texasgirl73

Yeah. The correct name for it is a KYSS Bag. Not to be confused with the greatest band ever! [emoji869]

 

 

Oops my bad. And I even was saying to myself Keep your stuff safe and still spelled it wrong. Doh! [emoji23]

$5 per person. For us on the Breeze it was offered on the last sea day, 2 different time slots. All ages welcome. We signed up on the lido deck on the first day when they had different tables set up for drink packages and dining.

I got passports last year after deciding to do a land vacation in Mexico with the kids. I'm glad I have them. Checking in was much easier and I like knowing that if we had to fly internationally or wanted to book a cruise that wasn't a closed loop that I wouldn't have to worry about getting passports. When we used birth certificates they always asked for parental consent forms (my kids have a different last name than me.) With passports they didn't ask (I still had them though.) It just seems that everything goes smoother with passports for some reason.

Well thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed review. I really enjoyed it. I am looking forward to sailing on Vista next year. I would have loved to go this summer but having 3 kids tagging along makes the travel expenses to Europe just way to expensive so I have to wait until Vista comes to the States.

My kids used lanyards, which I like for them because I can visibly see that they have them and don't have to keep asking. I carry a small purse on vacation so I don't need a lanyard. My husband keeps his in his jeans pockets (he and I don't swim on the ship. I don't like small pools or hot tubs and he hates the sun.) During beach excursions I use KISS bag and keep them in a zipper bag that's inside the KISS bag. The KISS bag has a lock that allows me to not only lock the bag closed but attach it to a tree or something so that I can feel a little more secure.

Thank you!

 

Good grief, my kids wouldn't be happy with that. I'm assuming I can just pay $15 each and have them order off of the adult menu.

 

 

My son wanted to order from the adult menu. We paid $15 for him.

Yep, plenty of kids at Nachi Cocom, not as many as there were at Hilton Rose Hall in Jamaica but at least 10-15 there.

We got coffee-Mexican coffees at the Plaza cafe to be specific and they were very good! I didn't get any shakes (I can only take in so many calories in one day, I decided that I wasn't going to eat or drink things that my body didn't want just to add value, which is a big reason I won't get the package in the future because I don't want to make poor dietary decisions so that I can feel like I saved money.) I did grab a few waters but they had cold water set up in different areas of the ship and I like my water with ice so I usually got my water that way. It was nice not to worry about price but now that I see that it didn't save me money I won't do it again.

Temperature wise? Yes. After sweating and suffering two nights in the Galveston humidity, our cabin was great. Decor-wise, yes that too! [emoji4]

Hello I thought I'd share my impressions of my cruise on the Breeze. I am a 43 year old veteran cruiser but Carnival virgin who was joined by my husband and 3 children ages 16, 13, and 11. I've sailed previously on Disney, Celebrity, and Royal Caribbean. We ended up choosing this cruise because I wanted to try saving airfare and sailing out of Galveston for once (all of my previous cruises have been out of Florida.) I originally booked us on the RCCL Liberty of the Seas but decided to change to the Breeze (which had the exact same sail dates) after a read that the Liberty's refurbishment did not extend to the cabins. I have to admit I like my ships, hotels, etc to be pretty new and in good condition, I can be silly picky like that and since the Breeze was Carnival's newest after the Vista, I decided to make the change. And I was able to save almost $2000 making the change which was nice.

 

I admit I was a bit nervous choosing a line that has reputation for being less luxurious. Most of my friends who gave sailed only on Carnival don't seem to love cruising like I do and I have wondered if it was because of their choice of cruise line but I decided to go ahead and check it out myself.

 

Tropical Storm Earl was in full force during our cruise but we managed to avoid it, arriving at our ports a day or two after the storm.

 

We were in two Spa balcony rooms on Deck 11- 11210 and 11214. They weren't connecting but were adjacent. We asked for the balcony divider to be opened so that we could have one large balcony. Unfortunately when they opened it the divider actually blocked part of our window (11214, the room my husband and I were in) I wished it opened the other way and blocked the kids room instead because those weirdos like to keep the room dark with the curtains closed all day long and wouldn't have noticed, but we tried to move it and it would only go one way. I liked the decor and the layout of the rooms. It was certainly tight in there but not so much that it bothered me at all. The spa decor is quite nice, I like the beautiful turquoise colors. Unfortunately we never got the chance to use the spa since you have to be 18 to use it and we never could seem to get rid of those darn kids! Haha.

 

I took a poll of the family and everyone was satisfied with the cruise. All 3 of the children say they prefer Royal (to be fair their only experience with Royal is on the Allure of the Seas which is hard to beat) but they said they wouldn't mind sailing Carnival again (which is a good thing since I had already booked Vista for next summer.) My husband preferred the spaciousness of the Allure and Oasis and the decor of the Disney Fantasy and Dream, he felt the Breeze seemed too crowded but he also said he wouldn't mind returning to Carnival and felt that saving a couple thousand by booking Carnival over Royal or Disney was worth it.

 

Food- The best cruise food I have had has been with Disney but I'd rate Carnival over Royal and Celebrity (when you take specialty dining out of the mix.) Royal definitely has the better buffet but I was more than happy to go to Guys or the Blue Iguana instead of the buffet. The lines for the buffet in the morning on port days were crazy, longer than I have ever seen on any line, so we made sure to stear clear of the buffet at anytime when we knew everyone would be rushing in at the same time. The Steakhouse was great, as was the Cucina del Capitano, and I enjoyed the main dining room more than I have on other lines (on my last cruise on the Oasis my husband and I did Specialty dining only since we found the dining room food on the Allure to be underwhelming.) The food wasn't particularly innovative but it did taste good- especially the tomato soup, fig and date pudding, cornmeal encrusted chicken, and Grand Marnier Soufflé. My daughter was adventurous and tried the frog legs and the escargot (in the dining room and the steakhouse.) We also tried Bonsai Sushi which was good, nothing special or unusual on the menu, but nice fresh sushi. My kids loved the icecream, Guys burgers, the pizza at pizza pirate, and the steaks at 555. And my youngest son got the melting cake multiple times even though he said he wasn't going to get anything chocolate after having a huge chocolate cake the night before the cruise.

 

Drinks- I got my normally soda loving son the Bubbles package which was a complete waste. He barely got one soda a day, he didn't feel like going up to the bars to get one. Also they were out of Sprite for two nights in a row in the dining room. He liked the lemonade so we will just skip that package for him in the future. Our two younger kids only drink water which is strange but awesome, saves us money in sodas and dental work. My husband and I both got the Cheers package and we barely broke even (and had to work at it!) so I think I'll skip on that in the future. My husband wasn't impressed with the drinks (he thought almost everything was too sweet) but I liked them. I especially liked the Twilight Zone (which I found at the Serenity and Tides Pool bars) as well as the Ting drinks at the Red Frog Pub. And who can go wrong with a Pina Colada! Also at dinner we had a drink called the Refreshing Italian which was really good and, you guessed it, refreshing.

 

Shows- We went to the Comedy Club, once for the adult showing and once with the kids. It was amusing both times. My husband actually thought the PG version was funnier. We watched a few movies on the pool deck (I hated that we couldn't find a deck chair, had to drag one from the Red Frog Rum Bar to sit to the side, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I could have laid down but alas we had late dining and just couldn't get up there to sit for more than a half hour to get a deck chair.) We didn't go see any production shows because the kids had no interest.

 

Activities- I enjoyed the scavenger hunts and trivia in the Ocean Plaza but found it unfortunate that there were some obvious repeat cruisers who have done some of the activities before and were able to finish in lightning speed (there was a guy who had taken the genius test before and came in while everyone was doing it, finished in a couple minutes and then talked loudly the remaining time about how easy it was and how fast he finished. My youngest son glared at him so much I think he must have felt guilty and he ended up handing him his trophy.) My kids loved playing foosball and table top shuffleboard but it was always a bit of a struggle to get a turn at them. I'm happy to see that Vista has more tables.

 

Ports- We went to Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. I purchased my excursions independently since Carnivals didn't interest me. The lines to get off first thing were ridiculous so we learned after the first port to wait a little bit until the cruise director came over the air to alert us when the lines were gone which didn't take long at all. It was better than being frustrated at being crushed in the hallways in the lower decks.

 

Montego Bay- We went through Resort for a Day and went to The Hilton Rose Hall for an all inclusive beach day. The drinks were great and the lazy river at the resort was great. I'd do this again for sure.

 

Grand Cayman- We decided to mix things up and do an escape room instead of a beach or snorkeling excursion. The Locked Inn has 4 rooms to escape from. We did one called Death Row and we had to escape from our Death Row cell. It's a fun activity for a group to solve puzzles. We barely got out in the 45 minutes and had a great time. We went to Cayman Cabana for lunch and I had the best ceviche. Both were within easy walking distance of the port.

 

Cozumel- We went to Nachi Cocom Beach Club for another all inclusive beach day. The food was good and my kids loved the beach. The drinks aren't all that so we just took shots of tequila (my husband and I, not the kiddos! Ha!)

 

Sky Course- We all did it. My daughter and I did the both courses, the boys were wimps and did the easy course only- in my husbands defense he was helping the 11 year old, my 16 year old has no excuse other than laziness.)

 

Debarkation- we had faster to the fun and we did self-assist to get off the ship ASAP to avoid crazy lines at customs. I can't enjoy breakfast knowing lines are ahead of me so it was better to just get off. It wasn't too crazy so I think I'm gonna always get of the ship this way.

 

FTTF- was it worth it? Well we were on the ship pretty early and didn't have to wait in line to get a burger at Guys. I went to guest services a few times and maybe skipped a couple people. It helped get us off the ship sooner. Since I had two cabins we had to pay it twice. And part of me felt it was a waste of money but I can't seem to cancel it for my Vista cruise so I guess deep down I feel it's worth it to lessen potential vacation stress.

 

Carnival Hub- I loved using this to check the schedule. It was also great to see and order our photos. I was able to take photos of all 5 of us so the App could use facial recognition to find all of our photos. I wish they had some packages that made ordering multiple photos more affordable like Royal and Disney have, but I was really happy with the photos I purchased and how easy it was to get them. I even had one of them put on canvas and it's gorgeous.

 

Overall it was an enjoyable cruise, I thought the service was exceptional. I look forward to next years cruise on Vista. After we got back I looked at photos of Vista with a new perspective having been on the Breeze. We really liked deck 5 but hated having the casino on that deck (none of us like being anywhere near smoke) so seeing that the casino is on deck 4 on Vista is a good thing. And I think my husband will be excited to try to Alchemy and Havana bars.

 

I'm not going to say that Carnival is now my favorite cruise line (that would be RCCL and I'd say the Disney Fantasy is my favorite ship) but it was definitely fun and I am now a fan. I was afraid that I would be disappointed and that the savings wasn't going to be worth it but Carnival delivered and proved me wrong.

I was on the Breeze last week and had 11210 and 11214. I would imagine the view would be similar to that on the Magic. The bridge didn't bother us at all. I didn't find the area to be noisy since it was so far forward, less through traffic.

If you are looking for something completely different my family and I are going to The Locked Inn. It's an Escape room facility. We did a few in Mexico at our all inclusive last year and had a blast. After that we are going to Cayman Cabana for lunch. Glad to see it was recommended here.

Disney has gorgeous ships but my kids preferred the food and atmosphere on the Royal ships more and the activities were more suited for kids their age (11-16.). I was surprised, I thought they'd prefer Disney but hey I don't mind saving the money. Celebrity was nice but not exciting enough for kids, a little more old school. I'm hoping Carnival will impress them. I actually prefer Disney myself, I found it to be more upscale and I love how they are able to theme things without being cheesy, but it's far more expensive and if the kids are happier at a lower price point it's a win win for me.

I've cruised 5 times now-twice on Disney, twice on Royal, and once with Celebrity. I have two upcoming cruises booked with Carnival including the Breeze next Sunday. I can't compare Carnival to Royal yet but I will say that my whole family prefers Royal over Disney and Celebrity.

Red Stripe, Jerk Chicken, goats (I've seen a lot of them wandering around in Jamaica)

I love the beach in Negril, it's absolutely gorgeous. When I do a land vacation in Jamaica I stay in Negril because of the cliffs and the beach. I would love to take my kids to 7 mile beach on our upcoming cruise but having done that taxi ride from Montego Bay, I know that I wouldn't want to spend such a huge portion of the day traveling. It's about an hour and a half drive, and I have no desire to spend 3 hours traveling. I'd say it's better to have an excursion closer to Montego Bay.

I'm curious which Royal ships you have sailed on. I am new to Carnival myself, sailing the Breeze in July and Vista next July, and have previously sailed Allure and Oasis with Royal, the Fantasy and Dream with Disney, and the Constellation with Celebrity. So aside from the Celebrity ship I tend to go with the newer ships with all the bells and whistles. I am wondering how the newer Carnival ships compare to the newer Royal ships (besides size of course, Allure and Oasis are freaking monsters...haha.)

The event planning email address is listed in the FAQs about the Chefs Table, not that hard to find on the website. [emoji4]

Anyone out there do the dreamworks character breakfast?

which characters appear? what goes on during it? is there like a show?

 

any info is appreciated! :)

 

 

Did it in 2013 on the Allure. Think we went to at least 2 breakfasts. We had Shrek and Madagascar characters (Shrek, Fiona, Puss in Boots, and King Julian). They did some songs and dancing. The food was just okay. My kids are too old for it now but I'd pay if my kids were smaller.

 

 

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Do you use hard or soft side luggage and why? We're in the market for 2 new sets that'll last 10 years at least and can't decide.

 

 

I prefer soft. I thought the hard side stuff would be more durable but it got banged up and discolored on my very first trip with it. I bought some soft sided Samsonite luggage from Kohls last year and have been very happy with it. It's the spinner wheels that really make a difference for me. No more 2 wheeled inline cases for me!

 

 

 

 

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Pyrat rum runners!

 

 

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We love sushi and were wondering if Izumi is really good. The menu looks great. We are not snobs about it but is the sushi and sashimi worth it on the ship? Fresh tasting.The prices don't seem too high with a nice selection? Is it open for lunch?

 

Grandeur in August to Bahamas.

 

Thanks

 

 

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I am a sushi snob. It was decent. The sushi was fresh if not particularly inventive. I'd say it's worth a try. That being said. I have a trip on Oasis booked this fall and am not planning on going to Izumi. Enjoyed it but didn't love it enough to return. I'd rather go to 150 Central Park and the Chefs Table.

 

 

 

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I have 4 kids so we have to book for 6. On the Allure we got 3 side by side cabins (d8s). It was actually only a little but more than 2 cabins (4 people cabins are d4 or higher) so we had extra space and an extra bathroom. They weren't connecting but we were able to get the dividers on the balconies removed so we had connecting balconies. My husband and I were in the middle room. Kids on each side. It worked great!

 

 

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This might be a stupid question but how do you prove you are a Gold member? I have never had to do it because I've only cruised with Royal once before.

 

 

 

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I had 7698 7700 and 7702 on the other side. I really liked being able to walk to the end of the hallway and outside (there are doors on deck 7 that lead to the rock climbing wall). This gives you easy access to the Aquatheater. If we wanted to walk towards the front of the ship all we had to do was go down the stairs to deck 6 (to the promenade area where we could take the winding staircase down) or we could go up the stairs to Central Park on Deck 8. We only used the elevators to get to Windjammer or the pools.

 

 

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