The Breeze in Aruba
Jett and I are midway through a 9-day (8 night) Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Breeze, one of Carnival Cruise Line’s biggest and best ships. Our itinerary includes stops in Grand Turk (Turks and Caicos Islands), La Romana (Dominican Republic), Curacao and Aruba. After the winter we have had, we felt the need to get some Caribbean sun.
But, if the first two days are any indication, we will be disappointed. It has been cloudy and cool, with a few rain showers sprinkled in, so to speak.
FLL, waiting for the bus to the ship
We started the trip by getting up Friday morning at 3:30am and driving to Providence for a 7:30 flight. Why Providence? Because we could get a Southwest flight to Ft Lauderdale from there. Now, mind you, the Breeze docks in Miami. But – travel tip alert – it is often much cheaper to fly to Ft Lauderdale which is just 35 miles from Miami. There is even a train that connects the airports. My original plan was to fly into Ft Lauderdale and take that train to Miami and then get a taxi to the cruise terminal. But Carnival made it easy on us by offering a bus from Ft Lauderdale. So we flew into Ft Lauderdale Friday, stayed overnight at the airport Ramada Inn, then took the Carnival bus to the ship Saturday morning. Easy peasy. And we saved over $600 in airfare by doing it that way. Yes, we had the cost of the hotel, but that was because we always fly in a day early – we got stuck once with a 16-inch snowfall and missed some of our vacation, so we vowed then that we would always get to our destination a day early. We figured that if there was ever a year where an early spring snowfall could delay us, it would be 2015.
It also turned out that Miami was having a huge music festival last weekend and hotel rooms for under $500 were non-existent. Just another reason to pick Ft Lauderdale.
The pool area at the Ramada Inn, Saturday morning
It was sunny and warm when we arrived at the Ramada and we had drinks and lunch at the poolside bar. We were starting to unwind, getting our heads into vacation mode (which was somewhat difficult because were were anxiously awaiting word on an anticipated offer to purchase our house – but that’s another story). Then it clouded up, the rains came and the temperature dropped 15 degrees. It seems that the jetstream, which had been dipping south along the US east coast all winter, bringing all that snow to Massachusetts, had followed us down to Florida. Everyone commented on how unusual it was to be that cold in March. Well, we have heard THAT before. It wasn’t the weather we wanted, but at least it wasn’t snowing.
It was cool – 70ish – when we boarded the ship. There were occasional sunny breaks, but mostly it was cloudy, cool and breezy. We wore our hoodies as we got familiar with the ship.
The colorful atrium
The Breeze is the largest cruise ship we have ever been on – about 1,000 feet long with a capacity for about 3,700 passengers, served by a crew of 1,400. That is over 5,000 people living on this floating city.
It was built is 2012 and still has a fresh feel. It is colorful and very tastefully decorated. It has a 9-story atrium with glass elevators. Lots of restaurants, bars, several pools. a spa, a mini-golf course, basketball courts, a jogging track, kids activity areas, two dining rooms, a shopping arcade, a mega-video screen above the main pool and, of course, a casino. It also has a wonderful water slide and a ropes course.
Our cabin
We have a balcony cabin on Deck 11 – one level above the Lido deck (with the pools and the buffet). It is a good location as we can get anywhere pretty quickly. And we are just steps from the main smoking area – a critical space for Jett. It was one of the smaller balcony cabins we have had, but it meets out needs. Everything works.
Speaking of smoking, Marlboros on the ship have a price tag of $28 per carton. Read that and weep, Massachusetts smokers.
Day 1 was basically a day to get familiar with the ship and our dinner companions. We dine at 8:15 with four other couples: a career army couple now stationed in Virginia, a couple from northern Mississippi, a couple from Alabama and a couple from Texas. Yes, we are the only Yankees in the bunch. I don’t know if the South will rise again, but it will certainly go cruising.
Our balcony
Our vanity area
Our hallway
Day 2 was a day at sea and it was very cool and cloudy. Jett and I aren’t big pool people, but it probably would have been warmer in the pool than on the breezy deck. The high was around 70.
Day 3 was our day on Grand Turk. Or was supposed to be. It was so windy that morning that the captain declared that it was too dangerous to dock, so we just waved at the island and moved on. That was disappointing as we had a snorkel excursion scheduled and were looking forward to seeing what is, by all reports, a beautiful (but small) island. But snorkeling on a windy day is never fun, so it is probably best that we didn’t do it. We have another snorkeling trip planned for Aruba.
Martin
We were pretty certain, when we boarded the ship, that there would be a coffee bar on board. Jett needs her coffee in the morning and I need Jett to have her coffee in the morning. Jett without coffee is not pretty. The coffee in the dining rooms, though adequate, was not the high-quality brew that she loves. And no cappuccino in the dining rooms. But by the end of Day 2 we had not found it and I was getting seriously worried. Fortunately, on Day 3 we discovered its location. In retrospect, it should not have been such a mystery as it is in exactly the same place on the Breeze as it was on the Valor. This one was manned by “Martin,” a very cute barrista from the Philippines. By the end of the cruise he and Jett will be BFFs.
It turns out that Martin is very skilled at foam art – drawing pictures in the foam topping a cappuccino.
Days 4, 5 and 6 are all days in port: La Romana (D.R.), Curacao and Aruba. If it isn’t too windy.
“Piggy”
“Hello Kitty”
“rita”
Outdoor smoking lounge
Wine dispenser, library bar
Dining room
Theater stage
Theater seating