skiracer0112

They finally offered the Atolls dive on our cruise. Now they do it with a lunch...so that is new from our previous times. Glad to have it booked.

 

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The lunch wasn’t much, mostly fresh fruit, but amazing dives none the less!

I've just booked for the Feb 3, 2018 carnival freedom just for scuba diving Honduras, Belize, & cozumel. Have done this itinerary many times before. Was disappointed on last year's cruise that carnival didn't have a diving excursion on Belize. But prices are extremely high on Belize, $165, vs $100 & $85 for Honduras & cozumel. Will def do Honduras & cozumel, first & last, & may skip Belize in between, unless I'm more convinced it's extraordinary special.

Thoughts....?

The dives I have had off of the ship on turneffe are among the best I have had in over 100 in Belize. Far better than San Pedro and on par with lighthouse, the additional dives you do with blue hole. I would deffinately recommend this excursion and the operator (if I recall correctly it’s operated by aqua scuba Belize) is top notch! The price is mostly due to the distance from the ship but also the quality of the dives. If you were to dive this atoll from the mainland it’s an additional hour of travel time since the dives boat picks you up at the ship.

What ship are you on? We are on the Freedom next week. Not diving in Belize, too many other things we like to do there, but we are diving Coz and Roatan.

I am on the breeze, I have never dove from a ship in Cozumel but have dove Roatan with Anthony's key, I will be again this week, and it was an outstanding experience.

I you get the chance the Turneffe reef in Belize is amazing and only accessible by a long boat trip unless you are on a cruise and anchored half way there already! It's an expensive excursion but well worth it! The dives I have had through this excursion are in the top 10 out of over 500 I've done all over the Caribbean.

I too am hoping that it is still Hugh Parkeys, as I had a great day of diving with them last year. I had read online that they had closed their shop on look out caye to focus on their San Pedro operations. I also have seen some sites listing the lodge for sale.

I will be able to confirm the operator soon, I am booked on this excursion next week and will report back.

Doing our first cruise on the Magic in a few months will be interesting to try it.

I had it last month on the Magic, the BBQ was awesome! The best advice I can offer is to arrive early! On my cruise they shut down the line 30 minutes early to be able to accommodate everyone in line by closing time.

That's disappointing to hear the negative parts of review, I am planning an upcoming cruise on the Breeze and am now having second thoughts.

I agree with you I missed the real teak decking and also found that the tile in the lido buffet is dangerously slippery when anyone gets water on it.

I have sailed on her previously and was very impressed with many of the things that you did not have a good experience with, except the kids programs since I don't have kids. We had a great dining crew on the sailing I was on, probably the best I have had on Carnival. The inconsistency is troubling, I might have to look at another ship instead if that's how things are currently on board.

Anyway, thanks for sharing your review!

I really enjoyed the fish and chips on the Valor. It was my favorite part of the lido buffet for lunch. The items I really enjoyed were the fried oysters, tuna and watermelon, ceviche, and bouillabaisse. The sweet onion fritters were also really good. I really liked it too because it seemed largely unknown to most passengers so there were usually short lines.

This is from Zydecocruiser and is a picture of the menu board.

While my solution for my last sailing out of Miami is not the easiest it was great for traveling on a budget.

I had found an incredible rate ($85) a the the Miami Airport Sheraton including breakfast, which was an incredible deal for a very clean and comfortable hotel, especially given the low airport hotel standards in Miami.

I arrived at FLL and took the shuttle for the TriRail commuter train which was $3.25 from the FLL station to the MIA station, the shuttles to and from the stations are free. Then a shuttle to MIA and ride the link to the rental car center which is across the street from the Sheraton or you could take the Sheraton shuttle from the airport. When they complete the new Miami Airport Tri-Rail station, expected to be very soon, the train will go directly to the rental car center so it will stop right across the street from the Sheraton. Then I took a carnival shuttle the next morning for $15 to the port.

All total the trip to the hotel took about an hour, a little longer than a shuttle but much cheaper.

For me as a solo cruiser most of the time I have not dined frequently in the specialty restaurants. That said I met another solo cruiser on my last cruise on the Breeze who also wanted to try the steak house. We both throughly enjoyed the experience, while not a romantic evening for the two of us I could definitely see it being a great splurge for a couple.

For those who enjoy sushi, it was good I thought better for a lunch as you could order just a few pieces.

The menu for Cucina I thought looked good but not outstanding relative to the italian restaurants I have at home so I only ate there for lunch at the free pasta bar which was also good.

For the ultimate experience I would definitely recommend the chefs table which while expensive at $75 I thought was completely worth it for a special occasion.

Although not on the Breeze, the specialty restaurant I hope that they roll out to more of the fleet is JiJi's, currently only on the sunshine. It was an outstanding meal and was one of the best asian meals I have ever eaten. I dined there twice on a 7 day cruise because it was so good.

All in all I can easily find plenty of great items on the MDR menu but for those special occasions I will definitely visit the specialty restaurants as they are definitely worth the additional expense. My recommendation would be to check with either guest services or the Maitre 'D ahead of time to plan the night so you don't miss anything in the MDR you really wanted to try.

I never ordered off the menu on the Sunshine last week, when I tried at first they told me that they will make me something I would like better. The drinks certainly did not disappoint. Gabriel, Lucia, Kuna were incredible. After this experience I will buy the cheers program specifically to drink at this bar since they crafted drinks to fit within the program all with premium spirits.

Yes, well worth it! Considering they do give you unlimited wine and picture. If you go to the steakhouse-which is also very good you will spend $10 on just one glass of wine plus the $35 for dinner. The chefs table is a 7 course dinner and each plate is a work of art.....Ok, I may have to go again...just talked myself into it...

 

We are off of Boyette-Thank heaven the roadwork is 99% done!

I totally agree, worth every penny and awesome to get to see the kitchens on the ship. The food is truly amazing and while maybe not as romantic as a table for two, it is an awesome experience and a great value if you like great food and wine. I asked for both red and white and my glass was never more that half empty so I really don't know how much I drank but suffice it to say it was a lot after 3 glasses of champagne with the first bites and usually a full glass with each course.

I too am beginning to contemplate doing it again on my upcoming cruise....

That was the same menu that we had in January... Chef said that it changes every 6 months or so... We sail in September... I'm hoping it changes again!

It has been the same menu since at least November 2012 which was the first time I did the chefs table. I am hoping that they change it soon, I greatly enjoyed it the two times I have done it but I will probably wait until they change the menu before doing it again.

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Wow I never saw a line anywhere near that big for the Fish n' Chips. On my cruise in November I never saw more than two people in line. That stand and the burrito bar are definitely two of the best parts of the buffet that it seems a lot of people don't know about.

Thanks for sharing your pictures from your trip! I sailed on the valor in November prior to her transition to San Juan and finally convinced my family to take a cruise again for my brothers 21st birthday trip so we will be sailing on her again on Saturday! I look forward to following the rest of your photos as you get them uploaded as we are still planning what we are going to do in port:eek: I know we are a bit late to the party but it will still be fun anyway!

My first sailing was on the S.S. Norway as a young child some time in the 1980s, I know that we went to Nassau, St. Johns, and a private island somewhere in the Bahamas. I don't remember too much about the sailing except for the midnight buffet and a vivid memory of jet skiing in St. Johns as I hit a wave wrong and gashed my head open on the handle bars and had it sewn up onboard the ship.

The only other cruise I have taken was in 1992 on the S.S. Rotterdam to Alaska stoping in Ketchikan, Sitka, and Juneau.

Absolutely loved both ships, especially now being able to better appreciate the history behind both ships.

I haven't taken one since but I will be sailing this fall on Carnival but haven't decided on itinerary yet.