Carnival Breeze Review: First Time Cruise

[RusticCreations]

Review:

 

This was our first cruise, we will try to explain our enjoyment and what we thought along the way. Please don't criticize spelling errors or the content, simply share in the excitement of the cruise.

 

Absolutes:

1. We have never, ever, ever cruised before. We knew nothing about what it entailed.

2. Overpacked our clothing. Yeah, unpack half your clothes and take twice as much money.

3. Get in shape for the cruise. Walk at least 2 miles a day for about one month before your trip. Make sure this includes walking up and down stairs, you'll thank yourself later.

4. There is always food available around the clock.

5. Guy's Burgers are the BEST!!!

6. Blue Igauna tacos ROCK!!!

7. Pace yourself.

8. Bought Carnival "Faster to the Fun", will never cruise again without it!!!

 

Prior to Cruise:

1. Plan, plan & plan. We did a lot of homework and spoke to a lot of people. We booked our cruise 9 months in advance. We choose to use a "Outside Travel Agent" rather than one from Carnival. We booked a balcony for our first cruise, figured if we enjoyed the cruise we did good, and if we didn't enjoy the cruise we could say we booked a balcony and saw the Ocean. Choose your Port of Calls carefully, some are warning locations that may not be friendly.

2. Create a budget. Costs can get really out of control and FAST. We spent a lot of time on our budget and because so, we enjoyed all three ports of call and excursions at each country, we splurged well.

3. Think about your luggage situation. The more you take the more you have to carry, push, pull as you arrive home and are tired as "HECK"!!! And of course this includes all the gifts and items you have to have including a new kitchen sink....

4. Make sure you have your Birth Certificate (or Certified Copy), Passport and State Issued ID or Drivers License.

5. Notify your bank and credit card company of your cruise (duration and ports of call)

6. Check weather conditions (local and at ports of call) and plan accordingly. Not only for clothing expectations but also for seasick prevention.

 

 

Cruise Day 1:

(Preface) Excitement will control you, slow down - take a deep breath and tell yourself you will need to be patient and flexible. Because, three thousand of your newest closest friends will be talking very loud at their newest bestest friends. They will be pushing, running and bumping in to you (accidently) because they don't see you standing in their world...

 

Arrived at the Port for staggered check-in (10:30am), went through customs and check-in within thirty minutes. During check-in we paid on our S&S Card accounts in cash (remember our budget advice) and added backing with a creditcard. When done, we were shown where to await for boarding. Carnival allows for pre-boarding in the following order before general boarding; Weddings, Travel Agents, special assistance, Diamond Club, Platinum Club and Faster to the Fun. Due to boarding early with Faster to the Fun, we also could go to our cabin when we walked on board.

 

We booked a balcony stateroom on deck 8 mid-ship. We enjoyed this location, for our first cruise. We had a level above and below us that was not utilized for swimming, play areas, kitchen, dancing , casino or any type of noise making possibilities. Well except for the "persons" who over indulged and stumbled down the hallway or cabin.

 

After dropping off our carry-on bags we explored the ship. This is a must!!! Upon our travels we stopped on deck 10 otherwise known as the "Lido" deck for a buffet lunch. It was not bad, not great, but not bad. We then continued on our self-guided tour for about 2 hours. When we arrived back at our cabin our luggage was waiting at our door. We had heard of luggage not showing up till extremely late at night and was not happy about that. Another benefit of Faster to the Fun, your luggage is separated and taken directly to your cabin upon being cleared by TSA and Carnival.

 

Sometime around 4pm we heard an announcement to meet for our "Muster" drill at our assigned location (your S&S card will state where this is on the ship). It's pretty standard and commonsense information that everyone needs to understand. At the end of the presentation we walked around the ship and noticed we had pulled away from the terminal. We found that the Red Frog Pub was showing the NFC/AFC Playoff games, what could be better, we'er watching football and we are underway!!! I was thinking this is Great, Awesome, yes we are on our grand get-away without issues, at least we/I thought. Remember when I stated above that you should check your local weather, well my wife and I did. We found out that for the first day and a half, the seas were going to be around 10 - 12 feet with winds around 25mph, my wife had started taking everything and anything that would prevent her from getting seasick including wearing motion bands on her wrists. Me, not so much. What was I thinking?

 

It was not that bad, well yes it was, I should have started earlier then right before dinner. Needless to say I went to the cabin at 7pm and stayed there. No, I did not get sick enough to vomit.

 

Cruise Day 2 (Sea Day):

 

Did I mention I was minorly seasick. It was more of a bad hangover effect then seasick, just felt dizzy more then nausous. Okay, if you have never cruised before, the commodes (toilets) are special. Well they operate differently then a home toilet. The toilets on the ship are vacuum based with water assist. This is something you need to experience. If you really need to know search on "Youtube", there is probably a video.

 

Nothing can explain or express the beauty of a sunrise or sunset while on a cruiseship, Simply Majestic. The coffee however, well it's rough. It isn't your local "Coffee Shop" or "Starbucks", you will need to bring with you REAL "Sweet n Low" and CoffeMate creamer (flavored) since there is only genric type sweetner, equal or sugar and they only serve Milk or Half/Half as coffee creamer.

 

Breakfast is available at the buffet, Blue Iguana burritos (AWESOME) or in the specialty dining rooms (if opened), room service is another choice (limited items).

 

There is so much to do on the ship, whether it is shows, shopping, games, movies, etc... you will be busy. And if your minorly seasick, well there's always going back to your cabin and lying down with your fan blowing cool air. That brings me to a fan. Most will probably say it's not necessary, however I will disagree as it drowns out the drunks and noisy running feet in the hallway at 1:00am but will also distribute air flow through the cabin on the warmer days in port.

 

For lunch we ate at Guy's Burgers. These became a meal staple as we ate there 4 times during our cruise. They were simply that good!!! Back to more shopping, games, bingo, etc.... If possible always try to sit down and experience the beautiful opportunity to relax on the sundecks.

 

The seas are still rough but I'm thinking I'm feeling better. I guess that's what they call "Getting Your Sea Legs". Time for dinner. We chose to eat at the Cucina Capitano specialty dining. What a great dinner!!! The wait staff was overwhelmingly helpful and attentive. The meal was perfectly prepared. Dessert was just okay, that was alright since there are multiple Soft-Serve Ice Cream machines available on the Lido Deck 24 hours a day....

 

Cruise Day 3 (Sea Day): See Above

 

Did I mention 24 hour Soft-Serve Ice Cream!!!

 

Early morning wake up came at 4:30am, I was over being seasick. Why did I wake up so early, I have no clue. All I know is that the seas have calmed and life is good as I drink my early morning coffee, watching the sunrise while reading a great book. As I started my day my wife slept-in, eating room service breakfast before heading to the fitness center. For lunch we ate at the Blue Iguana, the burritos were custom to your taste, with a variety of available meat, vegetables, cheese and tortillas.

 

This day we would find ourselves attending several different seminars on shopping, afterwards it was time to get some sun. The evening came way to soon, but maybe it should have come earlier. We found that we had gotten too much sun, in fact we were sunburned - in January!!! Not a great feeling with tomorrow being our first port day in Jamaica.

 

Cruise Day 4 (Jamaica):

 

Today was a very early day. As we exited the ship we met at the port in groups based upon our excursion. We chose Montego Bay Ten Best, a tour of Jamaica. It wasn't that bad as we learned alittle history of Jamaica. We stopped a several businesses and ate Jerk Chicken. The main fact we learned was that Jamaica was dirty. Unkept streets littered with trash. Vacant lots were the same. Very Pushy locals who try to sell you what they think you need. Not a place to visit a second time, what a shame.

 

Arrived back on the ship early evening. Ordered roomservice, it wasn't bad, probably one of the better meals. Walked around the ship but called it an early night.

 

Cruise Day 5 (Grand Caymon):

 

Even though Caymon was a 7am morning tendered port, we woke up early and ate watching the sunrise. Back to the port excursion, this is again where Faster to the Fun pays for itself, you get to leave the ship before excursion groups or general debarcation groups. A great reason to attend some of the break-out sessions on the ship was that they have raffles. We Won!!! We won a Sea & Land excursion the night before which saved us some money. Back to being on shore. As we arrived in Caymon we found ourselves waiting to be escorted to our buses for our tour. Our group was split due to the quantity of person on the tour. Our group started with the semi-sumerged boat that toured two ship wrecks and several coral reefs. This was cool, but a one and done don't have to do that again type of excursion. After this portion of the tour we got on our bus and began a multi-stop tour of Caymon. Our tour guide, Omar, was fantastic!!! His knowledge and sense of humor greatly enhanced our tour.

 

Caymon is BEAUTIFUL, the opposite of Jamaica. We visited visited the Island Turtle Farm, Tortuga Rum Store (the Rum Cake and Rum were fantastic!!!) and even went to HELL, Hell Caymon that is. Yes, several people had their passports stamped (that they have been to Hell & Back), we chose to mail our adult children postcards from, Yeah you guessed it, HELL.

 

But our day did not end at the port. Nope, we had to experience Caymon shopping at it's best (this is where you bring twice as much money). Watches, Jewelry, Gold, Silver, this bracelet, that ring, all available at great prices. Let's just say that expenses can get out of hand really quick, if you don't plan.

 

Back on board, we found ourselves drawn to one of the deck 5 Hot Tubs. It was great, the water was about 104, and very relaxing, given the time was about 4pm we were enjoying the Hot Tub as the Ship was leaving the port. Sunset was not to far away when we headed back to our cabin to get ready for dinner. Dinner, well we found ourselves at the buffet, but it was good... The best part of the buffet, ICE CREAM!!!!

 

Cruise Day 6 (Cozumel):

 

Cozumel was a late morning port of call, 10am. As we exited the ship we had to go through Customs, which was quick. We had pre-booked at Mr. Sanchos, an all inculsive resort and private beach. The water was beautiful blue and clear and about 80 degrees. This was not good for a person who was already sunburned, but what the heck your on vacation right and besides aloe vera is your friend. We headed back to the ship about 3pm. Before walking through Customs, yep you guessed it, we shopped.

 

Back on board we ate a snack (Pirates Pizza - not bad pizza either) before dinner. After dinner we visited several ship stores and where we waited to see if we were the lucky winners in the raffles. No we did not win.

 

The day was ending, but not without a splash. The splash was rough seas due to a Cold Front moving west to east, you guessed it, tracking from Mid-Mexico to Florida, directly in our path back to Galveston.

 

Cruise Day 7 (Sea Day):

 

Slept in (7am), figured we did not have much too do, I was wrong. But we did enjoy breakfast in the Blush Dining Room. One of the best breakfast we had, pancakes, eggs, bacon, etc... Back to being wrong. It was pack day. Gather all the clothes, stuff them into our suitcases, or at least I thought they would all fit. Dump them out, try again. Then add all of the gifts. Good thing we packed two backpacks. Before and after lunch we visited the last of the raffles held in the Ship Jewelry store. Still did not win. If you ever enter the "Guess the carat weight" contest, enter a value between 0.91 and 1.00, it seemed to be an average they stated for non-diamonds. Whatever that means. Took in some of the t-shirt sales, looked for some shirts but did not buy any, figured that would mean I would have to dump out a suitcase and repack it to make everything fit. Besides, we were very tired and this Saturday was pretty boring and took forever for the time to pass.

 

Made it through dinner (pizza in our cabin), yes we were tired. Needed to relax...

 

End of Cruise, Day 8:

 

We made it, Sunday morning, 530am. Why so early you ask, well we had bought the Faster to the Fun which also meant we leave the ship early. General exit time to begin leaving the ship from deck 8 was 945am. Keep this in mind. Now back to Faster to the Fun; How early you ask, well we meet in the assigned area at 630am, was called to debark at 715am, exited the ship at 732am, made it through Customs at 755am, walked out and loaded in parking bus at 8am, drove to parking lot and loaded our vehicle at 815am, headed home at 822am. This alone was worth the expense to purchase Faster to the Fun.

 

Final Thoughts:

 

1. Will we cruise again; yes and an Alaskan Cruise within the next 5 years.

2. Will we cruise with Carnival; yes, but will probably try RCCL next.

3. Will we book a balcony again; unsure, will try an interior room. The Alaskan Cruise will be a balcony.

4. Will always buy Faster to the Fun.

5. Will not buy drink package.

6. Will take an extra day off before going back to work.

7. Will take dramamine two days before our next cruise.

 

We are sure to have forgotten something, just ask and we'll answer what we can.

[princess76021]

Thank you for a very informative review!!! !

[mimirdh]

Very nice review. I'm assuming you sailed from Galveston? ( I may have missed that in your review). We are sailing on the RCCL Liberty of the Seas from Galveston in April 2018. I would suggest that you give that ship a try as a comparison to the Breeze. BUT go on the itinerary that has Costa Maya instead of Jamaica if you didn't like Jamaica as much.

 

Sailing on the Breeze is on my bucket list, but I probably won't get to her until she is repositioned to Orlando... when all is said and done, I'm glad you did your research before you sailed because all ships and cruise lines are definitely NOT equal. For us, it's all about the ship, with itinerary close second.

 

Thanks again for the review!

[Shaded Lady]

Thanks you for the review! We're sailing on the Breeze in September, my only concern with the weather at that time of year is hurricanes! I'll be lighting candles to the calm sea gods to keep big storms away starting in late August!

 

I was glad to hear about Guys & Blue Iguana... I've never sailed on a ship that has them and I'm really looking forward to trying them.

 

Did you eat in the dining room? If you mentioned it, I'm sorry. What dining option did you pick?

[bury me at sea]

I enjoyed your review and am glad you enjoyed the Breeze. She's my favorite ship.

[MAKINGWAVES]

On your excursion in Grand Cayman..... did you book through the ship or someone else? We are looking to do a land/sea type excursion, maybe the amphibious bus.

In Jamica we will go to scothies (sp) for jerk chicken.

[RusticCreations]

Yes, the Grand Cayman excursion was through Carnival. There were many different tours including the "Duck" (amphibious bus). In Jamaica we did get to eat "Jerk Chicken". The chicken was dry though, the jerk sauce was not bad at all, all together not a bad meal.

[cruzkitty]

Thanks for a great review! We are sailing the Breeze in October. ALL New cruisers SHOULD research their ship, ports, weather, tips, etc like you did before cruising and hey would pretty much know what to expect.

[vivavegas]

Welcome home!:)

[RusticCreations]

Thanks you for the review! We're sailing on the Breeze in September, my only concern with the weather at that time of year is hurricanes! I'll be lighting candles to the calm sea gods to keep big storms away starting in late August!

 

I was glad to hear about Guys & Blue Iguana... I've never sailed on a ship that has them and I'm really looking forward to trying them.

 

Did you eat in the dining room? If you mentioned it, I'm sorry. What dining option did you pick?

 

 

 

Yes, we ate in the MDR. We had "Anytime" dinning. We like this option as it did not limit us to a specific time. The first night was horrible, remember I was minorly seasick. We were seated in less than five minutes of arriving at the MDR. It took 10 minutes to order and receive our drinks, water that is, 10 minutes to receive two glasses of water. It took an additional fifteen minutes to have the bread delivered and order our meal. The appeitizers were not very good and tatsed "stale". My wife ordered Brisket and I ordered Pork Chops. The brisket was "luke" warm (not a Star Wars joke) and heavily laden with grizzle (sp?). My Pork Chop was cold but not bad. We ordered Rice and Potatoes with our entree's, both were cold and would not melt butter. We tried the MDR on another occasion but gave up as the same food was being served in the Marketplace buffet. We learned that if you watch the buffet lines you can time it to where the food trays will be replaced with "HOT" trays. Breakfast in the "Blush" DR was very very good, the opposite of the MDR. I guess because it was breakfast? Anyway, we did not enjoy the MDR, hope you have better luck....

[PlanoDebbie]

Very nice review!

 

For Alaska, don't waste money on a balcony. We had a mini-suite on our first trip with a balcony. It was either too cold or rainy or sleeting to sit outside. Just get an oceanview cabin for half the price. Not every cruise ship gets a permit to enter Glacier Bay. That's the BEST Glacier to see. The ship will spend an hour doing a 360 degree rotation so that everyone has a chance to see it. Best viewing for any glacier is from one of the open public decks. If you stay on your own balcony you will miss half of the view while your balcony is facing away from the glacier. On an open deck, you can switch from one side to the other so that you don't miss anything. Have done Alaska 3 times. First time was with a balcony that was rarely used. Next two cruises were with a much cheaper oceanview cabin.

[EODWIFERN]

Why would you not buy a drink package? Did you mainly stick with the stuff that was free?

[JaniceB]

Thanks for the detailed report and the tips for first time cruisers.

[easyboy]

Thank you for the informative review,

[sailor05]

Thanks for the great review. I like the little bit of mixed humor in there made for an enjoyable read.:) Welcome to the club of cruise junkies!:eek::D;)

[Crusin Hogs]

I see you missed the sail away party on the lido deck , We get on Deck 11 or 12 above lido for sail away ..Music jamming ,and watching the sights as you leave port ..

Jamaica has become 1 of our favorite ports ,Been there 4 times , You have to book tours , that take you away from Mo Bay ,Lot to see and do outside of the city ..

[camijo]

Great review, thanks. I am definitely looking forward to my cruise on the Breeze.. I have a long time to go!!

[Gumbo4Life]

Thanks for your informative review, very much appreciated. We just got back from our first cruise ever and I plan to write a short review soon, you have set a high standard! :)

[Clarea]

Excellent review, thanks!

[riclop]

Thanks for the review and now you are hooked.