Appearance: It is time for... by LevsCheeks
Sail date: /Ship: Carnival Breeze
Appearance: It is time for Carnival Breeze to go into dry dock and update/upgrade their ship. The ship is dated and dirty. The decks are full of hair, dirt, food and trash everywhere you look. The carpets in the walkways need to be cleaned, there were spots everywhere. There is also a very bad bad smell throughout the ship. We stayed on deck 2 and assumed it was sewage, however, the smell lingered ion decks 4 and 5 near the promenade and dining rooms. Food/Dining: The food was just ok, nothing to write home about and nothing to be in awe about. The Lido Marketplace buffet was ok. Very few selections and we found hair in our food a number of times. There were also too many times when the silverware and napkins were dirty, and 1-2 times is too many times. The chairs, tables and floors in the buffet area were also dirty. Now this could have been from guests reaching over the food, but nevertheless, it was there. The lines in the buffet back into the walkway so it’s hard to maneuver and it’s just not efficient. And I’m not sure why they felt the need to have staff serving portions of the food from the buffet, but that was not efficient at all. It caused guest to get upset with the amount being served to them, and a few times the staff was away from their station so there was a hold up at that part of the line. There were also too many days when buffet lines would close causing guest to walk to the other side to stand in a super long line. If breakfast is from a specific time to a specific time, then that’s how it should be. Too many times lines would close and the other area that was left open would be right at the entrance from the other dining area, making the line long and in the way of those trying to walk by. The dining room food wasn’t much better. A lot of selections, but it wasn’t anything worth noting. Our dining room head waiter was very slow, very apologetic, but this was every night. He had three large tables; our table of 20 split into one of 8 and one of 12, and another table of 12. He had two assistants but we still waited so long for our food and was always one of the last groups to leave each night. The dining room chairs were filthy, very filthy. There were so many with so many spots, small spots, large spots, spots covering the chairs, it was gross. We had to move chairs every night because of the stains. I am sure at some point there is someone who walks through to see how the restaurant looks, and for these chairs to be so filthy, says a lot about the care they give their restaurant. Our wine and water glasses were also dirty and you could see smudges on them like the guest from the night before just touched all over them and no one thought to clean them. We had the early dining time so wasn’t sure how anything was dirty prior to us getting in there. We are at the Blush dining room on level 4 so it wasn’t used for anything else before we had dinner there, so everything should have been cleaned. They over ordered our drinks causing a few in our group to reach the drink limit of 15 quicker than they should for the night. There was a guy walking through the dining room each night, we assumed he was the banquet captain/manager, he never stopped to speak so we were not sure what his role was. However, if his job was to ensure the guests were taken care of, he never asked our group how we were. The best was Guy’s Burger Joint and the Blue Cantina Burrito Bar. The Cucina Italian Restaurant was a good selection for lunch and so was the Pig and Anchor if you could catch it. Oftentimes the line was long for Pig and Anchor but it had decent food. The ice cream is always a good selection for a quick snack. I did not try the pizza but my kids said it was ok, again nothing amazing. The desserts were ok and there were plenty of them. The Chocolate Extravaganza on our sea day was also nice with the chocolate fountain and fruit and more to dip. Staterooms: We stayed in an inside stateroom on deck 2 in the aft, and other than the smell on our floor and the filthy carpet, it wasn’t too bad. We felt the boat move a bit, but it wasn’t too bad. Staying in the aft also brought a bit more noise as we docked and pulled off. It was only annoying when it was early and we were trying to sleep. Other than that, staying on a lower floor was ok. We were close to elevators and once we got to know the ship, we were ok with our stateroom location. Our stateroom attendant, Pat, was good. She kept our room cleaned, and when we would see her in the hallway would always ask how our day was and if we needed anything. The staterooms on Breeze are a decent size with enough space for clothes and personal items in the bathroom. We had our bed together and it was comfy, and our kids had their beds separate and it seemed as though they had more space in their room. Either way, the staterooms are a nice size and comfy if in for the night or a quick rest. Staff/Crew: The cruise director, Schwartz, was ok but when you would speak to him it was as if he was too busy or didn’t care to speak. We saw him by the Ocean Plaza and he came off as if we were inconveniencing him, so we didn’t speak to him again when we would see him. The server at the coffee bar, Johana, was also not that pleasant. I ordered several drinks from there and she was not friendly at no time. She would never smile or ask how I was, each time she would say, ‘Ma’am for you?’ and take my card to scan and make my order. The singers/entertainers were friendly. They would interact during their set and during their intermissions. The bar staff was ok. I think the more you frequent a specific bar, the better they know you and the friendlier they are. The bartenders at the Alchemy Bar were good. Vera was the best! The staff in the stateroom areas would always speak, however, when walking through the ship, not all were as friendly. Again, the bar staff was friendly if they recognized you, if not, they seemed more annoyed than anything. Entertainment: Martin at Piano Bar 88 was cool. He spoke to everyone in the area during his intermission. He kept his crowd entertained and played what they wanted to hear. Rick and Ruby, were FANTASTIC!! They performed at the Breeze Bar a few nights and we loved them. We say Flick and was a bit confused as to what was happening, but it was good singing and entertainment. The entertainers took photos with guests after they finished and they were really nice and friendly. We also saw the 88 Keys show and it was really good. Brandon is a great singer/performer. Dave the guitarist was absolutely fantastic. We saw him a few nights at the Alchemy Bar and at the Red Frog Pub. He can play the heck out of a guitar and can really sing. The 3 violin ladies were amazing. They played songs you could recognize and were friendly and interacted with their crowd. The group, the Dynamics, at the Alchemy Bar were ok, not a favorite, but they had a decent crowd each night. The comedy show we want to was with Kim Harrison. She was ok and I liked how when she had a heckler, she didn’t entertain it. She kept her show going. The DJs at the pool were safe. They played songs that were popular years ago, nothing new and nothing you could really jam to. I think heard Beyoncé once, and that was an old song, and heard no current songs and a lot of old line dancing songs. I understand that’s what is again popular, but even that didn’t keep the crowd up dancing. Also, since there is a large movie screen on deck, I am not sure why they felt the need to show the NBA Finals on that screen, especially when it was being shown at different bars on the ship. The Red Frog Pub interrupted Dave’s set to show the game, and it was also being played on the monitors at the Casino. That deck screen should have been reserved for movies. I am sure that only a very small percentage of the guest onboard wanted to watch the game, and more would have preferred a family movie night instead while sitting poolside. Drinks/Drink Packages: There are too many cruise lines out here to have fun on and more than a few ways to WOW or amaze your guests, and drinking isn’t always the answer to having fun. If you are a drinker and know you’re going to drink more than 5 alcoholic beverages, then the Cheers drink package is for you. However, if you’re like me, and you’re only an occasional drinker, then I wouldn’t purchase the Cheers package. I may have drank $300 worth of liquor, and the package for a 7-night was almost $500, so it wasn’t worth it for me. The drinks were sub-par, especially when we saw them using vanilla mix for the frozen mudslides, which made them taste like a phony mudslide. The other frozen drinks were full of sugar, but again when using flavor mixes and not authentic mixers to save money, it comes out in the drinks and they were not good. I had the drink package and Carnival won, because I left so much money on the ship when it came to the drinks. They were not good. The bartenders that came by were good and friendly and they remembered your number, which was helpful, however, the drinks were just not good. Pools/Pool Areas: They waterworks area has a great space but could benefit from having a pool up there for kids. There also needs to be an adult only 18+ area with a pool. I have been on several Carnival ships and each of their pool areas are not large enough for the crowds they bring. Of course not all of your guest want to be in the pool, but a large amount of them do, and the pools should be able to fit them. Too many adults were complaining about kids splashing and kicking and ‘being kids’ at the main pool. This was ridiculous because that’s what kids do in pools, the splash, they jump, they kick. The lifeguards could also do a better job about the main pool area as well. We saw way too many people cleaning their shoes in the pool and walking from the deck into the pool areas with their dirty shoes on, causing the pool to get dirty with debris, food and other items that shouldn’t be in a pool. There was a large bandage and band aid floating in the pool that the lifeguard didn’t see, then someone pooped into the pool. Again, if there was a kiddie pool, this could be better managed. Casino: The casino was ok. We saw reviews prior to sailing about the smokey smell but it wasn’t too bad to us. It smelled like people had been smoking in there which to us was normal. There were plenty of games and tables to play. And I also like that I could get scratch off games and play too. Overall Review: The Carnival Breeze needs an upgrade to update their ship. There is too much wasted space that can be better used if imagined properly. Understanding Carnival has ‘fun ships’, it may be time to rethink how their guests have fun. Having crew and staff available to properly clean the ship throughout the day is very much needed in a ship of this size. The ship could benefit from having a crew to clean dining room chairs so that guest are comfortable sitting on them during elegant night when they're dressed in their best clothing. No one wants to imagine what they are sitting on when the chairs are as filthy as those on Breeze are. There are several crew members mopping up the pool deck, which is necessary so no one falls and gets hurt, but the pool could use attention as well to make sure guest aren’t swimming in dirt and debris. People cruise for the entertainment and the food, I think the food outweighs the entertainment, so an update/upgrade to the Lido Marketplace is very much needed. Food areas should be crisp, clean and open so the food looks appealing; the buffet area is not that at all.