JediMom

We are sailing on the Brilliance of the Seas in a couple of weeks. It's a roundtrip from Vancouver, and we are sailing the inside passage. Will we be able to still see glaciers on our sea days going up the coast??  Even though we are portside? I have ideas of enjoying watching the view sail by on our sea days. Didn't realize I booked the non coast side 🤦

Thanks so much! 

We are booked on the Carnival Magic in February 2017 :) and are booked on the Upper deck, starboard side right above the Piano Bar.

We were on the Breeze 2 years ago and the Piano Bar was our favorite evening hangout - Ben was the piano man and he was fantastic, so fantastic there was a packed house every night well past midnight most nights!! Last year, we were on the Valor and while I can't remember the entertainer's name .... he wasn't very good and the bar was more than half empty every night and he was probably done by 11.

Obviously, it's a hit and miss which experience we'll have this time but if the piano bar is hopping, will we be disrupted by the noise?? We're travelling with DS who's in bed 10 or 11ish on our cruises.

Also, is it the starboard side that is the smoking side of the ship?? Would we be bothered from smoke on our balcony coming up from the Lanai??

Thanks for the feedback :)

It's a deal breaker for us. We travel with DS who is 9. One of his favorite things about vacation is to have us bring him breakfast in bed and he can watch cartoons, while we enjoy our (usually third) coffees on the balcony. We hate the busy buffet lines and try to go when it's the least busy. DS isn't interested in heading to the buffet as early as I prefer to go to avoid lines and there's no way I'm fighting my way through masses of people for breakfast. His breakfast in bed is a compromise (for my family) as we all enjoy our vacation.

On the flip side, in the evenings, it's nice to enjoy a snack on the balcony and reflect on our day. Evening snacks and a kid's breakfast aren't worth the $7.95 (x2) for me.

DH was excited about trying the Eclipse and we were about to put our deposit on for next winter. However, this new policy was a definite deal breaker for us.

We just got off the Breeze Saturday. No rowing machine and I didn't see bars either. They did have a decent range of free weights, they had 2 punching bags and a speed bag, or an chair and pull bars. Good luck with your training.

ScottsSweetie: Love love love what you are having done with your wedding gown! The handkerchiefs will be a perfect keepsake.

Thank you for sharing. Maybe our stories of repurposing will inspire others:).

 

Geocruiser: You are so right (and thinking like a true CCF)! This is a good week to go through Cruise Clothes - if what you see outside is snow, snow, dark and dreary wind-blowing snow.

Even though I'm packed for Next Cruise, there's lots of items in the Cruise Room that could be checked out!

 

Remember when I said "I cancelled the December cruise. We will stay home this year."??? Well...DH mentioned last night that out of our 20 cruises, we have been to the western Caribbean only once. That was all he needed to say....I went online and found a cruise that fits our schedule AND goes to the western Caribbean. So-o-o-o I booked a 10-nighter out of Baltimore on Grandeur of the Seas (our most often booked ship), departing November 29 and returning December 9. We get to celebrate Thanksgiving and have a couple weeks before all those year end holidays.:cool::)

What a great way to end a year of cruising :) Good luck keeping the suite a secret too!

We just got back from our first Carnival cruise (on the Breeze) and I have to admit, it was pretty great!! I spent the afternoon organizing pictures and I KNOW I had at least 3 of my dinner dresses photgraphed ... but I must have put them in a different folder. GRRR!! Well, when I find them I'll post them.

BUT I will say that I'm VERY impressed with myself!! I had a few stressful weeks leading up to the cruise, including being sick and DH being away on business until the night before we left! :eek: I only overpacked a teensy bit and did pretty great with my one pair of heels (silver).

The oldest item I have in my closet is a sweater that belonged to my grandfather, my mother wore all through high school and then I "borrowed" it and wore it all through high school myself. I still wear it .... although it's now at the point of being repaired several times and rarely leaves the house, but is still one of the comfiest items I own for these cold winter nights.

My husband was delivered to the Miami airport for his week in Haiti, now my cruise prep can begin. He'll be back a day and a half before we head to port. We've laid his clothes out in a spare room so I can pack for him. I don't normally pack for him. I forgot something once and now he does it. We leave on the 24th on the Reflection. I may look around for a cocktail dress before we go. Not happy with my choice of dress up clothes. And always a good excuse for shopping. Esp in sunny Florida.

 

 

Send from device_name using Cruise Critic your_app_name App

My DH is going to be in New Orleans for work the week before our cruise. He flies home the night before our flight out of Buffalo. I'm hoping the weather is clear until we're both in Miami and then let the blizzards come ... I could handle being in Miami for a few extra days ;)

Hi everyone!! We're 25 days away from our next cruise and while I'm getting excited, it's been absolutely FRIGID here!! I've started the spreadsheet, cruise clothes are in our spare room and I turn up the heat in the house to try some potential outfits on.

We've only been on Royal, but this time we're heading to the Caribbean on the Carnival Breeze. Ports are Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Jamaica. We're also going with my SIL and two (tennage) nephews so we should have a blast!!

Because I've more than taken over the majority of closets in our house :rolleyes: I've been trying on different outfits even for everyday work wear so I can somehow attempt to thin out the closets a bit... Seeing as DH is looking back at our vacation pictures and I look put together (thankyouspreadsheet ;)) and he looks less put together, he's finally decided to start buying some new clothes for himself. That's great ... until he also decided he needs more room in the closet. Geez! Oh well - I've already thinned out several outfits so I may just take a page from Indy's book and drop them off at Goodwill myself and have a look around ... you know, just in case ;)

Maybe I am confused.:confused:

If you got upgraded to a Spa balcony, your sister is NOT down the hall from you on Deck 7.

 

Either way, enjoy your cruise.:D

Option 1 - Aft balcony on deck 7, sil down the hall. This is our original room.

Option 2 - Spa balcony on deck 9. This is the upgrade.

We ended up turning down the upgrade ... I'm sure it's a great room, but seeing as we talked my sil into this cruise in the first place, it would be nice to stick together :)

And we got upgraded from an aft balcony on deck 7 to a cloud 9 spa room.

Cruise is on the Carnival Breeze in February :)

Pros? Cons? I'm on the fence about the switch and DH interested in switching at all.

We're going with our 9 year old. We are also going with my sil and family. They are booked in a balcony room down the hall from us on deck 7.

Our flight options are 11:25am and 7:30pm.

Is the 11:25 flight too tight to get off the ship (docks at 8am), through customs and drive to FLL?? We're Canadians, but flying domestic to Buffalo.

We're doing this in February if that makes a difference.

In case any of you are traveling Carnival, they're having a great gift card promo. Buy over $200 value and get a second card to use as OBC for 10% of value. 200=$20. $800=$80. Use to pay off cruise and then buy a drink or massage!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Thank you sunnydaygirl!!! I might just have to buy a few of those cards :) Any idea how long the promotion lasts??

I was reading a food blog earlier and the author said she was "cutting back on calories to prepare for a cruise." Then

sunnydaygirl stated:

I'm always dieting for the "next trip"...and that leads to Another Question:

 

Do you try/think about dieting for the next trip?

I'm a Get On the Scale at Least Once a Week CCF, so if the number goes up a couple pounds, I cut back on portions.

Keeping Cruise Clothes within eyesight helps, too. Would be sad if those outfits no longer fit:eek:!

I would have to agree with that statement!! Last year I started I really intense diet/workout program that lasted from December (through Christmas!!) until just after our cruise in February. It was fantastic and honestly probably the healthiest I've felt in years!! Now that next years trip is booked, I'm already planning ahead to next February and how to feel/look my best for that trip.

I have clothes I wore in February that no longer fit, because they are too big. Now THAT is an issue I can handle ;)

Fantastic!! Thanks for the speedy reply :)

It's my first time on Carnival and I'm reading conflicting reports.

Does everyone in the stateroom purchase the Faster to the Fun, or just one person??

Thanks!

 

 

 

Just ordered this coverup from Land's End...but hoping it will work as a dress for a casual day or maybe even dinner. One of the reviewers said she wears it as a dress. Today ONLY (1/28) save 30% off highest priced item!

Now I must wait 6-8 days...there WILL be room in the suitcase...:cool::) Fingers crossed that it will fit

Of course it will fit!! What a cute dress - I'm sure it will look fabulous on you!!

Indiana, what day are you going on your cruise? What ship are you going on?

We will be cruising this coming Feb. 15th and I just can't get motivated to get the packing done. Usually I am all packed at least 3 weeks before the cruise but this time.........

How do you get into the mood to pack? What is your secret?

Have a great day,

Gerry

Ack!! This is my problem too!! I'm blaming the weather. Last weekend we cranked the heat in the house so I could at least try on some clothes without freezing. Right now, everything is still sitting in piles on the bed. We fly out on Feb 9th. I need to get my butt in gear!!

Thank you both!! I figured as much, but i couldn't get any info from the reviews I read.

Is there a jogging track on the pool deck? On a different deck outside? One of my favorite things is a morning run watching the sun come up - best part of the vacation imo ;)

This was the best excursion we have ever booked - my family still talks about this

 

Wow!! This looks amazing!! DS is going to be so incredibly excited on this excursion!!

Yes, but you're comparing a 6 day Breeze with a 7 day Freedom OTS. It would be better if you compared $/ day. Breeze is still less expensive but if you book with the right online TA you can get per-paid gratuities on RCCL, which will bring the prices even closer. You should have fun either way.

Another good point! I hadn't factored that in. Something else to consider.

You're correct. She asked the question and I answered honestly as opposed to lying.

 

As far as being a Chair Hog - When in Rome.......

 

And if Carnival isn't going to enforce it, then it doesn't apply and I prefer to take care of myself.

I know there are chair hogs everywhere and that i'm not too concerned with. It's the inability to get 2 or even 3 chairs together somewhere in the pool vicinity that I was worried about. A couple of pictures I saw of the pool area looked absolutely jam packed ... But if there are other areas we can snag some chairs we're OK with that.

Thanks to everyone who responded :)

We just returned from Freedom in October and while we have not yet tried Carnival, I can tell you that I would take the Breeze. With that kind of savings, it frees up a lot of funds for excursions (if that matters to you). I am on this board because we are looking to book a Carnival cruise. Freedom was a beautiful ship and my family had a great time but the service just was not what we were used to or expected and sadly I didn't see others had said the same thing until we returned and they agreed with my comments about the lackluster service in my review (and others).

 

I will be interested to see which one you pick and then see your review (if you do one) either way!

We have friends who are avid cruisers who have taken their 4 kids and IL's on the Breeze. They are sailing for the first time on the LOS at the end of the next month - I'll pass along her comments/review as well.

Excursions are enh in my opinion ... I can't say there's been one that I really enjoyed to sway a cruise. This upcoming cruise we have a private (not through ship) tour to Stingray City which I'm really excited about.

Thanks everyone for your honest opinions - keep them coming!! It's snowing here (again) so the only thing keeping me sane is planning the next cruise :)

If the Breeze is $1K less. 2012 ship so its in great shape.

No question about it. Im taking the Breeze.

 

Reprint below:

 

Carnival Breeze presents unmatched amenities and entertainment for adults and children alike, making the ship an ideal option for families. Elaborate children’s facilities include Camp Carnival for ages 2-11, Circle C for ages 12-14, and Club O2 for teens 15-17. Visit the sophisticated Cloud 9 spa or the resort-style pool, break a sweat in the elaborate fitness center and then take a break in the Internet cafe or library. Other highlights include the WaterWorks aqua park, a two-level miniature golf course, and several lounges, bars and music and dance venues throughout the vessel. Looking for some solitude? Adults on board can also escape to Serenity, an adults-only retreat. In addition to a variety of traditional staterooms, Carnival Breeze offers a new category of cove balcony staterooms, located closer to the water line, as well as several connecting staterooms that are ideal for large groups.

The write up sounds similar to what Royal has. We know the kids club is good, Carnival has the waterslides whereas Royal does not. Both have an adults only area. Royal has two pool areas for families - the one with the activities and the kids one. Ironically, the kid pool was empty most of the time on LOS and the weather was great!

We can get a balcony on Carnival for the price of an inside on FOS, but that's not really comparing apples to apples ... and I do love the balcony!!

I'll only refer to one of your concerns. If by mid-February you are including Presidents week, crowds - including other kids - may well exist.

Ah good point! We have a holiday the same day as your President's Day. Having lots of kids around isn't an issue, it's the jam packed pool picture I saw where you can't get a seat that I have an issue with. It won't likely be that week as flights for us are double what they are any other time in Feb.

Thanks for the tip!

We're looking at booking cruise #4 Feb 2015 and we're considering jumping ship and giving Carnival a try.

DH & I are both in our early 40's, DS will be 9. We're obviously looking for a kid friendly ship, but it isn't a requirement to have all the bells and whistles. I've spent a lot of time reading these threads and have come across all types of reviews, but of course I have some lingering questions:

- How bad is the cigarette smoke smell? The sewer smoke smell?

- How jam packed is the pool area? Is it crazy loud? Is there anywhere (on deck) to get away from the noise?

- Are there issues getting a lounge chair? Or are those stories far and few between?

- Going mid February shouldn't be an issue for crowds, will it?

- Any restrictions on the waterslides for height?

- We're not too interested in the nightclubs or late night activities as we're in bed the same time as DS (10-11ish), so that area is irrelevant for us.

- What do you love most about Carnival?

Specifically, I was comparing Carnival Breeze to Freedom of the Seas ... the price difference is almost $1000. So any insight whether we should give Carnival a try next time is most appreciated :)

Hello -

We're looking at booking our 4th cruise February 2015. DH & I are in our early 40's and DS will be 9. We loved the LOS and have the BOS booked in about a month so we're looking at a completely different class of ship.

A few things about our previous cruise (LOS):

- Only DH used the rock wall and flowrider, it doesn't matter to him if they're on the ship or not.

- DS's "requirements" for a ship are swimming with stingrays and a pullman.

- While he did enjoy adventure ocean on the last cruise, he didn't use the H2O splashzone often because the water was too cold for him (LOS).

- I'm fine anywhere, but I'd prefer a balcony which puts the VOS from Tampa in a better pricepoint than FOS from Pt Canaveral.

- DH and I both agree we'd like to do a 7 day next time - 5 days just seems too short :(

- Nightclubs don't interest us as we were usually in bed at the same time as DS.

- Our favorite bars (Schooner and Viking Lounge) seem to be standard on both ships.

- We'd like to sail out of Florida - we're not stuck on any port though.

- We're not interested in trying Oasis/Allure yet ... maybe once DS is older and would enjoy more of the ammenities.

So from a pricepoint, it looks like VOS would work for our next vacation. BUT I'm wondering a few things ...

Because it's not a "kid friendly" ship (like the Freedom/Oasis classes) will there even be any kids on the ship in Adventure Ocean?

Will the majority of passengers be older and the entertainment will serve more of an older crowd?

While we like to relax, we also like to be entertained ... will we be bored on a Vision class?

Thanks :)