Entertainment & Activities

Day & Night

• Daytime activities include hairy chest contests, towel animal demos, trivia and bingo

• Evenings are full of laughs and music with comedy shows, deck parties, karaoke and outdoor movies

• Busy casino with a variety of table games, slot machines and tournaments

• Free Carnival Hub app lets you check the daily schedule on your phone

Fun is Carnival's mantra. On sea days, expect events ranging from trivia and scavenger hunts to shopping talks, cooking and towel animal-making demos, bingo for cash prizes, Dr. Seuss Story Time, shuffleboard, Ping-Pong, art auctions, poolside dancing and the hilarious "Very Hairy Chest Contest."

A two-dozen seater Thrill Theater ($7.95 a show) shows 4D mini-movies that have your chairs rocking and water spraying while you watch. There's also a video arcade for spending money on sea days.

Evening entertainment includes nightly 30-minute Playlist Productions performances by the ship's singers and dancers, raucous audience-participation game shows (a la "The Newlywed Game"-style "Love & Marriage Show"), comedy shows (PG-rated earlier in the evening, moving toward X later), dancing in the Liquid Nightclub, deck parties and popular karaoke nights.

Outdoor movies on the Lido Deck, complete with popcorn, are screened twice nightly, with earlier showings geared toward kids.

Carnival Breeze Bars and Lounges

Drinking is a day and night pastime for many adult passengers, and sweet tropical concoctions and beer are popular. Watch for $3 "make any drink a double" days.

Highlights include:

Atrium Bar (Deck 3): This bar revs up at night when string trios play, Latin singers entertain, a DJ spins and theater performers mingle (and dance) with fans. Mojitos are popular.

The Library Bar (Deck 4): A small, quiet space with books, the Library Bar has two self-service wine dispensers that pour a changing variety of vino in 2-, 4- and 6-ounce quantities.

RedFrog Pub (Deck 5): This replica of a British pub (with a Caribbean flair) -- serving up Carnival's exclusive ThirstyFrog Red and extra-fee bar snacks after 6 p.m. -- is a favorite gathering spot. There's a jukebox, patio-style seating and acoustic guitar music at night.

Piano Bar 88 (Deck 5): This bar is elbow-to-elbow when the pianist is taking requests and performing, or when a sing-along breaks out. Martinis are popular.

Liquid Nightclub (Deck 5): Styled like a mini-Vegas club, Liquid doesn't get going till after 11 p.m.

The Limelight Lounge (Deck 5): This lounge, with a stage and a bar, heats up on nights when there's karaoke or a Punchliner Comedy Club show.

BlueIguana Tequila Bar (Deck 10): The always-jumping poolside BlueIguana does a brisk business in tequila drinks, though you can find a few other options as well.

RedFrog Rum Bar (Deck 10): Another poolside staple, the RedFrog Rum Bar dispenses tropical creations, frozen drinks and ThirstyFrog Red beer.

SportsSquare Bar (Deck 12): In addition to adult beverages, this outpost by the basketball court does a brisk business in smoothies for the kids playing mini-golf. Unlike most other bars, it closes early, usually around 6 p.m.

Carnival Breeze Outside Recreation

• Just two pools -- one with a movie screen -- but none are big enough for laps

• Top-deck fun includes water park with slides, ropes course and mini-golf

• Lower-deck Ocean Plaza has less crowded hot tubs and lounge chairs

• Adults-only sun deck is kid-free but not necessarily quiet

Carnival Breeze has two pools, two water slides with kiddie splashing areas and a half-dozen hot tubs. Serious swimmers beware; no pool is big enough for real swimming or doing laps. There's no lifeguard at any of the pools, and infants in diapers and kids who are not toilet-trained are prohibited from entering the water.

The Beach Pool is the hub of daily activity that includes group dancing and concerts broadcast on the big screen. On sea days, it's hard to find an empty lounger. The aft Tides Pool is quieter, though its two hot tubs are popular.

Adults can escape to the free-to-use Serenity Deck, where you'll find cushioned loungers, basket-weave clamshell-shaped "cabanas" for two, two hot tubs and a lone hammock. However, the locale isn't exactly serene when riders are screaming on the nearby water slides.

Deck 5 is a good place to hide from the crowds, save for the smokers in the area outside the Ocean Plaza Bar on the left side of the ship. The deck offers loungers galore, two giant chessboards and four elevated hot tubs overlooking the sea.

The WaterWorks area features two curving water slides, the PowerDrencher (which dumps water on visitors) and shallow splash pools for little ones. For drier fun, the upper decks offer a suspended ropes course, Ping-Pong, a miniature golf course, basketball court and outdoor area with punching bags and exercise machines.

Carnival Breeze Services

• Guest and shore excursion services

• Library and card room

• Photo gallery

• Internet stations on three decks (find Carnival prices here)

• Shops sell accessories and clothing, fine jewelry and watches, Carnival-branded items, toiletries, snacks and duty-free alcohol

• DIY launderettes (quarters needed), with iron and ironing board for use free of charge

• ATM

• Medical center

• Conference center

Spa & Fitness

• Large selection of body treatment, facial, medi-spa and salon services

• Extra-fee thermal suite features heated ceramic loungers, a thalassotherapy pool and sauna (day and full-cruise passes available)

• Full fitness center with lots of Life Fitness equipment, as well as free weights

Spa

Carnival Breeze's Cloud 9 Spa is a nearly 23,000-square-foot sanctuary with 20 treatment rooms, including three for couples. The variety of treatments (about 100) is staggering, from reflexology to hot-stone massage, to scrubs, men's shaves, oxygen facials and more. Teeth whitening, acupuncture, anti-aging facials, cellulite busters and wrinkle erasers are also on offer. Kids can spa here, too, with treatments like a father/son chill-out massage and the "Acne Attack" facial.

While the variety of services is excellent, we felt the rates were too high for this cruise line ($125 for the least expensive facial, $149 for the lowest-cost 50-minute deep-tissue massage).

The spa's centerpiece is the coed thalassotherapy pool and next-door thermal suite with steam rooms, sauna and heated mosaic-tiled chaise lounges. The venue is 18+, and if you're not in a spa cabin, you must pay a daily fee or buy a cruise-long pass to use this area. However, saunas in the locker rooms are free to use.

Fitness

The fitness center is located in the spa complex. It's a spacious area with floor-to-ceiling windows and packed with rows of Life Fitness equipment (treadmills, exercise bikes, rowing machines, weight benches and more). A few exercise classes are free, such as sunrise and evening stretch classes and "fab abs." You'll have to pay to take cycling, "Body Sculpt Boot Camp" and Pilates classes. Personal training is also available for a fee.

Outdoor exercise equipment (including stationary bicycles; machines to work hips, arms and abs; and punching bags), a basketball court and jogging track (a mile is eight laps) are located in the SportsSquare on Deck 12.

For Kids

• Family-friendly cabins, comprehensive kids' program and fun top-deck activities make Breeze a great choice for families

• Three separate clubs divided by age group (2 to 5, 6 to 8 and 9 to 11), with tweens (12 to 14) and teens (15 to 17) each having their own hangout

• Free Dr. Seuss-themed programming and extra-fee Build-A-Bear workshop are added treats

• Group babysitting is available for a fee from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Babies and Kids

Camp Ocean is the complimentary program for toddlers and kids, divided into Penguins (ages 2 to 5), Stingrays (6 to 8) and Sharks (9 to 11). All kids must be signed in and out by a parent or guardian.

Age-appropriate activities in the colorful play area might include decorating T-shirts, Lego castle building, movies, arts and crafts, Wii games, bingo and talent shows.

Camp hours are from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on sea days, with group dinners an option. When Breeze is in port, Camp Ocean opens earlier.

From 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. nightly, group babysitting with video games, board games and movies is offered through Camp Ocean. The fee is $6.75 per hour per child, plus gratuity.

Part of Camp Ocean is used as a drop-off area for kids under 2. Babysitting for these tots costs $6.75 hourly per child, plus gratuity.

Around the ship, kids' menu options abound (think mac 'n' cheese and chicken tenders). Cribs and high chairs, but not diapers, are available.

Breeze offers Carnival's Seuss at Sea, which includes a group story time, themed camp activities and a Seuss parade through the ship. Additionally, kids can build a bear and outfit it for an extra fee at the Build-A-Bear workshop, with some proceeds benefiting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Teens

Twelve- to 14-year-olds hang out at Circle C, tucked away on Deck 4, and are free to come and go. There's a mini dance floor, lounging nooks, video games and ultra-mod cushy chairs. Activities start at noon on sea days and 4 p.m. on port days, and might include dodgeball, dancing, karaoke, a smoothie social or a water slide race. Closing time is as late as 1 a.m.

Club O2 provides a spot for the high school set ages 15 to 17 to meet and mingle (no adults or younger kids allowed) over karaoke, pool parties and dances. The clubhouse on Deck 4 resembles a nightclub, with dance floor and giant flat-screen TVs. A bar serves non-booze concoctions. The schedule is more relaxed in the afternoons, but amps up at night with Xbox tourneys, glow-in-the-dark parties and DJs spinning current hits.