Carnival Breeze - Southern Carribean - Grand Turk, La Romana, Curacao, Aruba - Review

[santacap]

I'm really liking this review so far. Excited to see the completed version. I have seen other reviews of the breeze but this seems to show some other parts that haven't been covered in other reviews. I am actually planning my fall cruise adventure and am seriously considering the breeze in addition to the getaway and the breakaway. Obviously the prices are higher but it seems with all the amenities this thing has and the ports it visits, it is worth it. Thanks for taking the time to put it all together and share with us.

 

Thanks for the kind words. We absolutely loved the ship, and unless something blew us away we all agreed we couldn't go back. With our son in tow, the ship has alot to do with how we enjoy the cruise and this had it all for him, and for us. The food options was what got me, and the service we have gotten used to. We had friends who did a porthole room on the deck for a reasonable price and said they really enjoyed it.

 

The ports were awesome too. Made a great ship, that much better. It didn't sail to the normal carribean stops we have gotten used to

 

I was hoping to get more done tonight, but I have a 6:30 flight to catch so thats a super early morning. Hopefully I can get to more from the hotel at night

[Cjh1975]

Loving your review. Hoping to do this itinerary next year

[Ontario_Cruiser]

We are doing this itinerary on the Freedom later this year so am very interested in the ports. I was also planning on the Seavis tour to Saona island, but the taxi situation has me worried.

[beachbum53]

Thank-you for what you've posted so far. Great review and excellent pictures! We're booked on the Breeze for this itinerary in May of 2015 (May 9th). Is that when you're going again? If so, I have a roll call started for this cruise. I know, a little early, but we're excited about going. So far, one person has joined the roll call, with more to follow I'm sure. I'm most curious about Cucina del Capitano and Fat Jimmy's C-Side BBQ. And I'm really looking forward to the Waterworks.:D

[Baatman]

Great pictures...thanks.:)

[sgcass123]

Thanks for the review! I can't wait to read the rest of it. Our family and friends are doing the same itinerary next month on the Freedom. :)

[vamartha]

We did this over Halloween last fall and I'd do it again in a heartbeat! Your pics are great! Oh, how I'd love to be in that infinity pool again at Dreams...Calgon take me away! :D

[santacap]

Loving your review. Hoping to do this itinerary next year

 

Thanks, appreciate it. We really enjoyed the itinerary and it's variety. I might not do it on back to back cruises but will definitely look to book this cruise itinerary again in the future.

 

We are doing this itinerary on the Freedom later this year so am very interested in the ports. I was also planning on the Seavis tour to Saona island, but the taxi situation has me worried.

 

From what I could tell, it wasnt as bad as people made it out to be, but it was still frustrating. Having a grasp of the language certainly helped. If you can't commit, I would definitely suggest dreams, or something run by carnival similar to what you get with seavis.

 

Thank-you for what you've posted so far. Great review and excellent pictures! We're booked on the Breeze for this itinerary in May of 2015 (May 9th). Is that when you're going again? If so, I have a roll call started for this cruise. I know, a little early, but we're excited about going. So far, one person has joined the roll call, with more to follow I'm sure. I'm most curious about Cucina del Capitano and Fat Jimmy's C-Side BBQ. And I'm really looking forward to the Waterworks

 

Thanks. Our cruise in May is on the 23rd and the itinerary that goes to St Kitts, Grand Turk, San Juan and St Maarten. Enjoy this itinerary, I know I sure did.

 

As an FYI, unfortunately the time we wanted to try the BBQ the line was way too long with a hungry 5 year old. Definitely go early in the cruise and early in the day.

 

Baatman Great pictures...thanks.

 

Thanks, your very welcome.

 

sgcass123 Thanks for the review! I can't wait to read the rest of it. Our family and friends are doing the same itinerary next month on the Freedom.

 

Thanks, my pleasure. enjoy your cruise and these fantastic ports.

 

vamartha We did this over Halloween last fall and I'd do it again in a heartbeat! Your pics are great! Oh, how I'd love to be in that infinity pool again at Dreams...Calgon take me away!

 

Thanks. Your review of your halloween cruise got me through the dull winter in anticipation, and had alot to do with our choices :)

[santacap]

Aruba

 

i apologize if there's inconsistencies in the titles for ports, but I forget after a few days what I named the last post

 

Again, this port was brand new to us, so I took to cruise critic and others reviews and soon learned that we could not go wrong heading to the beach for the day of fun in the sun, and boy were those reviews right.

 

With our son, and wanting to be a part of some kind of action we decided on Eagle beach. With many others in our group joining us at various times, we decided based on Trip adviser to meet at Bugaloes at DePalm Pier. This was the perfect spot. Once off the ship, as early as we could we walked out of the terminal to be greeted by a very organized taxi set up. The cost to Eagle beach was 14, but because today was Labor Day on the island and extra 3 dollars. I will say our cab driver was a bit nuts, but over the course of cruising this has been a fun adventure. The cab was about 15 minutes to the pier, and it was no issue at all at the terminal. People were looking to partner up, but we filled a cab.

 

We were greeted by a host, and sat in a seat with a large umbrella and chairs... for rent. The price was fairly steep, but with the heat and kids it was well worth it. The large umbrella was 25 and the chairs were 10 each. Not a big deal to share with the group and to be comfortable. The beach was gorgeous, on the pier side was the public side, while on the other side which you can walk was unavailable to sit and get a chair due to the resort Riu being there. I walked through and it looked very nice, if you were looking at a resort option down the road.

 

We met with others doing a carnival catamaran excurion lunch at Bugaloes, and boy was it good. As a group we tried a variety of things ranging from kids pizza, which was awesome, to grouper sandwiches which came recommended by the staff and did not disappoint. Overall, Bugaloes for its location was the most reasonably priced restaurant for what you get on a cruise we have eaten at. You can also go here and grab a bucket of beer to walk back to the beach for a 10 dollar deposit, which of course is returned once the bucket is returned.

 

We also as a pair, rented jet skis from the watersport vendor at the beach. we got him down to 50 bucks a rider for 30 minutes. We were taken out via boat to a little raft where we met the jet skids. Our limits were basically unlimited, and man was it a fun ride. Well worth the money and the ocean and beach was fun to see from the ocean.

 

We finished our day up with another short cab ride back to the pier. Cabs wait at the pier to bring you back, so no need to make arrangements. Another 17 dollars and we were back. The walk from the drop off to the ship is quite a bit longer, but a little exercise hurt nobody right?

 

The walk through the terminal we poked around some of the shops, but really, we aren't shoppers so didnt spend too much time. They did have plenty of variety though.

 

This port I heard some grumblings of complaints from fellow passengers about Labor day and carnival shouldn't have stopped there because shops were closed etc, and they should have let people know. A little planning and I was well aware, plus what was Carnival supposed to do, avoid 2 ports and re olan again? Plus most vendors were open, you just needed to be ther when the police weren't. Shop owners wanted to make money, as much as people wanted to spend. You just needed to time it right. But I guess people will complain about anything and everything, if it benefits them.

 

All and all, again, this was a day to remember and we all had a great day of more fun in the sun. UNfortunately, this was our last time off the ship until Miami...but that also meant more time on the ship itself... awesome.

 

Waiting to disembark

 

 

Coming here, ask and look for this

 

 

Riu Hotel

 

 

Riu Side

 

 

Public Side

 

 

One for the bucket

 

[santacap]

Aruba Continued

 

One thing I meant to say, is if you are looking for snorkeling you wont find it here. I went out for 30 minutes and found nothing.

 

But I did see this off the Riu side

 

 

Let me take a selfie

 

 

Bugaloes

 

 

 

 

Bugaloes Bar

 

[santacap]

Bugaloes

 

 

 

The walk back from drop off

 

 

Glad my wife didn't see Luis Vuitton

 

 

 

Bye Aruba

 

[Pete C]

Glad to see you liked Curacao. We were there on the Liberty last week and loved this island! It is probably the most culturally interesting island I have seen yet with all the colorful homes and architecture. It has so much character. The downtown area across the bridge was really unique.

[Beachlover1964]

We are doing this itinerary on the Freedom later this year so am very interested in the ports. I was also planning on the Seavis tour to Saona island, but the taxi situation has me worried.

 

We did this tour last June. We had no problem with the taxi to or from. We were back in plenty of time to board the ship. It was truly a wonderful day. Our guide was fantastic. The island was beautiful. The stop at the starfish bar was a unique experience. I can't say enough good things about Seavis.

[ERNLYN]

We have done the golf cart rental and an excursion or two, but really just enjoy heading down to Jacks Shack and hanging out on the beach and waiting for the jerk chicken to be ready. It's super simple to get to, and the walk along that blue water is always enjoyable.

 

Santa, regarding the golf cart rentals, must these be driven on the actual roads or are there paths by the side of the road to drive on? Driving a golf cart on the road with the automobiles sounds a bit dangerous..!

[Ontario_Cruiser]

We did this tour last June. We had no problem with the taxi to or from. We were back in plenty of time to board the ship. It was truly a wonderful day. Our guide was fantastic. The island was beautiful. The stop at the starfish bar was a unique experience. I can't say enough good things about Seavis.

 

I do not want to hijack the thread, but thanks for the input. We are leaning towards either the Seavis or the Carnival excursion to Catalina island. I know that my wife would prefer the no-fuss aspect of the Carnival excursion, but I have heard such good things about Seavis.

[beachbum53]

We have done the golf cart rental and an excursion or two, but really just enjoy heading down to Jacks Shack and hanging out on the beach and waiting for the jerk chicken to be ready. It's super simple to get to, and the walk along that blue water is always enjoyable.

 

Santa, regarding the golf cart rentals, must these be driven on the actual roads or are there paths by the side of the road to drive on? Driving a golf cart on the road with the automobiles sounds a bit dangerous..!

 

I can take this one. On Grand Turk, there are no paths by the side of the road to drive on. Automobile traffic is very light, and sometimes nonexistant. On the occasion that an automobile does come along, there's plenty of room for it to pass by. Not at all dangerous. The one thing that takes a little getting used to is driving on the left side of the road. Grand Turk is a small and fascinating island, and exploring it on a golf cart is a lot more fun than going on a tour bus.

[ERNLYN]

Thank you Beachbum, appreciate the info....

[tattoos]

Quick question, you mentioned that the taxi fare to DePalm Pier was $14, was that per person? Do they drop you off at that sign and do you have to walk back out to that sign to hail a cab for your return to the ship? How far is it?

[CruisinTeacher4]

Great review! We are doing many of the same excursions. How much did you pay to get to Dreams? Did you pay on the return trip? What time did you leave and get back to the ship? Thanks!

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Thanks for the continued review. Since I have never been to Aruba, Curacao or la Romana, seeing you put everything into pictures and telling your experiences as a story really gives me a good idea of what these places are like. Like you seem to do, I also enjoy experiencing the entire island and get a general vibe of how the people live their everyday lives outside of the tourist areas. That's not to say I don't want to see the unique tourist stuff each place has to offer. I really know very little about these places outside of what folks like you tell us about, and I feel that when I finally get to these places that some of this knowledge will come in handy.

 

Also, to the person who was talking about taking the eastern Caribbean trip to st. Kitts, st. Lucia, Barbados, st. Martin - you will LOVE it. One of my probably top 3 favorite cruises was to these places out of SJU back in September of 2012. Each of those places have rich culture and history, fairly strong economies and of course, st. Maarten has SXM/Maho beach! One of my absolute favorite shore excursions ever, and just a scenic half hour or so cab ride from the pier.

[santacap]

I'll get back to everybody today, thanks for all the kind words and comments y.... This trip is exactly why I fly in the day before. Was supposed to be home night.... But here I am in la guardia.... 300 bucks to spend 4 hours in a hotel and now waiting out another 2 hour delay.

[santacap]

Glad to see you liked Curacao. We were there on the Liberty last week and loved this island! It is probably the most culturally interesting island I have seen yet with all the colorful homes and architecture. It has so much character. The downtown area across the bridge was really unique.

 

The houses were awesome throughout. The downtown area by the bridge was so vibrant and alive in the little alleys that had shops. Alot to do with the holiday, I am sure but still could definitely tell what it would be like during the normal days.

 

Everybody was incredibly nice and proud of their island / home

 

Santa, regarding the golf cart rentals, must these be driven on the actual roads or are there paths by the side of the road to drive on? Driving a golf cart on the road with the automobiles sounds a bit dangerous..!

 

Beachbum answered but totally in line with what he said, we never felt pressured or causing traffic. Just pull to the side and you were usually passed with a wave and smile. Really fun to explore, I think we ended up at Jacks shack and there's plenty room for parking there too :)

 

Quick question, you mentioned that the taxi fare to DePalm Pier was $14, was that per person? Do they drop you off at that sign and do you have to walk back out to that sign to hail a cab for your return to the ship? How far is it?

 

It was 14 total, took about 15 minutes to get to. As far as the return trip goes it's just a walk back out to the sign, and there was 4-5 cabs waiting there to pick up people to wherever they wanted.

 

More Fares can be found here.

 

http://www.aruba.com/sigma/Aruba_Taxi_Fares.pdf

 

But the taxi attendant when you get picked up off the ship gives you a ticket with your fare pointed out and circled.

 

Great review! We are doing many of the same excursions. How much did you pay to get to Dreams? Did you pay on the return trip? What time did you leave and get back to the ship? Thanks!

 

Including tip our taxi paid 50 dollars total to get to dreams. We paid after each trip. We were probably back on the road a little before 3. The pier was pretty empty when we returned, so we grabbed a beer at the duty free and headed back. Little later than I would usually like, but we were having so much fun:)

 

Thanks for the continued review. Since I have never been to Aruba, Curacao or la Romana, seeing you put everything into pictures and telling your experiences as a story really gives me a good idea of what these places are like. Like you seem to do, I also enjoy experiencing the entire island and get a general vibe of how the people live their everyday lives outside of the tourist areas. That's not to say I don't want to see the unique tourist stuff each place has to offer. I really know very little about these places outside of what folks like you tell us about, and I feel that when I finally get to these places that some of this knowledge will come in handy.

 

Also, to the person who was talking about taking the eastern Caribbean trip to st. Kitts, st. Lucia, Barbados, st. Martin - you will LOVE it. One of my probably top 3 favorite cruises was to these places out of SJU back in September of 2012. Each of those places have rich culture and history, fairly strong economies and of course, st. Maarten has SXM/Maho beach! One of my absolute favorite shore excursions ever, and just a scenic half hour or so cab ride from the pier.

 

Totally agree when we do tours like I have in Ocho Rios, Roatan etc, I basically say I want to see what the locals see, and the tourists.

 

Thanks for the kind word.... I'd love to get to St Lucia and Barbados... cant wait for St Kitts next year.

[santacap]

So that is that with the ports, and after we set sail from Aruba it was 2 of the calmest days at sea I have ever been through. Thought I'd spend the rest of the review talking about things in and around the ship.

 

Food

 

We had YTD for our group and we were always sat within 10 minutes, maximum. Typically we were at the entrance for our party of 9 about 6:30, I could be wrong but I don't remember ever even having to wait in line, it was more just to find an appropriate area for our group. We usually requested a round table, and were accomodated no problems.

 

The food was always great at dinner time, not much to say. We had one slow service, but certainly didn't ruin our mood.

 

Our night in La Romana we ate at the Cuccina Del Capitano and boy oh boy did it not dissapoint. For the 12 dollars a person, and due to the size of our group they brought out a few each of the appetizers, and then we all got our choices of entree and desert. Personally I had the meatball, and if I go back I believe our group had at least one of all the entrees and nobody had anything negative to say. The kids enjoyed their choices as well. There were a few songs mixed in from the staff, but the atmosphere for dinner was great IMO.

 

Around the ship during other days, for lunch etc my typical meal would be Guys Burgers, or the Blue Iguana. Both were the usual great self for me. I never really ventured to the buffet for lunches, but people in our group had the Mongolian wok and enjoyed it as well.

 

Breakfasts were usually room service or a bowl of cereal from the buffet, and for myself a breakfast Burrito. I will say that the one time we had breakfast in the dining room, it was extremely slow, it was our first day at sea, and the service probably led us to choose other options for the rest of the week.

 

I wish I had tried the Sushi joint, and was able to eat in line at Jimmy C Side but the line was crazy, or at least crazy to wait with our son, all the more reason to line up early next time :)

 

Almost forgot, I did get the conch at the Red Frog pub... little over fried, but were very tasty. The selection of hot sauces that came out with the snack was great as well.

 

All in all, there was almost too many choices to pick from, but thats not a bad thing at all. It surely led to almost never feeling over crowded during typical eating times, in and around the ship. Everybody had their favorite, if I had to pick I'd say Blue Iguana.

 

Cereal seal of approval

 

 

inside the Cuccina

 

 

Captain for the meal

 

 

Until Next Time

 

 

Just like Nona

 

Edited May 26, 2014 by santacap

[santacap]

In and Around The Ship

 

Not much to say that hasn't already been said, but the layout on the ship is great for us. We tried many of the things to do... especially catered to kids.

 

We did purchase the unlimited passes to the Thrill Theater, but to be honest with you, I don't think we would again. It's not that it wasn't enjoyable, it was, but it almost felt like we were forcing ourselves to go because we bought the passes. I didn't like scheduling my day around a show we hadn't seen, to avoid a repeat. My favorite was "Just the Rides" as was our sons. Plus, I'd much rather be outside, than inside.

 

There was a time or two that we went that a few seats were broken, and mine stopped half way through one show. Not sure if that's a regular occurence, but was a nuisance at the most.

 

The arcade was on the opposite side of the ship on deck 4, and was very easy to spend lots of money real quick without realizing it with the swipe of a card. It was set up pretty well, with typical games for kids and adults. Of course was enjoyed by the kids in our group.

 

The shopping area was larger and IMO better laid out than others we had been on. While we didn't partake in the sales, others in our group did and were happy with the prices and options. I just wish they had a better plan for the larger sales, as the crowds grow and is kind of a free for all feel... Oh well, not for me, so no big deal.

 

We did Karaoke one night, well we went to watch my wife sing. Pretty funny story, there was an elvis impersonator on board, and what's funny is that I found out when I returned, he is a good friend of mine's uncle... Elvis' son is also a Michael Jackson impersonator, and was a huge hit on the Lido Deck when the DJ played MJ. Back to karaoke, I don't know the usual selections bu I do know my wife has a few go to songs that have been on every ship, that weren't on the Carnival Breeze, so perhaps that could have been better?

 

On the way to Thrill Theater

 

 

In the arcade

 

 

Elvis has left the Fun Ship

 

 

Waiting for Mommy's turn

 

[botbienvn]

Thank you for a great review. My family and I will be on the Breeze in 2 weeks to Southern Caribbean.

 

Quick question - when you got off at each port, did you have to show any other form of ID besides S&S card?

 

Thanks again for the report.

Edited May 26, 2014 by botbienvn