The Pride Love Affair Continues

Well we are back from another great week aboard the Carnival Pride and our love affair with this class of ship continues. I am an avid reader of CC before we sail and have picked up tons of tips and tricks. Hopefully, this review will help someone else!

The beginning:

I’m not sure if the ship was late or there was a customs issue but the June 12 cruisers didn’t start unloading until around 11am on 6/19. So this meant that we had a delay in boarding. Not a big deal. We had FTTF (and will buy it every single time!) so we quickly got through security, got our Sail and Sign cards and were hanging out in the seating area. We arrive around 11am to the port, stayed in the parking line for about 40 minutes and were able to get through to our seats by noonish.

Around 1pm they stopped checking in folks because there was no space in the boarding area. I felt bad for those standing in line. Finally we could see platinum folks boarding, then the wedding groups, and next up was the FTTF folks. We did board from the Deck A since the gangway is still not operational. Not a big deal. Walk across a path, through what looks like a shipping container, and on to the ship. We walked up one flight and then down the hall to catch a different set of elevators – no waiting to get to deck 6!

We immediately dropped off our carry-on luggage and took our teens up to Lido for their very first taste (but not their last) of Guy’s burgers! They never disappoint. After lunch, we went back to the cabins (balcony for us, inside for the kids) and found that all luggage except mine (really!?!) had been delivered. Apparently the tag came off my luggage and I eventually was able to pick it up at guest services about an hour before dinner. Thanks to Eladio (housekeeping) for suggesting I go look for it instead of waiting for Guest Services to find and bring it to me.

The Middle:

Carnival Hub App – we are glad we got this. It made communicating with our teens and the other couple very easy – well at least when the teens made time to actually respond to us. The teens and husband also got the social media package. Husband liked that he could post to FB and Instagram. The teens did not like it as much because they could not use SnapChat. However, they could use the iMessage feature on their iPhones to connect with their friends back home.

The Crew – It appeared that there was a complete overhaul of the crew since our cruise in September. Overall a great group of folks. We weren’t immediately thrilled with Schwartz the new cruise director but I will say that he was everywhere and very engaged the entire cruise. We loved Cookie (black guy from Alabama named Cookie!) from day one. Another favorite was Gary from Scotland (you have to hear him say it). Eladio was phenomenal and we felt bad that he had to clean the cabin with the 3 teen boys! There were lot of others from the restaurants to the bars that I will be sure to recognize in my carnival review.

Entertainment – My only downside is that it still was feast or famine with the entertainment, meaning everything at the same time or nothing at all. However, I will say they tried to spread out some things. I did feel like Schwartz was a salesman for the spa on many of his announcements at the beginning, and became the cruise director by day 2 or 3. Comedy was great (Diane Ford, Tommy Drake, and the awesome Fryman).

We attended several of the game shows (Hasbro, Quest, Love and Marriage, Adult Game Night, and Trivia) that we really enjoyed. We went to two Playlist Productions but did not stay. Not our idea of great entertainment. Husband won and I lost in the Casino so I think that makes us even! Lol – pretty sure he’s still annoyed that I didn’t walk away when I was up by $200.

Food – David’s Steakhouse is top of the list again - and yes we went twice. We took the teens as a graduation celebration on the first night and just the 4 adults on the second Elegant night. We had Your Time Dining – I’m not a fan. The concept is good but having to wait 35 to 55 minutes for a table does not make it my time dining. We tried to time it so we could make various activities and always missed them because of the wait. Some of the wait staff (Rex and Francisco) was much better and more attentive than others. Last time we had the 8pm seating and the service just seemed better.

We had sushi at Bonsai this time as well. I’m allergic to shellfish and when asked there was no problem making a cucumber/avocado roll for me. My husband really enjoyed the Tempura and California Rolls. Price was much better than what we would pay on land for the size.

Also, I had a veggie burger at Guy’s one day. It’s not listed so you just have to ask. It’s made to order and takes about 5 minutes. It was very flavorful! I’m glad this is an options since I rarely eat beef and one regular burger for the week is enough for me.

Cheers & Bottomless Bubbles - WORTH. EVERY. DIME. We would definitely get this again for the adults and the kids. I just looked at our printout and we apparently had 24 beverages in the first two days between the two adults! Yikes, our poor livers!!!! Oh well lots more water this week.  We also used our cards to get milkshakes for the kids on a couple of occasions as well as extra bottled water. The break even point for Cheers was about 5 or 6 drinks. We were free to try various drinks and move on if we didn’t like it because it was covered.

Ports – Grand Turk was beautiful. The teens had a great time on the Flow Rider. It was an hour and they got plenty of time on the boards. We paid the $25 each for the CD of pictures because in my mind memories are priceless. Half Moon Cay really is a slice of paradise. I wanted a Cabana but it said sold out online before the cruise. I went to the Excursions desk after we got onboard day 1 and they had a few available. Apparently they sell 12 of 15 online and hold the remaining 3. We were second on the wait list so there was no problem. We had Cabana number 1 and probably would request 2 or 3 in the future because there was a path leading from #1 and folks kept wanting to cut through. The cabana came with 4 floating mats, 4 snorkel sets (fins and mask), chips and salsa, a veggie tray and dip, fresh fruit tray, 8 cans of soda and 2 large bottles of bottled water. There is also 2 loungers with cushions, a table with 4 chairs, and a misting fan. We did not pay for extra people (4 included in the price) because we knew the kids would stay in the water. We split the $280 between the 2 families so it was well worth the cost. The teens also really enjoyed the activities at the sports center. Freeport is Freeport – Not much to see right at the port. We did a little shopping and then headed back on the boat.

Just Stuff

Here are a few tips that we learned from CC: take an extension cord if you need to charge more than one item. It is a lifesaver (and prevents arguments). Take your own pillow if you need a specific type of pillow. I always take my own pillowcase and even took (and left) my own pillow this time which was perfect. Take some Aloe Gel and Dramamine with you. The Caribbean sun is strong you will be happy to have the aloe even if it’s to stop you from peeling. Take a lanyard for your Sail and Sign card. Preorder Bottled Water for your room to stay hydrated (especially if you get Cheers:) ).

A small bottle of baby powder works wonders for getting sand off. Take a jacket and maybe one pair of sweatpants/jeans. :cool: It is cool in the theaters in the evening with the AC on full blast. We had the $105 in cash for parking instead of a credit card. Check the fun times if you sign up for the CC Meet and Greet. We missed it because it was at 4:15 which was the middle of our daily nap! Lol (don’t judge I don’t get to nap at work).

The End

Well, the only negative I can report is related to the shaking. Last time we were on deck 8 toward the rear and hardly felt anything. This time we were deck 6 in the middle and there was quite a bit of shaking especially the first 2 days when the Ship was moving very fast to make up for the late departure. We also had to take Dramamine the first two days because the speed was causing a bit of motion sickness.

One thing I love about vacation on the Pride is being able to connect with so many people through CC and FB before we set sail. It makes it nice to know some new faces and spend time talking with new people. If you are new to this cruising thing, I encourage you to get connected and make a few new friends which will make your cruise experience even better.

This morning the Ship docked a little before 9am. We did self-assist and were loaded up in our car by 9:40am. Getting through customs was quite easy compared to flying in from a foreign country. We are already thinking about and looking at the calendar for our next trip on the Pride. Feel free to ask and I’ll try to answer any questions.

(side note: I spent more time enjoying the moments rather than taking photos of every moment. However, I'm trying to find a few that reflect some of my comments so please take my photos in stride!)

Thanks for taking the time to share your trip with us.

It make me wish our next Pride cruise was closer than April 2017.

Grand Turk

Half Moon Cay & Cabana Life

Cheers and More Cheers

The Towel Parade!!!

Enjoy the Sunrises, Sunsets and Moonlight

Awesome review! Thanks for sharing. :cool:

Can you tell me around what time you showed up for your time dining? We leave in 3 weeks for a cruise on the Pride and the only available dining was that. I've been worried about the long waits.

Grand Turk

The Towel Parade!!!

 

 

Thanks for sharing. I look forward to getting back to Baltimore and sailing with family and friends on the Pride.

P.S. - I really liked this photo!!!! :D

Thanks for your efforts in making a report! I know I enjoyed my cruise on Carnival Pride and really enjoyed sailing from/to Baltimore.

Can you tell me around what time you showed up for your time dining? We leave in 3 weeks for a cruise on the Pride and the only available dining was that. I've been worried about the long waits.

We tried 6:30, 7 and 7:15...the shortest wait was about 30 minutes when we went at 7:15.

Thanks for the review,our first and only ship was the pride we had a blast won at bingo first day and last day :) we are going on the conquest in aug. so ready to get out of the DMV for a minute. I booked, to the family's surprise the christmas cruise on the pride the girls now 9 and 11 will be totally shocked and surprised as will the wife so glad the pride still shines you looked like you had a great time and congrats on raising YBM.

Jrkat69

Me and my husband are also July 17

1st time w/o sons

It make me wish our next Pride cruise was closer than April 2017.

When in April? We are the 23rd.

We tried 6:30, 7 and 7:15...the shortest wait was about 30 minutes when we went at 7:15.

We probably always went when it opened and never had a wait. Only if we went later or if we wanted to wait for a specific crew, once we had to wait 30 minutes.

I found Anytime Dining to be very disappointing also. We had waits of up to an hour, plus had slow service. Total dining time including the wait close to three hours some nights - never again!

Thanks for the review.

My hubby and I will be on the Pride in Nov to celebrate our 30th.

I read every review of the Pride. The shaking really concerns me, especially since we have an aft suite on the 4th deck. I have read the shaking /vibration is pretty obvious there.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Thanks for your review! Looks like you had a blast from the pics :) Leaving July 10th for 2nd time around on the Pride, & can't wait

I love the layout of the Spirit-class ships. I sailed Miracle twice and sailed Pride about 2 years ago.

I'm one of those who complained about the shaking. I had an aft on Miracle and it wasn't an issue. But on Pride, it was so bad the last night (when we were moving slowly) that it repeatedly woke me up. Seriously. It was like someone coming up and grabbing me by the shoulder and shaking me awake. Never again!

I'm booked on the 1/2/17 repo to Tampa. Thirteen glorious nights. This time, I have an inside Empress. Normally, I like lower (like bottom passenger deck). I think there's more side-to-side movement on this class because of the design (they're narrower), but it doesn't bother me too much since I started taking Ginger Root.

Looking forward to having the 2.0 updates. Had dinner at Bonsai one night on Vista and it was great. Totally stuffed myself for about $10!

Also not a fan of ATD. Have had it my past 2 cruises but am reverting back to late dining.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. :D

Thanks for your review. For me, the Pride (and all Spirit class ships) hits the mark on a variety of levels.

One of my most memorable experiences was comedian Diane Ford on the Pride. Her ad lib performance was one of the best I'd ever seen.

Loved your review of the Pride. We were on the Pride for the fourth time in February. We're spoiled by being able to leave from Baltimore. We live in the Philly suburbs, and it's so much easier than driving to the port of NY.

I love the layout of the Spirit-class ships. I sailed Miracle twice and sailed Pride about 2 years ago.

 

I'm one of those who complained about the shaking. I had an aft on Miracle and it wasn't an issue. But on Pride, it was so bad the last night (when we were moving slowly) that it repeatedly woke me up. Seriously. It was like someone coming up and grabbing me by the shoulder and shaking me awake. Never again!

 

I'm booked on the 1/2/17 repo to Tampa. Thirteen glorious nights. This time, I have an inside Empress. Normally, I like lower (like bottom passenger deck). I think there's more side-to-side movement on this class because of the design (they're narrower), but it doesn't bother me too much since I started taking Ginger Root.

 

Looking forward to having the 2.0 updates. Had dinner at Bonsai one night on Vista and it was great. Totally stuffed myself for about $10!

 

Also not a fan of ATD. Have had it my past 2 cruises but am reverting back to late dining.

 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. :D

Yeah, I had at least one night where it was pretty bad but I got used to it after awhile. Still, thinking we would choose the higher deck on the next cruise.

Loved your review of the Pride. We were on the Pride for the fourth time in February. We're spoiled by being able to leave from Baltimore. We live in the Philly suburbs, and it's so much easier than driving to the port of NY.

Thanks! We are becoming pretty addicted to leaving out of Baltimore too! I'm hoping to book another one soon and then another for 2018 when the youngest graduates.