Carnival Breeze April 9 "Girls Trip" review.

[sharonna3]

Carnival Breeze Galveston "Girls Trip"

I had a great time with my friends. We were on vacation, relaxing, laughing out loud and feeling the breeze blowing through our styled hair. Yeah, styling our hair went out to sea after day 1. Can you say WINDY :eek:.

3 of us were in a Deluxe Oceanview on Deck 2. Loved the cabin, plenty of room. The 2 restrooms were a major plus when we were all getting showered. 2 toilets would have rocked it. Speaking of rocking....Oh my did we rock, and rolled, and rocked. Add sound effects of BOOM BOOM along with a side of shudder and vibrations and periodic whistling sounds of wind at the window. Yep, we made sure we took our ginger pills daily. 1 of us did get hit with Nausea but a dose of Dramamine and sleep made her good as new. Had a wonderful room steward and made sure he knew how much we appreciated him at the beginning and the end. Didn't pick am or pm cleaning, just told him whatever worked best for him, just please make sure we had plenty or towels and wine glasses. It was perfect and always clean! Note: The refrigerator worked best with the cabinet door left open. With all the movement we felt we did have to move the couch into the other direction, sucker is heavy. The rocking from head to toe was a bit much. Side to side wasn't a problem. It did compromise the space a bit but wasn't an issue for us. Location was nice for debarkation as we did self assist and only had to go 1 flight, (in fact we used the stairs a lot, not because the elevators were bad, just the ease of it. We never really had any issues with getting an elevator until debarkation) the elevators were impossible and hindered us from making our last trip to Lido. In turn we ended up getting off much earlier than we had anticipated and of course our Galveston Limo shuttle was scheduled for later. We called and inquired about getting on a earlier shuttle but was told they were full. So we parked ourselves under the tent and waited. When another shuttle came in we inquired and due to no shows was able to catch a ride . The driver was great! Galveston Limo gets 5 stars. Clean and comfortable, highly recommended. When they called for our original shuttle time I told them we caught an earlier and they were able to allow others to take our seats. After a smooth ride we arrived at Bush (IAH) way, way ahead of time. More on that later. Oh before I forget...embarkation was....shall we say was a breeze. Did get sent to the liquid table but it was brief, we weren't smuggling, we each had a bottle of wine that they thoroughly inspected. Held up, shook, twisted and turned and gave it back. They inspectors were friendly and did there job. We arrived just before our time (11:30) but were sent right in. It was very smooth and painless. We did not get FTTF. I did try but never caught it and don't think I will worry about it from now on. By the time we had our first toast, our rooms were ready. That said.. I do have it for my Aug cruise out of Baltimore but only because my Son & his wife have a suite and the Grammas want to join them quicker. Recently we were told that we would (the Gramma's) be able to join them without it, but I'm not taking any chances.

More later.......

[EnKSA]

We were on the same cruise as you guys. We had so much fun. Got married on Monday in the Limelight Lounge. Was definitely a bit windy a couple of the days, and a few in our party stayed with a pretty steady bout of nausea the whole time, but we made the most of it. I wonder if we ran into you guys at all. We were out and about quite a bit and had a pretty lively group. My liver and kidneys are definitely appreciating the break this week. We spent most sea days out by the Lido pool.

 

All in all, we had a great week and while we are glad to be home, miss it tremendously.

[sharonna3]

Let's talk food......Our first night was our Dinner at the Italian Restaurant, Cucina something, finding it was not an easy task and later discover we came in the back way. It was not memorable, actually very disappointing. I was really looking forward to the highly raved about Carbonara. I'm sorry but was NOT as I expected at all. It was lacking sauce and very dry. Way too salty. I can't even remember what my friends had but were just as displeased. I do have an allergy that they were right on top of. Oh I will say this...I did try it again in the Sapphire one night and it was much better there. I was told we would get a bottle of house wine. NOPE.....they said discontinued. When I asked again about it's inclusion I got a flat out NO. Our waitress was lacking in personality and charm. Although the girl at the podium was extremely pleasant.

 

Sapphire....We had "any time dining" . Never a long wait at all. Got a buzzer 1 night, but no sooner than we walked away, we got buzzed. We had some really great meals and some not so. I had the stuffed mushrooms 1 night and was hit by nausea before dessert, in fact I never had dessert in the dining room LOL. Never had room. The mushrooms are what made me sick but not like food poisoning, just me not digesting it.... at all. Called it a night right after and was good to go in the am. I going to throw this out there....The shrimp cocktail, which I had each night was....dinky. So order more than 1 order. We had some wonderful wait staff, 2 that I would praise but the rest were blah. We some how managed to have the same bar staff girl each time we went and after dealing with her our first night in the dining room we avoided her at all cost. Rude, flustered, un-personable, like we were causing her more frustration and it wasn't just us. After that we just brought a glass of wine with us. We didn't complain but others around us did. One gentleman order a bottle of wine. When she brought it it was incorrect. He was not mean or rude but she insisted that was what he ordered. Don't know the type but he ordered a red and got a white. Still insisted that that was what he ordered and stomped away, of course we were her next table :(. If I rated my best meal in the dining room I would say..the Carbonara then the Salmon. My 1 friend ordered everything, like 3 appetizers, 2 entrees, 2 desserts each time. She ate it all and complained very little. Well until she was getting up early to go to spinning classes LOL. She even got dessert to go on nights we didn't go to the dining room. She loved the chocolate melting cake the best. We never made it to the dining room for breakfast or lunch even though we said we would everyday. :confused:

 

Guys Burgers.....Yum! Loved the toppings bar and was able to have it my way except for the mayo. Definitely was not Hellmann's. The Burrito place...I didn't like, but 1 friend raved about. I didn't try Tandoor but did try the pizza and deli, both decent.

 

BBQ place..I know it's going bye bye. It was actually pretty good. Only caught it once.

 

Lido Marketplace...plenty of choices for breakfast and lunch never walked away hungry. I love grits and had some each day, It were a bit runny. I thought the potato salad was very good and pretty much had some daily. Tried to hit the omelet station but I didn't want to wait in line so never got one but they sure looked good. The frozen yogurt was yummy and I enjoyed at least once a day. Some of the desserts on lido were well tasteless while others were so so. Never found that "too die for" dessert.

 

The Chocolate Extravaganza .... This was not in the fun times and we didn't even realize it was going on until we saw someone with a mounding plateful of chocolate. We high tailed to it and got in line just as they were pulling the plates away. They served the people in front of us as I asked for a plate and told us NO. we begged I mean literally begged. Please! Please! Please! They pulled the screen and refused to even give us a piece. We walked away saddened. We did the loop and and as we came to to the door to enter behind the scene of the dessert area they were walking in making fun of us. Please! Please! Please! and laughing. 3 of them. I called them *******s as my friends dragged me away. I doubt I would have done anything extreme, although I was not happy with no chocolate. I did want to get names and complain. I failed! and sulked away.

 

Room Service...Hung the card on our door for coffee, tea and croissants and it came promptly each time. It was nice having coffee first thing. I will continue this practice.

 

No sushi, but it was always crowded. Specialty coffee is extremely hot and their cookies are....ok. Didn't try the Steakhouse but heard lots of people say it was very good.

 

Up next....Entertainment

[sharonna3]

We were on the same cruise as you guys. We had so much fun. Got married on Monday in the Limelight Lounge. Was definitely a bit windy a couple of the days, and a few in our party stayed with a pretty steady bout of nausea the whole time, but we made the most of it. I wonder if we ran into you guys at all. We were out and about quite a bit and had a pretty lively group. My liver and kidneys are definitely appreciating the break this week. We spent most sea days out by the Lido pool.

 

All in all, we had a great week and while we are glad to be home, miss it tremendously.

 

Congratulations! I saw a few brides, bride/groom shirts, veils, etc. We were on Lido on all sea days too. I'd bet we saw each other at some point. My attempt to quit smoking failed as I found myself occasionally on deck 11 in comfy chairs meeting wonderful fellow cruisers while over looking the deck, people watching. Such fun! and dang wasn't it the hottest on the last sea day. It felt scorching :eek:.

[mrpayroll]

They did you a favor by closing the chocolate buffet before you got to try it. Looks a lot better than what it actually tastes. :)

[GeekSquad4]

They did you a favor by closing the chocolate buffet before you got to try it. Looks a lot better than what it actually tastes. :)

 

Forgot to mention this in my review, but I agree! The chocolate fountain was the only really decent thing there on the Dream. OP, I can't believe the awful service you got! From the lido to the bar waitress.. I would've been pissed!

[sharonna3]

They did you a favor by closing the chocolate buffet before you got to try it. Looks a lot better than what it actually tastes. :)

 

Oh good to know LOL!

[sharonna3]

Entertainment....Ok I'm a total slacker here. No clubs! I didn't attend any shows at Ovation other than the Lip Sync Battle Finale. I cheered for the guy.They both deserved to win. The girl definitely had talent but the guy was more outrageous. Thought about entering before cruise and lip syncing Sia but forgot my wig LOL. Didn't play BINGO. Attended the Comedy show where the 2 girls got kicked out but left shortly after them. Didn't think he was very funny and forgot to go back for another show. Actually I thought he was the funniest when him and the girl were arguing back and forth. Thought is was part of the show. Other than that We really just wandered around. I did think the cruise director "Swartzy" was decent but sorry I was not one who loved him. Now this is my opinion only. I did think he got people going, so did his job well. I love my kids, my family, my close friends and do tell them regularly. I didn't feel the urge to love him or love him more.

 

I did try the rope course 1 time. Fun, scary and enough. Did each slide once. Just once we tried to get in a hot tub. They were all over ran by kids and when we finally found one with few children, it wasn't even hot. Dive in movies looked so cool but every time a movie was on for adults I wasn't around. Did snatch some popcorn though :).The 80's Rock and Glow party was great for the kids and teens and families for sure. It was great for people watching and some dancing, stayed quite a while but after almost slipping and falling twice from the bubbles the kids poured on the floor to slide around in we called it a night. That night I saw more kids throwing tantrums over the glow things then I'd ever seen. Didn't seem to be enough. we even gave some glow fingers we brought away to some kiddo's. Hit the piano bar once. LOL We were the only ones there. Played some ping ping but then the table in the smoking section was over taken by kids. Did challenge 2 boys to a game and of course had no mercy and beat them both. Came upon a group of kids (boys and girls) running through the marketplace turning on all the ice cream/yogurt machines. What a mess! Teacher voices were activated and they high tailed it out of there. The workers said they were doing it every night.

 

Serenity Deck (sort of entertainment)....I thought this area was very nice and did spend some time there BUT dang the wind was whipping.up there on sea days.

 

Promenade...While strolling the promenade, which always had plenty of seating (comfy and chaise) I apparently did not do my research and realize that the balconies where indented over it. Not sure how I felt about that, especially the lower balconies with the screaming kids in the hot tubs right there. Not very relaxing or private for that matter. On a good note and one that did come to mind while I strolled is...Not going to hear of anyone going overboard from the balcony, cause there is just going to be a big thud. Sorry!?! Just being honest. Either way we enjoyed strolling it of course eating frozen yogurt.

 

Now I like to chat with people and chat I did. There are many many others like me :). Had a blast chatting with everyone, even the ones that didn't chat back.;p. Nothing could deter us from having our great vacation.. You know that girl that you may have seen dancing in the atrium elevator every time time she was in one, which was often. Yep, that's my friend! Let me tell you, while my other friend and I hovered by the doors pretending not to know her, she got many many people to join her in the elevator dancing session. FUN!

 

Shopping.....I did some!

 

Casino....Lost some, won some, lost some. First night paid out the best. That way they have plenty time to get it back. Was in the big slot tourney. Won my round and got a nice towel. Not so good 2nd round, didn't land in any money but sure had fun. It even compelled me to enter the other one, but sucked in that one. It was exciting!!!

 

Overall there was so much I thought about doing with conflicting time. It was hard to choose. I did one of the pamper spa things, but had to leave early for the tourney times. The other things is the "Must be present to win" things interfered with other things. Next time I'm staying out of the casino so I don't feel I have to be there just in case and going to do more shopping.;).

 

Spa stuff....My friends are fitness people in the morning, I'm not. While they cycled, jogged, stretched, cardio, etc. I indulged in some of my own healthiness...Bloody Mary's with Grey Goose. Tomatoes and olives are a fruit ;). The manicure was well done. Did have to clear up some over charges from the spa, a switch up of cards but they were very helpful, found the mix up and fixed it right away.

 

More later....

[sharonna3]

My overall thoughts of the Carnival Breeze. Definitely would sail her again. I loved he Atrium decor. One night while listening to the Violin Trio I leaned back and got the best view straight up. Never paid attention to it until that moment. Even hung around and enjoyed the 80's trivia and was impressed by some teenagers that pretty much knew every song. Lots of singing, dancing and laughing. There were some rude crew members for sure but talking to my friends we are going to compare it to the last week before our spring break. We were ready to be outta there. The kids were ready too and the mix was some times more difficult than others. They were ready for there own vacation as dry dock was happening on our return to Galveston. Speaking of dry dock, was never inconvenienced by it and other than during debarkation morning never saw any signs of it Sailing from Galveston was a pleasant experience.

 

Ports....Had a great time at all of them.

In Jamaica we spent the day at Secrets Resorts. Loved it. Thinking about a land vacation there.

In Grand Cayman we did a Carnival Excursion to Stingray City and Starfish point. We had a blast!

In Cozumel we went to Nachi Cocum. Beautiful but not spectacular. Stayed about 4 hours then went shopping. Was surprised by the many sales pitches we received. Hint if you go here...All extras, floats, sailing, paddles board, massages, etc. cost extra, cash only. Next time we would probably go to Mr. Sancho's.

 

Sea Days....Relaxed on Lido as much as possible. Wish the Big Screen would have showed more than the same pictures pretty much everyday. Maybe even music videos, something different. Anything else LOL!.

 

Going home....LONG DAY! Got to the airport at about 11 am and our flight wasn't until 3:40 pm. No luck getting on and earlier flight. Our original booking was great. American changed it grrrr. There customer service at Bush (IAH) needs some refreshing and a lesson on smiling. Finally made it to Charlotte for our connection that didn't leave until 10:29 pm. After another long long wait. We ended up taking a bump and put on a flight that wasn't a major inconvenience for us (about an hr longer drive home but we arrived a 1/2 hr. earlier) and we each got $700 credit.

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[fedexretiree]

Loved your review. What was it that you didn't care for at Nachi? Did you eat there?

[Daphne'sMom]

Sounds like a wonderful trip. I am envious as I have been trying to get a "girls cruise" trip going for some time. There are 4 us that have been together thru thick & thin since grade school. Two have never been on a cruise - one could easily be persuaded but the other one is a hard sell and known for backing out of things at the last minute. The hold out would have a blast - she always does once she is cajoled into trying something. Thanks for letting me save money & enjoy your trip vicariously instead:D

 

 

PS. - The Breeze is my favorite ship. I have such good memories of the last cruise my husband & I enjoyed on her.

[EnKSA]

Congratulations! I saw a few brides, bride/groom shirts, veils, etc. We were on Lido on all sea days too. I'd bet we saw each other at some point. My attempt to quit smoking failed as I found myself occasionally on deck 11 in comfy chairs meeting wonderful fellow cruisers while over looking the deck, people watching. Such fun! and dang wasn't it the hottest on the last sea day. It felt scorching :eek:.

 

I am wondering if you were the same group of girls we ran into on deck 11 on the first day. We were the large group up there with the big beer tube things. I know my wife (Kim) talked to someone named Meisha a few times...we ran into Meisha again in Cozumel at Mr. Sanchos on Friday.

 

Enjoying reading your review, and if it is you guys, it was so nice meeting you all. I also failed on my avoiding cigs...a few in our party smoke and when the drinks get flowing, we somehow always managed to migrate up to deck 11 for a few...

 

We managed to get one of the cabana things by the main pool on the last Saturday and held it pretty much from 10am to 5pm. We were able to stay out of the sun and keep our feet wet! We may have went a little overboard taking advantage of the Cheers program that day as many in our party never made it to dinner...lol...

[camijo]

Loved your review!!!

[Clarea]

Enjoyed the review, thank-you.:)

[sharonna3]

Loved your review. What was it that you didn't care for at Nachi? Did you eat there?

 

There really isn't anything that was bad. It's was beautiful! They give you a briefing when you arrive and they do tell you they accept CC's. Apparently we weren't paying attention because what they said was....We take credit cards to pay your entry BUT only use cash for everything else. We planned on having a massage but we we had used our cash to pay. Ran back to podium which was about 5 minutes max after we paid and asked if it was possible to switch with CC so we would have the cash. She yelled at me for not listening and said NO. So we wanted to save the cash for the waiter tips and other than 1 float we shared we were unable to do any other activities and you are visited by vendors a lot. Our fault completely but didn't expect the response. Our little hut thing was right in front of the bar and in close vicinity to bathroom. Very convenient. Our waiter was very good but took a long time for drink and refills. They had to run to other bar. Food was excellent. The guacamole was delicious and spicy. Your given your menu at you chairs so have plenty of time to look over. We had guacamole 2 times, chicken quesadilla, fajitas. and plenty drinks (They are weak). I did ask the bartender to turn up the music a bit. Nope! We could barely hear it. Like I said it was beautiful but not spectacular. Very subdued!. Pool was packed. Not sorry we went but we really prefer more activity. There is a nice little tiny area that has some souvenirs for pennies. When your ready to leave they call you a cab. Cost is $17 for up to 4 people fare. We stayed about maybe 4 hrs.

[sharonna3]

I am wondering if you were the same group of girls we ran into on deck 11 on the first day. We were the large group up there with the big beer tube things. I know my wife (Kim) talked to someone named Meisha a few times...we ran into Meisha again in Cozumel at Mr. Sanchos on Friday.

 

Enjoying reading your review, and if it is you guys, it was so nice meeting you all. I also failed on my avoiding cigs...a few in our party smoke and when the drinks get flowing, we somehow always managed to migrate up to deck 11 for a few...

 

We managed to get one of the cabana things by the main pool on the last Saturday and held it pretty much from 10am to 5pm. We were able to stay out of the sun and keep our feet wet! We may have went a little overboard taking advantage of the Cheers program that day as many in our party never made it to dinner...lol...

 

Not us on the first day on deck 11, I was still a non-smoker LOL. But I do recall that name but not in our group. I talked to everybody :D. I'm Sharon.

[tandemcruzr]

Thanks for the review. We try to do Mr Sancho's just about every other time in Cozumel. Sometimes to Wet Wendy's in town or the other side of the island at one of the bars along that side.

[eeudj]

enjoyed review ; o )