Carnival Breeze B2B review with 107 photos & 11 videos

[wrcjr98]

What a great review! Thank you so much for taking the time to write it! We too found Sarah & The Run for Cover Band the highlight of our cruise! I think I only went to one of the playlist production shows, because I was a "Run for Cover Groupie" all week, and showed up every night for every set! I really enjoy the CD I bought of Sarah and Drew, but Carnival really should aim at keeping them together for awhile - I'd love a CD of the band, especially with that great new trio!!

We thought Matt was great - and we are 52/53 - but we didn't see him around the pools and stuff, just around the ship and at the Hasbro show.

We will be sailing on the Escape as well - looking forward to that review from you!!

[sprint180]

Great review. I always like reading them and thanks for not dragging it out for 3 weeks.

[negronw_1]

Great review. We sail on the BREEZE in 34 days. Your pictures looked awesome. Saved a couple as our screensavers and background. Thank you for posting.:):)

[Spaniel Lover]

I think I only went to one of the playlist production shows, because I was a "Run for Cover Groupie" all week, and showed up every night for every set!

 

I had a VERY similar problem. In two weeks, I only made it to ONE comedy show in the Punchliner! I was so in to what The Run For Cover Band was doing that I just never had the time to get to another comedy show. Usually on a B2B we start running out of things to do during the second week, but we were so entertained by the band that we never had a dull evening the entire time.

 

Have you ever considered trying Celebrity?

 

Other people have suggested that to me, too... and I've looked in to it a little bit, but here's my dilemma. My cruises tend to be one of three types...

 

1. I want to get away for as LONG as possible. This Carnival Breeze B2B was a good example of that. OK, so if I'm in the mood for a two week cruise, it's pretty much got to be Carnival because I really need to keep the price from getting outrageous. I'm doubling the number of days, so the per day price needs to stay low... which is Carnival's strongest point.

 

2. I want to have the most amazing possible cruise, and I don't care how much it's going to cost me. I will splurge on this cruise, but therefore it can't be any longer than 7 days. When this is my frame of mind, I going to book myself in to The Haven on Norwegian Cruise Line. It's AMAZING. And correct me if I'm wrong, but to do the equivalent ship-within-a-ship VIP experience on Celebrity... I think that would be a LOT more expensive. It seems like I can get the big VIP cruise experience from Norwegian without completely breaking the bank.

 

3. Money is a little tight, but I want to do a cruise. The cost has to stay very low, but I must cruise! Get me on a cruise ship, but cheap! Well, that's definitely a Carnival. :)

 

[rok233]

Thanks so much for this review! Of all the reviews I've read over the years, yours are definitely the BEST!

[MrMrsCruizer]

Loved- loved - loved your review. You were so detailed, helpful and entertaining. I haven't been on the breeze. But after your review i am going to look into it. I love the fact you made this review so personal. I feel we got to know 007 a little better. Would love to meet up with you guys on a future cruise. We have been on 9 cruises; all on carnival but 1 which was NCL. It was ok out on NO but the ship was old and it was about 10 years ago. We live in San Diego and have been to the Mexican Rivera a few time leaving out of San Diego and Long Beach. Loved when Carnival was in San Diego and moved to Long Beach :( . But anyway where i was going was to let you know when you go to Puerto Vallarta you have to do the Las Caletas private island. We did this last year and loved it; especially since you guys love to hand out lounging at the beach. This was by far the best excursion in all the cruising we have done. Find your spot on this private island and you will have a serving coming with drinks all day and then dinner is served all included in the price. We are going on the Journey cruise to mexico in January and we are booking the Rhythm of the Night excursion on this island, can't wait to go. Happy cruising and thank you for that great review.

[shdixon]

Thank you, that was excellent

[Aldeya]

What a review! And the pictures!

 

Now to the question. We'll be in St.Maarten in November and that little beach looks like a relaxing place we are looking for. We've done all the "touristy" things on St.Maarten before so plan to have a beach day.

 

Can you tell the name of this beach and how to get there? You mentioned a water taxi. Any details would be very helpful.

 

Oh and I'm still trying to figure out what exactly made THAT video of yours go viral :D

[caitmac1]

Thanks for posting this - was great to read! I'm hoping to do a Breeze cruise in the future, and it will be really interesting to see how you compare her to the Miracle- the only ship I've been on so far, LOL. (But really liked!)

[Spaniel Lover]

We'll be in St.Maarten in November and that little beach looks like a relaxing place we are looking for. We've done all the "touristy" things on St.Maarten before so plan to have a beach day.

 

Can you tell the name of this beach and how to get there? You mentioned a water taxi. Any details would be very helpful.

 

Take a look at this article, which gives a full explanation.

 

There is one thing in the article that appears to be out-of-date, though. They say to be careful which water taxi you get on, as they don't all go to the same places. I don't think that's true anymore. There was no choice of water taxis... you just get on one. The first stop is one end of the beach, and everyone gets off there. After that, it goes to the other end of the beach. Then it comes back to the cruise ship pier.

 

It's VERY easy to find the water taxis from the cruise ship pier. You just follow the crowd off the ship and down the pier. Once you get to the point where the crowd starts to scatter in different directions, stay to the LEFT. You'll see signs for the water taxis. Don't worry, it's even easier than it sounds.

[cruising maniac]

I had a VERY similar problem. In two weeks, I only made it to ONE comedy show in the Punchliner! I was so in to what The Run For Cover Band was doing that I just never had the time to get to another comedy show. Usually on a B2B we start running out of things to do during the second week, but we were so entertained by the band that we never had a dull evening the entire time.

 

 

 

Other people have suggested that to me, too... and I've looked in to it a little bit, but here's my dilemma. My cruises tend to be one of three types...

 

1. I want to get away for as LONG as possible. This Carnival Breeze B2B was a good example of that. OK, so if I'm in the mood for a two week cruise, it's pretty much got to be Carnival because I really need to keep the price from getting outrageous. I'm doubling the number of days, so the per day price needs to stay low... which is Carnival's strongest point.

 

2. I want to have the most amazing possible cruise, and I don't care how much it's going to cost me. I will splurge on this cruise, but therefore it can't be any longer than 7 days. When this is my frame of mind, I going to book myself in to The Haven on Norwegian Cruise Line. It's AMAZING. And correct me if I'm wrong, but to do the equivalent ship-within-a-ship VIP experience on Celebrity... I think that would be a LOT more expensive. It seems like I can get the big VIP cruise experience from Norwegian without completely breaking the bank.

 

3. Money is a little tight, but I want to do a cruise. The cost has to stay very low, but I must cruise! Get me on a cruise ship, but cheap! Well, that's definitely a Carnival. :)

 

 

Don't give up on Celebrity. They are really no more expensive than Carnival and they have great deals on pick your perk. They have concierge and spa cabins that would be comparable to the Haven on NCL. Last year we picked the brand new Reflection over Thanksgiving because it was the same price as CCL and included the drink package. Exceptional ship.

[Spaniel Lover]

I'm hoping to do a Breeze cruise in the future, and it will be really interesting to see how you compare her to the Miracle- the only ship I've been on so far, LOL. (But really liked!)

 

While I haven't been on the Miracle (yet) I have been on her sister ship, the Carnival Spirit, quite a few times... and I dearly loved that ship. There are some significant design differences between the Spirit-class and the Dream-class.

 

The most important thing for me on the Spirit-class is that the Serenity Retreat is actually serene. They basically built the Serenity retreat around the aft pool... which, in my opinion, is where it should be... because you don't have the wind issues, and you don't get all the noise from the music and the craziness of the mid-ship pool. Plus, it's great to have a swimming pool as well as Jacuzzis in the Serenity Retreat.

 

The other thing is that Spirit-class ships have TWO mid-ship pools, one of which has a retractable glass dome overhead which can be closed if the ship hits any bad weather. So, even in bad weather, there is a useable swimming pool. Also, because they have two swimming pools at mid-ship, one becomes the party pool with the DJ and all the music and noise, and the other is kept quiet and relaxing. I love that.

 

Another really cool thing about the Spirit-class is that they have a fantastic venue for live music performances. As you can tell from reading my review, I love to listen to live music on the ship. On the Dream-class, the venue is kind of a joke! I'm talking about Ocean plaza. It's SO poorly designed on the Dream-class. They got it right on the Carnival Sunshine, but on the Dream-class it's so weird! The stage where the band plays is in a very awkward position. The audience is not in front of the band, half of the audience is 90 degrees to the left of the stage, and half of the audience is 90 degrees to the right of the stage. The band members, facing forward, are not facing the audience at all... they face the dance floor. And that dance floor is built right in an area where people are constantly walking to get from one part of the ship to another. It's really awkward.

 

There is no such problem on the Spirit-class. They have a fantastic venue for live music, one deck below the main theater. It has a slight slope to the audience seating area... so everyone has a good sight line to the stage where the band plays. There's a nice dance floor. And the acoustics in the room are EXCELLENT. So, if they have a good cover band onboard, listening to live music on the Spirit-class is a delight.

 

Finally, there are a lot less passengers on a Spirit-class ship, and it is noticeable... especially in the buffet, and around the swimming pools.

 

I like all Carnival ships, even the older Fantasy-class... and each class has certain advantages and disadvantages. The Breeze has a lot going for it, but I'm looking forward to the Miracle, too!

[ourfamilylovescruising]

Great review!!

I am now going to read your getaway review.

 

we are doing her in March of 2016 and we are doing the Escape this Thanksgiving :D

[OKC Cruisers]

Thank you for such a great pictorial review...and kudos on your photography skills. We have a cruise on Breeze booked for December of 2016 when she will be sailing out of Galveston, so I enjoyed being able to get a good look at the ship and it's amenities.

 

Wishing you and Kellyn safe journeys and nothing but fair weather on your future cruises!

Edited October 5, 2015 by OKC Cruisers

[Jay Sam]

Thanks so much for the awesome review and stunning photos. The self video of you in the water park slide was great.

 

I just reserved and paid for Breeze's 05 Dec, 8 night to eastern Caribbean. Have taken 12 previous cruises, 5 on Carnival. This is my 1st one with the 2.0 features.

 

Thanks again for all the great information. Really enjoyed the read and photos.

[RaiderFaninNM]

Wow, awesome thread, SUPER pics and looked like it was alot of fun!!

 

 

THANKS for sharing!!

[Aldeya]

Take a look at this article, which gives a full explanation.

 

 

Thank you so much for the link and updates!

[fuzzmane]

Cozumel, Mexico

 

The final stop of our 14-day cruise was one of our favorite vacation destinations: Cozumel. I could go to Cozumel once a month for the next several years, and still not get bored with it. There's a lot of fun stuff to do there!

 

For this particular day in Cozumel, we decided to make a repeat visit to a place we've been to twice before. It's a shore excursion that is exclusive to Carnival, called La Casa En La Playa. Translated to English, that's the house at the beach. It's a little slice of paradise, as I think you'll see from the next few pictures!

 

This is the kind of thing my Caribbean vacation fantasies are made of!

 

 

 

Here's why they call this excursion La Casa En La Playa...

 

Under that thatched roof is the house at the beach. The guests stay out on the beach, under an umbrella, or under the shade of all those palm trees. Or, of course, the guests go play in the warm ocean water! Inside the house, there are bathrooms... and almost as importantly, there's a kitchen where they'll make you a delicious lunch!

 

Kellyn had Mexican-style chicken and a rum runner to drink.

I had chile relleno and a rum & coke.

 

Did I mention that it's an open bar?

And the wait staff quickly finds out what you like and keeps them coming as often as you like.



 

There's also a massage tent, and several ladies standing by to give massages, for an extra fee.

 

They also have a small reef just a few feet offshore, where you can go snorkeling and see quite a few fish. I got smart and charged my underwater camera the night before, and then was able to get this video of the fish I saw just a few feet offshore of La Casa En La Playa...

 

[YOUTUBE]tqKbsERaAuI[/YOUTUBE]

 

If you've got an upcoming Carnival cruise to Cozumel and you think you're interested in La Casa En La Playa, you need to know that this excursion books up months in advance. There's no way that you can wait until you get on board to book this one... it is limited to only 16 people, so it sells out months in advance of the cruise. Think ahead, and book early for this one!

 

 

THANKS FOR THE AWESOME REVIEW.

 

This sounds like an awesome excursion for my first B2B next year on the Magic. I am unable to find this one listed by the name you have given. Do you have any other information. Thank you in advance.

Edited October 5, 2015 by fuzzmane

[Spaniel Lover]

This sounds like an awesome excursion for my first B2B next year on the Magic. I am unable to find this one listed by the name you have given. Do you have any other information. Thank you in advance.

 

The name of the excursion is "La Casa En La Playa". If you don't see it listed in the Cozumel excursions for your cruise, they're probably not offering it, for whatever reason.

 

The most likely reason would be that it is already sold out. As I mentioned, it sells out way in advance of the cruise. The word is out there already about how great this excursion is.

 

Another possible reason might be that other Carnival ships will be in Cozumel that day, and they might be offering it to that ship instead of yours. As I mentioned, they have a very limited capacity. So, if two Carnival ships are in Cozumel on the same day, maybe they don't offer it to both.

[Spaniel Lover]

I was able to get to a scanner today, and scan a few printed items from the cruise that might be useful to future Breeze cruisers.

 

Please note:

The Fun Times newsletters are VERY large high-resolution documents, and might take a while for you to download, depending on how good your Internet connection is. I don't recommend downloading them on your phone!

 

Click on any of the following links that are of interest to you:

 

Carnival Breeze full-size deck plans

 

Carnival Breeze mini deck plans

 

Fun Times daily newsletter - 1st 8 days Warning: LARGE download!

 

Fun Times daily newsletter - Final 6 days Warning: LARGE download!

 

Entertainment schedule - 1st 8 days

 

Entertainment schedule - Final 6 days

 

"Good To Know" information (such as where the self-serve laundry facilities are)

 

Departure information for the last day of the cruise

 

Room Service Menu

 

[fuzzmane]

You are probably right about the other ship(s), since the cruise is still over a year out. I will put this on my list for the next time I sail to Cozumel. Thanks again for your awesome review and information.

[Cruise Traveler Susan]

Loving your review - you and Jamman are the best reviewers. Thank you for doing it.

[rok233]

And he doesn't drag his reviews on for weeks! Straight and to the point with great pictures and information thrown in that is very helpful.

[darth frosty]

Yesyesyes

 

thankyou thankyou thankyou!!!!!!!

[cruiseclues]

Thank you for your Great Photo Video Review. :):):):)