Anyone cruised on the Carnival Breeze and Disney ships?

[eroller]

I did also price out the Getaway as it was my 1st choice after DCL since RCCL was so expensive
...2 inside on the Getaway is $3774 and 2 inside on the Breeze is $2749
...2 balconies on Getaway is $4534 and on the Breeze is $3650
Oh and the Breeze is one extra day.
Will check out Freedom and Independence

I'm glad you're doing some homework and considering all options.

Nothing really wrong with Carnival, but they are entry level for certain and I think the new ships of Royal Caribbean & NCL are a better option overall.

 

[loveysbydesign]

It makes me very sad to have to choose a different cruise as we have been looking forward to sailing on the Magic for the past 3 years and I was planning to celebrate my 40th bday while onboard. But with trying to sell our house and my dd needing braces we just can not really afford it right now We only paid 1/3 of it off and there is no way we can make final payment by the due date.

 

[denas]

It makes me very sad to have to choose a different cruise as we have been looking forward to sailing on the Magic for the past 3 years and I was planning to celebrate my 40th bday while onboard. But with trying to sell our house and my dd needing braces we just can not really afford it right now We only paid 1/3 of it off and there is no way we can make final payment by the due date.

You will have fun, if you don't spend your time comparing whatever ship you end up on with whatever ship you didn't pick. Any cruise can be a blast. If you are worried about the service in the dining room, pick the anytime dining and if you find a team you like, just request their section when you go back the next nights!! I will tell you, that service on our last DCL cruise on the Magic was terrible. We didn't even GET an entree twice because after an hour and 15 minutes one of the adults had to leave with the kids who had enough and we only got dessert three times because we wanted to go to the show and we wouldn't make it if we spent any more time. So you can have bad service on any cruise. Don't spend your time comparing, enjoy whatever line you pick for what it is!!!

 

[luv2sleep]

You will have fun, if you don't spend your time comparing whatever ship you end up on with whatever ship you didn't pick. Any cruise can be a blast. If you are worried about the service in the dining room, pick the anytime dining and if you find a team you like, just request their section when you go back the next nights!! I will tell you, that service on our last DCL cruise on the Magic was terrible. We didn't even GET an entree twice because after an hour and 15 minutes one of the adults had to leave with the kids who had enough and we only got dessert three times because we wanted to go to the show and we wouldn't make it if we spent any more time. So you can have bad service on any cruise. Don't spend your time comparing, enjoy whatever line you pick for what it is!!!

Completely agree!

 

[ilovetexas]

Thanks! We were thinking of trying the Sunshine but dh said if we go on CCL he prefers the Breeze since it's newer. Maybe I'll look into the Sunshine some more

There were a lot of bad reviews of Sunshine on Cruise Critic and I just didn't see the problem. I mean, yes, there were random things that were wrong but I have yet to encounter any ship (or anything else in life for that matter) where that wasn't the case. Everyone in my roll call had a great time and really enjoyed the ship.

It was my first solo cruise and I loved my spa room, I loved that it was down the hall from a three story adults only Serenity Deck complete with waterfall, I loved that you could eat at the Asian or Italian places free for lunch, loved that there was a sit down sushi restaurant, loved that as a solo traveler I could always find a seat for the comedy show (get there early, the seating is weird!) etc. etc.

I will say that I have not been thrilled with CCL's food in the MDR on my last two trips with them. The kids say I'm imagining things, that the food is fine. They're little teenage foodies-in-the-making so I trust them a little bit past macaroni and cheese!

 

[jahber]

We are sailing on the Breeze in November. We sailed previously on the Carnival Dream and my husband and kids loved it. Even after 4 DCL, they voted it the best cruise ever.

We are, however, squeezing in a cruise on the Wonder before then for ME. As much as the kids and husband love Carnival, I'm a DCL girl. But let's face it, the 5-day Wonder cruise costs more than the 8-day Carnival (on their newest ship). And the Wonder is with a Fl resident deal. When it comes down to it, we can cruise more if we cruise Carnival sometimes.

 

[loveysbydesign]

We are sailing on the Breeze in November. We sailed previously on the Carnival Dream and my husband and kids loved it. Even after 4 DCL, they voted it the best cruise ever.

We are, however, squeezing in a cruise on the Wonder before then for ME. As much as the kids and husband love Carnival, I'm a DCL girl. But let's face it, the 5-day Wonder cruise costs more than the 8-day Carnival (on their newest ship). And the Wonder is with a Fl resident deal. When it comes down to it, we can cruise more if we cruise Carnival sometimes.

Which date are you cruising on in Nov? We're looking at 11/8

 

[LittleMissMagic]

The Carnival Breeze (March) and the Disney Fantasy (May) were my two most recent cruises! I rated each of them using the same scale if you are interested in reading.
Carnival Breeze - http://www.victoriaonvacation.com/2014/04/2014-carnival-breeze-southern-caribbean_29.html
Disney Fantasy - http://www.victoriaonvacation.com/2014/06/DCL-fantasy-rating.html

It had been a few years since I had last sailed Carnival, and I returned to them only because I was one of the lucky ones to receive the free cabin offer. That being said, I was glad to find that Carnival had really made some improvements since I had last sailed the Dream in 2010. The Breeze starts to incorporate the Funship 2.0 enhancements which aren't yet available on the Dream. I really enjoyed the Red Frog Pub - such a great Caribbean atmosphere with fun drink specials like the beer tube and fishbowls. Guys Burgers and Blue Iguana Cantina are two new complimentary dining venues on the pool deck. Bonsai Sushi is an additional (nominal) cost, but we enjoyed eating there. The kids seemed to really enjoy Hasbro the Game Show, and I found it entertaining enough to watch (mainly because kids do the darndest things). As for features also on the Carnival Dream, I love the cantilevered hot tubs on the promenade deck, and WaterWorks is great fun.

As for Carnival Breeze verses Disney Fantasy comparison...

Design
DCL Fantasy without a doubt wins in overall design. I ranted a bit in my rating about how the design on the Carnival Breeze is all over the place and does not transition well from one area to the next. The Disney ships overall are just designed with much greater care than any other cruise ship I have been on, but the leap of quality is especially obvious when it's sitting next to the Carnival Breeze.

Dining
Carnival Breeze actually does well with dining. I wasn't a huge fan of the atmosphere in the main dining room, but the food was good. I do not know if they have switched their menu yet to the American Table menu that they are working on incorporating fleet-wide. Atmosphere on the Disney ships is more interesting with the rotating restaurants, but I don't think Disney's food is anything to write home about, either. Breeze has a competitive edge when it comes to the casual eateries... Guy's Burgers, Blue Iguana Cantina, Bonsai Sushi, Fat Jimmy's BBQ. DCL Fantasy only has Flo's V8 Cafe which doesn't have nearly as much variety.

Entertainment
Disney Fantasy is clear winner here, especially if you have children. Disney's theater shows are of high quality and greater caliber than I have seen on any other cruise line. Carnival's theater productions actually took a hit after the Funship 2.0 Upgrades, replacing live sets with LED backgrounds and getting rid of the Carnival dancers, relying on a team of six singers/dancers for the entire production.

Adult-Only Areas
I can't rate kids' things because I have no children, but I can rate the adult-only areas for you. Carnival and Disney both have complimentary adult-only pool decks (some other lines charge) - Serenity for Carnival and Quiet Cove/Satellite Falls for Disney. Serenity is only a pool deck with two hot tubs. There is no adult pool. The chairs are very cushy and they offer a variety of shaded and non-shaded loungers. It's a rather small area, though, and finding chairs can be competitive. If you don't go out early in the morning to stake your spot, don't plan to find one until late in the afternoon. As for Disney's Quiet Cove and Satellite Falls, even during peak sunning hour, there were always available loungers. Some are cushioned and some are not, but I never had an issue finding an available padded lounge chair. Also, there is the Quiet Cove pool and Satellite Falls pool. The entire area is about twice the size of Serenity on the Breeze.
As for inside the ship, Disney's Europa is an entire section reserved entirely for adults with five bars/lounges. Carnival Breeze has the Punchliner Comedy Club (difficult to find a seat in) and Liquid Nightclub.

 

[loveysbydesign]

The Carnival Breeze (March) and the Disney Fantasy (May) were my two most recent cruises! I rated each of them using the same scale if you are interested in reading.
Carnival Breeze - http://www.victoriaonvacation.com/2014/04/2014-carnival-breeze-southern-caribbean_29.html
Disney Fantasy - http://www.victoriaonvacation.com/2014/06/DCL-fantasy-rating.html

It had been a few years since I had last sailed Carnival, and I returned to them only because I was one of the lucky ones to receive the free cabin offer. That being said, I was glad to find that Carnival had really made some improvements since I had last sailed the Dream in 2010. The Breeze starts to incorporate the Funship 2.0 enhancements which aren't yet available on the Dream. I really enjoyed the Red Frog Pub - such a great Caribbean atmosphere with fun drink specials like the beer tube and fishbowls. Guys Burgers and Blue Iguana Cantina are two new complimentary dining venues on the pool deck. Bonsai Sushi is an additional (nominal) cost, but we enjoyed eating there. The kids seemed to really enjoy Hasbro the Game Show, and I found it entertaining enough to watch (mainly because kids do the darndest things). As for features also on the Carnival Dream, I love the cantilevered hot tubs on the promenade deck, and WaterWorks is great fun.

As for Carnival Breeze verses Disney Fantasy comparison...

Design
DCL Fantasy without a doubt wins in overall design. I ranted a bit in my rating about how the design on the Carnival Breeze is all over the place and does not transition well from one area to the next. The Disney ships overall are just designed with much greater care than any other cruise ship I have been on, but the leap of quality is especially obvious when it's sitting next to the Carnival Breeze.

Dining
Carnival Breeze actually does well with dining. I wasn't a huge fan of the atmosphere in the main dining room, but the food was good. I do not know if they have switched their menu yet to the American Table menu that they are working on incorporating fleet-wide. Atmosphere on the Disney ships is more interesting with the rotating restaurants, but I don't think Disney's food is anything to write home about, either. Breeze has a competitive edge when it comes to the casual eateries... Guy's Burgers, Blue Iguana Cantina, Bonsai Sushi, Fat Jimmy's BBQ. DCL Fantasy only has Flo's V8 Cafe which doesn't have nearly as much variety.

Entertainment
Disney Fantasy is clear winner here, especially if you have children. Disney's theater shows are of high quality and greater caliber than I have seen on any other cruise line. Carnival's theater productions actually took a hit after the Funship 2.0 Upgrades, replacing live sets with LED backgrounds and getting rid of the Carnival dancers, relying on a team of six singers/dancers for the entire production.

Adult-Only Areas
I can't rate kids' things because I have no children, but I can rate the adult-only areas for you. Carnival and Disney both have complimentary adult-only pool decks (some other lines charge) - Serenity for Carnival and Quiet Cove/Satellite Falls for Disney. Serenity is only a pool deck with two hot tubs. There is no adult pool. The chairs are very cushy and they offer a variety of shaded and non-shaded loungers. It's a rather small area, though, and finding chairs can be competitive. If you don't go out early in the morning to stake your spot, don't plan to find one until late in the afternoon. As for Disney's Quiet Cove and Satellite Falls, even during peak sunning hour, there were always available loungers. Some are cushioned and some are not, but I never had an issue finding an available padded lounge chair. Also, there is the Quiet Cove pool and Satellite Falls pool. The entire area is about twice the size of Serenity on the Breeze.
As for inside the ship, Disney's Europa is an entire section reserved entirely for adults with five bars/lounges. Carnival Breeze has the Punchliner Comedy Club (difficult to find a seat in) and Liquid Nightclub.

Thank you so very much for sharing!
We have cruised on the Disney Magic and Dream before and were supposed to cruise on the re-imagined Magic this Nov...that's the ship we will probably be switching from to sail on the Breeze...will save us about 2k. Dh and I are still going back and forth about it, I'll have him read your reviews too.

 

[MINNIEsotanice]

We just got off the Breeze June 1st, we had an awesome time. It was my DH, DD who is 3 and myself. Did the 8 night Southern. The food was the best out of the 6 cruises we have been on. 5 with Carnival and 1 RCCL. My husband actually complimented the Maitre D one night. They still have the regular menus on the Breeze. My DD loved the kids club. If she wasn't at the waterworks area she was at Camp. They did a fabulous job with her, and answered any questions we had.

We had great service, every staff member we passed said hello, and they were constantly cleaning. It is a beautiful ship with great decor. I would choose the Breeze over the Sunshine. We loved Guy's Burgers and Blue Iguana's. It was such a great trip that we are already planning our next trip on her.

 

[loveysbydesign]

We just got off the Breeze June 1st, we had an awesome time. It was my DH, DD who is 3 and myself. Did the 8 night Southern. The food was the best out of the 6 cruises we have been on. 5 with Carnival and 1 RCCL. My husband actually complimented the Maitre D one night. They still have the regular menus on the Breeze. My DD loved the kids club. If she wasn't at the waterworks area she was at Camp. They did a fabulous job with her, and answered any questions we had.

We had great service, every staff member we passed said hello, and they were constantly cleaning. It is a beautiful ship with great decor. I would choose the Breeze over the Sunshine. We loved Guy's Burgers and Blue Iguana's. It was such a great trip that we are already planning our next trip on her.

That is what I needed to hear! Passing the info. along to dh!

 

[MINNIEsotanice]

That is what I needed to hear! Passing the info. along to dh!

Your welcome. Seriously it was a great cruise. Another thing, we cruised over Memorial week so we had a full ship. We never encountered crowds. There was a line for Guys Burgers but there are 2 sides and a lot of times the other side was empty because people didn't know about it. Even the buffet was pretty good. I don't know what they did different but the food was very good. Even the table next to us was complimenting the waiter each night about how good it was.

We had a Cove balcony which was awesome. I don't think I could go to a regular balcony again. It was private and shaded by the life boats so we were able to sit out there any time of the day. The music wasn't as loud as I thought it would be. I think they finally got the message and started turning it down. The pools do get crowded during the day. We chose late dining so when all the people with early dining left to go get ready for dinner we practically had the whole waterworks area or pool to ourselves. Deck 5 wraps all the way around the ship, they put deck chairs out there and it is a very quiet area. If you want to get away from the main pool deck. The adults only area does get full so you would have to get there early to get a clam shell or a shaded spot. It was a great week and was so hard to come home.

 

[loveysbydesign]

Your welcome. Seriously it was a great cruise. Another thing, we cruised over Memorial week so we had a full ship. We never encountered crowds. There was a line for Guys Burgers but there are 2 sides and a lot of times the other side was empty because people didn't know about it. Even the buffet was pretty good. I don't know what they did different but the food was very good. Even the table next to us was complimenting the waiter each night about how good it was.

We had a Cove balcony which was awesome. I don't think I could go to a regular balcony again. It was private and shaded by the life boats so we were able to sit out there any time of the day. The music wasn't as loud as I thought it would be. I think they finally got the message and started turning it down. The pools do get crowded during the day. We chose late dining so when all the people with early dining left to go get ready for dinner we practically had the whole waterworks area or pool to ourselves. Deck 5 wraps all the way around the ship, they put deck chairs out there and it is a very quiet area. If you want to get away from the main pool deck. The adults only area does get full so you would have to get there early to get a clam shell or a shaded spot. It was a great week and was so hard to come home.

We are thinking of booking the cove balconies...what # did you have?

 

[MINNIEsotanice]

We had 2382. It was near the aft so a long jaunt to get off the ship at the ports. We didn't mind the walk though. Some may.

 

[loveysbydesign]

Just booked us in 2 adjoining cove balcony cabins on the Breeze! I will def. give feedback after we cruise!
Sadly I will have to remove my dcl ticker. I did not cancel Disney just yet. Want to sleep on it!

 

[luv2sleep]

Just booked us in 2 adjoining cove balcony cabins on the Breeze! I will def. give feedback after we cruise! Sadly I will have to remove my dcl ticker. I did not cancel Disney just yet. Want to sleep on it!

I canceled my DCL cruise recently after replacing it with the Breeze. It's always painful to cancel a Disney cruise!

 

[MINNIEsotanice]

Just booked us in 2 adjoining cove balcony cabins on the Breeze! I will def. give feedback after we cruise!
Sadly I will have to remove my dcl ticker. I did not cancel Disney just yet. Want to sleep on it!

You will love it, especially the coves. Have a great trip!

 

[ilovetexas]

We just got off the Breeze June 1st, we had an awesome time. It was my DH, DD who is 3 and myself. Did the 8 night Southern. The food was the best out of the 6 cruises we have been on. 5 with Carnival and 1 RCCL. My husband actually complimented the Maitre D one night. They still have the regular menus on the Breeze. My DD loved the kids club. If she wasn't at the waterworks area she was at Camp. They did a fabulous job with her, and answered any questions we had.

We had great service, every staff member we passed said hello, and they were constantly cleaning. It is a beautiful ship with great decor. I would choose the Breeze over the Sunshine. We loved Guy's Burgers and Blue Iguana's. It was such a great trip that we are already planning our next trip on her.

Why? Have you sailed Sunshine? The reason I ask is that I have and loved it and while I am still dying to get on the Breeze, I kinda want to go back on Sunshine instead. That three level Serenity Deck with the waterfall was magic!

Is there something specific you didn't like about Sunshine or (like me) did you just get attached to the one ship you sailed? I'm trying to decide which one to book next.

 

[luv2sleep]

Why? Have you sailed Sunshine? The reason I ask is that I have and loved it and while I am still dying to get on the Breeze, I kinda want to go back on Sunshine instead. That three level Serenity Deck with the waterfall was magic! Is there something specific you didn't like about Sunshine or (like me) did you just get attached to the one ship you sailed? I'm trying to decide which one to book next.

I am completely new to Carnival but from what I've read the Breeze is a new Dream class ship and the Sunshine is an older ship that was almost completely redone. So maybe that's why?

 

[loveysbydesign]

Why? Have you sailed Sunshine? The reason I ask is that I have and loved it and while I am still dying to get on the Breeze, I kinda want to go back on Sunshine instead. That three level Serenity Deck with the waterfall was magic!

Is there something specific you didn't like about Sunshine or (like me) did you just get attached to the one ship you sailed? I'm trying to decide which one to book next.

I had a hard time deciding between the Breeze and the Sunshine. I thought my kids would like the waterpark on the Sunshine better but have read so many harsh reviews of the Sunshine. Glad to hear you loved it!