GAPearl's Big BREEZE Review! 8 Day Southern Itinerary 9/28/13.

[gapearl]

Moving right along, on to the California Lighthouse. We stopped here for about 20 minutes for pictures.

 

Fresh coconut for sale.

 

 

This would have been a fun bus for the day! I knew about Kukoo Kunuku and would love to have taken their tour instead, but I didn't see a rep for them at the port.

 

[gapearl]

Finally we ended at Eagle Beach. We dropped off a few people that wanted to stay.

 

Aruba has some beautiful beaches!

 

 

She made a new friend on our van.

After a few pictures, the rest of us headed back to the ship. The tour was just ok. On one hand, it was nice because I got to see a couple of places I didn’t get to see last year. On the other hand, I would love for my mom to have seen some more exciting sites that I did get to see. Last time, I took a full day jeep safari with ABC Tours. Seriously, that was the BEST tour I have ever had anywhere. I contacted them to try to book direct, but I would have had to book through the ship and pay a ridiculous price. If I were to do today over, I would have just paid the money and booked with them again. So, if you’re looking for a tour in Aruba, even though I didn’t use them this cruise, I would HIGHLY recommend ABC Tours!

Once we made it back to the port, we walked around for a while. We were headed to the casino and bumped into G and his brother. They were on their way to the beach. We confirmed our plans to have a drink in port tonight. Once at the casino, my mom found a penny machine and I found a quarter machine. I lost $7 and said that was enough! I don’t know how some of you spend hundreds or thousands of dollars in casinos. When I’m working and on a Vegas layover, I MIGHT play $40. That’s my absolute max. Then I get mad when I lose it because I could have bought a pair of shoes. Anyways, back on topic. LOL We stayed in the casino about 20 minutes and then looked at what the vendors outside were selling. My mom bought a t-shirt and I bought a couple of lapel pins and a shot glass.

Downtown Oranjestad.

 

Where you can pick up all your Aruba trinkets.

[gapearl]

We were back on the ship around 5:45 pm and headed to the lido to find something to eat. This is a weird time to hunt for food. Everything was closed except pizza and the deli. The buffet would be opening at 6 pm. My mom got something from the deli and I ordered room service.

Carnival has the best grilled cheese sandwiches on planet earth!

 

I didn't know if I wanted cheesecake or chocolate cake, so I ordered both. :)

 

About 20 minutes after my order arrived, someone called to make sure I received my food and that everything was ok. I don’t know if that’s something new, but I like it! That’s what you call good service.

[gapearl]

After eating and taking a nice, long nap, G called me to let me know they made it back on board. I took a shower and got dressed. After they had dinner, he and I and his brother headed back off the ship. It was almost 10 pm and back on board was 11 pm for an 11:30 pm departure, so we knew we were going to have to make it quick. Once we were on the main street, we took a right. There was a place upstairs right there with music playing and lots of people hanging out on the patio, so that’s where we headed. The name of this place was Local Store. They have free internet, a big plus. They don’t serve mixed or frozen drinks, just beer or a liquor mini with a can of whatever. I had a rum and orange juice and it was $6.50.

There was a DJ and lots of people were dancing. The DJ here was better than the DJ we had on the ship! Lots of people from the ship were here hanging out and having a good time. We left at 10:30 pm. It was a quick 5 minute walk, if that. I wish we had gotten here earlier so we could have had more time, but we still had fun for the short time we were there.

I ran into a couple of girls in our group from Texas.

 

Note- We left like 15 minutes early tonight. When they say be back on board at a certain time, your booty better be there!

My ship all lit up and pretty at night.

Once back on board I headed to my room for a few minutes. G and I met up again at 11:30 pm. He had just left the lido and said they were showing The Avengers and asked if I was cool heading out there to watch the movie. This is something I wish I’ve done more often. Being in the middle of the ocean with the ship gently rocking and a light breeze blowing while watching a hit movie under the stars is so relaxing! The towel station was open and a few people were wrapping up in those to keep warm. It would be perfect if they had light blankets instead. Did I mention they serve free popcorn? I wasn’t expecting to get a movie date on this cruise! haha :p

 

After the movie, we headed to our regular spot, Liquid Nightclub. DJ DUH! Dork totally lived up to his name tonight! I’m not exaggerating when I say people were booing him. I don’t get it! Why not play what your audience wants to hear? I mean don’t DJs want to have the crowd pumped and the dance floor packed? Apparently not on the Breeze!

 

Up next: The naughty bus!

Edited October 15, 2013 by gapearl

[All4fun&fun4all]

Thanks for the shout out Kim! Oh, I was so horribly hung over the day that we met. One day we will sail together! Hopefully before a drydock because they will need it after we ruin the ship. :D

 

I still think it would have been awesome if we could have got you up to my mom's room so you could do her make up for her. :p

 

Great review as always girlie. I will be writing one of these myself here in a couple of weeks!

[darling_nikki25]

I have to post these next two as a shout out to a couple of my friends here. I'm friends on Facebook with a very small handful of people I've communicated with on here. One is CC member Nancy, aka All4fun&fun4all. She's written some awesome reviews on the Fantasy. Check this one out- http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1754953. We got to meet up for lunch and drinks when she came to Atlanta for a wedding this summer.

 

 

CC member darling_nikki25 joined us later that afternoon.

 

 

I wish I could join them on their girl's Fascination cruise but I can't, as I'm a bridesmaid that weekend. Hopefully one day we'll have the chance to sail together. If you happen to ever see Nancy and I walking down the promenade together, watch out! We're probably up to something! :p

 

LOOK! It's me!!

Yeah, this cruise (13 days) is gonna be epic! You will be missed, but I don't know if Carnival could handle all three of us (or both of you) on ONE boat!! Hopefully in the future! But look out for the review. I know Nancy will definitely do one and I'm thinking I might ...or at least add commentary to hers :D

Thanks again for the shout out!! Now let me get to your review....I didn't need to work today :rolleyes: I've got a cruise coming!

[darling_nikki25]

Thanks! I got it from Ross for $16.99!

 

LOVE ROSS!!! I tell EVERYONE...if you need a dress...for anything....GO> TO> ROSS!!!

[Barlee126]

Love your review! I always enjoy reading about your adventures!

[lovestocruise19]

I think I found the tour you are talking about on Carnival's website. It is a jeep safari tour and it is $85 per person. DH has wanted to go to Aruba for so long! We are saving for a house, but hopefully our next cruise will be in 2015 and we will be going to Aruba. The tour got a lot of rave reviews. One silly question I have for you is if there is anywhere to go to the bathroom during the tour. Someone mentioned there aren't bathrooms at the beach at the end, but perhaps some of the other attractions had bathrooms. Do you recall? I know it's a silly question, but I have a small bladder! :rolleyes:

[Everd]

Loving your review!! Loving your outfits! On the Breeze 10/26 & may need to rethink my clothes. A previous thread said it was always cold so was packing for that, but u seem o b rocking some hot temp clothes. Did u ever find it cold?

[Cruiser 2 too]

Yes, I was able to see his name! Thank you again for posting it. Waiting for more!

[Cruiser 2 too]

Great review. Thanks for taking the time to feed my addiction.(smile). I will be cruising Oct 5-12,2014 on the Pride. I have been waiting for this review with bated breath! You make me feel like I'm right there seeing it with you. The memorial was a reminder for me, one of the young men on that flight belonged to my church. I wanted to see it , thank you for that.

 

Yes, I saw his name on the plaque. Thank you again. I am waiting for more!

[bibbysnow]

Love your review!! Reliving every moment!! I booked the same cruise again for 1/4/13 with my husband this time.

[JaniceB]

I did the Kukoo Kunuku bus tour when I visted Aruba on vacation. They took us to some local places, the trip was a lot of fun. Loved Aruba, too!

Edited October 15, 2013 by JaniceB

[browntm]

I think I found the tour you are talking about on Carnival's website. It is a jeep safari tour and it is $85 per person. DH has wanted to go to Aruba for so long! We are saving for a house, but hopefully our next cruise will be in 2015 and we will be going to Aruba. The tour got a lot of rave reviews. One silly question I have for you is if there is anywhere to go to the bathroom during the tour. Someone mentioned there aren't bathrooms at the beach at the end, but perhaps some of the other attractions had bathrooms. Do you recall? I know it's a silly question, but I have a small bladder! :rolleyes:

 

Sorry to jump in her review but I did the ABC Jeep Safari tour back in May. We had a fantastic time but it is a rough ride, but a ton of fun! These guys are the best. But to answer your question, I think there may have been a bathroom at the Ostritch Farm (but not positive) if that is part of the tour you are looking at. The only other chance was the stop at the California Lighthouse. There is a restaurant next to it, but they charge you to use the facilities. Seriously...there was a table set up outside the restrooms and a guy collecting money. I think it was only a dollar so be sure you have some cash!

[PittsburghGirlee]

GREAT review as usual....I have been following your reviews since your first began posting them.

 

I have been kicking around the idea of the BREEZE and think that she is a beautiful ship. (NO Farcus Orange:p). I also have the Southern Caribbean on my bucket list, so it would be a win-win.

 

 

 

SOOOOO.....when do we see a pic of "G"???? ;)

[gapearl]

Great Review, as always!!

 

Loving your braids, so i may steal your style for my upcoming cruise:D...I was trying to avoid the extra long sit time (im rocking kinky twists now).....those are just too cute, and functional so it may be worth it...:p:D

 

Keep it coming!!

 

Thanks! I use deep wave hair for my braids. I go to a little African hair braiding shop and they always have two people for me. I'm always out in less than 5 hours!

 

OMG. I'm hooked. I'm dying to find out about G. I always read the end of the book first then go back and start at the beginning. This is a novel and I'm loving it. Hurry, hurry, hurry back:p

 

LOL I still have 3 days left to post!

 

I am so sorry you had such a difficult time in DR. At least your day turned around so that you and the group got a chance to enjoy yourselves, but from reading your review I don't think I would get off the ship if DH and I were to ever go. Glad it worked out for you all.

 

Yeah we ended up having a great day. If you do ever go to La Romana, just make sure you have something booked and planned. It might be best here to book through Carnival.

[gapearl]

La Romana Duty Free store photo below. It's not huge but it does the job, LOL!

 

Thanks for posting that. I so didn't see it! LOL

 

Wow. I will gladly take another sea day over the DR if it's that bad. Glad your day ended up going well after the chaos. I'm sailing on the Sunshine 10/4/3014 the ports are Grand Turk, Aruba, and Curaçao.

 

I hope to sail the Sunshine one day. Those are three awesome ports. You won't be missing much from DR. There's no getting off the ship and just walking around. You'll have a great cruise!

 

YAY! Another GAPearl review!! Thanks for taking the time to post such a wonderful review :) And you look fabulous!!

 

Thank you so much! I need to go read your latest review when I'm done writing this one! :)

[gapearl]

Thanks for the shout out Kim! Oh, I was so horribly hung over the day that we met. One day we will sail together! Hopefully before a drydock because they will need it after we ruin the ship. :D

 

I still think it would have been awesome if we could have got you up to my mom's room so you could do her make up for her. :p

 

Great review as always girlie. I will be writing one of these myself here in a couple of weeks!

 

If you weren't so hungover we could have had an awesome birthday celebration for us both! Keep me posted on what you book next year. The ship will definitely need a dry dock after us, and especially if The Andrew is there too! LOL I'll do your makeup for elegant night whenever we do sail together. Deal? :)

 

I can't wait to read your next review! Y'all have fun!

 

LOOK! It's me!!

Yeah, this cruise (13 days) is gonna be epic! You will be missed, but I don't know if Carnival could handle all three of us (or both of you) on ONE boat!! Hopefully in the future! But look out for the review. I know Nancy will definitely do one and I'm thinking I might ...or at least add commentary to hers :D

 

Thanks again for the shout out!! Now let me get to your review....I didn't need to work today :rolleyes: I've got a cruise coming!

 

LOL you're famous now! Almost time for you to do the single digit dance! We need to get together sometime soon girl. Oh, but no cats! I realized I have a severe allergy to cats (so I can't take one of your little kittens after all).

 

LOVE ROSS!!! I tell EVERYONE...if you need a dress...for anything....GO> TO> ROSS!!!

 

Yes I love Ross!

[gapearl]

Love your review! I always enjoy reading about your adventures!

 

Thanks for coming along!

 

I think I found the tour you are talking about on Carnival's website. It is a jeep safari tour and it is $85 per person. DH has wanted to go to Aruba for so long! We are saving for a house, but hopefully our next cruise will be in 2015 and we will be going to Aruba. The tour got a lot of rave reviews. One silly question I have for you is if there is anywhere to go to the bathroom during the tour. Someone mentioned there aren't bathrooms at the beach at the end, but perhaps some of the other attractions had bathrooms. Do you recall? I know it's a silly question, but I have a small bladder! :rolleyes:

 

Yeah that's the one. I paid $99 for a full day and Carnival is charging $85 for a half day. The tour is so awesome though. ABC is ranked #1 over DePalm Tours. If you have the chance, go for it! There are bathroom stops, but you could go for a while without one. If you go through the national park, the gold ruins, the Alto Chapel, you're kind of in the middle of nowhere.

 

Loving your review!! Loving your outfits! On the Breeze 10/26 & may need to rethink my clothes. A previous thread said it was always cold so was packing for that, but u seem o b rocking some hot temp clothes. Did u ever find it cold?

 

The only time I noticed it being cold was in the MDR at dinner. It was FREEZING in there! But other areas of the ship were always comfortable. Just bring a shawl or pashmina if you think you'll get cold and you'll be fine. Have a great cruise!

[gapearl]

Yes, I saw his name on the plaque. Thank you again. I am waiting for more!

 

That's great. :) So much more to come!

 

Love your review!! Reliving every moment!! I booked the same cruise again for 1/4/13 with my husband this time.

 

Lucky! That's right around the corner! I'm jealous!

[yank268]

The towel station was open and a few people were wrapping up in those to keep warm. It would be perfect if they had light blankets instead. Did I mention they serve free popcorn? I wasn’t expecting to get a movie date on this cruise! haha :p

 

The do actually have those blankets. They might not have brought them out on that night. I was on the Breeze this past Dec and we had lots of late night lido nights. :rolleyes:

[gapearl]

I did the Kukoo Kunuku bus tour when I visted Aruba on vacation. They took us to some local places, the trip was a lot of fun. Loved Aruba, too!

 

Looks like that has to be booked through Carnival too. I just saw it on their excursions page.

 

Sorry to jump in her review but I did the ABC Jeep Safari tour back in May. We had a fantastic time but it is a rough ride, but a ton of fun! These guys are the best. But to answer your question, I think there may have been a bathroom at the Ostritch Farm (but not positive) if that is part of the tour you are looking at. The only other chance was the stop at the California Lighthouse. There is a restaurant next to it, but they charge you to use the facilities. Seriously...there was a table set up outside the restrooms and a guy collecting money. I think it was only a dollar so be sure you have some cash!

 

LOL I remember the beaches charging to use the restrooms too. Anyone coming to Aruba needs to definitely carry some spare change! :p

 

GREAT review as usual....I have been following your reviews since your first began posting them.

 

I have been kicking around the idea of the BREEZE and think that she is a beautiful ship. (NO Farcus Orange:p). I also have the Southern Caribbean on my bucket list, so it would be a win-win.

 

 

 

SOOOOO.....when do we see a pic of "G"???? ;)

 

Thanks for being a loyal reader! Hopefully you will get the Breeze booked soon. G will be staying anonymous for now. Take my word on it. He's VERY good looking. :)

[MIZZ_K]

I'm having withdrawals,lol, waiting patiently for the rest of your review.

[chosbor2]

Yeah another GApearl review! I greatly enjoy all of your reviews! We are considering this cruise for our next one so I was glad to find you writing about it, looks like I will have to book it now!

 

 

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