Die-hard Disney fan cruises the Breeze on 11/8/14 and LOVES it or HATES it???

[loveysbydesign]

Some of you may be reading along wondering if there is much to choose from to do on sea days? There is a ton...the Hasbro Game show, Thrill theater, Seuss-a-palooze parade and so much more. We let out little guy choose, as he rarely gets one on one time with us and it worked out fine. We got to relax more than I planned to but I am not complaining!!

Now on Disney there is also a ton of things to do, but I found myself feeling like we had to do them to get our monies worth so in a way it was kind of stressful. Now that is not Disney's fault, it is my own ;)

 

You will def. not be bored on either ship!

 

Changing the color of my font to make it easier ;)

Edited December 3, 2014 by loveysbydesign

[loveysbydesign]

After playing in the waterworks for 2 hour the little guy was tired! We headed back to the room to freshen up and take a power nap before heading out to eat an early dinner. I'm so happy that I still have a little guy to snuggle with, even though he'll be as tall as me soon ( I never made it to 5 feet )

 

 

We requested our fav. servers again and were able to sit at the same table every night! We loved them. They were courteous, fast, chatty and seemed to enjoy their jobs! We were in and out of dinner every night in about an hour, which worked out great as sometimes they had special things at the kids clubs at 7:30!

 

SO by our 3rd day on the ship we had all settled in and even though I missed the Disney theming we were all having an enjoyable cruise thus far.

 

 

 

 

 

We decided to go the the show EDGE, it was physical comedy and juggling and we really enjoyed it. We didn't get there early so we had side balcony seats but we could see just fine. We took the youngest and the older 2 went to the late show with their clubs. Then it was shower and bedtime as we had a fun, busy day planned for St. Thomas the next day!

 

Edited December 3, 2014 by loveysbydesign

[hotpinkchica14]

I've noticed a lot of post stating that anytime dining can take 2-2 1/2 hours. Did you ask if it could be sped up or did you just get in and out quickly? We have 2 young girls and if they eat with Camp Carnival I don't want to spend all my free time in the dining room. Also, your review is awesome. I look forward to reading it everyday. :)

[loveysbydesign]

I've noticed a lot of post stating that anytime dining can take 2-2 1/2 hours. Did you ask if it could be sped up or did you just get in and out quickly? We have 2 young girls and if they eat with Camp Carnival I don't want to spend all my free time in the dining room. Also, your review is awesome. I look forward to reading it everyday. :)

 

Thanks for the kind words about my review, I appreciate them!

 

We had no issues with YTD at all! One night our dinner took a little longer than usual (by about 10 minutes) but we were still out of there by 7:15. I think if you get there right when they open, by 5:45 the service is faster because it is just beginning?

We did not ask to speed things up.

 

Our kids ate with us every night in Sapphire, except for one night when we were all so tired from our excursions that we just ordered room service.

They catered to my 7 y.o. and even brought him his own basket of rolls, plus they brought his dinner out when we got our appetizers. It makes me sad to say, but he actually got more attention on the Breeze then our kids ever did on Disney, but I think that is because there are less kids in the dining room. It went very smoothly and worked out great every single night. Maybe we were just lucky?

Edited December 3, 2014 by loveysbydesign

[American Bear]

When it comes to MSC the phrase "you get what you pay for" really comes into play.

 

to the OP first, geat pics, beautiful family!:)

 

to SNJCruisers, you're right:D, you get the 'best bang for your cruise dollar' this past year in the Caribbean on the best looking ship!:D

[TheShayQueen]

LOVE this review!!! I am hoping to book a Disney cruise in late 2016....just waiting for them to post the schedule. It currently only goes up to April 2016 :mad:.

 

I've been on Breeze and had a cove balcony and absolutely loved it. It just felt so cozy being out there on the balcony and seemed more private compared to the regular balconies. It sounds like you and your family had a wonderful cruise so far.....I'm still waiting for the rest of the review. Keep it coming!

 

Also, my favorite drinks were the Twilight Zone and Miami Vice. Oh so good!

[SNJCruisers]

to the OP first, geat pics, beautiful family!:)

 

to SNJCruisers, you're right:D, you get the 'best bang for your cruise dollar' this past year in the Caribbean on the best looking ship!:D

When I said that you get what you pay for regarding the MSC Divina, I was referring to the fact that it was so cheap.

 

As a point of comparison, here are the ratings according to CC reviewers comparing the ships I mentioned.

Disney Fantasy................96%

Celebrity Reflection......89%

Oasis of the Seas............85%

NCL Getaway...................78%

Regal Princess..................77%

CCL Breeze.......................73%

MSC Divina.......................64%

[loveysbydesign]

So the next day was our 1st port day, St. Thomas!!!! I have always wanted to go to ST as it looks so beautiful, I was not disappointed. This was also the only port that I had booked an excursion through Carnival, The Turtle Cove Sea & Snorkel. I've wanted to go on a catamaran for as long as I can remember and when trying to decide between similar excursions at ST and Nassua, I chose this one as my daughter LOVES sea turtles. I opted for us to do the 12:30 one so we could explore ST a bit in the morning and then grab lunch and change on the ship before the excursion.

I was kind of sad that we would not get to visit a beach in ST, but was hoping to have a fabulous time on the excursion and knew we would be going to the beach in Antigua the next day!

 

As we pulled into the port I could not help but think to myself that I was dreaming as it was so beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 4, 2014 by loveysbydesign

[loveysbydesign]

[wrigley80]

I am enjoying your review. We leave out on the Carnival Dream so it's been nice to see a photo review to hold me off till then

[cruise_mojo]

glad that it seems you are happy with the cruise

 

I just booked Monday on the Fascination out of Jacksonville for the 15th. We have an aft extended view on empress deck. Note for future reference that the ION ships are smaller and have a few less amenities than the larger liberty\dream and breezy type ships.

 

however, nice, smaller by todays standards and easy to navigate around and with all our kids grown we are more hot tub oriented and starting to like serentity more too

 

anyway keep the pics coming and tell us when you have your next Carnival cruise booked! we have that credit card they flog on the ship and are only about 12,000 pts from a 1500 dollar credit towards a cruise! woowoo!

 

also you can take advantage of that cruise voucher thing they have on the ship too if you sign up for the credit card

[cessnabmw]

Awesome review! Thank you!

 

Looking forward to the rest of it and more pics!

[American Bear]

When I said that you get what you pay for regarding the MSC Divina, I was referring to the fact that it was so cheap.

 

As a point of comparison, here are the ratings according to CC reviewers comparing the ships I mentioned.

Disney Fantasy................96%

Celebrity Reflection......89%

Oasis of the Seas............85%

NCL Getaway...................78%

Regal Princess..................77%

CCL Breeze.......................73%

MSC Divina.......................64%

 

SNJCruisers My comment was from personal experience which I trust!:D

And by the way, we've been on all the ships you list, and they're all good!

 

Still following OP, great pics, great review!:D

[American Bear]

Yes, that is when we book, opening day or last minute. I am a very pt Disney ta so I keep a close eye on the prices.

 

We totally agree, Disney's loyaty keeps prices going up after they're released!:D

[Earl Colby Pottinger]

We sailed the Disney Dream and were somewhat disappointed. The cruse was fun but we expected more from Disney for what we paid.

 

I am sorry to hear that, I hope all your future trips are just fun, Fun, FUN!

 

Disney had free soda bout only in specified places. If you went to one of the theaters you have to pay for soda and popcorn.

 

Now that is a surprise, I thought it was free everywhere. Was it much money to buy the popcorn?

 

You can bring on your own alcoholic beverages on the Disney Dream.

 

Carnival allows each adult to bring in a single bottle of wine. Is Disney unlimited in how much you can bring in?

 

We think the shows and food on Carnival was better than on the Disney Dream.

 

Now that is a surprise to me too. It has always been my impression that Disney would be better.

 

We did like the pirate show.

 

I hope that I can find that on YouTube.

 

The TV in the cabin had only Disney movies and many of them.

 

I was expecting that. :)

 

There are many meet the character and photo ops. But you will have to wait in line. I did like the way they did photos. All of the photos you have taken are put in a folder for you and kept for you and held until the end of the cruise. You can have some put in a hard bound book if you like.

 

Now that is something I wished Carnival did! It is a royal pain going thru the galley to find your pictures. On more than one occasion we could not find the photo that we knew was taken but did want to take home. Meanwhile we could always find the photos we did not want. :(

 

As others mentioned there is no casino.

 

I can't stand the smoke on that deck on Carnival, worse even the clubs near the casino which I might use have too much smoke for me. I wish Carnival, if they must have a casino would at-least arrange that all the air flows towards the casino to control the smoke.

 

I did find it interesting the Disney Dream had a deck 13 when other cruise lines don’t use that number.

 

Does not seem to hurt their business does it? :)

 

Because of the price we had to get our first inside cabin every. It had a virtual port hole. Meaning there was a camera that projected a live image on the screen of what we would see if we had a real window. It various time some Disney characters would appear on the screen for a short time. This would only happen once every 45 minutes. Kind of disappointing.

 

Was it the size of a port hole? I notice on the internet that there are now virtual full size windows available.

 

Hundreds of little girls were wearing princess dresses that were purchased on the ship. They started at $60.

 

The price sounds right if they are well made, plus now the girls something to wear to their next birthday party and/or Halloween.

 

Besides a flock of princesses running about must be very cute to see. Do they also offer fairy dresses with wings too?

 

Hearing Disney theme songs played 24 hours a day can become annoying.

 

The horror, the HORROR! That would drive me insane.

 

If you eat breakfast in a dining room the morning you leave the ship you will be assigned to the dining room you were assigned to eat the night before.

 

Interesting.

 

We paid $3161 for three passengers for 4 days on the Disney Dream. We have paid $2185 for three passengers for 8 days on the Carnival Freedom and $2627 for four passengers for 7 days on the Carnival Dream.

 

I hope the advice given earlier in this thread about booking just as the cruises becomes available is correct, otherwise I will not be able to justify the costs.

Edited December 4, 2014 by Earl Colby Pottinger

[loveysbydesign]

Was it the size of a port hole? I notice on the internet that there are now virtual full size windows available.

 

Here are a couple of pics. of the porthole for you!

 

 

[loveysbydesign]

Just wanted to add that if you have young children who LOVE Disney and you can afford Disney, then by all means choose Disney!! I'll never forget the memories we made on our 2 Disney cruises, I'll also never forget the memories we made on the Breeze.

We could never had cruised Disney if we had not gotten such low prices for the 2 Disney cruises we took. I am thankful that we were able to cruise Disney and if Disney cost the same as the Breeze I would choose Disney, but that is because we all love Disney so much! That being said, I would rather cruise on the Breeze then not cruise at all!

More review coming up...........

[Earl Colby Pottinger]

It is clear that you find Disney a great cruise line to take the kids on.

 

Also importantly, it is also clear that one can avoid the high prices on Disney if one does a lot of hunting around and book at the right time.

 

As I have already said in my earlier messages there are some things that Disney is doing way better than Carnival, and if I had the money to spare or if in the future I find the cruise deals mentioned I will book a cruise with them too.

 

I think your review has been very fair in all ways that you reported both cruise lines, and I will continue reading and enjoying your posts.

 

PS. Thank for the shots of the virtual porthole.

Edited December 4, 2014 by Earl Colby Pottinger

[Mr305]

What are the tricks to booking with Disney? Would love to hear them. I've never found a good deal, always double or triple the price.

[loveysbydesign]

What are the tricks to booking with Disney? Would love to hear them. I've never found a good deal, always double or triple the price.

Gotta book the day the dates or released or last minute ;)

Edited December 4, 2014 by loveysbydesign

[jwalk03]

I am sorry to hear that, I hope all your future trips are just fun, Fun, FUN!

 

 

 

Now that is a surprise, I thought it was free everywhere. Was it much money to buy the popcorn?

 

Fountain soda is free 24 hours a day at the machines on the pool deck. It is also free in all of the restraunts during meals. If you order a soda elsewhere on the ship there is a charge. It is also free at Castaway Cay. I dont know what the cost was becuase I never had the need to pay for one.

Carnival allows each adult to bring in a single bottle of wine. Is Disney unlimited in how much you can bring in?

 

Disney is unlimited. Whatever you can carry on your are allowed. Carnival only allows wine. On Disney you can bring any drink you like including cases of beer, bottles of liquor, etc.

Now that is a surprise to me too. It has always been my impression that Disney would be better.

 

Saying the shows on Carnival are better than Disney is CRAZY. Trust me when I say you can EASILY tell which cruise line has a larger budget for production shows. Disney wins this by a mile and a half. I will say that Disney lacks comedy shows, so Carnival does win in that one area of entertainment. But overall Disney is WAY BETTER.

As for food, that is so subjective that its difficult to compare. But I will say that I found Disney's food to be way higher quality that anything Carnival offers. I have never seen all you can eat shrimp on a Carnival Buffet, or wonderful cuts of Lamb at dinner on a Carnival ship (unless you pay extra for the Steakhouse, than maybe.)

I hope that I can find that on YouTube.

 

 

 

I was expecting that. :)

 

 

 

Now that is something I wished Carnival did! It is a royal pain going thru the galley to find your pictures. On more than one occasion we could not find the photo that we knew was taken but did want to take home. Meanwhile we could always find the photos we did not want. :(

 

 

 

I can't stand the smoke on that deck on Carnival, worse even the clubs near the casino which I might use have too much smoke for me. I wish Carnival, if they must have a casino would at-least arrange that all the air flows towards the casino to control the smoke.

 

 

 

Does not seem to hurt their business does it? :)

 

 

 

Was it the size of a port hole? I notice on the internet that there are now virtual full size windows available.

 

 

 

The price sounds right if they are well made, plus now the girls something to wear to their next birthday party and/or Halloween.

 

We bought the princess dresses before we went and packed them. You can get them MUCH cheaper than $60 at a Disney store. Especially right after Halloween.

Besides a flock of princesses running about must be very cute to see. Do they also offer fairy dresses with wings too?

 

 

 

The horror, the HORROR! That would drive me insane.

 

 

 

Interesting.

 

 

 

I hope the advice given earlier in this thread about booking just as the cruises becomes available is correct, otherwise I will not be able to justify the costs.

 

I will second that advise about booking the day the cruises are released. Esp if the cruise you are booking is a limited sailing like the San Diego departures for next October. I am also booked on one of these cruises. I booked the day the fares were released and paid $1800 for 3 people inside. Today the cheapest fare for the same cruise is almost $5000.

 

Disney isn't for everyone, and neither is Carnival. I have done cruises on both and will do cruises on both in the future. They offer 2 different products, and trying to do an apples to apples price comparison just doesn't work. That would be like comparing a Ritz Carlton to a Fairfield Inn. They just are not the same. Both can give you good vacations, but not the same vacation.

 

 

Sorry I'm not very good at quoting on this site for some reason. I couldnt get it to work from the original post. Someone want to show me how you do the cool multi quote thing?? lol

Edited December 4, 2014 by jwalk03

[jwalk03]

Enjoying the review so far. Can't wait for the rest! I really want to sail on the Breeze, but haven't made it there yet. Maybe 2016. 2015 is already full with a destination wedding in April, honeymoon in May, and Disney Cruise in October. (Thank goodness I get 4 weeks of vacation!)

[loveysbydesign]

So since our excursion wasn't til 12:30 and we had a beautiful morning ahead of us I talked to hubby and we decided to go ahead and go on the skyride to Paradise Point. I was so excited as I had wanted to do it but did not want to buy tix. ahead of time in case of the weather.We walked over to the empty excursions desk and bought tickets, they're cheaper on the ship then they are at the ride ;)

 

We walked past all the shops and just headed towards the ride, it took maybe 10 minutes. Once we got there we were greeted by a long line, all the way down to the bottom of the steps. We had to wait in line at the ticket counter to exchange our Carnival passes for tickets, we each got a wristband and then hopped in line at the bottom of the stairway. Oh well, it wasn't too hot outside yet, so we were ok!

 

It was about a 20-25 minute wait from the bottom til the boarding of the ride. At the top they had chairs in the shade, which was good as my older were tired and hot (they didn't get to bed until almost 1 a.m. from their clubs!)

 

 

 

 

Edited December 4, 2014 by loveysbydesign

[cruzmax]

I am really enjoying your review! Husband and I first cruised with Royal Caribbean, then Celebrity and Princess. I found a great price on Carnival Valor 7 years ago, and we have now cruised with Canival 10+ times (all newer ships). We have loved all our cruises, all for different reasons. May try Disney some day with our granddaughter!

Glad your family enjoyed the Breeze!

Pam in KY

[matondo]

Enjoying your review! I sailed Disney and Carnival last year! The price points were vastly different. I would love to move to FL so we can take advantage of the FL resident rates. Maybe some day!