Editor’s Note: My mom, Darlene Leppert, returns with her fun onboard views of our latest Carnival Cruise Line trip onboard the Carnival Breeze.
While we may have been late to the party in sailing on Carnival Cruise Line, it has quickly become one of our favorite lines for family time and fun!! There truly is so much enjoyment to be had on Carnival, and the Carnival Breeze was no exception!
While bouncing along in frolicking seas, we had plenty to keep us busy. The first sea day started with building a Jenga tower in the atrium with the adults enjoying this as much as the kids! Trivia buffs will enjoy the variety of topics covered from slogans to movies, music to Dr. Seuss, TV to geography!
The shops are a fun way to spend time browsing or shopping for items such as logo wear and assorted clothing suited to the outdoors. But the best shop onboard, in my opinion, is Cherry on Top where everyone can feel like a kid as they select their favorite candy in bulk from chocolate covered gummy bears to smarties! Flowers and wines and champagne can also be purchased in this store for any special occasion passengers may be celebrating.
Art auctions still remain popular with Park West offering a wide selection of art from many popular artists. The casino and spa both have the usual types of offerings! There is even a Thrill Theater which offers a motion ride with the pitching of the seats matched to the film you are watching.
But if being inside is not for you, there were plenty of sunburns and tropical drinks galore around the pools and sun decks, as well as Fat Jimmy’s C-Side BBQ for lunch on the promenade deck on sea days – quite yummy too I might add! Other eateries exclusive to Carnival are the BlueIguana Cantina, the RedFrog Pub, and Guy’s Burger Joint where one can devour a delicious Guy Fieri burger and fries! On the ship’s outdoor screen, movies and concerts are shown for any age cruiser complete with popcorn and blankets if needed as the sun goes down and evening cools off.
Dr. Suess is exclusive to select Carnival ships showcasing Dr. Seuss stories during reading times, as well as themed parades, breakfasts, photo opportunities with the characters, and gift items on sale in the onboard shops. And let’s not forget the awesome water slides atop the ship where the fun never stops flowing and the laughs abound!! Other games are available for families including the ever popular bean bag toss, scavenger hunts, and large scale Hasbro games played on the main show lounge stage for prizes! Arcade games can be enjoyed for prizes such as iPad minis or a GoPro camera!
My favorite show was the Towel Animal Theater where the adorable towel animals found each night on your beds come to life in their own show complete with music and dancing, a must see for kids of all ages! This show follows a time where the passengers get the chance to participate in the actual folding of some of the towel creatures! So fun!!
The entertainment has something for everyone, The Punchliner Comedy Club Presented by George Lopez included, where shows are age appropriate for families or for adults 18 years and older. Their production shows alternated across two nights each making it easier to see a show you may have been unable to attend on a previous day. This is a format we have not seen on any other cruise line before, and it works very well. The shows are pure fun with great music from “Motor City” and “Latin Nights” to “Divas” and “The Brits,” with each show making great use of colorful and imaginative backdrops! These shows sure left us tapping our feet and humming as we left the theater!
There are plenty of other venues for live and fantastic musical offerings comprised of piano and guitar soloists and music of all types such as Caribbean and Motown with dancing available to the Mambo Kings as well! Passengers can also entertain themselves with karaoke. This is still a real crowd pleaser with all the participants sure their voice talents are on par with The Voice or American Idol contestants!
One nice surprise onboard that will be a real plus to the mothers traveling with children is the laundry service that is offered. A laundry bag full of dirty clothes will only cost $15 to have the ship’s laundry wash them for you. Or you can do as many as 5 bags for $50, only $10 per bag with the package, during the entire length of the cruise! This is a great way to keep up with the continual stream of laundry and relax at the same time as someone else does the work for you!! But if you still prefer to do your own wash, laundry rooms are available on every stateroom floor along with pressing rooms as well to touch up that suit or dress for the formal nights!
On port days there are all kinds of shore excursions offered from dolphin encounters, bus tours, beach fun complete with lunch, golfing, snorkeling, rafting, ruins tours, and more! With Caribbean ports on our itinerary, evening munchies were provided at a Caribbean beach party one night and a Mexican fiesta on another evening.
There are just so many things to do in so little time. We really found it hard to get to do everything we wanted to! There were not enough hours in the day which means we will just have to keep coming back time and time again! We look forward to our next Carnival cruise!
For more information on the Carnival Breeze, visit Carnival Cruise Line‘s website here.
HEADER IMAGE SOURCE: JASON LEPPERT
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