. I loved the dueling piano bar on the Getaway. The piano bar entertainer on the Breeze lacked singing talent and didn’t really know how to entertain nearly as well as those in the Getaway. In my opinion, he was pretty bad. Sorry guys. Just my opinion.

· Pool entertainment – Loved the DJ by the pool and all the activities by the pool. Better than all my other cruises I would say. (This doesn’t mean I enjoyed the pool though – more later)

· Cruise Director (Dr. E) – I liked him. Entertaining. I could see how he could annoy people though.

· Game show – Very cool. Nicely done. Enjoyed it.

· Thrill Theater – Fun. Daughter liked it. We went to 3 shows.

 

Food – Wasn’t sure what to expect. I know this is subjective but I had always heard that Carnival has good food but the reviews seemed to discredit that. Well, sorry guys, I have to rank it last as compared to our other cruises (doesn’t mean bad, just means didn’t measure up to our other cruises)

 

· Terrible variety in the buffet. The buffet does not have nearly enough stations for all the people onboard. The layout is terrible in my opinion. The floors are just downright dangerous in there. I witnessed two people (both elderly) slip and fall. Very slippery. Lawsuit waiting to happen.

· The dining room food was just ok. Nothing was memorable. Most desserts were not good. The melting chocolate cake was good though. I would say the food is better in the dining room on NCL and way better on RCCL and Disney. Disney was the best in my opinion.

· Specialty - The café sold desserts for $2.50 or so that we found well worth the price. They were good. We did go to the steakhouse and it was just ok. Not worth the $125 we spend ($35 each and $20 tip). We did like the pasta bar lunch at the Italian place. That was good. We also went to the Italian place for dinner and it was ok. I would rank NCL as having the best specialty restaurants, then RCCL with Carnival last. Didn’t try specialty on Disney because the dining room food was so good.

· The pizza was the best I’ve had on any cruise ship. We did enjoy it.

· Guy’s Burger joint was very good. Enjoyed it also.

· The taco place – my wife had a burrito and couldn’t eat it. She didn’t like it at all. I didn’t try it.

· Liked the C-side BBQ place. That was good.

· Prices for drinks, at the café, candy, etc – very reasonable. Much better than other cruise lines.

 

Crowds – I went in to this cruise expecting long lines/crowds. The main pool was just nasty on sea days. Way too many people in it. It was gross actually. Looked like a germ fest. We used it one time (while everyone was in St. Maarten). We stayed onboard as we have been there many times. The lines for the slides were not bad. Sure there were lines, but there weren’t unreasonably long waits. The ropes course lines were fine too. Not too bad. The Getaway had longer lines for their ropes course.

 

Water issue – On the second to last day, the water wasn’t working (no showers/no sinks/no toilets). They said it would be fixed by noon. It wasn’t fixed until after 6pm or so.

 

Fellow Cruisers – We had been warned by others that the Carnival cruisers were rude/loud/obnoxious. We ignored them as we wanted to develop our own opinion. All I will say is it wasn’t nearly as bad as I have been warned but there was definitely a difference in the people compared to other cruises. We sail at the same time every year so that had nothing to do with it. We are very easy going and don’t mind loud/obnoxious people. In fact, we find them to be entertaining. Good people watching. However, one time my wife was physically pushed in an already crowded elevator so that one more person could fit in. Really???? In my opinion, kids were not as well behaved as on other cruise lines and some of the parents were just oblivious or even worse than the kids. I would say the average age was much younger than our previous cruises on RCCL/NCL. There were a lot of 20 somethings on this cruise. I did witness them being mean to the staff or fellow cruisers on multiple occasions. However, there were quite a few very nice people who we had come to talk to. Just like every cruise we have been on, there are good eggs and bad eggs but this cruise did seem to have more bad eggs than other cruises.

 

Internet – I bought the premium package. Streamed Pandora ok. Facetime didn’t work. For $99 I thought it was ok. About what I expected.

 

Fitness Facility – smallest of all my cruises. For those interested, most of the treadmills only go up to 5 incline. Number 19 goes to 10 though. Equipment seemed in good working condition.

 

Spa – didn’t use too much but liked the pool and my wife liked the heated loungers.

 

Overall – I found this cruise to be ok. If I had to rank it, it would come in pretty low if not the lowest in my rankings but that doesn’t mean it was a bad cruise. What cruise is bad anyway? We did like the itinerary. I wish other cruise lines would take a hint from Carnival in this area. I am not sure if I would sail Carnival again. I could see myself sailing Vista when she comes out but I don’t think I would try any of the existing Carnival ships.

 

Please let me know if you have any questions and I will do my best to answer.

Edited June 30, 2015 by Nolefan95

[flahagan]

Thanks for the review. We're sailing her on July 18 and are wondering what would be the best time to arrive at the port.

Did you park at the port, by any chance? We're driving from central Fl. and want to make sure we can get in the parking garage - they can fill up.

Also, my hubby was ill recently and has low endurance, fatigues quickly. I'm worried about him standing around for long periods of time - he'll never make it. Are there places to sit during the embarkation process? It sounds completely different from anything we've experienced on our 15+ cruises. Our last embarkation in Miami was on MSC Divina, and it was a piece of cake - no place to sit, really, but didn't need to as the lines moved along so quickly.

Thanks for any advice.

[ScrappinCSI]

Please tell me about the main dining room. Was there traditional cruise type options to sit at larger tables and get to know new people? We are sad to hear the desserts were sub par but we always order a melting cake with other other choices just in case! Too bad about the water issue as we read many post the halls and rooms sometimes have sewer odor issues too. Your right no cruise can be bad. We are trying the Breeze next April after a quite a few years with NCL. Something was missing from our last cruise that we hope to find again on Carnival.

[Nolefan95]

Please tell me about the main dining room. Was there traditional cruise type options to sit at larger tables and get to know new people? We are sad to hear the desserts were sub par but we always order a melting cake with other other choices just in case! Too bad about the water issue as we read many post the halls and rooms sometimes have sewer odor issues too. Your right no cruise can be bad. We are trying the Breeze next April after a quite a few years with NCL. Something was missing from our last cruise that we hope to find again on Carnival.

 

We did the your time dining option and sat at our own table. From what I understand, you can do traditional dining on this ship and be seated with others. There are two dining rooms, one for your time dining and one for traditional dining. I usually ordered two desserts also. I was looking forward to the Bitter and Blanc bread pudding based on the good reviews but I was somewhat disappointed. It was ok but not as good as the reviews suggested. Just my opinion. We didn't notice any sewer odor issues on this ship. Hope you enjoy your cruise on the Breeze!

[Nolefan95]

Thanks for the review. We're sailing her on July 18 and are wondering what would be the best time to arrive at the port.

Did you park at the port, by any chance? We're driving from central Fl. and want to make sure we can get in the parking garage - they can fill up.

Also, my hubby was ill recently and has low endurance, fatigues quickly. I'm worried about him standing around for long periods of time - he'll never make it. Are there places to sit during the embarkation process? It sounds completely different from anything we've experienced on our 15+ cruises. Our last embarkation in Miami was on MSC Divina, and it was a piece of cake - no place to sit, really, but didn't need to as the lines moved along so quickly.

Thanks for any advice.

 

We live in South Florida. We did park at the port for $20 a day. I prefer the convenience. We arrived around 2pm. The parking lot was pretty full but there were still plenty of spaces on the upper (uncovered floor). We parked there. There were seats in the main check in area. It was a two step check process. You go into one line and they check your documents, etc. There weren't any seats there (probably took 10-15 minutes). Then you go to the main check in area to get your room key card (that area has seats, took 15-20min). I would try to arrive late like we did in your case as I have heard the same things you did.

[flahagan]

Thanks for the explanation. Our ship leaves at 4, so we probably won't cut it so close as to get there at two, but glad to hear there were still parking spaces available.

Sounds crazy why the process is so convoluted - we normally just get in one line, show our docs and get our cards right then and there. I wonder why the Breeze is so different.

[Bandet]

well i must start off apologizing if one of your neighbors was my wife...lol

 

She likes to blast music while she showers and gets dressed for dinner. We were also in the spa rooms on the 11th floor.in a balcony at the 6pm early dinning. So again sorry if from 5-6pm she had music going eeeek...she don't read these forums so i should be ok.....

 

the water situation did suck but at least it was only one day.

[BullDawg91]

Interesting.

 

We found the food much better on the Breeze (in May) than on our 2 Disney cruises. It was quite ho-hum on Disney with the exception of Palo. We always found something we enjoyed on the Breeze.

 

We also found the staff to be very friendly, maybe just a short notch below Disney.

 

I'll agree that the pool situation was just about gross, but is it any different on any other ship? The only difference on Disney is that the pools are chock full of kids instead of Disney. I'll just stay out of all of them!

 

We also liked the Playlist shows. We had late dining so we didn't see the comedy shows or experience the piano bar.

 

We enjoyed the sea day activities on Carnival much more than Disney.

 

We did miss the movie theater that Disney has.

 

We'll definitely cruise Carnival again.

[BullDawg91]

Thanks for the explanation. Our ship leaves at 4, so we probably won't cut it so close as to get there at two, but glad to hear there were still parking spaces available.

 

Sounds crazy why the process is so convoluted - we normally just get in one line, show our docs and get our cards right then and there. I wonder why the Breeze is so different.

 

 

On our Breeze cruise in May: We showed our passports to TSA type officials as you first enter the terminal. We then proceeded through the luggage scanners and metal detectors. We went straight up to the counter to get our Sign and Sail cards and boarding group. I'd say it didn't take more than 15 minutes. The terminal is large and there seemed to be plenty of space to sit. We were there about 10:30. The terminal was already pretty crowded.

[Hillman23]

Hey Nolefan good review. I was on this cruise with my wife. We enjoyed it more than you did but I appreciate your honest opinion.

 

Anyone leaving from Miami I would definitely suggest parking at the port. I've heard some sketchy stuff about off site parking places. Literally walk across the street to the terminal. I think it's worth the $20/day price.

[ScrappinCSI]

Thanks for the review. We're sailing her on July 18 and are wondering what would be the best time to arrive at the port.

Did you park at the port, by any chance? We're driving from central Fl. and want to make sure we can get in the parking garage - they can fill up.

Also, my hubby was ill recently and has low endurance, fatigues quickly. I'm worried about him standing around for long periods of time - he'll never make it. Are there places to sit during the embarkation process? It sounds completely different from anything we've experienced on our 15+ cruises. Our last embarkation in Miami was on MSC Divina, and it was a piece of cake - no place to sit, really, but didn't need to as the lines moved along so quickly.

Thanks for any advice.

 

We always try to be one of the first on a ship after the "special" people get their priority boarding. There can be lines between the front doors and the initial TSA type screening but after that it hasnt been a problem for my hubby who suffers from A.I.D. and cannot stand in place for very long period of time without loosing feeling in his feet. Staff has always seemed observant to anyone with difficulties too.

[nessz79]

It's always interesting to read different people's perspectives. We are usually Carnival people who did RC Oasis of the Seas last year. We liked the quieter atmosphere for the most part, but felt like Carnival was more kid-friendly. Our kids didn't like RC's kids' camp nearly as much as Carnival's. The food on RC was good, but I wouldn't say better than Carnival's, with the exception of 150 Central Park. Service was similar in my opinion, with both friendly and grumpy faces on both lines. Although we felt Oasis isn't really comparable with other ships, we missed Carnival's overall vibe of casual beach fun. We steer clear of the cesspools...I mean pools...when it's very crowded on sea days. I think Breeze has a nice compromise for the kids with the water park area with that water constantly flowing and moving. For adults, there are the hot tubs on deck 5 that not many people seem to know about (from my reading). So we decided to go with the Breeze this time around rather than shell out the big dollars for another Oasis cruise. Plus, the ports can't be beat.

[Nolefan95]

Interesting.

 

We found the food much better on the Breeze (in May) than on our 2 Disney cruises. It was quite ho-hum on Disney with the exception of Palo. We always found something we enjoyed on the Breeze.

 

We also found the staff to be very friendly, maybe just a short notch below Disney.

 

I'll agree that the pool situation was just about gross, but is it any different on any other ship? The only difference on Disney is that the pools are chock full of kids instead of Disney. I'll just stay out of all of them!

 

We also liked the Playlist shows. We had late dining so we didn't see the comedy shows or experience the piano bar.

 

We enjoyed the sea day activities on Carnival much more than Disney.

 

We did miss the movie theater that Disney has.

 

We'll definitely cruise Carnival again.

 

I see people say that a lot of times about the pools on ships being no different across the cruise lines (all seem packed). I disagree. On RCCL Freedom class and above, there are many different pools to choose from and I have found them to be much less crowded than other ships. I am not sure which Disney cruise ship you went on but on the Disney Dream there was an adults only pool towards the front that was never busy. I agree that the kids pool was packed. We didn't go in it the entire cruise. On the NCL Getaway, the pools were busy but never as packed as what I saw last week on the Breeze. I couldn't believe how packed that pool was.

 

I would not cruise Disney again because I feel RCCL and NCL provide a better balance of kids/adults activities/entertainment. We had the most fun on the NCL Getaway out of all of our cruises but we like the RCCL ships the best.

[Nolefan95]

well i must start off apologizing if one of your neighbors was my wife...lol

 

She likes to blast music while she showers and gets dressed for dinner. We were also in the spa rooms on the 11th floor.in a balcony at the 6pm early dinning. So again sorry if from 5-6pm she had music going eeeek...she don't read these forums so i should be ok.....

 

the water situation did suck but at least it was only one day.

 

Ahhhh so it was your wife that was singing. We did enjoy listening to her each night. Good entertainment. Jusk kidding. Guess you weren't our neighbor. The noise insulation seemed to work ok between the cabins but there didn't seem to be any by the front door. But like I said, it wasn't a big deal because we were in a low traffic area.

[Nolefan95]

It's always interesting to read different people's perspectives. We are usually Carnival people who did RC Oasis of the Seas last year. We liked the quieter atmosphere for the most part, but felt like Carnival was more kid-friendly. Our kids didn't like RC's kids' camp nearly as much as Carnival's. The food on RC was good, but I wouldn't say better than Carnival's, with the exception of 150 Central Park. Service was similar in my opinion, with both friendly and grumpy faces on both lines. Although we felt Oasis isn't really comparable with other ships, we missed Carnival's overall vibe of casual beach fun. We steer clear of the cesspools...I mean pools...when it's very crowded on sea days. I think Breeze has a nice compromise for the kids with the water park area with that water constantly flowing and moving. For adults, there are the hot tubs on deck 5 that not many people seem to know about (from my reading). So we decided to go with the Breeze this time around rather than shell out the big dollars for another Oasis cruise. Plus, the ports can't be beat.

 

 

We also enjoyed Carnival's casual beach vibe better than RCCL but like you found that the Breeze itself could not compare to any RCCL ship. It didn't really compare to the Getaway either. Just not in the same league. Not sure if you have been on NCL, but you should give the Getaway a try. Very good balance for kids/adults. Awesome entertainment. We had so much fun on that ship. Also very casual vibe.

[ehogan]

Thanks everyone for your input. We sail the Breeze on a B2B in JAN. (Very good prices). We have sailed Carnival many times before and have enjoyed all our cruises, definitely a different experience from other lines but still lots of fun.

 

I take issue with poorly behaved kids too, but the blame is with the parents. I think really bad behaviour should always be reported to the staff.

 

By the way the very worst experience we had with bratty kids was on a European MSC cruise!

[dacsmom]

Thanks for the comparison. I am looking to come back to Carnival for a bit and am back and forth between the Breeze and Vista.