MrSchwump

Hi MrSchwump :)

 

Enjoying & following your review.

 

Did you notice if printers were available at any of the fun hub computer terminals aboard the Breeze?

 

Thanks in advance, have a terrific day!

 

 

:)

I did not notice if printers were available or not. I don't recall seeing any but I could be wrong.

trying to upload photos....

Here are a few photos

Our cabin, 1274

Star Island where many celebs live

Adios Miami!

Lido dancing at sailaway

Cuban coast the next morning

We were assigned cabin 1274, portside just forward of amidships on deck 1, as low as you can go. However you get the least motion that low and it’s easy on and off on port days. The muster drill was on deck 3 so no long elevator waits after that. Our interior cabin was standard size arranged as a king. It was plenty of room for us and we had way more storage space than we needed. There was only 1 electrical outlet with 2 sockets so I’m glad we brought a power strip. It was in our suitcase and was not confiscated as I’ve read others have been. It was in plain sight all week with no problems.

The room comes with a stocked minibar including beer, pop and liquor, none of which we touched. This left room for a few beers of our own. The safe is electronic and uses a 4 digit number you create, no card needed as we experienced on the Valor. The room lights do need a card so bring an old gift card or something to leave in there. We made the mistake of at first using our S&S card. One morning I left early and took my card out of the slot, leaving my wife with no lights when she woke up. Lesson learned!

Our room steward was a very nice young man named Larsen who was from the Philipines. His associate was named I Made (ee MAH-day) from Indonesia. They did an excellent job and kept our cabin tidy and well supplied. They were not always in your face but always said hello when we saw them and exchanged pleasantries. I’m not partial to someone who is overly familiar and tries to be your new best friend. These guys hit just the right balance.

The only other Carnival ship we’ve sailed on was the Valor in 2013. Overall we liked the Breeze much better. We didn’t like the overly patriotic, borderline jingoistic, decorating scheme of the Valor. The Breeze had a more appropriate, Caribbean feel to it. On the Valor I kept waiting for a 4th of July Parade to break out. The Breeze was island-y without being Tiki Bar kitschy.

The public spaces were similar to the Valor, 3 level atrium with bar and the bottom, shops and casino on the top level on deck 5. One thing I liked was the “Fun Hub” internet access areas which were scattered in multiple locations (I can think of at least 3) in this space. I only used it on our last full day on board to get caught up with home before disembarkation. I could access it at one of their terminals or through my phone. Five bucks a day for social media only access or $16 a day for email and website access too. There was another level which offered the same as the $16 package but had higher speed, I think. The Fun Hub app was useful too. Instead of having to carry a copy of the Fun Times with you, all the info on what, when and where could be pulled up via the app.

We went to the Punchliner Comedy Club twice. The first comedian we saw was good. One night the comedian was Chas somebody. It was the adult show, which we had no objection to. We did object to his stale, unfunny material. He did a joke about ****** and the 4 hour erection. How old is that? He did fart jokes! He was so puerile and unoriginal we got up and left.

We were frequent users of the Casino. We’d just been in Vegas at Christmas so I was prepared for a letdown but the slot machines were pretty new and it was well appointed. I played a lot of Fun 21, a blackjack variant that seems like you win more while actually giving an advantage to the house over regular blackjack. All the dealers I encountered there were friendly and fun. There was a regular crowd of players there so you got to know each other. My wife was up and down on the slots coming out behind. Fortunately I was up on the table games so it was about a wash for us.

We went to a couple of the shows. The Diva show was very good. The featured singers did a great job! We tried the Brit show but it used a lot of animation that my wife didn’t like. We also saw the Edge. Not the U2 guitarist but a comedy juggler. He was good but a little irritating with it overly boisterous and wacky presentation. The Love and Marriage show, hosted by Matt the Cruise Director, was funny too.

We thought Matt was a great CD and kept things lively whenever he was part of the goings on. As good as Matt was, I thought the rest of his staff ranged from dull to invisible. The only others I saw ever doing anything were Chris and Cruz. Their personas during a show we saw were drab. Chris mumbled a lot and failed to project any kind of energy or enthusiasm. He also introduced the comedians at the Punchliner. Again, no pizzazz or excitement in his presentation at all. On other cruises the assistant Cruise Director was a big presence and was almost as good as the CD himself or herself. On the Breeze, they’re lucky that Matt is as good as he is because he’s carrying the entire load!

I did not save the Fun Times. I thought about it but then I figured, why spoil the surprise for everyone else? :)

Here's my Breeze review from our recent cruise. I'll put this up in installments with some photos. Feel free to ask any questions!

My wife and I traveled on the Carnival Breeze on an 8-day Southern Caribbean cruise on Feb. 14, 2015. This was our 2nd Carnival cruise and 7th overall. We’re in our 50’s, married 28 years with no kids.

We flew from Cincinnati to Miami on Friday evening ahead of our Saturday embarkation. We stayed at the Runway Inn near the Miami airport. It had been listed in a USA Today article as a local hotel that offered shuttles from the airport and to the cruise terminal. I looked at their reviews on Trip Advisor, and while not glowing, they looked okay. Our total was $145 with taxes. The Miami International Boat show was in town so rates were high everywhere.

Some people on TA had complained about a long wait for the shuttle. We lucked out and it was waiting right there when we exited baggage claim. It was about a 10 minute ride to the hotel. The hotel is located just across the street from the airport but it wasn’t noisy at all. Check in was smooth and we got our key right away. One downside; there isn’t an elevator and we had to lug our stuff to the 2nd floor.

Our room was clean and comfortable. It was by no means deluxe and was in need of some maintenance attention for chipped wall texture, scuff marks and paint touch up. It was perfectly serviceable as a place to crash for a night before our cruise.

Overall the décor of the hotel was a bit dated but again clean and perfectly workable. There aren’t many choices for eating nearby. There was a Honduran restaurant across the street and a Burger King several blocks down. They offer a continental breakfast in a room off the lobby. Again, it wasn’t a sumptuous spread but tided us over until we boarded the ship. I needed some deodorant that I’d forgotten so we were directed to a convenience store about 2 blocks away that had what we needed.

The shuttle to the port left at 10am and we arrived at the cruise terminal by 10:30, well ahead of when Carnival told us to arrive. We were quickly checked in and did very little waiting in line. We had our Sign and Sail card and all our documents by 11a and sat down in the lounge area to wait. We were assigned group 9 when boarding began. We waited about 30-40 minutes before we were called and queued up to get on board. We sat foot on deck 3 just before noon.

We were on the Breeze last week (2/14-22). On the Serenity deck they were stickering chairs. I asked the bartender and he said the were only doing it on the Serenity deck during prime hours.

We had 4 sea days and at times there were nearly no chairs available from 10a to 2p. I have zero problem with someone claiming a chair as long as they're actually using it. I think it's okay to get up to go to lunch, take a quick dip to cool off or go get a drink. I think the 30-40 minute window is very fair. If you're gone longer than that, you lose the chair.

I agree that much of the problem with the service could be chalked up to the learning curve on the part of the kitchen and the staff learning a new menu.

I'm not sure that the slow service is entirely due to this. Both my wife and I observed that the staff was exceedingly slow at bussing tables and setting up a new table. Your average Denny's busboy could clear a 2 top in about 20 seconds. We watched one guy on the Breeze take about 2 minutes, moving one piece at time, walking back and forth from the table to their service area. There just doesn't seem to be a lot of efficiency. They're working hard, just not very smart.

Another thing we noticed was how young the wait staff was. I know it's a somewhat different animal, but on Princess you had waiters in their 50s. I don't think I saw anyone on the Breeze staff who was a over 30.

I agree with the comment that the menu skewed heavily toward seafood. Another thing we noticed was one of the vegetarian dishes was the same thing all 8 nights. With only 2 vegetarian selections on the menu, that's not much variety.

While we're not foodies, neither are we habitués of the Golden Corral. We are not charmed by haute cuisine but appreciate good, well prepared quality food. There was nothing wrong with the quality of the food. I was just underwhelmed at the variety of choices, which seemed to be less that in the past. Given that, it wasn't worth sitting through slow service for.

Finally, I wonder if non-Americans would be put off by a concept called "American Table"?

No.

We just got off the Breeze on Sunday. This was our 2nd Carnival cruise and 7th overall. The ship was really nice and we had a great time but the American Table did not impress us at all.

We have always done Your Time/Anytime dining on all our cruises. 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 was 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 nights 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 were 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 were 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 just got off the Breeze. Our embarkation day was 2/14. The shuttle left our hotel at 10a and we were at the port by 10:30. We did very little standing in line and were assigned to Zone 9. We sat and waited about 30-45 minutes before we were called. We were on board before noon with not FTTF, Super Double Platinum status or anything. We were on deck 1 and those are among the first off the ship so maybe that helped.

We took a taxi back to the port and before heading to the tender we stopped to get a local beer (this seems to be a theme of this trip).

 

 

Caybrew is pretty good beer! Not quite as awesome as redstripe...but still pretty good.

 

 

 

 

Caybrew is the only beer I have ever thrown away. I bought one on 7 Mile Beach once, took 2 sips and threw it in the nearest trash can. Worst. Beer. Ever!

You can get a hell of a curried goat in Roseau Dominica!

No, you have to print them yourself and attach them before you check in.

Here's a tip. After you print and fold them as they show, take some heavy duty, clear packing tape and "laminate" the tag with the tape. This will strengthen the tag more than enough to make it safely to your room.

So as not to have to bring tape with you, punch holes in each end of the tag and attach it to your luggage with a zip tie.

I think Screws Spa is a must do in Dominica. I've attached a couple of pics. Don't worry that the water is the color of coffee, it doesn't stain or leave any unpleasant odor. It's really interesting and refreshing!

I love Roseau too. It's 100% non-touristy and a nice change of pace from most other cruise destinations! I'd go back in a heartbeat!

i'll eat almost anything that doesn't eat me first!

Can anyone tell me, a) can you walk all the way around the ship on the Promenade deck, and b) if so, how many laps to make a mile?

On the Caribbean and Crown Princess the deck is open all the way around but on the Carnival Valor it wasn't. I will have many extra calories to burn off and that little walking track on the top deck just doesn't do it for me.

Thanks!

I like your style Harry!

I've only been to Screws. It is very cool with all the pools of varying temperatures. I wouldn't say it's close to town but it seem pretty accessible.

The people working there will tell you how to sneak it through. It's the worst kept secret in cruising.

We did the same itinerary as the Liberty on the Valor in 2012 from SJ. The biggest downside was the extra time and cost of getting to SJU.

We had zero problems at embark or debark. We stayed in Old San Juan which was nice. We walked to the ship. We enjoyed touring around OSJ precruise.

We're doing a similar itinerary as the Conquest out of Miami next month, minus La Romana. We're looking forward to the wealth of sea days for relaxing!

I like the ports on your Liberty itinerary better than the Conquests. I love Barbados! St. Lucia is beautiful. Orient Bay on St. Martin is a 1st class beach! St. Kitts was nice and the people there were very friendly. St. Thomas is St. Thomas. My wife stays on board there.

You can flip a coin, you'll win either way.

I've been to Cozumel on a cruise and on land based vacations in Feb. it's always been low 80s and beautiful. A good 50 degrees warmer than at home!

We have a gtd. interior on the Breeze and sail in less than 30 days. Am I being overly optimistic to think, the longer we wait for an assignment, the better our room will be?

Roseau is my favorite city in the Caribbean. It is completely non-touristy. It is a bustling, vibrant town with lots to see as long as you're not looking for tourist attractions.

I wandered around there for 3-4 hours one afternoon rubbing shoulders with the locals who were very pleasant to a goofy white guy from the states. You can eat curried goat too!

There is a grocery store in Kraalendyk(sp?) that's within walking distance of the pier.