Liberty or breeze?

[Cruisegirl6]

 

Hello all....we can't make up our mind (we are a family of three generations total of 8 adults) which ship to choose. We like your opinion, I have read reviews of people stating that the Liberty has a bad vibration but I don't go by just two reviews it could of been something wrong during that sailing, so asking for your opinion please regarding this issue. Also, which ship do you prefer and why? Perhaps hearing what you have to say will enable us to make up our mind asap. I like the idea the Breeze is newer, the only problem I curious whether the Liberty is clean (nice carpets, pain, etc.) since her last dry dock was back in 2011...I generally stay clear of ships that have not been in dry dock for the past three years but the Liberty is out of San Juan to southern caribbean islands which be a nice change from always going to the eastern/western islands.

 

Flying is not an issue and either place we will fly the day before the cruise. Which ship do you feel we would like better and if you feel there are negatives to any of these please let us know so we can decide on the best cruise for us, truly appreciate your help and thank you.

[CCL Cruiser24]

I took my first cruise on the liberty, she'll always have a special place in my heart, great ship. I went on the breeze in 2013 (booked again) and there was a lot more to do. The breeze is for sure the better ship but I did experience better MDR service on the liberty. If you choose the liberty, you're gonna have a port-intensive cruise but if you choose breeze you'll have more time to relax, maybe consider that? It also comes down to if you wanna do western/eastern again or try southern. Hope I helped!

[s_klugh]

I have sailed both out of Miami liberty last year and breeze this year! Both cruises were awesome, liberty was western and breeze southern! Both are 2.0 only differences here is liberty has EA sports bar and alchemy bar! But breeze has waterworks and sports square! My big difference was the breeze feels crowded in my opinion, the buffet feels a mess, it is hard to find seats. Also I liked the idea of the wrap around lanai but I did not like the fact that you can see much when docking or leaving port, the windows are so high I fell for no reason! Now I did have a room on deck 1 all the way aft on breeze and you can feel the vibrations when they start the thrusters, it actually woke me up 2 times! The liberty I had a lido inside which was amazing, so close to the action! I hope this helps you decide! Both really are great ships it just comes down to what is more important to you on vacation!

 

 

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[SNJCruisers]

I am assuming that all of the Liberty sailings are 7 days out of SJU. Is the comparison to a 6 day or an 8 day on the Breeze? The 8 day that goes to Aruba and Curacao would be my choice in a heartbeat. That itinerary has gotten many rave reviews on these boards and IMHO, 8 days always trumps 7 days on comparable ships. Good luck.

[k2excursion]

Liberty seems to always get the best reviews of any Carnival ship. If the ropes course & nice waterworks area of Breeze doesn't matter to you, then I think Liberty is the winner. Liberty has 1 large waterslide, while Breeze has 2 large (and very different) waterslides plus a splash factory & dump bucket.

 

Breeze also has the 3D theater (at an extra cost) that Liberty doesn't have. Breeze also has the 2 new room choices: cove balconies (best balcony out there) & deluxe OV rooms (with 1.5 bathrooms). I do prefer the layout of Breeze's deck 5 promenade, & I like the lanai. But I prefer Liberty's layout of the main pool area. I felt that Breeze's decor was too toned down, making it dull & boring. Breeze has the free pasta bar for lunch which becomes an extra pay restaurant at night, while Liberty has fish n chips in that spot.

 

The biggest problem with Breeze is that the theater shows are horrible! 30 minutes long, very few performers, no props, & no live music at all. For people who don't care about shows, this won't matter, but for those that enjoy a good show, these will be very disappointing. Even though Liberty's shows don't match up to some other cruiselines, they will still be worlds better than Breeze's. Liberty's are an hour long, with live music, plenty of performers that aren't being asked to do too much, & real props.

 

Liberty has 3 pools, while the Breeze has only 2. Liberty has 2 hot tubs near the main pool & another near the waterslide. Breeze has 0 hot tubs anywhere near the main pool or waterslides. You have to go on a hike to get to a hot tub from Breeze's main pool area. So it depends on what your group would be into. For me, I'd be torn, because I like the waterslides & good shows at night. I'd probably take Liberty, making only a partial waterslide sacrifice, while Breeze would be totally sacrificing the shows.

 

I haven't seen the reviews regarding Liberty's vibrations. I wonder if those people had stayed in the aft on the lower decks. It seems that the aft of lower decks always gets plenty of vibrations on all the ships. I have noticed that in the back dining room & in my 1 cruise on a deck 2 aft room. On that same ship 2 years later, I stayed forward on deck 2, & no crazy vibrations. I'd be surprised if Liberty had a unique vibration problem.

Edited December 24, 2014 by k2excursion

[Jimmycee]

My wife and I just got off the Liberty on 12/20/14 and loved it. Probably my favorite ship after 22 cruises. Did not notice the vibrations mentioned, other than periodic ones that occur on most ships in certain areas and definitely in the aft area when the thrusters are on. Will be on the Breeze in January. Have been on the Dream and liked the Liberty better. On the Liberty, Guy's Burgers are very good as are the fish and chips. If grabbing food from any area on deck 9, my wife and I always met in the Fish and Chip area to eat. Much less crowded, however, others learned the same and so there were more people there as the cruise went on. Very few up there at breakfast though. Wish we were going on the Liberty again instead of the Breeze. Also, I only saw two pools on the Liberty, with the one in the back of the ship able to be covered. Also, there are two more hot tubs in the serenity area in the front of the ship. Whichever you choose, have a great time! My wife and I have never been on a bad cruise.

[Cruisegirl6]

Thank you, which out of the two offer more choices for lunch buffet? We don't eat fast food type foods which would include guys burgers so considering we looking for meat carvings and meat hot dishes instead of the burgers, fries, hot dogs and such which one would be best for us or do they both have the same type foods?

[SNJCruisers]

Thank you, which out of the two offer more choices for lunch buffet? We don't eat fast food type foods which would include guys burgers so considering we looking for meat carvings and meat hot dishes instead of the burgers, fries, hot dogs and such which one would be best for us or do they both have the same type foods?

Both of the ships offer the Seaday brunch, Mongolian Wok, Deli, and Blue Iguana Cantina as alternatives for lunch that is not buffet style or "fast food". In addition, the Breeze offers Fat Jimmy's C Side BBQ. http://www.carnival.com/cruise-food/fat-jimmys-bbq

Also the Captains Pasta Bar at Cucina del Capitano.

http://www.carnival.com/cruise-food/captains-pasta-bar

I also think that the Bonsai Sushi is open for lunch for a small fee.

The Pasta Bar and BBQ are free. The Cucina del Capitano is a 15.00 option for dinner that is well worth the money.

[k2excursion]

Also, I only saw two pools on the Liberty, with the one in the back of the ship able to be covered. Also, there are two more hot tubs in the serenity area in the front of the ship. Whichever you choose, have a great time! My wife and I have never been on a bad cruise.

 

I'm glad you enjoyed the Liberty. There are actually 3 pools on the Liberty. The one in the back that you mentioned, the main pool on deck 9 that's close to most of the food, and the pool on deck 10 that is next to the waterslide exit. So there are 3.

 

In response to the OPs latest question, the main difference in food choices with the ships is the Italian restaurant (free for lunch & extra pay for dinner) versus fish n chips. For me, I prefer that lunch pasta bar (on Breeze) to fish n chips. Breeze does have the lanai BBQ that Liberty doesn't have, but I thought the choices weren't very good, and it is buffet style, and no free drinks available down there. Breeze's lanai BBQ is far worse than Dream's or Magic's, for my tastes.

Edited December 29, 2014 by k2excursion

[Cruisegirl6]

You all giving me great information, please keep giving me your opinions all.

[LusbyClan]

I've been on both ships and I liked the Liberty but I LOVE the Breeze. Bigger, lots of little niches to hide away, if you want quiet.

Food - Breeze has a Sushi Bar (small charge) and worth it!

- Ate MDR most nights on both ships and no problem with meals; however, there are more tables on Breeze and feels a bit crowded.

-Do not like location of Steakhouse on Liberty. Steakhouse an afterthought and big windows exposed to deck and everyone passing by. No ambience.

-Breeze offers Indian food too.

Liberty Layout - No pass through on decks 4 and 5, constantly having to go up and down, down and up stairs to walk through ship.

Breeze layout - No pass through in photo exhibits when closed for night.

Comedy - both ships - comedy club crowded. If you don't get in early, no seating. Both ships offer family friendly shows.

Sun days - No problem finding chairs on Breeze; an issue on the Liberty.

Kids enjoyed both ships.

Good luck making a choice. Can't go wrong with either one, but the Breeze is definitely better.