Breeze trip report with photos/menus Oct 11 2021

[luckybecky]

In the afternoon we went back to the room to get cleaned up after all the swimming and exercising, then packed so that we could have our evening free. And I had a delicious frozen blue margarita from the blue iguana tequila bar. I wish I had tried that earlier in the cruise because it was really good. I would have had more of them.

 

 

 

We have eaten in the dining room every night of this cruise and had a great experience. As I already mentioned, we were pretty disappointed in both the food and speed of service on our last Carnival cruise, so we were happy to find that both were greatly improved here. But tonight, we decided not to take the time to eat in the dining room because we wanted to have plenty of time to see the show, have a last spin in the casino, and do some shopping.

 

So, off to the buffet. Wow. What a disappointment. It was truly awful. (I'm sorry, Carnival cheerleaders. Don't hate on me. We loved almost everything about this cruise, but I gotta tell the truth here.) First of all, only a small section of the buffet at the very back was open. It had an extremely limited selection. The pizza place had one kind of pizza. And the deli was open. I never tried the sandwiches but I think they were made fresh to order, so they are probably good. 

 

But the buffet itself. There was a salad bar with a decent selection of items. The hot food line was terrible. It had several of the same items that were on the MDR menu for the night. But they all looked pretty unappetizing. I tried the soup (only one choice was offered): it was labeled "steak and ale cheddar" soup in the app MDR menu. It was labeled "steak and kale cheddar" soup at the buffet. Whether it was supposed to be ale, or kale, it was truly disgusting. It looked like brown sludge with no kale in sight. I couldn't eat it.

Edited October 21, 2021 by luckybecky

[luckybecky]

I tried the chicken milanese which was as dry as a bone. Travis had some fried shrimp which he said was ok. I think there was the pork that was listed on the MDR menu. There was plain white rice. Enchiladas. I believe there were some fried potatoes. And I think a small turkey breast which they would carve for you, but no gravy that I saw nor any traditional sides like stuffing. Unless you count the potatoes, there was not a single vegetable dish except for a few spears of broccoli and some roasted corn strewn among the pieces of chicken and pork.

 

There were four desserts, I think. I tried something chocolate and I'll give them credit that it was good. No one came by to offer bar service during the time that we were there.

 

So we have had only one other post-covid cruise so far. The buffet on that cruise was amazing. So I was really shocked at the difference here. How limited it was. Maybe it was better at lunch. I don't know. Maybe they keep it small at supper because many people go to other venues. But it was truly disappointing. If someone is reading this who was on our cruise and went at other times, please chime in to say if you had a different experience.

 

Also, on that other cruise, they had staff serving you. No more having hundreds of people touching the tongs. Every station had crew who would serve you whatever you asked for. I thought that might be the new normal. Not so here. I noticed this at lunch too, the very first day. Both at Guy's burger bar, and in the buffet, I noticed that you still serve yourself. I actually liked having them serve us, although I did wonder how well this will work when ships are back at full capacity. But remember when we used to worry about norovirus? Ahh, the good old days. Even if not for covid, not having hundreds of hands touching the serving utensils seems like a good idea.

 

OK, enough of that. This was the only thing that we really found disappointing on the entire cruise and we never let things like this ruin our day. I went to the show Flick. I recall seeing this show pre-covid but it seems like they have added slightly more elaborate sets, or laser lights or something. It seemed a little ramped up from what I remember. It was very high energy and the performers were great. Loved it.

 

 

 

I gave the casino one more chance but my luck never improved on this cruise. This had been a very full day so I skipped the comedy club tonight and went back to the room relatively early. Spent some time watching the in room movie Bohemian Rhapsody and relaxing with a glass of wine on the balcony.

 

I'm sorry the sun has set on this cruise. We have had a great time.

 

 

 

I'll be back tomorrow to tell you about debarkation.

Edited October 21, 2021 by luckybecky

[IntrepidFromDC]

10 hours ago, luckybecky said:

First night in the Main Dining Room

 

We had anytime dining, but always go to dinner early, around 6pm, because I like to finish dinner in time to do the shows and comedy club in the evening. We got a nice table right by the window. They no longer give you a paper menu. You have to look at the menu on the Carnival Hub app, or there is a QR code on the table that you can scan.

 

I tried to get screenshots of the menu in the MDR each night. Here they are for tonight.

 

 

 

 

By the way, you can check in for dining on the Hub app. Every time I used it, it would always say there was "less than a 10 minute wait," and then soon would receive a message on the app that our table is ready. This was a really nice feature. I'm sure the short waits were due to our reduced passenger capacity. But the wait times were a problem on our last Carnival cruise, on the Sunshine. They would give you a pager and you could not stray far from the restaurant or the pager wouldn't work. The current method of checking in on the app can be done from anywhere on the ship and you just go when they notify you that your table is ready. This was a massive improvement.

 

I had the smoked poblano and corn soup which was delicious, and a salad.

 

 

 

Travis tried the quesadilla.

 

 

The beef brisket was also good, but was not really what we call "brisket" in south Texas. Here, brisket is a BBQ style. On the ship it was just roast beef, which was fine. Served over mashed potatoes with roasted veggies. Tasted great.

 

 

I had the chocolate melting cake which was delicious. On our last Carnival cruise, we were pretty disappointed in the dining room food and service. Both were vastly improved on this trip. We were very happy with the MDR food and service every night.

 

 

 

I think you're just really nice or being nice if you're from the Great State of Texas and called Carnival's brisket "good".  God bless your kindness and GOD BLESS TEXAS!

[IntrepidFromDC]

9 hours ago, luckybecky said:

Wednesday October 13

 

Costa Maya!

 

We didn't dock until late, so I put in a 3 mile run up on the jogging track. Seven laps = 1 mile. It was pretty hot so I didn't try that again. Went to the gym the rest of the time. 

 

We received a nice gift from the casino host: a plate of delicious cookies. 

 

 

 

My son had the requisite Guy's burger and then we disembarked around 1pm. 

 

 

 

We had reserved a tour of Chacchoben Mayan ruins with a company called Native Choice. If you read any of my reviews, you'll find that I am a big advocate for doing tours on your own. We saved about $30 per person compared to a similar tour by Carnival, and we had a very small group tour instead of being on a tour bus with 30 or 40 others.

 

We had about a 15-20 minute walk to arrive at the Native Choice office to begin the tour. You could also take a short taxi ride to the office if you don't want to walk. Then a comfortable ride in a 14 passenger van, with just two other tourists, plus a guide and driver.

 

When we arrived at the ruins, we joined a guide and about 8 others and had about a 30 minute tour. Then, all the others left to continue their tour at a lagoon where they could swim or kayak. We had
booked only the ruins tour, without the lagoon portion, so we stayed behind with our guide. He spent another hour with us giving us a private tour just for my son and I. Then we drove back in a private van with a driver and our guide. This was so much better than being herded onto a tour bus with dozens of others, and cost us only $55 per person. We were dropped off right at the security gate to the port, avoiding the walk from the Native Choice office that was required to start the tour.  Be aware the tour at the ruins required walking on uneven surfaces and climbing some uneven steps.

 

 

 

 

 

Just so you know, there is a very large shopping area immediately at the port of Costa Maya. It includes a really nice pool with a swim up bar. So you could get off the ship and just go shopping and enjoy the pool if you wish, no need to book an excursion. Here are some feathered friends we spotted at the port.

 

 

 

 

 

Back on board, this critter was waiting to greet us.

 

 

I really enjoyed every post, thank you!  I also think "Hercules" might have been a good name (or nickname?) for your son.  Look at those calve muscles!

Edited October 21, 2021 by IntrepidFromDC

[zoiebear]

19 hours ago, luckybecky said:

Thursday October 14

 

Today we were in Cozumel. We had an early docking time and early back on board time of 3:30pm. This time, I reserved a Carnival excursion. We just wanted a little beach time so I booked the Beach Escape tour. It only included transportation to and from the beach, about a 20 minute drive away. This was a private beach which we were told was only for Carnival passengers. The Vista was also in port, but the beach was still very uncrowded. More than enough loungers. Clean white sand and crystal clear water. There was food and drink available for purchase. There was also a pool. It was a nice relaxing break. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't recommend this excursion if you have very small children, because the water gets deep very quickly. You can take only about 2-3 steps into the water before it takes a drop off to knee deep, and then just a very few steps more and you are up to your thighs and then waist. Before you know it, you can no longer touch bottom at all. This would not be good if you have small children because the water is just too deep for them to play along the beach. Otherwise, it was a terrific excursion.

 

We headed back to the ship after a couple of hours enjoying the beach. We had another Player's Club gift waiting for us in our room: a huge fluffy beach towel. 

 

 

 

 

Great review! Going on the Breeze next month! Was wondering if you have more pics of this excursion and if you know what the name of the place is? We are looking at doing this and there is also a snorkel excursion with beach club, thinking they both go to the same beach, any idea? Thanks!

[CarolSW]

Driving on I45 right now on our way to the Breeze!  It will be our first post-pandemic cruise and we are thrilled!
 

THANK YOU for this great review luckybecky!  So glad you were able to take advantage of the amazing  casino offer with your son.  Now that I am retired and my dh is not, I think I’d like to do the same with either my son or my daughter….or both!   I’m sure you made some great memories.  
 

Thanks to your review, I learned some good info for when I step onboard the Breeze in about…..1 hour!!  Can’t wait!

[Saint Greg]

22 hours ago, luckybecky said:

Wednesday October 13

 

Costa Maya!

 

We didn't dock until late, so I put in a 3 mile run up on the jogging track. Seven laps = 1 mile. It was pretty hot so I didn't try that again. Went to the gym the rest of the time. 

 

We received a nice gift from the casino host: a plate of delicious cookies. 

 

 

 

My son had the requisite Guy's burger and then we disembarked around 1pm. 

 

 

 

We had reserved a tour of Chacchoben Mayan ruins with a company called Native Choice. If you read any of my reviews, you'll find that I am a big advocate for doing tours on your own. We saved about $30 per person compared to a similar tour by Carnival, and we had a very small group tour instead of being on a tour bus with 30 or 40 others.

 

We had about a 15-20 minute walk to arrive at the Native Choice office to begin the tour. You could also take a short taxi ride to the office if you don't want to walk. Then a comfortable ride in a 14 passenger van, with just two other tourists, plus a guide and driver.

 

When we arrived at the ruins, we joined a guide and about 8 others and had about a 30 minute tour. Then, all the others left to continue their tour at a lagoon where they could swim or kayak. We had
booked only the ruins tour, without the lagoon portion, so we stayed behind with our guide. He spent another hour with us giving us a private tour just for my son and I. Then we drove back in a private van with a driver and our guide. This was so much better than being herded onto a tour bus with dozens of others, and cost us only $55 per person. We were dropped off right at the security gate to the port, avoiding the walk from the Native Choice office that was required to start the tour.  Be aware the tour at the ruins required walking on uneven surfaces and climbing some uneven steps.

 

 

 

 

 

Just so you know, there is a very large shopping area immediately at the port of Costa Maya. It includes a really nice pool with a swim up bar. So you could get off the ship and just go shopping and enjoy the pool if you wish, no need to book an excursion. Here are some feathered friends we spotted at the port.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back on board, this critter was waiting to greet us.

 

 

 

Is there anything you can climb to the top of there or are they all just roped off a few steps up?

[luckybecky]

So I left off when we were about to get off the ship...

 

Saturday October 16

 

Not much to say here. Debarkation was pretty typical. We were almost completely packed already and had set out our clothes for the day. We got up about 7:30. Travis dressed and headed out for breakfast while I finished last minute packing. We left our room about 8:20. As expected, elevators were crowded but we didn't have too long a wait until we were able to get one. A fairly long line on deck five to get off the ship. It moved along. Took maybe 10 minutes to reach the gangway. Then in the terminal we just had to do a facial recognition check and we were done. No need to check in with a customs agent. As we reached the exit, someone asked if we had anything to declare (we didn't), and we were done. 

 

I hope you've enjoyed the review.  We loved the Breeze when she launched 9 years ago and had just as much fun this second time around. I hope you'll get a chance to sail on her someday.

[luckybecky]

14 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

 

Is there anything you can climb to the top of there or are they all just roped off a few steps up?

 

As far as I know, there was no place that you could climb to the top. I didn't ask our guide because I was wearing sandals and didn't want to try it, but it looked like they were all roped off. Word to the wise, wear good footwear to the ruins. There was one staircase we went up that was steep, uneven, and mossy.

[luckybecky]

2 hours ago, zoiebear said:

Great review! Going on the Breeze next month! Was wondering if you have more pics of this excursion and if you know what the name of the place is? We are looking at doing this and there is also a snorkel excursion with beach club, thinking they both go to the same beach, any idea? Thanks!

 

I did see a group of people snorkeling, so maybe that is the excursion you are thinking of. They also have jet skis for rent. Sorry, I don't know the name of the place. I think it was described as a 2 hour excursion but you could actually stay longer. Our excursion was scheduled to depart at 8:30. We actually left a little late, got there I think around 9:15. Then you could go back whenever you were ready. Starting at 12:00, to as late as 2:30, they ran a van back every half hour.

 

[Nike4000]

Awesome review of the cruise! Our combined reviews show just how much variety there is in the cruising experience - exact same sailing, 2 totally different sets of activities! Absolutely love it!

 

I totally agree that the Carnival experience was outstanding, I highly recommend the Breeze to anyone looking to get back on a boat. The crew was amazing and the whole trip was great fun.

 

Love the photos!

Edited October 21, 2021 by Nike4000

[Neeters402]

My husband and I were also on this cruise, our first on Carnival. We usually sail on Royal but were talked into this one by a friend who ended up not being able to go. 
 

We both fully agree with the buffet being horrible!!  Wasn’t any better the time we tried it at breakfast or lunch either!!  We were pretty surprised at how awful it was as everything else we had in the MDR, the Steakhouse and Guy’s burgers was delicious. 

[Rudyard]

23 hours ago, luckybecky said:

Maybe someone can answer this for me: do gold cruisers now have to go to the photo gallery to pick up your complimentary gold VIFP pin? This is our second cruise at gold status. Last time, the pins were left in our stateroom. That did not happen this time, and frankly, I forgot all about it since we stayed so busy all the time. So just now I was looking at the perks at different levels and it says the pin is "Redeemable at the Photo Gallery no later than two days before the end of the cruise."  Well that's a bummer. I had no idea this had changed. Am I understanding this correctly? If so, I'm a little disappointed in Carnival on this point. I mean, how hard is it for them to put the pin in the cabin for gold+ cruisers as they did before? Or at least let us know that we can go pick up this gift, that it will not be delivered as before. Anyway...
 

Loving your review! We were on the same cruise, also our second as Gold. Yes, you had to go to Pixels to pick up the pins, and any bar for your complimentary bottles of water. I was also wondering why they didn't at least leave some kind of note in the cabin explaining where to get everything. I finally remembered around day 3 and asked in the Facebook group for our cruise and someone there told me where to go. 

 

To answer your earlier post about how full the ship was, we were at one of the CD morning shows and Cookie gave us the numbers. I don't recall exactly, but we were at roughly 70%. I'm going to hate going back to 100% capacity in the future. I might need to take another cruise while the crowds are lighter.

[Rudyard]

4 hours ago, Neeters402 said:

My husband and I were also on this cruise, our first on Carnival. We usually sail on Royal but were talked into this one by a friend who ended up not being able to go. 
 

We both fully agree with the buffet being horrible!!  Wasn’t any better the time we tried it at breakfast or lunch either!!  We were pretty surprised at how awful it was as everything else we had in the MDR, the Steakhouse and Guy’s burgers was delicious. 

The quality of the buffet was definitely not what it used to be. On previous cruises we never found it to be great, but was adequate if you didn't want to take the time to wait for something else. 

[HarborHermit]

Loved your review. Thanks to you, I have made my menu choices for just about every day. LOL!

 

BTW, I have never sailed on the Breeze before, but if the sea day brunch is anything like the Freedom I will be hitting that a couple of times on my cruise.

[LandlockedCruiser01]

Are normal menus ever coming back, or should I plan on migrating over to Royal Caribbean or Norwegian?  (Either that, or just eat all my meals in the Lido buffet.)  I LOATHE using a cell phone on a cruise, because it reminds me of my job (I work in IT).  For photos, I used a point-and-shoot camera; it was a fun conversation starter on my Inspiration cruise.

[Rudyard]

9 minutes ago, LandlockedCruiser01 said:

Are normal menus ever coming back, or should I plan on migrating over to Royal Caribbean or Norwegian?  (Either that, or just eat all my meals in the Lido buffet.)  I LOATHE using a cell phone on a cruise, because it reminds me of my job (I work in IT).  For photos, I used a point-and-shoot camera; it was a fun conversation starter on my Inspiration cruise.

You can ask for a regular menu and they will be happy to get you one. The first night in the MDR we left our phones in the room to charge, forgetting the menus are on the Hub app now. I apologized and asked for a couple of menus and they assured us it was no problem and we had menus about 30 seconds later. 

[LandlockedCruiser01]

13 minutes ago, Rudyard said:

You can ask for a regular menu and they will be happy to get you one. The first night in the MDR we left our phones in the room to charge, forgetting the menus are on the Hub app now. I apologized and asked for a couple of menus and they assured us it was no problem and we had menus about 30 seconds later. 

 

Oh good!  This trip report scared me!  Many Chicago restaurants are moving over to app-only menus, and I hate it.  That's why I eat out strictly in the suburbs now.  But while I begrudgingly tolerate such menus at a Friday-night dinner, I refuse to sail on a cruise line that won't give me a normal paper menu.

[txgal08]

Thanks for your awesome review! I’ll be on the Breeze in 2 weeks. Can’t wait!!!

[Susan in Maine]

I have a similar issue as you did. My daughter and I are on the Magic November 13. She is somewhat intellectually disabled and has not/will not drink. She won't even drink soda! I would LOVE to take advantage of the Cheers! program.

 

Who did you write to about your son? Did you book your cruise thru a TA or Carnival directly?

 

Thank you!

[BohJang]

Hi luckybecky - I enjoyed your review. I think it was so sweet you got to go with your son and have him all to yourself.  We are booked on the Vista for Thanksgiving week and I can't wait.

[Badfinger]

Cruised on the Breeze 10/16 to 10/21.  I pretty much agree with most of what you posted.  However that comedian Storm was, IMO, not funny at all.  10 minutes in I had not even chuckled once.  I left.  I recall much funnier comedians like Cowboy Bill on Carnival.   Adult humor done with innuendo and/or double entendre's is much funnier (and probably a lot harder to write) than what she was offering.  And no, I am not a prude...I have no problem hearing George Carlins seven dirty words.  

 

I saw 3-4 of those ducks around the ship.  Had no idea what they were about and did not bother to pick even one up.  So it goes.

[luckybecky]

14 hours ago, Susan in Maine said:

I have a similar issue as you did. My daughter and I are on the Magic November 13. She is somewhat intellectually disabled and has not/will not drink. She won't even drink soda! I would LOVE to take advantage of the Cheers! program.

 

Who did you write to about your son? Did you book your cruise thru a TA or Carnival directly?

 

Thank you!

 

Susan, I'll be honest. I think that there was some sort of glitch that allowed us to book the packages separately. We were not trying to game the system, but it worked in our case. I have no idea why. In fact I was a little hesitant about posting about it here because I don't want to stir up trouble. I wish the cruise lines would allow exceptions for documented disability, but I can also see how people might try to abuse this if they make exceptions. We emailed access@carnival.com .  You could try it but I'm not sure it will work for you. I just went into my planner and it allowed me to book the packages separately.  I booked our cruise directly through carnival, not with a TA. 

 

Best of luck and I hope you have a wonderful cruise!

[luckybecky]

4 hours ago, Badfinger said:

Cruised on the Breeze 10/16 to 10/21.  I pretty much agree with most of what you posted.  However that comedian Storm was, IMO, not funny at all.  10 minutes in I had not even chuckled once.  I left.  I recall much funnier comedians like Cowboy Bill on Carnival.   Adult humor done with innuendo and/or double entendre's is much funnier (and probably a lot harder to write) than what she was offering.  And no, I am not a prude...I have no problem hearing George Carlins seven dirty words.  

 

I saw 3-4 of those ducks around the ship.  Had no idea what they were about and did not bother to pick even one up.  So it goes.

 

Just goes to show how the entertainment is so personalized! Some people love the piano bar, or the theater shows, or the comedy clubs.... others never go to any of these things. What works for me may not work for you. That is the beauty of cruising and really why I love cruising! Every family member or anyone in your group can do what they enjoy and not bother with activities they don't like. And, like you, can bow out if something is not working for you. 

 

I never had heard of the duck thing until recently. Apparently it really is a big thing, started with Carnival if I understand correctly but is now also spreading to other lines. Was kind of cute to find the ducks. Maybe I'll take these same ones and hide them on my next cruise, or buy a few to hide.

[Susan in Maine]

11 hours ago, luckybecky said:

 

Susan, I'll be honest. I think that there was some sort of glitch that allowed us to book the packages separately. We were not trying to game the system, but it worked in our case. I have no idea why. In fact I was a little hesitant about posting about it here because I don't want to stir up trouble. I wish the cruise lines would allow exceptions for documented disability, but I can also see how people might try to abuse this if they make exceptions. We emailed access@carnival.com .  You could try it but I'm not sure it will work for you. I just went into my planner and it allowed me to book the packages separately.  I booked our cruise directly through carnival, not with a TA. 

 

Best of luck and I hope you have a wonderful cruise!

 

 I've talked to my TA and she is going to check with Carnival. If it doesn't work, that's OK, but at least I tried.

 

Thank you very much for the information.