Another Breeze Review 8/6-8/13 (Cozumel, Roatan, Belize)

[BettyBurrito]

My husband and 13 year old son were on this cruise and we've cruised quite a bit in the past. I was surprised to notice we haven't been on Carnival since 2009. That was a Western Caribbean cruise on the Conquest and we were so bored on that trip, there didn't seem to be much going on during the day except for the sales pitches for skin treatments, white teeth and such. We've been away for a while, mostly because itineraries on other lines were what we wanted but a little bit because it was such a disappointing experience.

 

Fast forward to 2017 on the Breeze. Wow...what a difference! We had such a great time, I'm ready to book another Carnival cruise next year. So here is a breakdown:

 

Parking:

We chose Park and Cruise. Very convenient location meant not having to get on a shuttle. It's walking distance to the port and is inside a parking garage.

 

Embarkation:

We did FTTF and thought it was well worth it just for the fact that we were able to immediately get on the ship. Embarkation was delayed a bit so we had to wait about 1/2 hour for them to begin boarding. But no problem, vacation had officially begun!

 

Cabin:

We had balcony cabin 8363. Loved that we were between 2 floors of cabins. The only noise was that of a family across the hall that had 3-4 cabins and they'd congregate in the hall a lot. I didn't care, everything was pretty quiet after 10pm anyway. The cabin had plenty of storage. We did forget some clothing that we put in the drawers under the couch. If you use those drawers, make a mental note to remember them on the last night.

 

Our cabin steward presented us with a card when we got there that asked whether we wanted 1x per day or 2x per day cleanings. We chose twice per day and he did a lovely job.

 

Food:

I thought the food was pretty darned good. We had dinner most nights in the Sapphire formal dining room. And yes, Bitter and Blanc was on the menu! For lunch, it was either Blue Iguana (I loved the breakfast burritos in the morning, too), Pizza or Guy Fieri's burgers. All 3 options were just fine for us. I did try the Mongolian grill on day and I wasn't too thrilled. One odd thing is there is no rice there, only noodles. Swirls was always a great choice for a sweet treat. Mmmm.

 

Entertainment:

There was always something to do. Mike Patch, the current cruise director was amazing. He made music trivia shows a major fun time. He's a hilarious guy and we enjoyed him very much.

 

We went to the family comedy shows each night they were offered. There were always 2 family shows and 2 to 3 adult shows per night. The theater would be completely cleared in between shows to accommodate those who were standing in line. We always went to the first family show and never had a problem getting seats. We would arrive about 20 minutes prior to showtime.

 

We skipped the production shows but listened to some of the bands and really enjoyed them.

 

Ports:

Roatan - we went to Little French Key. We had been there a couple of years ago and I wanted to take our son. It's a great way to spend the day but it felt more crowded this time. When we were there before, the owner hadn't yet built some of the restaurants and guest suites. It felt more like sharing his private island. This time, it seems much more commercial. Still, it's a beautiful place and my son jumped off the platform into the water for about 6 hours straight.

 

Belize - We did cave tubing through Carnival. Yes, you must carry your own tubes (they were pretty light) and there is no headrest on the tube (this didn't seem to be an issue) and the tubes were tied together, no holding of feet. The path was even but rocky on the 15 minute walk to the river. The water was cool and refreshing. We all liked the experience but I think once is enough for me. We chose the excursion without lunch. This gave us more options when lunchtime arrived as we were with the people who paid for lunch. They had a buffet style lunch set up. We ordered tacos and nachos from an independent vendor on site. They were pretty good.

 

Cozumel - We went to Mr. Sanchos and loved it. I think another reviewer said the water was dirty. I don't think it was dirty, it just wasn't clear water like we had in Roatan but I think no matter which beach you were at, the water might have been the same in the general vicinity. I will definitely be back. The service was outstanding and the food and drinks pretty good. The mixed drinks weren't strong but I'm good with that since I usually don't drink during the day anyway. And of course, my son really loved the inflatables. He ended the day tired, sore and happy.

 

Debarkation:

Since we did FTTF, we were off the ship by about 7:50 and home by noon. Yay!

Tropical Storm Franklin:

I have to give a shout out to the Captain and Carnival. We were heading south to Cozumel just as Franklin was heading west. We were scheduled to be in Cozumel on Tuesday, right when Franklin was passing through. The captain announced on Monday that instead of going to Cozumel on Tuesday, we'd have another sea day and visit Cozumel on Friday. He then reversed the order of Roatan and Belize so we went south to north.

 

This change in schedule meant we only had one day of clouds and semi-rough seas (9ft, I think). All of our port days were sunny and beautiful.

 

And a shout out to Mr. Sanchos. We emailed them on Monday to change our reservation to Friday. They got back to us within a half an hour. Really great service!

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[easyboy]

Did you pre-reserve with Mr. Sancho's online? There were many people when we got there last March.

Glad you enjoyed your cruise,

[JaniceB]

Thanks for the review of the Breeze, my favorite ship so far.

[BettyBurrito]

Did you pre-reserve with Mr. Sancho's online? There were many people when we got there last March.

Glad you enjoyed your cruise,

 

Yes, we made reservations online. They looked full on the day we were there. Service didn't suffer, though.

[cruzkitty]

Than You for your review! We will be cruising the Breeze in October, and also returning to Mr. Sanchos for the third time!

[tammyjw305]

Parking:

We chose Park and Cruise. Very convenient location meant not having to get on a shuttle. It's walking distance to the port and is inside a parking garage.

 

Thanks for the review and info; I'm glad all worked out with the tropical storm!

 

We have booked this parking lot. We have an emailed receipt. How does it work when you arrive? Do they have people checking the receipt or is it automated somehow?

 

Thanks!

[BettyBurrito]

Thanks for the review and info; I'm glad all worked out with the tropical storm!

 

We have booked this parking lot. We have an emailed receipt. How does it work when you arrive? Do they have people checking the receipt or is it automated somehow?

 

Thanks!

 

We printed out the confirmation and had it ready for them. I do think I remember them having a printout of all those coming in. We were then directed to a parking space. They had larger golf carts to take you to the port even though it's very walkable, it saves you from hauling luggage over some uneven pavement. The ride is complementary and tip is appreciated.

[Clarea]

Enjoyed the review, thanks.:)