My 8 Day Semi Cruise from hell aboard the Carnival Breeze 10/26/13 - 11/4/13

[MikeNKim]

Loving your review!!!!

 

Ignore the haters not worth your time.

 

kim

[Leo's Rule]

I'm really enjoying your review :) I am always grateful to folks who take the time to write them.

 

Can't understand the rude comments. Move on, people...

 

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Forums mobile app

 

I can't understand them either, but we have ppl from all walks of life on here. Thanks for taking the time to read.

 

 

 

 

 

I as well am enjoying your review. Thank you for taking the time to be so thorough..

I hope and pray you are feeling/doing better now..

 

God Bless!!

 

 

Thank you, MoonPie. I'm much better now.

 

 

 

 

Yay! Great pictures of my home town! I cross that bridge 4 times a day and love to see the cruise ships docked.

 

Glad you posted some more of the review!

 

 

I keep looking for places to go on land vacations. ..now I know who to talk to for pointers on things to do/places to stay in Curacao.

 

 

 

 

I'm going to backtrack for a minute to when you were sick and confined to your room. Did anyone from security ever call or come by to check and make sure you were in there? Did you make any effort to eat that day? If so, did you order room service or did you mom bring you something from the buffet?

 

 

No one ever called me. I really wasn't up for eating. Room service was ordered...I had yogurt and a Sprite to settle my stomach.

 

My ban from general population was lifted earlier than expected because most of my 24 hors was spent in the infirmary.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for taking the time to do this review OP. I admit I'm enjoying it more now since you're at the "feeling better" part. I'm very very squeamish, so I couldn't deal with much of that. :) Looks like you and your mom had a good time. You guys look more like sisters! Go mommy! I think it's so nice to travel with family. Curacao looks beautiful.

 

 

Sorry about that. I too have a weak stomach; it doesn't take much to gross me out. And ppl tell us all the time that we look like sisters.

 

 

 

 

Loving your review!!!!

 

Ignore the haters not worth your time.

 

kim

 

Thank you, Kim. Glad you stopped by.

 

Sent from my Galaxy S4 using Forums mobile app

[Gingee]

Would you recommend that Irie tour? How long were you on that high bridge? I am not big on high things so I am wondering if that tour is for me.

 

I like your hair in the beach pictures.

[Gingee]

Not the beach pictures but when you went into Curaco.

[krismas_tina]

Awesome review! Can't wait for Aruba! I love this itinerary.

Glad you're feeling better...I always worry about getting sick on the ship.

[Missjamis3]

Can't wait to read more. Going on the same cruise march 29. Glad your feeling better and were able to get off the ship to see things.

[ticka1]

love your review and all the pics -you and your mom are very photogenic!

[jolyroger]

Lovin this review!! your mom is a riot, love her!! And I agree with others , you two look more like sisters than mother and daughter, those are great genes!! Cant wait to read and see more, we do this same Itinerary in April, its like a nice sneak peak of the Islands!!

[Leo's Rule]

Would you recommend that Irie tour? How long were you on that high bridge? I am not big on high things so I am wondering if that tour is for me.

 

I like your hair in the beach pictures.

 

If you're ok with not having a lot of opportunities to take pictures, I think you'll be ok. We were on the bridge maybe 10 minutes because of the traffic. I'm sure any tour you take will require you to go over that bridge.

 

Thanks for the compliment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Awesome review! Can't wait for Aruba! I love this itinerary.

Glad you're feeling better...I always worry about getting sick on the ship.

 

 

Thank you for reading and thanks for the well wishes.

 

 

 

 

Can't wait to read more. Going on the same cruise march 29. Glad your feeling better and were able to get off the ship to see things.

 

 

Thank you for reading. I'm glad I'm better too and was able to see the remaining ports.

 

 

 

 

love your review and all the pics -you and your mom are very photogenic!

 

 

Aww, thank you. More to come. Aruba will take some time. I fell asleep writing, and my baby (Queen) makes it hard to do anything. I've spoiled her & she wants my attention 24/7.

 

 

 

 

Lovin this review!! your mom is a riot, love her!! And I agree with others , you two look more like sisters than mother and daughter, those are great genes!! Cant wait to read and see more, we do this same Itinerary in April, its like a nice sneak peak of the Islands!!

 

Yes, my mother is a mess. I have my great grandfather to thank for our wonderful genes; at 102 he looked every bit of 80.

 

Sent from my Galaxy S4 using Forums mobile app

[jreichow1972]

I'm enjoying reading your review and looking forward to reading more. So sorry you fell ill on your cruise.

 

Your pain when walking sounds like my daughter when she had appendicitis. Later on after the onset of her pain (3 days) she developed a fever after the infection got worse. Same daughter had gallstones and her gallbladder removed 10 months prior. With that was extreme long bouts of pain and sometimes vomiting.

 

I again am sorry to hear you were ill on your cruise but am anxiously awaiting to hear what you were diagnosed with.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[jakeT]

sorry you were so sick. that really sucks, to be sick on vacation and on any ship

[najnelle]

It looks like you and your mom had fun together in spite of you not feeling well. Your pictures of you and your mom are all so cute!

[dulcimergirl]

I am loving this review, and am anxiously waiting for the next installment. I'm really thankful that your feeling better, no matter what the cause. Must be awful being sick on a cruise. May your next cruise be uneventful. Except maybe finding the love of your life. :)

[Leo's Rule]

I was going to type some of my review on my lunch break, but my Hotspot is acting silly. I want to post my pictures with my review and I need access to a particular site to grab my photos, but I can't get on that site from work; not using our network. Maybe I'll type what I have and log in tonight to post photos. Yeah, I'll do that.

 

Aruba

We're in Aruba and we have a 9am tour with Sonny Binns. I was up early, but for some reason we were late to breakfast and barely had 15 minutes to eat. After scarfing down our food, we rush to get off the ship.

 

Sonny instructed me to meet him outside of the cruise terminal; he was easy to spot. :) We posed for a photo then he guided us to his van. Those of us already on the van began to worry when Sonny loaded more people on it; where were they going to sit? You've got to be kidding me; this van has those fold out, make-shift seats? :eek: It was packed on the van, but not uncomfortable.

 

I would say the Rock Formations was our first destination. Along the way we learned about the name of their trees (which I no longer remember), but I believe their name is derived from the direction the wind blows. I don't believe I uploaded any pictures of the trees, but the leaves all point in one direction. Divi is jumping out at me for some reason; maybe that was the name of the trees; the Divi Tree, but if that's true the name may not be derived from the wind...I don't think...:confused:

 

Once we arrived to the site of the rock formations we saw many rocks that looked like creatures. When we existed the van so we could climb one of the formation, it began to rain. :( But as quick as the rain had come, it ended just as fast. I felt like I was on top of the world when I made it to the top. I should have shouted out, "By the power of Grayskull, I have the powerrrrrrrrr", but I probably would have received strange looks, unless they were He-Man/She-Ra fans too. LOL

 

We (mom & I) didn't get to see everything there because everyone wanted a picture with the dinosaur rock; the long line took up most of our time. We explored as much as we could and then headed for Sonny's van. Don't get me wrong, this place isn't humongous, but there was another area to explore.

 

We're off to the Natural Bridge; it is here where you're to stack the rocks and make a wish, but I didn't do it. It was absolutely breathtaking here. There isn't much to do, but I enjoyed it.

 

Our next stop is the Alto Vista Chapel, but we made a pit stop at this store with a weird name. I was craving something sweet and bought a Kit Kat, but it was gross. I'm not a big chocolate fan to begin with; if I eat chocolate there's nuts or a wafer in there somewhere. I guess it was the chocolate that wasn't good. Either they have the real thing and I don't know good chocolate when I have it or we, the US, have the real thing and I know bad chocolate when I have it. LOL

 

Everyone is back on the van and we're off to Alto Vista, the wonderful Chapel of Noord. Ok. I couldn't help it, the Wizard of Oz popped into my head. :D I liked how there were statues of Jesus and The Virgin Mary along the path to the church; unfortunately, my pictures didn't come out great, so I have none to show you. The church is small and looks like it may be a beauty on the inside, but I can't say that in truth because it was raining hard when we arrived. I felt bad for those who were doing the tour via bikes because they got rained on. I guess they figured they were already wet and it was no excuse to not see the inside of the chapel.

 

We depart the chapel and head to the California Lighthouse. Somewhere in that area is a rock that looks like King Kong, but I couldn't snap a decent picture of it because I was on the wrong side of the van. That rock isn't far from the tiger, owl, and something else. When we arrive to the lighthouse it's no longer raining, but it is drizzling. I think Sonny said we could climb the stairs in the lighthouse, but I'm not 100% sure he said that. Even if we could, I wasn't doing it; I had to preserve my energy. LOL I existed the van, took my picture of the lighthouse, and ran back; it was freezing outside! The rainfall made me think of Miami; hot outside, but rain falls and it's cold!

 

Our tour is coming to an end, but we do have to drive back to the pier. Along the way Sonny showed us a real life Sanford & Son location (that person had all sorts of crap in his yard), original Aruban homes, the hotel where Natalie Holloway was staying, as well as some other hotel properties. I do believe at least 3 properties shared the same name!

 

Once we're back at the pier I ask Sonny about a sign I saw at the beginning of the trip; I wanted to take a picture there. My mom wasn't too happy when she learned it would be a 10 minute walk; she wanted to get back on the ship and she was concerned I was trying to do too much. The walk wasn't bad and her mood changed. After I got my photo we headed to the flea market and purchased souvenirs. We then headed for the ship and went straight to the Lido deck for lunch!

 

Recap on Sonny's Tour: The cost per person is $30 and does not include refreshments or snacks. In my opinion you had plenty of stops for photo opportunities. For those moments you were on the van and took photos, sitting on the left was best. The only time sitting on the right was good, was at the chapel. The statues seemed to only be on the right. I didn't get good photos because it was raining. Would I take this tour again; absolutely!

 

Aruba to be continued; my lunch break is coming to an end.

[gusandgidgetsmom]

Leo's Rule---We stayed at Viva Dominicus Palace/Viva Dominicus Beach. We stayed at the beach part as it was to be a little more casual. If you stay at the beach you have priviledges to the Palace as well. There is a trapeze there that we were really interested in as my daughter and i own a gymnastics/cheer gym. The resort is run by the Italians and we heard Italian and Spanish a lot. Kind of fun being the minority in the language department. Hola and Chow were our pass words! Caution the beach is top optional and one of the videos we took to being back home was showing that very option without us realizing it. I am a cruise lover but we take one AI noramlly a year and we chose that one after being on a cruise ship to the Caribbean for 8 days previous to our trip to DR. The DR is an interesting place.

[lissa42886]

I was going to type some of my review on my lunch break' date=' but my Hotspot is acting silly. I want to post my pictures with my review and I need access to a particular site to grab my photos, but I can't get on that site from work; not using our network. Maybe I'll type what I have and log in tonight to post photos. Yeah, I'll do that.

 

[b']Aruba[/b]

We're in Aruba and we have a 9am tour with Sonny Binns. I was up early, but for some reason we were late to breakfast and barely had 15 minutes to eat. After scarfing down our food, we rush to get off the ship.

 

Sonny instructed me to meet him outside of the cruise terminal; he was easy to spot. :) We posed for a photo then he guided us to his van. Those of us already on the van began to worry when Sonny loaded more people on it; where were they going to sit? You've got to be kidding me; this van has those fold out, make-shift seats? :eek: It was packed on the van, but not uncomfortable.

 

I would say the Rock Formations was our first destination. Along the way we learned about the name of their trees (which I no longer remember), but I believe their name is derived from the direction the wind blows. I don't believe I uploaded any pictures of the trees, but the leaves all point in one direction. Divi is jumping out at me for some reason; maybe that was the name of the trees; the Divi Tree, but if that's true the name may not be derived from the wind...I don't think...:confused:

 

Once we arrived to the site of the rock formations we saw many rocks that looked like creatures. When we existed the van so we could climb one of the formation, it began to rain. :( But as quick as the rain had come, it ended just as fast. I felt like I was on top of the world when I made it to the top. I should have shouted out, "By the power of Grayskull, I have the powerrrrrrrrr", but I probably would have received strange looks, unless they were He-Man/She-Ra fans too. LOL

 

We (mom & I) didn't get to see everything there because everyone wanted a picture with the dinosaur rock; the long line took up most of our time. We explored as much as we could and then headed for Sonny's van. Don't get me wrong, this place isn't humongous, but there was another area to explore.

 

We're off to the Natural Bridge; it is here where you're to stack the rocks and make a wish, but I didn't do it. It was absolutely breathtaking here. There isn't much to do, but I enjoyed it.

 

Our next stop is the Alto Vista Chapel, but we made a pit stop at this store with a weird name. I was craving something sweet and bought a Kit Kat, but it was gross. I'm not a big chocolate fan to begin with; if I eat chocolate there's nuts or a wafer in there somewhere. I guess it was the chocolate that wasn't good. Either they have the real thing and I don't know good chocolate when I have it or we, the US, have the real thing and I know bad chocolate when I have it. LOL

 

Everyone is back on the van and we're off to Alto Vista, the wonderful Chapel of Noord. Ok. I couldn't help it, the Wizard of Oz popped into my head. :D I liked how there were statues of Jesus and The Virgin Mary along the path to the church; unfortunately, my pictures didn't come out great, so I have none to show you. The church is small and looks like it may be a beauty on the inside, but I can't say that in truth because it was raining hard when we arrived. I felt bad for those who were doing the tour via bikes because they got rained on. I guess they figured they were already wet and it was no excuse to not see the inside of the chapel.

 

We depart the chapel and head to the California Lighthouse. Somewhere in that area is a rock that looks like King Kong, but I couldn't snap a decent picture of it because I was on the wrong side of the van. That rock isn't far from the tiger, owl, and something else. When we arrive to the lighthouse it's no longer raining, but it is drizzling. I think Sonny said we could climb the stairs in the lighthouse, but I'm not 100% sure he said that. Even if we could, I wasn't doing it; I had to preserve my energy. LOL I existed the van, took my picture of the lighthouse, and ran back; it was freezing outside! The rainfall made me think of Miami; hot outside, but rain falls and it's cold!

 

Our tour is coming to an end, but we do have to drive back to the pier. Along the way Sonny showed us a real life Sanford & Son location (that person had all sorts of crap in his yard), original Aruban homes, the hotel where Natalie Holloway was staying, as well as some other hotel properties. I do believe at least 3 properties shared the same name!

 

 

Once we're back at the pier I ask Sonny about a sign I saw at the beginning of the trip; I wanted to take a picture there. My mom wasn't too happy when she learned it would be a 10 minute walk; she wanted to get back on the ship and she was concerned I was trying to do too much. The walk wasn't bad and her mood changed. After I got my photo we headed to the flea market and purchased souvenirs. We then headed for the ship and went straight to the Lido deck for lunch!

 

Recap on Sonny's Tour: The cost per person is $30 and does not include refreshments or snacks. In my opinion you had plenty of stops for photo opportunities. For those moments you were on the van and took photos, sitting on the left was best. The only time sitting on the right was good, was at the chapel. The statues seemed to only be on the right. I didn't get good photos because it was raining. Would I take this tour again; absolutely!

 

Aruba to be continued; my lunch break is coming to an end.

 

 

im shocked they take u to the natural bridge... seeings how it doesnt exist any more..

[Cruisecrzy3]

im shocked they take u to the natural bridge... seeings how it doesnt exist any more..

 

 

 

Yes, the main bridge collapsed but you can still see where it was and see the remains. The guides will tell you all about it and what made it collapse. They call it the bridge and a "spare". The second smaller bridge is similar and you can walk out on it if you so desire. It's quite a beautiful spot. The tour guides still refer to it as the natural bridge. When we touring last year, there were also three more tours present. ;)

[INCHARGE]

It is so good to see your review. I'm so sorry you were sick. As usual, the pictures are awesome, and the details are great. We did not do much on our cruise. Take care of yourself, and looking for more.

Edited January 21, 2014 by INCHARGE

[Thebosn1]

[quote}

 

Once we're back at the pier I ask Sonny about a sign I saw at the beginning of the trip; I wanted to take a picture there. My mom wasn't too happy when she learned it would be a 10 minute walk; she wanted to get back on the ship and she was concerned I was trying to do too much. The walk wasn't bad and her mood changed. After I got my photo we headed to the flea market and purchased souvenirs. We then headed for the ship and went straight to the Lido deck for lunch!

 

 

I love your review so far! It's terrible that you were so sick. I feel anytime you go to medical and they make a half hearted attempt at what is really wrong and can't figure it out...It's the dreaded N virus and you can "Make yourself comfortable in your stateroom for the next 24 hours and do not attempt to leave the ship!" My wife got a sunburn and had too much champagne out on the hot sun on FREEDOM. She went to get some aloe for the sunburn and they asked if she had an upset stomach at all. She answered honestly and the next morning in Ocho Rios there is a note under the door. "Please make yourself comfortable in your stateroom...

Edited January 22, 2014 by Thebosn1
Spelling

[Isa65]

Divi is jumping out at me for some reason; maybe that was the name of the trees; the Divi Tree' date=' but if that's true the name may not be derived from the wind...I don't think...:confused:

 

[/quote']

 

How good of you - the tree is called Divi Divi tree!

 

Aruba is awesome, really worth taking a land vacation on.

[Thebosn1]

Recap on Sonny's Tour: The cost per person is $30 and does not include refreshments or snacks. In my opinion you had plenty of stops for photo opportunities. For those moments you were on the van and took photos' date=' sitting on the left was best. The only time sitting on the right was good, was at the chapel. The statues seemed to only be on the right. I didn't get good photos because it was raining. Would I take this tour again; absolutely!

 

Aruba to be continued; my lunch break is coming to an end.[/quote']

 

The other thing I wanted to say is THANK YOU! Thank you for taking the time to write the review (can't wait to read the rest) and thank you for not complaining about "hard cold butter" and "not enough towel animals" and "they didn't peel my shrimp for my at dinner"!

 

You were very sick and yet you STILL were an absolute trooper and got what you could out of your cruise. Honestly it's very refreshing!:D

[Ljp5365]

Enjoyed your review...thanks so much .

[becky11111]

I'm enjoying your review. We did the same tour with Sonny in Aruba. He was really fun. Someone posted about the natural bridge. It does exist, it's broken, but the baby bridge is there. It's still an amazing spot. The day we were there the surf was powerful. I got sprayed and I was soaked.

Keep it coming! My guess to your illness... Gallbladder?

[S.C.]

Enjoying your review thank you for taking the time to write it.

[Leo's Rule]

Continuation of Aruba

Back to lunch. Mom and I enjoyed Guy's Burgers on the Lido and chatted with Al, a guy from my M&G. He and one of his friends were on the cruise together. After talking for an hour we parted ways and headed to the cabin. At some point (hours later) we got ready for dinner. I couldn't wait to see what was in store for tonight.

 

There isn't much more to say about this night. It's Halloween and I'm excited. How fitting was it that I was a nurse? Too bad I couldn't heal myself when I was sick. :p Our tablemates for the evening were hilarious. I don't recall their names, but they had me in stitches. My server, well the server for the table was a young cutie; his picture doesn't do him any justice, but he was in love with Nurse Anita. :D :p I have no idea what I ate tonight, but I took pictures of the desserts being served for the evening and I didn't eat any of them. And no, I wasn't being wasteful, I asked the server could I take pictures of the plates they had on display.

 

Upon exiting the MDR I seemed to have caused a bit of commotion with my uniform. I took pictures with and of people. My mom headed back to the cabin since she doesn't celebrate Halloween, but I walked around the ship and took more pictures and watched awesome karaoke performances until it was time to head to the theater for the costume contest. While watching the karaoke performances I ran into Mila, one of the Dr's from the infirmary. She was happy to see me doing better and thought it was cute that I was a nurse. She got the best laugh.

 

Now I'm in the theater and I get to see who had the best costume on Breeze. For those who have never been on a cruise during Halloween (this was my first one), you don't enter the contest, the Entertainment Crew walks around and hands out a number to those they feel have neat costumes. I don't recall the categories you could qualify for. I enjoyed the contest despite one person somewhat grossing me out. I don't know if it was planned or there really was a nut running amok in the theater, but there was a guy dressed like a baby and he threw a fit when he wasn't selected to be judged. Let's just say he turned his backside to the audience and his diaper needed changing. :eek:

 

After the contest I recall going to the Piano Bar and the song the pianist had these ladies singing was a riot! After the Piano Bar I walked around the ship aimlessly. Something was supposed to happen on the Lido Deck, but it never took place. I found myself getting 2 slices of margherita pizza and then I headed to the cabin and called it a night.

 

Up next, after I post my pictures, is Sea Day 2 and more than likely Sea Day 3.

 

My pictures from Aruba are an immediate next, but you've been forewarned; I have 84 pictures to post! :eek: