We chose this cruise for my granddaughter's 18th birthday, high school graduation, and for me the end of a hectic school year. I knew the traffic from Houston to Galveston could be insanity, so we went in a day before. We used the Galveston Express service - if you use them be prepared for lots of stops (like a city bus). We stayed at the Scottish Inn in Galveston. I had read about the hotel and that you could walk over to the Ferry and ride for free. The hotel and staff were very nice, room clean, pool comfortable, and the walk to the ferry was 5 min. We rode the ferry just a little before sunset and saw dolphins and the sun set on the ocean. A perfect start to the trip. There was no food close so we had to order from a local pizza place, it took an hour for the food but it was fine. The hotel provides shuttle service to your ship for free, 10 min ride. 5 stars for the Scottish Inn.

Once at the ship our board time was 11:30 am, we easily found our area to wait and were boarded by 11:00 the process took maybe 10 min start to finish. Our room would not be ready until 1:30 so we quickly found food. I MUST NOTE not only was the staff friendly, but so were the other cruisers. I have NEVER been anywhere for a week where everyone was kind to strangers and each other. It was truly a pleasant experience. Our Cabin 11220 (Spa Cabins) was bigger than I expected and OH the BEDS !!! I like a firm bed, my granddaughter likes soft - the beds were perfect for each of us and I would have brought the bed, pillows, and bedding home with me if I could have. We did some exploring and just a few feet down the hall was a port door, we went out and found the very front of the ship on the 11th deck - there was never anyone there, other than us. What a nice place to drink our coffee and plan our day. Our room steward GREG was friendly and wonderful. Our cruise director - Schwartz - was everywhere, I swear the man is a robot - every time we heard the ding on the loud speaker we knew Schwartz was going to be there with his "GOOD MORNING CARNIVAL BREEZE FAMILY....."

We ate at the FARENHEIT 555 STEAK RESTAURANT the first night aboard it was amazing - it cost extra but was so worth it. I will point out for first time cruisers THERE IS NO CASH USED ON BOARD THE SHIP. Alcohol and soft drinks are also not included - the average alcoholic umbrella drink was $8, beer $5 and soft drinks $2.50 just for your planning. Of all the food on board our favorite was Guys Burgers and the buffet. The dining rooms were ok, but they were so busy that sometimes orders were not complete and some of the food way over cooked. We liked the buffets because there was a huge turn over in the food and it did not seem over cooked. Read more