Carnival Breeze (Mar 2013)

Carnival Breeze

8-Night Eastern Caribbean

3/16/13: Miami, Florida

3/17/13: Fun Day at Sea
3/18/13: Fun Day at Sea

3/19/13: St. Thomas, USVI
3/20/13: St. Johns, Antigua
3/21/13: Tortola, BVI
3/22/13: Fun Day at Sea
3/23/13: Nassau, Bahamas
3/24/13: Miami, Florida


"Not much of a Breeze the second time around!"

This was our second time on the Carnival Breeze in the past 4 months. We were first on back in November 2012 for the Carnival Breeze's Inaugural US sailing. That was a mistake that we felt we made. We had originally had Royal Caribbean booked for the same week, but later cancelled to try out a brand new ship. In the time inwhich we booked we noticed that there was a 2-Night cruise in November. So we had gone back and forth between driving up to Disney World or going on a brand new ship and going a few days after being on the Carnival Glory. So that being said throughout this cruise we were trying to figure out why we were not enjoying it much and at points we thought, were we bored of cruising? What could it be? So here it is;

(1) Since we took the Carnival Breeze already, there was no "Wow" factor or a "Look at this, or look at that". All of that had already been done and seen. So it was just like a visit again for us. The only other time we had done the same ship for the second time was on the Carnival Glory, only reason we took that was because to of course see our really good friend Josh (Cruise Director) and a birthday gift to me (Patrick) from my wife. So going back on the Carnival Glory was more of hanging out and just relaxing for the weekend. Being on the Carnival Breeze for the longer voyage just in our opinion just didn't have anything else to offer us.

(2) This was our 3rd time having the new "Fun-Ship 2.0" upgrades. So we were very fimilar with all of the new additions such as Guy's Burger Joint, BlueIguana Cantina and the new Playlist Production Shows like Divas, Latin Nights and Hasbro, The Game Show. We were already familiar with these shows and already seen them. Unfortunately the main thing we are starting noticing is that Carnival is placing most of these Playlist Production shows and upgrades on most of their ships in the fleet. Living in the South Florida area and having several Carnival ships to choose from, and a majority of the ships have the same upgrade and mostly the same shows. We like to see other shows, one or two are fine just not all of them. We do understand the reason for it, it does make it much easier for any performer to just be on one ship on one day and the next go to another and do the same routine. However in our view we need those extra variety shows that you can only get on the one ship and the next will be totally different.

(3) The food overall was not good. Just horrible, plain and simple. There was a variety of food, but just did not enjoy any of it. Our traditional favorites that we been getting since day one were on now on our "Do not eat" list, like the Chocolate Melting Cake.

We had more downs then ups from this cruise and would rate it towards the bottom of the list making our trip on the Norweigan Sky seem a lot better. Well here are the Pro's and Con's from our trip followed by all the of the sections of the ships with pictures and reviews. Enjoy!

Pros

- Trivia was so much fun, really enjoyed our host Dan. Also a shout out to Team Awesome (aka Team Florida), who we played Win Lose or Draw and won the game.

- Some of the shows were amazing and so much fun to watch.

- Meet a lot of great people along the way along with the Ship of Fools! It was really great to meet everyone and can't wait to do it all over again.

- Table in the Blush Dining Room was in the perfect location, we had requested it from John Heald.

- I Putu was our Stateroom Steward and he was great. Such a nice person and always had a smile on his face. We were talking to him more than anyone else on the cruise, such a great guy. At the end of the cruise we gave him a little extra along with a bottle of champagne for him and his wife to enjoy.

- Seeing the Captain out and about all around the ship, he was very down to earth and friendly. During the Ship Q&A he was sitting on the stage taking apart the microphone. Another day him and his crew was at the deli just having lunch with everyone else.

- Our stateroom door we decorated with pictures of us along with our business cards. We kept putting up new cards everyday since several people who walked by were taking them, which we wanted.

- Steakhouse demo was nice (minus the bloody chicken), however they do repeat the menu with the demo, which is fine because the Mushroom Cappcuino is something we can have day and night and not care at all.

- Atlantis was amazing and just very beautiful and extremely huge. We saw maybe 1/4 of the entire place. It was just so much bigger than either of us ever expected. We would not mind ever taking a vacation there in the future.

- RedFrog Pub with all the games they had to play like checkers and Foosball. Also just relaxing and playing cards to kill time. Never got a chance to eat any of the "Pub Grub" since they offered it mostly during the evening time.

Cons

- Food was horrible, hands down not good at all. This was the first time we did not eat in the MDR every night. We had two nights where we just did not eat dinner. We tried almost 75% of the MDR menu when we did go and only like a few options. They do over do it with the garnish on some of the plates, sometimes I wasn't sure if I was supposed to eat the giant branch or not? Just kidding, but it was a little bit too much. Also another main thing we did not like and that I wanted to throw out there was the Mint Salad, this is mint leaves mixed into a salad, we both took a bite and were first disgusted and than wondering who would ever eat something like this.

- Our cabin was 2291, it is located in the front atrium elevator bank and it is the first room on the Starboard side of the ship. It is a good room only if you are mostly upfront. Sucks when you just want the buffet. The middle would be more ideal, however the crew uses that bank of elevators to handle luggage at the last night of the cruise.

- Steakhouse food was nothing to impressive either, just not as good as the Emerald Steakhouse on the Carnival Glory, which was very impressive.

- The Slides were a big downfall, went into detail below a bit. Just not impressed at all.

- Hot tubs had no room to walk or move around on the sides, which ended up in a Coach Purse and Camera dropping into the water.

- Casino was by far the worst, yes we said this just about on every cruise, but look at our 14 page folio and you be the judge of that.

- Lunch was never served in the Main Dining Room, not sure if it was because of the Punchliner Comedy Brunch or what, but we really did look forward to having it.

- Ports were not that enjoyable unless you did excursions. Antigua and Tortola were both in very poor areas and there was nothing to do in either.

- Excursion team, never got our tickets until Christine got sick and we wanted to cancel. Where they told us that they should have been given out on the first "Sea Day". They said without the original ticket we could not cancel until the excursion was over and they opened back up, they did make note of it. However we asked to talk to someone who could tell us where our tickets were, but they refused to tell us. More like it did not really matter to them and it was not a big deal. We did have to get new printed tickets, which we saw had the wrong date and they had non-cancellation on it. They said it did not matter because they are aware of it. We decided to go ahead witht the excursion so when we went outside we had no idea where to go or who to see. We walked up and down the pier and finally got the Atlantis reps. They did not once check the ticket to the person, so anyone could have taken our spot for free. Then the reps handed us off so many different times and then we were clueless at one point where to go where we had to ask if that was our bus where she said, oh yea that is for you.

Embarkment / Faster to the Fun Program

We purchased the FTTF (Faster to the Fun) program. Which has a limited number of spots for anyone who is not Platinum or Diamond level yet. We waited several weeks for the spot to open up and finally they had about 15 spots open and we jumped on the opportunity. Here is what the program offers and some facts about it.

Priority Security, Check-in and Express Boarding

Bypass lines and have exclusive security screening lanes. If you arrive after general boarding has begun, you may bypass the general boarding line and board via the Faster to the Fun lane. The quicker you are on the ship, the quicker you get to hold a frosty drink.

- We left our home at 10am and we got to the port around 11am. We went straight into the port terminal and straight to the FTTF counter. Than right through security and upstairs to set up the Sail & Sign on board account. We were on the ship by 11:30am and inside of our room ready to head up for lunch. It was so amazing and so far worth every penny!!!

First Access to Stateroom

Your stateroom will be ready for you as soon as you board so you can relax or freshen up for all the fun you are about to have.

- This was the main reason I (Patrick) wanted to get this program. We took on all of our bags (1 large suitcase, 1 medium suitcase, 1 suit bag, 1 backpack & 2 handhelds), which is kinda a lot and should have just gave them to the porter, BUT where is the fun in that? Plan was to unload, eat and unpack. We have already been on the ship last November so we had already had the "Wow, look at that factor", which turned out to be a bad thing (will explain later on). However we were unpacked and ready to go by 2:00pm. So far amazing!

Express Luggage

Your luggage will be expedited to your stateroom so you can unpack and don your cruise attire first!

- We did not give the luggage to the porters, however we did see several rooms with luggage very early and their was a area outside the terminal just for the FTTF guest. I do recommend using this next time.

Guest Services

Quickly have any of your questions answered or requests addressed as you will have a dedicated phone and line at Guest Services.

- Did not have to wait in line at all, they actually pay more attention to you there then anything else. As soon as one person went in back to check out something for us another turned around or came out and asked if we been helped yet. That is another PLUS of this program.

Dining Reservations

Priority Main Dining Room and Specialty Restaurant reservations

- Was not really aware of this until after, however we had requested a table with John Heald (Carnival Senior Cruise Director) for two inside the Blush Dining Room, he sure did deliver with this. Location was amazing. We had dining reservations in the Steakhouse, however it had maybe three other couples at most the entire time we were there. Yet they said they were always almost out of spots, hmm.

Tender Priority

You will have priority tender from ship to shore (multiple departure times may be possible) so you can explore ashore as quickly as you want to.

- We did not tender at any of our ports, so this did not apply to us at all.

Debarkation Choices

We are always sad to see you go. But when your cruise is over, you may choose an early or late disembarkation time upon arrival to your home-port.

- We were self-assist and we were able to leave around 6:45am or so, however since we could not get a hold of our driver until 7:45am we did not get off until 8:00am.

Things to Remember

The FTTF price is not per person. The $49.95 price covers all occupants of the cabin so only 1 guest needs to purchase but all occupants receive the benefits.

- We HIGHLY recommend this program if you are not in the higher status of Carnival. If you want to get on quicker and at points of your cruise feel like a V.I.P. then this is a must.

After purchasing FTTF package, please re-print their boarding documents so Faster to Fun reflects on their documents. Have FUN!

-  You will have the FTTF logo on your luggage tags as well as your room key.

FTTF can only be purchased pre-cruise on Carnival.com; no al a carte services can be purchased onboard.

- You have to go to the Excursions for you homeport and you should have it (depending on the ship) on the list of choices. However space runs out very quickly and space is limited. It is capacity controlled.

Antigua (Port of Call)

Usually on our first time to a port we like to venture around the local area and just check it out and see what it is like. So we walked around for a bit and headed up to the local church which is currently closed due to renovations. The local area is in a very poor section, the locals are very friendly and very welcoming to tourists. It was not the most ideal place to be on a vacation, most people say do the excursions. We walked around the area for an hour or two just taking pictures and trying to enjoy the area.

Beach Pool / Carnival's Seaside Theatre

Thing we noticed this time compared to other ships (even on different lines) was that there were no hot tubs at all in this area. The pool itself is a little bit larger than other ships and has dozens of lounge chairs around to sit and tan or watch the big screen. It also plays host to some of the deck parties that go on throughout the cruise such as the Sail Away Party, RedFrog Caribbean Beach Party & BlueIguana's Mexican Fiesta. Be careful when you are walking around this area along with inside the Lido Marketplace, the floors a majority of the time are very slippery and you can lose your balance and slide very easily. Off to the Seaside Theater part of this area, daily this is the place to be for great movies, daily concerts and live morning shows. We did not really have a chance to check out much of what went on up there. 

BlueIguana Cantina

Here they serve breakfast and lunch. Making burritos and tacos fresh right in front of you. The food is alright and always busy. Also a topping bar with lots of sauces and toppings to choose from.

BlueIguana Tequila Bar

Still after a few trips with the 2.0 upgrades we have yet to try out this place. Here are some pictures.

Blush Dining Room

I had asked John Heald (Senior Cruise Director or Carnival Cruise Lines) for a special table in this dining room for two. He did just that with the perfect spot overlooking the entire room. Quick note, if you want or need something reserved or looking for something to make your cruise a little bit more special contact John Heald on his Facebook page, he is more than happy to help you the best he can. Back to the dining room. Service was very very slow every night we came, food was no better. Our servers were very nice and friendly, however sometimes instead of having three we mostly had one, no idea where the other two kept going. Again the food we did not enjoy for the most part at all, tried as much as we could and only took a few bites from each. A couple of good things that happened during dinner was on two nights we were brought complementary wine, once from our cruise director Brent, and another from the casino. On the last night our waitress told us not to go anywhere because they had something for us. She said we were trying to get you all week, then they brought over a cake to celebrate our 2nd Honeymoon/Anniversary. A new thing we tried this time around was the Tea Time. We stayed for about 30 minutes. They served us of course tea along with some cakes and finger foods. Something new to try.

Bonsai Sushi

We never ate at this area of the ship. However don't think just because they have this available for a charge does not mean they do not offer free sushi anymore. You can still get it at the buffet and in the main dining room (on select nights). Here are the hours of operation from our trip.

Bonsai Sushi Times

Day 1 (Miami): Sushi (5:00pm - 12:30pm)

Day 2 (Sea Day): Sushi (11:30am - 2:30pm)

                                    (5:00pm - 12:30am)

Day 3 (Sea Day): Sushi (11:30am - 2:30pm)

                                    (5:00pm - 12:30am)

Day 4 (St. Thomas): Sushi (5:00pm - 12:30am)

Day 5 (Antigua): Sushi (5:00pm - 12:30am)

Day 6 (Tortola): Sushi (5:00pm - 12:30am)

Day 7 (Sea Day): Sushi (11:30am - 2:30pm)

                                    (5:00pm - 12:30am)

Day 8 (Nassau): Sushi (5:00pm - 12:30am)

Breeze Atrium & Lobby Bar
The atrium is very nice, however a bit cramped compared to all of the other atrium's on the other class ships. There were several activities such as music and dance lessons held here from time to time. We were right underneath and really did not hear much until the last morning when the crew was moving around chairs for disembarkation.

Carnival Breeze

This is in the largest class (Dream Class) on Carnival, it was also our largest ship coming in at over 130,000 ton. You do notice the size when your cabin is up front and you always have to go in the back to get food. So all the food you eat surely is burned off from that walk a few times. Other than the the Conquest Class is still our favorite and you do see bits and parts of it in the layout of this ship. The ship for us the first time had the "Wow" factor to it, this time we were just going on as a vacation. It was better in parts, mostly the Lanai and Ocean Plaza. Here are some pictures of the Carnival Breeze.

Carnival Waterworks

We had to try out the water slides in the Water Works area. Both were pretty harsh on us. The yellow slide Christine tried first and went through it and came out and delayed to get up and had swallowed a good amount of water. Afterwards she was out of breath and coughing a lot. So I went to try the orange slide and as I went down my back was getting hit by something and then once I got into the big bowl of it you take a nice drop down. After it I was in so much pain with my back, I was hunched over taking my time walking down. That soon went away after Christine told me to try out the other slide. So I did and OMG!!! As I went down I had to close my eyes and grab as much air as I could because there was so much water in it. We were really looking forward to playing in the entire water park portion of it, just after the slide said forget it and we never went back.

Cherry on Top

Here are a few pictures from the candy store on board the Carnival Breeze.

Circle C

Area for kids from 12 to 14 years old.

Club O2

Area for teens from 15 - 17 years old.

Conference Center

Here are some shots of the Conference Center on board the Carnival Breeze.

Cucina del Capitano

For lunch they offer a free sit down pasta bar along with the daily special. They give you a form to fillout and you choose the pasta and sauce along with extra toppings. It was a nice change from the normal buffet foods. Food was not amazing at all, the special for one day was lasagna and we were not impressed at all. The pasta was alright, slightly overcooked. There is a small charge for dinner per person. We were not too impressed with lunch or the Taste Bar sample to even try it out.

 

Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse

The Steakhouse demo like I mentioned before was a repeat to previous ones, which was fine. Make sure if you attend the demo get there thirty minutes to an hour before if you want to see what is actually happening up front. Spots are limited and fill up very quickly. We were about 20 minutes early and sat all the way in back. The demo did feel very rushed, unlike others where they took their time bringing out the sample courses. By the time they started explaining the course we had already finished and they were taking the plates. However one of the samples was a chicken course and we got ours and we had spots of blood in it. Other than the our favorite was the Mushroom Cappuccino, always amazing. Wish we could say the same for dinner. For the Apps we got the Lobster Bisque (which was really good) and Crab Cake (it was alright). Salads we got the Caesar (did not like, no flavor) and the Baby Leaf Spinach (really good). For our entrees we got the Surf & Turf (pick something else, you can get the same in the dining room on another night) along with the Spice-Rubbed Prime Ribeye Steak (did not really care for). Dessert we shared the Cheesecake (served to warm) Caramelized Apples (not that good either). So there it is for the steakhouse, nothing really too much to brag about. The Emerald Steakhouse on the Carnival Glory was hands down the winner, which they have received awards for being the best fleet-wide. They did brag about how booked they were for dinner every night, however we went the first night and we wanted a table near the window. They do not do reserved seating but said to get here when they open and they will try to place us where we wanted. So we got there around 5:40-ish and they took us right in and we got our table along with a complementary bottle of wine. Side note, the first night they offer the wine for free. Back to what I was saying, the steakhouse (to what we saw) was never busy at all. Most we saw was about three other couples, not much at all. The Steakhouse is open nightly from 5:30pm to 9:30pm, you can book in person along with over your stateroom phone.

 

Fat Jimmy's C-Side BBQ

Only open for a few hours on the Sea Days this was our first time trying out this place. Just an FYI when booking your cruise if you choose to get a balcony on the Starboard Side (Right Side) of the ship, keep in mind that this is a BBQ and there will be heavy smoke in the air. So just again keep that in mind when you book. You can smell it all the way in the back of the ship just as easy as more towards the front. So on to the food, it is your typical BBQ goodies like Smokey Chicken Breast, Grilled Italian Sausage & Pulled Pork Sandwiches. Food is not that bad, line do form pretty quick and hours are short for operation. Here there are from our trip.

Fat Jimmy's C-Side BBQ

Day 2 (Sea Day): C-Side BBQ (12:00pm - 2:30pm)

Day 3 (Sea Day): C-Side BBQ (12:00pm - 2:30pm)

Day 7 (Sea Day): C-Side BBQ (12:00pm - 2:30pm)

Fun Hub

There are multiple Fun Hubs located all throughout the ship. They do offer various internet packages to choose from, also for free you can check out the deck plans of the ship along with the Daily Fun Times.

Guy's Burger Joint

We did try all of the burgers here and our favorite being the Straight Up where you can add anything you want at the toppings bar along with the Chilius Maximus. Both really good. Also for a quick tip the if you’re looking for a chili dog, go to the deli and grab a hot dog (be sure not to get a chili dog there, it is not as good) and go back to Guy's and have them give you a side of chili. Top it off with some shredded cheese from the buffet and there you go, eat up and enjoy. The topping bar also shows you some other types of fun burgers you can create as well, with endless amounts of combinations. The fries are really tasty too, make sure you try them out. This place was very nice and relaxing. Also check out the tables, it was really nice to see our hometown of Coral Springs listed on it, really neat. Here are some pictures of the "Joint".

The Lanai

This is sometimes the best part of the ship. It wraps around the entire ship, located on deck 5. There are areas where you can sit and relax, also access to the Liquid Nightclub. Towards the middle on both sides you have the Ocean Plaza and on one side you are able to smoke and the other is non-smoking. There are several hot tubs located on both sides of the Lanai, they were never super-hot (which was great). They all hang off the side of the ships and most of the time are empty. Usually in the morning into the late morning several power walkers and joggers are here using the area to their advantage. Not really a fan of this since during this time frame the actual jogging track is empty upstairs. The RedFrog Pub also has seating available here, and Fat Jimmy's C-Side BBQ is located on the Starboard side of the ship.

Library Bar

Never once saw anyone in here. Located right at the entrance of the Sapphire Dining room. However if you are looking to just get away and relax for a bit this is a great place to come and do just that.

Lido Marketplace

Loved the layout of this place it has so many places to sit and eat or just relax. However on to the food, which was not impressive at all. Most of the time it was very limited with options and always repeats of certain things. Each day they have a different theme for lunch and dinner is usually similar to the menu in the main dining room. The deli is open from usually 11am to 11pm and most of the time has smaller lines in the off hours.

Limelight Lounge

This was the home to the Ship of Fools Meet and Greet. Which was on St. Patrick's Day and we had a lot of fun there. We did a fun St. Patrick's Day trivia along with grab bag gift exchange and some pictures. Had lots of fun and meet dozens of great people. Now off to the other use from this lounge, the comedy. This place gets INSANE when it comes to having a place to sit and enjoy yourself. This placed gets jammed packed very quick and most of the time people will just stay there from show to show and all that is available is an occasional seat or mostly in our case standing room. The crew will sometimes empty out the room to quickly clean up between shows, however all of the people won't be out and the new set of people are already lined up from the front door all the way around the corner past the Piano Bar 88 all the way down to the Liquid Nightclub. Lines are crazy for this place, no matter what ship you are on. I do recommend moving this to the main show lounge, however like another cruiser said it takes away from the comedy club feel, where it is small and more personal. I did get a chance to check out one show with Steve White who was performing. He was very funny. Keep in mind that the comedy shows and the main show lounge shows will sometimes run at the same time, so just keep that in mind while planning your evening. The final was use we had for this lounge was for Superstar Live Karaoke, which was actually a lot of fun to watch. It was our first time going to this. It is just like normal karaoke, however you are doing it with a live band.

 Punchliner Comedy Club: This place gets packed really quick. Most of the people stay for the Family Friendly comedy all the way through to the Adults Only. Sometimes they will have everyone leave so they can clean up, however when they are almost done clearing out the place the line is around the corner past the night club to get right back in for the next show. I happened to get in (with only having standing room) to see Steve White. He did a really good show and actually enjoyed it very much and laughed a lot. Other comedians included Tony Esposito, Thomas Brown, & Allyn Ball. All of them were also at the Punchliner Comedy Brunch, with short 10 minute performances starting at 10am until 1pm on the hour. Did not get a chance to check it out since we usually go in before 9am.

Liquid Nightclub

Well this place was FAR from a typical Nightclub. Most of the time it had no more than 20 or 30 people inside of it, and only 4 or so people were actually dancing. The music was nowhere near nightclub style music. It was very boring, a lot of people were complaining about this, people went as far as tipping the DJ to actually play something decent. The style of the nightclub was pretty cool with one door going out towards the Lanai. Also they do have security, who do not even check anyone’s ID cards.

Mezzanine

Located on the Starboard side of the ship on deck 4 The Mezzanine runs from the back of the ship at the Blush Dining Room all the way to the Ovation Theater. Thoughout the way you will pass by Club O2, Circle C, Sapphire Dining Room, The Library Bar and the Pixels Photo Shop. It is just another way to get from across the ship easy and quickly.

Mongolia Wok

Here are some pictures from here, it is located at the beginning of the Lido Marketplace after entering from the Beach Pool area. This also serves as one of the Omelet Stations in the morning time with another at the Deli in the back. Lines are usually always long so be prepared to stand and wait.

 

Nassau, The Bahamas (Port of Call)

After being here several times in the last year we decided to actually get off and enjoy the port. So we booked an excursion to Atlantis. Besides the entire un-organized Shore Excursions and the Atlantis Shore Team. Once we finally all got cramped into the bus our real trip started. We had a nice 15 minutes ride to Paradise Island (Atlantis) and along the ride our driver told us a little bit about the local area and island. Once we got over the bridge we did not realize how large the island was and how much was actually over there. It is basically its own city, minus a hospital and a school. The place is amazing and that was just the outside. We took the Discover Atlantis tour and we were not in the building for two minutes and we were blown away at the size and just how nice it looked. Walking through we saw the casino and aquarium’s along with some of the outside grounds. Just amazing and a MUST DO on your trip here. We were very impressed with this place. However we did not even get past 1/4 of the place, and that was just Atlantis. You really would just need a week there by itself to explore the entire place. Just blown away by the entire place. Loved it so much! Also if you do decide to go here on its own keep in mind this place is very very very expensive. We did not see menu's however had heard stories, more like horror stories. Just Google some of the menu's to get a feel for the place.

Ocean Plaza

One of the parts of the ship that was non-stop entertainment all day and night. From dancing and a live band all the way down to back to back trivia and games. We spent most of our time here playing trivia, which we noticed had games going all of the time (more than any other ship). Our host Dan was awesome, he made the games so much fun. Each time he would give away a Ship on a Stick as well as a bonus prize. It would either be a drink from the bar, or even a piece of cake from the Cafe. He did an amazing job and was so much fun. The Plaza Cafe, Taste Bar & Ocean Plaza Bar are all located in this area.

Ocean Plaza Bar

This bar I think was open at least 24 hours, well it seemed like that anyways. Every time we passed by people were there hanging out, mostly waiting for the bartender to serve them. I waited for about 5 minutes for a glass of water, then he finally said it was at the other end of the bar.

Ovation Theatre & Entertainment

Here is the Main Show Lounge on board the Carnival Breeze where all of the Bingo Games, some seminars and the Production/Variety Shows take place. Shows do get packed really quickly, so get there about 30 to 45 minutes before to get good seating. Also sometimes people will be there from bingo which usually takes place right before so just keep that in mind and check out the Fun Times. We have listed the times under the "Entertainment" section. We did enjoy our entertainment staff on board, they were very outgoing and fun. Our original cruise director was going to be Butch Begovich, who we had on the November sailing. Unfortunately he was taken off (due to personal reasons I believe) and replaced by Brent Mitchell. Brent was a really good cruise director who we enjoyed having a lot, one of the best. Very fun like the staff and very approachable, we saw him all around the ship and were always stopping to have a chat with him about something. He did a really great job taking over the Carnival Breeze on such short notice. Funny thing was our good friend Josh told Brent that we were coming on and to expect us. So on the second night on formal night we met him and he asked us what our last names were and he said that Josh mentioned that we were coming on. Another addition we noticed this cruise was a paper we got inside of our Fun Times, which was the Carnival Breeze Entertainment Schedule, it basically was a rundown of the week ahead with all of the main show times along with the party days and times. Really thought that was a good thing to have to somewhat plan better for the cruise, in case we wanted to go to the steakhouse or figure out which show we would want to attend. Some of the shows were really good and loved them, others were just alright. 

Here are some of the shows we saw;

The Brit's: The show is a tribute to the British Invasion, including songs from The Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones and many others. Last time they did a little "Pre Show" fun, however this time they did something different and we did not really care to much for the show, leaving half way through it.

Latin Nights: This was a very high energy show and we really did enjoy it. Some of the songs were from Latin Superstars such as Gloria Estefan, Santana, Enrique Iglesias and Jennifer Lopez. This was one of our favorite shows throughout the cruise, kind of has the "SO-FLO" feel to it, which is very popular living in South Florida.

Divas: Divas was pretty good, much like Latin Nights with the very high energy and a very fun show. The "Pre-Show" starts off with our cruise director Brent coming out and talking a little bit about what it takes for a Diva to become a "Diva" and then he brings out a female and male dancer and they begin to show the crowd how they sometimes dress them up for the show. Now here is the fun part, which we were part of last time. Brent looked for the men in the crowd that would do just about anything for that special woman in their life. So he picked out three couples and then he dropped the news, the dressing that they just saw from the dancers, they will now have to do in 60 seconds. So the three couples did and then two couples moved on. Second round was a male run way walk. Brent showed them how it was done, so funny! So they had a winner afterwards and now the fun part for the woman. They take them backstage to become a "Diva" and at the end of the show they will walk the runway and pose for the crowd. Also won a free spa facial. Again this is a really great show with some music including hits by Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, Madonna and Whitney Houston.

Hasbro, The Game Show: From the board game in your living room to the big stage in the sea Hasbro is a very fun show that puts you as the star in this live game show. You have to earn your spot on stage with some fun mini games. Some of the other games played on stage is Sorry! Sliders, Yahtzee Bowling, Connect 4 Basketball, Operation Sam Dunk & Simon Flash. One part that really stood out that made every single person in that Ovation Theatre yell and scream, no matter if you were on the Blue Team or the Red Team. This moment was during the Connect 4 Basketball, the game went back and forth for a LONG LONG time and it was neck and neck. One of the contestants on one of the team (forgot which one) was a little kid, who had to be around 8 or 9 went up and took his shot and made it. It was the winner and everyone went crazy. It was the only shot he made and it was the only one that mattered, his team won the game. Brent did a really good job hosting.

The Evolution of Edge: The show is mostly juggling and comedy by the performer Edge. We  did not really expect to like the show, however it was actually really really good and very funny. He pulled some guests on stage to help him with some acts. Enjoyed this show a lot.

Hypnotist: Asad Mecci: After you read this blog go and look this act up. Super funny and very interesting. The show starts off with the curtains opening and you see 18 chairs on the stage. Then Asad comes out and talks for a bit and the show starts out very slow and somewhat boring, however something told me to stay and watch, so glad I did. So he tells people who want to participate to come up on stage and take a seat. So people go up and he does some more talking about what he does and how it has effects on people. So he puts them into a very deep trans. This is where the fun starts; he then does a mixture of scenarios. One was where he tapped one guy on the shoulder and said when you wake up from the hypnosis you will be at the McDonald's drive-thru and you will place an order and the employee (which Asad plays) will get it wrong, and you have to keep telling him what you want. Another was two people who were yelling at each other, but in Chinese. Just random things like that, just a very amazing and interesting show to watch. Again look him up and check it out, really amazing.

Motown & More: This was our last show of the cruise. We figured it was another Production Show with the dancers/singers. It was not, it was just Motown songs performed by Consuela Ivy and the Love Souljaz Band. We were not really interested in staying for the entire show, so we watched some of it and left, also being the last night of the cruise we wanted to pack up and get everything together for when we leave in the morning.

Playlist Production & Variety Shows 

Day 1 (Miami): Welcome Aboard Show (10:00pm)

Day 2 (Sea Day): Hasbro: The Game Show (3:30pm)

                                           The Brits (8:15pm & 10:15pm)

Day 3 (Sea Day): Hasbro: The Game Show (7:00pm & 9:00pm)

Day 4 (St. Thomas): The Evolution of Edge (8:30pm & 10:30pm)

Day 5 (Antigua): Latin Nights (8:15pm & 10:15pm)

Day 6 (Tortola): Comedy Hypnosis Asad Mecci (7:00pm & 9:00pm)

Day 7 (Sea Day): Divas (8:15pm & 10:15pm) 

Day 8 (Nassau): Motown & More (10:15pm)

Piano Bar 88

We spent some time here, mostly when it was quiet and slow around the ship. Night entertainment was here and dozens of people making the whole Piano Bar seem that much more fun. However it is broken up in two parts, where a set of doors are. The doors are open unless there is a party but during the time that the bar is in use no one sat in the other section. Just found that to be a little odd.

Pixels Photo & Art Gallery

The new thing the Photo Gallery is introducing is a wall in which if your photo gets placed you get that photo for free. However I looked for a few minutes for it and could not even find the wall, did not spend more than 10 minutes the entire time there but still very nice of them to do.

 

Pizza Pirate

Much like every other Carnival ship the lines are very long and the turn out for pizza coming out of the oven is even longer. Taste wise it was at the bottom of the list, Norwegian still takes the win in this area hands down. There was always two people who were working here, but very unorganized with them not really working together to get anything out. They do accommodate when you want a special pizza. Again the lines are really long and expect to wait a good half hour, usually no matter what time of day or night it is. Good thing is that the Tide's Bar is only steps away, so make sure you bring two people so one of you can go grab a couple of drinks.

Plaza Cafe

This place was open a lot of the time as well, always with the same two girls, who were the nicest on board. They had to work an easy 12 hours everyday. Here you can get some milkshakes (black & white is amazing), also some pastries or even sport drinks.

Port of Miami (Home-port)

This is where the Faster to the Fun was worth having. We got to the port at 11am and went straight to the check in and through to security and right up stairs to put money on our Sail and Sign account. Now here is the part we messed up on, a majority of the people use Side A, which is on the left side of the terminal. No one really uses Side B which never had a wait. So either way we got right on and in our room around 11:30am. It was so worth the $50 we spent on it. Keep in mind the price is for the entire cabin and not per person. When you go and book it, spots are limited and you go to the excursions for your home-port (departing port) and make sure you only pick the excursion ONE TIME. They will let you choose it more than once but just pick it for one person (doesn't matter who) that is in that cabin.

Promenade Shops

Here are the on board shops where you can purchase everything from watches to liquor to souvenir shot glasses. Also they offer some stationary items such as toiletries, however they can get a bit costly. Make sure to check out your Fun Times for the deals that they offer through the entire cruise.

RedFrog Pub

This place was great!!! Just very relaxing and a great place to play checkers or sit and relax playing Go-Fish. We spent hours upon hours here just hanging out and playing games to kill time during the waiting time from one thing to another. Did not have a chance to eat any of the Pub Grub. Also just a FYI, we heard that the trivia played here the prizes are really great, including large beer. Not a cup but the tower. Here are the hours of operation from our trip.

RedFrog Pub Times

Day 1 (Miami): Pub Grub (4:00pm - 1:00am)

Day 2 (Sea Day): Pub Grub (4:00pm - 1:00am)

Day 3 (Sea Day): Pub Grub (4:00pm - 1:00am)

Day 4 (St. Thomas): Pub Grub (4:00pm - 1:00am)

Day 5 (Antigua): Pub Grub (4:00pm - 1:00am)

Day 6 (Tortola): Pub Grub (5:30pm - 8:30pm)

                                         (4:00pm - 1:00am)

Day 7 (Sea Day): Pub Grub (11:00am - 1:00am)

Day 8 (Nassau): Pub Grub (4:00pm - 1:00am)

RedFrog Rum Bar

We did get some time to sit and relax here having a drink. It is nice and relaxing, the Lido area is pretty big and you never feel too cramped here.

Sapphire Dining Room

We did not have this dining room, however it did serve as our Muster Station. This was the dining room in which had the Punchliner Comedy Brunch. The menu had a lot of variety and choices looked pretty good, until we got them that is. The food was mostly overcooked or undercooked. From chicken with blood in it to steak being purple on the inside, also the staff getting the orders wrong or missing items over and over again. Went to it a couple of times, did not get a chance to see the comedy portion of it since it starts around 10am. One morning since Christine was feeling a bit sick with a cough I went to see if they can give me soup to go. They were more than happy to get it for us once I explained why.

Punchliner Comedy Brunch

Day 2 (Sea Day): 8:30am - 1:00pm (Shows at 10am, 11am, 12pm & 1pm)

Day 3 (Sea Day): 8:30am - 1:00pm (Shows at 10am, 11am, 12pm & 1pm)

Day 7 (Sea Day): 8:30am - 1:00pm (Shows at 10am, 11am, 12pm & 1pm)

Serenity Deck

This is the "Adult's Only" section of the ship. Not really anything special here, nothing more than a a bunch of chairs and a couple hot tubs. Everyone looked like they had been there for days just sleeping all over the place soaking in all of the hot Caribbean sun. I did however walk over to the area around 4 or 5pm after leaving a port. Not impressed, seemed very cramped.

Sport's Square

I (Patrick) tried out the Ropes Course, and the kids were doing it just fine. When you have a guy my size trying to balance on nets and ropes where you think they will break at any moment you don't seem to feel to safe. I got maybe 1/3 of the way across when I got up to a section where you had one beam about 6 inches wide and you had to put one front in front of another to get across. I was like no way. I was like screw it and told the instructors that I was heading back. So yea that was fun for a quick moment. Now heading below is a mini golf course which also has plenty of things to do inside it such as a pool table and a foosbar table. The idea was cool, but when you want to play golf you really don't want to have to keep moving people away from playing pool (and vice versa) to do so. Also located here is a small sports bar, mostly for kids use for soda. Finally off to the back of the Sport's Square we end up at the basketball court and the open style gym. The basketball court plays host to numerous volleyball and basketball tournaments. I did play one basketball game with a bunch of other guys. It was pretty fun and had a great time. You don't play for anything more than a fun time. The gym equipment is located all around the jogging track for use.

St. Thomas, USVI (Port of Call)

This was our first port of call and second time coming here. A few weeks before we had plans on getting off and going up to Paradise Pointe, but we decided since we were going to be off at all of the other ports we would stay on the ship (even after having 2 back to back sea days to start off our cruise) and enjoy the empty ship. We did the pool and slides and just enjoyed the quiet time on board. The water and weather much like last time was absolutely amazing. The port is very nice and tons of shops and stores around in the area. Next time we will do an excursion to some place.

Tandoor Station & Late Night Snacks

Still have yet to eat here, not really into any of the foods here. It also serves to the late night snacks station, which has chicken tenders, fries, hot dogs and some cookies. Not a huge selection at all. Miss the burgers.

The Taste Bar

When it was open serving salads during the day it, we loved this place. They will make you the salad along with all of the toppings to go on top. On certain nights they offered a small sample from either Bonsai Sushi, Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, and the Cucina del Capitano. We were not really impressed with the samples that were available. Never a line here despite being located in the middle of the always busy Ocean Plaza. Breakfast time also is served here, nothing too much just some small items like scrambled eggs and grits.

Thrill Theater

We did not get a chance to check out the Thrill Theater. These are short films all in 3D with special seats that move to the movie. Here are some pictures and a list of what was shown throughout our cruise.

Movie & Show Times

Day 1 (Miami): Ice Age (7:00pm - 9:00pm)

Day 2 (Sea Day): Just the Rides (10:00am - 2:30pm)

                                                        Sponge Bob & Mumbles Wild Ride (3:00pm - 6:30pm)

                                                         Happy Feet & The Bamboo Express (7:00pm - 10:00pm)

Day 3 (Sea Day): Ice Age (10:00am - 2:30pm)

                                 Just the Rides (3:00pm - 6:30pm)

                                                                  Sponge Bob & Mumbles Wild Ride (7:00pm - 10:00pm)

Day 4 (St. Thomas): Happy Feet & The Bamboo Express (7:00pm - 10:00pm)

Day 5 (Antigua): Just the Rides (7:00pm - 10:00pm)

Day 6 (Tortola): Ice Age (3:00pm - 6:30pm)

                                                                   Sponge Bob & Mumbles Wild Ride (7:00pm - 10:00pm)

Day 7 (Sea Day): Happy Feet & The Bamboo Express (10:00am - 2:30pm)

                        Sponge Bob & Mumbles Wild Ride (3:00pm - 6:30pm)  
Ice Age (7:00pm - 10:00pm)

Day 8 (Nassau): Happy Feet & The Bamboo Express (10:00am - 12:00pm) 
Just the Rides (7:00pm -10:00pm)

Tide's Pool & Bar

The pool and hot tubs are open until late morning hours. Always packed with people from morning till late night. Another great place to hang out and relax. You are steps away from the bar and pizza station also overlooking the sea behind you it sets as the perfect view. 

Tortola, BVI (Port of Call)

Wishing we had never got off at this port, so horrible. As soon as we got off we had to walk around this long gated area where only buses were able to pick up passengers for excursions. Finally once we got to the actual "town" we were wondering why they keep taking us to these poor countries that are not at all eye catching. We understand that it mostly is about the excursions that you take, but when you take me to a port try to make it decent to be in. So back to being in Tortola, we got into the town and walked around for a bit taking pictures. We were walking around a corner and we saw a guy talking to himself and throwing his hands in the area and just staring at people as they walked past. So we turned the corner and he had come up behind us and said to himself that he wanted to smack my wife's butt, I did not hear him since he spoke in a low tone to himself. So as we walked another guy came up to us and said don't mind him he is just crazy (this coming from a man who was holding his pants up by his own hands). So here is the really FUN (being sarcastic) part of this trip, the wack-job that was talking to himself also had a lovely knife in his hand. No not a small pocket knife, but a nice 7 inch chef knife. So yea we felt so safe being here, can you tell? So we had enough after being here for about 25 minutes or so. We headed back to the ship just to get some feel of safety into us. Just so disgusted at the port and the locals. Yes I will admit that the water was the brightest blue we have ever seen, but the port itself did not shine at all. Glad we went, just so we know next time not book any trip going to this place.

Warehouse Video Arcade

Here are some photos of the 24 hour arcade on-board the Carnival Breeze.

Winner's Luck Casino & Bar

Let's start off at the Casino Bar, this is pretty much the only place that I could find on the ship that had any type of sports scores. However they only showed ESPN in the morning time, but it was on mute. A lot of people did not like having anywhere to get any type of sports in. Most of the sports shown were Rugby and other types of sports. Much like me there were a lot of Miami Heat fans on the ship, every time I had on a jersey or a Heat shirt people would stop me to see if I could tell them the score or who won last night’s game. I said nope, I can't find a place that actually shows games or anything. Now off to the amazing casino on board. Well not too much action happened here, well for us anyways. Only thing we got out of the casino was a nice 14 page stateroom, well also a nice bottle of wine and gift certificate for 20% off if we booked in the next two weeks and used it in the next six months. The amount we spent we could have got two or three week long cruises. Well to the positive part of this casino, they did have a great selection of machines which included little symbols that indicated if that specific machine was smoking or non-smoking. The atmosphere in here was not like most of our other ships. It was not really jammed packed like other ships were around the tables and machines. Also not too much yelling and screaming. Which in a way was peaceful, but missed that excitement.

Fun Times

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