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My wife and I traveled with another couple on the Carnival Breeze, on of Carnivals 2 newest ships. Overall we had a great time! Here is my list of pros and cons and I hope it is VERY helpful for any future cruisers on the Breeze. For reference purposes I am comparing carnival to RCI since those are the 2 I know and the 2 most people ask about. To help with perspective, this is from a mid-30's male who is NOT A heavy drinker on cruises! (If that helps)
PROS:
1. BURGERS, BURGERS, BURGERS!!! Wow, we're they excellent! You MUST taste a "Guy" burger or you are seriously missing out on one of the greatest things in life!
2. very pleasant wait staff in the dining rooms except for the ice queen maitre d.
3. "Waterworks" and slides were excellent! (Line was bearable if you stayed on the ship while at port, otherwise you're looking at a 25-30 minute wait to go down the slide). Still fun though!
4. Trivia was excellent and the entertainment staff was fun! Make sure to go the Adult Pub Trivia! Hilarious!
5. Rooms were Very nice (had a balcony room). Bathrooms were very well maintained and the shower (space (for a cruise ship), warmth, and pressure) was FANTASTIC! Very refreshing every day! Good space on the deck to read, eat breakfast, relax, etc.
6. Food (when you could eat it) was excellent.
7. Getting on the ship sucked, getting off the ship was a piece of cake!
8. Itinerary was great. Lots of fun things to do.
9. Getting and off the ship at port was very quick and smooth.
CONS:
1. Bar staff were assholes (especially if all you wanted was a soda). Whenever we got a mixed drink, they were ok (yes, just ok). Otherwise they didn't want to give you the time of day. No extra tip from us (except for one bar staff at the dining room...he was SUPERB!!!!)
2. Shows were crap! Walked out on 2 of the 3...didn't even go to the third one (Hasbro game show was fun to watch though).
3. One comedian (Thomas brown) was hilarious, the other (JR Mcollum) was awful (except when he got into an argument with an audience member). I've never known a comedian to laugh so much at his own material. STUPID!
4. Timing of food places was ridiculously stupid! I LOVED the burgers, but every time I wanted to get one they were closed. (Same with the burrito place....EXCELLENT, but only when you could get it)
5. Food was ok overall, lines WERE AWFUL. They had ONE person working the omelets every morning and ONE person working the deli the day we got on the ship. Wait was FOREVER!
6. Deck pools were quite small and the whirlpools could have been a little warmer.
7. Went to do a "basketball skills challenge" and it ended up being a 5v5 bball (pick your own teams) tournament? (There was a bball tournament earlier in the week, but this was supposed to be the skills challenge). Needless to say, the team that picked all the ringers won oh well. They must feel good about themselves..
8. Ropes course was cool, but the wait was forever, and it was only open the last 2 days of the cruise.
Overall, like I said it was a GREAT cruise and we had a FANTASTIC time. If I had to pick a line over the other, I would have to say RCI, simply because they pay attention to more of the little details, but I wouldn't say it is a "hands-down" choice. They each have their strengths and weaknesses. Carnival was great, and I would go again for sure. Like I said, I hope this review is very helpful to someone! To many who think Carnival is the "party ship"....I would say its actually pretty close to even. I actually witnessed more drunken idiots on RCI than this cruise, but that doesn't mean they weren't there. :)

Burgers to DIE for!!!!

First, please know that I'm a huge Carnival fan.  Nine Carnival cruises so far and I've introduced many friends to Carnival.  Often I've had to convince people - "No, Carnival is really great, don't believe what you've heard!" Sometimes we try another line, but we always seem to come back to Carnival.  We travel with friends, anywhere from 6 to 12 people.

We usually book our next cruise while onboard or right after we get home.  That's what we did after our January Breeze sailing - BUT - next time we are trying Celebrity.  Here's why: while the Breeze is an amazing ship, the food and entertainment were consistently disappointing.  And for us, those are the things we look forward to in a cruise.  When a hamburger (Guy's) is the best meal on a ship, you know there's a problem.  Most meals in the MDR were cold and bland.  Same for the buffet food. And don't get me started on the powdered eggs.  Really, is Carnival saving enough money that it is worth all the complaints on the cruise review boards?  Just not what we'd come to expect from Carnival. 

As for entertainment, we missed the production shows of previous cruises.  Seriously, putting the same band that plays most other nights in a bar on the big stage does not make for a special, exciting experience.  We could never get into a comedy show due to the lines and small venue. The thump-thump-thump of the deejay near the pool was awful.  We would rather pay more than have such a downgraded experience. So, I guess it's time to try something new.  

On a positive note, like I said, the ship is fantastic!  We especially loved the decor,  the pool area, and the water slides. Ron in the piano bar was fantastic too. 

I hope someday things go back the way they were with dining and entertainment on Carnival.  They seem to be either cutting back just to save money, or trying to keep prices artificially low.  But you know what?  Most of us know what a great value cruising is, and we don't mind paying for it.  Just don't take a first class experience and turn it into something so much less.

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