Breeze July 2-9 Cozumel, Belize, and Roatan thoughts and video!

We just got off the Breeze and had a wonderful time! We traveled with my whole family to celebrate my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary (8 adults, 6 kids ages 3-12). We visited Cozumel, Belize, and Roatan July 2-9. Amazing vacation that left us all ready for the next!

Embarkation in Galveston: Our check in time was 11:00-11:30. We decided the best thing to do was to drop off luggage and passengers at the port, then the drivers of our vehicles would proceed to the port parking (we used Port of Galveston parking) and shuttle back. This worked out fairly well. Porters were readily available and loaded up our 13 or so large bags and whisked them away. We were running a little behind schedule as is expected when traveling with a large group, so by the time the drivers made it back to the port and we were all reunited, we were in the check in line by 12:10ish. After they checked our boarding passes the first time, we were escorted a special assistance area where my grandfather was put in a wheelchair (he walks with a cane after breaking his hip in January) and he and my grandmother were taken through a separate line. The rest of our group went through the regular line and it all moved pretty quickly. Our sail and sign cards were given to us at check-in and by this time, there was no line or wait for zones to be called—we just walked right on. We were on the ship by 1:15 and decided we were close enough to our deck 1 rooms that we would just have a drink at the atrium bar and then drop our carry ons and get into swimsuits at 1:30 when our rooms would be ready. This worked out perfectly! (My parents and grandparents had rooms on deck 9 and their rooms were already ready at boarding. Our lowly deck 1 rooms weren’t ready until 1:35ish.) After dropping everything off and getting the kids into swimsuits, we headed up to the Lido deck for lunch. We’d heard the ship was FULL, so I anticipated a lot of waiting in lines. Honestly, the ship didn’t feel any more crowded than any other cruise I’ve been on. Lines went really fast. Our girls opted for chicken strips and ice cream from the Lido Marketplace while my hubby and I had Guy’s. Very good. After eating, we got sun screened up and checked out the pools and Waterworks. Kids had a great time!

Muster: I really like that Muster was inside. We were E3, so our muster station was in the Blush dining room, lower level. My parents were B4 (I think) and they mustered upstairs in the dining room and my grandparents were D4 and they were somewhere near the arcade. I did NOT like that there wasn’t a map or a clearly written muster station location somewhere. We had to ask one of the guides where to go and it seemed a lot of others had to do the same. It’s hard to hear the announcements when so many people are walking and talking, so many of us missed what they said. Once at our station though, it went pretty fast. Maybe 30 minutes. Of course, there were names called of people that didn’t check in. And, we did start sailing before the drill was over. I wish they’d wait so we could see the sail away, but it’s not that big of a deal. By this time, it was nearing 4:15 or so, so we headed back to the Lido deck for some more fun before getting ready for dinner.

Main Dining: We had early dining in Blush on the lower level. Our large group was seated at the back of the restaurant in 2 tables (1 8 top, 1 6 top). We had 2 separate waitstaff teams which was good and bad. Good because it’s hard to handle 14 people! Bad because we often had to move seats or tables to keep everyone happy. This was confusing for the waitstaff if I ordered a glass of wine one night at one table and a glass of wine at the other table the next night. Service was good though and so was the food. I enjoyed every meal. A couple of my favorites: steak tacos (port of call menu in Cozumel, I think), tiger shrimp creole (last night), roasted pumpkin soup, and of course the warm chocolate melting cake. Bitter and Blanc was also on the menu one night, but I didn’t get it. My ONLY complaint for the dining room was the bar staff. It often took a long time to get a glass of wine. Most nights I got it with my entree instead of before my appetizer or even with my appetizer. But, again—I’m sure our large party and constantly changing seats made it more challenging. Not a big deal at all.

Yes, we saw all sorts of dinner attire. No, we didn’t care. Yes, everyone in our party wore the proper attire.

Other dining options: We didn’t eat at the Marketplace that often, with the exception of my kids. They had breakfast and lunch in there most sea days. Husband and I had sea day brunch (good), Guys (good), Blue Iguana for breakfast (good), Bonsai sushi (good), and Cucina Del Capitano (not worth the very long wait on the last sea day) all for lunch. Pig and Anchor ALWAYS had a super long line, so we didn’t even bother. We did do the Dr Seuss breakfast and really enjoyed that! I had the steak and eggs and it was delicious, although the bernaise sauce they served with it was not the best. Overall, good dining experiences. I stepped on the scale the morning after we got home and found I had gained 7 pounds. Hoping that all comes right off!

Pools and Waterworks: We got to the pools every morning at 8:00. Yes, there were chair hogs. And, yes I saw Carnival regulating and putting out the stickers. I did see them take a couple of towels after an hour, but most people had returned within the allotted time. Pools were not crowded at that time. We would stay for an hour or so, then go up to Waterworks for about the same amount of time. Everything seemed to be in good working condition and we all enjoyed it! I went down the yellow slide a couple of times and it was fun. I never went down the orange slide because my husband and my sister both complained of their back getting scraped on some of the screws. And, even though the ship was full, I didn’t feel like I ever had to use my teacher voice or regulate any unruly behavior. Afternoons, the pools were pretty full, though still useable. However, it was like sitting in a bathtub with a bunch of other people, so we opted for Waterworks in the afternoons.

Entertainment: Let me first say that I have been on 5 other Carnival cruises and 1 RC. I don’t have a CLUE who any of the cruise directors were on any of those cruises because they a) didn’t make an impact on my trip and b) I didn’t care. We “LOVED” Schwartz. You couldn’t escape his personality. Such a fun guy and he was everywhere! I would love to know when the guy sleeps because I can’t imagine it’s very much. He was super fun and definitely memorable.

We saw a couple of shows and enjoyed them. I saw Motor City, Flick, and Love and Marriage. All were great. My grandparents and parents saw Country Road and 88 Keys. They said Country Road was ok, but all enjoyed 88 Keys. I didn’t do the Lip Sync Battle, but my parents did and they said it was really fun. (Side note: our girls that were in Camp Ocean learned a dance routine and got to perform during the lip sync battle!)

We also enjoyed some of the live music—The Night Shift was fun and the brother/sister country duo was great too. We also really enjoyed the atrium string trio.

We didn’t see any comedy shows, go to the night club, or go to the piano bar. However, the comedy show line was always super long.

We did see Moana on the last night and my kids loved that (even though we’ve seen it 100 times already).

Cheers and Bars: Service was good at most bars. Alchemy is still my favorite and I was so glad that they added one on the Breeze. My favorite there is the Basil Drop. The only bar service complaint I have is in the casino. There aren’t near enough waitstaff members walking around the casino to take orders. I was in the casino most every night and I only was able to order 1 drink from the table/slot machines the entire week. And, the casino bar was always packed. I feel like they could’ve added some more staff here, especially when they could see it was busy. My favorite drinks were: Layer Cake Cabernet Sauvignon in the MDR, Basil Drop at Alchemy, Mango swirl at the Tides Pool Bar, Red’s Remedy on Lido, and I did enjoy the Red’s Ale at Red Frog Pub. I did tip $1 at Alchemy and $1 to the traveling waitstaff for bar drinks, but didn’t tip additional to regular bartenders. I don’t think tipping impacted my service.

Cabin: We have 5 in our family and were in a deluxe ocean view room on Deck 1. I LOVED this cabin. The 2 bathrooms are a MUST for a larger group. Truth be told, I would love that set up even for just my husband and myself. The larger bathtub/shower is really nice to have. We had 2 pullman bunks, the couch made into a bed, and a King. Our cabin steward was very attentive and upon meeting us he offered morning, evening, or BOTH service. We opted for evening, but he was readily available if we needed anything and most days we did ask for other things besides the evening service (towels, ice, etc.). On port days, we asked that he service our cabin while we were in port and he was happy to do so. The only complaint I had was the blowdryer was junk. I should’ve packed my own. I don’t even have a lot of hair, but that thing took forever to dry my hair.

Cozumel: We did the Dolphin Discovery Encounter at Chankanaab Park. We booked independently. This included open bar, buffet lunch, pool, beach, and dolphin encounter. We had a good time here with Apollo and DaVinci. We did have 1 small issue when our first dolphin (Thor) put his mouth on my sister’s leg. He kind of got unruly and rammed into our group. But, we were moved to another area and he was working with a trainer when we left. The manatees were a surprise to us and we enjoyed touching and feeding them as well! They will definitely try to rip you off with the pictures, but if you stand your ground, they will come down in price significantly. We got ALL of our pictures for our group of 14 (over 300) for $360. The buffet was barely edible (even after several margaritas) and when my mom asked for a Modelo towards the end of the day, their keg was floated so the guy lifted up the beer runoff tray and poured it into her cup! Ummm….NO. Gross. We did get a good laugh though and it all added to the experience. LOL.

This was July 4th and they were doing stuff on Lido deck at 11:00, but we were all so tired, we skipped it. I do wish they would have offered more things earlier in the evening for the kids to celebrate, but whatever—it didn’t impact our trip at all.

Belize: Belize was our only tender port. We were instructed to go to the Limelight Lounge and get stickers when we were ready to get off the ship. We had booked a Goff’s Caye beach and snorkel excursion through Island Marketing and needed to the there at 9:00 Belize time, which was 10:00 ship time. We decided to get off a little early to walk around the port first, so we headed to Limelight around 8:30 ship time (7:30 Belize time). It took quite a while to get a tender. I think we waited close to 45 minutes or so to be called down to the gangway. The weather was not great and as soon as we got on the tender boat, the rain started pounding us. It made for a wet, windy, and rocky 30ish minute ride into the port. Once at the port, we easily found the terminal for our excursion. We waited a short time before we were escorted to the boat that would take us to Goff’s Caye. It was still rather windy, so the ride was pretty rocky. Once we got to the caye, we were told those who wanted to snorkel would need to be back on the boat in 15 minutes. Because we had young children with us, my sister and I stayed back while the rest of our party (minus our 3 littlest kids) went to snorkel at the reef. They said it was good snorkeling, though difficult with the waves and current that day. On the caye, we walked out to a sandbar for the younger 3 kiddos to play on. They had a blast. This excursion included rum punch, which was available a plenty. The water was absolutely gorgeous. The shore area was a bit rocky, but walkable. Food was available for purchase and we thoroughly enjoyed BBQed shrimp and lobster kabobs along with rice and corn. Really good. Like so good, I think my dad, husband, and brother-in-law all made multiple trips to the grill. We saw lots of coral, found several conch shells, and saw lots of fish swimming in the waters near the pier. Our group was the first to the caye for the day and 3 other groups pulled up throughout the day. But, those groups also left to snorkel, so it never felt really crowded. We were the first group to leave and we got back with plenty of time to shop at the port, get the girls braids in their hair, and a coconut drink for Mom. The weather never got hot or sunny that day, but we enjoyed Belize! We took a tender back to the ship around 3:30, got back close to 4:00, and still had some time to rest a little before we got cleaned up for pre-dinner cocktails and our dinner at 6:00.

Roatan: We had planned on taking all 14 of our party off the ship in Roatan. My grandfather stayed on the ship in Cozumel, and both of my grandparents stayed on the ship in Belize, so we were looking forward to everyone doing something together in Roatan. But, once we got off the ship, we realized there was no way my grandfather could walk up the hill just to get into the port and then up the BIG hill to get to the taxi area. So, they decided to go back onboard while the rest of us went to find our ride. We did not inquire about special assistance here, but I do hope they have something to make this a little more accessible for those with limited mobility. My brother-in-law’s family friend recently moved to Roatan and purchased a beach club/bar in the West End called Palapa Papa’s. He arranged for a driver to pick up our group and take us to the beach for the day. We walked for what seemed like forever before we found him and he took us on the 30ish minute drive. When we got to Palapa Papa’s, we were given an all access wristband that gave us beach chairs, umbrellas, paddleboards, snorkel gear, kayaks, and beach toys. We had a good time. My brother in law also went fishing right off the side of the restaurant at Palapa Papa’s. He didn’t catch anything, but a barracuda bit his line in half. Crazy to think we had been swimming less than 100 yards from where that happened. Eek! We did get another round of rain while in Roatan (dang hurricane season), so we hung out at the restaurant for a while before calling our driver to come back a little early. Before we left, my nephew and brother in law did “the blob”, which is like a big water trampoline launcher thing that you jump on from the top of the restaurant. I was THIIIIISSS close to trying it too before I chickened out. Back at the port, we shopped a bit, visited the pharmacy for them to check out the mysterious little red dots I had developed on my leg (sand fly bites), and then we headed back to the ship. Side note: the sand fly bites didn’t itch or bother me and they seem to be completely gone now. My youngest daughter and mom had a few, too. The lady at the pharmacy said “It’s just our island’s gift to you”. No thanks! It started raining (again), so we didn’t have time to check out the beach at Mahogany Bay—we just got back on the ship. By the time we left Roatan, it was a huge downpour and there were even reports of some flooding in the Ocean Plaza from water outside coming in.

Camp Ocean and Circle C: We had 6 kiddos with us—2 in the Penguin group (ages 3 and 4), 1 in the Sting Ray group (age 6), 2 in the Sharks group (ages 10 and 12—but we requested her to be in the younger group), and 1 in Circle C (age 12). For the most part, the kiddos WANTED to go to camp. We generally took them mid morning for an hour or so, after lunch for an hour or so, and after dinner for 2 hours or so. The 2 younger ones were getting tired/cranky, so they needed a little more convincing to go in the evenings, but the grown ups really needed them to hang out there for a bit so we could enjoy some peace. They played games, did arts and crafts, sang songs, watched movies, and had a good time. We never did the night owls program because there is no way they could stay up longer than 10:00. The one kiddo who was in the stingrays decided she wanted to be a penguin instead, so they had no problem moving her down. She’d only turned 6 a few weeks before our cruise and her younger sister and cousin were both penguins, so they understood. So, I’m not real sure what the Sting Ray group did. The Sharks group had more free time—my daughter said they played video games, did crafts, and played organized games. She really enjoyed it as did my 12 year old niece who was in the same group. On the last night, they gave each kid a backpack filled with Carnival goodies, which was nice (and, made for a FREE souvenir). My 12 year old nephew went to Circle C the first night, but he decided it wasn’t for him, so he never went back.

Other stuff: The casino was super smoky, yet I went there anyway every night. :D I didn’t like how you had to walk right through the casino to get to the shops and what not on that deck. And, by walk through, I mean you are literally in the middle of the casino (tables on one side of the walkway, slots on the other side). Kids and all.

We only went to the serenity deck once, but it wasn’t very serene. Very loud from the bar and people up there—even in the clamshells. It was much more quiet in the deck chairs around Deck 5. I did LOVE that you could walk all the way around the ship on Deck 5.

We enjoyed mini golf and the ropes course a couple of times. I did the ropes course and I will admit that a couple of places were a little scary. :D

We didn’t try out the thrill theater, the arcade, the spa, or the gym.

DEFINITELY recommend the HUB app and the chat feature! Worked great for us, though at times you had to open it up and make sure it was “connected”. But, even my 82-year-old grandparents could use it with ease. No more carrying around the Fun Times or bringing a highlighter! I also purchased the social media package for the week so we could keep in touch with our house sitter. Worked great.

Debarkation in Galveston: With the number of people we had, we opted to check our luggage. They called our zone around 10:30 and we headed down. Lord, the line to get through customs took FOREVER. I don’t think we got through that line until after 12:00. We finally got to our cars around 12:45 and started the drive home. Of course, as soon as we got to the cars to load up the luggage, the sky opened up and it started to pour. Thankfully, I wasn’t responsible for securing luggage so I was dry in the car!

We had an amazing time though and I really felt like cruising gave us something for everyone! We had plenty of time to be together with our whole family, be with our immediate family, and had time away from our kids, too. It was the perfect balance. On other cruises, I always felt ready to get off the ship on the last day. This cruise, I wasn’t ready for it to end! I think maybe I felt like I didn’t get to do it all because the ship was so big and I ran out of time. I don’t know. But, we had a great time and are already planning our next trip. Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll try to help. :)

Dang, that was long! Sorry. :) I wrote it all out so I wouldn't forget anything and just copied and pasted from my word document. Eek!

Thanks for this. I'm going on this exact cruise in September. Haven't been on a ship since 2010 and it was go go go the entire time (only 3 days; one port). I'm excited.

Thanks for the nice review. I love the Breeze and it's always fun to read other people's experiences.

Thank you for your feedback.

Very well written, extensive review, thanks!

Thanks for the info on the ports. We're doing the same itinerary on the Freedom Feb 2018!

We were on the cruise with you as well. Had an absolute blast! And yes Schwartz is amazing. Had another couple that were first time cruisers and they kept saying "When does this guy sleep?"

Thanks for the review! We will be on the Breeze for the first time in December. I have a 10 year old and hope he likes the kids club. How crowded was the waterslide on sea days. And are there a lot of chairs in that area to be able to sit out and watch him on the slides?

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Awesome review! It helps me make it until we cruise in March!

Thanks for the review! We will be on the Breeze for the first time in December. I have a 10 year old and hope he likes the kids club. How crowded was the waterslide on sea days. And are there a lot of chairs in that area to be able to sit out and watch him on the slides?

 

 

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The wait for the slides was never more than 5 minutes or so. And, we didn't have a problem finding a spot to watch from, though the orange chairs right at the front with the umbrellas filled up pretty quickly in the morning. However, there were orange and pink bench things on the sides that usually had spots open.

just wanted to say thanks, we board on Sunday and your write up got me excited for our trip

just wanted to say thanks, we board on Sunday and your write up got me excited for our trip

You will have a wonderful time! Enjoy! :)

Thanks for your thoughts.

Sounds like y'all had a blast and no..I don't think Schwartz ever sleeps. Like..ever. LOL

With the way the wind and the weather was, I'm honestly surprised they were able to tender people off in Belize. We've been there in nice weather and STILL not been able to get off because the waves were too high or something. Out of the 4 cruises we've been on where Belize was a port of call, we've been able to get off ONE time.

We saw all of the shows except for Country Roads (we're not country music fans) and I think Flick was our favorite. :) We've never seen anything like it. :-D

Sounds like y'all had a blast and no..I don't think Schwartz ever sleeps. Like..ever. LOL

 

With the way the wind and the weather was, I'm honestly surprised they were able to tender people off in Belize. We've been there in nice weather and STILL not been able to get off because the waves were too high or something. Out of the 4 cruises we've been on where Belize was a port of call, we've been able to get off ONE time.

 

We saw all of the shows except for Country Roads (we're not country music fans) and I think Flick was our favorite. :) We've never seen anything like it. :-D

When we got on the tender, I told my husband I was pretty sure this was how Gilligan's Island started. He said he hoped there was a Mary Ann somewhere onboard, to which I reminded him I WAS IT. LOL! :D

My dad liked Flick so much, he went to to both the early and late showings!

My 12-year-old niece is already bugging her mom to look to see where Schwartz will be next summer because she wants to go on another cruise with him as CD. She's definitely crushing on him! <3

Enjoyed your review.

Keith

When we got on the tender, I told my husband I was pretty sure this was how Gilligan's Island started. He said he hoped there was a Mary Ann somewhere onboard, to which I reminded him I WAS IT. LOL! :D

 

My dad liked Flick so much, he went to to both the early and late showings!

 

My 12-year-old niece is already bugging her mom to look to see where Schwartz will be next summer because she wants to go on another cruise with him as CD. She's definitely crushing on him! <3

:')

Well..he IS rather easy on the eyes and a real sweetheart so..yeah. I don't blame her for having a crush on him.:D

What a great extended family holiday and loved your review! Your family is adorable. Those girls are quite the dancers! What fun!! NCL cruiser here, didn't know there was a Family room with two baths. Wow, how nice! We travel with a pair of older teen girls so two rooms is really the only choice for a peaceful vacation, but would consider a family room when traveling only with the younger of the two. Thank you for sharing your experiences. Just loved following along!!!

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Does the Breeze have karaoke?

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Does the Breeze have karaoke?

 

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Yes! They usually have an all age one and then they have a 18+ One after

Does the Breeze have karaoke?

 

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Yes, there were a couple of different options at both the Limelight Lounge and the Red Frog Pub. We didn't ever attend though (which is shocking because my husband loves karaoke). It was usually during our dinner time or we wanted to do other things.

Great video! Thanks for posting your review. We'll be on the Breeze for the first time in October. :)

The Breeze is our favorite ship. We will be sailing this same itinerary next month. Glad that you had a good time

Do you by any chance have any of the Fun Times saved that you can share?