LittleMissMagic's 2014 8-Day Carnival BREEZE S.Caribbean Cruise - A Photo Review!

[gambee]

Thank you! Yes - I woke up at 5 AM on the Royal Princess cruise to take long exposures (probably would have been okay with 6 AM). I wasn't up too late for the Breeze photos, though - took them around 10 or 11 PM.

 

my guess is that everyone was busy packing. This will be my first solo cruise and my only time packing :D lol, I wonder how that will play out.

[SunshineCruiser24]

I am totally loving your review. We were considering changing from the liberty 7 day to the breeze 8 day, the same one you are doing! But it's 600 more for one night, just can't justify the change but I am enjoying living vicariously through you! (And when I live vicariously through you I am taking some AMAZING photos. A lot better then my usual crappy cruise photos! :-) )

[SunshineCruiser24]

So sad to see the end. JUST finished the entire your review. It was great to take the "trip" with you. I must have missed the drama (I skimmed a few pages for the review pics and stuff.) but I'd like to say that your review voice is adorable and your pictures are top notch. I loved your review so much I am going to go start reading your others.

 

Don't let anyone's negativity get you down.

[LittleMissMagic]

Sunday, March 23, 2014 - Good-bye, Breeze!

 

We had an early departure time of 8:15 AM. Max and I decided to eat breakfast in the dining room because it was convenient to our room and allowed us to avoid the craziness of the Lido Buffet with suitcases.

 

When we were finished in the dining room, it was past our scheduled time of departure, but when we arrived in the atrium, we learned that they were a little behind schedule. Our timing was perfect, though, because we were the next group to be called, and were able to walk right off the ship without waiting in a long line.

 

Since we didn't have a lot of bags, we didn't need a porter (with my family, we always use a porter). The customs line wasn't very long. Max was in front of me (usually he gets behind me for things like this), and when the officer took his passport and asked Max where he was born, Max was unprepared for that question. "Uhhhhhh....." He looked at me, and I was thinking come on, Max, you can do it! "Ohio." I really wanted to laugh. After that, the customs officer gave him a bit of a hard time. "Who are you traveling with?" "Her." "What did you buy?" "I bought a watch..." "Did you buy that watch?" (pointing to watch on my wrist) "No, not on this cruise." "Where is the watch you bought?" "In my suitcase." "Okay, you're good."

 

After clearing customs, we found our car in the parking garage.

 

Miami by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Today, we were in port with the Norwegian Epic!

 

Miami by vshingl, on Flickr

 

They have kiosks by the elevators in the parking garage where you can pay for the ticket. It cost $160. The guy in front of me was having trouble with the machine because it wouldn't take $100 bills, but it also wouldn't give him back the $60 in $20 bills that he had put in. I was able to pay with a credit card, but it was confusing because you put the credit card into the same slot where you put the ticket in. Well, my credit card worked, and the machine printed me a receipt, so I took the receipt and my card and left.

 

What I did not know was that I had to wait for the ticket to come back out (of the same slot I had put my credit card in)! So I drove on and was behind the guy in line who had the machine take his $60, but not the $100 bill. After he got through, I pulled up and showed the lady at the booth my receipt. "Do you have your parking ticket?" "No, I put it in the machine." "You were supposed to wait for the ticket to come back out." "I didn't know that." "Well, normally you would have to go back to the machine and hope that no one else has taken your ticket." By now, there are at least 8 cars behind me, so the only way I am moving anywhere is if she lets me through the gate. Luckily, her manager was still in the booth with her because of the guy in front of me, so he went to the machine to check. "It's not there." "So what do we do?" "Well, we are going to check some things. Give me the card you paid with." She was able to confirm that I had paid for the parking ticket and let me through. Thank goodness.

 

I have a few issues here.... if taking the ticket is so important WHY is it not written on the machine IN BIG RED LETTERS???? She said "normally," indicating that this is not the first time this has happened. Obviously, it's a problem.

 

I would recommend that you don't pre-pay at the elevators. Just wait and pay as you leave. However, if you do pay inside, make sure that you wait for your ticket.

[LittleMissMagic]

We finally got out of the parking garage.... now if only we could figure out how to get out of the terminal!

 

Miami by vshingl, on Flickr

 

The signage there is rather awful. I feel like they must not have many people park at the port... perhaps most take cabs or park elsewhere.

 

I made Max take photos as I navigated the labyrinth called the Port of Miami.

 

Miami by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Hello, Epic! (aka "Frankenstein of the Seas") Hideous on the outside, but a pretty great ship on the inside!

 

Miami by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Miami by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Good-bye, Breeze!

 

Miami by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Free from the port at last!

Edited April 27, 2014 by LittleMissMagic

[LittleMissMagic]

Somewhere in the Miami area, we missed a toll road... twice. I got a bill in the mail from Sunpass which billed me for the exact same toll coming and going that we didn't pay. Obviously if we missed it both times, it wasn't a noticeable toll. The charge is only $5, but I really don't want to pay it on principle.

 

It was Max's suggestion to go to Disney for lunch. I had really wanted to stop at Disney on the way to Miami, but we decided that we wanted to just keep driving. I didn't really consider grabbing lunch on the way back, but Max wanted ESPN Club during March Madness.

 

Disney Boardwalk by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Disney Boardwalk by vshingl, on Flickr

 

I was really bummed last year when they changed their menu because they got rid of my favorite, the Homerun Hot Dog. I figured it was time to try something new. We both ordered PB&J burgers which sound really weird... but they are amazing!! I highly recommend.

 

Disney Boardwalk by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Disney Boardwalk by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Disney Boardwalk by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Disney Boardwalk by vshingl, on Flickr

 

We for a brief moment seriously contemplated spending the rest of the day at Disney and delaying our return to reality a little longer....

 

But then we realized just how crazy that was (not to mention, I didn't have my annual pass with me).

 

So we got back in the car and headed back to South Carolina, ending our fabulous spring break..... and favorite spring break ever!

[sprint180]

In one of the pics there is a sign that says "cell phone lot"

What does that mean.

[Woodawg]

Great pictures.

Really enjoyed your review

Edited April 27, 2014 by Woodawg

[Dalton51]

Super nice review. We just booked this cruise for Aug.

What dune buggy tour did you do and can you tell me a little more about it please?

 

Is there any thing that is a must do on the ship or at any of theses ports?

 

I'm only on page 10 for now. I am going to keep reading.

 

Thanks again for your time.

[Cruzin-K]

In one of the pics there is a sign that says "cell phone lot"

What does that mean.

 

It's there for when you're having someone pick you up at the port. They go park at the cell phone lot, stay with their car and wait for you to call on your cell phone that you're ready to be picked up. Then they can just drive round, pick you up, and you'll be on your way. It prevents people from clogging up the traffic lanes waiting for people who might still be on the ship for another hour.

[rrraydon]

Fabulous review! It's a rarity for me to read a review to its completion. I may have a tad bit of ADD and get bored rather quickly. :p;) However, you kept me entertained for the last few hours!

 

I can't wait to get on that ship! :)

[dreamer976]

Well, Victoria and Max, wonderful review. Now, besides wanting to know what the h**l makes a burger into a PB & J Burger, I just have one comment . . .

 

 

BRAVO!!!!

 

Ellen

[bigbny1]

Great Job Guys, looks like you both really know how to enjoy cruising!!!!................B

[BettyPC]

Great review!! Thanks to you for taking the time to do it for us!!

[LittleMissMagic]

Super nice review. We just booked this cruise for Aug.

What dune buggy tour did you do and can you tell me a little more about it please?

 

Is there any thing that is a must do on the ship or at any of theses ports?

 

I'm only on page 10 for now. I am going to keep reading.

 

Thanks again for your time.

 

We booked the Dune Buggy tour through Carnival for La Romana. It was $109 per person. They offered two tours - a 9:30 and a 1:30. The tour was approximately 3 hours, and they provided us with water, soda, and light refreshments.

 

Must-dos on the ship.... Personally, I would say the water slides. I really enjoyed both.

 

Thanks for reading along!

[LittleMissMagic]

Well, Victoria and Max, wonderful review. Now, besides wanting to know what the h**l makes a burger into a PB & J Burger, I just have one comment . . .

 

 

BRAVO!!!!

 

Ellen

 

Thank you!

 

A PB&J burger has peanut butter spread on the bottom of the patty and jelly spread on the top. There were also jalepenos. Sounds really weird, but Max actually liked it so much that he's made it a few times at home.

[Dalton51]

Would you recommand the Dune Buggy tour? Can u tell me more about it? Mud? Do you get to just ride around anywhere on your on? Spin around like donut s? Lol...

Sounds fun if I can do that.

 

Thanks a lot.

 

Great great review.

[LittleMissMagic]

Would you recommand the Dune Buggy tour? Can u tell me more about it? Mud? Do you get to just ride around anywhere on your on? Spin around like donut s? Lol...

Sounds fun if I can do that.

 

Thanks a lot.

 

Great great review.

 

It's a guided tour, and you follow-the-leader the entire time. You cannot spin around in donuts (well, I suppose you could, but you would probably cause an accident and maybe get your driving privileges taken away). You can, however, zig-zag back and forth, aim for whatever puddles you want, and whip the buggy around tight turns as fast as you want. We got really dirty, but it was mostly dry debris. Whether or not there is mud depends on how recently it rained. I believe you have to be 16 with a valid driver's license to drive.

[LittleMissMagic]

 

This is my personal reflection on decisions that I am happy I made and things that I wish I had done differently on my March 15, 2014 sailing on the Carnival Breeze 8-Day Southern Caribbean cruise out of Miami. Please note that these are my own opinions, and I am in no way affiliated with any cruise line. I also understand that every person on each ship sailing has a completely different experience, as well as values for what makes a good cruise vacation.

 

Glad I Did / Glad I Did Not

 

I'm glad that I did not buy Faster to the Fun. Faster to the Fun is a package that Carnival sells for $50 per cabin. You can purchase it online where you buy excursions, and note that although it is listed as $50 per person, only one person per cabin needs to purchase in order to get everyone in your cabin the benefits. Benefits include priority check-in and express boarding on embarkation day (after VIFP Club Platinum & Diamond members), stateroom ready as soon as you board, express luggage to your room on embarkation day, express guest services (dedicated phone number and line), priority main dining room and specialty dining reservations, tender priority (at tender ports), debarkation priority. There is limited FTTF availability, and we didn't book the cruise soon enough to be able to purchase the package. However, I saw little benefit for our cruise. It actually turned out that priority boarding was delayed for our cruise, and I heard reports from people on our Roll Call that the standard line was actually moving quicker. None of our ports were tender ports, so there was no advantage there. We didn't eat at a specialty restaurant (but they sent me an invitation to my room for Fahrenheit 555 with a reservation, anyway, which we declined). And our assigned debarkation time was fine for us. If we wanted to leave later, we could have just left later. Faster to the Fun just isn't something that I think we needed or would have really benefited from for this sailing.

 

I'm glad that I booked certified scuba in Grand Turk. I was a little nervous to do so since we had just gotten certified, but the experience was excellent. Oasis Divers is a very professional company, and we felt very comfortable diving. The visibility underwater was excellent, and it was so much better than diving in a lake.

 

I'm glad that I booked the Dune Buggy excursion in La Romana. This was actually thanks to Max. He really had to do some convincing to get me to agree. I wasn't interested because I thought it would be slow and boring. However, past cruisers' reviews said otherwise, and they turned out to be accurate. The dune buggies were actually fast, especially after we moved to the end of the pack. We did follow-the-leader the entire time, but we got to do some off-roading, and Max made sure that we got plenty muddy. The staff was friendly and professional, and we had an excellent time.

 

I'm glad that I upgraded to an ocean view stateroom. Our free cabin promotion allowed us a free interior cabin, with an option to upgrade to an ocean view for $40 per person ($80 per person balcony upgrade was sold out for our sailing). Upgrading was really a no-brainer for me. $40 per person is a steal for a balcony stateroom, and while I wish I had booked early enough to get the balcony upgrade, I was very glad that our ocean view upgrade actually got us a deluxe ocean view stateroom with split baths. I think the ocean view cabin was actually larger than the balcony upgrade cabin would have been.

 

Wish I Did / Wish I Did Not

 

I wish that I did not purchase the "Bottomless Bubbles" soda package. Max and I both purchased the "Bottomless Bubbles" soda package because we are Diet Coke drinkers. We were not happy with the quality of soda that we received through the package. The bartenders served room temperature cans (warm if outside) and poured them over ice by flipping the can entirely upside down. Therefore, the sodas were warm and had lost almost all carbonation when we received them. The cost is $6 per day (canned soda purchased without the package is approximately $2), so if you drink three sodas a day, then you should get your money back. However, we did not feel that our purchase was worth it because the quality of Diet Coke was so poor.

 

I wish that I did not purchase the wine package. Max and I purchased the basic 5 Wine Package for $131 on the first evening of the cruise, thinking that we could easily drink 5 bottles over the course of 8 evenings. However, we ended up not drinking the next two or three nights. Then Max didn't like a bottle that I had selected (oops). And we also ended up not finishing a bottle and corking it one night, leaving us with the remainder of that bottle and a new bottle on the final night. We took the final bottle to our room after dinner and ended up not finishing it. In addition to having too much wine (I never thought that would be a problem!), we didn't think it was that great of a value and weren't exactly crazy about the selection. The basic 5 Wine Package is about $26 per bottle. Most of the bottles on the list are $26, and I believe the most expensive on the basic list is $30.... so you really aren't saving much, if any, money by purchasing the package. Rather, it's making you think that you're receiving a good deal so that you pre-purchase your wine. Not only that, but the mark-up on the wine is ridiculous. The basic package included Barefoot wine which I could purchase at the grocery store for $12 per liter.... but it's $26 for 750 ml on the ship. I think we would have been better off just purchasing a bottle of wine as we liked, rather than purchasing the package.

 

I wish that I carried on a 12-pack of Diet Coke. If I had known that the Bottomless Bubbles package totally stunk, then maybe I would have thought it worth the hassle to bring on a 12-pack of Diet Coke. In the past, I had always looked at others doing this and thought it looked like a lot of effort for little savings. Not to mention, I like being able to order soda at the bar or at dinner. But I dread carrying a 12-pack of soda in from my car to my kitchen, so I couldn't imagine carrying it through security onto a cruise ship. What I forgot was that I had my wonderful boyfriend with me who would have gladly and effortlessly carried a 12-pack onto the ship if it meant that we got to enjoy carbonated Diet Coke.

[robd216]

I highly recommend the swim with the starfish tour by Seaview at La Romana. Truly outstanding and a great value.

 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[ginak82]

Great review! Thanks for taking the time to write it and for providing us with such beautiful pictures!

 

I too wish all the soda on the ship was by fountain. After your 2nd or 3rd flat soda, couldn't you have asked for the soda still in the can and a glass of ice so you could pour it yourself, or would they not do this?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[ep471c]

that was great now i really cannot wait until sept. 21

[robd216]

Hi...The German tour company that I mentioned 2 posts earlier is Seavis, not Seaview. I really hate my phone's auto correct.

 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[LittleMissMagic]

Great review! Thanks for taking the time to write it and for providing us with such beautiful pictures!

 

I too wish all the soda on the ship was by fountain. After your 2nd or 3rd flat soda, couldn't you have asked for the soda still in the can and a glass of ice so you could pour it yourself, or would they not do this?

 

Unfortunately, no - we asked several times for the can to pour, but they said that they had to give it to us in a glass (probably based on our package because I saw others with cans... I'm guessing they purchased the soft drink individually). They would also leave the opened cans sitting behind the bar until they were empty. So your drink could very well come from two (even three) different cans.

[kmc500]

Unfortunately, no - we asked several times for the can to pour, but they said that they had to give it to us in a glass (probably based on our package because I saw others with cans... I'm guessing they purchased the soft drink individually). They would also leave the opened cans sitting behind the bar until they were empty. So your drink could very well come from two (even three) different cans.

 

My wife and I just got off the Conquest Sunday and had the same problem. We had the Cheers program and could only get a glass of soda. We were able to get around it however, as we also received the "drinks on us" card in the casino, and interestingly enough, we could get a closed can from a casino waiter (along with a glass of ice).

 

Weird rules. Off topic, we had a wonderful cruise.

 

Kevin C

Edited April 29, 2014 by kmc500