Carnival Breeze 2022 5-Day Caribbean Cruise Review
Day 1 Part 2 May 14, 2022 Galveston, Texas
Scheduled Departure: 3:30pm
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Day 1 Part 2 May 14, 2022 Galveston, Texas
Scheduled Departure: 3:30pm
Click Any Photo To Make It Larger!
This part of the review is a continuation of my Day 1 cruise review of the Carnival Breeze. The last part of the review left off with me walking around the Carnival Breeze's Cloud 9 SPA and Fitness Center.
After walking around the Carnival Breeze's SPA and Fitness Center on Deck 12, I headed down to Deck 5 (Promenade). I walked from the front of the deck through the atrium. I was able to see the Deck 3 level of the atrium was packed with guests still boarding. There was a long line at guest services and the atrium bar was crowded. I didn't get any pictures of the atrium at this time because it was too packed, but I will many later in the review. I continued walking on Deck 5 and reached the Ocean Plaza. The Ocean Plaza is used during the day-time for various events and activities. There is a mini stage and dance floor in the center of the Ocean Plaza that are used at night for music and dancing. The Carnival Breeze's Alchemy Bar and Coffee Bar are located right by the Ocean Plaza.
Ocean Plaza - Dancefloor & Stage Area
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Ocean Plaza - Seating Area
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Lanai - Hottub
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Walking Around The Lanai On Deck 5:
The perimeter of Deck 5 has an outside area that wraps around the entire ship called the Lanai. On my previous cruises on the Carnival Dream and Carnival Breeze (these ships are in the same class) this outside Lanai area is one of my favorite areas to walk. The Lanai on the Carnival Breeze at the front was closed as this area is now for crew only. This closure was a surprise for me back when I cruised in December, but this time I fully expected it to be closed so I was not disappointed. Here are some pictures I took while walking around the back and sides of the Carnival Breeze's Lanai:
The perimeter of Deck 5 has an outside area that wraps around the entire ship called the Lanai. On my previous cruises on the Carnival Dream and Carnival Breeze (these ships are in the same class) this outside Lanai area is one of my favorite areas to walk. The Lanai on the Carnival Breeze at the front was closed as this area is now for crew only. This closure was a surprise for me back when I cruised in December, but this time I fully expected it to be closed so I was not disappointed. Here are some pictures I took while walking around the back and sides of the Carnival Breeze's Lanai:
Lanai
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Approaching The Back Of The Lanai
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Looking At Pelican Island & The Harbor
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Red Frog Pub Outside Seating Along The Lanai
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Lanai - Right Outside The Ocean Plaza
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Umbrella Tables On The Lanai
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Walking By One Of The Smoking Sections Along The Lanai
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Hottub Along the Lanai
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Lanai - View Of Carnival Vista In The Distance
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Carnival Hub App - After I Completed Self-Muster
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Self-Mustering On The Carnival Breeze:
After walking around on the Lanai on Deck 5, I remembered that I needed to complete the self-muster process. My muster station was "B4" which was the Deck 4 level of the Sapphire Restaurant. Crew members were standing at the entrance of the Sapphire Restaurant. We both showed our Sail & Sign Cards and they were scanned in order to log attendance at this mandatory drill. The crew members directed inside and asked us to walk the stairs down to the Deck 3 level of the Sapphire Restaurant in order to hear the safety information. The drill consisted of a lifejacket demonstration and some basic safety information. The drill lasted no more than 5 minutes and gave us a good reminder on how to wear a lifejacket & where we needed to go in the event of a real emergency. This Self-Mustering Drill replaced the old style Safety Briefing where everyone on the ship went to their muster station prior to sailing at the same time. The Self-Mustering drill allowed for social distancing. I like this new process better because the drill could be completed when I was ready to attend and since everyone could come when they were ready the muster station was not crowded. TIP: Your assigned muster station for the cruise can be found in multiple areas. Your boarding pass, Sail & Sign Card, the Carnival Hub App, and back of the stateroom door have your muster station letter/number printed. If you need assistance on the first day finding your muster station, crew members are stationed throughout the ship and can direct you to your assigned muster station. |
Continuing My Walk Around The Carnival Breeze:
After completing the self-muster drill I went from Deck 3 to Deck 5. At the very back of Deck 5 is the Limelight Lounge. The Limelight Lounge is used for the Punchliner Comedy Club in the evenings and is also used to host smaller scale events such as karaoke. Below are some pictures of the Limelight Lounge:
After completing the self-muster drill I went from Deck 3 to Deck 5. At the very back of Deck 5 is the Limelight Lounge. The Limelight Lounge is used for the Punchliner Comedy Club in the evenings and is also used to host smaller scale events such as karaoke. Below are some pictures of the Limelight Lounge:
Limelight Lounge - View From The Back Doors
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Limelight Lounge - Bar In Corner
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Seats In The Limelight Lounge
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Also at the back of Deck 5 is the Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse and the Piano Bar 88. The Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse was open each evening and required reservations (not complimentary). Unfortunately, the crew were working inside so I was unable to get some good pictures of this venue. While at the back of deck 5 I walked by Piano Bar 88. The Carnival Breeze's Piano Bar 88 is located right along the Promenade walkway and has a large piano with seats around. At night the ship's piano bar entertainer will perform here. I did not go to the piano bar this cruise, but heard the performer was good.
Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse - Quick Glimpse Inside
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Piano Bar 88
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Piano Bar 88
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As I walked along Deck 5 I passed by Bonsai Sushi. This venue was not open for lunch on the first day, but was open for dinner each night of the cruise and open for lunch on sea-days. Each menu item is priced ala-carte meaning that you will pay a price for each item.
Bonsai Sushi
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Bonsai Sushi & Promenade Walkway Looking Towards Ocean Plaza
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After walking for a while I was thirsty and decided to go back up to the Lido Deck (Deck 10) for a drink. I got one cup of water and one cup of fruit punch. This was the first time since my first cruise in 2007 of seeing fruit punch served in the Lido. The fruit punch was very sweet, but tasted good. Each of the other days of the cruise only had lemonade available in the Lido Marketplace's drink machines. Due to the Lido Marketplace being too crowded and no tables for four available, I walked back down to Deck 5 to drink. I sat in the Ocean Plaza right next to the Alchemy Bar.
Water & Fruit Punch
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Alchemy Bar
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View As I Sat In The Ocean Plaza
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I stepped back outside on the Lanai and passed by Guy's Pig & Anchor BBQ. This venue is complimentary and is open on Galveston day and sea days. I got a couple of pieces of sausage to try it. I ended up coming back on the last sea day for some greens and baked beans, but I will discuss that in Day 5's review. Here are a few pictures of the food at Guy's Pig & Anchor BBQ:
Guy's Pig & Anchor BBQ
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Guy's Pig & Anchor BBQ
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Guy's Pig & Anchor BBQ
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Cove Balcony Stateroom:
Staterooms opened for all guests at 1:30pm. Until this time the firedoors to the stateroom hallway were closed with signage asking guests not to enter until 1:30pm. My stateroom was a Cove Balcony stateroom located on Deck 2. The stateroom was located in between the front and middle elevators on the starboard side of the ship. The interior of the stateroom consisted of two twin beds, a couch that could be converted into a bed at night, and a small vanity area. Around the stateroom's small counter space there were two 120V electrical outlets and a European electrical outlet.
Staterooms opened for all guests at 1:30pm. Until this time the firedoors to the stateroom hallway were closed with signage asking guests not to enter until 1:30pm. My stateroom was a Cove Balcony stateroom located on Deck 2. The stateroom was located in between the front and middle elevators on the starboard side of the ship. The interior of the stateroom consisted of two twin beds, a couch that could be converted into a bed at night, and a small vanity area. Around the stateroom's small counter space there were two 120V electrical outlets and a European electrical outlet.
First Look At My Stateroom
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Stateroom Counter & Mirror
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Couch & Beach Towels
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On the stateroom's vanity a few flyers were waiting for us. One of the flyers was a Good To Know informational flyer about some onboard procedures. Another letter was a letter about how Carnival has crew members from Russia & Ukraine onboard and that the conflict is tough. Unfortunately, we also had a letter that let us know that our pre-cruise purchased internet plan was cancelled due to Wi-Fi issues. Wi-Fi was able to be purchased on a 24 hour basis at a daily rate.
Informational Papers On The Stateroom Counter
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Stateroom - Door Along The Right Side Were To The Bathroom
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Stateroom Bed
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The stateroom's bathroom was very similar to every other Carnival ship's stateroom bathroom that I have had. The bathroom consisted of a toilet, sink, and shower. In the shower, shampoo and shower gel were available in a dispenser.
Bathroom - Toliet & Sink
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Shower
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Stateroom Bathroom Counter
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I really enjoyed being in a cove balcony stateroom. On Dream Class ships, the cove balconies are below the lifeboats and are the closest balconies to the water. My balcony consisted of two chairs and a very small table. The balcony door could be locked by crew members in the event of bad weather because the balcony dividers can be used as watertight storm doors to keep guests off their balconies in the event of bad weather. At the times the balcony floor was a little wet. On the first day of the cruise, my cove balcony gave a great view of the cruise terminal. The gangway was only a few feet from my balcony so I was able to look up and see people boarding the Carnival Breeze. I also had a great view of the forklifts used to load luggage onto the ship. Here are some pictures of my cove balcony and the view I had:
Chairs & Table On Cove Balcony
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Cove Balcony Door Into Stateroom
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Looking Up The Gangway
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View From Balcony - Forklift on Pier
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Looking Down At The Pier From Balcony
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Looking Down At The Pier From Balcony
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Looking From The Front Observation Deck On Deck 9:
After looking at my stateroom and cove balcony I wanted to continue walking around the ship. At the very front of Deck 9 is an area above the navigational bridge that is one of my favorite places on a ship to look out. On both sides of the ship, this area overlooks the side of the ship. I was able to get a great view of the Carnival Vista, which was docked at cruise terminal #1.
After looking at my stateroom and cove balcony I wanted to continue walking around the ship. At the very front of Deck 9 is an area above the navigational bridge that is one of my favorite places on a ship to look out. On both sides of the ship, this area overlooks the side of the ship. I was able to get a great view of the Carnival Vista, which was docked at cruise terminal #1.
View From Observation Deck - Carnival Vista Docked At Terminal 1
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Looking Down At Cruise Terminal 2's Pier
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View From Observation Deck - Terminal 2 and Ship's Lanai Below
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Galveston
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Zoomed In View Of Galveston Below
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Looking Towards Pelican Island From Deck 9
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After looking outside I made a trip back to my stateroom. I started to unpack and looked out of the cove balcony more. Some announcements to remind guests to attend the self-mustering were made throughout the afternoon. Around 3pm our cruise director, Cookie, came over the PA to let guests know that the captain ordered all guests that had not yet completed the self-mustering process to attend. Cookie also used this time to go through safety information and the ship's general emergency alarm (7 short blasts & 1 long blast) was rang.
View From Deck 9 - Barge Passing By
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View From Cove Balcony
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View Of Pier From Cove Balcony
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Sail-A-Way From Galveston:
The Carnival Breeze was scheduled to set sail at 3:30pm from Galveston. I went to the very front of Deck 9. I had some family traveling on the Carnival Vista so they stood at the back and waved to us before the ship set sail. The Carnival Vista left before the Carnival Breeze. Very sadly, as we were were waiting to sail a hearse arrived on the pier because a guest passed away. I feel badly for the family and friends of the person who passed away & hope all are doing okay.
After the hearse left cruise terminal 2, the Carnival Breeze's gangway was taken in and the ship's ropes were untied. It was time to depart Galveston to start our journey to Costa Maya! Below are some pictures I took during sail-a-way:
The Carnival Breeze was scheduled to set sail at 3:30pm from Galveston. I went to the very front of Deck 9. I had some family traveling on the Carnival Vista so they stood at the back and waved to us before the ship set sail. The Carnival Vista left before the Carnival Breeze. Very sadly, as we were were waiting to sail a hearse arrived on the pier because a guest passed away. I feel badly for the family and friends of the person who passed away & hope all are doing okay.
After the hearse left cruise terminal 2, the Carnival Breeze's gangway was taken in and the ship's ropes were untied. It was time to depart Galveston to start our journey to Costa Maya! Below are some pictures I took during sail-a-way:
Carnival Vista Departing Galveston
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Zoomed In View Of Carnival Vista Departing Galveston
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Carnival Breeze Starting To Pull Away From Cruise Terminal 2
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View Of Cruise Terminal 2
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Cruise Terminal 2 Gangway
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Area On Pier Between Cruise Terminal 1 and 2
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Looking At Cruise Terminal 1 and Galveston
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Looking Towards Galveston - View of Elyssa and Harbor House Hotel
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Looking Down At Harbor House Hotel
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Sailing By The Oceanstar Offshore Drilling Rig Museum
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Sailing By The Del Monte Pier
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Cruise Terminal 3 - Scheduled To Open November 2022
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Large Open Space for Parking Lot By Future Cruise Terminal 3
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Cruise Terminal 3
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Sailing By The Ferry Landing - Galveston Side
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Passing By A Ferry
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View From The Ship's Front As We Approached Seawolf Park
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Carnival Vista In The Distance
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Looking Back At Galveston
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Getting Close To The End of Galveston Island
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Passing By Ships Anchored Between Galveston & Bolivar Peninsula
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After watching sail-a-way I went back to my stateroom. There was still about an hour until dinner so I continued unpacking and then sat outside on the cove balcony for a little while. Here are some pictures from my cove balcony:
View From Cove Balcony
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Seeing Galveston In Far Distance From Cove Balcony
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Water Color Starting to Get A Little Nicer!
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How The Your-Time Dining Check-In Process Worked:
I had Your-Time Dining which means I could dine in a specific dining room from 5:30pm until about 9:00pm. Dining assignments are printing on guests' Sail & Sign Cards. My Sail & Sign Card indicated that for dinner I needed to check-in on the Carnival Hub App and then I would be assigned a table. Shortly before the dining room opened the Carnival Hub App began allowing guests to check-in. The check-in for dinner was easy and involved clicking a check-box for each guest that was going to be eating. Within a couple of minutes of checking in the app notified me that my table was ready and I selected that I was on my way. The app will hold table assignments for 10 minutes before cancelling a reservation. The Sapphire Dining Room is the Carnival Breeze's mid-ship dining room. Upon arriving at the atrium entrance of the Sapphire Dining Room I told the hostess my table number that was assigned on the app and she had someone bring us to our table. This new process of checking in for Your-Time Dining replaced guests lining up early and then everyone speaking with a hostess when the doors opened.
I had Your-Time Dining which means I could dine in a specific dining room from 5:30pm until about 9:00pm. Dining assignments are printing on guests' Sail & Sign Cards. My Sail & Sign Card indicated that for dinner I needed to check-in on the Carnival Hub App and then I would be assigned a table. Shortly before the dining room opened the Carnival Hub App began allowing guests to check-in. The check-in for dinner was easy and involved clicking a check-box for each guest that was going to be eating. Within a couple of minutes of checking in the app notified me that my table was ready and I selected that I was on my way. The app will hold table assignments for 10 minutes before cancelling a reservation. The Sapphire Dining Room is the Carnival Breeze's mid-ship dining room. Upon arriving at the atrium entrance of the Sapphire Dining Room I told the hostess my table number that was assigned on the app and she had someone bring us to our table. This new process of checking in for Your-Time Dining replaced guests lining up early and then everyone speaking with a hostess when the doors opened.
Table Setting For The Evening
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First Dinner On The Carnival Breeze In The Sapphire Dining Room:
After being seated our headwater came by and introduced himself. He brought water to pour into cups, but I asked for some tea. Our order for appetizers, main courses, and desserts was taken at once. After our order was taken the waitstaff came by with a big basket of bread and asked which bread we would like. They served the bread to us using tongs. Our choices for tonight's bread were baguette and multigrain cranberry. I asked for one piece of both, but the multigrain cranberry is my favorite piece of bread onboard. I tend to like consistency so I ordered the exact same menu items as my past cruise on the Carnival Breeze in December. I ordered a caesar salad and quesadilla for my appetizer. Both tasted great. I think the caesar salad had too much dressing, but it is a good thing I like caesar dressing. For my main course I ordered the Sweet & Sour Shrimp. For dessert I ordered a banana split, which is on the Kid's Menu. The banana split consisted of a scoop of neopolitan ice cream, some sort of whipped cream, banana slices, a cherry, and sprinkles. Everything was great and our waitstaff did an excellent job! |
The dining room menus for the night were able to be viewed prior to the start of dinner through the Carnival Hub App. I took screenshots of the menus that were posted to the app to share on here with you. For those on the ship without the Carnival Hub App, the menus were posted outside the dining room each morning. Menus are no longer provided to everyone in the dining room unless specially requested. Guests are asked to use their phones to view the menu. This is a part of Carnival's Covid protocols. Here are my screenshots of the menus from this night of the cruise:
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Here are some food pictures from the first night's dinner:
Bread - Baguette & Multigrain Cranberry
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Appetizer - Shrimp Cocktail (Two)
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Appetizer - Quesadilla
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Appetizer - Caesar Salad
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Main Course - Grilled Salmon
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Main Course - Grilled Chicken Breast
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Main Course - Sweet & Sour Shrimp
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Side Baked Potato
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Dessert - Carnival Melting Chocolate Cake
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Dessert - Fresh Tropical Fruit
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Desert - Butter Pecan Ice Cream
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Desert - Banana Split (Off Kid's Menu)
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After dinner I went back to my stateroom real quick. While I was there I stepped outside on my cove balcony to look outside. The sun was beginning to set. Our stateroom steward came by and left a towel animal.
View Of Sunset From Cove Balcony
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Cove Balcony View - Looking Towards Ship's Front
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Towel Animal
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Welcome Aboard Bingo Game
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Ovation Theater - Bingo Session
At 7:15pm in the Ovation Theater a game of Welcome Aboard Bingo was taking place. Bingo on Carnival's ships costs money to buy Bingo cards, but there are cash or other prizes for winning. Sometimes prizes are cash, but other times could be jewelry or a free cruise depending on the game of bingo that is being played. After dinner when I arrived in the Ovation Theater the game of Bingo was about to start, but had not yet started. I did not play bingo, but watched the game because I wanted to be in the Ovation Theater for a good seat for the Welcome Aboard Show. |
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Welcome Aboard Show:
At 8pm, the Welcome Aboard Show was scheduled to take place in the Ovation Theater. Our Welcome Aboard Show consisted of the cruise director speaking, an interactive game with contestants on stage, and the Playlist Productions dancers giving a short 10 minute sneak peek of the show. Our cruise director was Cookie and he did a great job welcoming us to the Carnival Breeze and a game with some contestants. The first day of the cruise was Cookie's birthday and he was hosting special themed nights to celebrate his birthday cruise. He also introduced the Fun Squad, which are the crew members that host the entertainment department's games and activities throughout the cruise. The Fun Squad surprised Cookie by making an unscheduled appearance when he was supposed to start speaking to wish him a happy birthday. He looked genuinely surprised and good job to all the Fun Squad and techs who pulled off the surprise. The Carnival Breeze's Playlist Productions cast members performed a 10 minute quick show after Cookie was done hosting the mini-game. The cast was talented and did a great job! |
Ovation Theater Before Welcome Aboard Show Started
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After the Welcome Aboard Show I went to the Lido Marketplace for some water and then headed up to Deck 12 for a quick walk around the ship. It was nice to see the ship lit up at night. There was enough light created by the ship to allow me to take some pictures at night. On cruises in the past I used to have difficulty taking pictures after dark due to the limited lighting available.
Deck 12 Jogging Track
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Looking Towards Lido Pool
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Jogging Track By Mini Golf Course
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I was very tired from the early start to the day and went to bed around 10pm. Although I would have liked to stay up later on the cruise, I wanted to get enough sleep and be able to wake up early for a morning walk around the ship. I got woken up a few times in the night by loud people in the hallway and around 4am an announcement was made looking for a guest. Otherwise, I slept great and my bed was comfortable.
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