thecruiserofships

Going Ashore To Cozumel: We got off the ship approximately an hour after the ship let guests off. When the ship first docked around 8:00am a long line formed along the stairwells because many guests were in a hurry to go on shore excursions. If you do not have to hurry to get off the ship I recommend waiting at least 45-60 minutes after people start getting off to avoid waiting. This will allow you to have a calmer morning without the hassle of waiting in line. From the front elevator/stairwell area, we headed down to Deck 0. Normally Deck 0 is for crew members only, with the exception of guests that visit the ship's medical center. On Deck 0 a crew member was passing out shopping maps and coupons. We followed the crew member's instructions to get to the gangway. At the gangway there was a small but quick moving line and security scanned our Sail & Sign cards before we got off the ship. The ship's photographers were taking pictures on the gangway, but we declined. Here are some pictures I took after initially getting off the ship: Before being able to exit the pier we were required to walk through a long narrow Dufry Duty Free shop. I have always dreaded walking through this building because it is narrow. If a guest stops to look at something they are blocking the passageway and slow down everyone else from getting out. This shopping building sells a variety of different perfumes, jewelry, snacks, and souvenirs.

Arrival In Cozumel: After breakfast I went outside to watch our arrival in Cozumel. I exited the Lido Marketplace at the back of deck 10 and walked up to deck 11 to walk towards the front of the ship. The Carnival Breeze moved very slowly towards the pier and turned around prior to docking. I watched our arrival from the front of deck 9 on the observation deck. As we got closer to Cozumel I was able to see the Carnival Ecstasy already docked at Puerta Maya. We had previously docked with the Carnival Ecstasy the afternoon before in Costa Maya so it was great seeing the ship again. In the distance I was able to see the Symphony of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas docked at the International Pier. The Liberty of the Seas was cruising from Galveston. The Symphony of the Seas is an Oasis class ship and is among one of the largest ships in the world. This was very neat as I have never seen an Oasis class ship before this day. Today the Carnival Breeze was scheduled to dock at the Puerta Maya cruise complex. The Puerta Maya cruise complex is where most Carnival ships dock in Cozumel and has the ability to have three ships docked at once. Below are some pictures as we approached Cozumel and docked:

Below are some pictures of the food items available on the main Lido breakfast buffet line. Milk and yogurt were available each morning and were located on this buffet line.

During my walk I went down to the Promenade Deck (Deck 5). I stopped inside the Red Frog Pub during my walk. The lights were always off in this venue in the early morning so it makes picture taking a little hard. Breakfast in the Lido Marketplace: Since today was a port of call day the Lido Marketplace's scheduled breakfast time was a little earlier. The Carnival Breeze's Lido Marketplace was not serving bacon on this day of the cruise as bacon is only served on alternating days of the cruise. French toast was served this morning which was great! Carnival alternating serving French toast and pancakes. One thing to note: for guests that really want french toast or bacon each morning both items were available in the Blush Dining Room as part of the Sea Day Brunch on sea-days or Breakfast Open Seating on port of call days. The continental breakfast buffet line was open from 6:00am until 10:30am. The Blue Iguana Cantina was open from 7:00am - 10:00am and the Lido Marketplace main buffet lines were open from 7:00am - 10:30am. The late risers buffet line was open from 10:30am until 12:00pm. For guests that did not want to eat in the buffet, the Blush Dining Room was open for Breakfast Open Seating from 7:30am until 9:00am. Here are some pictures of the Lido Marketplace main buffet line and some of the pastries available on the Continental Breakfast buffet line:

Day 4 Cozumel, Mexico Morning Look Out My Cove Balcony: I woke up around 5:40am and got up early. After getting dressed I stepped outside on my cove balcony to look at the sunrise. I was able to see Cozumel in the distance. Below are some pictures of the sunrise from my cove balcony: Morning Walk Around The Carnival Breeze: I started my morning walk today on the Lido Deck (10). During this morning walk I went all around the ship's upper exterior decks and then went down to Decks 3, 4, and 5 inside. For the purposes of this review I am not going to show all of these pictures since I want to keep the review condensed and will have many Cozumel pictures to share in Day 4 Part 1 and Day 4 Part 2. Here are some pictures taken during my walk on the Lido Deck (10): I also walked outside on the Carnival Breeze's Deck 12 to get another look at the sunrise. Here are some pictures from Deck 12:

My cove balcony was a comfortable temperature (I am used to keeping thermostat on 77 degrees) and was not hot at any point in time. However, I did keep the curtain closed during the day when not in the room to keep some of the sunlight from warming the room up too much. Have a great cruise in July!

I was also excited to see the expansion of the smoke free casino annex. It was much nicer than before the dry-dock.

Carnival Breeze's Fun Shops: Before going back to Deck 2 I stopped in the Carnvial Breeze's Fun Shops. We had a lot of non-refundable onboard credit to spend so I bought some Carnival 50th Anniversary merchandise, t-shirts, and a model ship. Even after this spending of $100 we still had around $300 more that needed spending onboard (after factoring out gratuity that were not yet posted to our onboard account). Below are pictures of some of the items available for purchase in the Carnival Breeze's Fun Shops (in the logo items section). After buying gift shop logo merchandise it was time to head back to my stateroom to go to sleep. The day was fun and tomorrow would be an early morning arrival to Cozumel, Mexico. Our stateroom steward had come by during the evening and left us a new towel animal.

Dinner In The Main Dining Room: Tonight was our third dinner of the cruise and once again we ate in the Sapphire Dining Room for Your-Time Dining. The Carnival Hub App's Your-Time Dining check-in opened approximately 10 minutes prior to dinner and at 5:30pm the doors to the Sapphire Dining Room opened. We showed our table assignment and were taken to the same table as the first night. This was very exciting as we enjoyed these waitstaff much more than those we had on the second night. For tonight's dinner I had a hard time choosing because there were so many good choices. I decided on for appetizer fried mozzarella and caesar salad, main course was Grilled Talapia, and dessert was a banana split again. Everything tasted great and the food service was awesome! Platinum/Diamond Chocolate Delight VIFP Reward: Carnival notified us before the cruise that one of the loyalty perks for Platinum & Diamond guests on 5+ night cruises is a Chocolate Delight plate that can be ordered from room service during the cruise. In the middle of the afternoon I called room service from my stateroom phone to place the order for the Chocolate Delight. The crew member working room service asked when I would like the delivery and I said at "your earliest convenience". I was in no hurry for the strawberries and it didn't matter to me if they came before or after dinner. Shortly after dinner while I was changing in my stateroom I heard a soft knock. A crew member was standing at the door with 6 chocolate covered strawberries. These strawberries were tasty! After changing clothes I went outside to Deck 5 to see Costa Maya. While outside we started to leave Costa Maya. The Carnival Ecstasy was still docked and I had a great view of the ship in the night. I was able to see inside the Promenade Deck windows and could see the neon lights of the Rolls Royce Cafe, City Lights Blvd, and Crystal Palace Casino. Here are some pictures from the evening:

The Carnival Breeze had a tent setup outside the gangway with fruit (I think lemon or oranges) infused water and some regular plain water. This was a nice area for getting a quick drink before heading up the gangway. Getting Back On The Carnival Breeze: After walking up the Carnival Breeze's gangway we had our Sail & Sign cards scanned. This was done by a security guard with a handheld tablet. As each person's card was scanned their picture appeared on the screen for security to verify the identity of the cruiser. After getting our Sail & Sign card scanned we had to go through the metal detector & bag screening. All electronic items had to be emptied from our pockets and placed in a bin to go through a separate scanning. Bags, purses, and backpacks also had to be scanned separately. I was carrying an empty can of Coke and the security guard inspected the can to make sure it was really empty. They were very detailed at the Security Checkpoint! Once back onboard the Carnival Breeze and after going through security I headed back to my stateroom on Deck 2. While inside my room I heard a loud noise outside so I rushed to the balcony to look out. Some of the lifeboats were being raised and lowered for testing purposes. Here are some pictures: Afternoon Walk Around The Lanai: There was some time between when I got back onboard and dinner so after visiting my stateroom I walked a few times around Deck 5. The Lanai was very quiet, except for a few people in hot-tubs and a few people in the smoking section. Here are some pictures I took during my walk around the Lanai: While outside walking I headed up to Deck 9 to have a look out the front of the ship. I didn't stay outside too much longer because I was thirsty. Since I was one deck away from the Lido, I then walked up to Deck 10 to the Lido Marketplace to get some water.

Walking Back To The Ship - Entering The Pier: In order to walk back onto the pier, we had to go through a security checkpoint. We had to show our Sail & Sign card to the security guard. The security guard was checking Sail & Sign cards for ship names and sailing dates. There was a brief wait at the Security Checkpoint as some lady a few feet in front of me was asking all sorts of questions to the security guard. He seemed annoyed with her slowing down the line. Once this was done we were able to walk onto the pier. Here are some pictures I took while walking along the pier:

While walking around, I noticed a secluded set of stairs that led up to a vacant area with tables & chairs. This area was empty, but allowed me to get some great pictures of the ships in the distance. As I began to head back towards the pier entrance I walked by some more shops. The cruise complex was beginning to get less crowded as people had settled in for the afternoon or left for shore excursions. In order to re-enter the pier we first had to walk through the same large shop again. It was much less crowded this time through except for a few other people that were also heading back towards the ships. Before going through the pier Security Checkpoint I stopped to look out at the shoreline and take some pictures of the various statues & Costa Maya signage that were located before the pier.

After walking by the Carnival Breeze, we walked by the Carnival Ecstasy. I definitely miss the Carnival Ecstasy being out of Galveston! The pier was somewhat long, but not too bad to walk. A shuttle was available for those who could not make the walk (I am not sure if it was complimentary or if there was a fee). As we approached Costa Maya on the pier I was able to get great views of the shoreline and port buildings ahead. After getting off the pier it was very crowded! There were groups meeting for shore excursions and people standing around taking pictures with the Costa Maya signage. I was hoping the rest of the shopping complex would be less crowded, but I was wrong. It was packed and elbow to elbow people in some spots. Before being able to access the area we were required to walk through a shop. Due to the large crowds it was difficult for me to get pictures and further I try not to publish pictures with people's faces showing on this blog to respect privacy. However, I did get some pictures of various things around the shops. Here are some pictures: '

Seeing The Carnival Ecstasy Docked In Costa Maya: After watching our arrival on Deck 9's front observation deck area I headed to the back of Deck 10 to take a look out. This allowed me to get a good view of the Carnival Ecstasy which was already docked. The Carnival Ecstasy was my first cruise ship and I sailed on the ship many times out of Galveston. Currently the Carnival Ecstasy is Carnival's oldest ship in the fleet and the ship is scheduled to leave the fleet in October 2022. I enjoyed seeing the Carnival Ecstasy docked as this brought back many memories of my first cruise in 2007 and other cruises taken on the ship before it left Galveston. Here are some pictures from Deck 10's aft: View From My Cove Balcony: After watching our arrival I went back to my cove balcony stateroom on Deck 2. Since we had turned around I did not get to see the pier or Costa Maya from my room, but I did have a good view of the back part of the Carnival Ecstasy. There were very large clumps of seaweed outside of the ship. Interestingly, these clumps would float away during the day. Going Ashore To Costa Maya, Mexico: We got off the ship around 2:00pm which was about an hour and 15 minutes after guests had been allowed off. When the ship was given clearance by the local authorities and the gangway was setup, our cruise director Cookie came over the PA to let everyone know that going ashore was now allowed. The gangway at the front elevators and mid-ship gangways were both open for guests to get off the ship. Since our staterooms were located closest to the front gangway we walked down the front stairwell to Deck 0. Normally Deck 0 is for crew members only, with the exception of guests that visit the ship's medical center. We were directed by crew members to the gangway. There was a small line to get our Sail & Sign card scanned by security. Through this process Security was scanning cards with a tablet and then making sure each person's picture on the tablet was them. Security was doing a very detailed job. After getting our Sail & Sign card scanned we were free to walk down the gangway. Multiple photographers from the Carnival Breeze were standing outside to take pictures of guests getting off. We declined and started our walk down the pier. As we walked alongside the Carnival Breeze it was nice looking at the ship and the new paint job given during dry-dock. Also the Carnival Breeze felt massive as we walked along the length of the ship.

Arriving In Costa Maya: Our arrival in Costa Maya was scheduled for 1pm, but we were in the process of docking about 30-45 minutes early. After eating lunch in the Lido Marketplace I went down from Deck 10 to Deck 9's front to look out as we docked. The Carnival Ecstasy was already docked at the pier and guests were starting to go ashore by the time the Carnival Breeze docked. Before we docked the Carnival Breeze turned around. Unfortunately this meant my cove balcony was on the side that was not facing Costa Maya or the pier. Turning around took a little longer than I expected. As we docked I saw large clumps of seaweed along the coast, but most clumps were offshore (at least in this area). After we had turned around the Carnival Breeze slowly moved towards the pier in a side-ways motion. Forklifts and a golf-cart were waiting on the pier with people who were ready to tie the Carnival Breeze's ropes. At this time I could see many guests from the Carnival Ecstasy going ashore. I was nervous about crowding due to so many people getting off the Carnival Ecstasy, but I had no idea how jam packed Costa Maya was actually going to be.

Below are some pictures of the Lido Marketplace's dessert station. I really enjoyed the Red Velvet cake and asked for a nice big slice. The strawberry lemonade cake was also available as an option for dessert. I did not eat it on this cruise, but in the past this has also been a very good dessert.

The Wave Morning Show: The Wave Morning Show was scheduled for 9:30am in the Ovation Theater or on the Carnival Breeze's stateroom TVs. The show was hosted by Robbie who is a senior member of the FunSquad and Rico who has about to leave the Carnival Breeze to become a cruise director on another ship. Cookie did not host the morning show as he wanted Robbie and Rico to get experience. Robbie was going to be filling in as cruise director on the four day cruise that followed our cruise. Both Robbie & Rico did a great job hosting the morning show. The show went for an hour and was interesting & enjoyable. The Fun Shop managers made a brief appearance again. After the morning show I went up to the front of Deck 9 to look out on the observation deck. I was able to see land in the far distance. Also, the Carnival Ecstasy had passed us up at some point in the morning and would dock before us in Costa Maya. Lido Marketplace Lunch: The Carnival Breeze's docking in Costa Maya was scheduled for 1:00pm which meant that lunch started before we docked. Even though the docking time was later the buffet lines opened at 12:00pm. To make things more crowded, only half of the main buffet lines opened which what Carnival typically does when the ship is docked in a port of call. This made the open lines congested and take a long time. According to the daily What's Happening newsletter, these were our lunch options aboard the Carnival Breeze for the day: Seafood Shack - The Seafood Shack is located at the back of the lido buffet by the aft pool. This venue costs extra and was open from 1:00pm until 5:00pm for lunch and was also open for dinner from 5:00pm until 10:00pm. Blue Iguana Cantina - 12:00pm - 3:30pm Pasta Bar - The pasta bar offers guests the ability to create a customized bowl of pasta. Essentially, guests fill out a paper form that gives options of what can be put in a pasta bowl. The form is turned into a hostess and a crew member makes the bowl of pasta. Caesar salads and garlic bread are also available. This venue was open from 12:00pm until 2:30pm. I'll discuss this is more detail in Day 4's review. Guy's Burger Joint - 12:00pm - 6:00pm The deli was open for lunch, but was also available for dinner (it closed at 10pm). Guy's Pig & Anchor BBQ was open from 12pm until 2:30pm. Normally the BBQ is not open on port days, but since today was a half sea day the Carnival Breeze's crew opened the BBQ line. Note: Bonsai Sushi was closed for lunch, but opened at 5:00pm for dinner. Here are some pictures of the food on the Lido Marketplace buffet line & salad bar:

After breakfast I walked around the Carnival Breeze's jogging track on Deck 12 and then headed down to the Lanai on Deck 5. Going down to Deck 5: While I was on Deck 5 I decided to try again at the casino to see if I could get the $25 Funplay. The casino host took my card and tried to input my number into the casino's computer. He told me that I did not exist on the ship according to the system and that I needed to go talk to guest services. The casino host explained that he was the one who had spoken with guest services on the phone the day before so he was fully aware of the situation from the day before. I traveled down to deck 3 to speak with guest services. Guest Services opened a ticket and told me that the casino was the only ones who could resolve this issue. The guest services associate assured me that I was really on the ship because he could see my information in his computer system. Guest Services told me that a resolution could be expected by end of day and that the casino would investigate further.

Main Breakfast Buffet Line at Lido Marketplace:

Breakfast in the Lido Marketplace: Since today was a port of call day the Lido Marketplace's scheduled breakfast time was a little earlier (this was kind of surprising because we don't actually dock until 1pm). Bacon was available on today's buffet since Carnival is doing alternating days of serving bacon. A crew member served the bacon and if a guest wanted more bacon it could be requested. The continental breakfast buffet line was open from 6:00am until 10:30am. The Blue Iguana Cantina and main Lido breakfast buffet lines were open from 7:00am until 10:30am. The late risers buffet line was open from 10:30am until 12:00pm. For guests that did not want to eat in the buffet, the Blush Dining Room was open for Breakfast Open Seating from 8:00am until 9:30am. Even though the first half of the day was a sea-day, the Blush Dining Room treated breakfast as a port of call day and no sea-day brunch was served. Here are some pictures of the Lido Marketplace main buffet line and some of the pastries available on the Continental Breakfast buffet line:

During my walk I stopped in the Liquid Nightclub. The Liquid Nightclub was used during the day by the art gallery and at night was the ship's nightclub. The middle of the Liquid Nightclub had a large dancefloor and the sides of the nightclub had seating. A bar counter was in one of the corners. Due to this area constantly being used as an art gallery during the day this was one of the few opportunities I had to take pictures. The nightclub had a foul odor so I did not stay instead for too long. Below are some pictures of the Liquid Nightclub: When I was near the back of Deck 5 I walked through Piano Bar 88. The windows to Piano Bar 88 were open and I was able to see the Lanai walkway outside. Next I headed down from Deck 5 to Deck 4 and walked towards the front. I passed by the entrance to Club 02 and Circle C on Deck 4. Club 02 is Carnival's youth program for 15-17 year olds and Circle C is for 12-14 year olds. Both youth programs had activities scheduled for the morning only due to the ship being in port in the afternoon & evening. As I continued to walk towards the front of deck 4 I stepped into the Sapphire Dining Room. The dining room was not used for guest purposes at breakfast or lunch, but instead crew members used this area to eat in private. Signage was posted while crew were using the dining room to ask guests not to enter and the firedoors were closed. Since no crew were using the dining room at this time I stepped into the upper level on Deck 4 and took some pictures.

After walking outside for a little while I went inside to walk through the ship's interior public areas. I started on Deck 5 and walked from the front to the back. The Carnival Breeze's housekeeping crew members were cleaning the Ocean Plaza during this time. I think every morning when I passed through this area the crew were always cleaning. The Carnival Breeze was a clean and well maintained the ship because of the hard work of these crew members. While on Deck 5 I took some time to step outside of the Lanai to take a look at the sunrise. The sun was coming up fast and was a lot higher compared to when I was outside on Deck 10 earlier. Here are some pictures taken from the Lanai:

After walking around the back of the Lido Deck I walked up to Deck 11. A small part of Deck 11 has tables & chairs setup outside, but this area is roped off for crew use only. Carnival has these areas roped off to allow for crew to have space and keep some distance. I then decided to walk up to Deck 12 to have a look at the WaterWorks. The slides were not yet open for the day. The Carnival Breeze's WaterWorks consists of the Twister Waterslide, Drainpipe Waterslide, mini racing slides for children, and a splashpad. The entrance to the Twister Waterslide and Drainpipe waterslides was on Deck 15 and the landing to the slides is on Deck 12. Below are some pictures of the Carnival Breeze's WaterWorks:

The Seafood Shack is located outside near the Tides Pool on the opposite side of the ship from the Pizzeria. The Seafood Shack is a venue that costs extra and items are sold ala carte (meaning you pay for each item). This venue is open for lunch & dinner, even on port of call days.

Day #3 Good Morning From My Cove Balcony: After a good night's sleep I got up early again around 5:45am. After getting dressed I went outside to look out from my cove balcony. I was able to see the moon in the distance. When I looked from my balcony towards the back of the ship, I was able to see the Carnival Ecstasy in the far distance. We would be traveling with the Carnival Ecstasy to Costa Maya. Since our arrival in Costa Maya was scheduled for 1pm we had a half sea day to start the day. Morning Walk Around The Carnival Breeze: By 6:15am I was ready to walk around the ship. Breakfast was scheduled to start at 7am on this day of the cruise so I wanted to make sure I had enough time to arrive in the Lido Marketplace a little earlier than the day before. For my walk today I wanted to start on the ship's upper decks. I went from Deck 2 to Deck 10. The Tides Aft Pool and Tides Bar were not yet open for the day. There were a couple of people sitting outside, but it was very quiet.