Differences Between Breeze & Dream?

[mlbcruiser]

We sailed on the Carnival Dream in 2011 but have never cruised on the Dream, although we have been on many ships on various cruiselines. I was under the impression that the 2 ships were very similar, except the Breeze had the ropes course, a different decor and maybe an extra bar or something. Would like to hear from those who haves been on both how the 2 ships compare. Thanks for any info!

[jkrislc]

I haven't been one either yet, but have researched them thoroughly. The Breeze has something like 23 of the 25 Funship 2.0 upgrades, most of which are missing from the Dream; some made it onto the Magic. We experienced some of these on the Glory, which is the primary reason why we opted for the Breeze over the Dream.

[k2excursion]

Oh my! Huge differences! It feels not only like a different class of ship, but almost like a totally different cruiseline. The setup of the ships are mostly the same. But on the Breeze, there are no deck 11 hot tubs above the main pool area. They were replaced with nothing. The Breeze has no secondary lounge next to the comedy club. The Breeze has a much smaller comedy club. The Breeze has a slightly smaller serenity area & smaller spa, in favor of more rooms. The Breeze's basketball court is one deck lower. The Breeze has a smaller mini golf course, in favor of some extra little games such as bean bag toss. As you know, the Breeze added in the ropes course. The Breeze has the Red Frog Pub, which is basically just a bar that sells some food, and usually has a soloist playing & singing; it's on deck 5 where the Dream's art gallery is. The Breeze's dance club is set up extremely different, and does not seem inviting for dancing. All the preceding is also true of the Magic. The Breeze is the only ship with the 4D Thrill Theater, and it's on deck 4 midship. It's a 24-seat theater, with 15-20 minute movies, all cartoons, but very entertaining for all ages. Costs extra.

 

I don't care what is considered 2.0 or 1.0 or 0.3 or 4.5 or anything like that, so I'll just try to give the rundown without referencing those silly numbers that are totally meaningless. Breeze renamed some bars, and they have Guys burgers & Blue Iguana Cantina (aka, burrito bar). Dream has regular burgers (but you can get them almost all the time on Dream--limited burger hours on Breeze), plus they have the burrito bar (Breeze's cantina includes breakfast burritos). Breeze took away chicken strips & the other food found on the American style food station. Breeze has a different lanai BBQ, which I didn't care as much for. Breeze has no Mexican buffet during the deck party; all they have is chips & dip. This is because Blue Iguana is the only spot that's allowed to serve Mexican food, and they are closed at that hour. You may see it called "branding". The spots with a brand name are given exclusive rights on the ship. You can still find burgers & Mexican food in the dining room, just not upstairs at that hour. Not as much branding on the Dream. The Breeze's pasta bar becomes an extra pay Italian restaurant at night.

 

Breeze's waterpark is different: almost the same 2 waterslides, but instead of the one-story racer slides, they have a larger splash factory with a dump bucket and a nice structure. The pool area setup & the way the chairs are set up make the ships look very different.

 

One of the most notable differences is in the entertainment. If you went to the Dream's shows, you know what they offer. Those are certainly the best set of production shows offered by any Carnival ship. However, Breeze's shows are pretty sad. There is no live band at all. 100% piped in music, the shows are only 30 minutes long, with only 8 (or fewer) performers that both sing & dance (which may sound nice, but because it's too much to ask them to do, the quality suffers). There are almost no props, just a big screen with images, which doesn't have to be a bad thing if it's done well. But the whole production just isn't good. If shows matter to you, this will be very disappointing. But if you didn't care for what the Dream offered, maybe this is more your taste. But my opinion, and a large majority (but not all) seem to agree, is that the Breeze is very much lacking in entertainment. I would've gotten bored in the evenings if not for the Thrill Theater. For many many reasons, I much prefer Dream to the Breeze. The entertainment is a big reason, but some of the other little things get to me too. I'm not a fan of how this whole 2.0 thing is playing out. (oops, sorry, I said I wouldn't reference that)

[mlbcruiser]

Great explanation K2excursion! I didn't realize I had accidently said we'd been on the Dream. But NO! We were on the BREEZE! We have cruised a lot of lines and a lot of ships. Our Breeze cruise was my 5th Carnival cruise and I liked that ship better than any of the other ones we were on, which is why I am kind of looking at the Dream. Funny thing is, a lady I work with who is an avid Carnival fan sailed the Dream in April or May and hated the ship! Prior to that she wouldn't even consider any other line. As a result of the Dream cruise, she plans to go on a different line next time. So that is the reason I thought I'd ask this question to find out more about the Dream. I do recall the show where the people popped out of the background scenery (through the screens). I liked that one. However, I usually like Royal Caribbean's and some of NCL's shows better than Carnival's as a rule. Sounds like the Dream is a nice ship. Might talk to our friends and see if they are game. Thanks a bunch for all the info! It's very helpful.

[k2excursion]

Ok. Based on that, I would have reworded some things. The Dream seems to be a very polarizing ship. People seem to either love it or hate it. I've always described the Dream as the kid in class that everyone else just loved to pick on for no reason, and others joined in just because it was cool to pick on him. But for those that gave that kid a fair chance, they find out that he's a really great kid. I was always the one to befriend that kid. Dream gets picked on for things that make no sense. For example, people will say Dream's comedy club is way too tiny, but that same person will say that Breeze's comedy club was perfect/not too small at all. That's crazy, considering Breeze's comedy club is quite a bit smaller than Dream's.

 

Regarding entertainment, since you liked what Breeze offered, you may not like what the Dream has. They have a band playing live music for the production shows. They are an hour long & have 12 dancers & 2 singers & use real props. One show, Dancing in the Streets, utilizes the Fun Force dancers & other performers for a very unique & entertaining productions. Some people say that this rivals the top quality shows found on other cruiselines. It was thought that Carnival was headed in that direction, especially since the Magic would have a top quality magic show on board. Then, everything changed with the Breeze, as they dropped the concept of these types of shows. Despite what I just said, some people don't like those types of shows & prefer what Breeze offers. But, there are some people who may enjoy both equally.

[golfadj]

Thanks K2.

 

We enjoyed the Dream but entertainment wise worried about the Breeze.