Review of Carnival Pride, August 21-29

[tuffy0317]

Quick background: My husband and I are in our late 20's and live in northern Virginia. We chose the Pride largely because it fit in our vacation schedule and because of the ease of driving to the Baltimore port. This is our second cruise, our first Carnival and Caribbean cruise (first one was RCL in the Mediterranean). Overall, it was a great trip and we were really able to relax, although we may choose RCL again next time.

Embarkation - We arrived at the port around 12:30pm after an hour drive from northern Virginia. The process of dropping off luggage and paying for parking was quick and easy. You pay the $15 p/day for parking upfront, which really eased the process when we left. Parking was ample, even though there were still passengers from the previous week's cruise getting off the ship.

Check in once inside the terminal was also relatively quick. The line moved smoothly and since we had completed all of our documents ahead of time, our time at the check in counter was very short. Something to note: you go through security when you first come in the building. You're able to bring sealed bottled and canned drinks in, but we had an open bottle of water which we had to throw out. Kind of a bummer, since it was $1.50 to replace the water from the vending machine.

Once we checked in, we only had to wait around 45 minutes to board the ship. The boarding process was smooth and done by zones. Once we were on the ship, we went to the Mermaid Grille for lunch, which was crowded, but not impossible to navigate. We wandered around the ship afterward and were able to get in our cabin about 30 minutes early around 3:00 (it looked like other floors were still closed off though).

Ship - We were taken aback at first at the decor when we first walked on the ship. The atrium and public rooms were very dark, with dark woods and dark colored furniture. I commented that it looked like "the Haunted Mansion at Disney." The décor grew on me as the week went on, but it still felt misplaced to have a Renaissance themed ship in the middle of the Caribbean. I had heard a lot of talk about the nude paintings. They didn't bother me, but were certainly large and noticeable. We overhead several parents commenting that it was inappropriate. The main dining room was more light and airy though, which was nice. The Butterflies lounge, where we spent some time listening to music and participating in art auctions, had the oddest décor - neon, lit up butterflies on the ceilings and walls. It is supposed to be decorated Miami style, I think, but it actually just looks out of place. The LED lights throughout the ship that acted as directional signs to the public rooms also left something to be desired.

Cabin (8H balcony, 7th floor, port side) - After having seen the dark public areas, I was nervous that our cabin would be the same way. We were in for a pleasant surprise though! It was tastefully decorated, with a large wooden entertainment unit with a TV, vanity, lots of drawers, a small safe and three large floor to ceiling closets. It also had a couch (which may have folded out to a sofa bed, not sure) and ours had a double bed with charming nightstands, which were perfect for storing books. I had heard a lot about Carnival's version of the heavenly bed and was disappointed to find that the bed was anything but. The linens were nice, but the mattress was HARD. I even like a hard mattress, but this was ridiculously hard. Couple that with the extremely soft pillows, and we had some major neck cramping going on!

The balcony was a great size, with two comfortable chairs that semi-reclined and a small table. We spent many hours out there. The bathroom was a decent size, with a stall shower and a vanity with a lot of shelves.

Dining - We choose the late dining, which was at 8:15, since we are used to eating late at home and it worked out great for us. We were assigned a booth for four people and sat with another young couple from Baltimore. I appreciate that Carnival made an effort to seat us with people who we would enjoy talking with (turns out their cabin was also next to ours, but I think that was just coincidence). Putra, our head waiter, was absolutely fantastic. It was his first cruise back after a four month break at home and would never have known it. His food recommendations were always spot on and his service and friendliness were impeccable.

The food overall was good. The baby-back ribs, which we had the last night, were phenomenal - definitely try them! The warm chocolate melting cakes, of course, didn't disappoint. We also had great fish dishes throughout the week. The cappuccino pie was a great dessert and the pumpkin soup was also tasty. We only had wine one night at dinner that we bought at the table, but the bar waitress seemed to be readily available.

We went to David's on Thursday evening (our second formal night). After hearing so many raves, perhaps our expectations were a bit too high. The service was not up to par with the rest of the ship - our nightly service in the dining room was better than the service we received there. The food was pretty good, we both had the 9oz filet mignon, but my steak was overdone (my fault for not sending it back). The desserts were amazing - I had the chocolate torte, which is actually four shot glasses filled with different desserts, and my husband had a generous cheese plate. It's almost worth the trip for the dessert alone! Another disappointment was that an officer of the ship (maybe the maitre d'?) was dining with his wife and young girl (maybe around 8 years old). Despite it being 9pm, they were up and down from the table all night, with the girl hanging off the balcony railing right next to our table. I understand that it is a family cruise, but I was hoping the one place we could avoid children would be David's.

We ordered continental breakfast room service the first morning, but 30 minutes after it should have been there, it hadn't arrived. We called and they said they were running behind. We cancelled our order and went to the Mermaid Grille. However, we ordered room service sandwiches for lunch on Sunday. They arrived within five minutes of ordering. It would be nice if they had hot dishes available for room service.

Entertainment and Ship Activities - We went to two shows in the main Taj Mahal lounge (also decorated a little funky!): the welcome aboard show and the passenger legend's show on the last night. The welcome aboard show left a bit to be desired, especially the comedian. We skipped the comedy shows the rest of the evenings, after we heard nothing but negative things about them. My husband went to the legend's show on the last night and seemed to enjoy it.

Many evenings we went to the Butterflies lounge to listen to the Jafar Curry band. Definitely make the time to go see them! They are fantastic and they play all sorts of music, from Muddy Waters, to Michael Jackson to Maroon 5. Absolutely the best entertainment on board!

Having been on a cruise before, we were excited to see that Park West was holding art auctions on this cruise as well. We went to three throughout the week and bought several pieces of art. The auctioneer, Eddie, made everyone in the room comfortable with the art buying process, and recommended some great pieces to begin a collection with. He also made it fun, with great raffles and giveaways. Even if you're not an art connoisseur, go to at least one auction - there are some very affordable pieces there ($50!) and some great collectors pieces (Peter Max originals for $6,000!).

Staff - The one thing that impressed me most was how wonderful all the staff was. From the maintenance people on up, every staff member smiled and said hello when you passed them in the hall. Our waiter remembered us when we saw him in port and our steward was always warm and welcoming when we saw him (and did a fantastic job on the room).

Debarkation - We chose self debarkation, because we only had two small rolling bags, a suit bag and a shoulder bag. We pulled into port right at 10am and were off the ship by 11:30. It was frustrating, though, to see people struggling with huge suitcases they should have just checked (I actually carried mine and another woman's that was three times the size of mine down the gangway because she was falling over it). The whole process was well organized and we hung out in our room with the door propped open until they called our floor.

Misc.
- We knew cruising during hurricane season was a risk, we didn't expect the fun of having two storms! Hurricane Bill stayed about 375 miles to the east of our ship on our way down to the Caribbean. We stayed on schedule and fought the 15-foot swells. They made the ship rock from front to back, which was less nauseous, more fun. Tropical Storm Danny stayed right on our tails all the way back and created some pretty choppy seas from about 200 miles away. It was the only time I felt nauseous, but a little Bonine, staying active and hydrated really helped that. Not once did I feel unsafe and always felt like Carnival had our safety and best interest in mind.

- I wished the ship was cleaner. I noticed a lot of trash lying around, especially on deck. Drink umbrella's and orange slices littered the deck.

- While the partitions between the balconies were ample for noise control and privacy, they did nothing to keep out the smoke from our neighbor's balcony when they went out there to smoke several times a day. I wish Carnival would have non-smoking room and balcony areas, although I'm sure the many, many smokers on board would disagree.

- The spa was great, but if you're flexible with time and procedures, wait until you're on board to book. We heard that they were offering massages for $75-$100 less than what we had paid by booking online ahead of time. Zane and Share were great masseuses. And DEFINITELY get the foot and ankle massage - it was worth every penny of the $39! It was one of the highlights of the cruise.

- We posed for several photos on formal night, but I was a little turned off at the fact that they had photography stations set up every single night. If I wanted a picture of myself lying on a fake beach, I'd go to Sears, not pay $20 for one on the cruise. I understand that a lot of people don't get the opportunity to have a good photo taken of them and their kids very often, it was just a turn off that these photo stations dominated the public areas every evening. Oh, and if you want to buy a photo, make sure you check out the price point before you fall in love with it. My husband and I went back and forth for ten minutes about which formal night portrait to buy, only to find out that it was $22 for one 8x10. In this economy and with 400 photos already on our personal camera? No way.

- Ladies, if you have normal to thick hair, bring your own hair dryer!!! The in room one is fine, but it will take you forever to dry your hair.

- Bring your own water bottle. We ended up buying Carnival water bottles the first day on the ship and it was the best $12 we spent the whole time. We were able to fill them up 24 hours a day at the Mermaid Grille and took them with us everywhere. This was especially great on the port days or when laying by the pool.

[lah13]

Thanks for taking the time to write a review.

[golfadj]

Thanks for the review.

It would be a very convenient port to leave from for us but the itinerary leaves a lot to be desired INHO.

[RAVI360]

Originally Posted by golfadj

Thanks for the review.

It would be a very convenient port to leave from for us but the itinerary leaves a lot to be desired INHO.

i agree i'm 30 min from the port but until they have more options on the itinerary .................i guess i'll continue to fly

[ruthiegirl]

thanks for writing not sure if you liked it or not we're going in jan sailed quite a bit looking forward to no airfare

[falkcor]

thanks for your review, i'll be on her in 3 weeks

glad to hear you enjoyed jafar curry... can you say anything more about why they're a not-to-miss act? (and mind you, i won't, but i'm just curious )

and, did you happen to stop in to the piano bar with richie? any thoughts?

thanks

[the_monkey]

Thanks for the review. I'm in the middle of packing right now!

So it sounds like the drinking water problems the Pride had when it was on the left coast have been taken care of? We generally drink only water, and have been contemplating bringing a Brita pitcher just in case, but since you were just on and it seems like the water was ok, that's one less thing to pack!

Do you happen to remember what time the ship started boarding? It seems like you didn't have to wait long. We have VIP boarding so I'm trying to figure out when to get there.

Thanks again!

[suecav]

I was interested in reading your review, as I was on the Pride last week too.

I agree about the Jafar Curry band. They were the best entertainment on the ship, but never seemed to have much of an audience. They plan lots of popular songs, but with a funky twist. Loved their version of Prince songs (Kiss, When Doves Cry), Michael Jackson's Billy Jean, several Stevie Wonder songs -- actually, I loved all of their music.

I have to disagree about the water. I couldn't stand the taste. I use a Brita filter at home (don't like to buy bottled water for environmental reasons) and the ship water had a nasty taste to me. I drank the iced tea all week, which was ok. My husband and kids had no problem with the water, so I guess it just depends on the person.

I also agree that the service was excellent -- both in the dining room and in the stateroom.

I had no problem with the nude artwork. I have two children (8 and 11) and I did not feel that it was offensive. A little much, perhaps, but not offensive.

[sciencegal]

My husband and I were on this cruise also. We had an amazing time. Could not have been happier with the service. Our wait staff went out of their way to please us. They knew what we liked after the first day and made sure we had it. They were personable and caring. Our room steward was also wonderful. Not only was our cabin kept clean and orderly, but on those days when I took a nap the bed was made again after I had left and returned. And the towel animals? After I thanked him and said how much I enjoyed them our Steward left one in the afternoon and again after dinner.

Dinner in the dining room was excellent. We also ate breakfast there most mornings. Again, the food and service were excellent. On sea days we ate lunch there as well. Even a simple burger was great.

Over all, we could not have been happier with this trip! Yes, there were a few "rocky days" but ginger pills and keeping food in the tummy worked well. I, too, never felt any danger.

[bubba1972]

I was also on the that ship this previous week. Do you remember what song the wait staff sung on the night we left Grand Turk? Thanks

[Megnolia]

Thank you very much for your honest review! It was nice to read, and it was very refreshing to hear that you were still extremely positive about the cruise experience even though some things were not exactly what you expected.

I thought that the Legend was very dark - I have referred to it as "a man's ship". I was hoping the Pride was a little bit lighter in tone. I guess I'll be able to compare

I'm thrilled to be able to drive to the port for the first time (albeit a 9 hour drive) if I lived 30 minutes from a port, I would cruise anytime I could, even if it meant the same itinerary three times in a row!

[CarrieJ]

Thanks so much for the info. We leave on the Pride Sept. 13 and I can't wait, this will be our second cruise.

[RavenCruiser]

I was on this same cruise and would like to attach my random comments to this thread. These aren't organized and will appear over several posts as I think of them. For reference, my family consists of myself (47) DW (49) and DSs (9 and 13). Our only previous cruise was on RCL GoS, also out of Baltimore in 2005. I enjoyed both experiences and am neither a cheerleader or basher of either line.

Departure Day:
We live ten minutes from the port and arrived around 1PM. Many people had already arrived and were already boarding the ship. It took 15-20 minutes to go through the initial security checkpoint. I saw some people carrying on enormous bags and was shocked security let them through. While in line, I heard them calling zones already. Once through, we waited another 10 minutes to check in. We were then given a zone 9 card (they recycle the numbers). After about 5 more minutes we were on the ship.

We went down to our cabin around 3PM. We had a 9A on the starboard side on deck 7. We were very pleased with this cabin. On Gos, we had a aft JS. I felt the space between the two cabins was comparable, but there was significantly more storage space on the Pride. One other thought. If you like your cabin to face the place where you are docked, get a portside cabin. The starboards face inward only at Baltimore.

Muster was at 5PM and fairly painless. I seem to remember them checking cabins off during the RCL muster drill. This was not done on the Pride, so I'm not sure how they verify your attendance.

Sail away was late (~6PM). I noticed they were still loading luggage (a lot of it) until around 5:45. I'm not sure why, since most people seemed to be onboard by 4PM.

We chose the your time dining option. I may have been confused or misinformed, but be advised that this option does not apply the first night. You attend either the first or second seating in a general seating style. Overall we were pleased by this choice, but felt the service was somewhat lacking. We sat in four different stations the first four nights and never had someone worth asking for again. The main problem area had to do with beverages. There are only four water glasses on the table. Getting iced tea or lemonade seemed to be a chore. Refills were even worse (i'm talking one, not five). We even had a situation where the asst. waiter brought a pticher to refill the water glasses. There was only enough in the pitcher for three glasses. He never came back to fill the fourth glass. I don't know whether the waiters in this area have more people to serve than they would with main seating or they are just not used to dealing with staggered arrivals. I was at the point that if the Mermaid Grille had glasses instead of those little plastic cups, I would have brought my own iced tea to dinner. That being said, I would choose this option again because of the convenience. We ate in the dining room every night and only had to wait twice, for five to ten minutes.

...more to follow.

[tuffy0317]

To answer some of the questions that have popped up...

Drinking water: DH and I are avid water drinkers. We drink everything from DC tap water out of water fountains at work to water through a Brita filter at home. Neither one of us minded the taste of the water on the Pride, but that doesn't necessarily mean it was as tasty as bottled. We just couldn't justify paying for bottled water when it was there for free and didn't want to lug an case of bottled water on board (although we saw plenty of people who did). When we were roasting in the sun in Nassau, I would have drank anything though!

Boarding time: I didn't have a watch (another stupid move! Take a watch, all the clocks on board are different!), but I would guess that they started boarding around 1-1:30pm. There was a group of travel agents and a wedding party that got on first, then VIPs. We were zone 11 and they reached our zone quickly.

Jafar Curry: DH and I love live band music, but find it's hard to come by. I really liked that they played familiar and unfamiliar songs and, like someone else said, played them with a twist. There were never a lot of people there (I wonder if part of that was them being in Butterflies, which is a bit out of the way), but those that were there were dancing and having a good time.

Piano bar with Richie: I really wanted to like the piano bar sing-a-long. It was something we didn't get to do on our last cruise and I was looking forward to it. Unfortunately, I think I was the only one. The one night we popped in to hear him, Richie was singing away (quite well actually) to an empty house. Every time we walked by for the rest of the week, it seemed to be the same way.

I will say, overall, that this seemed to be an early to bed ship. With the exception of the evening they did the 10pm deck party, the public areas of the ship, including where they had music, excluding the casino, were empty by 10:30. I wonder if it's because there were so many young kids.

I know my review might have sounded a bit negative, but we really did have a nice time. I hope they add additional itineraries in the future because the ease of not flying just can't be beat.

[RavenCruiser]

General Observations:

I agree wholeheartedly on the water issue. I am a tap water person myself. My wife is more sensitive to water taste, but we were all fine with the water onboard. I agree that the water out of the bathroom faucet had a "taste" to it, but it wasn't a bad taste. I find most bottled waters to have no taste. Perhaps that's why many of the bottled water generation seem to find issue with the water. We did bring bottled water onboard, but it wasn't necessary.

While on the subject of drinks, I apologize if this has been covered before, but the "Drink of the Day Card" is no more. Pride Capers from earlier this summer showed it advertised. I did not see it and asked a Venus bartender who told me they had recently discontinued it. He was told they were losing money, which really means they weren't making as much as they want.

I found navigating the ship more difficult than GoS. I seem to remember that ship having two main corridors down each deck, while this ship had some dead ends. No big problem, it just took a couple of days to get used to.

[DanJ]

Originally Posted by RavenCruiser

One other thought. If you like your cabin to face the place where you are docked, get a portside cabin. The starboards face inward only at Baltimore.

After this week, the itinerary will be Port Canaveral, Nassau and Freeport, and there is no hard and fast rule in either of those ports. The captain told me on the tour that Grand Turk is always bow in first, Half Moon Cay depends on the winds, as the ship pivots around the anchor to point into the wind, and Freeport is a case of they will turn around before docking unless they arrive late for whatever reason, in which case they will just get docked and do the turn around on departure. He said the preference is to turn the ship around and have it pointed in the direction of departure before docking, but time constraints sometimes prevent that, which is why they don't generally turn the ship around in Baltimore first. I've seen ships docked bow first and stern first at Nassau, and pics of the same at Port Canaveral.

In Grand Turk, your odds are better of seeing the island from the port side, but there is no guarantee you will be on the east side of the pier. You could just as easily be on the west side, and the port cabins could just be looking at a ship between them and the island.

[andychris]

We were also on this ship. We were a party of 17 and all had a great time. The food in the dining room was great and our servers were Santos and Negrea(spelling?) were fantastic. We all had no trouble drinking the water. Yes, the dod cards are no longer. One complaint was while waiting in the terminal all of those beach balls. Yes it was cute for about 5 minutes but then after getting beamed in the head a number of times it was not fun anymore,lol. Wished me were in the ports a little longer especially in nassau,half moon cay and grand turk. We really did not do anything off the ship in freeport. We were in an obstructed view balcony and it was great.

[Heirloom]

Thanks for this review, Tuffy !

We're less than 2 weeks away, and also were attracted most by the fact that we're in port after only 2 hours of driving. Also, we feel thus far that the Spirit class ship is the perfect size....e.g., have done Legend twice.

Having read your quick boarding time........will now follow your schedule with plans to arrive there at 1:00........no earlier. Hanging out indoors too long would seem identical to the airport boredom !

And since you guys didn't get sick in a week while 2 storms were closeby.....one less thing for us to worry about week of 9/13 !!!!

[Senoj84]

Very nice!

[the_monkey]

My thanks again to everyone who posted about the drinking water. We aren't bottled water drinkers, but we do drink a lot of water (DS is allergic to corn syrup so we generally avoid sweetened beverages) so it was an important question for us to find the answer to.