thecruiserofships

Thank you! I am glad you are enjoying the photos! The two main changes from the dry-dock were the brand new exterior paint job and the non-smoking casino on Deck 4's expansion. I will have some pictures of the non-smoking casino in Day 4's portion of the review. There were also some areas with new carpet and they added several new security cameras (I didn't really cover this stuff much in the review so I thought I would mention here). Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions!

Before heading to the Ovation Lounge I stopped on Deck 5 to take some pictures of the sunset. The seas were calm and the view was nice! Production Show "Motor City": Tonight's Playlist Productions show was "Motor City". This show had a variety of Motown & 70's songs. The show took place twice in the Ovation Theater. One of the showtimes was 7:45pm and the other was 9:45pm. Seating was packed in the middle section of Deck 3 of the Ovation Theater, but some seats remained open along the sides (these seats had obstructed views so this is probably why). The balcony section on Decks 4 & 5 were also packed. The Playlist Productions performers did a great job and the show was very enjoyable. After the show I went up from Deck 3 to Deck 5. The moon was big & bright so I stopped to try to take some pictures. It was a little hard at first, but I managed to adjust my camera settings to get some good pictures. Below are some pictures I took while I walked around Deck 5: After walking on Deck 5 I was thirsty and decided to head up to Deck 10 to the Lido Marketplace for some water. On my way, I stopped on Deck 9 and went to the observation deck at the front. The front was very neat at night. It was very dark and kind of creepy. Very little light is in this area due to light interfering with the ship's navigation. Once I got some water in the Lido Marketplace I headed back down to my stateroom to go to sleep. Our stateroom steward had come by to clean the room and he left us a towel animal on one of the beds. This day of the cruise had passed by quickly and I had a great time. I was tired and fell asleep quickly.

While we were sitting in the atrium the PA went off. Cookie, our cruise director, made an announcement that the captain just alerted him that there was a waterspout on the left side of the ship. Almost instantly all of the guests in the atrium rushed to the windows on the left side of the ship. I decided to quickly head up to Deck 5 to get a better look. Guests were all over Deck 5 looking out and I was able to see many people with balconies on the left side of the ship were outside looking. I climbed some hot-tub steps on the Lanai to be able to hold my camera above the Lanai's tall glass. This was very neat to see and I am glad Cookie let us know to look out. Thank you Cookie! After seeing this I went back inside to the atrium on Deck 3. From the window it looks like we went through a short patch of rain, but the ship stayed a safe distance from the waterspout. Formal Night Dinner In The Sapphire Dining Room: Tonight was the cruise's first and only elegant evening. This meant the dining room had a dress code that was supposed to be followed. The Sapphire Dining Room for Your-Time dining guests opened at 5:30pm again. Check-in started on the Carnival Hub App approximately 10 minutes prior to opening. We got assigned to a different table in a different section of the dining room compared to the first night. This was disappointing as we liked the waitstaff from the prior night. My dinner for the night consisted of both breads, appetizers of shrimp cocktail & Caesar salad, main course of broiled striploin steak, and dessert of banana split from the kid's menu. The food was all very good.

Issue Claiming The Platinum $25 Casino Freeplay: Prior to the cruise, I was notified by Carnival that the VIFP Platinum and Diamond benefit of buy one get one free casino tournament entry was temporary unavailable due to the Covid protocols. Instead Carnival temporarily replaced this benefit with a $25 Fun Play in the casino which could be used on slots or tables. I stopped by the casino to claim by $25 Fun Play. The lady working the casino took my Sail & Sign card and scanned it, but told me that I did not exist in the system. She told me to go to Guest Services because my card was not valid. I went down to Guest Services and had to wait a few minutes in the Platinum/Diamond/Suites line. The lady working Guest Services was friendly and reissued my Sail & Sign card. I went back up to the casino and was told that this card was the exact same as my old Sail & Sign card. I knew this was not the case because I watched the lady at Guest Services issue me a new card and saw her throw my old card away. Further, my Folio number on the card changed. I went back to Guest Services and the lady got on the phone with the casino. The casino told them that we needed to give it some time and that I should try again at the casino desk much later in the day. This was a bummer, but I decided I would come back the next day to give the system plenty of time. Spoiler Alert: When I came back on Day 3 I was told that I did not exist on the ship! Throughout the afternoon I walked around the ship's exterior decks. Below are some pictures: Around 4:00pm I went back to my stateroom to start getting ready for dinner. While in there I enjoyed the cove balcony. Around 5pm I went to the Carnival Breeze's atrium to listen to the string trio play. They were great!

I wanted to look out from the front of the ship so I went to Deck 9's front observation deck. However, upon arrival to the door to go outside the deck was closed for maintenance. It looked like the crew were pressure washing the deck. I went up to Deck 10 and found a sign on the door that said do not enter. I really wanted to look outside so I went down to Decks 6 and 7 to look out. Both of these decks have a nice exterior area that is located right below the navigational bridge. While I was outside I looked up and saw one of the ship's officers looking out. Second Lunch On The Carnival Breeze: Around 12:00pm, I headed up to the Lido buffet for lunch. My first stop was actually Cucina Del Capitano's free lunch-time Pasta Bar. The Pasta Bar is located inside Cucina Del Capitano on Deck 11 and is complimentary at lunch. I was greeted by hostess who gave me a sheet of paper to fill out with my pasta selections. The form also had a spot to request bread and caesar salad. Normally guests eat in the Cucina Del Capitano venue for the pasta bar at lunch, but I asked for a to-go order. The hostess took my paper when I was done and within about 20 minutes I had my food. I carried it down to Deck 10 to eat in the Lido Marketplace. Here are all of the lunch options available on the ship for this sea-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 11:00am until 5:00pm for lunch and was also open for dinner from 5:00pm until 10:00pm. Blue Iguana Cantina - 12:00pm - 2:30pm Bonsai Sushi - This dining option is located on Deck 5 and costs extra. Bonsai Sushi serves a variety of different sushi related dishes. For lunch, this venue was open from 12:00pm until 2:30pm. Guy's Pig & Anchor Smokehouse (BBQ) - This dining venue is located on the Lanai on Deck 5 and is complimentary. BBQ is served here. The Carnival Breeze's BBQ line was open from 12:00pm until 2:30pm. Mongolian Wok - The Carnival Breeze's Mongolian Wok is located in the lido buffet near the front area of the interior space. This venue was open from 12:00pm until 2:30pm. 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. Guy's Burger Joint - 12:00pm - 6:00pm The deli was open for lunch, but was also available for dinner (deli is open 11am - 11pm). One thing to note about the deli's opening hours was the app sometimes showed 12pm - 10:00pm, but the hours seemed to vary by the day. This particular day the deli was open a full 12 hours. Due to staffing, the Ocean Plaza did not serve light lunch and there was no tea-time scheduled for the afternoon.

The Wave Morning Show: The Wave Morning Show was scheduled for 9:00am in the Ovation Theater or on the Carnival Breeze's stateroom TVs. The show was hosted by our cruise director, Cookie, and fun squad member, Robbie. The show was only scheduled to last 30 minutes, but was going so well it went over by about 15 minutes. Crew members that also spoke on the show included the Fun Shops manager and Fun Finds Shopping Expert. The show was funny and informational. After the morning show ended I saw the Gulf of Mexico outside was a nice shade of blue. I wanted to get some pictures of this nice blue water so I headed outside. There were some clumps of seaweed floating by.

Thank you! I am glad you are enjoying the review!

Thank you! I am glad you are enjoying the photos.

Thank you! I am glad you are enjoying the review.

I first started cruising Carnival in 2007 and here are some of the highlights that have changed after 2010: Guy's Burger Joint - Carnival added a branded venue to all ship's Lido called Guy's Burger Joint which serves complimentary hamburgers at lunch and typically closes around 6pm. There is a toppings station (kind of like a Fuddruckers) by the Guy's Burger Joint. This replaced the old style chicken tenders, homemade chips, and hottdogs that Carnival used to have on the non-branded Lido hamburger line. Blue Iguana Cantina - This is a complimentary line at lunch that serves tacos and burritos. Pizzeria - Carnival changed the Pizzeria menu around the 2012-2013 timeframe. The options for pizza are less. My favorite pizza onboard used to be the pan pizza with all the vegetables, but that is long gone. There are now only 5 or so choices for pizza and the pizza is much more thin compared to the old style. Pizza is not 24 hours right now due to the crew staffing shortage. Lido Desserts - Carnival changed the Lido desserts a few years ago to be more cake/pie based. Different flavors are served each day at lunch and typically flavors are not repeated so if you see something you would like, eat it when you see it. The old style cookies, jello, and 24 hour ice cream are still available. Introduction of Your-Time Dining - Depending on the last time you cruised Your-Time Dining may have not been introduced yet. Traditional fixed time seating is still available. Your-Time Dining allows you to eat any-time in a range of time. After Covid you check in for this using the Carnival Hub App. You may or may not get auto assigned to the same table or waitstaff under this, but if desired can ask the hostess station to see if they accommodate getting the same waitstaff. Carnival Hub App & QR Code Menus - Since the pandemic a lot of menus (dining room, bar, etc.) are digital. I highly recommend downloading the Carnival Hub App prior to your cruise as it is useful onboard. Some paper menus are still available, but it can take some time for the crew to track them down. The Hub App displays dining info, entertainment info, and more. Daily Activity & Information - The Carnival Capers disappeared around 2010 and became the Fun-Times. After the pandemic this turned into a single sheet What's Happening newsletter and is not delivered to your stateroom. You can pick up a copy at Guest Services or Coffee Bar on the Promenade. Self-Mustering - The old style muster station drill of having to stand or sit in a muster station at a set time went away with the pandemic. On your first day after boarding you go to your muster station and they will show you how to put on your lifejacket. Overall takes about 5 minutes versus the old style drill which took 30 at a minimum. I like this much more! Embarkation - You are no longer given your Sail & Sign card upon check-in at the terminal. It will be located in your stateroom door mailbox. Your boarding pass will be used to get you on the ship. This process started before Covid, but has continued even after the shutdown. Also, embarkation now has a Covid test and vaccine check added in besides having to show your passport or other travel documentation. Stateroom Servicing - Only happens once a day now, but your stateroom steward will let you pick morning or evening. The chocolate mints are no longer given. Also, the old freebie basket that used to be in the stateroom bathroom that had samples of various random products is no more. Since you mentioned you are Platinum I highly recommend printing the email Carnival sends you prior to sailing with the list of the benefits & how to get them. Once onboard they don't deliver anything to your room. You have to go to the Photo Gallery (or other designated location) to pick-up your platinum gift & pin. On cruises 5+ nights the Chocolate Delight is scheduled through room service. Priority boarding is temporarily not available, but platinum & diamond guests get to do online check-in 48 hours prior to everyone else. This is all I can think of for now and there are probably many other things that I did not think to write here! I just got off the Carnival Breeze last week and have pictures of all of the various food items in the Lido & Main Dining Room as well as various menus (bar, dining room, etc.) from my cruise. It is on my personal cruise blog if you would like to look at pictures & menus: http://www.embarkandaway.com/carnival-breeze-cruise-review-2022.html I know you are going on the Sunrise which is a completely different ship than the Breeze, but a lot of food served could be similar depending on the length of your cruise as Carnival likes to have a semi-standardized offering across ships.

After walking around the jogging track for a while I went down to Deck 5 to walk on the Lanai. On side of the Lanai was sunny and the other was nice & shady. I was sun-burned from sail-a-way on the first day of the cruise so it felt great to walk on the shady side. I did not walk here for too long because The Wave was coming up.

Walking On The Jogging Track On Deck 12: After eating breakfast I went up to Deck 12 to walk around the jogging track. The jogging track was actually busy and had many people walking or jogging. A couple of people were running, but that seemed hard due to having to dodge multiple people. The weather was very nice to start off our day at sea! The Carnival Breeze's mini golf course and ropes course were not yet busy for the day. Some of the mini golf course holes are located on Deck 14 right by the entrance to the Ropes Course. The Ropes Course was open on our first day at sea, but was not yet open during this time. The Deck 14 level of SportSquare has a large chessboard.

First Breakfast On The Carnival Breeze: The Carnival Breeze offers cruisers multiple breakfast options to choose from. At the Lido Marketplace several buffet lines were open for breakfast. A continental breakfast buffet line that served pastries, cereal, and yogurt opened at 6:30am and closed at 10:30am. The main Lido buffet lines served breakfast from 7:30am until 10:30am. For cruisers wanting to eat breakfast tacos and burritos, the Blue Iguana Cantina served breakfast from 7:30am until 10:00am. One breakfast buffet line remained open until 12:00pm for late risers, but after 10:00am the rest of the lines closed to start preparing for lunch. Cruisers that did not want to eat in the buffet could eat at the Sea Day Brunch in the Blush Dining Room (aft dining room on Deck 3). The Sea Day Brunch was open from 8:30am until 12pm. The hours are reduced on the Sea Day Brunch due to staffing issues. One change for this cruise was french toast was not served everyday anymore. Today was a french toast day, but then it was served again on Day 4 of the cruise. Pancakes were served on days when french toast was not served. We only had french toast twice this cruise as on the last day only pancakes were served. Bacon was served every other day. Today was not a bacon day, but other meat such as sausage & ham were available. Below are some pictures of the continental breakfast and main Lido Marketplace buffet lines:

Once I was back inside I walked through Piano Bar 88. The song request papers from the night before were still laying around the tables and chairs. The piano bar was primarily only used in the evenings and I don't remember seeing many events take place during the day-time. The Piano Bar 88 performance times for this sea day were 9:00pm - 11:00pm and then 11:00pm until late. This was printed in the What's Happening and Carnival Hub App. I am not sure what Carnival means by "late". The Blush Restaurant is the Carnival Breeze's aft dining room. This dining room is used for the Sea Day Brunch and at night used for traditional seating. On my morning walk I went into the deck 4 level of the Blush Restaurant. Some crew members were working on the Deck 3 level to setup for the Sea Day Brunch, which was scheduled from 8:30am until 12:00pm. The hours of the brunch were reduced due to staffing. After looking in the dining room on Deck 4, I looked at my watch and decided to head up to the upper outside decks. I walked from Deck 4 to Deck 10. The Lido Main Pool area did not have anyone occupying deck chairs yet and nobody had left towels (or anything else) to start reserving chairs.

The Carnival Breeze's Red Frog Pub was a popular venue onboard. At this time of the day, the Red Frog Pub was not yet open. For this sea day the Red Frog Pub was open from 12:00pm until 12:00am. Below are some pictures of the Red Frog Pub: The second entrance to the Red Frog Pub is behind the Alchemy Bar. I walked through the Red Frog Pub and came out in the Ocean Plaza right by the Alchemy Bar. I saw the sun was rising so I went outside to the Lanai to see the sunrise. The back of deck 5 where the railings are a little lower was the best place to get pictures of the sunrise on Deck 5.

From the Deck 3 level of the atrium I walked up the spiral staircase to Deck 5. This brought me to the Carnival Breeze's Fun Shops area. On one side guests can find shops that sell Carnival logo items, alcohol, and Cherry on Top. On the other side guests can find shops that sell jewelry, make-up, and $10 items. The shops were not yet open for the day at this time, but would be open from mid-morning until the evening. I will have some pictures of some of the merchandise in Cherry on Top and logo items in the Fun Shops later in the review. On Deck 5 I walked from the atrium towards the back. During this time I walked through the casino. The slot machines were open, but the tables and cashier station were not yet open. A few guests were already playing slots. I did not take pictures of the casino to respect privacy of those playing inside. As I continued towards the back of Deck 5 I walked by Bonsai Sushi. Today Bonsai Sushi was open for lunch from 12:00pm - 2:30pm and dinner from 5:00pm -12:00am. Each food item on the menu has a different charge. I do not eat sushi so I've never had Bonsai Sushi, but it looked like at dinner all of the tables had guests so it must be popular.

While on Deck 4 I looked at the Carnival Breeze's atrium. The atrium bar was not yet open, but would be open in a little while. The Carnival Breeze's atrium had a large 50th Anniversary Celebration banner hanging. Carnival's 50th anniversary of sailing was in March 2022, but it appears they decided to keep celebrating all year long! Here are some pictures of the atrium from Deck 4: At the front of Deck 4 is one of the entrance's to the Ovation Theater. The Ovation Theater was the same place where I watched the Welcome Aboard Show on the first night. This lounge was used to host a variety of events on the first sea day such as the Fun Finds Shopping Show, The Wave Morning Show, Fun Ashore Fun Aboard presentation, Bingo, and the Playlist Production show Motor City. The Deck 4 entrance to the Ovation Theater has stairs that lead up to the seating on Deck 5. I walked up these stairs to take pictures of the Ovation Theater's upper level. While I was at the front of the ship I went down to Deck 3. I walked around the Carnival Breeze's atrium lobby. This area was quiet while was very different than the first afternoon of the cruise as this is the area where everyone boarded the ship. The ship's atrium has four glass elevators that go up to Deck 12. Although the atrium's lobby is on Deck 3, the glass elevators go down to Deck 2 despite that deck not being a part of the atrium. In the center of the atrium is the atrium bar and a spiral staircase that goes up to decks 4 & 5. On of the sides of the atrium, there are several areas to sit and mini-Fun Hub internet cafe stations. During the Carnival Breeze's 2022 dry-dock a Dreams Studio was added on the lower level of the atrium. I will have a picture of that area in a later part of the review. The Guest Services and Shore Excursions decks can be found on Deck 3 on the sides of the atrium. The Guest Services desk is on one side of the Carnival Breeze's atrium while the Shore Excursions desk is on the opposite side of the atrium. On this cruise Guest Services was not 24 hours due to staffing shortages, but was open at this time of the day. At this time of the morning, the Shore Excursions Desk was closed. Shore Excursions can be booked through stateroom TV's, on the Carnival Hub App, and at Guest Services when the Shore Excursions Desk is closed. The Carnival Adventures Desk is the same thing as the Shore Excursions Desk.

Day #2 Sea Day Sunday, May 15, 2022 Early Morning View From My Cove Balcony: I overall slept great my first night of the cruise despite some hallway noise and an early morning announcement made for another guest to contact guest services. My alarm went off around 5:45am and my secondary alarm went off around 5:55am. After getting ready I stepped outside on my cove balcony to take a look. The sunrise was on the opposite side of the ship, but I could see a little bit of orange when I looked towards the front of the ship from my balcony. First Morning Walk Around The Carnival Breeze: Each morning of the cruise I get up early to walk around the ship and take pictures. This has been a cruise tradition the past several cruises and I continued that tradition on this cruise as well. My walk for this morning started on Deck 4. I stepped inside the Carnival Breeze's Library Bar. The Library Bar had a variety of books on the shelves, several chairs for seating, and a very small bar area. However, the self-service wine dispensers that were a famous part of the Library Bar's debut were missing. On my last Carnival Breeze cruise these self-service dispensers were out of service, but on this cruise they were removed completely.

After dinner I went back to my stateroom real quick. While I was there I stepped outside on my cove balcony to look outside. The sun was beginning to set. Our stateroom steward came by and left a towel animal. Ovation Theater - Bingo Session At 7:15pm in the Ovation Theater a game of Welcome Aboard Bingo was taking place. Bingo on Carnival's ships costs money to buy Bingo cards, but there are cash or other prizes for winning. Sometimes prizes are cash, but other times could be jewelry or a free cruise depending on the game of bingo that is being played. After dinner when I arrived in the Ovation Theater the game of Bingo was about to start, but had not yet started. I did not play bingo, but watched the game because I wanted to be in the Ovation Theater for a good seat for the Welcome Aboard Show. Welcome Aboard Show: At 8pm, the Welcome Aboard Show was scheduled to take place in the Ovation Theater. Our Welcome Aboard Show consisted of the cruise director speaking, an interactive game with contestants on stage, and the Playlist Productions dancers giving a short 10 minute sneak peek of the show. Our cruise director was Cookie and he did a great job welcoming us to the Carnival Breeze and a game with some contestants. The first day of the cruise was Cookie's birthday and he was hosting special themed nights to celebrate his birthday cruise. He also introduced the Fun Squad, which are the crew members that host the entertainment department's games and activities throughout the cruise. The Fun Squad surprised Cookie by making an unscheduled appearance when he was supposed to start speaking to wish him a happy birthday. He looked genuinely surprised and good job to all the Fun Squad and techs who pulled off the surprise. The Carnival Breeze's Playlist Productions cast members performed a 10 minute quick show after Cookie was done hosting the mini-game. The cast was talented and did a great job! After the Welcome Aboard Show I went to the Lido Marketplace for some water and then headed up to Deck 12 for a quick walk around the ship. It was nice to see the ship lit up at night. There was enough light created by the ship to allow me to take some pictures at night. On cruises in the past I used to have difficulty taking pictures after dark due to the limited lighting available.

How The Your-Time Dining Check-In Process Worked: I had Your-Time Dining which means I could dine in a specific dining room from 5:30pm until about 9:00pm. Dining assignments are printing on guests' Sail & Sign Cards. My Sail & Sign Card indicated that for dinner I needed to check-in on the Carnival Hub App and then I would be assigned a table. Shortly before the dining room opened the Carnival Hub App began allowing guests to check-in. The check-in for dinner was easy and involved clicking a check-box for each guest that was going to be eating. Within a couple of minutes of checking in the app notified me that my table was ready and I selected that I was on my way. The app will hold table assignments for 10 minutes before cancelling a reservation. The Sapphire Dining Room is the Carnival Breeze's mid-ship dining room. Upon arriving at the atrium entrance of the Sapphire Dining Room I told the hostess my table number that was assigned on the app and she had someone bring us to our table. This new process of checking in for Your-Time Dining replaced guests lining up early and then everyone speaking with a hostess when the doors opened. First Dinner On The Carnival Breeze In The Sapphire Dining Room: After being seated our headwater came by and introduced himself. He brought water to pour into cups, but I asked for some tea. Our order for appetizers, main courses, and desserts was taken at once. After our order was taken the waitstaff came by with a big basket of bread and asked which bread we would like. They served the bread to us using tongs. Our choices for tonight's bread were baguette and multigrain cranberry. I asked for one piece of both, but the multigrain cranberry is my favorite piece of bread onboard. I tend to like consistency so I ordered the exact same menu items as my past cruise on the Carnival Breeze in December. I ordered a caesar salad and quesadilla for my appetizer. Both tasted great. I think the caesar salad had too much dressing, but it is a good thing I like caesar dressing. For my main course I ordered the Sweet & Sour Shrimp. For dessert I ordered a banana split, which is on the Kid's Menu. The banana split consisted of a scoop of neopolitan ice cream, some sort of whipped cream, banana slices, a cherry, and sprinkles. Everything was great and our waitstaff did an excellent job!

Sail-A-Way From Galveston: The Carnival Breeze was scheduled to set sail at 3:30pm from Galveston. I went to the very front of Deck 9. I had some family traveling on the Carnival Vista so they stood at the back and waved to us before the ship set sail. The Carnival Vista left before the Carnival Breeze. Very sadly, as we were were waiting to sail a hearse arrived on the pier because a guest passed away. I feel badly for the family and friends of the person who passed away & hope all are doing okay. After the hearse left cruise terminal 2, the Carnival Breeze's gangway was taken in and the ship's ropes were untied. It was time to depart Galveston to start our journey to Costa Maya! Below are some pictures I took during sail-a-way: