Wednesday, May 22, 2013

May 5, 2013 - CARNIVAL BREEZE

We quite simply loved this ship!  It was a welcome sight with its bright, cheery Caribbean blue décor throughout.....even the cabin hallways were unusual!



After our last cruise on the drab and dreary Eurodam, we really appreciated this ship and had a wonderful balcony cabin...terrific location one deck below the buffet!  Just email us and we'll give you the cabin #....also right next to the elevators!









This was a relaxing trip for us and on this six day cruise, there were only 3 ports...Key West, Turks/Caicos and Nassau.  Since we've been to these ports many times before, we wanted to truly enjoy being on the ship....and enjoy it we did!  The service was impeccable and the food was terrific....loved the chocolate melting cake AGAIN!

If you follow our blog, you know we LOVE room service and it was wonderful on the Breeze.  It was always delivered on time by cheerful servers.  Another TIP -- even though room service is "no charge" on most ships, be sure to tip the servers...they deserve it!



On the promenade deck, we loved the hot tubs hanging over the sides of the ship



as well as the umbrella tables outside the Plaza Café.  These cozy tables just happened to be almost outside the casino so it was a great place to just sit, enjoy the ocean (and a cocktail of course) and take a break from the slot machines.






























Our first port was Key West and we never tire of it!







After a day at sea our next port was Turks/Caicos.....very tiny and crowded.    I guess we're just not the type of travelers who enjoy sitting in chaise lounges just an inch or so apart, but we're spoiled because we live in Florida and are lucky enough to have beaches close by.  I'm sure this is a wonderful way to spend the day if you're from a colder part to the world.



The tiny casino was closed for renovations so we spent a little time at Margaritaville and hopped back on our ship.  One important tip about this port-- AVOID the DuFry duty-free shop as soon as you get off the ship.  Last time we were here, we bought a few things in this store and got a hefty surcharge on our credit card bill....they don't mention this charge and it doesn't appear on the bill you sign so beware!



Next day we were again at sea and enjoyed the afternoon high tea.  This was beautiful and yummy!




Overall the design of this ship was very good with one exception....the adult "serenity pool" was located right next to the kiddie pool area.  Not so quiet or serene.  This adults-only pool area seemed to be an afterthought for the Carnival designers....they must have squeezed it into the only available space after the main design was completed. 

Our final port was Nassau and we always enjoy Atlantis.  Our advice is to take a cab...if you take a water taxi, you'll have to wait until they fill the boat!





One major problem we found at Atlantis is they now CHARGE you for just looking at the giant aquariums!  Yup, you used to be able to stroll around and look at these beautiful floor to ceiling indoor aquariums but they now charge a $25 daily fee!  It left a very bad taste in our mouths and we've nixed our plans too spend a week at Atlantis in the Fall.

We took a quick stroll through the new Straw Market....still extremely packed with people and the "same old, same old" souvenirs...lots from China. 

A special thanks to Escot Bus which took over some of the routes from Cruise Connection to enable Florida travelers to travel in comfort to the ports.  We'll keep watching for a route from Stuart/Palm City to the ports, Escot!

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