Getting to Know Carnival Breeze Cabin

New to Cruising?
Not Sailed on Carnival Breeze?
What to Expect?
 
Once you get on board the ship money is no longer needed so you can tuck your wallet and other valuables in your room safe.   Select a four digit code to lock the safe.

It's dark in here...  

Modern ships are designed with energy conservation in mind.  In order for the lights to operate you need to insert your Sail 'n Sign card, or other card, into the slot.   When you remove the card, lights stay on for a bit allowing you to get out the cabin door before they go off.

Privacy Please!

When you are sleeping, just as in a hotel, you can hang a "Snoozin" sign on your door so that noone disturbs you.

Time to head off for breakfast...   Just put the "Cruisin'" sign on your cabin door so that your steward knows you are out of the cabin.   By the time you return from breakfast your bed will be made and new towels hung in the bathroom.

The Temperature is Just Right !

Each cabin's temperature is individually controlled by the guests.  Next to the bathroom door, you'll find the temperature controls.  They are simple to operate just press the arrow in the direction you wan the temperature to go.   The green LED light shows the current setting.

Rub a Dub - Time to Scrub

If you've not sailed on Carnival before, you might look at the shower controls and say - now what do I do.  You'll notice there are two nobs on either end.  There's also a warning sign that says to be sure to test the water to avoid scalding.   It goes on to say, make sure water temperature is set to 38 degrees.   The right-hand knob has a line which you need to line up with 38.   I suggest taking the shower head from it's holder and turning on the left knob.   Check the temperature and then put the shower head back in the holder.  

Instead of small bottles of shampoo and bath gel, the shower has a built-in dispenser of the two liquids.   There is also a place to hold a bar of soap or any other bottle you might have brought to use instead of the ones supplied.

There are several shelves on both sides of the sink for you to place your various toiletries.  Since we only brought carry-on bags for our cruise, you'll notice several 3 oz. size bottles in our image.   The mirror is a nice touch to get a close-up of your face (eg. when shaving).   There is an outlet that can only be used by a shaver, if you don't have a rechargeable shaver.

Electrical Outlets

There are two 110v outlets and one 220v outlet over the desk / storage unit in the cabin.   We bring a small power strip which makes it easier when you need to charge all your tech gadgets at one time.   Just be sure that you don't overload the circuit or you'll have someone knocking on your cabin door and probably confiscating anything that is not allowed.

There are certain devices which you should never bring with you.  They include things like irons, hair-curlers, and anything with an open flame (eg. candles).  Refer to your cruise documents or Carnival website for details.

How many times have you entered a hotel room and gone on a hunt for a hair dryer?   You'd have to go on the same hunt here unless you were clued in on the secret in this article.   The top drawer of your storage unit pulls out and has a compartment for the hair dryer.   This means you need to dry your hair outside the bathroom, which shouldn't be an issue since you are provided with robes.

Finally, on the back of the cabin door is the safety information, just like you would find in a hotel room.  Be sure to familiarize everyone in the family with the safety information and do attend the mandatory safety drill.   The ship is required to complete the drill within 24 hours of sailing, but usually this happens before departure (just like on an airplane).  

We've focused on Carnival Breeze in this article because we just completed a seminar at sea on her.  Most of the ships in the Carnival fleet are setup similarly.  There might be variations in the safe and hair-dryer on some of the older ships as the models have changed over time.

We'll touch on a few more pointers in other articles.  In the meantime, if you have a specific question and can't wait, do leave us a comment or contact us by clicking above.

Electricity at Sea

Ship's power cord stretches behind the ship all the way to Miami

Does the Ship Make It's Own Power?
If you have been on a few cruises I'm sure you've heard at least one Cruise Director go through his Top 10 list of Passenger Questions.  This question typically makes the list.   The response is usually, "No, we have a long electrical cord that stretches behind the ship all the way to Miami".

Where Did You Hide The Electricity in my Cabin?
Perhaps that's a more up to date question that should be on the Cruise Director's list and it deserves an answer.   On most ships you'll find a limited number of electrical outlets in your cabin.   There may only be one 110v and one 220v along with one special outlet in the bathroom that can only be used for your electrical razor.  Often you need to hunt for the outlet which might be under a desk or behind something on a shelf.

Cabin outlet on Allure of the Seas

Allure improves on Oasis of the Seas Design
We've all heard about the two inch difference between the Allure of the Seas and the Oasis of the Seas.   What you might not have heard is that the Allure learned many lessons from its little sister, Oasis.   One of those lessons was that the electrical outlet needs to be visible and it needs to accommodate more than one appliance.

In this day and age where every gadget comes with its own charger, and for who knows why, they all have to have different connectors, it is typical for a traveler to arrive at the hotel room or ship cabin with a bag full of chargers.  With a limited number of outlets, one must "timeshare" to get all their devices charged.

Allure of the Seas has a unique new design.   Three outlets are in a round housing that is mounted on one side of the counter.   While this is an improvement, it still offers a challenge which we've demonstrated in the included image.  Many chargers have oversize plugs (eg. transformers) which take up more room.   Unless you prepare in advance, you could be limited to one or two usable outlets.

In this picture we have three devices plugged in:  the hairdryer that is in the cabin, my extension cord for my PC, and my cell phone charger.    The cell phone charger and the hairdryer are both devices that have over-sized plugs.   We solved that problem by traveling with short extenders that have a normal plug on on end and the outlet on the other.  They are about three inches long and can fit nicely in your bag of chargers.   We travel with three of those typically.   My set of 3 were purchased at Big Lots for $3 and they have more than paid for themselves.

iPod Charging / Playing Station on Allure of the Seas

iPod Docking Station 

Another new feature that Allure of the Seas adopted from her little sister's experiences was the addition of an iPod docking station in the cabin.    When its time to retire to bed for your long (or short) nap,  plug in your iPod for some of your favorite tunes.    The timer will turn the device off after its played for awhile if you like.

If you just need to charge your iPod, dock it on the other side and you don't need any extra wires.    This helps free up one of those precious plugs on the opposite end of the counter top.

Some Devices Should Stay Home

The final point that I want to make is each cruise line has their list of electrical devices which are not allowed on the ship.   They ban devices such as irons which could cause a fire if left unattended.   Fire is the worst enemy at sea so it is very important that you heed the guidelines the cruise line provides.   Each cruise line has the list posted on their website in the FAQ and may also include it in the embarkation documentation.   If you aren't sure about a device, leave it home.

Stay Plugged in at Sea, but Stay Safe