Breeze 8/25 review w/pics

[graphicguy]

Just returned from the 6 night Breeze sailing out of Miami. Ports were Key West, Grand Turk, and NASSAU.

 

I will have pics coming, but need to sort them so I can post. Unfortunately, it seems one of my memory cards was damaged, but I'm trying to recover the pics. That said, iPhone and pics from a 2nd camera are available.

 

Just to mention up front, I've come to the conclusion that there is no correlation between the price of a cruise and how good the cruise will be. After 10+ cruises (including some that aren't listed in my sig), on all the major cruise lines, usually on the biggest, best ships available from each line, the amount you spend does not have any relationship to how good the ship is or how good the cruise will be.

 

This cruise was the least expensive of all the ones I've ever been on. It was also one of the very best. As someone said to me as we were disembarking the ship...."this wasn't a good cruise...this was a GREAT cruise." Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

I'll pick some nits....but it's exactly that...nit picking!

 

Let me get some of the common questions out of the way.

 

The Breeze is a BIG ship. This seems to be the new wave for all the cruise lines.....BIGGER is better. You either like that, or you don't. Personally, I feel the newer, bigger ships are all the cruise lines attempt to put their best foot forward, with the most innovative entertainment and dining, as well as putting their best personnel on display.

 

I never felt crowded. The lines were never long. Matter of fact, from check in, to embarkation, to dining (we had "any time dining"), to seeing shows, to Guest Services, etc, we never had to wait more than a couple of minutes.

 

It was easy and quick to embark, and disembark. Never waited with any time dining. That was good given we always seemed to show up between the 6:30 to 8:00, prime time dining hours.

 

The longest we waited was at the Blue Iguana, and that was only while they made our food.

 

From the time we set foot in Miami cruise terminal, to the first time we set foot on the ship, to every crew member in between, we were always greeted, and greeted with a smile.

 

There were more people cleaning the ship than I've seen on any ship.

 

Food ranged from good...to really good.

 

Arnold Donald, Carnival's new CEO was also on the ship before it sailed. I literally bmped into him on the Lido deck before sailing. As I was getting ready to say "excuse me", I looked up and it was a familiar face. It took a moment, but he finally registered with me.

 

We didn't talk more than about 5 minutes, but it was a very good conversation. Paraphrasing, I had my sign and sail card in my hand at the time (gold). Noticing this, he sincerely thanked me for being a loyal Carnival customer (what he didn't know is that I sail more than just Carnival). He asked me how I liked the ship. As I told him, "so far, so good". He said it had been a tough 12 months for the company and that all the passengers that stood by the cruise line were of particular improtance to Carnival. He also said it was an opportunity to make the cruise experience better..that the goal was to offer the best cruise experience possible while also offering the best value. Lofty goals, but ones that I think they're well on their way to achieving.

 

So, gotta get busy sorting pics.

 

Stick around if you'd like!

[KPfromCT]

Anxiously awaiting your review!! We cruised on the Breeze in April, and just LOVED it!!!!:D:D Just read JH's Blog, and his interview with him, and he seems like he'll be a great addition to Carnival. Cannot wait for your pics. Thanks for taking the time to do this.:)

[gapearl]

Welcome home! Glad you had a great cruise! I sail the Breeze in a few weeks and couldn't be more excited. Looking forward to your pics and more of your review!

[rainbowflag]

Was Arnold surprised to be recognized by a passenger?

[kg21rules]

Looking forward to the rest of the review! Sailing the Breeze in December. :)

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Shatima]

Yes Hoping to see Ur Pix & Read more b 4 I get Married on her This Sunday :D.. Thanks So much for Doing a Reviw For us...

[lifeisgoodPat]

Can't wait for your pictures! We sailed the Breeze in the Med and are booked this December from Miami. I loved, loved the Breeze....

[mamamor]

Thanks for your quick review of the Breeze! We are sailing on 9/14 and there have been some reviews that have me more than a bit concerned. I do believe any trip is what you make it, but the sheer size of the Breeze has made me wonder. I appreciate your post and also look forward to your full review and pics!

[graphicguy]

Got to do the requisite pic flying into Miami.....

IMG_1439 by graphicguy1, on Flickr

[graphicguy]

Flight arrived around 11:00 a.m. We had carryons only. So, we were on the ground, off the plane, in the cruise terminal right around noon. We walked right up to check in....

DSC00004 by graphicguy1, on Flickr

 

We were asked to wait a little while (MAYBE 10 MINS) and on board no later than 12:30 p.m....

 

DSC00021 by graphicguy1, on Flickr

[lego7191]

Yay! We were on this same sailing so I cannot wait to read your review and see your pics! I had my picture made with Mr. Donald and the CBS news guy who was with him. Heard the CBS interview was going to air possibly Tuesday morning, but I have not been able to locate anything online about it since we returned. Definitely a great cruise and wonderful ship. Was our first time on Breeze and we're already talking about doing an 8-day itinerary in early 2014. Six days was just not enough to do all we wanted to do.

[dst]

Excited to read your review, thanks for sharing

 

Bring on the photos :D

[riclop]

Great start waiting for more.

[vivavegas]

Welcome Back!:)

[graphicguy]

Yay! We were on this same sailing so I cannot wait to read your review and see your pics! I had my picture made with Mr. Donald and the CBS news guy who was with him. Heard the CBS interview was going to air possibly Tuesday morning, but I have not been able to locate anything online about it since we returned. Definitely a great cruise and wonderful ship. Was our first time on Breeze and we're already talking about doing an 8-day itinerary in early 2014. Six days was just not enough to do all we wanted to do.

 

I had heard that he was there filming some sort of segment with a TV station. But, didn't know which one. He was very genuine and seemed very interested in what I had to say. He also seems very customer focused, with a keen understanding of what has happened to CCL in the past, and the direction he wants to take the cruise line in the future. I heard this from just about every officer I came across during the cruise.

 

I think CCL is going in the right direction and will be setting new, higher standards for themselves, and for the entire cruise industry.

 

On to the pictures. I think the Breeze has a very dynamic atrium and loved looking at it whenever I passed by (or sat for drinks in the Atirum)....

DSC00103 by graphicguy1, on Flickr

DSC00061 by graphicguy1, on Flickr

DSC00022 by graphicguy1, on Flickr

DSC00050 by graphicguy1, on Flickr

[graphicguy]

In frankness, if you've seen in one Carnival Balcony Cabin, you've seen them all.....

DSC00015 by graphicguy1, on Flickr

DSC00016 by graphicguy1, on Flickr

 

Want to make a special mention to our cabin stewardess, Natalia. She was one of the best I've ever had on any cruise. She was friendly, efficient, always willing to help in any way she could. Plus, she could be whimsical. This was a first for me....I laughed out lould when I saw it....

DSC00148 by graphicguy1, on Flickr

[Lovefuninthesun]

Have not been on the Breeze yet --

Yikes! what are all of those hanging things in the atrium? Lanterns? Trying to decide how I feel about them!:o

[graphicguy]

Have not been on the Breeze yet --

Yikes! what are all of those hanging things in the atrium? Lanterns? Trying to decide how I feel about them!:o

 

They really do add color and interest to the Atrium. As you can tell, I liked them...quite a bit.

[MzBhavn]

Can't wait to read more of your review.

 

I must say 'that is an imaginative towel animal'.

[graphicguy]

Thanks all for the kind words....

 

As mentioned earlier, we never waited (or only had short waits) for anything we did. That included getting to our cabin.

 

As soon as we boarded, of course we headed to grab lunch. While there were quite a few people on the Lido Deck, at the Marketplace, we didn't have any problem finding a table for 4 and the lines for food were short.

 

So, we ate, went to our cabins, and then went exploring.

 

Since I found some intersting settings on my camera, you'll noticed I've used a few on the pics...

DSC00077 by graphicguy1, on Flickr

DSC00026 by graphicguy1, on Flickr

DSC00027 by graphicguy1, on Flickr

DSC00029 by graphicguy1, on Flickr

[graphicguy]

I've had a couple of people "ping" me about the differences between Allure of the Seas and the Breeze. I'll throw the Breakaway in there, too since it's NCL's newest, biggerst, best.

 

All of these ships are nice...matter of fact, they're all VERY nice. You'd have to try really, really hard not to like any of them.

 

That said, there are some distinct differences (not meaning one is better than another).

 

The Allure has the huge aft screen, where they have their Oceania show. But, in the majority of the ship you are directed inward. You have to look up to the sky to even have an inkling you're on a cruise ship. As such, it's more of a ship where you seem to stay in (whether on the Boardwalk, or the Promenade).

 

NCL has the innovative outdoor promenade area, as does the Breeze. You know you're outdoors with the water just a quick glance away. Moreover, both those ships have nice al fresca dining areas.

 

All of them are well appointed.

 

I will say that as much as Carnival has improved their entertainment, NCL (and especially Breakaway and Epic) offers the best entertainment of any cruise ship I've ever been on...by a fair margin. NCL's signature shows are the best.

 

Allure has good entertainment, too. But, it can't match Breakaway or Epic.

 

The Breeze uses many different, smaller productions. NCL's and RCCL's entertainment are much larger productions.

 

Breeze does a lot with a little, however. I really liked their "sets", which are made up of a series of moving video panels.

 

Breeze also tends to have live music throughout the ship, vs in certain areas only on the others.

 

Cabins are nice on all, but the Breakaway's balcony cabins are smaller.

 

It seemed easier to get around on the Breeze vs the others, too.

 

Service is stellar on all of them, but the Breeze personnel seemed friendlier for some reason that I can't quite put my finger on.

 

The cruisers are very dependent on where you sail from and the time of year you're sailing. So, I can't make a blanket statement except the mix is very similar from NCL to Royal to Carnival. You'll find some jerks here and there. But overall, they're nice people who enjoy cruising the same as you do. I've made some very nice friends on all of my cruises.

 

So, which one would I choose over the other? I really can't. I like them all.

 

They're all good, just a little different. These big megaships are all really nice.

 

At the end of the day, if you're interested in any of the ships I mentioned, go for price and itinerary. You won't be disappointed.

[CruisinSinceIwasBorn]

Great analysis. I know that I too am constantly debating about which big new ship to go on. I am always ready to pull the trigger on the Oasis/Allure but then just can't justify spending all that money when I can get a spa balcony on the Breeze for the same price as an inside on the Oasis/Allure

[MelBCroozer]

We had Natalia on the Breeze on the June 22 sailing!!!! We also had the frog on the potty!!! That was a surprise. My daughters thought she forgot to make a towel animal, so I told them to go check out the bathroom!! She was great!! What cabin were you in? We had cabins 8221 & 8225.

[graphicguy]

we had natalia on the breeze on the june 22 sailing!!!! We also had the frog on the potty!!! That was a surprise. My daughters thought she forgot to make a towel animal, so i told them to go check out the bathroom!! She was great!! What cabin were you in? We had cabins 8221 & 8225.

 

8241 & 8237

 

She worked her deriere off for us. I gave her an extra tip.

 

More pics coming as I sort them.

Edited September 3, 2013 by graphicguy

[bradpole]

 

Want to make a special mention to our cabin stewardess, Natalia. She was one of the best I've ever had on any cruise. She was friendly, efficient, always willing to help in any way she could. Plus, she could be whimsical. This was a first for me....I laughed out lould when I saw it....

DSC00148 by graphicguy1, on Flickr

 

Love it! That is one of the more creative ones I have ever seen!

 

For those who love towel animals check this blog post out

 

http://www.hollandamericablog.com/2012/09/14/animals-run-wild-on-eurodam/#more-75487