Willdra's Bodacious Carnival Breeze April 27-May 4 Cruise

[willdra]

6 hours ago, TravelGirlinDallas said:

What are your must-buys? Heading to Coz in a couple of days, myself.

 

We love Paradise Beach! I'm interested to hear that they may be trying to hide the sweet $3 deal we always do...  Hmmm....

 

I have to get T shirts from Ron Jon Cozumel for a few of my team members. We also get Patron Silver there cuz it’s much cheaper. Sometimes I get some of the Mexican Vanilla, and there’s a gift shop at Puerta Maya that has some really cute hand painted glassware (wine glasses, margarita glasses, drinking glasses, etc) I get a few of those and have them add names for whoever I’m buying for. Plus whatever special requests that I’ve received. 😊

[Carolina Girl 99]

On 6/12/2019 at 6:42 PM, willdra said:

 

 

 We walked through there, and did some window shopping. I found a couple of things that I wanted to purchase to take home. Since there was no one at Guest Services at that time, we went there next to add our gift cards to our Sail and Sign account. Collecting Carnival Gift Cards throughout the year really helps us to cut down on our cruise bill. I'm also not mad at those fuel points that we get at Kroger for buying the Gift Cards there. My fam knows to give me Carnival Gift Cards for every occasion from birthdays, to Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, and even Arbor Day!

 

 

 

I'm bringing the Carnival gift cards to use for (all) of my on-board expenses. How does this work? Would I just select a "cash" account during the online check-in then add the cards at guest services within a certain amount of time after boarding?

[willdra]

23 hours ago, BENHANDEL said:

I am so thankful for your review!

 

We will be on the Breeze at Christmas..in adjoining cove balconies forward of you. How was the temperature after that initial cool down? Did it stay cool?

 

What was your perception of the ship's movement? We had a cove on Horizon so I would assume it is similar, but posts on the FB group keep referencing lots of movement. 

 

We saw DJ Cooch on Imagination in March. He was hilarious!

 

We are also planning to go to paradise beach! I loved your pictures and was unsure from your snarky writing (which I love!) if you would continue to recommend it? Or just be clear on the pricing? What did you think of the food there?

 

I am so hoping your Roatan day is going to monkeys and sloths! I just love getting a preview of our trip!

 

 

Thanks so much for reading along! 

Yes the cabin stayed cool 😎  after we chilled it out. 

 

We didn’t notice much movement at all. The whole cruise was smooth sailing. 😍🛳

 

I do still recommend Paradise Beach as long as they keep the a la carte wristband option. It is an amazing deal. It’s also very beautiful and the pool is perfect. We will just check their site to make sure nothing changed, and we don’t get tricked, before we go again. 😉😉

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

17 hours ago, Carolina Girl 99 said:

 

I'm bringing the Carnival gift cards to use for (all) of my on-board expenses. How does this work? Would I just select a "cash" account during the online check-in then add the cards at guest services within a certain amount of time after boarding?

 

You can either add a credit card or select cash when you initially setup your account online. When you get on the ship,  you can add the gift cards at Guest Services or at one of the kiosks. Sometimes they will do it at check in, but I always forget to ask. Just keep in mind that you may not be able to make a purchase until there are funds on your Sail and Sign Account. There could be a delay in getting your Drink of the Day.    

😱🙃

[grandmarnnurse]

On 6/13/2019 at 7:48 PM, willdra said:

Cozumel Day

 

 

My alarm was set for 9am but I woke up around 7. I got up to see what time it was, cuz I was suspicious of the amount of sleep that I was getting. I was like "I feel relaxed and refreshed, this can't be right, I must've overslept", and I jumped up! I fell right back asleep, of course, when I saw that I still had 2 more hours. Maybe every hour of cruise sleep, is worth 2 hours of at home sleep.

 

When it was really time for me to get up, I opened the curtains, and I almost stepped outside, but I saw a tender boat loading up an excursion right outside of our balcony. So glad I didn’t walk all the way out. I was not presentable, and it was not pretty.

 

W felt me moving around, and soon he got up too. We showered quietly and went up to the Lido for food. As soon as the elevators opened up, I remembered that I could have arepas and huevos rancheros (with no huevos) for breakfast! I was so excited, I ran-walked over to Blue Iguana for my goodies. Yes Lawd! They were just making a batch of fresh fabulousness, so I was right on time. I got what I wanted, then went back to locate W. He was just getting out of the omelet line, which was not packed, either. The whole Lido felt empty. I love not having to fight for food. I will if I have to, but it’s much more pleasant for everyone, when that’s not necessary.

 

While we were eating, we saw a lady in a scooter zipping around the Lido. She whipped around a corner so fast that she almost took out a whole family, a crew member, a squirrel, and a table. Please. For the love of pedicures and pretty feet, slow down on those things!

 

 

 

This all looks amazing! 

[latezcruz]

Loving your review Willdra!  🤗

[MsJersey84]

Another great review.. Thank you for all the laughs!!

[Quilcruisers]

On 6/13/2019 at 6:49 PM, willdra said:

We ate breakfast then stopped by 2373 to collect our stuff. While I was there, I wanted to use the facilities one last time before we got off the ship. It's so much easier (and nicer) to "go" in the privacy of your cabin, than it is out in port. Our cabin stewards came to clean the room 10 seconds after I got in there. Yep, seems about right.

 

Debarkation in Cozumel was super speedy. It was warm and beautiful already too. There were quite a few people at the Excursion queuing area. That’s where we did the most maneuvering. Once we got past that collection of chaos, we only had a short walk to the taxi stand out front. It was still early, and we would be at that port until 5:30 pm, so the taxi stand line moved fast.

 

When we made it to the front of the line, we jumped in a taxi for 2, and went straight to Paradise Beach. Upon arrival, we were greeted at the front by Domingo. He told us about the 3 package options. As he was explaining them, I was a little confused. We’ve never had to do a package in the past. We’d just had breakfast, and if anything, we would only have drinks and get in the pool. That was not package worthy. I stared at him for a minute (in Bran Stark), and I asked about getting the wristband for $3, to which Domingo actually said “oh yeah, you can do that too. Just buy at least $10 of food and drink while you are here”. Now I’m not the sharpest pencil in the drawer, and W and I prolly looked like helpless no accounts, and the Beverly Hillbillies, but I felt like they were trying to hide the cheaper option.  Why wouldn’t you give us all of the options up front? Hmmmmm. You can never trust a big butt and a smile. Questionable.

 

If Paradise Beach is on some shadiness, that doesn’t involve their trees, I will be careful about recommending it to people in the future. I will also check the website before we go back to make sure the policy hasn’t changed. Again, vacay time is too precious to be dealing with unasked for, unwarranted, and unsolicited drama. As well as unnecessary expenditures. Ain't nobody got time for that. Nope.

 

Once we settled that potential price problem, we were escorted to lounge chairs where we chose a couple in the shade. This is the only type of shade that I want in my life. W got directly in the pool, and I went to the gift shop to buy a wrap and a hat. See what had happened was…I used my cruise bag as my pool bag last summer, and I must’ve left my cruise stuff in it. In the closet. In. Georgia. Thank God these were things that were easily replaced (He’s still taking care of this fool and baby). If you’re keeping tabs, so far I left my camera battery, the battery charger, my hat, and my hair wrap. I’m turning 50 in Oct. and I hope this isn’t a sign of my life to come. If so, I may show up on my next cruise with no suitcase. Pray for me fam!

So happy to see another review from you! I swear I am laughing so hard and I think I snorted a couple of times too. Omg, you are an October baby, so this oct I will be 49.95.  In 2020 I will be 50 so I think I must plan a cruise (I have already been invited and booked on 2 in 2020) . I am in the planning phase of my 50th raunch-o-Rama .  Can’t wait to finish your review, but don’t want to finish it but i do.....ok carry on 🤪🤪🤪

[jc4me]

I love your reviews!  I was looking for something to hold me over until our February cruise on the Breeze.  Thanks for taking the time to share....

[watermelonqueen99]

I live for Willdra reviews! All caught up and can't wait for more!

[teacher34]

I absolutely love your reviews !!! They brighten my day and give me something to look forward to. You have a fantastic sense of humor and a great writing style, plus I learn a lot about the ship you are on as well as the ports. This is a in, win, win deal !! Thank you so much for taking the time to write this ! I hope we end up on the same ship someday !!

[BuzzBuzzen]

I just read your Oasis of the Seas review , loved the "eviction day " tag ! Cheers, Buzz.

[willdra]

On 6/15/2019 at 4:22 PM, grandmarnnurse said:

This all looks amazing! 

 

It’s my absolute favorite breakfast! 😋

[willdra]

On 6/15/2019 at 7:22 PM, latezcruz said:

Loving your review Willdra!  🤗

 

Thank you so much!😍

[willdra]

On 6/16/2019 at 1:23 AM, Quilcruisers said:

So happy to see another review from you! I swear I am laughing so hard and I think I snorted a couple of times too. Omg, you are an October baby, so this oct I will be 49.95.  In 2020 I will be 50 so I think I must plan a cruise (I have already been invited and booked on 2 in 2020) . I am in the planning phase of my 50th raunch-o-Rama .  Can’t wait to finish your review, but don’t want to finish it but i do.....ok carry on 🤪🤪🤪

 

I’m not sure that I’ve heard of a raunch-o-rama, but I’m positive that I need one in my life!🤣 

Please post a review afterwards, I’m gonna need all the deets! 😜

[willdra]

20 hours ago, jc4me said:

I love your reviews!  I was looking for something to hold me over until our February cruise on the Breeze.  Thanks for taking the time to share....

 

Thank you!! 🤗

[3smithboys]

Even though we are going on an Eastern on the Breeze, I’m patiently waiting for more! 😎 Love your style! 

[willdra]

17 hours ago, watermelonqueen99 said:

I live for Willdra reviews! All caught up and can't wait for more!

 

Thanks 🙏🏾!! I will post more tonight for sure. 😁

[willdra]

5 hours ago, 3smithboys said:

Even though we are going on an Eastern on the Breeze, I’m patiently waiting for more! 😎 Love your style! 

 

Thank you! 🤗

[willdra]

18 hours ago, BuzzBuzzen said:

I just read your Oasis of the Seas review , loved the "eviction day " tag ! Cheers, Buzz.

 

LOL! Eviction Day is the worst! 😭

[willdra]

21 hours ago, teacher34 said:

I absolutely love your reviews !!! They brighten my day and give me something to look forward to. You have a fantastic sense of humor and a great writing style, plus I learn a lot about the ship you are on as well as the ports. This is a in, win, win deal !! Thank you so much for taking the time to write this ! I hope we end up on the same ship someday !!

 

Thanks for reading (and enjoying) my randomness! 😆

[willdra]

Belize Day

 

We woke up around 9 which didn’t seem early the night before, when I set my alarm. It sure did feel extra early when it sounded tho. Our tour was scheduled to meet at the pier in Belize at 11:30. This meant we didn’t really have dilly-dallying time, and we had to get busy. Le Boooooooo.

 

When we were ready to leave the cabin, I asked W where the tender ticket pickup was. He said we should just go to Deck 0 and get off. Um no sir, that doesn’t sound right. That's not how this works. That's not how any of this works. I said "when we tender, we have to go to a place first to get a ticket, I’m just not recalling the place". He just shrugged, and continued to look at me like I had a ferret on my head. Ok den. Let’s just go see shall we?

 

There was a letter left on our bed the night before, that explained the Priority Debarkation process in detail. I grabbed it, and read that we should go to the Red Frog Pub when we were ready, and they will work us onto the next tender. Reading is fundamental.

 

Since we suddenly had more time, we went to eat breakfast really quick. We just got some random items from the buffet, ate expeditiously, then went to the Red Frog.

Freeze. Everybody.clap.your. hands.

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

We made it to the Red Frog at 10:13. There were 2 Crew Members waiting for Priority Guests when we got there. We were told that it would just be a few minutes and we would go. We were on our tender boat at precisely 10:25. This was a flawless, easy process. No waiting. No nada. When we got on the boat, we were seated downstairs, where we chose seats that had the best view of the Breeze. I got my camera out of the bag, and my lenses were all fogged up from the AC on the ship. I spent the entire ride wiping off my lenses. I got them cleared up right when the boat docked at the port. Holy Guacamole.  I’ve got to look into procuring some type of “ fog be gone” when we went back home. There has to be a way to avoid this foolishness in the future.

 

It started raining also right as we docked. Good thing this was only a passing shower that lasted maybe 10 minutes. We looked around a little, then found a lady holding a sign for our tour right outside of the Diamonds International store. She pointed us inside and told us to wait somewhere in the building. She also said that we could go potty while we waited. W and I both went, then when we came back, we weren’t really sure where we should be. There were people kinda randomly standing around everywhere. I walked back out to the guide to inquire again, and she said to just wait inside the building. What does that even mean? “Inside the building” was too broad for my life. I went back in, and W and I just sat in the middle of the building on a little bench. Looking special (not in a good way).

 

 

A few minutes later, Yvette, who was our guide for the day, came and told us that we could get on the bus.

However, before we could step on the bus, we had to wait for a second generation, twice removed, mature adult to ask Yvette if this was the right bus for her tour. Yvette was very patient and told her 3 times, in 3 different ways, that this was the correct bus. I'm gonna pause here. Somebody come get your Meema, and help her get on this tour. As we were walking on (don’t forget that Yvette had already established that we were all in the right place), Meema turned to me and asked me if I was going on the tour. "Yes ma’am. If we can ever get on the bus, we will all go on the tour".

 

 

The bus pulled out at 11:32. A minute later, there was a guy who came up and said that we were leaving part of his family, who were still tendering over. Yvette told him that they called the ship before we left and were told that no one else was on a tender for our tour. I felt bad for his fam, but the ticket did say to be on a tender by 10:30. I'm also now mentally questioning our choice. Did I pick the short bus excursion??? Maybe. Darn.

 

 

 

Once Yvette got everyone settled and started the tour, I realized that W and I were prolly the youngest people on the bus. We are: Using AOL Disks, and had a Myspace account, years old, but we felt like spring chickens on this tour. Yvette had to say everything loud, and at least twice, for everyone to hear, and comprehend. We would get off of the bus, and peeps would just stand there in the way, waiting for further instructions, that they'd already received. I didn’t get it until halfway in, so the first half for me was full of eye rolls and deep sighs. Once I got it, I got it.

 

 

 

I actually started to enjoy the mature company, since I’m already planning on being loud and wrong, when I grow up too. Seniors don’t care about your feelings one bit, and I can’t wait to be like that! I asked W if he was ok with me being a crazy old lady, and he said yes as long as I didn’t get one of those beehive hairstyles. Bet. I can (not) do that.

[willdra]

 

Our first stop was the Belize sign. We were let off the bus, and the seniors started wandering around aimlessly. Right as W was taking my picture, someone meandered into the shot. W waited, and then he took the picture. We took a few photos at this first stop then we got back on the bus.

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

We drove around and took the slow scenic route to the Travellers Rum Distillery next. The first part of the rum tour was self-guided, and there were samples throughout. We were told that we could drink all of the samples that we wanted.  We tasted everything.  At least twice. This was really the reason that I picked the tour. W loves rum, and I figured he would enjoy tasting a few different flavors. The Rum Cream and Coconut Rum with Pineapple Juice were the best. We kept going back to those. We stayed in there awhile. Those mature bladders needed to be emptied often. There were long bathroom breaks throughout the day.