Breeze Review 6/14 Western Caribbean

[Banks822]

I realize I said a couple weeks ago I would do a review, but I've honestly not been home very much. Now that I've actually got a little free time the next 2 days I'm going to try and write my 1st ever review and include pictures.

My only request are for you to please be patient and don't be rude. CC has been so helpful for me when planning all my cruises, but some people are just downright nasty on here.

So, this cruise was me (Nicole) and my DH with our 4 teenagers ages 13 to 15. My inlaws also came along. We live in NC so we flew into FLL the day before and SAS transportation picked us up and took us to our hotel in Miami. We've used SAS before and they are always dependable. This trip we stayed at the Fortuna House. It was actually studio apartments. Because my MIL was using a cane they were nice enough to give us 2 rooms on the 1st floor. Each room slept 4 comfortably and were very clean. It was $214.00 for both rooms which was worth it for the size and convenience to the port.

Here's a picture of me and oldest daughter on the plane.

[Banks822]

After we got checked into our rooms we went over to Bayside Market Place. My DH and kids walked down a little way and caught the tram. They love doing that, especially since you won't find that where we live. I rode in a taxi with my inlaws. It was a quick ride over to Bubba Gump Shrimp. We ate a good meal and looked around just a little. Then we went over to CVS and got our soda for the cruise and a few things we forget to pack.

After we got back to the rooms we rested just a little while before my daughter heard an ice cream truck. Of course we had to check it out and get ice cream!

[Banks822]

We took our ice cream and walked down to the end of our street to check out the water. It was finally starting to cool off and was quite nice out. Because Fortuna House is actually apartments we were in a neighborhood and meet several people out walking their dogs or riding bikes. The water was pretty and weather was nice, so my DH and I hung out with our daughters outside a little while before we all went back to shower and sleep. Our sons had already went in to rest.

[Banks822]

Sunday morning we were all up by 7:30 and excited that it was finally cruise day! I called us 2 taxis and asked them to pick us up at 10. They were there right on time and it was a quick ride over to the POM. Our taxi driver was so nice and we enjoyed talking with him on the way over.

We purchased FTTF. I realize some people like it and some think it's a waste. We have cruised with and without FTTF and honestly prefer having it. When I'm on vacation I don't want to spend a majority of it waiting in line. But, to each his own.

Once we dropped off our checked luggage we were inside going through the normal process. The ship was still bring cleared out from the previous cruise so we did have about an hour wait once we got our cards. It went by quickly though. We bypassed the pictures and we're on the ship by 11:45. Finally vacation had started!

[Banks822]

We didn't have that much to drop off in our rooms so we decided to go straight to the lido deck and eat. My DH and youngest son wanted their Guy's Burgers! I went to my favorite place, the Blue Iguana Burrito Bar and got my favorite shrimp burrito. I was definitely not disappointed! Everyone else went to the buffets or Pizza Pirate and we all eventually met up at the same table.

After lunch we decided to see if our rooms were ready. They were. This was our 1st time staying in spa balcony rooms. We had rooms 11243 and 11245 on Deck 11. I manged to get everyone unpacked and our clothes on hangers before the muster drill.

I have to say that I really liked having the drill inside the theater! That's so much better than being crowded together on the outside decks.

Also Dr.E ,the CD, was hilarious and made the drill much more entertaining.

Once the drill was finished we went back to the room, met our steward and then watched us sail away on our balcony.

By time all that was over it was time for dinner. We had the anytime dinning in the Sapphire Dinning Room. This was our 1st time trying ATD, but we actually liked it. It was also our 1st cruise with the new American Table menus. We also liked the new menu. I can't remember what all we ate the 1st night and I forgot to take pictures. I do remember that all 4 of my children got their favorite dessert, melting cake with 2 icecreams.

That night we went to the Welcome Aboard show. It was so funny! Dr.E really was a great cruise director. On past cruises I never paid attention to the CD, but you couldn't help but notice this one.

After the show we checked out the rest of the ship and tried to learn or way around. We checked out the movie on the lido deck then decided we were ready to call it a night. We went to the rooms and checked out our towel animal and Funtimes for Monday, then off to bed.

Here's a sail away pic.

[Banks822]

I will definitely get much more in tomorrow and I'll try to show the funtimes if anyone would like. I remembered to save them this time! I'm doing this from my cell phone, so I hope it's okay and the pictures are showing up.

If anyone has questions, please ask because I'm sure I'll forget to cover something!

[crusin4funtimes]

Great start! Thank you for taking the time to write a review, it is appreciated! :)

[Banks822]

Great start! Thank you for taking the time to write a review, it is appreciated! :)

 

Thanks!

[2boys2girls]

I will definitely get much more in tomorrow and I'll try to show the funtimes if anyone would like. I remembered to save them this time! I'm doing this from my cell phone, so I hope it's okay and the pictures are showing up.

If anyone has questions, please ask because I'm sure I'll forget to cover something!

 

Review is looking great! We got off the Breeze on the 14th and loved it! I also did a review of our cruise and just wanted to support a fellow cruiser with their review!

[riclop]

Thanks for taking the time to do your review,

[nessz79]

Following along!

[Banks822]

I have the picture of funtimes from Sunday. I'm not sure why, but it keeps turning the picture sideways (sorry)

[Banks822]

Okay, on to Monday. This was a Sea Day and since there is so much to do on the Breeze we wanted to make the best of it. We decided to go to lido deck for breakfast. Half of my family wanted omelets and the rest of wanted just whatever. *By the 3rd day my son found that if u go to the aft of the ship the lines were much shorter!

After breakfast we changed and headed to the water slides and ropes course. But they were closed. This was, unfortunately the case almost our whole cruise. Since there is nothing to block the wind, it was usually to windy to open them unless we were at a port. Of course this was disappointing to our kids since it was one of the reasons they begged us to book the Breeze. On a side note, this cruise all 4 kids decided they didn't want to go to Circle C and we didn't push the issue because there was plenty to do and we enjoy spending time together.

So since we were all together and the pools were already packed and the chairs all filled with towels and books (chair hogs drive me crazy!) we played mini golf. It was pretty fun!

[Banks822]

Around 11 my DH and I decided to go check the spa out and see what all was included with booking a spa balcony. We took our room keys along and they put a sticker on the back showing we were in a spa room. They then gave us white bracelets to wear when we came up to hang out. A very nice young lady gave us a quick tour and showed us how everything worked and explained how we could pick out a body scrub, 1 per room. After the tour we tried out the T-pool. It was wonderful! Then we steamed for a little while and decided to go back and see what the kids were into. Of course they were ready for lunch. So we each went our ways, Guy's, Blues and Pizza Pirate and met back at the rooms. We ate on the balcony and enjoyed watching the water and talking about that nights agenda. At 3:00 the DH and myself along with the kids went to check out the Thrill Theater. You could purchase a 1 time for $8.00 or unlimited for $15.00. We opted for the 15 because it just made more sense to us. Even though they repeat some of the movies, some of them were worth seeing twice. That day there were 3 showings. We had missed the 1st one (Spongebob) but were on time for the 2nd show, BBC Planet Earth: Shallow Seas. We enjoyed the theater and went at least once everyday.

[Banks822]

Before I go on, I'll talk about booking a Spa room. We were able to get the room at a good price for only $100.00 more than the original balcony we'd booked on deck 7. After reading some reviews my DH started second guessing deck 7 because of so many people saying your view would be of the lower deck and not the water. When he called Carnival to ask about this they managed to convince him that a room on deck 11 would be better for him. We did enjoy the room and my inlaws liked their room as well. But I would never spend a large amount of money to upgrade to a spa room. It's not really different from any other balcony we've stayed in. We did get the shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion and soap. But they were small bottles and they were never replenished. I'm sure if I would of asked we could of had more, but I never asked. We did get slippers and they were nice, but I had to ask 3 different times before they came at the end of day 2. The spa was great. I loved the aromatherapy sauna and the T-pool. But, with so much to do I couldn't go everyday. Overall I really have no complaints about our room. I just wouldn't spend a lot of money on one.

[Banks822]

Back to day 2....

This was the 1st Cruise Elegant night so after the Thrill Theater we headed back to the rooms to start getting ready. All the picture places were really busy so we decided to wait until the 2nd elegant night for pictures. We were in the dinning room at 5:45 and we're seated quickly. The dinning room was much busier tonight than any other night of our cruise. It took a little while for us to finish the meal, but it was okay. I know the staff does the best they can and I'm on vacation so why rush? We finished dinner right on time to make it to the 8:15 show DIVAS. We didn't have time to change 1st, but that was okay because I wasn't wearing heels. Lol

I've seen this show already on our last cruise, but the singing was better this time. I know people don't like the new shows as much, but I do. After that show we changed quickly. The kids went swimming and the DH and I went to see Tommy Drake at the Comedy Club. He was pretty funny, but the cussing and sex jokes get old after a while. This was the only comedy show we went to the whole cruise.

[Banks822]

The next day was Montego Bay, which was a new port for us and the reason we picked this itinerary. We wanted to see some place new! So, we let the kids get some pizza and ice cream and we all started getting ready for bed.

Day 3 Montego Bay Jamaica:

I personally had always wanted to go to Jamaica. I was unsure however after reading several reviews and comments on how pushy people are and how unsafe Jamaica is. Originally we were suppose to go to Falmouth, but right before our trip Carnival sent out the email letting us know it had changed to Montego Bay. I knew I wanted to see Jamaica outside the cruise terminal, but for whatever reason Carnival had 0 excursions listed. I called and was told that we would probably have to wait until we got on board to book anything because of them not having enough time to get it ready before we sailed. My DH likes having a plan so I knew that wouldn't work. So I went to CC and started researching! I was able to book our most favorite excursion ever through Resort for a day at Sunset Beach. It was all inclusive and included transportation there and back on an air conditioned bus that was actually comfortable. We got off the ship, after the crowd cleared out, and the bus was a 2 minute walk across from the ship. We only had to wait on a few more people and we were off. It was a 7 minute ride to the resort! Only 13 people from the Breeze were on this excursion. Everyone else there was vacationing at the resort. I had paid a deposit online when I booked and paid the balance off once we arrived. I wasn't sure of the rules so I brought cash, but the couple in front of us used a visa card. Check in was a breeze, we got our bracelets showing that we were all inclusive and we were off for a great day in Jamaica! Even though my children are 13,13,14 and 15 they are considered children and got the kids price which I thought was awesome! This place was huge!!! There were several pools and several different beaches, that were never crowded abs always had chairs. There was a huge lazy river and big water slides. One pool had water aerobics going on, one had several children in it and one just had adults. With our package we could take out the paddle boats and kayaks, snorkel or be taken out on the sail boats for a fun ride. I didn't realize how fast sail boats could go! None of us drink alcohol, those days are over for me, but the bartenders fixed us plenty of virgin drinks. Pina colada, strawberry daiquiri and Miami vice. They were always good! The huge buffet opened at 12, but they had a grill opened that served nachos, cheese fries, hamburger, grilled cheese and jerk chicken or bacon. Everything we ate there was excellent! There was also a bakery that had the best lemon and blueberry cake and coconut ice cream. Ohhh my I want to go back.

The only things that cost extra was parasailng and banana boat or the spa. Everything else was included. I will also say that was the nicest staff! They were so good to my kids and even held their snorkel gear when it was their turn on the sail boat so nobody else would take it. Also once lunch started my oldest daughter walked over to the grill to get some jerk chicken. It was on the other side of the place. The manager walked over and asked how many of us wanted the chicken and if we preferred white, dark meat or a mix. He then delivered it to our table. That was some good jerk chicken! We spent the whole day there and still didn't see the whole place. We even went into their shopping area for our souvenirs. We got back to the ship 1 hour before sail away.

So if you research and go to the right places, Jamaica is a beautiful place! We never encountered the negative things I've read about. I'm sure they are true, but honestly there are pushy rude people in America too. Here's a few pictures from our day.

[Banks822]

Sail away for Jamaica was 6:00. This was another plus for ATD. We could get ready and watch sail away from our balcony and we didn't miss eating in the MDR. We've always done the 6:00 seating so we could eat then see the shows, but with ATD we didn't have to rush and I liked that. We got to the dinning room at 7:30 and were quickly seated again. Tonight they also had the port of call menu with jerk chicken wings for an appetizer. This was a hit at our table. I believe this was the ox tongue night as well. The thought of it grossed me out, but my DH and 3 of my children swore it tasted like pot roast. To each his own, but no thank you! After dinner we split up again. My DH, myself and 2 youngest changed then went to see the juggling act featuring EDGE. We had seen this same show on the Glory as well, but it was still pretty entertaining. I can't recall what we did after the show, except I remember before bed I let the kids get room service because they love the cheese cake and chocolate cake from room service and my DH likes the reubens. After a late night snack and tv it was lights out. Grand Cayman tomorrow.

[Banks822]

Review is looking great! We got off the Breeze on the 14th and loved it! I also did a review of our cruise and just wanted to support a fellow cruiser with their review!

 

I actually read your review! I saw that you went to Jacks Shack in Grand Turk. We love Grand Turk and usually rent a golf cart, but have never been to Jacks. We may visit there on our cruise in April.

[Banks822]

Thanks for taking the time to do your review,

 

Thank you! I know it's not the best, but the reviews have always been helpful to me so I thought I'd give it a shot.

[Banks822]

Day 4 Grand Cayman:

Grand Cayman is just not my favorite port. It's clean, the water is pretty, but it's just okay for me. This go around we decided to snorkel since I've read so much positive about snorkeling here. I don't usually book through the boat, but we decided to since this was a last minute decision. My DH was hoping this would help us to like this port better. I'm glad we did it! We did the package where you snorkel in 2 spots. 1st was over the sunken US navy ship and then they took us to cheeseburger reef. Our 2 guides were great and as soon as 1 guide saw that my youngest son was having issues with his goggles, he jumped right in and helped him. He told me to snorkel and let him help my son out so I did. My son had started to get aggravated, but within 5 minutes was having a great time. Cheeseburger reef was close to the Breeze and it was cool to snorkel with the ship in the background. They never rushed us and were great to talk to. I got a new look on Grand Cayman after that. The snorkeling was not as good as it was in Honduras, but it was pretty close. After that we walked around the main street there for about 15 minutes then went back to the terminal to shop a little and try a fried meat pie. We got chicken and it was tasty. Then we tendered back to the boat and got lunch. We decided to take advantage of the port day and try out the water slides and ropes coarse. We were already in our bathing suits anyways. Overall we had a nice time in Grand Cayman!

[Banks822]

Sail away for Grand Cayman was at 4:00. I was in the T-pool with my DH as we took off and it was quite relaxing after all that snorkeling and using muscles I forgot I had that day! Lol My legs were still a little sore the next day. I was one of the last to get back on the boat at cheeseburger reef!

After steaming for 10 minutes and laying on a heated stone bed for a little while I went to the locker room and took a nice shower in a big stall with plenty of room and water pressure. (That's a tip I got on CC and it's a good one) By time I got back to room everyone else had showered and was getting ready for the 2nd elegant night.

On most elegant nights we really dress up. Guys in suites girls in heels... but this cruise we didn't go all out. I had read most people don't during summer months and that seemed to be the case on our trip. I wanted us to do a picture with the ship background, so I still made everyone dress nice, but not fancy. Dinner was good as usual and then we took our pictures.

[Banks822]

This was also the night of the watch sales. My DH some how always manages to get a watch every cruise. This time I got me one since it was actually a good sale. Michael Kors was buy one get one half off. I love MK and found one that I really liked! I got one and my MIL did too. Of course my DH got him a watch, but not his normal Invicta. I was a happy girl the rest of the night after I put my MK on.

[Banks822]

Tonight the shows were a repeat, 88 Keys then DIVAS. So we changed clothes and went to the Lido for the Dive - in movie, The Hobbit. We got our blankets, drinks and popcorn and had a nice time together just watching the movie. As I'm writing this I feel like we were kinda boring this cruise! Lol My DH is a recovering alcoholic almost 2 years sober 😆. We love to cruise, but choose to avoid the party scene because I'm not gonna dangle temptation in his face. Usually we run ourselves down trying to squeeze in everything that we can and don't want to miss a thing. Then we get home and are totally exhausted and need a vacation to recover from our vacation. We skipped cruising last year until we knew my DH was ready to be around the alcohol. This time I wanted an actual vacation! No rushing, no standing in line 30 minutes to see a comedy show or be 1st off the ship, no leaving ports early to make it to the dinning room at 6. It may look boring, but I had a great time with my sober husband and our children.

[Banks822]

After the movie the younger 2, who were in our room decided they just had to have grilled cheese and chocolate cake from room service. So we ate on the balcony then watched a little tv and lights out. Tomorrow is Cozumel!