Carnival Breeze - 8/14/12 Trip Report with Photos!

[Irishlinny]

Thanks for the great review so far! Although I won't be doing the Med cruise, I am truly enjoying all the photos.

In the spirit of sharing information, I will offer my one hint to you...as a fellow lover of Eggs Bennedict, if you order the Hollandaise sauce on the side, they make the eggs fresh and it is MUCH better;)

Looking forward to the rest!:)

[jimbo5544]

Thanks for the great review so far! Although I won't be doing the Med cruise, I am truly enjoying all the photos.

 

In the spirit of sharing information, I will offer my one hint to you...as a fellow lover of Eggs Bennedict, if you order the Hollandaise sauce on the side, they make the eggs fresh and it is MUCH better;)

 

Looking forward to the rest!:)

Good point on the ordering of the eggs benedict....Thanks! OP, I agree with others, really nice review and great pics.

[Alan M]

Thanks for the great review so far! Although I won't be doing the Med cruise, I am truly enjoying all the photos.

 

In the spirit of sharing information, I will offer my one hint to you...as a fellow lover of Eggs Bennedict, if you order the Hollandaise sauce on the side, they make the eggs fresh and it is MUCH better;)

 

Looking forward to the rest!:)

 

Thanks for the hint! I will definitely do that next time.

[Kik35]

Sam - we are on the same Oct 1st cruise and, coincidentally, also saw the Pieta at the NY Worlds fair when I was 9.

Bob-Guess that saying about things coming in threes is right.:D I am on the Oct 1 cruise and also saw the Pieta at the NY Worlds Fair when I was 9!!-Claudia

[Kik35]

Alan M-Great review and pictures!! Can't wait for the next few weeks to pass and be on the Breeze!-Claudia

[DEBnGAB]

Thanks for the great review so far! Although I won't be doing the Med cruise, I am truly enjoying all the photos.

 

In the spirit of sharing information, I will offer my one hint to you...as a fellow lover of Eggs Bennedict, if you order the Hollandaise sauce on the side, they make the eggs fresh and it is MUCH better;)

 

Looking forward to the rest!:)

 

Smart thinking Linny! I'll give that a try on our Nov cruise then...I love Eggs Benny but always had eggs overcooked or dried sauce.

[HarpHarp]

Bob-Guess that saying about things coming in threes is right.:D I am on the Oct 1 cruise and also saw the Pieta at the NY Worlds Fair when I was 9!!-Claudia

 

Me too-for the Pieta that is

I'll be getting on the Breeze when you get off.

 

Thanks for the superb review

[FreezingInMichigan]

We learned this trick from Irish Linny on our last cruise with them. Worked beautifully every time. :)

 

Thanks for the great review so far! Although I won't be doing the Med cruise, I am truly enjoying all the photos.

In the spirit of sharing information, I will offer my one hint to you...as a fellow lover of Eggs Bennedict, if you order the Hollandaise sauce on the side, they make the eggs fresh and it is MUCH better;)

Looking forward to the rest!:)

[Alan M]

Day Nine - At Sea

 

Finally! A Sea Day! Time to take our collective foot off the gas and take it easy for the day. There is no doubt about it, this is a port-intensive trip and with the ship docked for 12 or more hours in each location you spend a lot more time ashore than on a typical Caribbean itinerary.

 

Thought I would use today to talk about the ship a little more. Our balcony was on the starboard side and on the heading that day it got plenty of sun but its just not quite big enough to spend any length of time there without feeling cramped or tripping over each other so we decamped to Deck 11.

 

Deck 11 while in Olbia. Its a bit different on a Sea Day!

 

The sunlounger policy was in place on the upper decks and the Promenade. As far as I could ascertain the crew assigned to it were applying the policy sensibly and in a low-key manner. Some passengers ..... well, that's another story.

 

Breakfast at the Lido Marketplace was busy but not overly so and we found a free table quite easily. DS hooked up with another boy of his age and they spent a good part of the day hitting the water slides and the ropes course. DW and I lay in the sun for hours and I missed a spot when applying sunscreen. Result - rather nasty sunburn on my left side. You would think that I would have learned by now.

 

Lido Marketplace at breakfast time in Olbia (It was pretty much the same on sea days)

 

The highlight of the day was when a school of dolphins appeared alongside. They put on a fantastic display of jumping and diving but by the time I got my camera they had gone.

 

Both pools were very busy and noisy and we were glad we were not in the middle of it but each to their own - some people like being in the thick of things while others prefer to keep their distance, most seemed to enjoy themselves which is what really counts. That's the beauty of the Breeze, there is plenty of room to accomodate all preferences.

 

Jumbo Screen

 

There was quite a variety of entertainment at the main pool, ice carving in the morning, a manic guy doing a lot of yelling into a microphone was conducting some sort of competition in the pool, a concert played on the jumbo screen, a DJ played and later a singer came on. We were happy where we were on Deck 11 so did not really join in but I did pause for a few minutes while passing in the morning to watch Butch (CD) and Calvin (ACD) on their morning show. I had heard that they were funny so stopped to see what it was all about. Have to say I thought they were really good especially considering that it was all unscripted other than the announcements and dedications. Butch is all summer-camp leader, full of energy and enthusiasm. Calvin is all camp, period.

 

Main Pool

 

Aft Pool

 

We did make a half-hearted attempt to try out the Serenity deck. Ha! Dream on! You have to get there very early in the morning to bag a clamshell, sofa or hammock. Despite the chair policy being in place up there I never saw any openings in several visits throughout the day.

 

Serenity Sign

 

A few posters have questioned the wisdom of placing the Serenity Deck close to the Waterworks and its true that at the back of the deck you can hear the screams but further forward its pretty quiet. In the end we gave up trying to get a place there and so I can't offer any further opinion on Serenity.

 

Tip

:

I did find two decks at the front on decks 10 and 11 which were empty, even on sea days. They both had four sunlougers which were neatly stacked in the corner and .... nothing else. I asked DW if she wanted to go there but she felt it was too isolated. If you want peace and quiet outdoors, make your way to the front of the ship, exactly how to get to these decks is well described in

luckybecky's excellent photo review

.

 

That evening dinner in Blush was back to normal and we left after eating hardly anything. I know we could have sent the food back and ordered something else but sometimes you just feel beaten into submission. Went for pizza instead, it was good.

 

Mixed our own sundowners and had them on our balcony, very relaxing and peaceful. Well, most of the time, the peace was shattered now and again by packs of roaming teenagers on the Promenade below us but they didnt hang around long and went off to annoy someone else. Just kidding, we never saw any really anti-social behaviour from teenagers. In fact they were remarkably self-regulating, we overheard some saying "shush" to the others as the hour got late. Good for them and well done their parents I say!

 

Next .... Dubrovnik

Edited September 5, 2012 by Alan M

[chuds]

@chuds

 

I guess you could have breakfast on the balcony at a push but it would not be very comfortable as the table is too low and small to eat from. There is no vanity table in the walk-in wardrobe.

 

 

Thanks for this info. I asked because on Carnival Miracle the walk in closet also had a vanity area and on Celebrity Solstice last year we were able to take breakfast on the balcony

[Alan M]

Thanks to everyone for the kind comments. Still got a few days to go ...

Edited September 5, 2012 by Alan M

[Alan M]

@chuds

I wish I had taken a picture of the balcony as I feel now that I may have misrepresented it in my earlier posts. The balcony is not small, its at least 65 sq. ft. and has room enough for a full size sunlounger, two chairs, a small table and an area for the door to swing open.

 

I can't think of any reason why anyone could not eat breakfast on the balcony, its just that we chose not to because of the size of the table. Having said that, we had morning wakeup coffee and evening drinks out there many times and it was great. Hope this helps.

Edited September 5, 2012 by Alan M
sp. correction

[Alan M]

Day 10 – Dubrovnik (part 1)

 

Woke up at 06:30 just in time to see the Breeze turn round 180 degrees and dock at Luka Dubrovnik. It was a graceful move executed against the dramatic backdrop of the Franjo Tudman Bridge. Well worth getting up for on its own and moments after we had docked another ship (Celebrity X) performed the same manoeuvre while docking in front of us.

 

We had no excursions booked and planned to just take a taxi into the old town and walk the ramparts. We had not heard any strong recommendations about the area outside of the old city so decided to do the standard tourist thing. Had a late breakfast at the Lido and waited until the crowds had dispersed before getting off the ship. There was a bus service on offer every 10 minutes for 8 euro or 10 dollars so we jumped on the first one in line. The shuttle is organised by a local tour company and I have to say it was very reliable and professional.

 

All morning we heard reminders NOT to enter Croatia without a passport and visa because Croatia is not part of the Schengen agreement. As we left the ship Security reminded everybody again to bring passports. On the bus, the guide told everyone over the loudspeaker that they MUST bring passports because even if the border controls did not check them on the way in, they might do so on the way out. There’s always one isn’t there? Just before the bus moved off the guide asked to see everyone’s passports. Sure enough, the guy and his wife sitting in the first row had decided that the rules were not for them and they did not have to bring their passports. They were immediately ejected from the bus and told to get back on board the Breeze, not to leave the ship again without proper documentation. I swear I heard a smattering of applause as they left.

 

As it turned out there was no document check and we were in the old town in about 10 minutes. The return fare was charged regardless of if you intended to ride the bus one-way or not.

Tip

:

At $10 a head the shuttle is quite expensive and it may be cheaper to get a taxi into town for a group of 4 or more. As it turned out, taxi excursions to the surrounding area seemed quite popular and we were told that they were cheap compared to Italy.

The bus drops you just outside the Pile Gate (pronounced pee-lay) which is the main starting point for the city walks. There is a cafe/restaurant and a small rocky beach where we saw quite a few swimmers cooling off. Dubrovnik was hot that day, very, very hot. We intended to walk the ramparts and figured that the longer we left it, the hotter it would get. Having consulted Rick Steves one more time we set off across the dry moat, through the Pile Gate, down the steps and found ourselves in the old city.

 

The Pile Gate

Tip

: The main starting point for the ramparts tour is on the left as you enter the city but the ticket office is tucked round a corner on the right after you go down the steps and as you face the big fountain. Buy your tickets there then have them scanned as you enter the steps. The Croatian currency is the

kuna

($1US=6kn) but almost everywhere we went euros were accepted EXCEPT the ticket office for the ramparts walk. They do take credit and debit cards, we used a Visa debit card with no problems as we felt there was no point in exchanging currency. Make sure you hang on to your tickets as they will be scanned two more times if you elect to do the complete circuit of the ramparts.

The ramparts walk is not for the unfit or faint-hearted, especially in August. There are a lot of steps, some of them quite steep. Your reward is spectacular views of a mediaeval city in a superb state of preservation. Dubrovnik is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and despite the ordinance damage caused during the 1991 war the city is in remarkable condition.

 

Steep Ramparts

 

Great views from the walls

 

It took us about an hour and a half to walk the ramparts. Lots of photo-stops as well as ice-cream and water refills along the way. Some of the paths are very narrow and as a result things move rather slowly so the usual advice applies – sunscreen, a hat and plenty of water.

Tip

:

Not really a tip, more of a Did You Know? Dubrovnik was used as the on-location setting for King’s Landing in the HBO series Game of Thrones.

King's Landing

 

When we finally stumbled off the last flight of steps we walked down the busy streets and found a cafe for lunch. Relaxed, watched the world go by then explored some of the back streets where we bought some clothes, a couple of Croatian neckties and souvenirs. We also learned a little more firsthand about the 1991 war when Dubrovnik was attacked by the forces of Serbia and Montenegro and were saddened by what we heard.

 

Dubrovnik

 

Busy street in the old city

 

The bus operator had representatives at the drop-off/pick-up area near the Pile Gate and they had roped off areas for two lines, one for Carnival and one for Celebrity. Very well organised! We joined the queue and waited all of three minutes before our coach arrived and took us back to the ship. By the time we got there a flea-market had sprung up selling mostly lace, clothes and ties. The quality seemed not too bad and the prices more or less the same as in town.

 

I need a second post for Dubrovnik because we are limited to six pictures per post

 

Next ... Dubrovnik (part 2)

[Alan M]

Day Ten - Dubrovnik (part 2)

 

Sailaway from Dubrovnik gave us the opporunity for some dramatic shots of the Franjo Tudman Bridge as well as some of the fancy homes on the coast nearby.

 

Franjo Tudman Bridge

 

A nice little place by the sea

 

As the ship left Dubrovnik behind and made its way past many islands into the Adriatic we were treated to a sunset which just wouldn't quit. Neither would my camera....

 

The Breeze's bridge (Starboard side)

 

We could see the overhanging portion of the Breeze's Bridge from our baclcony and as we were on a westerly heading and the sun was sinking the light started to come through the bridge windows....

 

 

 

As the ship changed course, islands started to appear as sihouettes against the evening sky ....

 

 

which became a deeper and deeper red as the sun went down.

 

 

Will not forget that in a hurry, no sir.

 

For the record, my camera had no filters attached and there was no post-processing of these images. This is how they came out. Aperture and shutter speed were set by the camera using its own built-in "sunset" setting. All I did was lean on the rail, take a deep breath and try to hold it steady. A pro could could probably find a zillion things wrong with these shots but I like 'em.

 

Room service sandwiches were excellent again and we enjoyed sitting on our balcony well into the evening.

 

 

Next - Last Day at Sea

Edited September 5, 2012 by Alan M
Fix formatting

[happylady]

I've been lurking and tremendously enjoying your review. Your sunset pictures are absolutely beautiful!

[mycruise2000]

Enjoying the review. Very nice sunset pictures especially the last one. Thanks for sharing.

[rathertravel]

That last sunset picture is spectacular! I am loving your review. I'll be boarding the Breeze in 38 days. Your info and tips are really helpful.

[GRAMMYTAN]

I set up the weather page on my tablet for some of our ports: Here's is the last update:

Now Thur 9/6 Tues 9/11

Barcelona 78 82/67 80/66

Dubrovnik 73 81/70 82/70

Florence 75 83/65 91/64

Naples 75 83/70 86/64

Venice 72 83/67 83/66

Rome 70 85/66 87/63

And still 36 days to go - gonna be some cool nights.

[Blasian]

Where is the "like" button!

 

Thanks for writing this great review. I will be sailing on this beautiful ship in August 2013...ONLY 359 more days to go... :-/

Edited September 5, 2012 by Blasian
grammar

[GRAMMYTAN]

Oops - had two threads open and posted to the wrong one. :o

 

I set up the weather page on my tablet for some of our ports: Here's is the last update:

Now Thur 9/6 Tues 9/11

Barcelona 78 82/67 80/66

Dubrovnik 73 81/70 82/70

Florence 75 83/65 91/64

Naples 75 83/70 86/64

Venice 72 83/67 83/66

Rome 70 85/66 87/63

 

And still 36 days to go - gonna be some cool nights.

[whendoweleave?]

especially the red one......:)

 

As the ship changed course, islands started to appear as sihouettes against the evening sky ....

 

 

which became a deeper and deeper red as the sun went down.

 

 

Will not forget that in a hurry, no sir.

 

For the record, my camera had no filters attached and there was no post-processing of these images. This is how they came out. Aperture and shutter speed were set by the camera using its own built-in "sunset" setting. All I did was lean on the rail, take a deep breath and try to hold it steady. A pro could could probably find a zillion things wrong with these shots but I like 'em.

 

Room service sandwiches were excellent again and we enjoyed sitting on our balcony well into the evening.

 

 

Next - Last Day at Sea

[Lv2Camp&Cruise]

What a fantastic review. It is obvious that you are a traveler and not just a tourist. I can't wait to read more of your review and enjoy the breathtaking pictures. The last sunset picture is one of the prettiest I have ever seen.

[scottsgal]

The last sunset picture with the boat should be framed - amazing. Loving your review!

[kimmyg726]

Your review is absolutely fabulous. The pictures are awesome especially the sunsets.

[Bribrittmom]

What a wonderful review and spectacular photos!