Breeze 8/25 review w/pics

[graphicguy]

Just a note: We went to the Steakhouse on the Breeze and all I can say is "fantastic". Food was super and the service was impeccable. It was definitely worth the 35 dollars extra.

 

I had heard that. Next time we'll try the Steak House. Love to hear others' opinion and posts here.

[graphicguy]

We were on the sailing right before yours. Interested to know if they fixed the glass on the doors going out to the pool area and into the buffet? Somehow between the time we boarded and about 5 pm, they were broken. So sad to see.

 

It looked fixed to me. Then I noticed the 4th day of the cruise, it was broke. Not sure what that's about.

[Mrs.C05]

Great review!!! Can't wait to read more.

[graphicguy]

Great review!!! Can't wait to read more.

 

Thanks much. More to come.

[gapearl]

Loving your review and pictures! Great fair, balanced reviews and comparisons of the three biggest ships. We're trying any time dining for the first time (always have done late seating) and I'm glad to hear service was good and you never had a long wait. Keep it coming! :D

[graphicguy]

Thanks GAPEARL (love your user name, BTW).

 

I know all of you have seen these views before, but I never get tired of them....

DSC00102 by graphicguy1, on Flickr

DSCF0007 by graphicguy1, on Flickr

DSC00143 by graphicguy1, on Flickr

 

Now this is what a cruise ship deck SHOULD look like....

DSC00010 by graphicguy1, on Flickr

Edited September 6, 2013 by graphicguy

[graphicguy]

One of the things I didn't like on NCL's Breakaway was the narrow halls, with no coves to walk around other people or the steward carts. That was an oversight that affected those with limited mobility the most. No such issues on the Breeze. That said, I don't think I even saw one person in a cart or walker on the Breeze. There were strollers (which are always a challenge in areas where space is at a premium).....

DSC00017 by graphicguy1, on Flickr

Edited September 6, 2013 by graphicguy

[graphicguy]

While on the topic of megaships and room.....I tip my hat to Carnival's designers who designed the Breeze. They gave some serious thought to the flow of people. They thought about bottlenecks and made some adjustments to account for them (as in the Marketplace dining areas).

 

RCCL and NCL could take some lessons from CCL's Breeze designers regarding passgenger flow. The Allure and Breakaway both had serious bottlenecks in different areas of their ships.

[surrocruiser]

Love the review! Currently we are trying to decide between the Breeze 6 day and the sunshine 8 day. We have never sailed carnival and are a little concerned that the cabins are small.

 

Graphic guy, I see by your signature that you sailed on the Norway. We were in the smallest interior room but family with us were in larger OV rooms and I have never been able to book an inside again (even though, the Norway was by far my absolute favorite cruise). Are carnivals rooms about the same size wise as other lines.

 

Side note, I'm in Harrison. Originally from groesbeck area. So funny to find all of you living in the area on the same thread!

[graphicguy]

Surrocruiser...thanks....funny how many of us Buckeyes are here.

 

Norway, being my first cruise, I had an inside room, too (first, only and last time). I was on my honeymoon with my (then) wife. So, there are some things I don't quite remember.....;):D

 

But, I think it was pretty small in comparison to a balcony cabin on the Breeze. Then again, the Norway was a much smaller ship. I do remember having to sit on the bed while my wife came out of the shower, as there wasn't enough room for both of us to stand in front of the mirror. I also remember that I had booked the cheapest cabin I could find as I didn't have much money at the time. To show you how things haven't changed much, I think I paid $1,500 for both of us on the Norway. That's not too disimilar to a cruise fare today.

 

I was in a Studio cabin (single) on the Breakaway in June. It's small, but fine for one person. I saw an ocean balcony on the Breakaway, it was definitely smaller than a balcony on the Breeze. I had a balcony cabin on NCL's Epic, again plenty of room for a couple. Same can be said for the Breeze, I never felt cramped in the cabin. Plus, there was plenty of storage.

 

hope that helps.

 

Interesting thing about the cruise on the Norway, being newlyweds, we were invited to sit at the Captain's Table. I didn't realize what that meant until later. It meant even more given we were first time cruisers and were looked at with a bit of "you don't deserve the Captain's Table" by some of our older, more seasoned cruiser's on the ship.

 

We also met Ray "Boom-Boom" Mancini (famous boxer) and his wife on that trip. We've remained friends ever since.

 

Thanks for jogging my memory.:D

Edited September 6, 2013 by graphicguy

[graphicguy]

Interestingly, We had a Disney ship (not sure which one it was) docked next to us in one of the ports. Embarking and disembarking, the Disney ship had long lines. The Breeze, not so much. And, what line they had for both, moved quickly and efficiently.

 

Just thinking about this seemingly small point, on my NCL Breakaway cruise in June, the lines for embarking and disembarking were very long, as were the ones for the Allure of the Seas, and they moved slowly, like on the Disney ship.

 

Just in this small area, you can tell how Carnival is stepping up their game.

 

Had this discussion with my partners in crime about our cruise last night. From a business perspective, we were thinking that having a new CEO, one that has control of the Carnival brands, as is committed to bringing the company up to a new level, I think the future is bright for all of their brands. Being as big as Carnival Corp is (largest cruise operator with all their brands?), they can send ripples throughout the industry. They seem committed to doing that. You can tell it in the small things I noticed on this ship (no big lines, for anything....uber cleanliness of the ship....crew sincerity and helpfulness, etc).

 

I welcome it.

Edited September 6, 2013 by graphicguy

[Linerguy]

Funny how many of us Buckeyes are here.

 

Yes, it is rather odd...especially since we've been on the NORWAY as well. We had a large inside room (my wife and I and our two kids)...over 300 square ft. When we first walked on board, my wife wasn't too thrilled. By the end of the cruise, however, she said she loved it. Being a liner nut, I soaked in every second.

 

Interesting that you found the passenger flow on the BREEZE to be better that the ALLURE. I guess I was always under the impression that the DREAM, MAGIC and BREEZE are just over-blown versions of the CONQUEST class, except with nicer promenades. I've been on the DESTINY, TRIUMPH and CONQUEST and thought the flow was horrible. Good to know that the BREEZE is an improvement.

 

Looking forward to the rest of your comments/pics. Thanks.

 

-Russ

[graphicguy]

Yes, it is rather odd...especially since we've been on the NORWAY as well. We had a large inside room (my wife and I and our two kids)...over 300 square ft. When we first walked on board, my wife wasn't too thrilled. By the end of the cruise, however, she said she loved it. Being a liner nut, I soaked in every second.

 

Interesting that you found the passenger flow on the BREEZE to be better that the ALLURE. I guess I was always under the impression that the DREAM, MAGIC and BREEZE are just over-blown versions of the CONQUEST class, except with nicer promenades. I've been on the DESTINY, TRIUMPH and CONQUEST and thought the flow was horrible. Good to know that the BREEZE is an improvement.

 

Looking forward to the rest of your comments/pics. Thanks.

 

-Russ

 

Russ...thanks, glad I can help.

 

I was on the Conquest, and thought the flow of people made for bottlenecks. Then again, that was a few years ago. I believe the 2.0 upgrades spread out the dining options. On the Conquest, we didn't have Jimmy's BBQ, or Guy's Burgers. And, the shopping areas on the Breeze were broken up to take up two sides overlooking the Atrium, vs one long shopping area on the other ships.

 

Promenade on Allure always seemed crowded to me. The area around the "Rising Bar" was always 2-3 deep, too. The cabin halls on the Breakaway were always clogged, as were the entrances/exits in the dining areas and the casino. I think on the Breakaway, NCL shaved a few inches out of the public areas. Not enough to really visually notice, but certainly enough to cause bottlenecks.

 

The cabin doors are recessed on the Breeze, whereas they weren't on my Breakaway cruise (maybe only for the Studio Cabins?).

 

It's the little things I noticed.

[JaniceB]

I did not like the line at the seaside BBQ, too bad there isn't a door from inside to start the line and end where the tables are. My picture shows an employee with a broom too. They seemed to get in the way when we were in line.

[graphicguy]

I did not like the line at the seaside BBQ, too bad there isn't a door from inside to start the line and end where the tables are. My picture shows an employee with a broom too. They seemed to get in the way when we were in line.

 

Thanks, Janice.

 

Out of all the dining venues, Fat Jimmy's had the lines. But, they moved quickly....maybe 3 minutes from the time I got in line until I had my plate full.

 

I didn't notice the guy who was sweeping up until you just mentioned it.

 

BTW....really good BBQ at Jimmy's.

[Linerguy]

Sounds like the BREEZE is an overall better design. If our upcoming trip on the SPLENDOR is good, looks like I'll have to try the BREEZE next (our last trip was on ELATION two years ago and I swore off Carnival...I'm giving them another chance).

 

-Russ

[JaniceB]

The food was good at the BBQ. The lines did seem to move quickly.

[spikester]

I thought there were big bottlenecks in the evenings on the indoor part of the promenade, mostly going by the disco, piano bar and steakhouse. I thought they set up the photogs pretty well, except for the one just before the piano bar.

I don't know why they don't put the comedy show in the main lounge, people were waiting in line an hour prior.

 

I didn't encounter too many lines for food, I hit the BBQ just before the line got huge. The food at the pub was pretty decent. That was actually my favorite place, I really like how they have so much outside seating on the Promenade.

 

I also thought the shops were set up pretty well. Most of them are split on both sides of the atrium, but on the Breeze, it seemed that the selection was spread out more, (except for the "sale afternoons").

 

Your pictures are really great!

[crusinpsychRN]

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

 

Living in Miami I used to see these trees all the time:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://floridamemory.com/fpc/postcard/pc0965.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/158658&h=386&w=600&sz=181&tbnid=F66lqmGUPpPsAM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=140&zoom=1&usg=__JdZFKbtLuEfHQManpLoVTQJpGrI=&docid=8nFDUYbGXgho7M&sa=X&ei=BFcqUv7SE-iK2gWDyYCgBQ&ved=0CDMQ9QEwAg&dur=231

 

Every time I see the Breeze atrium pics I think of those sausage trees!!

[yellowlab5]

Love the review! Currently we are trying to decide between the Breeze 6 day and the sunshine 8 day. We have never sailed carnival and are a little concerned that the cabins are small.

 

Graphic guy, I see by your signature that you sailed on the Norway. We were in the smallest interior room but family with us were in larger OV rooms and I have never been able to book an inside again (even though, the Norway was by far my absolute favorite cruise). Are carnivals rooms about the same size wise as other lines.

 

Side note, I'm in Harrison. Originally from groesbeck area. So funny to find all of you living in the area on the same thread!

We were on this same cruise. No fear of small cabins. We stayed in 2485 ocean view. It was Huge! All of our previous carnival cruises have been spacious enough, but this one on the breeze was amazing!

[CruisinSinceIwasBorn]

Loving the Norway throwbacks. Went on her 3 times growing up in the tiniest inside, a huge outside and a balcony. My family absolutely loved that ship and all the history. The SS Norway truly ushered in family cruising.

[graphicguy]

Thanks all. Glad I can help. Loving all the Norway memories, and it sounds like those who have sailed the Breeze, like her.

 

Mentioned entertainment briefly. Another compare and contrast, at the outset, I said I believe that the NCL Epic and Norway have the best best entertainment on any cruise ship I've ever been on, by a pretty good margin.

 

The Breeze didn't do anything to change my mind.

 

However, since I cruised Carnival a few years ago, the entertainment on the Breeze was a far cry from those I experienced years ago. I attended several entertainment venues, a couple in OVATION, Punchliners, and the Piano Bar (big fun there).

 

As a side note, the only brief bottleneck I found was sitting in the Piano Bar after a Punchliner's show let out......the crowd streams right through the Piano Bar. They should think about letting people exit through the front instead of through the Piano Bar.

 

Motor City and Divas (my favorite) were in OVATION...

 

DSC00023 by graphicguy1, on Flickr

DSC00107 by graphicguy1, on Flickr

 

Fun thing about Motor City Review was they took the show out into the Atrium after the main show was complete and continued the dancing and signing with the passengers....that was BIG FUN....

DSC00108 by graphicguy1, on Flickr

 

DSC00110 by graphicguy1, on Flickr

[graphicguy]

Punchliners

DSC00082 by graphicguy1, on Flickr

DSC00150 by graphicguy1, on Flickr

 

Comedienne (whose name escapes me) was good. She interfaced with the audience quite a bit.

 

Most shows were about 30 minutes in legnth, not only for Punchliners, but all the shows. They were all good productions. I heard complaints that they were too short.

 

In contrast, I heard people complain on the Epic, Breakaway and Allure that BMG, Rock of Ages and Oceania/Ice shows (respecitively) were too long.

 

Can't please all the people all the time, I suppose.

[SIENA6334]

I have to say a big thank you for one of the very best honest and informative reviews I have ever read! We are sailing Breeze on a B2B in Feb and I am now more excited than ever. By the way we are also from Ohio-Dayton area!!

[graphicguy]

Thanks....WOW...so many Buckeyes.....:D

 

Take a brief moment to chastise myself here. I'm usually a pretty good speller. But, in thiese posts, I've noticed that my spelling is atrocious. My apologies. My fingers are moving faster than my brain. Hopefully my meaning comes through.

 

I know school is in session for most students. That explains why I saw so few children on this cruise. In all frankness, the Breeze seems geared more towards adults vs teh total opposite direction with the likes of Disney which is nearly totally geared towards children.

 

But, there were some venues geared towards kids on board....

DSC00087 by graphicguy1, on Flickr

 

Plus, O2 which was sometimes an under 18 venue and sometimes and over 18 venue...

DSC00086 by graphicguy1, on Flickr

DSC00088 by graphicguy1, on Flickr