BREEZEing through the Mediterranean 6/27 - 7/9/12

[Crusin Karen]

Becky,I was responding to Baby Bear. Forgot to hit the quote button before I replied! Thanks for your explanation (about euros) ...sorry this was sidetracked. When I win the lottery the lst thing I will do is book a cruise in Europe! Thanks again for sharing! ;)

[gobucks_43228]

Loving your review so far! Thanks for taking the time to put this together.

[luckybecky]

More cabin photos:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's all the stuff that was in the amenities basket in the bathroom. These items were not replenished during the cruise.

 

 

[luckybecky]

I absolutely loved our location on the lido deck. It was extremely convenient to walk down the hall to get a drink from the bar, a glass of tea or ice water at the beverage station, or hit the buffet. On several occasions, we got a snack from the buffet and brought it back to our room. We also were just down the hall from the laundry room, which you will probably need to use on a long cruise like this one. More on that later. There were also a few computers just inside the door from the lido pool (heading toward the forward elevators), not far from our cabin. These were very handy, since I used the Carnival website forums (“Currently on Board” is free to use!) to keep in touch with my kids at home. There were other “Fun Hub” computer areas around the ship, sorry I don’t recall all the locations since I always used the one by the Lido pool.

 

 

 

After checking out our cabin, we went to the Port Adventure talk in the Ovation Theater at 3:15 with cruise director John Heald. Now I know some of you don’t care for him, but personally I think he’s hilarious. I met him briefly and he seems like a genuinely nice guy. John said we had 4404 passengers, of whom 873 were children.

 

 

 

 

After this, we went back to our room for a short rest, and here is where the one problem with our room became evident. (We like naps, if you haven’t already figured that out!) So we lie down on the bed and my husband immediately starts snoring. Then from the next room, I start to hear some giggling, then some heavy breathing, followed by some grunting, leading to some “Oh God!!” exclamations. Between my husband snoring and the vocalizations from the next cabin, I was thinking “Oh God” too! This is at 4:30pm on embarkation day – it’s going to be a long cruise!

 

 

 

 

My word of advice is to look at deck plans. Do NOT get a cabin with a door to the adjoining cabin. This seemed to be the problem. We could clearly hear noises from the adjoining room, but heard nothing from the cabin on the other side. The door seemed to be the weak link here. Anyway, aside from this problem, we loved our cabin. It was spacious and comfortable.

[LizaMM]

YEAH!!!! A Breeze review!! With photos :D

 

I am really enjoying your review and looking forward to the rest. THANKS!

[luckybecky]

One little incident: while I was changing for dinner, our steward walked into our cabin without knocking. I remember that a few months ago, a lady here on CC was very upset when the same thing happened to her. Our steward immediately shut the door and apologized profusely to me later. It wasn’t a big deal to me, stuff happens. But a word of warning: put out your Do Not Disturb sign and/or lock the door. Our steward thought he had seen us leave and was coming in to do turn-down service. He should have knocked, but it wasn’t the end of the world.

 

 

 

By the way, I don’t recall when our luggage was delivered, but I know it arrived in plenty of time for us to unpack before dinner. Some final comments about our stateroom: We asked our steward to empty the minibar so we could use the frig for our own drinks. He did so promptly. He hid the large water bottles behind the TV to give us more space on the vanity. Note that this is a great hiding / extra storage space. There was no ice bucket when we arrived, but by evening one had appeared without us asking, and was kept refreshed throughout the cruise. The bed was very comfortable. The safe uses a four digit code (no card required). The lights only operate if you put your S&S card in a slot by the door. Someone asked if any card would work, I do not know since we didn’t try it. A/C stayed on even when the card was removed. Our room temp was always comfortable. Here are photos of the minibar, the safe, and the room key thingy on the wall by the door.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[FreezingInMichigan]

Becky:

 

Thank you for the pictures of the Continental! We're booked here for several days pre-cruise in April and my husband has said he'll deal with the pink for the 125 euros a day balcony overlooking La Rambla... lol I jotted down notes of your restaurant recommendations and walking tour photos. Much appreciated. :)

 

~ Sheryl

 

We stayed at the Hotel Continental Palacete and loved it, but this is a very quirky hotel. Be sure to check the reviews on TripAdvisor so you know what you are getting into before you book any hotel. Hotels are very expensive in Barcelona. The Palacete was affordable and included a limited buffet (including soda, wine, and beer!) available 24 hours a day. The rooms are totally pink, with rosy wallpaper and pink linens. Location is superb, just a couple of blocks from Plaza Catalunya and the Ramblas, and just around the corner from the Block of Discord including Gaudi's Casa Battlo. Staff speaks great English and there are lots of cafes nearby.[/font][/color][/left]

[Delta Dear]

What a fantastic job ! Can't wait to read and see the rest. I love the details and all of your photos. Thanks so much. We've all been waiting for a review to appear with lots of photos.

By March 2, I should know everything there is to know about the Breeze thanks to posters like you.

[luckybecky]

Becky:

 

Thank you for the pictures of the Continental! We're booked here for several days pre-cruise in April and my husband has said he'll deal with the pink for the 125 euros a day balcony overlooking La Rambla... lol I jotted down notes of your restaurant recommendations and walking tour photos. Much appreciated. :)

 

~ Sheryl

 

Sheryl, just a warning. There is the Hotel Continental, and there is the Hotel Continental Palacete. They are both run by the same people, and I believe both have the same pink decor, and the buffet, but they are two separate properties located a few blocks apart. The Continental is located south of Plaza Catalunya, on Las Ramblas proper. The Palacete is north of the Plaza about 2 blocks. Either way, I'm sure you'll enjoy your stay! :)

[momtotwins14]

Loving the review and can't wait for the review of the ports and what excursions/tours you used if any (unless you did it all on your own):cool:

[luckybecky]

Sometime during this first afternoon, we had some time to stroll around the ship and take some pics. Here ya go:

 

 

 

I believe this was deck 11, aft. A great spot to sit and relax with a DOD and a good book!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's the aft pool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sky fitness area:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basketball court:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mini golf:

 

 

 

[luckybecky]

Ropes course (we never tried this, but we heard it was a lot of fun)

 

 

Main pool

 

Waterworks

 

[luckybecky]

Serenity deck:

 

 

 

 

[luckybecky]

I'll be back tomorrow with photos of the spa and more. :)

[dchoney]

I absolutely loved our location on the lido deck. It was extremely convenient to walk down the hall to get a drink from the bar, a glass of tea or ice water at the beverage station, or hit the buffet. On several occasions, we got a snack from the buffet and brought it back to our room. We also were just down the hall from the laundry room, which you will probably need to use on a long cruise like this one. More on that later. There were also a few computers just inside the door from the lido pool (heading toward the forward elevators), not far from our cabin. These were very handy, since I used the Carnival website forums (“Currently on Board” is free to use!) to keep in touch with my kids at home. There were other “Fun Hub” computer areas around the ship, sorry I don’t recall all the locations since I always used the one by the Lido pool.

 

 

After checking out our cabin, we went to the Port Adventure talk in the Ovation Theater at 3:15 with cruise director John Heald. Now I know some of you don’t care for him, but personally I think he’s hilarious. I met him briefly and he seems like a genuinely nice guy. John said we had 4404 passengers, of whom 873 were children.

 

After this, we went back to our room for a short rest, and here is where the one problem with our room became evident. (We like naps, if you haven’t already figured that out!) So we lie down on the bed and my husband immediately starts snoring. Then from the next room, I start to hear some giggling, then some heavy breathing, followed by some grunting, leading to some “Oh God!!” exclamations. Between my husband snoring and the vocalizations from the next cabin, I was thinking “Oh God” too! This is at 4:30pm on embarkation day – it’s going to be a long cruise!

 

My word of advice is to look at deck plans. Do NOT get a cabin with a door to the adjoining cabin. This seemed to be the problem. We could clearly hear noises from the adjoining room, but heard nothing from the cabin on the other side. The door seemed to be the weak link here. Anyway, aside from this problem, we loved our cabin. It was spacious and comfortable.

 

Thanks for the heads up on adjoining cabins. I recently booked the Breeze for August 2013 and I placed in an adjoining cabin by my PVP. I've been so worried about it and you have now confirmed my fears! Thanks. I plan to call and request a change immediately.

 

Great review! I am enjoying reading it and all the great pictures!

[b_cruise]

Hey Becky, how lmany days would you spend pre cruise in Barcelona if you had a week? I am going next year. Thanks

[seabrookcruiser]

Becky...

 

What a great review and I am loving your pics. So many bring back memories from our cruise out of Barcelona last year on the Magic. Looking forward to what you will be posting tomorrow.

 

We will be going back to Barcelona in Oct/Nov for the last Mediterranean cruise and the TransAtlantic on the Breeze. I've been taking notes about the restaurants, etc. you have been writing about. Thanks for all the great details. You have answered a couple of questions I had this time.

 

It's funny, we stayed at the Hotel Continental on Las Ramblas last time which as you pointed out is the sister property to your hotel. We will stay there again two nights pre-cruise while in Barcelona. Their rooms are also very pink! We agree, the 24 hour complimentary buffet was very convenient.

 

Looking foward to what you write tomorrow!:)

[luckybecky]

Thanks for the heads up on adjoining cabins. I recently booked the Breeze for August 2013 and I placed in an adjoining cabin by my PVP. I've been so worried about it and you have now confirmed my fears! Thanks. I plan to call and request a change immediately.

 

Great review! I am enjoying reading it and all the great pictures!

 

Yes, the door definitely seemed to be the weak link. This was also true of the hall door. There was not too much traffic in the hallway, but we could definitely hear when people were talking out there. I never heard a peep from above, below, or from the cabin on the other side that did not have the adjoining door.

 

I hope you can get your cabin changed. I always travel with a good set of ear plugs and I used these every night on the trip. They helped a lot. Plus, we were always so exhausted from sightseeing, I nearly went into a coma most nights.

 

Have fun on your cruise!

[luckybecky]

Hey Becky, how lmany days would you spend pre cruise in Barcelona if you had a week? I am going next year. Thanks

 

Hi Brenda,

I'm not sure what the right answer is. I loved Barcelona, but if I had a full week, I think I would definitely want to see more of Spain than just Barcelona. You could certainly spend the whole time in Barcelona and find plenty to do, but I think I would rather spend perhaps 2-3 days there, and use the rest of the time to see other parts of Spain, or even spend a few days in London or Paris. Whatever you do, I'm sure you'll have a fabulous time!

[b_cruise]

Thanks that is what I was thinking then I heard a week in Barcelona but I will do 3 in Paris and 3 in Barcelona...thanks

[FreezingInMichigan]

Becky:

 

Thank you for the pictures of the Continental! We're booked here for several days pre-cruise in April and my husband has said he'll deal with the pink for the 125 euros a day balcony overlooking La Rambla... lol I jotted down notes of your restaurant recommendations and walking tour photos. Much appreciated. :)

 

~ Sheryl

 

Sheryl, just a warning. There is the Hotel Continental, and there is the Hotel Continental Palacete. They are both run by the same people, and I believe both have the same pink decor, and the buffet, but they are two separate properties located a few blocks apart. The Continental is located south of Plaza Catalunya, on Las Ramblas proper. The Palacete is north of the Plaza about 2 blocks. Either way, I'm sure you'll enjoy your stay! :)

 

You're right - we're at the one a few blocks south. This may be typical of my first trip to Barcelona... walking down La Rambla, knocking on doors, "Are you my hotel?" :p

[rtw68]

My word of advice is to look at deck plans. Do NOT get a cabin with a door to the adjoining cabin. This seemed to be the problem. We could clearly hear noises from the adjoining room, but heard nothing from the cabin on the other side. The door seemed to be the weak link here. Anyway, aside from this problem, we loved our cabin. It was spacious and comfortable.

 

DW & I were concerned about that. We have an adjoining room for our upcoming Cove cabin. Will need to pack some ear plugs! :eek:

[Baby_Bear]

Maybe you can move to a different cabin on the same floor? You have a few months to go, so hopefully there are still other similar cabins available.

 

I had a tense moment - checked out our cabin on our upcoming Breeze cruise and thank God, its not an adjoining cabin. :D:D We are less than 3 weeks from sailing and the cruise is full so there would have been no chance to change it. That's why this site is so great, you learn so much!

[QuattroRomeo]

Thank you for the great tips! Can you expand a bit about the aerobus? Do you take all your luggage on board with you? Or is it stored somewhere where you can'tsee it? Will it be hard to make your way to the hotel pulling luggage? We have read so much about watching for thieves that we don't know how we will fare especially after a tiring flight!Maybe we should grab a cab from Placa Catalunya to the hotel (we are staying at the other Continental)?Or is that not a problem?

[Rainorshine1]

:eek:OK, this is my second post so have no idea what I am doing. I was in B'lona two years ago and stayed in an apartment on Las Ramblas. It is great and I can say I was never worried about pick pockets. And, you will see lots of folks with their luggage. Just don't carry a big purse or wear a lot of jewelry if possible. There are tons of restaurants, and you can buy wine at any of the grocery stores for next to nothing. It's fun to just go in and look around. Don't forget a corkscrew.

And I just want to say that your trip log is wonderful. I love the pictures of the ship so far, and your choice of photos from the Sagrada and Parc Guell I did not think the Gaudi museum in the parc was that great so save your money.

Can't wait to see the rest of your trip. The heads up on the duty free is awesome as well...