I have traveled close to a million miles by air (many with my wife and a decent amount with our kids) but had not been on a long-distance, multi-day cruise. Very recently we completed our first cruise on the Carnival Breeze, and overall, it was a wonderful experience. We went with our two kids (ages 5 and 9) and their grandparents from both sides of the family and it would be hard to find a travel experience that caters to a group of people with that wide of an age variance.
We live in the greater Houston area and our 5-night cruise started in Galveston, TX with stops in both Cozumel and Progreso, Mexico. This specific article will focus on the onboard cruise experience, but we had an amazing time at both stops and separate articles will discuss our experience at each destination.
When going on a cruise was discussed between me and my wife in the past, we were both not sure how much we would enjoy being out in the sea for that long of a period as both of us tend to be a bit bothered by motion on the ship. As luck would have it, the weather changed significantly (temperatures dropping to the forties and high wind) just as we were leaving Galveston. Hence, our first afternoon/night on the ship was quite rocky and the feeling of nausea was present, making us initially wonder if going on this cruise was a clever idea. However, our bodies did adjust, and the waters got a lot calmer as we sailed towards the Mexican side of the Gulf of Mexico.
The onboard cruise experience was spectacular, and the vast array of food offered as part of the all-inclusive experience is certainly a major highlight for many travelers. There is something for everyone in the Lido Marketplace food hall with options such as burgers, tacos, deli sandwiches, seafood, pizza, barbeque, and much more. The convenience of being able to access such a wide variety of food so easily in the same area really helps with families, where preferences can vary significantly. There is also an option for a sit-down dinner (and or breakfast) at one of the many restaurants for a fancier and more formal experience. We were assigned a table at Blush, which had some good options ranging from chicken, and seafood to steak for the entrees along with excellent appetizers and desserts. We mixed going to the Lido Marketplace with going to Blush some nights for a casual vs more formal experience; it was great to have the option to pick formal sit-down versus casual on a nightly basis.
Many of the activities on the Carnival Breeze were family-friendly, our kids really enjoyed playing mini golf and playing in the swimming pools. There was even a basketball court on the ship where we shot some hoops! However, the best entertainment that all of us enjoyed was all the different shows Carnival puts on, including music and magic shows. Other family-friendly fun activities on board included poolside movie nights on a large screen, an arcade to play games, and much more.
Overall, our first experience on a Carnival cruise was spectacular, it’s clear that customer service and making sure their passengers leave feeling like they had a high-quality experience is very important to them. We cannot speak to the other cruise lines as we have nothing to compare to yet, however, we feel very comfortable giving a high recommendation for Carnival as a great option for a very unique family-friendly travel experience and definitely plan to go on another cruise in the future.
