MrSchwump

Divi All Inclusive is on Druif Beach and very close to the cruise terminal.

 

By any chance do you recall the price of the coupons for food and beverage so folks have an idea of cost?

I want to say the tickets we $2 US ea. A beer was 2 tickets, a soft drink 1 and a cocktail was 3 or 4. Not bad at all.

Is there more than one Divi? I thought this was at Eagle Beach.

There are dozens of cab drivers hanging at the terminal offering island tours. A couple years ago the rate seemed to be about $25 an hour.

We pre-booked a tour through Carson Moore, which as a tad higher at $30/hr. But his guy did a great job and there were just 4 of us and he took us exactly where we wanted to go.

There are some negatives my friends...

 

The lack of a mid-ship staircase past deck 7 is a glaring design oops. Hopefully this will be addressed when these ships go into drydock.

 

Main pool area is way too small for a ship of this size. It also didn't help that there were a lot of chair hogs. Some people told me in the Retreat area that people had put their towels on chairs at 6 am and 4 hours later still hadn't come back. Why do people need to keep acting this way? It's downright embarrassing. Also it didn't seem like anyone working in the pool areas would remove items that these people put on the chairs.

That's disappointing. On our last cruise, with Carnival, they were putting stickers on any towels left on unattended chairs. You had 30 minutes to return and if you didn't they'd take your stuff and store it at the beach towel pickup area. They didn't mess around as we saw 3 or 4 unhappy people come back to their chair after an hour only to find someone else in the chair and their stuff gone. That seems perfectly fair to me.

And as others have said, I really appreciate your very thorough and entertaining review. i know that's a lot of work and you did a great job and a great service to future passengers, like me! Thanks amigo!

We took a cab up to the Divi resort on Eagle Beach. The resort sells a la cartel tickets for food and drink and you can use their chairs and palapas if you have bought tickets. I think they have an all inclusive pass but we're not big drinkers so it didn't pay. Nice resort and a very nice beach!

I'm pretty sure we had this kind of arrangement with Carson Moore on a tour we did with him a couple years ago. I think we put down a deposit and paid the balance after the tour.

Our driver was Coleridge and he gave us a very nice tour. We basically made a lap of the island, from the pier to Speightown, over the hill and past the windmill, down to Bathsheba. We finished at a beach bar not far from the pier.

What about the RMS Rhone wreck in the BVI? It's a cool wreck and you usually do a 2 tank dive right there.

I notice on the beverage price list that Dos Eques and Miller Genuine Draft is the same price per bottle. Has anyone ever been able to substitute MGD for XX? I've never been a fan of XX.

My new cabin is ready! E434, an interior. Not bad but it will be hard getting used to no balcony

 

 

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We'll be on the Regal in Feb. and were just assigned E533. It looks like that's over the Princess Live area. Your cabin appears to be over Crooners. Any problems with noise from the Promenade deck below?

Thanks!

I appreciate the time and effort you're putting into this report! I'm keen to follow the next leg since we're doing the same itinerary in Feb.

Thanks again, amigo!

We booked a driver through Carson Moore and had a great experience. The rate worked out to about $30 an hour for us. The driver, Coleridge, took us everywhere we wanted. He was informative and personable without being intrusive.

We could have found a driver from those waiting outside the terminal but Carson's service had good reviews. Right after we got in the car, Carson called the driver to make sure he'd picked us up and then asked to speak to me to verify this. I would go with him again even at a slightly higher rate.

"open air people haulers"

 

LOL! Those are safari taxis,same price as taxi vans...

....and that price would be???

There doesn't seem to be a wealth of taxis at the ferry to Pinel. Our taxi didn't come back when we'd planned so we had to squeeze into another cab to get back to the ship.

It is a nice getaway. Much quieter than Orient beach.

Do those open air people haulers go out to Magen's Bay from Crown Bay? If so, what is the fare? What is regular taxi fare to Magen's from Crown Bay too?

Thanks!

I found that the EZAir rate was $50 cheaper than Kayak or Orbitz.

Having read that cab fares to some of the nicer beaches were $40 or $50 one way, we opted for Sea Aquarium Beach which is pretty close to downtown. It was about 10 minutes by cab and the fare was cheap. Going down, we split the cab with another couple and it was less than $10 each. Coming back we had a van full of people and it was less than $5 per person.

It is crowded especially early on. We found a spot under an umbrella with 2 chairs and paid $10 or so. People arriving later had a tougher time getting chairs.

It is a protected area with a seawall between the beach and the ocean so the water is very calm. There are lots of places to get a drink or something to eat. Beer, pizza, ice cream, you name it.

It's far from the nicest beach I've ever been to but it's easy and reasonably priced.

There's a smartphone app called Postagram. You can take a picture with your phone and select it then write a message and send it to a postal address.

It uploads your pic and message to Postagram's office then it's printed out, postcard style, and mailed. The office is on the west coast of the US so it can get anywhere in the States in just a few days instead of the 2 or 3 weeks a postcard normally takes from the Caribbean.

You don't have to buy a postcard or find stamps or a place to mail it in a Caribbean port. The app sells packages of 15 "cards" for $12 or so. I use it all the time. You can usually find wifi somewhere in port to make the e-connection with Postagram.

There is a huge M-ville right at the end of the pier. It's beer is expensive, it's wall to wall people and in my experience, the wifi was terrible.

I walked down the beach about 100 yards and found a beer for half the price, the food was reasonable and the wifi was great. Best thing was, local people got my money and not some millionaire on Long Island who masquerades as a carefree beach bum.

Recently on the Breeze we had tables for 2 that were literally 3" from the next table. You couldn't not be engaged with the others next to you. Fortunately they were pleasant but it effectively made our table for 2 a table for 6.

Ports

We chose this cruise mostly because of the abundance of sea days. We’ve been to Aruba a couple of times and to Curacao once, never to Grand Turk. I don’t mean to sound blasé but we’ve had all the island tours we care to take. Jostling around in a van with strangers for 4 hours isn’t our idea of fun. We elected just to take a cab to the beach and in the case of Grand Turk; we scheduled a snorkeling trip with a local operator.

Aruba

On our first trip to Aruba we went to Eagle Beach. On our second trip we went to Palm Beach. Both were nice but Palm Beach has a lot more action; bars, jet ski rentals and crowds (did I mention we’re dull?) so we opted for Eagle Beach.

Looking on Cruise Critic someone had suggested a couple of hotels or restaurants near Eagle Beach that had chairs and umbrellas to rent so we had a couple of ideas where we wanted to go. Leaving the ship we started to look for a taxi. One driver came up to us offering an island tour and we told him that we only wanted to go to the beach. He said he could take us to Eagle Beach for $15 total. I asked if he could recommend a place with chairs, umbrellas and a bar and he said he knew just the place.

His name was Carl and he was a very nice guy. He took us to the Divi all-inclusive resort. I was a little reluctant because I’d read of people paying $75 or $100 a person to spend the day at an AI. He said not to worry; we’d only pay for drinks or food. He used to work there so he was familiar with the staff and the property. He told us to keep an eye out for a female security guard and since all the beaches are public they can’t make you move but can tell you not to use their chairs. He said if she told us that just put our towels next to the chair and there was nothing they could do. As I have issues with authority I was fine with this plan. We saw the guard who seemed very content in the shady spot she’d staked out. We found a spot under a thatched palapa with 2 chairs that was some distance from where the guard was keeping vigil. We spent the whole day in them with no problems.

Since the Divi was all inclusive, the bar couldn’t accept payment. You had to go to the reception desk and buy vouchers for drinks or food. I bought 4 drink vouchers, good for either beer or pop, for $20. That got us through the day just fine. The local beer is Balashi and is not bad. Amstel Bright, a Corona-like light tropical beer is also good. They said lunch was $30 each but we passed.

Eagle Beach is very nice with a wide, flat stretch of sand and a gently sloping waterline. There was some moderate wave action when we were there but perfectly enjoyable. You can walk a quarter mile to the left, toward town, from here and probably a mile or 2 to the right, toward the lighthouse at the far end of Aruba. There are several low-rise hotels, 2 stories or so, in this section. The high rises, like the Riu and others are further north.

Having arrived at 10a, we asked Carl to pick us up at 3p. He was right on time and transit back to town was also $15. American money seems to be widely accepted.

We got back onboard and ate a late lunch. While my wife sat in the sun some more, I went back into Orangestaad to buy some contraband. The Casa de Habanos is located on the ground level of the giant pink structure in the middle of town. Since this is the State owned chain of cigar stores that Cuba operates it’s the only place I feel comfortable buying Cuban cigars. So many cigars sold in touristy areas are really cheap, inferior Mexican or Dominican cigars with a fake label. I picked up some premium smokes and some of my favorite cheap, machine made Cubans, Jose Piedra. A box of 5 for $15 is the best cigar buy you can make!

Carl the cab driver had recommended a Chinese grocery store, Kong Hing as the best place to buy liquor. I found a bottle of Havana Club rum but at $25 I passed. I like rum okay but I can’t tell the difference between HC and Bacardi or Ron Rico so it wasn’t worth the hassle.

I found a nice little air-conditioned bar serving ice cold Amstel Bright that had good WiFi service and sent a couple of emails and got back on the ship.

Curacao

We had the same plan in Curacao. I’d looked online and found that the closest beach to Willemstad was the Sea Aquarium Beach. Some of the other beaches on the island sounded nice but cab fares were $40-$60 and up, one-way.

The Breeze docked at the Mega Pier, which is across the inlet from the main area of town, the Punda. There’s a fairly new cruise terminal there and a nice walking area with shops and restaurants that leads to the Queen Emma swinging pontoon bridge. We crossed the bridge and looked around the Punda a little. I love the floating market where people come across from Venezuela with fresh seafood, fruits and vegetables every day, selling stuff right out of their boats. The waterfront buildings are very colorful and have a European look about there. There are a lot of touristy shops here as well as stores that are frequented by locals. Curacao’s government buildings are in this area too.

We caught a cab that we shared with another family, and paid $5 per adult, $20 total, down to Sea Aquarium, aka Mambo beach. It was about a 15-minute ride. This beach has all kinds of shops, bars, restaurants, ice cream parlor, etc. It seems like Curacao’s Coney Island, minus the rides. The drawback is it’s pretty crowded. We got there early enough so we were able to get 2 chairs under a palapa for $3.00 each. Within 30 minutes there were none left and people were spreading their towels out on the sand. Prices weren’t bad for refreshments. A beer was $4.00 and a soft drink $3.00. I got a hot dog for $3.50. A sit down restaurant with outside tables had sandwiches in the $10.00 range.

The beach was about 300-500 yards long and there was a breakwater a couple hundred feet offshore so the water was very calm compared to other beaches. It was a very different experience than Eagle Beach in Aruba but had a lot of conveniences.

After a few hours there we teamed up with some other Breeze passengers and split a cab back to the ship with them. Again, the fare was just $5.00 each.

Grand Turk

Grand Turk was the one island on the itinerary that we’d never visited. I read online there there’s not much to see here. No historical buildings and other than the statue that marks where John Glenn was brought to after he splashed down in Friendship 7, not much in the way of attractions. The Turks and Caicos are renowned as a great diving destination so this seemed like the best spot to arrange a snorkel trip.

Looking online I found that Papa J’s Tours had good reviews and we booked a snorkeling excursion that would go to 2 different sites for $55.00 each. This was cheaper than what Carnival offered and the boat held a max of 12 people rather than the 50 or more on the snorkel trips offered by the cruise line.

As it turned out, bad weather on previous days had caused the conditions to be subpar so our trip wasn’t very good. We did see some stingrays, which was kind of cool. I was disappointed because I was really looking forward to some super clear water and abundant marine life.

We went back to the ship and ate lunch. My wife again repaired to the Sanctuary for some sun and I went back ashore. Grand Turk is essentially the equivalent to a cruise line’s private island like Princess Cay, Half Moon Bay, Labadee, and so on. It’s a beach with a nice shopping area and a giant Jimmy Buffett Margaritaville. The Margaritaville complex is huge. It’s like a resort without the hotel rooms. The pool is giant, the bar and restaurant was packed. There was a surfing pool. There was a DJ playing loud music for the mostly drunken revelers. It looked like an 8-hour spring break for adults.

The beer was expensive and the WiFi connection didn’t work so I walked about a hundred yards down the beach to the Barefoot Cabana where beer was cheaper and the WiFi signal strong. I had a Turks Head Lager, which was not bad. Like I always say, Think Globally….Drink Locally.

Summary

We had a great time on board the Breeze. Our timing for vacation was perfect. It was subzeo weather at home with a ton of snow. The ideal time to visit the tropics!

Here’s what I’d give pluses to:

Décor

Cabin and cabin steward

Layout of the ship, ease of finding your way around

Serenity deck

Guy’s Hamburgers

Fun Hub and app

Embarkation process

Matt the Cruise Director

Here’s what I’d rate as disappointments:

American Table in Main Dining Room

Cruise Director’s staff

Lack of drink service at evening buffet

Even with the disappointments, we had a great time and were happy to have dodges some gawd-awful weather back home!

With 4 sea days on an 8 day cruise we made a lot of use of the exterior spaces. Another thing we liked about the Breeze over the Valor is the Promenade deck (deck 5) goes all the way around the ship. A sign tell you that 2.5 laps equal a mile. I don’t like that little walking track thing that circles the funnel on deck 12. Too crowded and people moving at all different speeds. The worst thing about the Promenade deck is you occasionally have to dodge a sleeping passenger whose lounger is in the middle of your path. Otherwise it’s wide open and very easy walking, with no stairs. Also on sea days, you want to avoid the hours that Jimmy’s C-Side BBQ are open since it’s very crowded then.

I think the pool in the amidships pool is called the Beach Pool. It is party central with music, either live or via a DJ is played there a lot of the time. The water slide is adjacent. There are also movies, the rum and tequila bars are there. It is a busy, boisterous place. We are dull people who enjoy quiet activities, so we stayed away from there. Most of our time was either at the Serenity area or at the deck 11 stern just about the Tides pool.

The much decried “chair hogging” game was in full force. On our first sea day I went to Serenity about 9a and everything was claimed. We walked all around and at the port side stern of deck 11 there was some space. I found 2 unclaimed loungers and carried them back and squeezed them in. The only downside was this is the smoking lounge of the ship. But as windy as it was we weren’t bothered by smoke at all. I stepped over to the area of deck 11 protected by the superstructure of the ship and enjoyed a fine cigar on several occasions. This is a good area (and the same deck, starboard side is smoke free) as it’s in the sun all day.

By our 3rd sea day I got smart and woke up early enough (6:30a) to claim a spot in the adults only Serenity area. They have cushioned loungers, giant hammocks, mini-cabanas as well as padded couches and chairs here. Best of all, no kids! They were very good at keeping kids out. On our last sea day I saw a couple of 12 year olds mosey through but that was it.

They were also move vigilant about marking your chair if you left it. They’d put a sticker on your towel with the time. You had 45 minutes go come back and remove it or they’d take your stuff to the deck attendant area and you’d lose you spot. We saw this happen a couple of times and people were NOT happy about it. I was told that, even though this is the policy on the entire ship, they only enforce it on the Serenity deck during peak times. I don’t like the chair hogs, especially people who claim chairs in multiple locations for their convenience. But is someone gets up at 5am to claim a spot and doesn’t show up until after breakfast, no big deal. If they wait until after lunch then that’s a problem.

In addition to the kid free benefit, the Serenity area has a bar and 2 hot tubs. It’s a little odd that it’s adjacent to the water slide area but you don’t really hear any noise from it and you can just barely hear the music from the Beach Pool. At times they had low-key music playing up there. There is glass all around the Serenity area which is good and bad. It keeps your hat and towel from blowing away but is so effective that it can get hot up there in certain very well protected spots. We really enjoyed being up here. It was like a tiny oasis in a sea of hoopla! As I said, we’re dull people.

I have tried posting more photos but I don't know if my files are too large. Every time I try, it says "upload failed".

I'll keep trying.

We chose the Your Time dining option. We’ve never done a fixed seating and have always chosen this or its equivalent on other cruise lines. We were assigned to the Sapphire dining room on deck 3.

We usually ask for a table for 2 and have always been accommodated. We're not foodies by any means. We prefer good, simple meals that are well done with good service. The American Table fell short, in my opinion. So much so that we ate in the buffet 3 times on our 8-day cruise.

The selections were not bad. There were always 1 or 2 things that would appeal to us, not counting the 4 standard entrees that are always available (chicken, salmon, steak and something else which escapes me...). The problem was, the service was so slow and indifferent that we felt it wasn't worth sitting through for a so-so selection.

There were 2 occasions where no one took our drink order. We had to ask for iced tea and there wait a long time for it. Forget about getting a refill most of the time. One time it was almost a half hour from the time we sat down until our first course appeared. Most night’s dinner took 1.5 to 2 hours. That's way too long for 2 people with relatively simple fare.

The other irritation was, having to wait so long to get a table. Twice we waited 20 to 30 minutes for a table. In past experiences, on Carnival and Princess, we've waited no more that 5 or 10 minutes if at all. Once we were given a pager and told it would be a 45-minute wait and we just gave the pager back and went to Guy's hamburgers.

On 2 different nights we were put at a table for 2 that was effectively a table for 6. Three 2 tops were placed within 3-4 inches of one another so you couldn't NOT engage with the other people sitting right next to you. In both cases the people were enjoyable company but I really don't like making small talk with people I don't know for 2 hours.

The wait staff in most cases seemed flustered and confused. Twice we followed the hostess from table to table until she could locate the one that was ours. I don't understand how hard it can be to number tables and find them on a layout of the dining room. The waiters seemed very disorganized and confused in most cases. It really seemed like they were struggling to figure things out.

As such, I didn't find them all that friendly and convivial.

On our last night in the MDR, we had a great team. Rajesh, Seno and Marcus did a fantastic job and the meal was great. Had all the service been this good we would have found the American Table to be a much better experience. As it was, I was not impressed.

We ate breakfast and 3 dinners in the buffet. Breakfast was basic continental stuff, cereal, toast, bagels as well as a grilled selection with bacon, scrambled eggs, ham or sausage and breakfast potatoes and baked beans. They also had cheeses and cold cuts. There was an omelet and made to order egg station. I thought the breakfast was good and we never had a problem finding a seat.

The buffet dinner was a little underwhelming. It was not the most expansive selection I’ve seen but what there was was good. There was a good salad selection as well as a few things that mirrored the MDR offerings. There was always a carving station with ham, pork loin, roast beef, etc. I had more good dinners in the buffet that I did in the MDR. My biggest complaint about the buffet was you couldn’t get a drink order if you wanted a Coke. It seemed you would have had to go out to a bar and get it yourself. On the Valor, as well as the Princess ships, there were waiters in the buffet taking your drink orders. On the Breeze, everything drinks wise was self service.

We ate a lot of lunches at the Pizza Pirate, near the stern pool. Not bad pizza and was generally quick and easy. We really liked Guy’s Burger Joint. It was great! We ate at one of his places in Las Vegas and liked it so I was looking forward to having it on our cruise. I was not disappointed. The guys at the grill gave you a hamburger or cheeseburger and fries and you applied the toppings yourself. The line moved quickly and it was very good. Without a doubt, my favorite food on the ship!

On the last sea day we ate at Jimmy’s C-Side BBQ. It gets crowded; we waited about 20 minutes in line. It was good, about what you’d expect when Applebee’s or any chain restaurant tries to do BBQ. Yankees will like it, Southerners will be grievously disappointed.

Drinks

We are not big drinkers of alcohol so we passed on the all you can drink (up to 15 per day) card. I bought 2 buckets of beer, and my wife had a couple of pretty drinks. She really enjoyed the Hurricane Wave made by Kristina at the Serenity Bar. I did most of my business with Mirko also at the Serenity Bar who was a very nice guy. Beer (Coors Light) was usually $5.50 but was $20 for 4 when you bought a bucket. The Froo-Froo drinks were $8 or $10 I think. Shots of well liquor were $5 or $6 and call brands started at $8 I believe.

We did purchase the Bottomless Bubbles soda/pop program. It was $50-something each. We also bought the insulated Carnival cup which really wasn’t very well insulated. Next time I’d bring my own from home and save $7 apiece and have a more effective container. With the soft drink sticker on your card you were supposed to sign for each drink. Some of the bartenders made you do this and others didn’t. My wife mentioned that it would be nice if you had the soft drink program that you be allowed to drink the Cokes from the mini-bar in your room free of charges. It’s exactly the same as what the bar would give you. I’m not a coffee drinker so Coke is my morning caffeine choice.

I do not understand why Carnival uses soft drinks in aluminum cans instead of a soda gun like every bar and restaurant uses. It would have to be cheaper to dispense and more efficient to move and store than pallets of Coke must be. Unless it’s an accounting thing, I don’t get the Coke in cans.

My biggest disappointment was the bourbon selection at all the ship’s bars. I think plain ol’ white label Jim Beam is the only bourbon I saw. (And no, Jack Daniel’s isn’t bourbon. It’s made in Tennessee.) With the current bourbon craze you’d think they’d have at least a couple of premium brands. Even something as ubiquitous as Woodford Reserve would have been welcome. There was lots of Scotch, several brandies, rum and tequila galore but only Jim Beam represented the amber elixir of life. I’m glad I snuck a small quantity of Elijah Craig and Basil Hayden on board!

I don't recall that one. There was a Divas show a Brits show featuring British Invasion groups, not the Fox News Senior Political Correspondant, Brit Hume.

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From what I heard taking a tour of Grand Turk would be like taking a tour of a phone booth. Not a lot to see that couldn't be seen from the beach.

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I tried to connect to the WiFi at M-ville and had no luck. A Turk's Head lager was $5.00 there. I went down the beach to the Barefoot Cabana and got a great wifi connection and the same beer was only $3.00.