Thinking about a 2013 cruise - Breeze vs. Dream?

So DW and I are doing some very preliminary thinking about a possible January 2013 cruise, and I've noticed two options that seem to be interesting:

1. Carnival Dream - 7 nights to St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Nassau from Port Canaveral

OR

2. Carnival Breeze - 6 nights to Grand Turk and Montego Bay from Miami.

The Breeze is $130/pp less for the same cabin but is one less night in length - if we were to do the Breeze, the savings would be spent for hotel/meals for a night pre/post-cruise in Miami.

Two other factors: Maho Beach has been a big item on our bucket list (Dream), but we're also really excited about seeing what a post-Farcus Carnival Ship looks like (Breeze)...of course, Breeze isn't in service yet so no one knows for sure exactly how that's going to play out!

Any thoughts or arguments for one cruise over the other, CC world?!

So DW and I are doing some very preliminary thinking about a possible January 2013 cruise, and I've noticed two options that seem to be interesting:

 

1. Carnival Dream - 7 nights to St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Nassau from Port Canaveral

 

OR

 

2. Carnival Breeze - 6 nights to Grand Turk and Montego Bay from Miami.

 

The Breeze is $130/pp less for the same cabin but is one less night in length - if we were to do the Breeze, the savings would be spent for hotel/meals for a night pre/post-cruise in Miami.

 

Two other factors: Maho Beach has been a big item on our bucket list (Dream), but we're also really excited about seeing what a post-Farcus Carnival Ship looks like (Breeze)...of course, Breeze isn't in service yet so no one knows for sure exactly how that's going to play out!

 

Any thoughts or arguments for one cruise over the other, CC world?!

We're in the same boat you are (so to speak)... we are going on the Breeze in Dec (just the hubby and I) but for spring break I can't decide between the Dream and Breeze. We just did the Magic this past spring break and it was absolutely fabulous...!!! We travel from Indiana and had no idea that Galveston was as close a drive as Orlando. I've always wanted to go to St. Thomas, Antigua and the baths of Tortola. We are doing that in December. The kids are game for either as long as we stay on one of these ships. They loved the magic..!!! I'm anxious to see what the upgraded differences are in the Breeze from the Magic. Good luck deciding

Cruising in January it's better to sail from Miami, better chance on warm weather for sailaway. When we sailed Dream even in february it was cold in port canaveral.

The Breeze...hands down, one because it's the newest and will have many more bells & whistles than the Dream.

Two, because it sails out of Miami and the further south you are in January, the warmer the weather.

Three, the 6 day Breeze sailing only visits two ports, so the port charges are cheaper (did you factor this into the 130 pp difference?)

Four, John Heald will be on board the following week, so there is a high possibility that he could be the CD for the 1/13/13 sailing and he is the best CD that Carnival has, as far as I have heard.

Five, I just booked the 1/13/13 sailing of the Breeze yesterday, so that should solidify your choice selection.:D

Thanks for all the comments! If the prices and all of the other factors stay the same I guess we'd be leaning towards the Breeze especially if Mr. Heald will be CD.

We sailed on Ecstasy this past winter out of Port Canaveral and the weather was in the 70s, but we realize that is not a guarantee all winter long.

Right now it's too early for us to book - we need to wait for a couple other things to settle into place before we know for sure we'll be able to do this, but I'll be keeping an eye on prices and if these factors stay the same the Breeze sounds like a good deal!

We're trying to decide as well...for August of 2013. The Dream is on our list (as is the Liberty and the RCI Oasis). I also looked into the Breeze, but the 8 days and it just adds another sea day and we like minimal (like 2) sea days (willing to do sea days on the Oasis though, since that ship has so much going on). It would be very neat to check out that Breeze though.

Another thing...and you live somewhat close to us...is driving to port. We drive to PC but don't really want to drive to Miami. You could drive to PC for the Dream and save on airfare.

We're trying to decide as well...for August of 2013. The Dream is on our list (as is the Liberty and the RCI Oasis). I also looked into the Breeze, but the 8 days and it just adds another sea day and we like minimal (like 2) sea days (willing to do sea days on the Oasis though, since that ship has so much going on). It would be very neat to check out that Breeze though.

 

Another thing...and you live somewhat close to us...is driving to port. We drive to PC but don't really want to drive to Miami. You could drive to PC for the Dream and save on airfare.

Thanks for the info,

We don't mind sea days; the cruise we're looking at is a 6-day with two ports on Breeze, vs. a 7-day with three on Dream. When you say Liberty, do you mean Carnival Liberty or RCI Liberty? Because before noticing the Breeze option, I was thinking "Dream vs. RCI Freedom" (RCI Freedom being a sister to RCI Liberty). However, that died down when I ran the numbers on both and found RCI Freedom would've cost nearly $500 more for 7 days. We found the ice rink, FlowRider, nicer room service menu and non-Farcus decor aren't worth nearly $500 for a week, especially when Dream will be upgraded to Carnival 2.0 by the time we sail. And the Breeze has 2.0 and post-Farcus decor too.

That said, I've been on Oasis and if you are able to do a splurge (and they're not charging an arm and a leg), that ship is spectacular. And sea days on Oasis are your friend, we found that the full week we had wasn't enough to see everything we wanted to on that ship when we went.

We have some (fortunate) special circumstances regarding transportation to/from the port for this hypothetical trip, so the normal fly/train/bus/drive economics don't work the same way for us as they do for most people.

Thanks for your response!

We looked at both of these cruises as well. As you said, Dream is an extra day and for us it would have been a closer drive since we will already be in Orlando. 1/13/13 Breeze from Miami won out, no contest. Just can't pass up the chance to sail the newest ship in the fleet while it is STILL new:D

My pvp said that the breeze will have more then dream. I can't remember what all but I know a zip line.

We're trying to decide as well...for August of 2013. The Dream is on our list (as is the Liberty and the RCI Oasis). I also looked into the Breeze, but the 8 days and it just adds another sea day and we like minimal (like 2) sea days (willing to do sea days on the Oasis though, since that ship has so much going on).

Even though I have not cruised on either of them yet, from what I have read on the RCCL boards, there is nothing afloat that can compare to the Oasis and the Allure. That being said, they are destination ships, certainly not port ships because of the same old, same old ports that they visit. Some people have even posted over there that they would not mind if those ships just sailed around for 1 week and never visited a port.

I believe that the same will be true of the Breeze. After seeing some of the videos showing the construction and reading about the new tweaks that she will have, I pulled the trigger and booked her for a January sailing....my mouth is watering with anticipation for that cruise. And the best thing is the 6 day sailing only visits 2 ports, so we save on port charges by not going to Nassau.

If you do decide to go the RCCL behemoth route, go with the Allure, since she is newer and does have a few newer tweaks compared to the Oasis.

Thanks for the advice everyone!!!

Dream will be upgraded to Carnival 2.0 by the time we sail. And the Breeze has 2.0 and post-Farcus decor too.

 

The Breeze has 2.0 and then some......and I believe that the Dream will not get all of the 2.0 upgrades such as Guy's Burger Grill, but I could be mistaken..:o

My pvp said that the breeze will have more then dream. I can't remember what all but I know a zip line.

Really? I knew there would a be cool ropes course, but I was not aware of a Zip line....

So DW and I are doing some very preliminary thinking about a possible January 2013 cruise, and I've noticed two options that seem to be interesting:

 

1. Carnival Dream - 7 nights to St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Nassau from Port Canaveral

 

OR

 

2. Carnival Breeze - 6 nights to Grand Turk and Montego Bay from Miami.

 

The Breeze is $130/pp less for the same cabin but is one less night in length - if we were to do the Breeze, the savings would be spent for hotel/meals for a night pre/post-cruise in Miami.

 

Two other factors: Maho Beach has been a big item on our bucket list (Dream), but we're also really excited about seeing what a post-Farcus Carnival Ship looks like (Breeze)...of course, Breeze isn't in service yet so no one knows for sure exactly how that's going to play out!

 

Any thoughts or arguments for one cruise over the other, CC world?!

Of course, I'd vote for seven days over six anytime but having recently sailed on the Magic and having sailed on the Dream I'd be EXTREMELY tempted to vote for the Breeze. The addition of all of the FunShip 2.0 goodies plus the Red Frog Pub and a few fun things I can't talk about push me in that direction.

Don't get me wrong... the Dream is beautiful but the enhancements would push me to the Breeze...

:)

Thanks,

I think we have consensus from this thread!

Assuming the factors that would drive our cruise decision don't change between now and when we'd be able to go, I'll be looking at the Breeze first!

Thanks,

 

I think we have consensus from this thread!

 

Assuming the factors that would drive our cruise decision don't change between now and when we'd be able to go, I'll be looking at the Breeze first!

Wise choice......after you book it, we'll be waiting for you over on the roll call for the 1/13/13 sailing. :)

If I had my choice between the two , I would take Breeze. It has a lot of the newer things that the Magic has. That was our favorite one of Carnival so far. It also has the new Specialty Italian one. Free for lunch and small charge for dinner. It is upstairs where the fish & chips used to be. Cucina del Capiano is the name. Great Italian . They also serve gluten free for anyone who has celiac. I liked the Breeze so much better than the dream. We also do the new ones when they come out. We also have the Breeze booked in Feb 2013. Trying to find a nice hotel in Miami without spending $300.00 a nite. SW only flies into Ft Lauderdale

I can't help but wonder if there will be a better flow (if that's the right word) for pax on Breeze compared to the Dream. I am looking at both ships and keep reading over and over and over about how Dream has no place for the many pax that they sail with. We will be going in Aug, Sep, or Oct 2013. I understand not going to certain areas at peak times, but can't get over how much I read about the crowds, lack of space for pax on the Dream.

I can't help but wonder if there will be a better flow (if that's the right word) for pax on Breeze compared to the Dream. I am looking at both ships and keep reading over and over and over about how Dream has no place for the many pax that they sail with. We will be going in Aug, Sep, or Oct 2013. I understand not going to certain areas at peak times, but can't get over how much I read about the crowds, lack of space for pax on the Dream.

I can tell you that I rarely encountered any kind of queue for anything on the Magic. She's well laid out and handled the 4000 plus guests with great ease...

:)

I would vote Breeze too. I don't know why people think the Dream is crowded... The ONLY time i encountered lines was when people were either 1) too lazy or 2) too dumb to realize there was a whole other section to the Lido. I think people were so used to only one interior food area that they miss the next area aft toward the burrito bar and pasta (upstairs). No one ever got food from the salad bar area at the sushi bar at lunch.

I find the 2.0 upgrade SLOWness disappointing... I don't know why the Dream can't have evening dinner in the Pasta area / Italian. I'm not sure why they can't make menu changes quicker and gradually change the decor...

They also need to do more to make the Dream like her sisters with an obstacle course (get rid of some mini golf).

I would vote Breeze too. I don't know why people think the Dream is crowded... The ONLY time i encountered lines was when people were either 1) too lazy or 2) too dumb to realize there was a whole other section to the Lido. I think people were so used to only one interior food area that they miss the next area aft toward the burrito bar and pasta (upstairs). No one ever got food from the salad bar area at the sushi bar at lunch.

 

I find the 2.0 upgrade SLOWness disappointing... I don't know why the Dream can't have evening dinner in the Pasta area / Italian. I'm not sure why they can't make menu changes quicker and gradually change the decor...

 

They also need to do more to make the Dream like her sisters with an obstacle course (get rid of some mini golf).

Arpie, I agree that people can complain about lines because they are "too lazy" or not necessarily creative enough to try different places or different times. Because a lot of people have mentioned that the layout of the ship causes a lot of crowding issues, I wondered if that was the case, or was it a case of people going during peak-time to notoriously crowded places (buffet at noon, etc.).

I can tell you that I rarely encountered any kind of queue for anything on the Magic. She's well laid out and handled the 4000 plus guests with great ease...

 

:)

So is the Breeze supposed to be laid out more like the Magic? I really don't know why I am so worried about the Dream.. but I'm definitely bothered.