New to Carnival, Breeze or Liberty?

[Mediana]

Hi,

 

We are planing on trying Carnival out but can't decide which boat to book. We can either choose Liberty on Nov 30 or Breeze on Dec 1. We have already been to all the stops Liberty does but Grand Turk on Breeze will be new, although I'm a bit bummed that its such a short stop.

 

The price is the same so I guess it all comes down to the ship. We are 28 and 37 years old and very social. We love Trivia and Games but have a hard time with lots of children.

 

Any tips for us?

[KPfromCT]

Hands-down the breeze!!!! Brand new ship with all the amenities!!!! :D

[Mediana]

Does it have any grand features that Liberty doesn't?

[jwalk03]

Does it have any grand features that Liberty doesn't?

 

Breeze has TONS of things that Liberty doesnt have. Off the top of my head:

Cucina del Capitano

Bonsai Sushi

Fat Jimmy's BBQ

SeaDogs

Red Frog Pub

Thrill Theater

[jazzlover04]

Breeze has TONS of things that Liberty doesnt have. Off the top of my head:

Cucina del Capitano

Bonsai Sushi

Fat Jimmy's BBQ

SeaDogs

Red Frog Pub

Thrill Theater

 

Blue Iguana, Guys, Water park, etc.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Forums mobile app

[k2excursion]

Breeze has the extra pay Italian restaurant which is a free pasta bar for lunch (except on port days), the lanai BBQ (on sea days), the Red Frog Pub (with drinks & extra-pay food), the ropes course, a much larger waterpark (2 large slides, splash area), the 4D theater (extra pay; 15 minute shows), hot dogs, the lanai (outdoor walkway on deck 5), the Cloud 9 Spa (lots of extra money for that unless you book a Cloud 9 Spa room).

 

Liberty has one extra pool, more hot tubs & better placement of them, probably a little less crowded, much much much better shows in the main theater (Liberty uses live music & more performers for their hour long shows; Breeze's shows are 30 minutes, no live music, and pretty sad).

 

Both ships will have an appeal to families with kids. Breeze is getting the buzz right now because of the extra stuff that's there, which is bringing more kids. Many of these families with kids are saying that they were bored on the ship. It's a tough call. If the extras on the Breeze don't sound like much to you or the negative things about Breeze (bad entertainment) sound bad to you, Liberty would be a better choice. My choice for me would be Liberty.

[jwalk03]

Blue Iguana, Guys, Water park, etc.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Forums mobile app

 

Liberty has been 2.0'd so it has Guys & Blue Iguana.

[JWGrayson]

Hi,

 

We are planing on trying Carnival out but can't decide which boat to book. We can either choose Liberty on Nov 30 or Breeze on Dec 1. We have already been to all the stops Liberty does but Grand Turk on Breeze will be new, although I'm a bit bummed that its such a short stop.

 

The price is the same so I guess it all comes down to the ship. We are 28 and 37 years old and very social. We love Trivia and Games but have a hard time with lots of children.

 

Any tips for us?

 

You picked a great time to sail without kids being an issue.

 

As far as ships, I've not been on the Liberty, but have spent 29 days on the Glory and Freedom. All of them are of the Conquest Class. I really liked them, but the Breeze is my favorite ship!! We spent 27 days on the Breeze in Oct/Nov 2012. You will enjoy either one of them! So, make your choice based on the ports. Enjoy!

[k9_Cop]

Iiberty has blue iguana and guys burgers and all that too. Plus it just got the 2.0 upgrade. I've been on the liberty twice, but then again it's my favorite ship in the fleet.

 

 

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[Rockstarmami]

I've sailed in both ships...Breeze all the way!!! I loved the extra food choices and having deck 5 as a getaway from all of the kids made it even better! On our March sailing, people didn't realize that deck had loungers and hot tubs until the last sea day!

[Mediana]

Thanks so much for the info. It sounds like we would prefer Liberty over Breeze. We don't use any special restaurants but always go to every show there is.

[tattoos]

No question, the Liberty...great ship, love the decor, staff is wonderful, food is great, never felt crowded or rushed, Guys Burgers (need I say more), Blue Iguana (love the arepas at breakfast), Thirsty Frog Red draft beer, yum!

 

Don't like the Dream class ships, too big, too many people, too crowded, long lines everywhere, felt like one of the herd of cattle shuffling from one place to another, Moooo.

[Georgie562]

Was on both in December and will be on both again this October/November. If they are the same in price I would definitely go for the Breeze. The Liberty is a great ship but when I hopped onto the Breeze, I liked it better. Eventhough is a bit more difficult to navigate the decks on the Breeze than on the Liberty I would chose the Breeze if I only had one choice. I had more fun and enjoyed myself more on the Breeze than on the Liberty.

[KPfromCT]

Honestly, the only two places we encountered waits were at the BBQ on Deck 5 lanai (only open on sea days) and Mongolian Wok....The ship is SO big, and people are all scattered about, it NEVER felt crowded. Never had to wait in line at Guys, Blue Iguana, the bars, etc, and we cruised in April, during spring vacation.:eek: Maybe we were lucky?:D:D I just don't understand how anyone would pick the Liberty over the Breeze. The Breeze has SO much more, in the way of amenities, and every possible food option you could want. We don't go to the shows, so I guess if that's important to you, the Liberty sounds much better, according to other reviewers. I really don't think I'd ever cruise on another ship that is not in the Dream class. JMO

[Mediana]

I'm gonna be honest and say that I haven't that much research of Carnival, this one will be B2B with Celebrity Reflection.

 

Can anyone tell me how many kids I should expect?

[JWGrayson]

No question, the Liberty...great ship, love the decor, staff is wonderful, food is great, never felt crowded or rushed, Guys Burgers (need I say more), Blue Iguana (love the arepas at breakfast), Thirsty Frog Red draft beer, yum!

 

Don't like the Dream class ships, too big, too many people, too crowded, long lines everywhere, felt like one of the herd of cattle shuffling from one place to another, Moooo.

 

Your response makes me wonder if you have ever been on the Breeze! What you have described sounds more like the Dream pre-2.0.

 

As cruisebug1970 said, the only places we encountered an issue with lines was the C-side BBQ and Mongolian Wok.

 

I'm gonna be honest and say that I haven't that much research of Carnival, this one will be B2B with Celebrity Reflection.

 

Can anyone tell me how many kids I should expect?

 

With your trip planned for Nov30 or Dec 1, you will have very few kids. There should be no school children, only toddlers. We have been on the Dream when there were 900+ kids and on the Breeze with less than 50. So, timing is important! But, Camp Carnival does a great job of keeping the kids busy. Again, you picked the best time to go to minimize the number of kids that will be on the ship.

[Mediana]

Thanks everyone for your input. So we made a decision to skip Celebrity Reflection and do B2B on Carnival. We'll do 7 days with Liberty and then 8 days on the Breeze.

 

I'm really looking forward to trying out Carnival. Can I ask, what should I be expecting to pay extra for, once onboard? I tried reading up on the different restaurants and which ones had surcharges and not but it didn't really add up. Are all entertainment included?

[geckog]

Kids will be minimal that time of year. We usually try to travel while kids are in school, cuz, frankly, it's cheaper. I have been on the Magic and the Conquest, and all things equal, I would go for the Breeze.

[k2excursion]

Thanks everyone for your input. So we made a decision to skip Celebrity Reflection and do B2B on Carnival. We'll do 7 days with Liberty and then 8 days on the Breeze.

 

I'm really looking forward to trying out Carnival. Can I ask, what should I be expecting to pay extra for, once onboard? I tried reading up on the different restaurants and which ones had surcharges and not but it didn't really add up. Are all entertainment included?

 

The "steakhouse" is around $35pp extra. Higher quality food, supposed to be nicer, I've never tried it. On the Breeze, it's in an undesirable location. The Breeze has the Italian restaurant (Cucina del Capitano) which is about $12pp. I haven't done that either, some people seem to like it. The Breeze's 4D Thrill theater is about $8 per show or $15 unlimited for the cruise. I did the unlimited. With minimal live entertainment on the ship, I'm really glad I did. The nighttime could've gotten boring otherwise. The shows are 15-20 minutes, and although they are cartoons, adults can still enjoy them. The food in the Red Frog Pub is $3.33. I've never tried any. And of course, soda & alcohol costs extra. You can carry on 12 sodas or other non-alcoholic drinks per person when you board.

Most everything else is included: main dining room, buffet, Guys burgers, Blue Iguana cantina, pasta bar for lunch (Breeze), fish & chips (Liberty), lanai BBQ for lunch (Breeze), all the other lunch options. All entertainment is included. Seating for the shows are first come, first serve. Show up early (30-45 minutes) for good seats. Most people on cruisecritic don't ever go to shows, which is why the poor shows on Breeze is a non-factor for them. But most people on the ships do go to the shows, so on the Liberty, they will be packed. Not so much on the Breeze, just because people have been hearing that the shows aren't that great. Any fly-on entertainer, like a comedy juggler or magician, will fill the place. As long as you know ahead of time that the production shows aren't that great, it won't bother you so much. Many people become shocked & disgusted because they weren't prepared. I prefer to let people know as opposed to pretending that it's greater than ever and set people up for disappointment.

In my experience, the Guys burgers on Breeze had about an hour long line on Day 2 of the cruise. It got much shorter after Day 2. Something strange was going on on Day 2, as every line was huge. Everyone was trying everything. Then the lines got shorter as they couldn't keep up that pace of eating. Lines for breakfast omelets were horrible, as there weren't too many stations. Overall, lines weren't bad, as the crowds do scatter, but the ship did feel crowded.

There will be some kids on board. I cruised in early December last year, and there were plenty of kids & teens, but not nearly as many as summer, holidays, & Spring Break (MARCH--most of the country has Spring Break in March, even for grade school-high school). Despite what some people think, many parents will pull kids/teens out of school to cruise. My friend did last December. Tons of kids are homeschooled or do year-round school. But still, you probably won't see too many kids in late Nov/early Dec. Liberty will probably have plenty of activities going on for them. Breeze's awesome waterpark will certainly draw in the kids that are on the ship.

I hope you have a great time on your B2B. You will lose a few things when you go from Liberty to Breeze, but you also gain some things. So it will be a nice experience.

[Mediana]

^ Thanks so much, I really appreciate the Great info.