Sersee

Oh that’s ok. We don’t actually get in the water. We find a seat and it’s Always close to the bar. It was fun to see movies that weren’t available to rent yet. 
 

My husband and I went  every night and we just had fun doing it. It was nice to sit in the open air.

Im not a gigantic public pool fan especially the small ones 

Thank you! That’s good to know. I know it’s stupid but the Dive in movies were a favorite. 

Thank you! Does spice have a bar area? That makes me feel better about the allergies.

in Carnival we had a sign and sail card. We get it swiped for our drinks and it was linked to our credit card

I have only ever been in The Carnival Breeze. I have three kids 22,18 and 15. My daughters bf always go with us as well. We usually try to book two connecting rooms of three.
 

We are leaning toward booking The Breakaway  Western Caribbean out of Miami.

I don’t know  much about NCL. I looked up the ship and it looked fun. I’m sure it will be an upgrade from The Breeze. We loved the Breeze! We got the drink package and everyone had a good time in the ship. We loved the trivia , dive in movies , and Guys Burgers.

So I have some questions . We got the free at sea so have the open bar, port credit and WiFi.

1) Does the Breakaway have Movies?

2) Does it have an adult section that isn’t extra?

3) Dining wise, you have to reserve everything?  On Carnival we ate in the main dining room and then would hit the buffet, Guys , etc for breakfast and lunch. How does it work on Norweigen?

4)I have a son with a dairy allergy. Carnival was surprisingly awesome with it. How is Norweigen?

5) Is Harvest Caye only a NCL port?

6) Do you get a sail card? Besides a soda package any other fees ?

7) Anything else In

missing?

Thank you!!!!

The Western wasn’t overly enticing to me. I would like to do it at some point. We didn’t want to go in an Eastern again although it was great. We want to see as many places as we can. 
 

I did check and I have two sea days so that sounds ideal. 
 

Im assuming lots of people fly out to PR to go in this itinerary. We were in PR for our Eastern and loved it. We felt safe. My kids get nervous with sketchy. They were nervous when we went to Jamaica.  I was told Belize can be a little freaky with all the armed guards but I have never been so take what others say with a grain of salt.

I was nervous about The Freedom since it wasn’t the new Symphony or Harmony. I don’t want a rundown ship. But compared to the Breeze they seem to be similar in size which I think I will like. It looks like it’s amped to which will be great. 
 

Does this ship have movies under the stars?  We enjoyed that in the Breeze.

Is there  a big difference between Carnival and Royal? I mean with boarding procedures, meals and beverage package?  On the Breeze we had Guys burgers which was awesome . The buffet wasn’t  laid out well and always had  a long line. We definitely chose the alcohol package and had a great time with that! We loved the trivia and dance parties. There was an 80’s one and stuff like 90’s music and Friends trivia. The entertainment lacked in Carnival.

7 hours ago, bonsai3s said:

We spent 6 wonderful weeks on the Freedom...albeit before the amplification...but we enjoyed every minute of it.

First, we love that it started in San Juan, Puerto Rico...so much to see, used Uber everywhere, great food, wonderful people....we chose Embassy Suites (only a few blocks from Isla Verde Beach) before the cruise.

Loved all the ports...envious, wish we were going again.

Note: Our cruises out of San Juan on the Freedom had two almost identical itineraries.  The only difference was one had two sea days and the other only had one sea day.  We met many passengers that sailed the "port intensive" cruise saying that they were exhausted after the cruise and wished they had more than one sea day. 

Happy Sailing! 😊

 

That definitely is a concern. I want to enjoy the ship as well. We have been to San Juan and we loved it.  Glad to hear you like The Freedom!  I was nervous because it wasn’t the Symphony or Harmony. But I did watch a YouTube video about the refurbishment and it looks great. I think I might be overwhelmed on a huge ship

7 hours ago, Northumberland said:

We've done the southern routes 3 times and in particular, Bonaire & Curacao twice in the last 2 years. They are our favourite islands along with Aruba.  We also loved Barbados.  In Bonaire, we rented golf carts in order to tour the island ourselves. And if your into snorkelling or scuba, I don't think you could find a better place than Bonaire. 

Unfortunately we don’t scuba and have ne er snorkeled. I could learn I’m sure!  I’m assuming Bonaire is pretty safe. 

I went in my first cruise last year. We went on Carnival Breeze on Eastern Itinerary. We loved the ship. It was very fun and had a lot to do. We actually enjoyed all the trivia’s lol. I have three kids 22,17 and 15.

We enjoyed San Juan and St Thomas. Did not like Grand Turk or Amber Cove. 
 

So we were  leaning toward the Western on The Vista. But I just saw Freedom if the Seas is getting fully refurbished and the itinerary out of San Juan looks amazing.  I believe it is St Maarten, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao all

of which I have never been too. 
 

What do you guys think of these ports? What about the ship with teens?

 The Western  Ports are Costa Maya, Mahogany Bay, Cozumel and Belize... which I’m kind of meh on . But Carnival s Great with my sons allergies.

1 hour ago, Joebucks said:

Honestly, I think you should experience all of them at some point. For me, the Half Moon, Grand Turk, Aruba, and Bonaire route is tough to beat

Oh me too! Lol. I know we are really leaning toward Alaska next year.  I have always wanted to go to Aruba... so I’m leaning toward this one 

45 minutes ago, TNcruising02 said:

I agree with this itinerary.  HMC has a beautiful beach.  The best I have ever seen.  It's a great beach day.  Aruba is a neat place to visit.  I don't really like Grand Turk, but it usually comes with a lot of four port cruises.  I've never been to Bonaire.  The Breeze is my favorite ship and I went on a cruise with a similar itinerary last year.  

I didn’t like Grand Turk either. .. but might try an excursion to see if it’s better. I heard half moon cay is beautiful. 

44 minutes ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

What age are your kids and what are your interests?

 

The Cozumel, Mahogany Bay, Belize, Costa Maya is a really fabulous opportunity to see Mayan ruins, go river tubing through caves, trek through rainforests, and offers really good snorkeling.

 

The Southern route is different and gives you an opportunity to visit a couple of ports a lot of people don't get a chance to see. 

 

You really can't go wrong with any of the choices. I would suggest looking at the shore excursions and see if there is anything that you would really like to do that is unique to any of the ports. That might help make your decision easier.

My kids are 22, 17 and 15. Plus my older daughters boyfriend comes. The Mayan Ruins would be cool. Like I said above our favorite port was Puerto Rico and St Thomas.  We liked touring PR. St Thomas we went on a fun excursion(boat tour) and enjoyed that a lot.  We have never snorkeled and aren’t really hiking type people. Our vacations before were usually Disney  , Universal or all inclusives. It took awhile for me to get my kids out of the country because they were all nervous flyers. 
 

One of my dreams is to get on that Alaska one which maybe next year. Seeing those sights would be amazing.

We like learning, boats and animals

43 minutes ago, BNBR said:

Western is my favorite by far.  All the ports are great.

 

Costa Maya has Maya Chan, so that's a no brainer.  Cozumel also has a bunch of great beach clubs but also some fun active stuff on the mainland.  We really like The Amazing Secret River.  I'd probably do cave tubing in Belize.

 

So I'd do Breeze.  Any reason you are limiting yourself to Carnival and not trying other cruise lines as well?  We find the different ships and cruise lines to be half the fun.

Are these through Carnival? I haven’t ventured outside of booking excursions through Carnival.😬

I would love to try other cruise lines but they are all way more expensive. We have six people.

Went on the Breeze last year for Eastern Caribbean Itinerary. It was awesome! Loved the ship! Loved MarcQ! Loved the ports( well only two of them lol) but it didn't matter because loved the experience.

This year we are going back and I cannot figure out which itinerary. We wanted to try Southern or Western( although kids nervous about Mexico). So we did not like Grand Turk at all. We didn't like the beach( way to crowded and pushy people selling chairs).  We also were not huge fans of Dominican and Amber Cove. We loved Puerto Rico and St Thomas! We only did one excursion in St Thomas. So now we think we would do more and that might make us like the ports better.

So deciding between:

1)Southern on Magic

Goes to Half Moon Cay( never been), Grand Turk( I know I just said I didn't like it but this time I will do an excursion), Aruba( always wanted to go) and Bonaire( know nothing)

What excursions would you recommend for GT, Aruba and Bonaire. Or is there a beach at Aruba and Bonaire?

2)Western on the Vista

Goes to Montego Bay( been to an all inclusive there), Grand Cayman and Cozumel

Never been to Cayman Islands or Cozumel

Excursions? 

3)Western on the wonderful Breeze

Goes to Cozumel, Mahgony Bay, Belize and Costa Maya

Excursions?

So we have never snorkeled and don't know how to. I am sure we could learn. We also are not adrenaline junkies or like things like that.  I found a couple in Aruba that looked fun like the Kukoo Konuku air bus or Jewels of San Nicolas and baby beaach?  Grand Turk the Glass bottom beach and boat or Junkanoo tour looked fun. Other than that I wasn't see a lot besides scuba and snorkel. 

Thank you in adavance!!

It was crazy... hard to get an elevator lol

We did get there before our appointment window and we did get on a bit early. It took us a bit to get through the lines to get to our boarding area but once there,  we didn’t sit there for long. My husband just reminded me we had time to look around the ship. We toured the ship, had lunch and drink. Then we got to our rooms by 1:15 and it was ready for us. Perfect timing because we were able to unpack and then find a good spot for the sail away party. It got super crowded so we were glad to have been able to get lunch before they all came in

Oh and I forgot to add... amber cove and grand Turk were ok. We ran into the same issue where they told us to wait and only excursions were allowed off but of course no one listened. The day before they had some issues with crowding. So they tried to just let excursion people off in grand Turk. By the time we got off ... most of the chairs even the paid ones were taken. Only ones left the locals wanted $75 which um ya no. Lol Loved St Thomas and Puerto Rico.

We flew out two days before. It was cheaper flight wise to do this. We stayed at home2suites by the airport the first night which was very very clean.  Then we went back the next day for our car rental and went to Kennedy Space Center and then stayed in Homewood Suites. 

My appointment check in time was 11:30 and we were A4. We actually got on earlier than 11:45 because that was when we were sitting with drink in hand lol. 

Marc was great. He was so funny and had so much energy. I would go on any cruise with him

Yes I heard people were sitting in the stairwells. One guy was very angry and security was talking to him. It just seems they could make it much simpler. People just don’t care about the rules and do what they want which is annoying to rule followers. These were the same people who cut int line at every poet and excursion we went on. I was proud of myself for keeping my mouth shut lol 

It was so wonderful! I can’t wait to go again!  Wasn’t nuts about Amber Cove and Grand Turk but St Thomas and Puerto Rico were phenomenal . My next cruise will definitely be a southern one! 

Next time I probably will wait. Although we got out pretty quick since we got lucky with an elevator. 

My flight isn’t until 3 so we got to the airport fairly early. We just had breakfast and will be able to check our bags soon. I hate hanging around the airport because it gives me anxiety . 

I think next time I would be more comfortable with an earlier flight or making it even later and renting a car 

I just got off the Breeze and wanted to thank everyone for answering my numerous questions. I was very prepared for my trip!

It was a little confusing at first as to where to give the porters our luggage but the check in process was easy and quick. We were on the ship by 11:45am .

The cruise itself was awesome. We got to our room and it had two us plugs and one European. I used my adapter and USB port there. We had two extension cords. One was for the cpap and the other we had it go under the bed so I could use it for my fan.  After the first day when the stewards cleaned our room the duck taped it to the desk and floor so no one would trip! 

The one thing I will say is how uncomfortable the beds were. The couch bed was a rock. I should have asked for the egg crates (I believe i read that they were available). So now my hips are sore and so is everyone’s backs. That was one of my only complaints. Luckily we drank enough not to care lol. I care more today because it’s over lol.

MarcQ was awesome.  We started attending all the parties and trivia’s because they were that fun! Loved Red frog pub. That is where we always went to grab our drink and sit outside to watch us leave the ports. 

I know now people were complaining about the channels but we were fine because they had discovery and it was shark week lolol

The food was good. Guys burgers have crack in them because i had one everyday. John Wick was our midnight movie which I was excited for. The only thing was the bars closed down so that kind of stunk. I didn’t feel like going to casino bar.

Speaking of casino. ...the smoke was awful so we stayed away. 

I loved my my server and all the “showtimes”. I did it know about that, so that was super fun. 

All all the suggestions you all have were very helpful.  I brought towel clips and used them for the shower curtain. I also brought battery operated votives which was so helpful . We put one in the flier near the bathroom and one in the bathroom so we could find it. My daughter brought her shoe organizer which she used but I was fine without one. There was enough shelving in the bathroom for all my stuff.  I used the hook magnets for my lanyard which I would say 90% of the people onboard used including the guys. It was also great to hang up damp bathing suits. 

The wifi was slow but the social media apps ran well in the value plan. It ran pretty well at night. 

Disembarkation was ok. I don’t understand why they do it the way they do. They should call a floor, put an attendant in the elevators and only go to the floors that are allowed to go. We wee on 11 and the elevator stopped at every floor and was full so we could never get on. I’m sure people on other floors were getting off when they weren’t supposed to which was annoying. We finally got lucky and got one with an attendant that went from 3-11 and back. This is the way they should do it. After we got off, everything was smooth sailing and organized.

Thank you for all your help!!! If anyone has questions especially a newbie.. feel free to ask me!!!

We were just there this week and was approached by him. He asked if we spoke English .  Then he made a joke about only speaking  Wisconsin.  He told us that his brother was in the bad part of Puerto Rico and got beat up and mugged. He was taken to the hospital.  My husband said “sorry to hear , good luck with that” and walked off. All we heard him say is “jeez”. Lol

Well I just  disembarked lol . Thank you for all your advice!!

We chose to self assist. We got in early so they were allowing people off early. We did go when our floor was called . 

I see see why the elevators are annoying. I don’t understand why they don’t shut them off to other floors and have an attendant go up to the floors being let go. Would make for a much smoother process. Luckily we did end up getting an elevator with a staff member and went from 11 (our deck) to 3.  It’s annoying because I’m a rule follower and it was obvious a lot aren’t. Elevators were always full bu the time it got to 11. 

But we we got lucky. The rest of the process was very organized and quick. We went right through the lines and had no problems with the escalators.  I will be at the airport by 9:30 am.

1 hour ago, HangryGrl said:

In regards to carrying off your own bags...if you are on the 11th floor you would need to be able to maneuver your suitcases and any other items you have with you down 8-10 flights of stairs as you will generally disembark on one of the lower decks.  The staircases can be crowded with people (sometimes even sitting on the stairs).  You can try to wait for an elevator but when we disembarked from the Breeze last December we waited about 30 minutes before finally giving up and just using the stairs.  After you get into the terminal you will need to haul everything you have down a longish hallway, down an escalator and then through the lower level to the customs line.  It can be done but if you are worried about it and have the time to spare it might be worth putting your luggage out the night before and just picking it up in the terminal before customs.  We always do self-assist but have seen many people struggle quite a bit and there is very little help to be had the morning you leave the ship as all of the crew is busy "herding cats" off the ship or getting ready for turnaround.

That does not sound like fun. Hmmm. Well I needed up booking go port. They say they run 7-10am  i believe my cruise gets in at 8 am. If I leave my bags the night before?  Will that be enough time?

This is exactly what I’m deciding. If i don’t have much time to do anything, I will get a transfer. But if I had time, I would rent a car.

Thats why I am trying to figure out how much time I would have...

Hmm . I have been to Springs a bazillion times. I was just trying to find something to kill some time. 

I am am a nervous flyer and sitting in the airport for hours gives me anxiety .