Pride review August 14-21, 2009

[cruiser82]

Hello everyone! We just got back from our cruise on the Pride so I thought I'd write a short review in hopes that others might benefit from it as I benefitted from other Pride reviews. I've found that I like the reviews that go day to day so I'm going to try to do my review that way. Just a bit of background, I'm 26 and my mother is 56, and we joined a group of about 15 others that we often cruise with. We had a balcony cabin on deck 6, 6235. This was about my 10th cruise overall and my second with Carnival.

Day 1- Baltimore, MD: It was sooo nice to be able to drive to the port instead of flying. This was the first time we did it and I definitely think we'll do more of it in the future. I put the port address into Google maps and it sent us on 95 then 295 then back to 95 I think, which was fine except for a little bit of traffic on 295. It took about an hour to get there and we ended up arriving around 1:30pm. We had to wait about 20 minutes in line (in our car) to unload our bags because apparently they were behind schedule from the previous cruise or something. It was really hot and we were all getting impatient and it really wasn't the smooth and easy start to the vacation we were hoping for. In the end it all worked out ok though, and we dropped off our bags and got in line at the terminal to check in. The lines were a bit long, but not unreasonable and they moved pretty fast. All of the check in agents and security people were very friendly. The only thing I didn't like about leaving from Baltimore was having two sea days before our first port but I guess that's unavoidable due to geography. I loved sea days on our Med cruise last summer because it gave us time to recover from long days in port but since the two sea days came after embarkation day there wasn't anything to recover from so at times we were a little bit bored. That's not to say that there weren't things going on around the ship but just nothing that really interested us. We spent some time exploring the ship and I found that it was pretty easy to get around, and from someone who's very directionally challenged that's saying a lot! I really liked the artwork and sculptures, it added a nice ambiance to the ship I thought. My mom and I had fun pointing and giggling at some of the nude bits (we revert back to kids with things like that) but I really wouldn't go so far as to say that parents should avoid taking their kids on the Pride because of it, which is something I remember reading here on CC. And anyway, I'm sure most kids have seen much worse. The muster drill was quick and painless, and I found it very well organized. My mom and I were out on our balcony during sail away and all of a sudden a woman came out on deck a few floors below us and was crying her eyes out. A couple on their balcony below us noticed too and I think we were all a bit concerned. She was crying for a few minutes and then pulled out what seemed to be the liquor menu so I really hope she didn't have too much to drink that night (or any night). We had Your Time Dining, which we really enjoyed. For dinner I had the Fried Chicken Tenders, Flat Iron steak and vanilla ice cream and they were all delicious!



Not sure which bridge that is but the ship goes under it lol.

[kates024]

Can't wait to hear more!!

[cruiser82]

Day 2- At sea: The day started off a bit slow. Spent a lot of time in the casino either playing the slots or watching my mom play the slots. The 'Hot Shot' 2 cent machines seemed to be hitting (for everyone else!) as we saw people win $150, $675 and $800 but they were playing the maximum (100 credits). My mom had some luck on the 'Golden Monkey' 1 cent machine (she was on the one at the end, closest to the cashier) and it was a fun little machine. I thought the casino was a bit smaller than some other ships I've been on but it was big enough. It did get pretty smoky at times, so much so that we had to cash out early a few times because it was just getting to be too much. Speaking of cashing out, the slot machines used a cashless system and I'm not sure if this is new for Carnival but it was definitely new to me. One of the casino hostesses explained how to use it and it was pretty straightforward but my mom had some trouble because she's not good with technology! I'm not sure if I like having my casino money linked to my Sail and Sign but it was nice not having to keep track of the slot machine tickets when you cash out. We had breakfast in the main dining room and it was so nice not having to go to the Lido deck, which I avoid whenever possible. I had the pancakes and hash browns, and they were both yummy. Tonight was Cruise Elegant night and I was really looking forward to it. I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of how many people would dress up but I was really surprised (and happy) to see that of all the people I saw in the dining room and walking around the ship that evening that there were only a few people that were dressed casually. It doesn't ruin my formal night when people don't dress up but I enjoy dressing up and I like seeing what everyone else is wearing and watching them take pictures so I was happy that so many people participated. For dinner I had the Carpaccio of fresh fruit and the prime rib, which was pretty good.

[sallyb]

Thanks for posting. What time did you actually get on the ship?
Sally

[falkcor]

looking forward to your review, i just booked this one this morning!

you wouldn't happen to have the capers, would you?

[cruiser82]

Day 3- At sea: We had breakfast again in the dining room, I ordered the same as yesterday and it was once again very good. The dining room seemed underutilized at breakfast and lunch and I'm not sure if people don't realize it's open or if people automatically equate food with the Lido deck. Either way, it was nice having a calm, quiet meal in the dining room. Today was the Past Guest party, and it was held in the Taj Mahal which is the main show lounge. I've only been to a couple past guest parties on NCL and I remember them being held in one of the larger lounge areas. Since there were a lot of past guests on this cruise I guess the Taj Mahal was the only place that could accommodate us all, but I didn't feel it was the ideal place to hold such an event because you couldn't mingle and socialize with other guests, which was something I always felt was a big part of the past guest parties. They did keep the drinks and appetizers flowing and they were pretty good. One thing I liked about the party was when they showed a video about the history of Carnival and we were asked to clap when the picture of a ship we've sailed on came up on the screen. It was interesting to see which ship(s) were the most popular amongst the group. Spent more time donating money to the casino. I think I went to the show tonight, which was a ventriloquist. I usually don't enjoy those acts but I thought this one was pretty good. There wasn't anything on the dinner menu that I particularly cared for, so I had my old stand by of Caesar salad and grilled chicken breast with vanilla ice cream and orange sherbet for dessert!

[cruiser82]

Originally Posted by sallyb

Thanks for posting. What time did you actually get on the ship?
Sally

I'd say we got on around 2:30-2:45. Oh, that reminds me. Once we dropped off the luggage and parked the car, we had to head over to the terminal and wait in line to get checked in. We only saw one line and it was really long but since we thought it was the only one we got in it. Then a few people ahead of us said that there was a shorter line inside and sure enough, there was. If there's more than one person in your party I'd suggest that one person get in whatever line you see forming outside and have someone else in the group check to see if there's another line because there's not much shade in the outside line and it was pretty hot out there.

[cruiser82]

Originally Posted by falkcor

looking forward to your review, i just booked this one this morning!

you wouldn't happen to have the capers, would you?

I do have the Capers, and I hope to get them scanned tomorrow

[CruiseinNJ]

Originally Posted by cruiser82

I'd say we got on around 2:30-2:45. Oh, that reminds me. Once we dropped off the luggage and parked the car, we had to head over to the terminal and wait in line to get checked in. We only saw one line and it was really long but since we thought it was the only one we got in it. Then a few people ahead of us said that there was a shorter line inside and sure enough, there was. If there's more than one person in your party I'd suggest that one person get in whatever line you see forming outside and have someone else in the group check to see if there's another line because there's not much shade in the outside line and it was pretty hot out there.

Thanks for posting a review. We leave on the Pride on the 29th, and I'm trying to read as much as I can beforehand! Once you got inside at check in, was it air conditioned? I'm hoping once we get inside the terminal, it will be a comfortable wait.

[kates024]

Did Hurricane Bill cause a rough ride for this sailing?

[cruiser82]

Originally Posted by CruiseinNJ

Thanks for posting a review. We leave on the Pride on the 29th, and I'm trying to read as much as I can beforehand! Once you got inside at check in, was it air conditioned? I'm hoping once we get inside the terminal, it will be a comfortable wait.

Yes, it's air conditioned and comfortable once you get inside. Since we arrived after the rush we were able to get right in line but there seemed to be plenty of chairs for a comfortable wait if you have to board in zones.

[cruiser82]

Originally Posted by kates024

Did Hurricane Bill cause a rough ride for this sailing?

No, I thought it was a pretty smooth ride. I was a bit disappointed because it's always more fun when the ship rocks a little!

[cruiser82]

Day 4- Grand Turk: Today was the first stop and I think we were all ready to get off the ship for a while. The ship arrived on time, if not a little early. We didn't have any excursions planned and since this was our first time in Grand Turk we figured we'd just walk around the shopping area and figure out what to do from there. It was pretty windy that day and it wasn't too hot which was good. The shopping area was nice and looked relatively new (I'm not sure if it was re-built after hurricane damage or if it was a brand new shopping area) and we had fun looking around the shops. I probably would have gone back to the ship after that but some people in our group wanted to go to Margaritaville so we headed over there. We were lucky enough to find some chairs just off the pool area near the shop so about 5 of us were able to sit there and relax while the others went in the pool or sat at the bar. They played a nice mix of music (Caribbean, pop, club, country, etc) and had some pool games for the guests to play which we found entertaining.

I think tonight's show was a comedian and even though I don't usually enjoy comedians I decided to go to the show. I'm glad I did because I enjoyed it. If I had been able to stay up I would have gone to the adults only performance but I wasn't able to make it. I can't remember what I had for dinner, but I think it was the chicken breast with french fries, and ice cream/sherbet for dessert.

[cruiser82]

I've posted the Capers on my webshots page (the link is in my signature) and they're in the album 'Carnival Pride 2009 Capers'. Will have the next installment of my review later today.

[falkcor]

Originally Posted by cruiser82

I've posted the Capers on my webshots page (the link is in my signature)

NICE! thanks for posting these. i'll dutifully now read them in full

[family cruisers]

Did you go to the guest talent karioke show? If so how was it?
Something I;'ve wanted to do but don't know if I have the nerve.
I sound great when everyones drunk :-)

[cruiser82]

Originally Posted by family cruisers

Did you go to the guest talent karioke show? If so how was it?
Something I;'ve wanted to do but don't know if I have the nerve.
I sound great when everyones drunk :-)

I DID go and I loved it! But what I didn't love were the two girls sitting next to me who laughed and made fun of the singers who weren't as good as some of the others. They seemed to forget that they were not professional singers and were probably nervous and trying to do their best. I also went to the karaoke sessions during the day and night that were essentially the tryouts for the Carnival Legends show and they were a lot of fun. The crew member who was running the event was really funny, I think her name was Donna. You should do it, I bet you sound great even when everyone is sober!

[peacefrog]

cruiser,
I was looking at your pics of the Enchantment, and was wondering in pics #7 & 8, is that blue surface non-skid or rubber around the pool? I was on the Pride with you and still can't figure out what Carnival was thinking putting that ice skating rink around the Lido pools. Even before the Fun Ship Specials, I was having a hard time standing up. Thanks

[family cruisers]

Thanks for your answer.
You'll always get those that laugh, just ignorant people. There everywhere. What a shame right.

Glad you enjoyed your cruise, can't wait for mine now.

Thanks again

Originally Posted by cruiser82

I DID go and I loved it! But what I didn't love were the two girls sitting next to me who laughed and made fun of the singers who weren't as good as some of the others. They seemed to forget that they were not professional singers and were probably nervous and trying to do their best. I also went to the karaoke sessions during the day and night that were essentially the tryouts for the Carnival Legends show and they were a lot of fun. The crew member who was running the event was really funny, I think her name was Donna. You should do it, I bet you sound great even when everyone is sober!

[cruiser82]

Originally Posted by peacefrog

cruiser,
I was looking at your pics of the Enchantment, and was wondering in pics #7 & 8, is that blue surface non-skid or rubber around the pool? I was on the Pride with you and still can't figure out what Carnival was thinking putting that ice skating rink around the Lido pools. Even before the Fun Ship Specials, I was having a hard time standing up. Thanks

I'm not sure exactly what the blue stuff was (if it was rubber or not) but it was some kind of non-skid surface. I think that was the only cruise where I actually went onto the pool deck because I've slipped and almost fell so many times walking through to get to the buffet. I didn't even go out on the pool decks on the Pride and even the buffet area was slippery at times. I always held on to my mom's arm when walking through the buffet because I was scared and I know I'm not the only one because I saw a few other people do it too.