The 'good' the 'bad' and the 'ugly' about the Breeze

[nissach]

We are sailing the Breeze December 27, 2015. We have previously sailed on the Ecstasy, Miracle(2), Pride and the Splendor.

We always sail at Christmas or New Years, so we know the ships will be sold out.

Just wondering from those of you who have sailed the Breeze(or her sister ship the Magic) what you liked or disliked about her.

[k2excursion]

I really love the waterpark. I can have fun all day with that. Great for kids or adults who act like kids (me). The ropes course is also a lot of fun. The sports square thing is something I didn't really partake of. The mini golf was fun. I love the free lunch pasta bar at Cucina del Capitana. The Magic's lanai BBQ is much much better than Breeze's. Breeze has Guys burgers & Blue Iguana cantina. I liked the cantina. I thought Guys was only slightly better than regular burgers, but others think they are the greatest invention in the history of mankind.

 

I don't like how Breeze has no live music for their stage shows, and they're only 30 minutes long. Really poor shows. Magic's are much better; totally different style. I also don't like that you have to leave a card or paper in the slot to keep your stateroom lights on.

[DGP1111]

Good:

Ship in general.

My cove balcony (actually great rather than good)

Almost all the crew members I encountered.

Dining room food.

 

Bad:

Playlist Productions (which was a combination of bad/ugly).

 

Ugly:

Attitude of numerous passengers when our sailing itinerary had to be adjusted multiple times during the week.

 

.

I'm no longer a Carnival fan by any means, but this ship was impressive in all the right ways to provide me an enjoyable vacation cruise, and cause me to consider booking this ship yet again.

 

.

[nissach]

Thanks for the opinions so far!!:)

[soccersharon]

I enjoyed The Brits and Diva shows on the Breeze. Not Broadway caliber by any means - but enjoyable nonetheless.

 

Crew was friendly, food on my sailing was very good, MDR staff excellent (as has been the case on each of my previous cruises).

 

Looking to book the Breeze for this summer for an 8 day with the family this time.

 

 

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Edited January 4, 2015 by soccersharon

[riclop]

Considering the ships you have been on you will love the Breeze even though the Splendor is good.

[cruisinpips]

:D Good: Waterworks, ropes course, Guy's Burgers, Blue iguana Cantina, Farenheit 555 steakhouse, Spa rooms, Comdey Club, Red Frog Pub!!

 

:( Bad: Shows, wait for Comedy Club (long lines), pools too small if ship is full.

 

:eek: Ugly: no more band music on Lido, DJ music TOO loud on lido, to the point of being painful at times, too far to Miami from Virginia...

 

We are booked on her for June, which will be our third trip, and have two on Magic, and one on Dream. Breeze is our favorite by far.:D:D

[Illa Zilla]

Just got off the Breeze today and I have to say this is my favorite Carnival ship.

 

Good: Decor matches the name, light and breezy, none of that garish Las Vegas style the rest of the Carnival ships have. The fake trees in the Marketplace are a really cute touch!

Guy's Burgers - Good flavor, nice soft squishy bun, plenty of condiments, and yes Virginia, you get more than six fries. I could have eaten these every day!

Blue Iguana Cantina - Burritos were pretty tasty, both the breakfast and the lunch burritos. They're not Chipotle, but that's a plus in and of itself. The staff making these were some of the nicest and friendliest I have ever met.

Limelight Lounge/Punchliner - What else can I say but "Good times, good times". Preferred the adult shows to the all ages shows, but the all ages shows weren't bad.

Sapphire Dining Room - Was very glad they didn't roll out the "American Table" menu to the Breeze. While the variety wasn't what it used to be, several favorite were still there, including the Strawberry Bisque and the Mango Cream soup. Did anytime dining and the staff were as attentive as they could be. Personally I think Carnival is stretching the staff a bit thin.

Tandoor - Yum.

Dive-in Movies - These were a lot of fun. I really liked these!

Bad : Chair hogs. However, for the first time ever, I did see Carnival staff placing time stickers on chairs that had been vacant for more than the allotted 40 minutes. The bad part of this is that Carnival seemed content to let the passengers enforce the 40 minute rule rather than have the staff come back and remove the items and free up the chairs.

Photographers. Enough with impromptu photos at dinner, or getting off the ship or whatever. If I want a photo I will seek you out.

Fahrenheit 555 - While it wasn't really bad, for the extra $35/pp I didn't feel anything I ate in here made me say "OMG, I HAVE to come back here!". Don't get me wrong, the staff was very attentive and the food was good. It just didn't blow me away.

Ugly : Passengers. Especially the chair hogs on the aft Lido deck that almost got into fisticuffs over who claimed a chair first. It was almost to the point of having to pee on your chair to mark you territory or someone would take it. It really stuck in my craw the way that some people would come down at 0600, place a book, 3-4 towels and a banana on a group of 8 chairs and then not return to these chairs until 0830 or 0900.

Passengers II - How hard is it for people to listen and follow instructions? Or wait their turn in line to debark? The CD had to make numerous announcement to get people off Deck 3 prior to debarkation, and then make several more announcements telling people they needed to wait for their deck to be called before they would be allowed off the ship.

 

I'm probably missing some stuff, so if I think of it, I'll add more!

[pirate4me2]

We loved the Waterpark, Blue Iguana for breakfast, Guys Burgers, and the ship decor. Ocean Plaza was a great hangout. The BBQ wasn't very good, and Playlist Productions were lacking compared to the shows with a live band.

[SNJCruisers]

Favorite Carnival cruise out of 17 taken so far. Cucina del Capitano for both lunch and dinner, Red Frog Pub, Piano Bar and adult comedy were the highlights of our 6 day cruise. Also liked the subtle caribbean hues instead of the neon nonsense on the rest of the fleet.

[nissach]

Just got off the Breeze today and I have to say this is my favorite Carnival ship.

 

Good: Decor matches the name, light and breezy, none of that garish Las Vegas style the rest of the Carnival ships have. The fake trees in the Marketplace are a really cute touch!

Guy's Burgers - Good flavor, nice soft squishy bun, plenty of condiments, and yes Virginia, you get more than six fries. I could have eaten these every day!

Blue Iguana Cantina - Burritos were pretty tasty, both the breakfast and the lunch burritos. They're not Chipotle, but that's a plus in and of itself. The staff making these were some of the nicest and friendliest I have ever met.

Limelight Lounge/Punchliner - What else can I say but "Good times, good times". Preferred the adult shows to the all ages shows, but the all ages shows weren't bad.

Sapphire Dining Room - Was very glad they didn't roll out the "American Table" menu to the Breeze. While the variety wasn't what it used to be, several favorite were still there, including the Strawberry Bisque and the Mango Cream soup. Did anytime dining and the staff were as attentive as they could be. Personally I think Carnival is stretching the staff a bit thin.

Tandoor - Yum.

Dive-in Movies - These were a lot of fun. I really liked these!

Bad : Chair hogs. However, for the first time ever, I did see Carnival staff placing time stickers on chairs that had been vacant for more than the allotted 40 minutes. The bad part of this is that Carnival seemed content to let the passengers enforce the 40 minute rule rather than have the staff come back and remove the items and free up the chairs.

Photographers. Enough with impromptu photos at dinner, or getting off the ship or whatever. If I want a photo I will seek you out.

Fahrenheit 555 - While it wasn't really bad, for the extra $35/pp I didn't feel anything I ate in here made me say "OMG, I HAVE to come back here!". Don't get me wrong, the staff was very attentive and the food was good. It just didn't blow me away.

Ugly : Passengers. Especially the chair hogs on the aft Lido deck that almost got into fisticuffs over who claimed a chair first. It was almost to the point of having to pee on your chair to mark you territory or someone would take it. It really stuck in my craw the way that some people would come down at 0600, place a book, 3-4 towels and a banana on a group of 8 chairs and then not return to these chairs until 0830 or 0900.

Passengers II - How hard is it for people to listen and follow instructions? Or wait their turn in line to debark? The CD had to make numerous announcement to get people off Deck 3 prior to debarkation, and then make several more announcements telling people they needed to wait for their deck to be called before they would be allowed off the ship.

 

I'm probably missing some stuff, so if I think of it, I'll add more!

 

Thank you for the detailed review!

We are just off the Pride. I agree with your statements about passengers with deck chairs and debarkation. So I guess it does not really matter what ship you are on, people complain and don't follow the simple procedures on tendering or debarking, creating chaos.

We bought FTTF(specifically for the tendering port) and when we were being taken to the tendering boats the stairways were crowded with passengers trying to make their way down before their numbers were called. Then they were mad at us at to why we were given priority. Even other passengers who bought FTTF were complaining that they were not being taken off 'first'. I told them they were waiting with the rest of the priority passengers(platinum, diamond, FTTF, early excursions) and they snapped that they were FTTF and should be off FIRST. Ridiculous!!

[Illa Zilla]

Thank you for the detailed review!

We are just off the Pride. I agree with your statements about passengers with deck chairs and debarkation. So I guess it does not really matter what ship you are on, people complain and don't follow the simple procedures on tendering or debarking, creating chaos.

We bought FTTF(specifically for the tendering port) and when we were being taken to the tendering boats the stairways were crowded with passengers trying to make their way down before their numbers were called. Then they were mad at us at to why we were given priority. Even other passengers who bought FTTF were complaining that they were not being taken off 'first'. I told them they were waiting with the rest of the priority passengers(platinum, diamond, FTTF, early excursions) and they snapped that they were FTTF and should be off FIRST. Ridiculous!!

We had FTTF for that same reason and were getting a little nervous for the debarkation. We had a 1230 flight out of Miami, and it seemed that we were never going to get off the ship because they had to keep telling people to get off Deck 3 and to stop coming down if their deck hadn't been called. But eventually they called our zone and we were off by 0930. So that was good. :)

I wish they would make those line jumpers go to the end of the line, like they used to do in grade school!;)

[nissach]

The Breeze will be the largest ship we have been on. With nearly 4000 guests, are lines long, does the ship seem crowded?? Is the ships layout easy to maneuver?

[Illa Zilla]

The Breeze will be the largest ship we have been on. With nearly 4000 guests, are lines long, does the ship seem crowded?? Is the ships layout easy to maneuver?

 

The trip I was on was sold out and I only felt crowded twice, on the initial boarding (because everyone gets on board and then stops in the atrium instead of keeping moving) and after reboarding on Grand Cayman (because apparently they didn't allow reboarding until almost 1500 and it backed everything up). I generally camped out on Deck 10 Aft and sunworshipped with the Mrs. and it wasn't too bad back there, except for the indigenous Chairicus hogimax. I can't speak for the main pool area since I generally like like a quiet and relaxing atmosphere when I cruise. I'm not into the loud music and hairy chest contest.;)

 

As far as lines for restaurants, you need to be flexible with your eating habits. I am generally an early riser, so breakfast was never an issue. But when I walked by around 0900, there would be lines. However, if you went to the Blue Iguana Cantina for a breakfast burrito, there didn't seem to be much of a wait. I did anytime dining in the Sapphire Dining Room and never waited more than 5 minutes to get in. But I generally ate at 1800 because my teens had activities planned with Circle C and Club O2 later that evening, and I didn't want to mess up their plans. In my opinion, if you are flexible with your eating habits and are open minded to try different things (the Tandoor on 10 aft is excellent) there will be little to no waiting. If you have to eat lunch at 1200 in the Lido buffet, the be prepared to wait.

 

The ship was incredibly easy to maneuver. Decks 4 and 5 pretty much go from stem to stern. Deck 4 has a promenade on the starboard side that allows you to go from the aft of the ship to the Atrium. I love this layout. I always hated the up-down-back-around layouts of the older ships I was on (Victory, Destiny, Glory). Also by each elevator bank is a large map of the ship showing you exactly where you are. It will show you what deck you are on and also where on that deck you are. In my opinion the Dream class ships are incredibly easy to navigate.:)

Edited January 4, 2015 by Illa Zilla

[k2excursion]

The Breeze will be the largest ship we have been on. With nearly 4000 guests, are lines long, does the ship seem crowded?? Is the ships layout easy to maneuver?

 

I was on the ship on a week that we had almost every single bed filled, with about 4700 guests on the ship. The lines were surprisingly short, almost all week. Even on sea days, I would eat lunch at noon or 12:30 or 1:00, whenever; it never mattered. The lines were short. At the buffet, the back of the line was where the food started even at peak times. Same has been true on Magic & Dream. Only one time where there was a line. On Day 2 of the cruise, Guys burgers had a line of over 12,000 people in it from about 10am to 4pm. The line extended all the way back to the bar on the other side of the open pool area. Needless to say, I did not try a Guys burger that day. After that, the line for Guys was never more than a dozen or so people. The lanai BBQ can sometimes have a line, but it's not very good.

 

It can feel crowded. The lido deck is set up different from old ships. Inside, they have more walls & barriers, which force the people walking by to walk in specific spots. This creates more bottlenecks than on Magic or Dream, making it feel more crowded. But it really wasn't bad at all. The lido deck floor inside at the buffet area is slippery at all times, even when dry, so be very careful. Same is true for Magic, but not Dream.

 

Dream class ships are very easy to maneuver. That evil, wretched kitchen blockade that so many people find to be the worst thing in the world does still exist on Breeze. Deck 3 is blocked by the kitchen, but deck 4 is no longer blocked by the midship dining room, like on Conquest/Triumph class ships.

[nissach]

Thank you Illa Zilla and k2excursions!

Good to know that the ship is easy to maneuver.

 

As for eating, we are flexible and will wait a little longer or change venue to avoid long lines.

 

On the Pride we never had to wait at the Blue Iguana Cantina and we loved their food.

[lisajm]

DH and I were on the Breeze in November. We had a 9th floor balcony room. This was my fifth cruise dh's virgin cruise.

Good:We loved that you could walk all the way around the ship deck on the promenade. The Red Rum Pub was on this level, which was a great place to grab a drink. Plenty of hot tubs on the promenade as well.

We had the pleasure of seeing Lady Antebellum as part of the Carnival Live series. (GREAT CONCERT). However the seating was first come first serve, unless you were a casino guest for whom the entire floor was reserved. They also had drawings all week and those people sat in floor seating as well. Meanwhile, the people who actually paid for their seats were in the nosebleeds.

We did a 6 day Western. Loved Key West and Cozumel. We had weather issues in Grand Cayman and had to cancel our excursion. Walked around GC a little, stopped and had 1 drink a piece at this little restaurant and it was 30.00 American, so promptly got on a tender back to the Breeze because we had Cheers.

Bad:During our cruise there were 2 major tournaments in the casino so it was very congested. Not sure if it is normally like this, but we weren't able to find an open table there and found it difficult to maneuver around the space.

Ugly: This was the first cruise that I have been on where it was difficult to get a drink, or for that matter to get a waiter's/bartender's attention. It was bizarre even in areas where there were plenty of wait staff, you could barely get their attention, and when you did it would be at least a half an hour before your drink would arrive.

All in all we had a wonderful time and the ship is beautiful.

[nissach]

Good to hear mostly positive reviews of the Breeze!!

[Alwaysacruiseinthequeue]

Good:

Ship in general.

My cove balcony (actually great rather than good)

Almost all the crew members I encountered.

Dining room food.

 

Bad:

Playlist Productions (which was a combination of bad/ugly).

 

Ugly:

Attitude of numerous passengers when our sailing itinerary had to be adjusted multiple times during the week.

 

.

I'm no longer a Carnival fan by any means, but this ship was impressive in all the right ways to provide me an enjoyable vacation cruise, and cause me to consider booking this ship yet again.

 

.

 

What caused you to lose your "fan" status with the line? I'm still loyal as it was our first line and we've never been disappointed; but we are curious about other lines (right now...Celebrity). As for the BREEZE...it's the cement to the deal as far as our love of Carnival. We love it.

[nkexiangpe]

The sports square thing is something I didn't really partake of.

[SportsMomof4]

We spent 2 New Years on the Breeze & even though the ship was packed to capacity both times, we LOVED it. We never once had to wait on lines for food at the buffet. We had a lido balcony both times & would never get a room anywhere else.

 

Are there chair hogs?? Yes of course, they are on EVERY ship & Carnival doesn't follow through with their policy so that's a Carnival issue not a Breeze issue.

 

After just getting off the Sunshine a few days ago, the Breeze is heaven & until the Vista comes out, no ship will compare to the Breeze. At least for us!

[Jamman54]

We spent 2 New Years on the Breeze & even though the ship was packed to capacity both times, we LOVED it. We never once had to wait on lines for food at the buffet. We had a lido balcony both times & would never get a room anywhere else.

 

Are there chair hogs?? Yes of course, they are on EVERY ship & Carnival doesn't follow through with their policy so that's a Carnival issue not a Breeze issue.

 

After just getting off the Sunshine a few days ago, the Breeze is heaven & until the Vista comes out, no ship will compare to the Breeze. At least for us!

 

Good to know. Looking forward to our first cruise on the Breeze this August

[nissach]

We spent 2 New Years on the Breeze & even though the ship was packed to capacity both times, we LOVED it. We never once had to wait on lines for food at the buffet. We had a lido balcony both times & would never get a room anywhere else.

 

Are there chair hogs?? Yes of course, they are on EVERY ship & Carnival doesn't follow through with their policy so that's a Carnival issue not a Breeze issue.

 

After just getting off the Sunshine a few days ago, the Breeze is heaven & until the Vista comes out, no ship will compare to the Breeze. At least for us!

 

Very good to hear.

As for the chair hogs, I totally agree. Unless Carnival enforces it own policy, chair hogs will continue to exist!

[cindivan]

At least Carnival puts stickers on chairs. I have never heard of that. we primarily sail RC and was on the Oasis over New Years and the nothing was ever done about the chogs. (Chair hogs). Although for the first time ever on a cruise we never had an issue finding a group of chairs as long as we were out by 11ish am. It's been a while since we have sailed Carnival and that is the one thing I remember is how hard it is to find a chair.

 

 

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Edited January 10, 2015 by cindivan

[ldlewis45]

The good:

 

• The Pizza Pirate on the Breeze is by far the best on all the ships I've been on.
  
• The Ocean Plaza area was very nice for trivia and reading or a coffee.
  

 

The bad:

 

• The automatic doors! In theory, a good idea. In practice, not so much. At the Ocean Plaza, they'd open every time someone passed them, and when it's chilly outside, it creates a cold wind inside the Plaza. I wish they were like NCL's Breakaway, where you had to tap a sensor to open the door.
  
• The aft pool area had a bit of a sewage smell quite often. It was relatively faint, but noticeable.
  
• Playlist Productions: Absolutely mediocre singers/dancers.