Great Trip on the Breeze. October 12, 2013. Thoughts and observations.

[artmanr]

We earned Gold status on this cruise. 4 cruises in 4 years. Not bad for Midwesterners who have to schlep to Florida to catch the cruise.

 

The 8 day cruise on the Breeze was fantastic. Nice ship. Great crew. Perfect weather. I hope you had a good time too. Here are some thoughts and observations....

 

1. Faster to the Fun. Nice! We were on the ship quickly. 5 minutes later in our cabin.

 

2. Spa Balcony. Fine, but not much different than the balcony we had on the Liberty last year. Room enough for 2 adults and 2 tweeners. Cramped at times, but only when getting dressed.

 

3. Room Steward. Our was outgoing and fun. I tipped him early and often. Took him off the sail and sign account and paid him more than recommended in cash. He liked that I think. On the Liberty our steward was quiet and perhaps even shy. This one was the best ever. I recommend getting to know the steward early. If they don't reach out to you, then make a point of hunting them down. It's as easy as calling housekeeping for more towel. When they show up....talk and let them know what you need/expect. Stewards are not mind readers. They don't know if you need ice in the cooler unless you say so... or an ashtray on the balcony.....or clean sheets...or whatever. Speak up and you will have a better experience.

 

4. Tips. I paid the room steward in cash. I gave him some money early to entice him to pay attention to us. I think he really appreciated this. At the end of the cruise, I paid him well above the recommended guidelines and gave him a bottle of wine. He was very happy. He made us very happy, so it was the right thing to do.

 

The other tips we left on the said and sign. We had Your Time Dining and had a different waiter team almost every night. They were all good. I probably should have tipped more to them too. Next time.

 

5. Food. Overall, the dining room was above average to very good. Some items were not hits though. I especially like my soups. French onion was the best I've ever had. Gourmet mac n cheese was delicious. 4 out of 5 fish entrees were perfect. One was just slightly overcooked, but the taste was right. Desserts were always good. I love chocolate so I steered that way on most nights. If I wasn't sure what I wanted, I go the famous chocolate melting cake. That was great.

 

Guy's Burgers are good. Not healthy, but good. Blue Iguana Cantina burritos are fun, especially the breakfast ones. Didn't eat at the buffet but once. It was okay. Fast, decent, fresh....but nothing standing out as super.

 

That's all for now. I'd like to talk about the shore excursions and the behind the scenes tour. Also, the design and management of the ship. I'll get to those soon.

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.Did you see any of the shows?

[artmanr]

Shows: I only saw the Brits which I though was pretty well done. We like stage shows in our family and this one was all music and dancing. CCL has done away with much of the backdrops in favor of huge floor to ceiling LED panels. The panels show either a wall paper type back drop or in the case of the Brits, animation. I think it was used creatively. Some very talented players in the show.

 

Also, they have done away with the live band that used to be in the orchestra pit. They use soundtracks now. You wouldn't know it if someone didn't tell you.

 

We toured the backstage area during the Behind the Scenes Tour. I highly recommend that tour. We met the Dance Captain and the Stage Manager.

[palmtre2]

Is the behind the scenes tour something you order before you cruise or once you are on board?

[paradiselivin1]

Thanks for talking about the food ~ I've seen some good & some not so good reviews. Love mac n cheese & will give it a try! Now the chocolate melting cake.....every night for me!!

[CruiseCrAzieS]

counting down the days.....:)

[Perfect Stranger]

4. Tips. I paid the room steward in cash. I gave him some money early to entice him to pay attention to us. I think he really appreciated this.

 

Sounds like your bribe worked. ;)

[artmanr]

Is the behind the scenes tour something you order before you cruise or once you are on board?

 

YES. You have to book the Behind the Scenes on ship. My wife did this as soon as we were on board. This tour was great. It is amazing the complexity of operating a ship at sea...let alone one with 3500 guests. I was in awe of the organization. After seeing the Engine Control Room and the Navigation Bridge, I knew we were in very good hands.

[JaniceB]

Enjoying your review!

[artmanr]

Sounds like your bribe worked. ;)

 

I know some feel that is a "bribe". I think of it as a down payment with conditions. As in, "Here is part of the tip I plan to give you. We have some special requests, if you don't mind". Then some nice crisp $20 bills U.S. Currency. Accepted everywhere.

 

If the service doesn't measure up, then I would consider paying less than the recommended amount. However, I never have done that. I usually pay more, because I feel the services were worth it.

 

Did I mention the bottle of wine I gave him? I didn't want to pack it for the trip back to Chicago. So it was a "win win".

 

If you stop to think about it, paying a partial payment in advance makes a lot of sense. I suspect some people simply stiff the room stewards. That is very sad IMHO. I can't imagine not giving a gratuity unless service was terrible. And if it was terrible, I would be speaking to their manager and keep going up until the matter was resolved.

 

Luckily, any time I've had a problem with service, it's been rectified quickly.

 

On this trip, everyone we encountered was pleasant and helpful. Room steward, deck attendants, bar staff, casino staff, waitstaff, crew, guest services, spa staff, shore excursions, sales people at the stores, even the security staff....we had no issues with anyone.

[artmanr]

moving along with the review....

 

6. Ship design and amenities. This is our third trip on a Dream Class ship. Our first were both the on the Dream sailing from Port Canaveral. These ships are beautiful from every angle. Walking up to them you see the sleek lines and bright white paint. To me, they invoke the classic cruise ships of old. It's a huge ship - mega ship - but it retains the classic cruiser feeling. Some of the other mega ships from NCL and RCCL seem odd shaped; especially from the profile or side view. To me anyhow.

 

Atrium Lobby: Nicely done. Muted compared to the Dream. The new designers have removed the brightly colored for the natural and muted theme. The promo video on the CCL website calls Breeze a floating island. I think that's accurate as for the decor and color scheme. You feel like you are at an island resort.

 

Restaurants: Much is on the boards about Guy's Burgers. They are good. But it's a burger and well....been there done that. I liked mixing it up and trying new things. In the dining room we always tried the "Didja" which is usually something exotic like escargots, oyster rockefeller or frog legs. Things you may have seen on menus but never tried. I liked that they added a sushi bar. I tried it and it was very good. I also liked the Thirsty Frog Bar. The food menu included conch fritters and chicken wings among other things. I tried the wings (3.30 charge) and found them unique and tasty. They have the Red Frog brew too which is quite good. It's "red" and tastes like a micro brewery brew...hoppy...full bodied....smooth. Wish I had one now.

 

The Dream had the Tandoori and I'm glad it was on the Breeze. I don't eat Indian food often, but I like it. It was good on Breeze. Pizza Pirate was a step up from the Dream pizza. I think the crust was better and more robust. Not sure what they did. My son only likes cheese pizza. So we had to order that special. Their regular cheese pizza had garlic and other herbs and that was too much for our cheese "purist" son.

 

The Deli. Not much to say. They make a good sandwich fast. Nothing fancy. Usually grilled in the panini maker. It closed around 11 pm if I recall.

 

On movie nights, the Tandoori was turned into a hot dog and light snack buffet. Also, on movie nights, popcorn was available from the Blue Iguana bar. It goes fast though. They make more. Movies on the huge seaside screen were surprisingly fun. We watched Iron Man 3. Good movie.

 

7. Cleanliness. Can't say anything bad. The ship was generally spotless. Staff were seen constantly cleaning. I saw them replacing carpet in a stairwell on deck 3. On a port day they were scraping and refinishing a wood stairway on the lido deck. That was hard work! It was done by the time people came back on board. One day the cleaned the balconies with a power sprayer...leaving us a note in the cabin the night before to remove our personal belongings. Cleaning was to start at 9 am. They were on our balcony at 9:01. Efficiency at it's finest!!

 

So far, I have been pretty positive and it's not because I am drinking the kool aid. I do like Carnival as it is FUN to me. But, on this cruise, we had very few complaints about anything. I will have some things later, but they are minor.

[JaniceB]

How was the sound when you were watching a movie?

[Georgiagolfer]

Seems as if you had a great experience on the Breeze. Looking forward to the rest of your review.

[bibbysnow]

Was there a cost for a behind the scenes tour?

[artmanr]

Was there a cost for a behind the scenes tour?

 

Yes. The cost was $95 per person, if I recall correctly. That included the tour of about 3 hours. A stop in the crew dining room with drinks (including lattes, espresso, etc.), samples in the bakery, chocolate covered strawberries and a personal note from the head chef in our cabin afterward, photos with the caption on the bridge, with the group on the bridge, with the group on the crew sundeck, a backpack, hand carved soap sculpture (from the head salad chef), a hat and a champagne/mimosa reception at the end. I felt it was well worth it. I mean...who gets to see the engine control room and the navigation bridge?!!

 

The photo with the captain is pretty cool too.

[artmanr]

Negatives?

 

Minor things. In spa cabins you are supposed to get some bath scrub delivered to the room. It took 3 days. I asked on day 2 and the spa staff didn't know when it would be delivered. Ok. No big deal there. Just figured that there would be some protocol and was surprised by that answer.

 

Over served passengers. I guess this can happen at any event where alcohol is served. One guy was seen harassing people by a hot tub and throwing an empty beer can at a deck steward. This was about noon on a sea day. Security came to see him shortly after. Come on people. This is a family ship. Yes, it's a FUN ship, but take it easy. CCL has the drinking package now on some ships and the Breeze had it this trip. I think it was about $60 per day for up to 15 drinks. 15??? What the heck.....you're going to need rehab if you do that for a few days...

 

That's too many in my opinion and it encourages being over served.

[artmanr]

How was the sound when you were watching a movie?

 

Was there sound. YES THERE WAS! ;)

 

Actually, they have invested a ton of $$ in sound systems on the Breeze. The Lido deck has awesome sound and it was great for Iron Man 3. Also, in the Blush dining room, the wait staff does their traditional signing and that sound system is pretty kickin' too. I know that's kind of old for some, but I think of it as endearing. I like watching and singing along. It's a FUNship. Remember that.

[JaniceB]

I just wondered if it was too loud or not loud enough. Going on the Dream in a few weeks and thought about enjoying a movie, but I don't want to lose any hearing;) so I thought I would see what your experience was like on the Breeze.

[artmanr]

I just wondered if it was too loud or not loud enough. Going on the Dream in a few weeks and thought about enjoying a movie, but I don't want to lose any hearing;) so I thought I would see what your experience was like on the Breeze.

 

Good question. This is something where CCL could use some more management of their sound systems in general. Usually, it is fine. However, sometimes it's too loud. The movies were just right. However, some deck parties are waay too loud.

[Georgiagolfer]

Good question. This is something where CCL could use some more management of their sound systems in general. Usually, it is fine. However, sometimes it's too loud. The movies were just right. However, some deck parties are waay too loud.

 

IMO, deck parties have really gotten loud since CCL changed to a DJ.:(

[rooster1961]

I just wondered if it was too loud or not loud enough. Going on the Dream in a few weeks and thought about enjoying a movie, but I don't want to lose any hearing;) so I thought I would see what your experience was like on the Breeze.

 

was on the Dream a few weeks ago, sound was ok except for one night we could barely hear the speaking. get there early, lots of chair hogs and the crew wasnt enforcing the 45 min rule.

[AmberTeka]

Sounds like your bribe worked. ;)

 

I do the same thing. My DH has diabetes which he controls with diet and exercise. He only takes pills so far....He needs a sharp box when we board. I like to have the fridge filled with Diet Cokes and bottles of water, so he has something cold to drink when we come in from a shore excursion or just whenever.

 

I always call the Strward. Ask him to come to the cabin. when he does, I explain that I know that boarding day is a busy, busY day for them and I would appreciate very much getting a sharps box, and having the fridge changed out as soon as possible. then I tip $20.

 

it is always done by the time we get in from dinner.

For the rest of the week, we really never have any other requests. the cabin is always perfect. So we tip extra at the end of the cruise too.

That neat, clean cabin...makes the vacation the lovely experience it is.....and to me, it is a way of Americans helping people who stay in their own lands to educate their children there...or themselves, or to buy some land, or start a store, or just retire one day.....Money goes a lot futher in developing nations.

 

That sounds so goody goody two shoes, and I don't mean it like that. I really want that sharp box. and I really want those sodas and safe drinks for my Husband.

I have never thought of it as A Bribe.

Edited November 2, 2013 by AmberTeka

[rrraydon]

Thanks for the review.

[artmanr]

Having thought about it for a while now, I've come the conclusion that this was the best of the 6 cruises we've been on. We've been looking at photos and having a good time remembering.

 

I have nothing to say that is bad about the ship or the staff. Everyone was great. People seemed happy to be there and happy to be helping us have a good time.

 

We had a run of 4 cruises in 4 years and I think we'll take a break in 2014 and go large in 2015. It's so hard to beat the experience of cruising. But, we'll be doing some land based travel in 2014 and we'll surely be pining for the open sea.

 

The Breeze is a fabulous ship. The Fun 2.0 concept works great. The new food options and bar venues seemed just right. I felt at home on the ship.

 

I would like to commend Guest Services. My wife accidentally left her iPad in the bottom drawer of the desk in our cabin. She felt terrible about it. It was a Sunday and CCL lost and found was closed (we tried phoning). Called the port and got nowhere. Thought about going back to the port from Lauderdale Airport, but decided against it. Embarkation is organized chaos and we figured we'd end up not finding someone to help us.

 

So we called on Monday and they took our information. 2.5 weeks later, it came back. That seems like a long time, but if you think about it, they have a logistical nightmare when it comes to items left behind.

 

First, they have to collect them and get them off the ship. Some items don't make it off the same day and wait for the next time the ship returns. Then the items are sent to CCL in Miami for cataloging and processing. You can imagine the variety of things left behind. If 50,000 passengers sail every week and ten percent leave something behind. That's 5000 things per week. Some trivial and of little value....some like the iPad. If they don't find the item after 30 days, it's considered "lost".

 

So, anyway, we did get the iPad back. I called every 5 days to ask about it and hope the found it. It did take 2 weeks for the lost and found items to get to the Miami offices. It took a few more days for them to find the iPad.

 

CCL did a great job.

[artmanr]

Farenheit 555 Steakhouse. Okay...it costs $35 pp, but this is simply the best food I have ever had. I did the steak house on the Dream and the Liberty. This was just as good and I would do it again.

 

I had the ribeye, my wife had the filet. Perfect. Just so tender. Prime beef it sooooo good. The starters were also quite good. Presentation is amazing on dishes of unique shapes and sizes. Each course looked like a work of art. Our waitress was very attentive and knowledgeable. One thing missing was the wine steward. They had one on Liberty, but I didn't seem him on our night.

 

We did the steakhouse on the first night. I didn't know until my wife told me that you get a complimentary bottle of wine for going to the SH the first night. Very cool.

 

We did notice some guests arrived in jeans to the restaurant. I guess that they relax the dress code on the first night due to the possibility that someone does not have their luggage.

 

For dessert, my motto is if its not chocolate, send it back. The all chocolate dessert plate was made for me. I loved it.

 

On our first day at sea there was a cooking presentation in the Farenheit 555 restaurant. 3 chefs explained how they made various dishes and we had samples of some. I would recommend going to that. It's free and you get to see the restaurant in daylight and.....it's free.

 

The only improvement I would suggest is that the decor in the restaurant is a bit too reserved. They needed some more paintings or things on the wall. It was nicely wallpapered and carpeted, but it lacked a bit of character befitting the food that is being made and served there.

 

Also, on the behind the scenes tour, we started in the steak house. We had the head chef of of the SH do a demonstration and explain their methods. I guess the costs of prime beef is very high. And the cuts that they give you are huge! So, that is the reason for the upcharge. Worth it. So worth it.

 

I'm told the $35 pp includes gratuity. We tipped more anyhow. It was soooo worht it.