First Time Carnival Cruise- Impressions of the Breeze

[texasgirl73]

Hello I thought I'd share my impressions of my cruise on the Breeze. I am a 43 year old veteran cruiser but Carnival virgin who was joined by my husband and 3 children ages 16, 13, and 11. I've sailed previously on Disney, Celebrity, and Royal Caribbean. We ended up choosing this cruise because I wanted to try saving airfare and sailing out of Galveston for once (all of my previous cruises have been out of Florida.) I originally booked us on the RCCL Liberty of the Seas but decided to change to the Breeze (which had the exact same sail dates) after a read that the Liberty's refurbishment did not extend to the cabins. I have to admit I like my ships, hotels, etc to be pretty new and in good condition, I can be silly picky like that and since the Breeze was Carnival's newest after the Vista, I decided to make the change. And I was able to save almost $2000 making the change which was nice.

 

I admit I was a bit nervous choosing a line that has reputation for being less luxurious. Most of my friends who gave sailed only on Carnival don't seem to love cruising like I do and I have wondered if it was because of their choice of cruise line but I decided to go ahead and check it out myself.

 

Tropical Storm Earl was in full force during our cruise but we managed to avoid it, arriving at our ports a day or two after the storm.

 

We were in two Spa balcony rooms on Deck 11- 11210 and 11214. They weren't connecting but were adjacent. We asked for the balcony divider to be opened so that we could have one large balcony. Unfortunately when they opened it the divider actually blocked part of our window (11214, the room my husband and I were in) I wished it opened the other way and blocked the kids room instead because those weirdos like to keep the room dark with the curtains closed all day long and wouldn't have noticed, but we tried to move it and it would only go one way. I liked the decor and the layout of the rooms. It was certainly tight in there but not so much that it bothered me at all. The spa decor is quite nice, I like the beautiful turquoise colors. Unfortunately we never got the chance to use the spa since you have to be 18 to use it and we never could seem to get rid of those darn kids! Haha.

 

I took a poll of the family and everyone was satisfied with the cruise. All 3 of the children say they prefer Royal (to be fair their only experience with Royal is on the Allure of the Seas which is hard to beat) but they said they wouldn't mind sailing Carnival again (which is a good thing since I had already booked Vista for next summer.) My husband preferred the spaciousness of the Allure and Oasis and the decor of the Disney Fantasy and Dream, he felt the Breeze seemed too crowded but he also said he wouldn't mind returning to Carnival and felt that saving a couple thousand by booking Carnival over Royal or Disney was worth it.

 

Food- The best cruise food I have had has been with Disney but I'd rate Carnival over Royal and Celebrity (when you take specialty dining out of the mix.) Royal definitely has the better buffet but I was more than happy to go to Guys or the Blue Iguana instead of the buffet. The lines for the buffet in the morning on port days were crazy, longer than I have ever seen on any line, so we made sure to stear clear of the buffet at anytime when we knew everyone would be rushing in at the same time. The Steakhouse was great, as was the Cucina del Capitano, and I enjoyed the main dining room more than I have on other lines (on my last cruise on the Oasis my husband and I did Specialty dining only since we found the dining room food on the Allure to be underwhelming.) The food wasn't particularly innovative but it did taste good- especially the tomato soup, fig and date pudding, cornmeal encrusted chicken, and Grand Marnier Soufflé. My daughter was adventurous and tried the frog legs and the escargot (in the dining room and the steakhouse.) We also tried Bonsai Sushi which was good, nothing special or unusual on the menu, but nice fresh sushi. My kids loved the icecream, Guys burgers, the pizza at pizza pirate, and the steaks at 555. And my youngest son got the melting cake multiple times even though he said he wasn't going to get anything chocolate after having a huge chocolate cake the night before the cruise.

 

Drinks- I got my normally soda loving son the Bubbles package which was a complete waste. He barely got one soda a day, he didn't feel like going up to the bars to get one. Also they were out of Sprite for two nights in a row in the dining room. He liked the lemonade so we will just skip that package for him in the future. Our two younger kids only drink water which is strange but awesome, saves us money in sodas and dental work. My husband and I both got the Cheers package and we barely broke even (and had to work at it!) so I think I'll skip on that in the future. My husband wasn't impressed with the drinks (he thought almost everything was too sweet) but I liked them. I especially liked the Twilight Zone (which I found at the Serenity and Tides Pool bars) as well as the Ting drinks at the Red Frog Pub. And who can go wrong with a Pina Colada! Also at dinner we had a drink called the Refreshing Italian which was really good and, you guessed it, refreshing.

 

Shows- We went to the Comedy Club, once for the adult showing and once with the kids. It was amusing both times. My husband actually thought the PG version was funnier. We watched a few movies on the pool deck (I hated that we couldn't find a deck chair, had to drag one from the Red Frog Rum Bar to sit to the side, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I could have laid down but alas we had late dining and just couldn't get up there to sit for more than a half hour to get a deck chair.) We didn't go see any production shows because the kids had no interest.

 

Activities- I enjoyed the scavenger hunts and trivia in the Ocean Plaza but found it unfortunate that there were some obvious repeat cruisers who have done some of the activities before and were able to finish in lightning speed (there was a guy who had taken the genius test before and came in while everyone was doing it, finished in a couple minutes and then talked loudly the remaining time about how easy it was and how fast he finished. My youngest son glared at him so much I think he must have felt guilty and he ended up handing him his trophy.) My kids loved playing foosball and table top shuffleboard but it was always a bit of a struggle to get a turn at them. I'm happy to see that Vista has more tables.

 

Ports- We went to Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. I purchased my excursions independently since Carnivals didn't interest me. The lines to get off first thing were ridiculous so we learned after the first port to wait a little bit until the cruise director came over the air to alert us when the lines were gone which didn't take long at all. It was better than being frustrated at being crushed in the hallways in the lower decks.

 

Montego Bay- We went through Resort for a Day and went to The Hilton Rose Hall for an all inclusive beach day. The drinks were great and the lazy river at the resort was great. I'd do this again for sure.

 

Grand Cayman- We decided to mix things up and do an escape room instead of a beach or snorkeling excursion. The Locked Inn has 4 rooms to escape from. We did one called Death Row and we had to escape from our Death Row cell. It's a fun activity for a group to solve puzzles. We barely got out in the 45 minutes and had a great time. We went to Cayman Cabana for lunch and I had the best ceviche. Both were within easy walking distance of the port.

 

Cozumel- We went to Nachi Cocom Beach Club for another all inclusive beach day. The food was good and my kids loved the beach. The drinks aren't all that so we just took shots of tequila (my husband and I, not the kiddos! Ha!)

 

Sky Course- We all did it. My daughter and I did the both courses, the boys were wimps and did the easy course only- in my husbands defense he was helping the 11 year old, my 16 year old has no excuse other than laziness.)

 

Debarkation- we had faster to the fun and we did self-assist to get off the ship ASAP to avoid crazy lines at customs. I can't enjoy breakfast knowing lines are ahead of me so it was better to just get off. It wasn't too crazy so I think I'm gonna always get of the ship this way.

 

FTTF- was it worth it? Well we were on the ship pretty early and didn't have to wait in line to get a burger at Guys. I went to guest services a few times and maybe skipped a couple people. It helped get us off the ship sooner. Since I had two cabins we had to pay it twice. And part of me felt it was a waste of money but I can't seem to cancel it for my Vista cruise so I guess deep down I feel it's worth it to lessen potential vacation stress.

 

Carnival Hub- I loved using this to check the schedule. It was also great to see and order our photos. I was able to take photos of all 5 of us so the App could use facial recognition to find all of our photos. I wish they had some packages that made ordering multiple photos more affordable like Royal and Disney have, but I was really happy with the photos I purchased and how easy it was to get them. I even had one of them put on canvas and it's gorgeous.

 

Overall it was an enjoyable cruise, I thought the service was exceptional. I look forward to next years cruise on Vista. After we got back I looked at photos of Vista with a new perspective having been on the Breeze. We really liked deck 5 but hated having the casino on that deck (none of us like being anywhere near smoke) so seeing that the casino is on deck 4 on Vista is a good thing. And I think my husband will be excited to try to Alchemy and Havana bars.

 

I'm not going to say that Carnival is now my favorite cruise line (that would be RCCL and I'd say the Disney Fantasy is my favorite ship) but it was definitely fun and I am now a fan. I was afraid that I would be disappointed and that the savings wasn't going to be worth it but Carnival delivered and proved me wrong.

Edited August 12, 2016 by texasgirl73

[manmachine]

Nice fair balanced review. Was your cabin cool enough?

 

 

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[texasgirl73]

Temperature wise? Yes. After sweating and suffering two nights in the Galveston humidity, our cabin was great. Decor-wise, yes that too! [emoji4]

[FaithfulRaider]

Thanks for the review! We will be on the Breeze in 3 weeks and have been looking for ideas for Jamaica. Wish you got to use the spa, we have a spa room as well for the first time.

 

Oh one question. You said you about broke even on cheers. Did you guys also order shakes, specialty coffees and bottled waters at the MDR and if so do you think they added any value to Cheers?

[texasgirl73]

We got coffee-Mexican coffees at the Plaza cafe to be specific and they were very good! I didn't get any shakes (I can only take in so many calories in one day, I decided that I wasn't going to eat or drink things that my body didn't want just to add value, which is a big reason I won't get the package in the future because I don't want to make poor dietary decisions so that I can feel like I saved money.) I did grab a few waters but they had cold water set up in different areas of the ship and I like my water with ice so I usually got my water that way. It was nice not to worry about price but now that I see that it didn't save me money I won't do it again.

Edited August 13, 2016 by texasgirl73

[PittsburghGirlee]

I thought Nachi was Adults Only??? Maybe your kids are older..

Great review and thanks for taking the time to post[emoji106]

[riclop]

Thanks for the thoughts.

[beaucajun]

I thought Nachi was Adults Only??? Maybe your kids are older..

Great review and thanks for taking the time to post[emoji106]

 

Kids were welcome when we were there last year.

[springs741]

I thought Nachi was Adults Only??? Maybe your kids are older..

Great review and thanks for taking the time to post[emoji106]

 

 

Nachi Cocom is not adults only. Was there last July with the little ones.

[texasgirl73]

Yep, plenty of kids at Nachi Cocom, not as many as there were at Hilton Rose Hall in Jamaica but at least 10-15 there.

[LibratPDX]

Thanks for the review! We will be on the Breeze in 3 weeks and have been looking for ideas for Jamaica. Wish you got to use the spa, we have a spa room as well for the first time.

 

The Cloud 9 Spa on the Breeze is wonderful! I only use the Thalassotherapy pool and the heated tile loungers, but there are 2 or 3 other sauna/steam rooms (too hot for me) also.

[easyboy]

Thanks for your honest views. Glad you enjoyed it overall.

[MaiTaiMary]

Loved your review! Thank you so much.

 

We are sailing on the Breeze next month. A few questions when you get a sec...

 

 

Do you remember what you ate at Cucina del Capitano? We are thinking about trying it out for dinner.

 

How was the room for the comedy club? Did you have to get there super early to get a decent seat?

 

MDR food on the Breeze was better than MDR food on Celebrity? Wow. (not a question. Just a comment! LOL)

 

Was Nachi Cocum nice & quiet when you went? We went last year and were very surprised to hear the bartender blasting loud music. We were sat next to a large group (15+) who were there to get drunk and p-a-r-t-y, and nothing else. But we really enjoyed this beach and are thinking about going back next month. It sounds like our experience wasn’t the norm. I’m hoping you tell me it was nice and peaceful! :)

 

Have fun on the Vista! I think you’ll really like the Alchemy bar. :)

[texasgirl73]

Loved your review! Thank you so much.

 

 

 

We are sailing on the Breeze next month. A few questions when you get a sec...

 

 

 

 

 

Do you remember what you ate at Cucina del Capitano? We are thinking about trying it out for dinner.

 

 

 

How was the room for the comedy club? Did you have to get there super early to get a decent seat?

 

 

 

MDR food on the Breeze was better than MDR food on Celebrity? Wow. (not a question. Just a comment! LOL)

 

 

 

Was Nachi Cocum nice & quiet when you went? We went last year and were very surprised to hear the bartender blasting loud music. We were sat next to a large group (15+) who were there to get drunk and p-a-r-t-y, and nothing else. But we really enjoyed this beach and are thinking about going back next month. It sounds like our experience wasn’t the norm. I’m hoping you tell me it was nice and peaceful! :)

 

 

 

Have fun on the Vista! I think you’ll really like the Alchemy bar. :)

 

 

There were 5 of us so we had a lot of dishes at Cucina Del Capitano. I had the steak, my husband and son had the chicken parm (looked good, I think it will be my choice next time,) my two youngest had the spaghetti and meatballs. For apps we had the antipasti (which didn't have any cheese included so skipped it but my daughter liked it,) the meatballs (which everyone loved,) the arancini (I didn't try but kids liked them a lot,) the eggplant parm (I liked it but will probably opt for a different App next time,) and the calamari ( pretty tasty.) We were so full we only got 2 desserts- the tiramisu (wow soooooo good) and the cannoli (my son ate every bite despite being full.)

 

The Comedy Club had a lot of seating (seemed like less at first glance.) For the late show we lined up about 20 minutes early- line was long but plenty of seats when we got in. For the early show (on the last sea day) we got in with the kids only 5 minutes before the show and found seats way off to the side near the stage- not the best view but we were glad to be sitting getting there so late.)

 

To be fair- I have only sailed Celebrity once (in an Aqua room which had us in a special dining room) and the food was hyped up as so much better that I found myself disappointed. Might be more about expectations than the actual food but it wasn't as good as I thought it would be. Maybe the regular dining room was better.

 

At Nachi there were a few kids doing flips in the pool and laughing loudly but they were cute little girls having fun so I didn't find it bothersome. I considered it to be pretty calm but when we went there previously it was in April with just my husband and I- it was even calmer. Sounds like your experience may be an exception.

[loubetti]

You don't really know know Celebrity cuisine until you have sailed them more than once, and not in Aqua class. Otherwise, there is no comparison to Carnival- apples to caviar comparison.

[texasgirl73]

You don't really know know Celebrity cuisine until you have sailed them more than once, and not in Aqua class. Otherwise, there is no comparison to Carnival- apples to caviar comparison.

 

 

I acknowledge that I haven't experienced the best of Celebrity which is why I added the additional information. I went on one of the older ships and haven't seen the newer ones. Maybe some day when the kids are older.

 

I'm a huge foodie and sailed Celebrity specifically for the food. We tried Tuscan Grille and Oceanliners and were underwhelmed. I think a big part of this is because it was a trip specifically designed to check out the food. We also focussed our excursions on dining as we always do when the kids aren't with us. Our Carnival trip was all about family and fun and so it was considerably easier to impress us with the food since it wasn't the focus of the trip. So I'd say it all depends on your frame of mind. I assume anyone getting on the Carnival Breeze with dining as the focus hoping to get an out of this world experience would be disappointed.

Edited August 14, 2016 by texasgirl73

[Cruiseathoning]

It may all be Sysco, as they say in Las Vegas, but Sysco has an A team and B team, meaning grades of ingredients. Fine dining is not something that can be fully evaluated as a one off experience.

 

I have never been on Celebrity, but I have never known anyone who has to dislike the food, likewise I have never known anyone who thought the Windjammer, "Turkey Casserole" could hold a candle to Carnival's selections on the buffet. To each their own.

 

We don't eat buffet anymore anyway, as it is too much salt.

Edited August 15, 2016 by Cruiseathoning

[meatloafsfan]

I acknowledge that I haven't experienced the best of Celebrity which is why I added the additional information. I went on one of the older ships and haven't seen the newer ones. Maybe some day when the kids are older.

 

I'm a huge foodie and sailed Celebrity specifically for the food. We tried Tuscan Grille and Oceanliners and were underwhelmed. I think a big part of this is because it was a trip specifically designed to check out the food. We also focussed our excursions on dining as we always do when the kids aren't with us. Our Carnival trip was all about family and fun and so it was considerably easier to impress us with the food since it wasn't the focus of the trip. So I'd say it all depends on your frame of mind. I assume anyone getting on the Carnival Breeze with dining as the focus hoping to get an out of this world experience would be disappointed.

 

You're not alone - I found the food in the MDR to be "Overall" better than Celebrity. Celebrity has a few better dishes than Carnival but for me, consistency counts for a lot - I'd rather have 7 nights of good - very good than 3 nights of excellent, 1 night good, 2 nights of okay and 1 night of - please pass me more bread because this is not good at all.

 

I also enjoy all 4 of the cruise lines that you sail with though my preference is for Carnival over Royal.

Edited August 15, 2016 by meatloafsfan

[JaniceB]

Thank you for doing a review of your cruise on the Breeze.

 

Did you go to the Thrill theater? Enjoy it?

[ToddnMichelle]

I very much appreciate your honest review of Carnival as a new-comer to the line. My only past experience has been with RCCL which we loved. Taking our 2 boys on Breeze for this same cruise on 10/2 and sounds like this will work out perfect for us. I wasn't aware of Resort For a Day and it looks like they have some great packages available, thanks a ton!

[CJHAN]

Drinks- I got my normally soda loving son the Bubbles package which was a complete waste. He barely got one soda a day, he didn't feel like going up to the bars to get one.

 

This is interesting to me. My son also didn't want to drink the Soda after we got this package he might have had one a day like your kid. Lesson learned he will have to buy each drink from his allotted money next time and save us a bit of cash in the long run.

[nursey000]

The fresh Italian is my favorite drink, but I cant get it right!

[texasgirl73]

Thank you for doing a review of your cruise on the Breeze.

 

 

 

Did you go to the Thrill theater? Enjoy it?

 

 

We didn't try to the Thrill theater. The price seemed too high for such a short experience. If we had gotten a day pass it might have been worth it but we could only find time for one show and it was like 12 minutes or something close to that. We decided to pass.

[texasgirl73]

This is interesting to me. My son also didn't want to drink the Soda after we got this package he might have had one a day like your kid. Lesson learned he will have to buy each drink from his allotted money next time and save us a bit of cash in the long run.

 

I swear the kid guzzles soda anywhere else so I thought the package would be worth it. I was so wrong.

[braceman402]

Thanks for the review. We are frequent cruisers ( by our standards ) and have been on Carnival and RCCL many times and Princess once. Quite frankly most of the differences we found were dependent on the individual cruise and the staff not the line itself. I will say the most consistent food in the MDR across all the lines was on Carnival. Gourmet it is not, but good food it is.