Carnival Sunshine Cruise Review

 Carnival Sunshine Cruise Review

February 23, 2014

Just The Facts
Ship:  Carnival Sunshine
Ship Captain: Roberto Leotta   
Cruise Director: Butch Begovich
Ports: New Orleans, Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, Cozumel
Weather:  Good all week

This is my 41st Carnival cruise, 4th time on the Carnival Sunshine, and 87th cruise overall. I am cruising with my dear wife (DW) and eight good friends.  This is the second week of a Back-to-Back (B2B) cruise.  For those reading this review for information on the Carnival Sunshine please read all my previous reviews on her as after sailing her so many times I will not be attending all the various shows or events this week as one would do on a cruise on a lesser known ship.  I will have by the conclusion of this cruise eaten at all the food venues, visited all the bars, and participated in most all ship activities. 

Day One--Sunday--Embarkation

First in Red Frog

The weather is rainy in NOLA, but an easy Embarkation Day as we are already on the ship. We moved from deck 8 to deck 5 between 9:00-10:00 am. this morning then met the other B2B guests in the lobby.  Embarkation is very smooth today and this is as early as I can remember a B2B ‘walk off-walk on’.  We were back on the ship just after 10:30 so it was a rush to the Red Frog Pub for the ‘first’ free beers.  We did make it first and it was the first time I was ever able to beat other guests even though doing a B2B as usually we are not first to board the ship, but it was very smooth this morning and it worked for us.  The group also gathered for the first tube of Thirsty Frog Red beer.  A good start for the second week of the cruise.  We then all went up to the Havana Bar to eat lunch and since it was rainy outside there were many more people in there than usual, but the lines were not bad for the Mongolian Grill.  I had a great bowl and DW had pasta from the Cucina del Capitano.  We then returned to the cabin to finish unpacking.  The great news is that we have the same cabin steward, Antonio, as I had for 16 days on the Sunshine Transatlantic and he is excellent.  We tried to take some bags to our car, but they would not allow us to leave because they were under weather sailing conditions and could be forced to leave at any time.  That’s fine is is foggy outside.  Since we are on deck 5 and so close to the Alchemy I was able to get a proper Cherry Kiss cocktail from Miro before they closed for the safety drill.  Boat Drill was about 3:40 pm somewhat earlier than last week, and we sailed away earlier about 4:00pm just as a window of sunshine appeared.  I hope all the passengers made it on board.  We went to a FUN sail away party for our group on deck 7.  It was dark when we sailed last week so the views from the balcony were nice and interesting due to patches of remaining fog.  We went to the Alchemy for an aperitif then to dinner.  Matre’D Ken assigned us the 12-top Captain’s Table in the front of the dining room for our group. Thanks Ken, it’s good to have us ALL at one table.  It is again the traditional Carnival menu items tonight and I had the Linguine & Sausage as a starter, Gazpacho, Heart of Lettuce Salad, the Tilapia entree, and Creme Brûlée for dessert.  We passed on the Welcome Show with Butch and retired early, A fun and easy first day.

Day Two--Monday--at Sea

Carnival Sunshine Alchemy Bar - Cornelius, Ioana, Miro

Very calm in the Gulf of Mexico and I had a very good nights sleep.  A very nice and sunny day.  I got DW a nice breakfast in bed in lieu of room service since the Ocean Plaza taste bar is so near our cabin.  I then returned and had a nice breakfast there myself including: French Toast, Prosciutto, Cheese, Bacon, Potatoes, Eggs, and more.  We then walked around deck and the Serenity Deck was packed as was the Lido and Sports decks.  We saw our group in the Havana Bar and we visited and all went down to Ocean Plaza to purchase a future cruise at the future cruise desk.  We stayed there to visit and played a trivia game of identifying celebrity photos.  We had 36 of 40 but lost by one.  Since the lunch items were now being served at the Taste Bar on Ocean Plaza most all had a nice salad.  The girls all signed up for the 1:30 Martini Classes in the Alchemy Bar with Miro.  The guys went to the Red Frog for a tube of Thirsty Frog and by accident ended up listening to the afternoon Karaoke. So it was an Ocean Plaza day for everyone.  About 4:00 I went up to get a Guy’s Burger and soon almost all my friends had come by for one as well…we do think alike.  We sailed into a rain cloud and there was a waterspout along side the ship for a good while. Interesting and another first at sea.  The group met at the Alchemy Bar for aperitifs and some fun with the Alchemists.  Tonight was the Captains elegant night and dinner was excellent, I ordered the Spaghetti Carbonara, White Stuffed Mushrooms, Prime Rib with Baked Potato, and Cherries Jubilee for desert.  At our table we sat with the girls on one side and the boys on the other and the men all wore our matching black shirts and the previous night our matching red shirts, it was amazing how many guests came by and mentioned what a fun group we seemed to be…and of course we are a FUN group.  After dinner a cocktail from the Alchemy Bar as we listened to the Swamp Thang Band in the Ocean Plaza perform their Mo-Town set, then finished the evening in the Havana Bar listening to Latin music. 

Day Three--Tuesday—at Sea

Mongolian Grill

Another good nights sleep and smooth seas as we entered the Caribbean this beautiful morning. I had breakfast in the Ocean Plaza again then took breakfast to DW in the cabin.  I had a few bookings for the future cruise rep so met him at 10:00 then went up to the Havana Bar and saw most of the group up there.  At noon I had the Mongolian Grill for lunch and they were doing a different preparation system with two cooks at each station.  Mine had a bit more water than usual (perhaps also new), but it was really good.  Cabin time in the afternoon watching some classic television shows and updating my review.  We had another of our Snoozemates  parties at 4:00 in one of the large deck 8 cabins…lots of fun.  The Captain had a Diamond Guest Cocktail Party at 7:00 pm in the Piano Bar.  There are 16 Diamonds on board and the Senior Staff also attended.  We had very nice h’orderves prepared by Bonsai Sushi and I liked the sushi and vegetable rolls very much.  It was a very nice gathering and I appreciate the effort from the Carnival Sunshine senior staff. It feels very personal when the Captain called me by name and Caroline calls DW by the name she uses and not her official ‘cruise’ name, it shows genuine involvement with the guests.  Thanks Captain, Caroline, and Carnival.  It was now time for dinner and it was very good this evening.  I ordered the French Onion Soup, Pasta, and the Beef Short Rib entree.  We skipped desert in order to get prime seats at the Lobby Bar for the big Mardi Gras Party in the lobby area.  Guests came in Mardi Gras gear and Cornelius and Mr.T did a bartender flair show, but I have to say that Cruise Director Butch adds so much to this event when he dances around the bar.  I really can not imagine a future MG party without Butch as the host.  Following we went to the Havana Bar, but found the music from the Ocean Plaza and the Swamp Thang Band much better.  A FUN sea day on the Sunshine!

Day Four— Wednesday—Montego Bay, Jamaica

Pirate Night in MDR

Calm seas and a very good nights sleep.  I slept a little late (for me) and watched us dock on the

ship’s TV cameras.  I got DW a breakfast plate from Ocean Plaza then I went to the Sunrise MDR for a hearty breakfast.  I had Melon, three Fried Eggs, Corned Beef Hash, Hash Browns, Bacon, Ham, and Leche Caliente. Very good.  No one in the group had specific plans for the day.  DW and the girls went to Serenity Deck and enjoyed the ship with most of the guests off the ship.  I went off the ship and to the little village next to the port to Partners Restaurant & Bar.  They have unlimited WiFi for $3 (charging an extra $2) so I spent four hours there updating emails and doing a little work.  I also enjoyed a Red Stripe and some very good Jerk Chicken.  I was back on board about 2:30 and had cabin time ordering an excellent BLT from room service.  It’s Pirate Night for our group and we had a party from sail away until dinner.  All dressed as a pirate or in pirate theme.  We had the interest of many in the MDR especially with our table location at the entry. For dinner I ordered two Shrimp Cocktails, the  Bowtie Pasta with Turkey, the Pork Steak entree, and Tiramisu for dessert.  It was now time for my late cocktail from the Alchemy Bar, Ioana prepared a special Cherry flavored cocktail for me, it was very good.  Another great day on the Carnival Sunshine.

Day Five—Thursday—Georgetown, Grand Cayman

Cucina del Capitano

Another good nights sleep and calm seas.  We arrived and anchored off Grand Cayman before 7:00 am this morning.  I slept in as we have no plans for the day on shore.  MDR was open & closed early so I went to Havana Bar for a nice omelet and ate with some our group.  We only have one going ashore today for a dive excursion.  The girls have a Pajama Party planned for the day, they locked themselves in one of the suites with a supply of goodies for the day.  It was cabin time for me until noon when I had a Cucina del Capitano lunch.  The guys met at the Red Frog Rum Bar at 1:00 pm for a tube of beer.  I also had the Mango Magic…very nice cocktail.  A nice lazy afternoon on board ship.  We sailed about 4:00 pm and the VIFP Party was held at 4:30 in the Liquid Lounge.  Butch, the CD, did a good job keeping the party exciting. There were 16 Diamond Guests on board and two of our group were the senior guests on board.  We had excellent bar service from servers we have been using for two weeks+.  The party continued on to Ocean Plaza until we had to get ready for our 8:15 dinner. For dinner tonight I ordered the Pasta, Escargot, Seafood Platter, and Chateaubriand.  For dessert it was Baked Alaska and a Fruit Plate as Ken sang again for us tonight and the wait team did the song: What Does the Fox Say?  I did not need an evening cocktail and retired early for some cabin time before retiring.

Day Six--Friday--Cozumel, Mexico

Woody's Bar in Cozumel

A bright sunny day as we approach Cozumel.  We have the later 10:00 am arrival today so time for some early morning activities.  I got the DW a breakfast plate from the Ocean Plaza then went to the Sunrise MDR for a nice breakfast: Melon, Eggs Benedict, Bacon, Corned Beef Hash & Leche Caliente.  Then I met our group up at the Havana Bar.  We are docked next to the Carnival Magic, and the Navigator of the Seas is nearby, two of our favorite ships.  There are six total docked in Cozumel today.  DW and I left the ship about 10:40 am and took a taxi ($8) to San Miguel and went to Woody’s.  Soon we were joined by the others in the group and ended up spending the entire day at Woody's.  We started with Bloody Mary’s and Nelly brought me a nice large birthday Margarita that started the day off very well.  I've been able to celebrate several days the past two weeks!  It was warm and humid, but we had a nice rainstorm about 1:30 pm and after retreating to the interior rooms,  then had very nice pleasent weather for the rest of the day.  We had a great day at Woody’s enjoying: WiFi, Cocktails, Cervezas, Margaritas, Guacamole, shopping, and FUN.  About 3:30pm we got a taxi-van for 9 ($20) and all returned to the Puerto Maya pier and I was soon on the ship eating a Guy’s burger.  I had some cabin time and later most met at the Alchemy for the Friday Martini Tasting (4 different small ones - $16--see video at bottom).  I skipped the sampler and had a Curative Peach cocktail.  Dinner was good, I ordered the Lasagna (as a starter), two Shrimp Cocktails, Petit Filet Mignon / Short Rib combination entree and Butter Pecan Ice Creme for dessert.  I really suspect that I had a Flat Iron and not a filet.  As a Texan we don’t consider a Flat Iron a ‘real’ steak.  Some went to Punchliners, others the casino, and more to the Alchemy.  Another FUN day.

Day Seven--Saturday--at Sea

Havana Bar on Carnival Sunshine

I had a very good restful nights sleep and it’s a beautiful day with smooth seas.  I had a light breakfast in the Ocean Plaza then met our friends in the Havana Bar (photo left). The Havana Bar has been a great meeting location for our group especially with most cabins nearby.   At 11:00 am we all met for the Sea Day Brunch in the MDR as we did the previous Saturday.  I had the Steak & Eggs and the steak was excellent, much better than the steak at dinner the night before.  Most used their drink vouchers for Bloody Marys’, thanks again to Ken for arranging the large table for brunch.  After brunch I reviewed my ship account, they have two kiosks that will print your statement for you and save a trip to Guest Services.  Unfortunately they do not have an interactive TV system.  I had cabin time this afternoon and was updating email and online with the final minutes I have left on my small internet package (120 Minutes for $59.00 ($0.49/min)).  After a bit of work in the cabin we went to the Alchemy Bar for an early aperitif at the 4:00 pm opening.  We attended the 7:15 pm production show: Epic Rock, the best show of the week.  Dinner was very good, they prepared an encore of Carnival’s signature disk: Speghetti Carbonara for the table.  Tonight  I ordered two Shrimp Cocktails, Sweet Potato Soup, and the Panko Crusted Jumbo Shrimp. For dessert I had the Grand Marnier Souffle.  Following dinner I went to my favorite bar, The Alchemy, for two wonderful Deal Closers.  Since we are well in the Mississippi River I had wifi from my personal hotspot so checked some late email and arrange some items to pack for the following morning.

Debarkation
We arrived back in NOLA very early.  I was up early as I had not really started packing. I began to pack about 6:00 am and at 7:00 am headed to deck three.  We just arrived at the VIP staging area in the Sunset Dining Room when they started the VIP debark.  They had the casual inspection at Customs and I was soon to the elevator and at 5A our parking area and in the new car by 7:40 am.  There was again a light mist so the indoor parking did come in very handy.  We were soon on Interstate 10 heading to Texas.  Between the large statue of Sam Houston on I-45 and Huntsville the temperature dropped from 75° to 45° within 3 miles.  We later ran into a freak ice storm near Mexia about 3:00 pm so spent the night there at the new Holiday Inn Express.  It was actually very nice, we had a great king room, pizza, and watched the Oscars on TV.  It took us 1.5 hours to get twenty miles and beyond the ice when leaving the next morning, but where at the ranch by 1:00 pm on Monday.

Crew / Staff
What an excellent week we had with the crew.  Our wait team in the MDR, Senvile, I Gusti, and Wisnu, are the best I have ever had as a team on Carnival. Both the new team and previous weeks team were all giving us a lot of attention during this week.  Then to be reunited with Antonio my cabin steward from the Sunshine transatlantic was great.  He is one of the best ever as well.  He always kept our cooler full of ice and our cabin spotless.  I was able to again meet many ships officers through the Diamond reception. The bartenders were all great.  Bar servers all very good. Ken Byrne as always is awesome as both singer and Matre’D. The future cruise representative, Hai, was very efficient.  Of course the Alchemy crew of Ioana, Miro, and Cornelius were outstanding.  Video below: Ioana pouring for the ladies!

Food / Drink
I found the food overall to be good. The Pastelitos de Guayaba y Queso from the Havana Bar at breakfast were great. In fact all breakfast venues are very good.  The waiters brought 3-4 cheese plates for dinner every night…excellent touch.

Cabin
We had cabin 5317 a category 4D interior on deck 5.  I love the location and as mentioned I have the same cabin steward that I had on the 16-day transatlantic cruise.  I had fears that the cabin would feel very small, but hopeful as well since it’s a ‘new’ cabin. As it turned out I was very pleased.  It has plenty of room since it has no couch or table and we didn’t miss the couch but could have used the table.  The cabin has a very comfortable twin/queen bed, refrigerator, full length mirror, two bed side tables with lamps, push button safe, three section wardrobe with shelves, sconce lighting at vanity, stool at vanity, standard small bathroom.  It’s really just fine and I’m glad we didn’t upgrade.

Cruise Highlights
Sailing with Snoozemates

MDR wait team of: Senvile, I Gusti, &  Wisnu
Diamond Cocktail Party

Alchemy Bar & team

Pastelitos de Guayaba y Queso from the Havana Bar

Another FUN cruise with Good Friends!!

 

 

 

Thanks to John J, Kaye G, & Zydeco for photos

Carnival Sunshine Cruise Review

 

Carnival Sunshine Cruise Review

February 16, 2014

Just The Facts

Ship:  Carnival Sunshine

Ship Captain: Roberto Leotta   

Cruise Director: Butch Begovich

Ports: New Orleans, Roatan, Belize, Cozumel

Weather:  Excellent all week

This is my 40th Carnival cruise, 3rd time on the Carnival Sunshine, and 86th cruise overall. I am cruising with my dear wife (DW) and the fantastic group of experienced cruisers: the Snoozemates.  As well as 688 fellow Bloggers on John Heald’s 7th annual Bloggers Cruise (BC7).  My first Bloggers cruise was BC2 also sailing from New Orleans on the Fantasy so we have come full circle. This is also the first week of a Back-to-Back (B2B) cruise.

Day Zero--Saturday--Travel

We overslept and was awakened by a call from our car dealer so a bit of a late start.  The good news is that we are driving our brand new 2014 GMC Acadia.  We left the ranch about 10:30 am and headed south again using the same wonderful Texas backroads I traveled last month on the way to NOLA. The weather was good, the drive wonderful, and we arrived in Gonzales, Louisiana about 7:00 pm. to stay overnight at the LaQuinta.  We visited the new Cabela’s store just up the street...it’s a huge store with museum, aquarium, and more...a very interesting sporting goods operation.  Most of the Snoozemates’ are partying in the French Quarter this evening and I know having a great time.

Day One--Sunday--Embarkation

Beautiful Serenity Deck on Carnival Sunshine

We left Gonzales about 9:45 am for the easy one hour drive to NOLA and the cruise terminal arriving about 10:45 am.  We parked at the official port of NOLA Julia Street Terminal.  It is pricey @ $16.00 a day, but it has a baggage drop, covered parking for the new car, and it’s just an elevator ride down to cruise check-in area. Also since we are cruising for two weeks and they only collect for one it is a value this trip.  Down the elevator to the nice VIP area for check-in and we were processed about 11:30.  We then proceeded to boarding and it was very busy, but we made it on board and to our cabin about noon.  We have an aft facing balcony on deck 8.  We began seeing friends immediately as their cabins are all in the area  Then it was up to the Havana Bar were we had some group tables for cocktails and Mongolian Grill (JiJi’s) for lunch.  This is a great spot for our group to meet as it’s directly above our cabins and one has the choice of Cuban Food, Mongolian Grill, Cucina Del Capitano (Italian), or the Lido Buffet across the way.  Many thought the Cuban Iced Tea from the Havana Bar was an excellent cocktail.  Some explored the ship, I returned to my cabin and my bag arrived, but none of the others.  Boat Drill was about 4:00 pm, and we sailed away about 4:30 pm.  DW was getting somewhat concerned with no bag as yet, but it seemed many had not received all their luggage.  The first bloggers event was Welcome Cocktails in the Liquid Lounge at 5:00 pm and it was a full house of Bloggers.  I enjoyed a few Funship Specials and visited with friends and bloggers, a FUN event.  Following it was time for a visit to the Alchemy Bar then to the cabin to prepare for dinner.  DW’s bags had arrived and all is now well.  Matre’D Ken arranged for three excellent tables in the center of the dining room for our group. Perfect.  It is traditional Carnival menu items tonight and I had the Creme of Sun-ripened Tomato Soup, Linguine & Sausage as a starter, Gazpacho, the Tilapa entree, and two desserts: the Creme Brulee & the Black Forest Gateau Cake. The shops do not open until we are out of the Mississippi River, but the casino and bars are doing a brisk business.  Most of the group who had partied in the French Quarter the previous night made it an early night.  I retired soon after to get some last minute free internet time while in the river and rest.  A great first day.

Day Two--Monday--at Sea

Snoozemates 'Morning Glory' Party

Very calm in the Gulf of Mexico and I had a very good nights sleep.  Nice and sunny today and quickly warming.  DW ordered her usual room service breakfast and about 8:40 am I went up to the Havana Bar and had a very nice omelet from the omelet station.  Soon I was joined by several other Snoozemates arriving for breakfast.  Nice to have a designated meeting area.  At 10:15 we went down to Piano Bar 88 for our private ‘Morning Glory’ cocktail party.  This is one of the new cocktail party options on Carnival and the first held on the Carnival Sunshine.  Cocktails include: Mimosas, Bloody Marys, Belinnis, Screwdrivers, House Sparkling Wine, Red Wine, White Wine, Sodas, Regular Coffee and Tea.  in the spirit of the morning event many wore pajamas and EVERYONE arrived in their white Carnival cabin bathrobes.  Very funny.  With just our small group the service was excellent, thanks Jermaine, and very soon everyone was in a very spirited mood.  After the party we all met in the Havana Bar area to continue the party and have lunch.  People had their favorites including Guy’s Burgers, Mongolian Grill, or Pasta from the Cucina. The ‘Havana Iced Tea’ from the bar was very good too.  Several had enrolled in the Cocktail Seminar at the Alchemy Bar this afternoon and several attended the ‘Friends of John H’ cocktail party in the Limelight Lounge.  It was nice visiting with  other friends and bloggers. This was certainly a full day for cocktails so by 5:00 I needed a nice nap that extended into cabin time for the rest of the evening.  DW had a nice dinner from Lido so we didn’t make it to the MDR this evening.  The rest of the group enjoyed various activities including:  the Casino, the production show Latin Nights, Adam Coe in the Red Frog, The Swamp Thang Band was in the Ocean Plaza, Ben in the Piano Bar, and Percy Crews was in the comedy club with late shows. 

Day Three--Tuesday—at Sea

Captain's Diamond Guest Luncheon

The ship rocked a little more, but another good nights sleep as we entered the Caribbean this morning. An invitation under the door this morning for a luncheon changed my plans for breakfast, I’ll save the sea Day Brunch for the last sea day.  I had another great omelet from the omelet station then enjoyed a bowl of fruit on our balcony.  It’s a beautiful day and the large balcony is wonderful.  We were invited to the Captain’s Luncheon for Diamond guests in the Steakhouse 55 at noon so we went to the Library Bar for a glass of wine prior, this is the only bar on the Sunshine that I had not previously visited.  They have an automatic wine dispenser as well as a small bar.  At noon we entered the Steakhouse, they had assigned seating and we sat with friends that I knew, Caroline the Guest Services Manager, and  Linda the Housekeeping Director.  They had a set menu with choice of entree between Salmon or Chicken.  I started with the unique mini salad of mozzarella cheese and cherry tomatoes, pasta course of spaghetti, the Chicken Roulade entree with a mushroom creme sauce, and a selection of three small Creme Brûlées for dessert.  They also served wonderful breads with three flavors of butter, choice of wines, sparkling water, and sides of Spinach and Creamed Potatoes. They prepared a vegetarian dish of Mixed Vegetables in a phyllo wrap for DW.  It was a very nice and enjoyable lunch experience. Thanks Carnival.  There was a Crazy cocktail party after lunch and balcony time, but I was really looking forward to the Alchemy Bar opening at 4:00.  I was carrying messages from the Triumph Alchemy bar crew for the Sunshine Alchemy bar crew and had not had a chance to deliver them.  Great fun with them and other Diamond friends at the Alchemy.  We went down to the Limelight/Punchliner to see Al Ernst’s comedy show at 6:45, he has become a regular for Bloggers cruises and was very funny as usual.  The Snoozemate’s crew then met up in the Ocean Plaza area for an aperitif.  Dinner was good tonight, I ordered the French Onion Soup, Pasta, the Short Ribs entree, and Strawberry Cheesecake for dessert.  Motor City was the production show this evening and they had the big Mardi Gras Party in the lobby area.  The group split up for various FUN activities this evening.

Day Four— Wednesday--Roatan, Honduras

Mahogany Bay - Roatan

Calm seas and a good nights sleep.  I was up early and watched us back into the pier at Mahogany Bay, we were docked before 7:00 am.  Since it’s a port day the breakfast venues opened early and I went down the The Sunrise MDR for Melon, Omelet, Corned Beef Hash, and Bacon.  DW did room service as usual.  We were in no rush as we didn’t have any specific plans and went ashore about 10:00 am.  We walked to the beach and it was very crowded with both the Carnival Dream and Sunshine docked.  We headed back to the shopping area and there saw our friends so decided on a few drinks at Fat Tuesdays that soon became 15 friends, 7-8 buckets of beer, cocktails and nachos.  What a wonderful group we have.  I returned to the ship about 2:30 and had a Guy’s burger then went to the Serenity Deck to cool off in the swimming pool and waterfall.  After almost an hour of lying in the warm sun I had another Guy’s burger on the way back to the cabin for a short nap. One of the group had a wonderful sail away cocktail party for us at 6:00 pm in their suite.  Excellent  h’orderves, small bar,  wines, and snacks.  Thank you very much.  It was now time for dinner, I ordered the Tom Kai Guy soup, the very good Bowtie Pasta with Turkey, the Lamb entree, and Bitter & Blanc and Tiramisu for dessert.  John Heald brought in a special entertainer for just the blogger group, Gronway Thom, so we attended his one and only show at 10:00 pm in the Liquid Lounge.  He is a comedy juggler with a lot of audience participation and should be seen at least once.  Not everyone's cup-of-tea, but I found him very entertaining.  It was now time for my late cocktail, The Deal Closer, from the Alchemy Bar before retiring.  Another great day on the Carnival Sunshine.

Day Five—Thursday--Belize

Maitre’D Ken Byrne

Another good nights sleep and calm seas.  I was up early again and it was a beautiful Caribbean Sunrise as we approached Belize.  We were anchored about 8:00 am near the Carnival Glory.  Some day they will have a pier here, but for a long while this will remain a tender port.   It is about a 15-20 minute ride from the ship to the pier in Belize City.  I went to the MDR for breakfast and ordered Eggs Benedict, Potatoes, Bacon, and Corned Beef Hash.  It was very good.  DW had room service with extra tea, honey and lemon for her sore throat.  I went to a Bloggers Q&A event hosted by John Heald in the Red Frog Pub at 10:00 am.  It was cabin time following until noon when I had a very nice Mongolian Grill for lunch.  A lazy afternoon on board ship as I decided not to go ashore.  We sailed about 4:15 pm and the VIFP party was held at 4:30 in the Liquid Lounge.  Butch, the CD, did a good job keeping the party exciting. There were 44 Diamond Guests on board.  The party continued into the Red Frog Pub and actually continued until 8:15 dinner with most Snoozemates coming and going as they prepared for dinner.  When I returned I had a birthday ‘Fish Bowl’ size cocktail I was only able to finish with the help of friends.  For dinner I ordered the Eggplant, Escargot, Pasta, and Chateaubriand.  For dessert it was Birthday Cake and Baked Alaska as the waiters and Maitre’D Ken Byrne sang Happy Birthday for me. Very nice…thanks friends.  Ken sang again for us tonight and the MDR wait team did the song: What Does the Fox Say?  Most of the venues again had good entertainment scheduled, but I had a Cherry Kiss and a ‘Deal Closer’ at the Alchemy Bar as my nightcaps and retired by 11:30. A FUN and interesting day.

Day Six--Friday--Cozumel, Mexico

Carnival Sunshine docked at Puerto Maya Cozumel

A bright sunny day as we approach Cozumel.  DW is still feeling under the weather so is planning a cabin day, I’m glad we have the aft balcony this week for her benefit. I watched the Freedom of the Seas and Navigator of the Seas follow us in and dock next to us at the International pier then I went down to the Sunset MDR for a nice breakfast of Fried Eggs, Bacon, CB Hash, Potatoes, Melon, and Leche Caliente.  By the time I finished we were docked with the Carnival Magic next to us.  Today  the girls went to Paradise Beach and the guys went to San Miguel.  We made our HQ at Woody’s Bar owned by my friend Nelly and used her super fast internet and three of us got haircuts from my barber Martin.  Great people watching place as we enjoyed Cerveza, Coca-Cola Light, Guacamole & Chips, and Tequila.  About 2:00 pm we were joined by some of the ladies and we went to Wet Windy’s for their great Margaritas and to eat.  It was quite a feast.  We got a taxi and returned to the Puerto Maya pier and was back in the cabin by 4:00.  After cleaning up we met in the suite above the gangway for the 5:00 pm sail away, always fun to see the late runners and the waves from the guest on the Magic as we back away from the pier.  I took a nap and DW was not feeling up for dinner so I had room service with her this evening and we had a casual cabin evening and watched the Winter Olympics on TV.  I know the group enjoyed the casino, the Hasbro Game show, the Punchliner Comedy Shows, and more.

Day Seven—Saturday—February 22—at Sea

What Does the Fox Say?

I had a very good long and restful nights sleep.  Today is my birthday.  Smooth seas and I was up early again this morning.  I enjoyed a good breakfast at the Sea Day Brunch, I ordered the Steak & Eggs and it was prepared very well.  After brunch I had cabin time and reviewed my ship account, they have two kiosks that will print your statement for you and save a trip to Guest Services.  Unfortunately they do not have an interactive TV system. The morning was very nice and sunny and guests enjoyed the outdoor activities.  Our group including DW who is now feeling better met at 11:30 am and had the Sea Day Brunch (lunch for me) in the Sunrise MDR.  We did a ‘girl’ table and a ‘boy’ table as we have been known to do.  I ordered the Tomato Soup, Grilled Pork Chop, and ice creme for dessert. It was very good.  It was a good sea day and I was greeted by many on board with birthday greetings including a call from Guest Services.  The weather got cooler once we reached a cold front late in the afternoon, but guests have had great weather all cruise.  At 4:00 pm liquor can be taken from the Ship shop so I got a bottle of spiced rum for the following week. The production Show this evening was:   Epic Rock, perhaps the best show of the week, we hope to attend more shows next week.  The group met for cocktails before dinner in the Ocean Plaza, a good location as you can order Alchemy cocktails or standard bar cocktails or beer from the Red Frog as both haver severs in that area.  We had all our tables full for our final dinner,  I ordered the Grilled Chicken Breast on Fettuccine and two Panko Crusted Jumbo Shrimp.  For dessert I had the Grand Manier Souffle.  Ken sang again for us again tonight and the wait team again did the song: What Does the Fox Say?  Much better than the usual Bags are Packed song.  Following dinner I went to my favorite bar, The Alchemy.  Since we are now well in the Mississippi River I had wifi from my personal hotspot so checked some late email and arrange some items to pack for the following morning.

Debarkation

We arrived back in NOLA very early and I was up and using the internet by 5:00 am.  It will be an easy Debark as we are actually staying on board ship. We started packing about 7:00 am as we do have to change cabins today.  I went up to Lido for a very nice omelet. Then we began our B2B process. Easy.

Crew / Staff

I found the crew to be very good as on all previous Sunshine sailings.  I was able to again meet many ships officers through the Diamond reception and VIFP party. The ship is in very capable hands.  My cabin steward team was adequate, our MDR waiters were much better than my previous Sunshine cruise.  The bartenders were all great.  Bar servers all very good. Ken Byrne as always is awesome as both singer and Matre’D.  I enjoyed getting to know Linda the HouseKeeping Manager and sat with Caroline the Guest Services manager again, such a sweetheart. John Heald’s Blogger staff did a great job, I also enjoyed seeing Stephanie who used to be on John’s team and is now on her last week as the ACD on the Sunshine. 

Cabin

We had cabin 8330 a category 8N aft facing balcony on deck 8.  It is the first time I have had an original cabin on the ship.  We have had this cabin location on many Carnival ships and the cabin is slightly smaller, but the balcony is very nice perhaps even larger than the same location on Conquest class and definitely larger than Dream class ships.  Great balcony, cabin not so much.  The cabin is the usual layout with glass door at balcony (not sliding), full couch, three closets (a bit smaller), nice table, one bed stand (no lamps), push button safe, and stool at dresser/desk.  No mini refrigerator, no mirror.  The new downside to this cabin is the music late at night from the Havana Bar, it didn’t bother me, but it did friends in similar cabins.

Needs improvement

They should have never sold any FTTF (Fastest to the Fun) passes since there were well over 600+ Priority Guests booked.  They could not properly handle that many VIP’s and baggage wasn’t delivered until 8:00 pm for many.  Also that was too many cabins to have ready at boarding, ours was only half way prepared and some not ready at all.  One should not believe the claims that FTTF’s are not sold on sailings with many VIFP’s booked, they are.

Cruise Highlights

Sailing with Snoozemates & other Blogger Friends.  It’s always nice to see friends and familiar faces all week long on the ship.  The Alchemy Bar is my favorite bar by far.  The Diamond Luncheon was wonderful.

Another Great Bloggers Cruise !

Thanks to John J,  Kaye G,  &  Zydeco for photos

Carnival Breeze BC6 Cruise

Carnival Breeze Cruise Review

January 19, 2013

Just The Facts
Ship:  Carnival Breeze
Ship Captain: Vincenzo Alcaras
Hotel Director:  Pierre Camilleri
Cruise Director: Butch Begovich
Blogger Cruise Director: John Heald
Ports: Miami, St. Thomas, Antigua, Tortola, Nassau
Weather:  Very Good

This is my 33rd Carnival cruise, 4th John Heald Bloggers cruise, and 78th cruise overall. I am cruising as a solo, but I have lots of cruising friends and JH Blogger friends on board.

Day One--Saturday--Travel & Embarkation

Carnival Breeze Atrium

I left the ranch at 4:20 am for the hour drive to the small Waco Texas regional airport and a 5:30 am check in time.  It was a nice short flight to DFW and as I walked up to the gate for the Miami flight they just called priority boarding and I walked straight onto the plane. I had two seats that made the 2.2 hour flight to Miami fairly nice. I do like a window seat and had a great view of the Mississippi River SE channel where it empties into the Gulf of Mexico and just before we landed I had a great view of the seven cruise ships in the Port of Miami.  Amazing views.  We arrived on time at 11:00 am and I decided to use the new Carnival Cruise Line check-in facility at the airport. They are located in the baggage claim area in a couple of the terminals.  It was an easy process, they issue your sail & sign card and take your security photo, this will save a lot of time at the port.  I also purchased the Carnival shuttle ($16) and we were at the port just after noon.  The airport pre check-in means you go through a designated (shorter) security line, then bypass the check in at the cruise terminal.  Since there were so many Priority passengers due to the JH bloggers at VIP check in this was the fastest way to get on board by far. I was in my cabin on deck nine by 12:45 and in line at the Mongolian Grill by 1:00 pm.  First impression of the new Carnival Breeze is good.  To me it seems as though it has a very Caribbean feel, perfect for sailings from Miami.  Actually the first thing I noticed were the new Carnival uniforms for housekeeping and the Lido Marketplace staff.  The new faux wood cabin doors are a nice touch and very different.  The Funship 2.0 stations such as Guy’s Burgers, Blue Iguana, and Red Frog Rum Bar on Lido deck look great and are very popular.  I’ll visit them and explore more of the ship in the following days.  After a very good lunch from the Mongolian Grill I began running into friends and soon we were in the Red Frog Pub for some afternoon Welcome Aboard cocktails, visiting, and people watching until time for boat drill at 3:30 pm.  Safety drill seemed to go well, my muster station is D4 in the Club Oz on deck four.  The Hotel Manager sent champagne and a nice fruit basket to the cabin, I assume he did it for the bloggers and with 600 of them them would be a lot of cabins.  It is appreciated, always nice to have a welcome gift.  There was a Welcome Party for the Bloggers 5:00 - 6:00 pm in the Ovation Theater with cocktails and introduction of Bloggers staff and some crew.  I missed sail away due to the party, but soon all the shops and bars were doing a brisk business...a very busy ship.  I had been debating with myself about purchasing the new “Cheers” drink program and decided to do it so I could experience how the program works for myself.  Everyone in your cabin must purchase it and since I’m solo on this cruise and with some extra OBC’s this was a good time to try the program.  I’m no longer a ‘big’ drinker and I’ll evaluate if it is worthwhile for me, but it looks like more daily cocktails this cruise.  After my initial cocktails it was time for dinner in the Blush dining room.  Some friends and Ken Byrne, the Maitre’D, arranged a very nice table in the center of the dining room, just as I prefer...sweet.  I ordered both the Creme of Sun Ripened Tomato Soup and the Gazpacho Andalouse, the Tilapia entree, and the Creme Brulee for dessert.  It was good.  After dinner, a final nightcap, and a very long day I retired to the cabin.

Day Two--Sunday--at Sea

Sapphire Dining Room  -  Carnival Breeze

Very smooth seas overnight, I woke very early 5:00am-ish so still on ranch time I guess.  We made a surprise docking in Nassau early this morning to debark a medical emergency.  Just a fast in and out.  For breakfast I went to the omelette station in the Lido Market Place and had a nice omelette with a side of bacon.  A change from my usual Carnival cruise 1st day breakfast, but with the new Comedy Brunch format that plan doesn’t work.  They do open earlier (8:30am) for the brunch so the gap I mentioned on the Carnival Magic review is not as critical here on the Breeze. A bloggers only Q&A was held in the Limelight Lounge, John H has a brilliant way of making the guests a part of what actually becomes a comedy routine.  Luckily I had a seat at the bar so was able to enjoy some Bloody Mary’s during the Q&A.  I then had some organizational and set up time as I had volunteered to help with a private cocktail party, our now ‘Friends of John H’ meeting from 1:00-2:00 pm in the Liquid NIghtclub.  It went very well and John Heald even came by to say hello to the sixty FUN people who had been active on the Breezers Facebook page prior to the cruise. The two NFL football championship games were on every screen on the ship this day and passengers seemed to enjoy them along with all the usual sea day ship activities.  I was able to get a short nap before heading to the Red Frog for a pre dinner cocktail. This was the first elegant night and dinner was very good, I ordered the White Stuffed Mushrooms, Pumpkin Soup, the Spaghetti Carbonara, the Red Fish seafood entree, and Cherries Jubilee for dessert.  After dinner I went to the Production show: The Brits in the Ovation Theater.  This was unlike any production show I have ever seen incorporating LCD lights and panels to create the scenery and animated cast members. It was fantastic!, the best Carnival show to date-IMHO. I wish they would do it again as this show is not to be missed. After the show I went to the Piano Bar for just a bit until time for the midnight adult comedy show in the Punchliner Comedy Lounge.  A very good show, Al Ernst just gets better and better.  When I finely got back to the cabin to retire the towel animal on the bed was holding a bloggers gift: a nice commemorative pin.

Day Three--Monday—at Sea

For me?  -  Diamond Reception  -  Carnival Breeze

Another good nights sleep and we turned our clocks forward to Atlantic time so it was 8:15ish when I got around and 9:00ish when I to the Punchliner Comedy Brunch in the Sapphire dining room for a proper breakfast.  It was a good time to go as there was no line and I was seated straight away.  I had a very good Bloody Mary then ordered the Carne & Huevos (steak & eggs) and they were excellent. They were served with a grilled tomato, ranch potatoes & curly fires, a great vinegar dressing, and a bernaise sauce.  I added a side of bacon for a wonderful breakfast.  I was just finishing when my friend Al Ernst, did his little comedy routine.  I am coming around on the brunch concept although I enjoy being seated with other random guests at breakfast as is the norm on cruises, but this room and concept is not really set up for it.  Since this is the Your Time dining room there are a lot of smaller tables so very nice for couples, but not so for solo cruisers.  I finally got to explore more of the ship this morning and I’m really starting like the more subdued public spaces, they are not as dramatic as many past Carnival ships, but very nice with clean decorative lines and concept.  This is by far the best of the three ships in this class.  I had lunch with friends at Fat Jimmy’s C-side BBQ outside in the Ocean Plaza.  I had BBQ Chicken and pulled pork, they also offered sausage, ribs, baked beans, potato salad and slaw as well.  After lunch several regulars ended up at the Atrium bar until time for the Bloggers Slot Tournament ($20 entry) no luck for me, but at least we knew the winner.  The Diamond Guest function was held in the Liquids Nightclub. There were complimentary cocktails and nice horderves.  The Captain and senior crew were all there along with 35 Diamond Guests, an unusually large number of Diamonds on a sailing.  It was great seeing Ana and Marusya from guest services, love them both.  The party continued over to the Red Frog Pub until time to dress for dinner.  Dinner was good, I ordered: French Onion Soup, Penne Mariscos Pasta (with seafood), Braized Short Rib of Beef, and the Fig & Date dessert.  The feature show tonight was Hasbro-The Game Show with Butch but there were a lot of activities that friends and bloggers were doing including Punchliner Comedy, Piano Bar 88, and the Deck Party.

Day Four--Tuesday--St.Thomas, USVI

Megan's Bay - St. Thomas

Calm seas overnight and I slept fair.  We arrived on time and are berthed next to Carnival Liberty just as we were a few days ago in Miami.  Fortunately we are the only two ships here.  I had a private tour arranged by good cruise friends using Sonny Liston Tours.  Our driver was Elvis and we had a great group and tour starting at the popular Mountain Top lookout where we enjoyed the wonderful view and their famous Banana Daiquiris.  Next short stop was Sir Francis Drake’s seat that has a great view of Megan’s Bay.  Following that we went down to Megan’s Bay beach for 1.5 hour stop to enjoy the beautiful beach.  The water was fantastic. Although I’ve been to St. Thomas many times this is the first time to hit the water at Megan’s Beach. Next stop is Coki Beach for an hour followed by Sapphire beach for an hour, both were nice, but Coki’s smooth sand was much nicer than Sapphire.  We then made a quick stop at Duffy’s Love Shack for a final Bushwacker cocktail before returning to the ship.  A very FUN tour.  I watched sail away from St. Thomas from deck eleven, it was a very nice sunset sail-away Charlotte Amille.  I had an apéritif in the Piano Bar, a Standing Ovation, one of their branded drinks for the Piano Bar 88.  Dinner was good, I ordered the Yukon Gold Potato Soup, Tom Ka Gai, Beef Stroganoff and Bitter & Blanc and Tiramisu for dessert.  After dinner tonight’s feature show was: The Evolution of Edge a one man comedy / juggling act.  It was an entertaining show, but doesn’t need to be seen more than once.

Day Five--Wednesday--Antigua

English Harbor - Antiqua

Calm seas and good sleeping overnight.  I had an early continental breakfast from the Ocean Plaza and ate outside overlooking the port of St. John, Antigua.  I met my private tour mates at 8:00 am for a fantastic tour organized by one of my cruising buds with Tours by Gordon.  We had a couple of 8 pax vans and were soon off for Devils Bridge on the Atlantic side of the island.  This was a natural bridge created by high surf on the rougher coast.  From there we where on our way to the Nelson’s Dockyards area stopping first at Dow Hill Fort to enjoy the beautiful view of English Harbor and see a multimedia presentation about the history of that particular area.  We stopped at the Ridge for another great view to the Atlantic side and some snacks and beer furnished by Gordon. Next was Shirley Heights for an even better view of English Harbor and the location of the old British lookout station.  Then we then went down to  English Harbor and Nelson’s Dockyards National Park the location of the main British Navy base in the Caribbean during the ‘age of sail’ and the 18th century.  There were a lot of period buildings that now house trendy restaurants, hotels, and yacht related businesses as this is now a very popular sailing destination.  After a guided tour and a bit of free time we were off to the final destination: Valley Church Bay Beach.  Since we were somewhat self contained as Gordon had hot pasties (meat, chicken, & vegetarian), beers and sodas we selected our own more secluded section of the beach away from the bar and facilities.  It was a wonderful 1.5 hours to chill. I had to hit the beautiful water again and it was wonderful.  We returned to the Carnival Breeze and I had my first Guy’s Hamburgers of the cruise. They are 100% better than what they served before and pretty close to an ideal Texas style hamburger.  The Bloggers Super Star Live was this afternoon, I was late, but got to see most of it, a lot of talent in the group.  Clean up and rest before a pre dinner cocktail in the Red Frog Pub.  Dinner was good, we actually had an order of Chicken-Wings for the table that went well with my entrees:  The Tilapa and NY Strip Steak.  After dinner I attended the production show: Latin Nights and it was very good.  Tonight was designated as Pirate night by Bloggers so it was interesting seeing those dressed as pirates for the evening.  I didn’t, but was a pirate supporter with my jolly roger t-shirt and hat I purchased in St. Thomas.  I went to Cigars Under the Stars at 11:00 and they actually had some nice snacks prepared.  It was fun and made for a long and late evening.

Day Six--Thursday--Tortola

White Bay - Jost Van Dyke - Soggy Dollar

I was up early this morning as I have an early tour so I saw the sun rise over Tortola while having breakfast grits out on the Ocean Plaza.  Very pleasant.  Our tour left early as this is a short port day so the group met and walked the short few blocks to the marina and we were off to the island of Jost Van Dyke by 8:00 am. After a 40 minute boat ride we arrived off the beach at Jost Van Dyke and there was already a mega-yacht and several sail boats anchored off the beach. The options here are to swim in or wait for a dingy to take you ashore.  I chose to swim in as this was the original tradition.  The beach and water are wonderful, I can see why this is a prime destination spot.  There are several beach bars along the beach, but I went to the most famous of them: The Soggy Dollar.  I ordered a wonderful Bloody Mary paying for it with soggy money from the swim in to the beach (thus the name of the bar) and enjoyed the banter while setting at the bar.  In the next hour and half it became much busier as tours arrived and most wanted to try the Soggy Dollar signature drink: the Painkiller.  The Painkiller is a generous amount of dark rum with pineapple, orange, coconut mixer and nutmeg.  It was good, but I actually prefer the bushwacker a very similar drink.  We left the island about 1:00 and headed back to Tortola and the Carnival Breeze before the 3:30 final boarding time.  In fact the Past Guest party began at 3:30 pm in the Theater.  They had complementary FunShip Specials and horderves, they also recognized the Gold, Platinum, and Diamond guests.  Next there was a birthday party organized by some in the Facebook group for John Heald held in the Limelight Lounge. The folks that volunteered did a great job, it was another fun thing on the fun ship.  I had to get a short nap in as it has been a busy day, but made it to the Piano Bar for an aperitif.  Dinner was good tonight, I ordered the Chicken Noodle Soup, Mushroom Soup, and the Filet Mignon & Short Rib combination.  The beef dish is one of their better meat dishes IMHO.  I had the Apple pie for dessert, but it wasn’t top notch, so just an additional sambuca to finish the meal.  Again a lot of choices on the ship this evening including the Hasbro Game Show and the Mexican Fiesta on Lido deck.  We actually mad a quick stop in San Juan to debark an ill passenger before midnight.  Interesting day and evening.

Day Seven--Friday--at Sea

Pub Crawl - Red Frog Rum Bar - Carnival Breeze

Smooth seas and it was so nice to be able to sleep in this morning, we also gained our one hour of time back so we are now on Miami time.  I went to the lobby around 8:15ish to get a morning Bloody Mary and work on this blog, then to the Punchliners Brunch for breakfast.  Tough choice since I have not had Eggs Benedict yet, but went with the Carne & Huevos again, they are just so good.  There were some intermittent light sprinkles this morning and it is cooler, perfect weather for me, I get enough hot at home. I popped into Cherry On Top to get some sweets then later a small burger from Guy’s to carb-up before the Pub Crawl / Poker Run at 1:00 pm. This was planned as a fun bloggers event and about 35-40 participated.  We drew a poker card at each of six bars and I also ordered a cocktail at each. If I’m going to hit my 15 Cheers limit, today will be the day. We started at the Lobby Bar, then the Winners Luck Casino Bar, then the Red Frog Pub, then the Red Frog Rum bar on Lido, then the Blue Iguana, and finished at the Tides Bar on aft Lido deck.  This was a lot of fun...thanks to those that organized it, the traffic guard with drunks crossing signs were a funny touch.  Afterwards we had a tube of Thirsty Frog in the Red Frog Pub with friends.  I’m not positive what I did the rest of the afternoon, but I’m pretty sure a nap was involved.  I did have an aperitif in the Piano Bar before dinner.  This is the second cruise elegant evening and to mix it up a little I ate at the table next to my usual table.  I knew all the guests and they have a fun waiter too. Tonight I ordered the Escargots, Braised Basa Fillet of Fish, and baked Alaska for dessert.  After dinner I did go to Piano Bar 88 to hear Ron Pass, the best piano bar player on the high seas.  I guess I did end up closing it down, but that has to be done at least one night if Ron is on board.  Also sometime just before 2:00 am I was informed that I had reached my 15 limit of drinks on the Cheers card.  I also wanted to do that at least once so two things accomplished. 

Day Eight--Saturday--Nassau

Ropes Course - Hot Dog Stand - Carnival Breeze

I slept until almost 10:00 am this morning, then caught the end of the bloggers meet to get my group t-shirt, then up to Lido to get an omelette from the omelette station before it closed.  We docked in Nassau about noon.  I believe there are six ships docked including the Disney Wonder across from us, she will be in Galveston next year.  This is going to be my day to get a last look around the ship while many are off to see Nassau and work on the blog.  I had a nice late lunch in Cucina del Capitano, my first visit there on this cruise.  I really slowed down today after the big day yesterday so cabin time and a little exploring.  Did you know that there is even a hot dog stand on the miniature golf course...very clever.  I tried to make a booking for the Bloggers-7 cruise, we’ll see if the future cruise person gets it done.  I did go to the Piano Bar for my last sidecar cocktail aperitif.  Dinner was very good, I ordered two of the Panko Crusted Jumbo Shrimp, the Prime Rib, and Gran Mariner Souffle for dessert.  The feature singer was in the Ovation Theater tonight, but I retired early after getting a Carnival airport transfer and saying farewell to Marusya at Guest Services.

Debarkation
We arrived back in the Port of Miami about 6:00 am. My final Sail & Sign bill and BC7 booking was in my mail box.  I packed this morning and went to breakfast in the MDR, first Eggs Benedict of the cruise, unusual for me.  They were calling for all Self Assist by this time (8:00ish) so I went down but perhaps could have waited another 20 minutes as it was still very busy.  I try for that time just at the end of self and before deck assigned numbers. Getting to the transfers was easy and as soon as the bus filled we were off to MIA and was checked in by 9:30 through security and at the gate by 10:00 for a 1:05 boarding.  Transfer at DFW went well and I was in Waco by 6:30 pm.  Just an hour drive to the ranch and home.

John Heald Bloggers

For those that don’t know, John Heald is the Senior Cruise Director and Brand Ambassador for Carnival Cruise Lines.  He writes a very popular blog and the Bloggers as mentioned in this review are basically John Heald fans that read his blog and now his Facebook page.  This is the 6th ‘Bloggers Cruise he has hosted.  There are about 200-300 that have become regulars so it’s nice to see many people again.  The Bloggers cruises have all been FUN and really become an event unto itself.  The BC7 will be held on the Carnival Sunshine out of New Orleans in February 2014.

Cheers Bar Program
This is a new alcohol program recently introduced by Carnival and still not yet fleet wide.  You are allowed up to 15 drinks (under $10) for the per day cost of $42.95 per person + 15% gratuity.  You must purchase for all adults in your cabin and pay for each day of the cruise.  This was a good test opportunity for me since I’m sailing solo this cruise. It became routine for me to order 1 or 2 Bloody Mary’s at breakfast an apéritif before dinner, a glass of wine at dinner, then an after dinner drink in the dining room.  As the situation, day, and time allows various cocktails during the day.  You can also get sodas and I did that several times as well.  Personally I got my moneys worth, but honestly would not have had as much to drink without the program.

Crew
I found the crew to be very good.  I was able to meet many ships officers through the Diamond reception and VIFP party. The ship seems to be in very capable hands.  I enjoyed visiting with Pierre the Hotel Director, Ana the Guest Services manager, Marusya from Guest Services, Gertrude from Group Services,  Butch the Cruise Director was outstanding, Senior Head Waiter Damir was excellent, and of course Ken Byrne is an excellent Maitre’D and he sang in the dining room most nights and the waiters did their dances as well.  All the Bartenders and Bar Servers were very friendly.  It was good seeing Sebastian again.

Cabin
I had cabin 9359 a category 1A interior on Vista deck.  It had a single bed (and a drop down option), standard Carnival 3-section closet unit, mini fridge bar, push button safe, and lots of floor space.  It didn’t have a table, but they brought one for me.  Overall a nice cabin for a solo cruiser.  Ringga the cabin steward was great.  I love the new cabin doors.

Food
The Guy’s Burger Bar is a fantastic addition for more reasons than just the good food.  The good location and the fact they have an express line means they can feed a lot of people in a short time.  This really takes the pressure off of room service and other food locations on the ship especially on port days when hungry passengers all return about the same time.  Excellent concept.  The new Bonsai Sushi seemed to be very popular.  Cucina del Capitano was great.  I never used room service this cruise.  Ice creme and yogurt machines were available.  I didn’t try the pizza nor the burrito bar, but they both looked very good.

Needs Improving
I really think the aft pool should be adult only as I have stated several times about the Carnival Magic. It was even worse here with kids playing chase around the pool and using the hot tubs as play tubs...no adults among them.  If the Disney ships with many more children sailing can have an adult pool then surely Carnival can have one.  Please review that Carnival with your new 2016 concept ship. Other than that one issue the Carnival Breeze really seems to run like a well oiled machine, no major problems anywhere that I could tell from the viewpoint of an experienced passenger.

Highlights
The Diamond VIFP reception by the Captain was very good.  Guy’s Burgers were excellent.  The ship really looks very good although not flashy at all, I like it much better overall than the Magic.  But the highlight was seeing all the blogger friends of John Heald again.  Always great to see familiar faces having a FUN time!

Another fantastic FUN Bloggers cruise!!

Carnival Glory Review 2.20.2011

Carnival Glory Review 2.20.2011

Just The Facts
Ship: Carnival Glory
February 20-February 27, 2011
Captain: Salvatore Rassello
Cruise Director: Jorge Solano
Ports: Miami- Cozumel- Belize- Roatan- Grand Cayman- Miami
Weather: Good all week

This was my 23rd Carnival cruise, 63rd overall, and 1st time on the Carnival Glory. This is the first week of a B2B and we are hoping for a wonderful two weeks.

Day One--Sunday--Embarkation
We left the Ranch the previous night to stay with relatives in the Metroplex. We have an early direct flight to Miami and everything at the airport went well other than our flight was delayed about an hour due to a faulty gauge. We arrived a little late in Miami, but the real problem was about to present itself. No Bags. My hope was that since there were several others on the same flight with missing bags perhaps they were only misplaced for a while so we waited. After a wait it was very discouraging to be told to go to the claims and make a report. We were even told they would probably be sent to Cozumel. Not a good feeling for us especially for DW. Finally after reaching and waiting at the lost bag claims area the agent got a notice that some misplaced bags were found. Fortunately ours were among them. It was worth the long wait at the airport in order to actually have our bags. Not pleased with American Airlines. We took a taxi from the airport to the Port of Miami ($24+) and as it was late we had no problems or delays at check in. They have a nice VIP lounge and we boarded immediately. We dropped our bags and went straight to the Lido buffet as we knew it would close soon for boat drill. The salads were very good as usual and I had the roast beef from the carving station. The roast beef was just OK not near as good as on the Voyager nor even the Conquest or Splendor. Muster drill was about 3:45. You do not have to take your life jacket to the muster location. Your muster station is on your sea card so the crew use that to assist passengers to the proper location. We unpacked and settled into our cabin and met our cabin Steward, Mr.Wi, from Asia. We sailed away just after 4:00 and the weather is perfect. It is amazing to see all the cruise ships sail away from Miami. After sail away we had some cabin time and then went to the Lobby Bar for cocktails. On the way to dinner we visited the all the public rooms along the Promenade deck. There are some interesting decors. Some we liked better than others. We are in the Platinum Dining Room upper level and have a two top table. It is a very nice table for the two of us. I had the Tomato soup, the Fruit Plate, the Sweet & Sour Shrimp, and the Crème Brule for dessert. All were very good. The ‘Welcome Show’ was at 10:30 pm in the theater, but we retired early.

Day Two--Monday--at Sea
Great weather today. Seas calm. DW ordered her usual Room Service breakfast and I had breakfast in the Platinum Dining Room. I had my usual 1st day Carnival breakfast of Eggs Benedict, Grapefruit, with sides of Bacon, and Potatoes. After some cabin time we toured the ship and ended up in the Red Sail Restaurant as DW wanted to try the Burrito Bar. I sampled the Roast Pork from the carving station and the Key Lime Pie. The pork was just OK and I did not care for the pie. The tortilla used at the burrito bar was cold. It had just opened, but that’s no excuse for the tortillas to not be at least room temperature. Burritos should not be served cold. Very disappointed with lunch. We visited the shops and I also turned in a nice liquor order to be delivered on the last night. The 2-for pricing is pretty good on liquor. We explored more of the ship and then watched a movie in the cabin. About 2:30 they delivered our Platinum Canapes. They were very good, better than on other Carnival cruises, and came at a good time considering the weak lunch. I just wish they had something vegetarian for DW. After the movie DW wanted a snack so we went to the deli for a Arugula & Mozzarella sandwich and I ordered a Reuben sandwich. The Arugula was good, but the Reuben was the worst I have ever had anywhere anytime. I saved the remains of my sandwich and expressed my concerns to the assistant Lido Matre’d. The food has been so ‘hit and miss’ on this cruise. As the sun went down we watched a Tina Turner Concert at the Seaside Theater on Lido deck. It was very good show and beautiful evening and I had to sample a Pilsner Urquell beer, one of my former favorites that they do have available on the Carnival Glory. Before dinner Chocolate Covered Strawberries were delivered to the cabin, I believe a nice gesture from the Lido Matre’d. This was the first ‘Elegant’ night and the Captains reception was prior to dinner this evening although we passed on attending. This was ‘Lobster Night’ in the dining room, a bit of a surprise as Lobster is usually on the 2nd elegant night. I had the White Stuffed Mushrooms, Pasta Carbonara, and the Lobster & Shrimp entrée. For dessert I had the Cherries Jubilee and a Fruit Plate. After dinner we went to the Cinn-a-bar piano bar to hear Ron Pass perhaps the best piano bar entertainer in the fleet. I believe he is actually kind of retired from Carnival, but back by request for the Bloggers cruise next week. He is very entertaining. We attended the late production show, Livin’ in America, in the Amber Palace Theater. This was also our first time to see Jorge, the Cruise Director. We enjoyed the show very much. I recognized several dancers from the Conquest and all the singers and dancers were very good. We enjoyed a very long and busy sea day.

Day Three--Tuesday—Cozumel
Weather is again perfect today for my birthday. Mid-day temperature 85° with a cool breeze. We arrived very early in Cozumel and the Glory was the only ship docked at the Puerto Maya pier. I started the day with a good breakfast in the Platinum dining room and we went down to the pier well after the rush. We took a taxi ($7) into town and visited with our friend Nelly at her shop Caribbean Angel, spent some time on the internet ($1 per hour), and I got a haircut at Antonio’s Barbershop. With our business in town finished we went to one of our new Cozumel favorites: Buccano’s Beach Club located north of San Miguel. The open air restaurant areas and beach facilities are very nice and they have a beautiful small private beach and a designated snorkel area. The large freshwater swimming pool is great with good showers and view of the Caribbean. There were a few cruise excursions here, but it was not too busy. I had a wonderful swim both in the Caribbean and the pool. We ordered Guacamole and Chips and had a few Mojitos. I like the way they serve their Guacamole with Pico de Gallo, it’s my favorite style of dip. It was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon with lovely breezes and beautiful views. About 3:00 we went back to San Miguel to have a birthday drink at Wet Wendy’s. I had a mojitos and we also ordered some Pink Panther margaritas. with mango, strawberry, & coconut flavoring. They are really special! There was a very nice group of folks at the bar and I was given a complementary shot of tequila for my birthday. When our new friend Chad (the owner) realized it was my birthday he too bought me a shot of the Aguava premium tequila. It was smooth and very good. Soon our friend Nelly came over and also gave me a birthday shot of the Aguava. What was going to be one drink became a spontaneous ‘birthday party’ at Wet Wendy’s. I enjoyed it very much. I really hated to leave, but we had to return to the ship at 4:30. DW went to the Red Sail and took a plate to the burrito bar eliminating the need for a tortilla and I ordered two BLT’s from room service. The BLT’s would have been good as the bacon and tomatoes were wonderful, but unfortunately the toast was burned ruining the taste. This type of thing has happened several times so we have decided to call this cruise the “Jeckyl & Hyde” cruise. Every time we find something or a task that exceeds our expectations we also experience something very disappointing. We rested and recovered in the cabin until dinner. My dinner selections were the French Onion Soup, Shrimp Cocktail, and Pork Tenderloin. The waiters did bring a cheesecake with candles and sang ‘happy birthday’ for me. That was very nice. After such a busy day we retired after dinner.

Day Four--Wednesday—Belize
Weather was perfect today. We arrived and anchored in the tender area before our 8:00 am scheduled arrival time. We took our time getting around this morning as we have no excursion planned. DW had her room service and I had a very nice omelette from the omelette station located on Lido deck. We did take the tender over to Belize about 10:30 and walked over to the city before returning to the tourist area. A walk outside the tourist area is only for the brave or experienced. We did find the ferry to get to Caye Caulker and it is easily accessible. We had a diet Coke and Belikin beer at the local bar at the tourist dock and picked up a Wifi signal so I was able to check email and make a Facebook and Snooze Cruisers update. We returned to the ship in time for a late lunch. I was able to get two great bowls from the Mongolian Grill – very tasty and my favorite food on the ship. After lunch was movie and nap time in the cabin. Tonight’s feature show was the magician Justin Illusion. For dinner I had a Salad, Pork Chop, and both the Tirimasu and Bitter & Blanc for dessert. We wanted to see Ron Pass in the Piano Bar, but it was much too smoky for me. Very disappointed as both the Carnival Splendor and Carnival Conquest have non smoking piano bars. Just my opinion, but I believe more passengers would participate.

Day Five--Thursday—Roatan

We arrived by 7:30 a.m. but the weather was very windy and we didn’t get docked until much later. It was 8:30 by the time guest could get off the ship, but we were lucky as a Norwegian ship was waved off and had to tender their guests at Coxen Hole. We are docked at the new Mahogany Bay and it is fantastic. It has a two great piers, great shops, a zip line, nice bars, a beach area within walking distance, and so very clean & new. We hired a taxi for the day ($60) from the taxi stand. (Note: If you walk off the Mahogany Bay property I think you could get tours or taxis for a lower rate. There were several there as we left trying to sell tours.) Our first stop was at South Shore Zip Line ($45 pp). It was great with just the two of us, long zip line runs, and a great views of the Caribbean. By the time we finished they were very busy so it was excellent timing. We then went to the Mayan Princess resort located on West End beach. They have a beautiful pool and access to one of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean. (Photo right: steps from pool area to beach area) We got a table very near these steps and enjoyed both the pool and beach. This is one of my all time favorite beaches and you can also snorkel. The Salva Vida beer was very good and it was a very enjoyable day in Roatan. The Past Guest party was held late today in the Amber Palace Theater although we passed on attending. We did attend the feature performance this evening featuring Mr. Thien Fu, an action comedian. He was very entertaining and well received by the audience, you don’t see many standing ovations on a cruise ship. Dinner was one of the best of the cruise. DW had the Vegetarian Lasagna and I had the Fried Shrimp with Plum Sauce, the Penne Pasta, and the Filet/Short rib combination entrée. The pasta was cold and not good, but the shrimp was good and the meat was the best of the cruise. After a long and active day we retired after dinner for TV and cabin time.

Day Six--Friday—Grand Cayman
Another beautiful day in the Caribbean this morning; however, I was rolling around a lot in bed during the night due to the rolling seas. We didn’t arrive in Grand Caymen until 10:00 am. So time for a very good breakfast in the dining room. We have been here many times so we had no specific plans. DW spent the day on deck reading while everyone was gone and I went over to Georgetown just to get a Wi-Fi connection and check email. If you set in one area of Margaritaville you can pick up a signal so along with my Margaritaville unlimited soda glass ($8.95CI) I was set for several hours. I returned to the ship and order BLT’s again for a snack, but it was almost three hours before they were delivered. The Platinum Petit Fours were delivered so that helped. We decided to eat in the Red Sail restaurant tonight and they had Chateaubriand so it was a good choice. A very nice waiter brought some horseradish so I was happy with the choice. For dessert I had a great Mousse consisting of white chocolate and mocha. It was the best dessert of the week. We also had a nice visit with the assistant Maitre’d. After dinner we went to the 2nd big production show: Just Rock featuring the Glory singers and dancers. I loved the show, it was fast paced with rock songs and dances from the 1950’s to the 1980’s.

Day Seven--at Sea
We had perfect weather for our final day at sea. DW had her room service and I went to the dining room for a very nice breakfast. We had some cabin time and I worked on some things for next weeks cruise. We took a table far aft on Lido for the day. I was able to catch up on the reading I brought and watch the beautiful Caribbean waters as we sailed. My timing worked to be able to get a bowl from the Mongolian grill for lunch. It was great. The lines were not quite as long as it was very busy at the Burrito Bar, the regular buffet, and the very popular Chocolate Buffet. We enjoyed the outdoor weather from our table the rest of the afternoon as well. We had our final dinner for the week in the Platinum dining room. For dessert I had the Grand Mariner soufflé and a fruit plate. After dinner we had not received the liquor that we ordered earlier in the week and usually delivered on the last night. Sure enough it was being held in housekeeping as we were on a B2B. On previous B2B cruises they had always delivered it, but I understand the reasoning. I just cancelled the order and they credited it back to my sail account. I then just went down to the shop and purchased what I wanted off the shelf as your allowed to carry it with you on the last night. Note to self: Just wait until last night to purchase in the future.

Debarkation--Sunday
We were docked by 6:45 am in Miami. They started allowing the self-debarkation people off just about 7:30 a.m. and calling regular debark starting with zone 1 by 8:00 am. They were completely finished by 10:30, Jorge said it was a new PB (personal best) for Glory. I had a nice leisurely breakfast in the dining room

Ship
The Carnival Glory is a Conquest class ship so we are very familiar with the deck plans. It is a very nice ship and the theme is Colors with each public room having a different color theme. The lobby areas have a multi-color display using led lights and panels. IMHO it is not as nice as the Carnival Conquest as far as overall art, décor, and theme, but again I am prejudiced towards the Conquest.
The ship was very clean and has the recent updates such as the Seaside Theater and very nice Serenity area.

Cabin
We have cabin 9203 a category 4-J facing forward on Lido deck. The window opens to a small deck and a forward view. The cabin floor plan is more square than the usual rectangular shaped cabins. The cabin has an oversized bathroom, a double bed, only two closets (three is the norm), card swipe safe, flat screen TV, refrigerator (never used), and hair dryer. We found the cabin to be warm and not easy to cool even with the window drapes closed. A long walk to the stairwell and elevators, but I needed the exercise. Mr. Wi did a very good job maintaining the cabin for us and his towel animals were picture perfect. There is more movement with the far forward cabins.

Entertainment
We enjoyed the production shows very much. Thien Fu was very entertaining. Chaz, the magician, from South Africa, came by our table every night and did a trick or visited. We didn’t see all the comedians in the new Carnival Comedy Club shows, but their shows were very popular. Timothy the solo singer I met in Key West is very good. The Reggae band was a two member group and sounded great on deck. The other musical groups performed throughout the ship with a wide variety of music.

Food
Our dining room was the Platinum Dining Room located aft on decks 3 & 4. We had a small table for two on the upper level. We prefer the lower level, but wanted to try the small table experience. The food was very hit & miss, some items were great and many were very weak. Overall I thought that the breads were the weakest link and that the desserts were not comparable to other Carnival ships. I don’t think they trim their meats adequately or not what I am used to for sure. I found a lot of fatty parts especially in my Reuben sandwich, beef tips, pork chop and most everything from the carving station. I did discuss this with Florian the Lido Maitre’d. The cookies were always good, the shrimp dishes were some of the better entrees, and the salads were wonderful. There are several ice crème and yogurt machines on Lido deck.

New
The Miami TV stations are a welcome change from the Denver stations. There was good recognition from crew once they see your Platinum card. The bar servers would call you by name or you get a ‘welcome back’ and a smile from other crew.

Needs Improvement
I found the ship to be half a bubble off plum. As mentioned we called this cruise the Jeckle & Hyde cruise because every time we find something or a task that exceeds our expectations we also experience something very disappointing. Examples: burnt toast on BLT’s, cold burritos, cold potatoes at dinner, the Reuben Sandwich that was the worst I have ever had, and other situations as well. I feel there were a lot of new crew and perhaps a lack of full training and honestly perhaps not yet a full grasp of the English language. Of course my Texas accent was something new for many I spoke with this week. Worst of Cruise: I will never again take a cruise without first checking the vacation schedule for schools in the area or region I am sailing. There were really too many children on board than I prefer on a cruise, over 600 on this one. They played in the glass elevators, swam in the adult pools, and ran unsupervised throughout the ship.

Cruise Highlights
For me it was the production shows, dining room breakfasts, and the ports of call.

Hoping for a better second week.