Sometimes we cruise with fun on the agenda. This time, our main objective was to relax. The car business has been difficult lately, and I’ve been through the ringer at school this year. By the time we set foot on the Breeze, we craved relaxation with every tired, achy bone in our bodies. After our visits to West Palm Beach and Miami, we especially needed relaxation.
You can find out more about Carnival’s Breeze here. The Breeze was one of the bigger ships we’ve sailed. We chose it because we had wanted to visit Cozumel again. Without a doubt, Carnival is one of the best values in the cruise industry. We have found that the service and food are always consistently excellent. The only problem we had was the amount of people. There seemed to be wall-to-wall people in all of the main areas. This didn’t create the most restful environment. We didn’t seem to have this problem on the Norwegian Breakaway or on the Celebrity Solstice. Maybe, sometimes, you do “get what you pay for”.
Our main goal is to always be one of the first people on the ship. We’ve been lucky in that we’ve always been able to acquire the Faster To The Fun passes. You can find out more about those here. Both Ashton and I agree that they are well worth the money! We arrived at the port at 10:00am. Boarding was quick and easy. With our passes, we were able to board after the priority guests. This time, we finally reached the gold status!
We went directly to our rooms to drop off our bags. That’s one of the perks of the FTTF pass! We put our champagne on ice to chill while we began exploring our home-away-from-home for the next six days. We booked the spa room, which gave us access to all of the spa amenities, special spa toiletries , upgraded bathrobes, and slippers. These are all a plus, when the mission is relaxation. And, I ordered myself a few tropical flowers for the room. I can never have flowers at home because Smokey eats them.
I duct-taped my monogrammed North Carolina sticker to my door, in true southern-style.
After the drill, we embarked on our adventure. We skipped the rowdy sail-away party in favor of sipping champagne on our secluded balcony. We waved good-bye to cell phones and worries as we headed into the sparkling blue ocean.
On the days we didn’t have a port adventure, I got up early to walk the on track. It wasn’t as hard to find the motivation as you’d think. The views from the top of the ship in the early morning were gorgeous!
After walking, Ashton headed to the dining room for breakfast. I ordered room service so that I could enjoy the luxury of eating in bed, after my shower. Neither of us can bear the thought of a buffet! #livelikeaqueen
After breakfast, we enjoyed the Thalasso pool and steam rooms in the spa. I rarely saw anyone else in those areas. Since the spa was in the front of the ship, we had the best seats (heated, no less) in the house!
Sometimes, if it wasn’t crowded, we’d venture out onto the Adult-Only Serenity deck. If it was crowded, we’d retreat to our balcony, where I’d spend hours reading. I downloaded a couple of Brandi Glanville’s books. It was a rare treat for me to read something non-educational! We did enjoy the pool on the Jamaica port day. Everyone else got off the ship and we stayed on. We didn’t care to be attacked by the “gonja” people of Jamaica. I swear that I could smell it as soon as we pulled into the port! For real. At least we did seem to master the art of avoiding the crowds! I never seemed to be hungry for lunch…probably because of lack of activity. Sometimes, I’d sit with Ashton while he enjoyed fare from the different restaurants on board the ship.
I did lots of this, in various forms, throughout the vacation.
I did not do this….This would have created stress. Besides, I broke my tailbone on one of these before. #TrueStory
Usually, we’d visit the spa again before getting dressed for dinner. When cruising, I always sip champagne while getting ready. Maybe I should do this at home. Somehow, I don’t think it would be acceptable at 7am.
One night, we participated in a martini tasting. As a souvenir, we were given a martini recipe booklet. I’ll make sure to post some of the recipes as I try them!
Dinner was amazing every single night. One night we treated ourselves to the steakhouse. Of course, I chose lobster. I could eat that every night. We received a free bottle of wine because we booked the steakhouse on the first night.
The other nights we dined in the main dining room. We had “Your Time” dining, so we always chose the same service team. They made our experience so enjoyable. We will always love our “Scrappy Coco”! He insisted that Ashton try the mussels. Ashton hates mussels!
When we returned from dinner, our bed was turned down. Sometimes, Smokey does this for me at home, but it isn’t quite the same. I noticed that there were no chocolates on the bed this time. Boo, Carnival! This girl likes chocolate before bed!
We spent most of our nights on the balcony, gazing that the other passing ships and at the stars. Did I mention how fantastic the towels animals were? Our room steward was amazing! He’s especially amazing because he has a new born baby at home that he won’t be able to see until December, yet he always had a smile on his face!
On the last night, since we were gold card status, we were given a free drink. I indulged in some type of frozen something. Yummy! I refused to even think about those calories. Thanks, Carnival!
Although we enjoyed our very relaxing trip, I don’t think that I’d cruise on the Breeze again. We didn’t like the layout as well as the other ships. We do know the secrets to successful vacationing: relax, have a positive attitude, and appreciate all experiences. Even a less-than-perfect day on a cruise ship is better than any day at work!
We’ll see you again, soon, Carnival!
Great writing, as usual. Very informative and interesting.