Carnival Breeze Review
Rating by category
Additional details
I traveled on the Breeze with my husband and 2 sons ages 9 and 14 over the New Year holiday. This is our 5th cruise, 4th as a family. We had a great vacation, the negatives were things that we probably wouldn't have necessarily taken note of if we hadn't cruised several times before and so realized some things about this cruise came up short in comparison.
Pre-Cruise Hotel: We flew into Miami and stayed at the Comfort Suites Airport North. They have a free airport shuttle, free breakfast, and free shuttle to the cruise port. All went very smoothly and it was a lovely hotel. Highly recommend.
Ship: I liked the simple, airy, Caribbean themed decor more than the more boisterous decor of previous ships. It was easy to get around, and I personally never had a problem finding a lounge chair. The sports deck area with mini-golf, ropes course, foosball, a large screen video game area, basketball court, fitness equipment, and giant chess was a hit with my boys. The spa looked very lovely when I toured it, but I did not partake in any treatments. The shopping experience at The Fun Shops on Carnival ships in general is nothing to write home about. We had a fun time at the casino, and as someone who hates cigarette smoke, I was not particularly bothered by it in that area. Where I was bothered was anywhere on the promenade side downwind of the Red Frog Pub outdoor area which was a smoking area. Had to leave the whirlpool on that side shortly after entering because the smoke smell was so bothersome. This ship was very full being over a holiday week, but we were somehow able to avoid lines and big crowds by being a little strategic about timing.
Cabin Review
Cove Balcony
We had a cove balcony on deck 2, cabin 2333. We had plenty of space for our family of 4. I was a little apprehensive as we usually have a balcony on upper decks and I wasn't sure I would like being so low. I actually ended up loving it. Being close to the water does give one more of the sense of being at sea. There were lifeboats above, but we still got sun, depending how the chair was positioned one could choose sun or shade much of the time. Of course this will depend on your itinerary and what direction you are sailing. We had no noise, smell, or motion problems. This cabin is mid ship and we were between 2 sets of stairs/elevators. It was more convenient than I thought it would be getting to lido pools and kid club area. It was very nice to just go up 1 flight to get to lobby and dining room, and extra nice to just walk up or down 2 flights on port days for getting on and off the boat rather than waiting for elevators. Note: these balconies have metal railings rather than glass panels, and there is a ledge about a foot up that is incredibly tempting for children to climb up upon placing them in a dangerously high position when looking over the top rail.
Port Reviews
Falmouth
Having been to Jamaica before, we opted to stay in port and enjoyed a very relaxing day at the Margaritaville pool in port. It was surprisingly not crowded, food was good, and it was nice to just have a few minutes walk back onto the ship, so no worries about time.
Grand Cayman (Georgetown)
We took a taxi for $4/person to Royal Palms Beach Club on Seven Mile Beach, where I had reserved a beach cabana online prior to sailing. The cabana cost was $100. I believe they also have pool cabanas for less, but the pool area is adults only. It was wonderful having the cabana and space carved out for us, as there were 5 or 6 ships in port and so the area was VERY crowded in general. Food here is good, there is cocktail and food service right to the cabana, and to the beach if you opt to come and just get a couple of chairs. If you choose to come here and not do the cabana you will pay $2 per person to access beach through their property, $10 per chair if you choose to do that rather than sit on a towel somewhere along the beach. $25 per umbrella, which cover 2 chairs. So if you have 4 people, and are wanting some shade, it is really money well spent to do the cabana. Plus you will have much more space. It was lovely.
Cozumel
We took a taxi to Chankanaab park. The taxi is $12 for 4 people. Including taxi, admission, and food and drink we probably spent $160 total for the 4 of us. This is very easy to do on your own, if you would like to come here it is not worth the money to go through the cruise ship, in my opinion. There are several restaurants and the food that we ordered was very good and very reasonably priced. Not often you are going to find $6 margaritas while on a cruise! :) We watched a sea lion show, which was included with admission, and then spent the time lounging by pool or beach. The beach is nice sand, with palapas, chairs, and hammocks, the ocean edge here is a rocky ledge, with deep water, which is good for snorkeling, but not good if you are looking to just wade about in water. There are several sets of stairs (just a few steps, not steep) into the water, so it is easy to get in. There is water equipment available for rent, and there are many other activities available in the park, but we didn't make our way away from the water to check them all out.