1st cruise, last cruise. When we booked this, we specifically asked about smoking and was told it was a very restricted area! Well that was B.S. She only wanted her commission, didn't care about her customers obviously.
Embarkation
2 out of 5
Chaos and fog pretty much sums it up. Line control was non-existent. Fog in Galveston delayed Embarkation by hours. Not sure how older people could stand in line for hours.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
When is All Inclusive not Inclusive?! When you travel on Carnival Breeze. Not included on first day; only one drink allowed; mixed drinks are made with 1/2 shots; bartenders would starve in a economy where they were not guaranteed gratuity; max number of drinks per day;
Blush Dining Room
3 out of 5
Blush dining staff was great; food was good. Head waiter Bajon was Outstanding.
Winner's Luck Bar
1 out of 5
LOUD, Cigarette stench on Deck 5 Mid. Do they really think the stench doesn't carry all over the boat?
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
Theatre productions were good. Bingo payouts are small. NOISE levels of Lido deck, Atrium and other locations is very difficult to escape.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Loved the singers. Also Happy Birthday Lindsey!!
Aft Atrium
2 out of 5
Good music from variety of groups, just turn down the sound level. Dang!!
Children's Programs
no kids
Service and Staff
1 out of 5
Service staff on early morning shift are professional assassins. We lost sleep every single day at 2am and 4am from noise on Lido deck. Our room was directly below Lido Market area. Banging chairs, scraping across the deck. Anything they could do to make our stay miserable!
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
Rooms were clean. Hallways and bulkhead doorways were filthy. Curtains were filthy and probably contributing to virus.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
DON'T stay in this room, you can hear the night crew playing upstairs. Nothing but misery.
Ship tip
Smoking everywhere. GROSS.
Buffet lines with kids picking at food, no sneeze guards to stop a 4 ft rug rat from hacking on food.
Customer Service desk doesn't care what you are experiencing and the accounting practice is HORRIBLE.
Galveston FOG! Did anybody mention you can't stay in your suite and take a nap? They throw you out or your room and let you fend for yourself on the ship. All of you, luggage and all. Five hours delayed disembarkation. How many people had to pay for additional airline tickets!!
I love the Breeze but I will agree that Just passing through the casino, which you can't avoid, you just about have to hold your breath. And forget about hanging out in the ocean plaza adjacent to the casino where they do a lot of activities like trivia and karaoke because it reeks with smoke. I truly wish they could remedy that but it don't stop me from going because so far the Breeze has em beat.
I love the Breeze! Also, you're not limited to one drink the first day. Don't know why you would say that. If you don't cruise, someone who enjoys it will take your place. On our last cruise, the Breeze was late coming in because of the fog. No big deal. We still sailed at 4pm. If I flew to a port, I'd spend the night when we returned, just in case the ship returned late.
They must have sailed on a different Breeze than I did in December. Not sure how anyone couldbe on a big ole cruise ship and not have fun. I kinda don't think you would have liked it had the ship been perfect. It's ok... cruising is not for everyone. You'll find your niche somewhere. Maybe.
A ship cabin is like Real estate, location, location, location. I always have the ship deck plan open when booking a cabin to see what is above below and on the sides of the cabin I book. Now if you went cheap and booked a "Guarantee" cabin class then you get the left over cabins that nobody wanted or reserved.
If you do not like kids on a ship I'd suggest you cruise with HAL or Celebrity, Carnival is "the fun ships" partying adults and family with kids.
I have never had a bad Cruise. But one of my friends did and Carnival provided her with another cabin and they also gave her a small compensation so maybe you should talk to Carnival and let them know how bad the cruise was for you and let them know. Then maybe you can come back and try it again. I think sometime we set ourselves up for failure when we have such high expectations and then. I'm thinking you really didn't want to go on a cruise and you probably did it for your wife.
I’m sorry you had a bad first experience, but the one thing you have to remember as with any vacation, nothing is going to be perfect. I’m sure you had expectations that weren’t exactly met, but never let that ruin your time. The Breeze is an awesome ship. Do a little research on you own next time and give it another shot! There are so many forums and chats (this one for example) that can help you out a lot!
Based on the reasons you gave I wouldn't give up on cruising. Sounds like the things that caused the most issues are not true for all cruises. Now that you are familiar with the ship you can pick a different room and the weather obviously affected getting off the ship.
WOW the Breeze is one of the better ships in carnivals fleet. Our stay last year the ship was outstanding. Listen to what @AhmazingLove said and take her advice.
Wasting your time trying to convince his to cruise, Thomas Paine once said, to argue with a person who has renounced reasoning is like administering medicine to the dead. Enough said
My 8th cruise is coming up. I've had bad weather before, but was lucky to have friends to explain how best to select cabins. Granted, for me, even a bad cruise is better than no cruise.
I agree with lovcruisinlife, don’t let one spoiled apple ruin the bunch. I would try it again, maybe another ship and port. Also a a first time cruiser no one tells you what floors to avoid when it comes to noise levels. So here is a tip, check the layout of the ship before booking your room. You don’t want to be above or below venues that constant has activities going on. Hope this helps.
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