Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Breeze is not only Carnival’s latest ship, but one that marks a new direction for the cruise line. With a new design, new amenities, and a new overall feel – the Carnival Breeze is setting the course for the cruise line’s future. The Carnival Breeze entered service with Carnival in 2012 as the final addition to the Dream Class. With a GRT of 128,000 and a variety of new amenities, she is Carnival’s largest and most innovative ship to date.
Dining Options
The Carnival Breeze sets a new precedent for dining options in the Carnival fleet. The Carnival Breeze offers guests two main dining rooms, Blush and Sapphire. The Blush Dining Room is set aside for the traditional set time dining, while the lower level of the Sapphire is exclusively for “Your Time Dining.”
The Carnival Breeze also features 3 specialty restaurants. Fahrenheit 555 is the ship’s exclusive steakhouse, offering guests some of the finest choices of steaks. Cucina de Capitano is the ship’s Italian restaurant, which offers guests special, homemade recipes from the line’s captains mothers. Meals in Cucina are made that much more special, because of the food’s connection to the captains. Located just off of the promenade is Bonsai Sushi, one of Carnival’s only sit down sushi restaurants. Here guests have the option of choosing from an extensive menu of sushi platters and even sample platters for guests who just want to try sushi. Out on the Lanai sits Jimmy’s C-Side Barbeque, which is only open on “C days.” Here is where guests can have their fixing of homemade, southern style barbeque cooking. Don’t forget to try the special cornbread!
Up on the Lido Deck, guests have a variety of choices for food served throughout the day. The most famous choice among guests is Guy’s Burger Joint. During the day, Guy’s serves a selection of “unique to Carnival” burgers designed by Guy Fieri. The menu includes 4 special burgers and one “Plain Jane,” which is a plain burger that guests can dress themselves at the toppings station. Across the deck on the port side, take a trip south of the border to Blue Iguana Cantina. Here guests can build their burritos using a variety of fillings, vegetables, cheese, and sauces. Even better, Blue Iguana serves special breakfast burritos in the morning, which make for a “spicier” start to your morning.
Dining Quality
Dishes served in the main restaurants were generally good, but the real fine dining aboard the Carnival Breeze is found in the ship’s specialty restaurants. The specialty restaurants serve more, refined and upscale dishes, which can be appreciated by many cruisers who may want a break from the home-style cooking found in the dining room. While I did enjoy dishes in the main restaurants (especially the desserts) I might find myself choosing to dine more often in the specialty restaurants the next time I cruise aboard the Carnival Breeze.
Entertainment & Activities
The Carnival Breeze offers her guests a variety of activities and entertainment to keep them busy throughout the day. Many of her main entertainment spots can be found along the promenade decks on decks 4 and 5. Spanning decks 3,4, and 5 is the main theater, Ovation, which hosts the main shows each night. Each show is uniquely themed to either a style or era of music. Guest favorites include The Brits, Divas, and Motor City. In a space that was introduced aboard the Dream Class, Ocean Plaza is busy throughout the day hosting trivia games and karaoke contests. Next door, Red Frog Pub hosts live musicians and fun games into the twilight hours of your cruise, but the party doesn’t stop there. Only a few steps away is the ship’s nightclub – Liquid. A welcoming departure from the disco’s found on earlier ships, Liquid offers guests a fun space to escape into the music. Moving all the way aft, your ship comedians are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face at the Punchliner Comedy Club, presented by George Lopez. As Carnival is a family cruise line, Punchliner offers shows both suited for families and an R rated show for the adults later in the evening. One deck down, guests can enjoy an amenity that is exclusive to the Carnival Breeze – the Thrill Theater. Here guests can immerse themselves into a unique 5D experience, riding roller coasters through the Amazon or even enjoying cartoon shorts. Don’t be surprised if you feel like you are really floating down a raging river!
For families and the young at heart, Carnival Breeze offers an impressive array of activities on her upper decks. The Waterworks area features a splash zone for kids, which includes a falling water bucket – Power Drencher. A few decks up, guests can experience some of the fastest slides at sea, the Drainpipe and Twister. Located aft, Sports Square is one of the newest additions to the fleet. Here guests can traverse a suspended ropes course, which features two paths of difficulty. Down below lies the 9 hole mini golf course, EA Sports station, table games, basketball court, running tracks, and outdoor exercise stations. There is no doubt that you won’t be able to find something to enjoy in the entertainment areas throughout your cruise.
Staterooms
The Carnival Breeze’s staterooms were very standard when it came to overall design and layout, but the new tropical themed decor was a welcome change. Keeping in design with the rest of the ship, the staterooms were decorated in light, tropical colors that evoked the vision of a Caribbean beach. The staterooms aboard the Breeze have a great amount of storage space both in the closets, the vanity, and the couch drawers. Odds are you won’t have any problem finding somewhere to fit your clothes.
Service
While each cruise ship’s crew strive to create a great cruise vacation for guests through excellent service, it can be tough on a ship of nearly 4,000 guests. It is not a widespread issue, but service issues can vary from guest to guest. Whist dining in the Sapphire Restaurant one night, we had very slow service, but after switching to a new waiter, we received excellent and expedient service. So, it is tough to critique the overall service experience on the Carnival Breeze, as it varies from one guest to another, due to the size of the ship.
Itinerary
The Carnival Breeze sailing I joined was the 8 night southern Caribbean. We called in the ports of Grand Turk, La Romana, Curacao, and Aruba. Each port was beautiful, cultured, and safe. The itinerary is a perfect choice for those looking for a cruise that is the ultimate beach getaway cruise.
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Plus lots of storage under the beds…..