Carnival Breeze Ship

This article is part of a series showcasing cruise ships on the seven seas. Before we begin, we'll do a quick overview of cruise terms - to help you better understand the ship statistics to be displayed.

Gross Tonnage: Gross tonnage is the standard measurement of size of ship in the cruise industry. Despite the sound of its meaning, a gross tonnage is actually a measure of interior volume of space onboard, rather than actual ship weight. 1 gross ton is equal to 100 cubic feet of interior volume.

Knots: A knot is the standard speed measurement of a cruise ship, or any maritime vessel for that matter. a knot is equal to one nautical mile per hour (a nautical mile being 6076 feet, rather than 5280 for land miles) 1 knot is roughly equivalent to 1.15 mph.

Beam: The width of the ship, measured in feet or meters.

Draft: The height of the ship underneath the water line - how far down the vessel goes into the water.

Guest Capacity - Measured in terms of 2 per stateroom. Maximum capacity is a different measurement which is limited by the number of lifeboat spaces available onboard.

Gross Tonnage: 130,000

Guest Capacity: 3,690

Length: 1,003 ft

Beam: 122 ft

Crew: 1,386

Year Built: 2010

Shipyard: Fincantieri, Monfalcone, Italy

Ship Class: Dream Class

Cost: $740 Million USD

All of Carnival's ships have a unique design in the public spaces of the vessel. Though vessels built in the same ship class have similar deck plans, no two ships in the Carnival fleet have the same interior design. The Carnival Breeze was built around a theme of no themes - a new era for Carnival's interior design. In fact, this ship is the first in the Carnival fleet not driven primarily by the interior design work of Joe Farcus - the architect who had designed all of the interior spaces of all of Carnival's ships to this moment.

The ship's public spaces are designed to be - well, breezy. You'll find a light, airy color palette with yellows and browns used throughout most of the vessel. Onboard, you'll find the Breeze atrium - an elegant awe-inspiring space which serves as the central artery of the ship once you step onboard. On the promenade deck, you'll find many of the new spaces Carnival had created and has implemented on older ships across the fleet. Here you'll find Ocean Plaza - an open multi-function space. You'll also find the Limelight lounge and liquid nightclub - two great places to go for some great entertainment late into the night. The redfrog pub and bonsai sushi are also located on this deck, great additions to the fun ship fleet.

Moving forward you'll find Winner's luck casino and the Ovation Theater - grand names for these onboard spaces. The two main dining rooms onboard are called the Sapphire and the Blush dining rooms - elegantly decorated for a memorable dinner at sea. Each space onboard is unique and offers a new surprise which really makes exploring the ship a lot of fun.

Stateroom categories range from interior (no windows, though cozy), to ocean view, verandah (balcony) and of course, suites. There are many categories to choose from. Keep in mind, when booking you can either have the ship select the room for you, or you can do it yourself. The ship will often provide free upgraded categories (from my experience) if you let them choose - which is a nice bonus.

However, if you do want to select, you'd want to shoot for a room close to one of the major elevator banks and ideally low and center if you are prone to motion sickness and would like the least vibration. Any room however will suit you well as guest rooms are not located in the very noisy and heavy motion areas. That's reserved for the crew!

This industry is based heavily on seasonality. That is, if you are looking for the lowest-priced cruises, you'll want to shoot for an off-peak voyage. (Generally Fall and Winter Sailings) If your travel schedule is limited and you don't mind paying the extra price tag, sailing during peak times is great. (Summer, Spring Break and Major Holidays)

Keep in mind the cruise fare you pay generally determines the stature of your fellow guests. Pricey cruise? Expect elegant travelers. Cheap cruise? Expect college students and retirees. Of course every sailing does have a good mix and you can always find fellow cruisers with similar tastes in mind, given the number of guests sailing onboard.

Looking for the deck plans? Check out this official page from Carnival

If you are looking for current pricing and availability for a cruise, Carnival's site offers up the latest information at Carnival.com. Keep in mind the ships do relocate often so any specific itinerary for this ship will change with time.

Bon Voyage!