Carnival Breeze 2023 5-Day Caribbean Cruise Review
Day 3 Part 2 May 15, 2023 Costa Maya, Mexico
Scheduled Arrival: 1:00pm
Scheduled Departure: 8:00pm
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Day 3 Part 2 May 15, 2023 Costa Maya, Mexico
Scheduled Arrival: 1:00pm
Scheduled Departure: 8:00pm
Click Any Photo To Make It Larger!
Arrival In Costa Maya:
Our arrival in Costa Maya was scheduled for 1pm. After I finished eating lunch in the Lido Marketplace I went down to Deck 5 to see how close we were to Costa Maya. The Carnival Breeze was in the process of turning around when I stepped outside. From the back of Deck 5 I was able to see the pier and the shops & buildings of the Costa Maya cruise center in the distance. Costa Maya can accommodate multiple cruise ships at once, but today the Carnival Breeze was the only ship to dock. Unfortunately, the weather was not improving much other than the rain from the morning was gone.
Our arrival in Costa Maya was scheduled for 1pm. After I finished eating lunch in the Lido Marketplace I went down to Deck 5 to see how close we were to Costa Maya. The Carnival Breeze was in the process of turning around when I stepped outside. From the back of Deck 5 I was able to see the pier and the shops & buildings of the Costa Maya cruise center in the distance. Costa Maya can accommodate multiple cruise ships at once, but today the Carnival Breeze was the only ship to dock. Unfortunately, the weather was not improving much other than the rain from the morning was gone.
Costa Maya In The Distance - View From Deck 5
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Tram That Gave Rides On The Pier
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Water Behind The Ship
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I watched as the Carnival Breeze slowly backed into place by the pier. When we were close to stopping the ropes were deployed and some pier workers tied the ship up. It is an interesting process to see how the tying and untying of the ship works.
Ropes Being Sent Over To The Pier
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Ropes Tied
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Deck 5
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Getting Off The Carnival Breeze To Go Ashore:
Once we were docked and the ship was tied, our cruise director Shy came over the PA to announce one of the gangways was now open for guests. We had arrived a little earlier and guests on the Carnival Breeze were able to go ashore a little earlier than the scheduled time. We waited a little while to let the crowds get off the ship before going ashore. To go ashore we walked to the front elevator/stairwell area and walked down to Deck 0. On Deck 0 there were crew members directing guests towards the gangway. A few shopping maps were available for grabs by the gangway. Carnival had a place for guests to place food/drinks that were prohibited from going ashore. At the gangway, security was scanning Sail & Sign cards. After getting scanned we were able to walk down the gangway. The Carnival Breeze's Pixels photo gallery photographers were standing around the gangway taking pictures of guests. We declined and started walking down the pier.
Once we were docked and the ship was tied, our cruise director Shy came over the PA to announce one of the gangways was now open for guests. We had arrived a little earlier and guests on the Carnival Breeze were able to go ashore a little earlier than the scheduled time. We waited a little while to let the crowds get off the ship before going ashore. To go ashore we walked to the front elevator/stairwell area and walked down to Deck 0. On Deck 0 there were crew members directing guests towards the gangway. A few shopping maps were available for grabs by the gangway. Carnival had a place for guests to place food/drinks that were prohibited from going ashore. At the gangway, security was scanning Sail & Sign cards. After getting scanned we were able to walk down the gangway. The Carnival Breeze's Pixels photo gallery photographers were standing around the gangway taking pictures of guests. We declined and started walking down the pier.
Pier & Looking Towards Ship's Front
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Front & Side View Of Carnival Breeze
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Other Gangway
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Side view of the Carnival Breeze
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Sign On Pier - This part of the pier was where another ship could dock
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Back Of Carnival Breeze
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The pier was a little crowded which made taking pictures a bit harder. The pier at Costa Maya is long, but there is a free shuttle (relies on tips) that will take guests between the ship & shore. The shuttle would stop by the ship and then drive to the end of the pier. Then the shuttle would wait and go back towards the ship. There seemed to be no set schedule. Some guests stood around waiting for the shuttle and it filled up quickly each time it went from the ship back to shore. I have a picture of the shuttle a little further down on this review.
Costa Maya
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Walking Along The Pier
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Looking Back At The Carnival Breeze
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Costa Maya
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Costa Maya Flags
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Shuttle For Moving People On The Pier
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After walking on the pier, we were in an area that was extremely crowded. Guests taking shore excursions were directed to one area that had zone numbers to help find the correct meeting spot. Guests not taking a shore excursion were directed towards a building that contained shopping. The walk through this shop was brief and the other side led to an outside walkway with shops lining both sides.
Costa Maya Sign
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Cruise Port Map - Located Near The Pier
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Flying Mayan Indians On Ropes
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Everything around Costa Maya was packed! Last year when I visited I thought it was because we had two ships docked, but it was still very crowded this year. I didn't have any plans so I walked around to look a bit. While walked I passed by coconuts for sale and saw a flamingo exhibit.
Coconuts Outside A Store
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Flamingos
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Walking by the Flamingos
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There is an elevated walking path above the Costa Maya cruise port that according to a map has an aviary and some scenic spots for pictures. This area cost money and since the weather was not good I did not look much into buying a ticket. Another area of the Costa Maya cruise port is a place to swim with dolphins. There is a building where guests can get information or purchase tickets to swim with the dolphins.
Elevated Walkway
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Map For The Elevated Walking Path
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Dolphin Discovery
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After walking through the shops I reached the farthest point I could get without leaving the complex. It did not appear there was anything right outside the Costa Maya cruise complex. There were taxis sitting waiting for guests that wanted to pay for them.
Construction going on close to the entrance
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Walking Close To The Entrance
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Driveway Where Taxis Waited
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Bike Rental Counter
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Kiosks For Tours - No Person Working
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El Faro Dining Area
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Since I did not want to leave the cruise complex I walked back through the shops. I came to a pathway that led by the water. I was able to see guests swimming with the dolphins. I also walked by a restaurant area called El Faro and walked by their tables to take some pictures of the ship. If the clouds would not have been as thick I probably could have gotten some really nice pictures here!
Carnival Breeze In Distance
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Carnival Breeze
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Costa Maya
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Carnival Breeze
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Walking By A Shop
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Spider Monkey
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Walking Back To The Ship - Entering The Pier:
In order to walk back onto the pier, we had to go through a security checkpoint. We had to show our Sail & Sign card to the security guard. The security guard was checking Sail & Sign cards for ship names and sailing dates. Once this was done we were able to walk onto the pier. Here are some pictures I took while walking along the pier:
In order to walk back onto the pier, we had to go through a security checkpoint. We had to show our Sail & Sign card to the security guard. The security guard was checking Sail & Sign cards for ship names and sailing dates. Once this was done we were able to walk onto the pier. Here are some pictures I took while walking along the pier:
Back To Ship Sign
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View of Costa Maya From The Pier
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Carnival Breeze's Aft - View From The Pier
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Carnival Breeze's Aft Ropes Tied
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FWD Gangway
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View As I Crossed The Gangway
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Getting Back On The Carnival Breeze:
After walking up the Carnival Breeze's gangway we had our Sail & Sign cards scanned. This was done by a security guard with a handheld tablet. As each person's card was scanned their picture appeared on the screen for security to verify the identity of the cruiser. After getting our Sail & Sign card scanned we had to go through the metal detector & bag screening. All electronic items had to be emptied from our pockets and placed in a bin to go through a separate scanning. Bags, purses, and backpacks also had to be scanned separately. I had to step aside to get a further search with a wand, but I was not doing anything wrong so I am not sure why the machine went off. Overall the Security Checkpoint was quick and easy.
After walking up the Carnival Breeze's gangway we had our Sail & Sign cards scanned. This was done by a security guard with a handheld tablet. As each person's card was scanned their picture appeared on the screen for security to verify the identity of the cruiser. After getting our Sail & Sign card scanned we had to go through the metal detector & bag screening. All electronic items had to be emptied from our pockets and placed in a bin to go through a separate scanning. Bags, purses, and backpacks also had to be scanned separately. I had to step aside to get a further search with a wand, but I was not doing anything wrong so I am not sure why the machine went off. Overall the Security Checkpoint was quick and easy.
My first stop once I got back on the ship was to go to my room on Deck 2. Since we boarded the ship at the front we were very close to our room. I then went for an afternoon walk around the ship. Most areas were quiet onboard with the exception of the Ocean Plaza and upper decks of the ship.
Ovation Theater - work being done to the stage
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Lanai
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Costa Maya
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While walking around I stopped in the Liquid Nightclub. The room was empty and the art gallery was not utilizing the nightclub at this time. The auxiliary lights were turned on. The nightclub was cold and had a weird smell.
Liquid Nightclub
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Liquid Nightclub
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Liquid Nightclub
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Liquid Nightclub
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Liquid Nightclub
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Liquid Nightclub
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I walked across Deck 4, which was quiet and mostly empty. The Circle C and Club 02 youth program lounges were closed and had signs indicating the lounge was unsupervised. The Deck 4 non-smoking casino annex was closed as the casino would not re-open until after sail-a-way from Costa Maya.
Circle C Entrance
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Club 02 Entrance
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Non-Smoking Casino Annex on Deck 4
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Before dinner I walked to the front of Deck 9 to look out. It felt like it was going to rain, but I do not think it actually did. I was able to see part of the pier from here, but most of the view was obstructed due to the Carnival Breeze's Lanai.
View From Deck 9's Front Area
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View From Deck 9's Front - Looking Down Towards The Pier
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Costa Maya
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Table in the Sapphire Dining Room
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Dinner In The Main Dining Room:
Tonight was our third dinner of the cruise and once again we ate in the Sapphire Dining Room for Your-Time Dining. The Carnival Hub App's Your-Time Dining check-in opened a few minutes prior to dinner and at 5:30pm the doors to the Sapphire Dining Room opened. We showed our table assignment and were taken to the same table as the previous two nights. The dining room was very empty since we were docked in Costa Maya. One of our waitstaff commented that slow nights are worse on the crew because the time passes by slowly. I can understand because I would rather be busier at work than have a slow day. Tonight's dinner menu was packed with great choices. I decided on for appetizer fried mozzarella and caesar salad, main course was Grilled Talapia, and dessert was a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Everything tasted great and the food service was awesome! |
Below are screenshots from the Carnival Hub App of the night's dining room menus:
Appetizers Menu
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Main Courses & Steakhouse Selections
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Desserts, Coffee & Tea, & Cocktails
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Here are our food pictures from tonight's dinner:
Appetizer: Fried Mozarella
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Bread: Baguette and Whole Wheat
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Appetizer: Baked Meatballs
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Appetizer: Shrimp Cocktail
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Appetizer: Caesar Salad
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Main Course: Southern Fried Chicken
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Main Course: Grilled Pork Chop
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Main Course: Grilled Tilapia
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Dessert: Bitter N Blanc
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Dessert: Warm Chocolate Melting Cake
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Appetizer: Vanilla Ice Cream
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After dinner I walked up to the back of Deck 5. The sun was beginning to set and I was able to see people walk back to get on the Carnival Breeze. I stayed outside at the back for over an hour watching the sunset and people get back on. The sky was not as cloudy as earlier and it felt great outside!
Sun Beginning To Set
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Sunset
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Sunset
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Our departure from Costa Maya was scheduled for 8pm. We left on-time and there were no pier runners (at least seen by me). The sail-a-way from Costa Maya was very quick as the Carnival Breeze pulled straight out. Since there was a little bit of time before Deal or No Deal, I walked around outside on the Lanai for a little while. I was able to see the light from Costa Maya get smaller and smaller as I made each lap around the Lanai.
Pier
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Lanai
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Lanai
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Deal Or No Deal
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Deal or No Deal:
At 8:30pm in the Ovation Theater was Deal or No Deal. This gameshow was based on the popular TV show. Guests were able to enter to play by purchasing cards starting a few hours in advance of the game-show starting. Game cards were sold at 7:45pm and had to be purchased early because when it is time for the game show it is too late to buy a gamecard. Two rounds were played with two different contestants. I have written a post about Deal or No Deal on here if you are interested in checking it out: Click Here to View Deal or No Deal lasted about 45 minutes in total. The show was hosted by our cruise director, Shy. The Ovation Theater was packed for the Deal or No Deal gameshow. |
After watching Deal or No Deal I was exhausted and ready to get to sleep. Our day in Cozumel was tomorrow and we would be docking early so I wanted to be well rested. Around the Carnival Breeze karaoke was taking place from 6pm until 10pm in the Limelight Lounge, the Love & Marriage show was starting at 9:30pm in the Ovation Theater, and the Carnival Quest adults game was starting at 11pm.
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Continue To Day 4 Part 1's Cozumel Review!
The first part of my Cozumel day is review includes breakfast in the main dining room, walking around Puerta Maya, walking around outside the Puerta Maya Pier, and more! Click Here For Day 4 Part 1's Cruise Review! Click Here To Return To The Review's Mainpage |