Carnival Breeze - New Years Cruise Review!

[Dave85]

We really enjoyed punchliners. Always went to the adult show and had a great time. Some of the comedians did different material if they did two adult shows.

 

 

Yes, the comedians were great! I inadvertantly left that out of my review but we went to two adult shows on the second to last night and loved both of them.

 

Did you try the punchliner brunch or specialty restaurants? I'm more curious about the food quality than the comedy. From your review among others, I think we'll avoid the breakfast buffet, production shows, and pool area during prime times. Any other tips you have to share would be appreciated!

 

Wish I could help you there but we skipped the punchliner brunch and the specialty restaurants on this trip since it was only 6 nights (and we were receiving excellent food and service in the MDR). If we were on the 8 night we probably would have tried one. Have a great cruise!

[Dave85]

I now need a vacation from my vacation. :)

 

You and me both! *yawwwnnnnn*

[JaniceB]

Dave,

 

As far as the menu in the dining room, what night do you think would be a good one to skip in favor of the steakhouse?

 

Janice

[jolyroger]

Thank you for your informative review. I appreciate the tips since I will sailing on Sunday.

 

Sorry to hear that the noise was a problem on the deck 9 from the outside Lanai. I changed my original cabin to a spa on deck 11 forward. I am hoping to see the ocean directly from my cabin balcony, we shall see. I hope the noise is not a problem that high and forward.

 

Do you attend any of the Game shows? How was the volume of the big screen?

ooh Please if you can when you get back right a review on what you thought and any opinions of the spa cabin, we'll be in one as well on the breeze come april 12019 to be exact!! OOh and have a great cruise!!

[Breezy72]

Thanks for chiming in! LOL

 

What is the old saying ... you get what you pay for! No doubt BREEZE is less expensive to sail compared to OASIS and ALLURE, and I suppose expectations should be lowered in comparison ... but regardless of what is paid I think a certain standard should be expected. If I only had a limited amount of time for vacation and had to pick between OASIS and BREEZE it would be a no brainer. I would absolutely pay more to have a better experience. I don't blame you in that regard one bit.

 

Ernie

 

I agree! Let me add my two cents...

 

As a practical newbie to cruising (1 cruise: DCL Wonder Feb '09), I am fortunate to go in with minimal expectations of any cruise. With that said, I do expect a certain amount of quality when on vacation. Like you said, you get what you pay for! I booked Carnival regardless of its reputation (*fill in the blank here* ;)). Since I have very little to compare it to, I felt the best bang for my buck was the Breeze as we get one more day at sea, one more port, two ocean suites, and perfect time frame/dates, all on a spanking new ship... all for a wee bit less than Oasis (3 ports, 7 days, one suite, one balcony, same time frame). With that said, I would still love to sail on Oasis/Allure, but when I do, I will have something to compare it to, and be able to determine which I feel is the best for our needs.

 

I really have no point to make here... just blowing time since I have no ambition to finish tearing down my 15' Xmas tree! :D

[Shipfaced13]

Great review! As a first time cruiser who will be sailing on the Breeze I really appreciated a truthful review that provided examples of exactly what went right and what went wrong.

 

I was wondering what your thoughts were on the Grand Turk? Did you do anything fun at this port?

 

Thanks!

[Dave85]

I was wondering what your thoughts were on the Grand Turk? Did you do anything fun at this port?

 

Thanks!

 

We actually called at Grand Turk early in the morning on New Years Day... LOL. As such, I had very low expectations, but we had a nice morning (we had to be back on board by 1:30). We laid out on the beach facing the ships for about 2 hours (the sun was nice but the water was unusually cold!) and then we walked back to Margaritaville for the last hour and had a drink from the swim up bar in their giant pool. They also have a DJ who's very interactive with the guests spinning by the pool. It was a lot of fun! I only wish we had more time in Grand Turk.

 

Dave,

 

As far as the menu in the dining room, what night do you think would be a good one to skip in favor of the steakhouse?

 

Janice

 

Hmm... there was a night smack in the middle of the cruise that didn't thrill me. I think it was night 3 but I wouldn't swear to it. I just asked my fiancee and she said the 1st night would have been her choice to skip. You're better off believing her because I'm rather picky. Whatever you do don't miss the formal nights, the first one (night 2) was lobster night and the second one (night 5) had prime rib.

 

My recollection of night 1, now that I think about it, was a very weak menu but I ordered whatever the "comfort food" selection was and it was delicious!

[Pauser]

Thanks for taking the time to write this. After reading several reviews, I just don't think the Dream class ships are for us. I think we prefer a more intimate cruise. But I enjoyed reading your comments. The Breeze really looks like a beautiful ship. We've really enjoyed our NCL cruises, but they have lots of short port days, too. Make sure you check your itinerary. Glad you enjoyed your trip overall. Happy New Year!:)

[Dave85]

Thanks for taking the time to write this. After reading several reviews, I just don't think the Dream class ships are for us. ... Happy New Year!:)

 

Yeah, they're definitely not for everyone. I had reservations reading the reviews since the Dream initially came out but ultimately I'm happy I experienced the Dream Class and the 2.0 product for myself to confirm my suspicions. Happy New Year!

[MPH711]

Dave, thanks much for your great review. It was a pleasure to read your review like we used to many years ago...we read it all in one post instead of dragging it out over many pages. Thank you so much!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Mhurst]

Exactly, and we're probably going to impose the same rule. Hopefully you'll have a good crowd and will benefit space wise from the absence of the 1,200 kids!

 

We will be on the breeze in five days and as of right now we only have 355 kids whooooooo lol

[eroller]

We will be on the breeze in five days and as of right now we only have 355 kids whooooooo lol

 

Now thats what I'm talking about! It's the difference between dodging kids, waiting in lines, having no access to pools because they are taken over, etc. etc. etc. ..... or a blissful, scream free vacation where you can swim without dodging a cannon ball and actually take an elevator without stopping on every floor because the kids pushed all the buttons. Of course there are a lot more reasons to cruise when kids are in school, but you get the idea. LOL

 

I just hope my sailing in mid-Feburary has that few kids. How did you find out BTW?

 

Ernie

[JaniceB]

Dave - thanks for the steakhouse night selections. I was thinking 1 or 3 myself but I couldn't figure out which 7 night menu they skip for the 6 night.

Did it seem like the pool at Margaritaville was heated?

 

Ernie - Someone one our sailing ask John Heald about the kid count, not sure if that is how Mhurst found out.

 

Jolyroger - I will try and post some thoughts and maybe some pictures when I return from the cruise.

[Ron_L]

Did you try the punchliner brunch or specialty restaurants? I'm more curious about the food quality than the comedy.

 

I didn't see an answer for this so I thought I would chime in...

 

The food at the Punchliner Brunch was very good. The roasted tomato soup is excellent and so was the steak and eggs. It seems like it was cooked to order so it took longer to come out. The comedy is non-existent. the comedian came on for 5 minutes at the top of the hour and he spent most of that time in a sales pitch for his latest CD. Then he had an audience member come up and tell a joke and gave him a CD as a prize. That was it.

 

One tip for the brunch... If you want a Bloody Mary get it from the Bloody Mary bar at the entrance to the dining room. The bartender there has a large selection of hot sauces and other things that can be added to create a custom Bloody Mary. If you order from the bar server inside the dining room you'll get stock Bloody Mary mix.

[Dave85]

Did it seem like the pool at Margaritaville was heated?

 

No, it didn't. It was a little chilly actually but I don't remember that being the case the first time I was there (which was in August). I think the temperature will depend heavily on the amount of sun the pool's getting.

[JaniceB]

Thanks again Dave.

 

Ron thanks for the Bloody Mary tip!