Carnival Breeze Cruise Review With Activity Newsletters, Menus & Photos!

[thecruiserofships]

Information About This Cruise & Me: This was my 17th cruise and my first time on the Carnival Breeze. My last cruise was in January 2020 before the COVID shutdown. Like many others on Cruise Critic, I kept cancelling and re-booking throughout 2020 & early 2021 hoping that the cruise shutdown would come to an end. Since this was my first cruise post-shutdown, this was an extra exciting trip! This cruise was December 2-6, 2021 and it departed from Galveston to Cozumel. I try to do the review in parts, by day. I took over 2,000 pictures and will try to include as many as possible of the ship, food, and ports. The review is on my personal cruise blog (no ads), which is also where you can find Daily What's Happening newsletters (former Fun-Times equivalent) and other scanned handouts from the cruise.

 

Here Is The Review, Photos, & Fun-Times:

Review & Pictures:  http://www.embarkandaway.com/carnival-breeze-cruise-review-2021.html 

What's Happening Activity Newsletters:  http://www.embarkandaway.com/carnival-breeze-4-day-cruise-daily-whats-happening-newsletters.html       

For those that do not want to click on external links, I will post the pictures from the review to Cruise Critic as I am going along adding them to my personal blog. This is the way I have done several of my past cruise reviews pre-Covid so I will keep the same format! It also looks like Cruise Critic slightly changed how to add images so I am hoping this works out. 

 

 

 

 

Day 1 - Galveston, Texas
Scheduled Departure: 3:30pm

 

Arriving Early In Galveston & Parking:
                My alarm went off at 5:00am and I got up quickly because of being very excited to cruise again! After getting up I showered and finished packing a couple of things that I would need for the cruise. My last cruise was before the Coronavirus shutdown and throughout 2020 kept re-booking my cancelled cruises hoping that eventually Carnival would be allowed to start sailing again. Since it had been so long since my last cruise I was extra excited and could not wait to finally be back onboard again! Before leaving the house I did a check to make sure I had my passport, negative Covid test result, original paper vaccine card, and boarding pass. After triple checking we had all of the required documents and everything else we needed to pack, we got in the car and started heading to Galveston. 
                     We parked at EZ Cruise Parking again this cruise. Prior to the day of the cruise, I booked parking through EZ Cruise's website. Upon arriving at the lot, we showed our online receipt and were directed to a check-in area. The lady working the check-in gave us a ticket to place on the car's dashboard and within minutes we were parked. We just missed the shuttle heading to the cruise terminal by a couple of minutes so we had to wait about 10 minutes before the next shuttle departed. Our shuttle driver was friendly and the ride to the terminal was smooth. 

 

 

 The Carnival Breeze was docked at Cruise Terminal 2. I was a bit surprised this was the case because typically on Thursdays the Carnival Breeze will be at Terminal #1. A tanker was docked at Cruise Terminal 1 taking our spot. The EZ Cruise Parking shuttle driver dropped us off at Cruise Terminal 2 and told us that when the cruise ends on Monday that we can look for the EZ Cruise Parking shuttle to go back to the parking lot. 

 

 

 

[thecruiserofships]

Arriving At The Cruise Terminal & Check-In
                  After we arrived at the cruise terminal, we dropped our suitcases off with a porter. There were several porters waiting around the outside of the cruise terminal collecting luggage from guests that were boarding the Carnival Breeze. The outside of the cruise terminal was very crowded as guests from the prior cruise were still debarking the ship and guests for our cruise were arriving. We followed the signage to the main door to the cruise terminal. The doors to the cruise terminal were already open (this was earlier than I expected) and we had to show our boarding pass in order to enter. The staff working the front door reminded everyone to put on a mask and that it must be worn in the cruise terminal at all times. 
                  Once inside the cruise terminal we were directed to a lady checking our vaccine cards and Covid test results. The lady checking our papers was very detailed. She looked over every detail on our vaccine cards & Covid Test results and matched the personal identifying information to our passports. After going through this checkpoint we were directed to go through Security. This involved having belongings sent through a scanner and us walking through a metal detector. There were multiple lines open at Security and this part of check-in did not take long. 
                     Next, we were directed to check-in. The lady working this counter asked for our passport and boarding pass. She scanned our passports and looked at our boarding passes. Once this was done, we were directed to the escalator to the 2nd floor of the cruise terminal. On the 2nd floor we were told we could sit anywhere and that boarding would begin in a little while. While waiting inside the terminal I walked to the windows to try to get a glimpse of the ship. The time of waiting inside the cruise terminal passed quickly, but was uncomfortable due to having to wear the mask. 

 

Starting The Boarding Process:
               Around 10:30am a lady came over the cruise terminal loudspeaker to announce boarding was going to begin soon. The announcements included information about how the boarding process would work as well as what to expect once on the Carnival Breeze. Most of the announcement felt like a sales pitch for the Cheers alcohol beverage package and Bottomless Bubbles soda package. The Carnival Breeze's boarding process was based on the zone assigned on each guest's boarding pass. First guests with "Priority" printed on their luggage tag were allowed to board. These guests were staying in suites. Due to the Covid procedures VIFP Platinum & Diamond guests did not have priority boarding like in the pre-Covid world. Next, boarding zone A01 was called. This was my boarding zone and when called I jumped up to get in line. The process for getting on the ship was a little different than in prior cruises. Carnival has implemented technology called "Smile & Go" that involves taking a picture of each guest during boarding. This photo checks every guest into the ship. The line for this photo did not take long and within minutes I was walking up the gangway. On the gangway a line of guests formed because the terminal staff stopped the movement of guests to allow for wheelchairs to be brought off the ship into the cruise terminal. 

 

 

 

 

Boarding & Officially On The Carnival Breeze!
               The embarkation process for this cruise was very efficient and was the best experience for boarding compared to every other cruise I have been on. After crossing the gangway, I was officially on the Carnival Breeze!!! We entered the ship on Deck 3 (Lobby Deck) in the ship's atrium. The first thing I noticed was the ship's Christmas tree and atrium garland. This was the Carnival Breeze's first of several Christmas cruises. Crew members were directing guests to their assigned muster station as the Safety Briefing protocols have changed to allow guests to complete the Safety Briefing at their own time prior to sailing (more on the new Safety Briefing protocols in Day 1 Part 2's review). We walked towards the elevators to head up to the Lido Deck for lunch. The elevators were being operated by crew members to help direct guests. I asked the elevator operator if we could go straight to the Lido Deck for lunch before doing the Safety Briefing and she said yes, but we needed to complete the Safety Briefing as soon as possible. 

 

[thecruiserofships]

I headed up to the Lido Deck (Deck 10) first because I wanted to eat at the ship's buffet. In order to get to the ship's buffet I crossed through the Lido Deck level of the atrium and passed by the ship's main Lido pool. Since boarding had just started the pool area and deck chairs were empty, but later in the day would be filled with people. On sea days the pool area and surrounding deck chairs were popular. 

 

 

First Lunch on the Carnival Breeze: 
                 The Carnival Breeze's buffet is called the Lido Marketplace. As a side note, sometimes I will refer to this buffet as the Lido Marketplace and other times may keep it simple by just calling this area the Lido Buffet. Once I was in the buffet, I saw several different food lines to choose from. The front area of the buffet had two main buffet lines and the ship's Mongolian Wok. The back area of the buffet had another two main buffet lines, the deli, and the main dessert station. Outside the buffet near the main Lido pool, guests could eat at Guy's Burger Joint and Blue Iguana Cantina. At the very back of the deck, by the ship's aft pool guests could eat the 24 hour pizzeria or buy food at the Seafood Shack. The Carnival Breeze had several Lido buffet food options to choose from on this day of the cruise! Below are a couple of pictures of the Lido Marketplace:

 

[thecruiserofships]

First Lunch on the Carnival Breeze: 
                 The Carnival Breeze's buffet is called the Lido Marketplace. As a side note, sometimes I will refer to this buffet as the Lido Marketplace and other times may keep it simple by just calling this area the Lido Buffet. Once I was in the buffet, I saw several different food lines to choose from. The front area of the buffet had two main buffet lines and the ship's Mongolian Wok. The back area of the buffet had another two main buffet lines, the deli, and the main dessert station. Outside the buffet near the main Lido pool, guests could eat at Guy's Burger Joint and Blue Iguana Cantina. At the very back of the deck, by the ship's aft pool guests could eat the 24 hour pizzeria or buy food at the Seafood Shack. The Carnival Breeze had several Lido buffet food options to choose from on this day of the cruise! Below are a couple of pictures of the Lido Marketplace:

 

[thecruiserofships]

[thecruiserofships]

 

After looking at what was offered at the ship's main Lido buffet lines, I walked over to the dessert station. The Carnival Breeze's dessert station at lunch typically had 6 cakes to choose from, chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies, and jello. Besides the dessert station, both sides of the buffet had ice cream and frozen yogurt machines. These machines could be found near the front of the buffet on both sides.

Here are some pictures of the ship's dessert station: 

 

 

[thecruiserofships]

My first stop at the buffet was the Carnival Breeze's deli. I got a Bacon Lettuce Tomato (BLT). There was a guest in front of me in line and it took a couple of minutes for their sandwich to finish before my order was taken. The crew member working the deli was friendly and she was quick to get the sandwich made. The sandwich tasted great and the bacon inside was crisp! After eating my BLT I walked to the Blue Iguana Cantina and asked for shrimp tacos. The shrimp taco with guacamole was very good. For dessert I ate some Funfetti Cheesecake. The Funfetti Cheesecake tasted great, except the icing was kind of bland. 
                      My family and I all had very different plates for lunch. Here are some pictures of the various things we ate for lunch: 

 

[thecruiserofships]

Touring The Carnival Breeze After Lunch:
                   After eating lunch I was excited to take my first walk around the Carnival Breeze. I started on the Lido Deck (Deck 10) and walked up to Deck 11. The weather outside was very sunny with only a few clouds in the sky. It felt great, especially considering this was a December cruise. 

 

 

  From the back of Deck 11 I walked up to Deck 12. The back of Deck 12 is home to the Carnival Breeze's SportsSquare area. SportsSquare on the Carnival Breeze includes the ship's basketball court, some outdoor fitness equipment, jogging track, mini golf course, ropes course, and several games tables (such as billiards and foosball). Below are some pictures of the Carnival Breeze's SportsSquare area. 

 

 

 

[thecruiserofships]

 

    I walked towards the front of Deck 12. While walking I passed by the ship's Lido Deck (Deck 10) main pool area. From Deck 12 I was able to look down at the pool area and saw several people were already lounging in the deck chairs. I will have some pictures of the Lido main pool in future parts of this review. The Carnival Breeze's WaterWorks is at the front area of the outside portion of Deck 12. The WaterWorks was already open for the day, but I noticed that there were no guests using any of the slides or splashpad. On the Carnival Breeze, the WaterWorks consisted of the Twister Waterslide, Drainpipe Waterslide, mini racing slides for children, and a splashpad. The entrance to the Twister Waterslide and Drainpipe waterslides was on Deck 15 and the landing to the slides is on Deck 12. 

[princess76021]

Thank you for doing this!! By the time we cruise it will be 2 1\2 years  since our last cruise and withdrawal has been a *****.  Really appreciate your review!  Thanks again!

 

Hugs!!!

[thecruiserofships]

On 12/17/2021 at 4:49 PM, princess76021 said:

Thank you for doing this!! By the time we cruise it will be 2 1\2 years  since our last cruise and withdrawal has been a *****.  Really appreciate your review!  Thanks again!

 

Hugs!!!

 

Thank you for reading! I totally understand the withdrawal. I had missed cruising so much prior to going again. I hope you will get to cruise again very soon! 

[ciera123]

Are the attendants serving the buffet, instead of each person getting their own? 

Edited December 19, 2021 by ciera123

[mondello]

1 hour ago, ciera123 said:

Are the attendants serving the buffet, instead of each person getting their own? 

Carnival buffets have remained self-serve since the restart. Some of the stations will serve you, like the carvery, bacon, deli, wok, pasta made to order, and some dessert stations.

[golfntob]

Great start, looking forward to reading more of your review! Thank you!

[thecruiserofships]

On 12/19/2021 at 10:58 AM, ciera123 said:

Are the attendants serving the buffet, instead of each person getting their own? 

 

The buffet was primarily self-service. However, there were crew members stationed behind the counter watching guests. At places like Guy's Burger Joint and the Blue Iguana Cantina, the food was served from the behind the counter but the toppings bar was still self-service. 

[thecruiserofships]

On 12/23/2021 at 9:52 AM, golfntob said:

Great start, looking forward to reading more of your review! Thank you!

 

Thank you for reading! I have finished writing everything so now it is just a matter of getting it all posted here on Cruise Critic. 

[momof3cruisers]

Oh no. Where did you go?

[Lindsay0405]

THANK YOU SO MUCH!  We board the Breeze Saturday!  

 

[TNTespresso]

On 12/17/2021 at 4:36 PM, thecruiserofships said:

 

    I walked towards the front of Deck 12. While walking I passed by the ship's Lido Deck (Deck 10) main pool area. From Deck 12 I was able to look down at the pool area and saw several people were already lounging in the deck chairs. I will have some pictures of the Lido main pool in future parts of this review. The Carnival Breeze's WaterWorks is at the front area of the outside portion of Deck 12. The WaterWorks was already open for the day, but I noticed that there were no guests using any of the slides or splashpad. On the Carnival Breeze, the WaterWorks consisted of the Twister Waterslide, Drainpipe Waterslide, mini racing slides for children, and a splashpad. The entrance to the Twister Waterslide and Drainpipe waterslides was on Deck 15 and the landing to the slides is on Deck 12. 

 

On 12/17/2021 at 4:36 PM, thecruiserofships said:

 

    I walked towards the front of Deck 12. While walking I passed by the ship's Lido Deck (Deck 10) main pool area. From Deck 12 I was able to look down at the pool area and saw several people were already lounging in the deck chairs. I will have some pictures of the Lido main pool in future parts of this review. The Carnival Breeze's WaterWorks is at the front area of the outside portion of Deck 12. The WaterWorks was already open for the day, but I noticed that there were no guests using any of the slides or splashpad. On the Carnival Breeze, the WaterWorks consisted of the Twister Waterslide, Drainpipe Waterslide, mini racing slides for children, and a splashpad. The entrance to the Twister Waterslide and Drainpipe waterslides was on Deck 15 and the landing to the slides is on Deck 12. 

I have a question please. We will be on the Breeze December 2022 and are wondering about the weather. Will it be warm during cruising where we can get in the pool? Or do we need coats?  Or both? Thank you!