I am writing this review on my final day of the 6/27/12 sailing of the new Carnival Breeze. This ship is nothing like the other Carnival Ships you've been on. Carnival took a drastically different design direction, leaving the Farcus look and I personally think it's AWESOME. The ship's design and public rooms are much more attractive then other Carnival ships I've sailed on (Splendor, Elation, Ecstasy). A bit of background, My husband and I are in our 40s with three kids (ages 11, 16, 17), I have sailed on approximately a dozen cruises with various lines: Holland America, Disney, RCCL, Carnival, Celebrity. This was our first European cruise.

I will start with the staff. Almost every staff member you walk by is friendly and says hello. I was completely pleased with the service aboard this ship. I just sailed on Holland American only 8 weeks before and the service was awful so this was a welcome change.

How was our stateroom, location? First the hallways -- yes, the hallways have this complete Caribbean feel, great slatted doors and ocean looking carpet. Loved the new look here. As a family of 5 we had connecting staterooms with the new 'cove balcony'. The cove balcony's are located on deck 2 and I wasn't sure if I'd like them. They are big open windows cut out of the hull to make a balcony. I really do like it, you are closer to the water and they are quiet, no crazy wind either. Mid ship, low down with a balcony gave us the best of both worlds... having a balcony, less ship movement. With many of the public room decks and formal dining being on decks 3, 4, 5 this was a great location. Our stateroom had great color palette, blue and fold with medium wood tone cabinetry. Very functional spaces, flat screen TVs, safe located where it was accessible, drawer space and ample hanging space for a 12 day cruise. There's also big drawers under the sofa which we didn't even use. Under bed space is high enough to fit even the large suitcases. Bathroom has a decent size vanity (for a ship) and stall shower, all typical. Read more