Review: Way To Go Pride!!!

If you have been thinking about booking a cruise on the PRIDE....don't even hesitate.....do it NOW!! Beautiful clean ship, great ports and MOST OF ALL, the best customer service and crew we have ever encountered on any vacation!! If that isnt enough to get you diving for the nearest telephone to grab a cabin on her.....I will give some detail.

Basics: My husband and I took our kids (8 and 11) for their first cruise. We had previously cruised on the Conquest which was just a downer all the way around for us. We had decided to give Carnival a second chance with the PRIDE out of Long Beach.

We stayed pre-cruise at the Hyatt Long Beach. Nice enough hotel, and cute little area to walk around shopping or eating, but lousy staff. Rude at the desk, rude at the coffee bar, rude at valet, etc...etc....

We barely cared at this point because we were excited to board the PRIDE.

We arrived at the Carnival Cruise Terminal WAY too early around 8:30. The Carnival staff lingering around were very friendly though and just asked us to step over toward the porters area for another hour. Even as the porters were very busy with deparking PRIDE customers, they still always greeted us and offered to come back and "get us" when it was time to start the embarking process. We had many offers and took the first one who grabbed our luggage. We then proceeded over to the Queen Mary for early check in. We were greeted with smiles the whole, short walk and through the check in process. We were very pleased already by this point since our experience on the Conquest out of New Orleans by embarking point was already a nightmare.

Early check in gave us Zone 1 passes and we went and lined up behind the sign. We were first in line. Long Beach is a very laid back, casual kind of embarking atmosphere. We were totally relaxed before we even boarded. People were even sleeping in the grass. Catching rays...etc....In comparison, the New Orleans port (when we cruised the Conquest) was filled with chaos and people yelling and Carnival employees making demands of you (no wonder everyone headed straight to the bar on that embarking process).

Back to Long Beach. These Carnival ladies and gents handling the embarking process were so helpful, but they also kept things organized in strong fashion! They meant business and I liked their style!

Hippity Hop.....on the ship in no time once things started rolling. No confusion, no problems......yes, they take lots of pictures and yes, of course Carnival is always trying to sell something the whole week long....but, it just doesnt bother me. That's what the words "no thanks" is for.

CD Greg Kneale is now retired and this was Steve Knisleys (sp?) first week as CD replacing Greg for now. Steve is hyper as heck (loved it). No skipping around and ho humming with this guy. He gets it out, says it all and gets you back on your way to having fun!! He did a great job and we really enjoyed him. WAY TO GO STEVE!!!!!!!!!!

One more thing in this Part I series.......as you board the ship and walk around, you are greeted by all staff and crew with genuine joy and smiles. Are they dying inside from exhaustion (probably) but I swear they never showed it.....not once our whole cruise with them.......AMAZING!!! Even in the Mermaid Grille where we ate most of the time, they were constantly assisting us and our kids.....with that everlasting smile!!!

Part II........soon! Questions? Just ask........

Thanks for the review of the Pride (Part 1)! I'm really excited to read your review and look forward to Part 2! I have never cruised with Carnival but in 6 months that will change. I had booked a four day cruise on Paradise but a few days ago changed my reservations for a 7 day on Pride!! I've cruised Princess, Celebrity and RCCL and have enjoyed each and every cruise experience. I'm looking forward to giving Carnival a try! We've got a category 8A on the Main Deck----would you know anything about the location?

Thanks again for the interesting review.

Kathy

I'm so glad you loved your cruise. We were on Pride in July and found everyone to be so helpful and friendly also.

Looking forward to your next installment so I can relive our cruise thru you.

Elise

Me too. Loved the PRIDE, as well as her sister the LEGEND. Spirit-classed ship are just superb. The Mexican Riviera is my favorite cruise (can't beat the airfare price). :D

Thanks for the review of the Pride (Part 1)! I'm really excited to read your review and look forward to Part 2! I have never cruised with Carnival but in 6 months that will change. I had booked a four day cruise on Paradise but a few days ago changed my reservations for a 7 day on Pride!! I've cruised Princess, Celebrity and RCCL and have enjoyed each and every cruise experience. I'm looking forward to giving Carnival a try! We've got a category 8A on the Main Deck----would you know anything about the location?

 

Thanks again for the interesting review.

 

Kathy

Ohhh Kathy, I know you have made a VERY wise choice by switching to the PRIDE for 7 days. You are going to love it. I think the Main Deck is a great choice. Are you midship, forward or aft? Main deck is not too high and not too low........Part II coming soon.........

Me too. Loved the PRIDE, as well as her sister the LEGEND. Spirit-classed ship are just superb. The Mexican Riviera is my favorite cruise (can't beat the airfare price). :D

glrounds,

We are thinking of the Legend for our next cruise. When did you cruise her and did you find the service to be just as great as the PRIDE? How about the Ports?? We are tossing around either the Legend, Glory or Liberty (when she comes back to the states).

ciship

ciship, Glad you enjoyed the Pride DW and I were on her a little over a year ago. We really liked the ports and we love the Spirit class ships. We are doing the Legend for the second time in about 11 days. I like the decor of the Legend best of the three Spirit class ships we have been on. Although I have not been on the Glory or the Liberty I would recommend the Legend. I think the others are too big, carry too many passengers. Plus the Legend does 8 day cruises, who wouldn't love an extra day on a cruise.

Looking forward to the rest of your report. Happy cruising, John

ciship, Glad you enjoyed the Pride DW and I were on her a little over a year ago. We really liked the ports and we love the Spirit class ships. We are doing the Legend for the second time in about 11 days. I like the decor of the Legend best of the three Spirit class ships we have been on. Although I have not been on the Glory or the Liberty I would recommend the Legend. I think the others are too big, carry too many passengers. Plus the Legend does 8 day cruises, who wouldn't love an extra day on a cruise.

 

Looking forward to the rest of your report. Happy cruising, John

 

John, thanks for your views of the Legend. If you are going on her again, you must love everything about her. Can I ask you to give me an idea of what are the hot excursions in her ports?

ciship

Welcome Home, Great Review... cant wait to hear more! please dont make us wait too long.

I am starving for any info on the Pride!. We aren't going until November, but we made our ressies before Christmas last year! Torture! We are newbies (3), will be 53, 50 and 18 years old.

Thanks so much for your time. Keep it coming!

John, thanks for your views of the Legend. If you are going on her again, you must love everything about her. Can I ask you to give me an idea of what are the hot excursions in her ports?

 

ciship

Well if you are looking at the Southern (St. Maarten, Barbados, and Martinique). We really liked St. Maarten, we didn't do any tours there just wandered the town and had a nice day shopping.

In Barbados we walked around the pier shopping area. Then the other 5 people I was with went to a near by beach, I went down town. Nothing to special there. I wish we would have gone a tour of the jungle or something there.

I wasn't really looking forward to Martinique because of things I had heard. We ended up going on a tour with a cabbie and it was one of the best tours we had ever been on. He took us to a rum factory which was very interesting. Then we went up in the mountains to a rain forest and saw a nice waterfall. We were gone about 3.5 hours. he charged us $50 per family ($100 total for 6 of us).

Now if you're talking about the Western (Belize, Costa Rica, and Panama) I will give you a review in a few weeks after we get back. I can tell you what we have planned.

Belize - We are doing a tour with Coral Breeze going snorkeling and having lunch at a local spot $69 pp for a 5 hour tour.

Costa Rica - We are doing a tour with Oscar Brown. He is taking us several spot including the zip lining with Almonds and Coral. $70 if you zip line $30 if you don't.

Panama - We will just be hanging around the pier and doing a little shopping.

I am starving for any info on the Pride!. We aren't going until November, but we made our ressies before Christmas last year! Torture! We are newbies (3), will be 53, 50 and 18 years old.

 

Thanks so much for your time. Keep it coming!

You are going to LOVE it......and atleast on OUR cruise, we noticed that the happiest group of all seemed to be the 18-22 year olds. They were really enjoying themselves in an orderly fashion which was nice.

Well if you are looking at the Southern (St. Maarten, Barbados, and Martinique). We really liked St. Maarten, we didn't do any tours there just wandered the town and had a nice day shopping.

 

In Barbados we walked around the pier shopping area. Then the other 5 people I was with went to a near by beach, I went down town. Nothing to special there. I wish we would have gone a tour of the jungle or something there.

 

I wasn't really looking forward to Martinique because of things I had heard. We ended up going on a tour with a cabbie and it was one of the best tours we had ever been on. He took us to a rum factory which was very interesting. Then we went up in the mountains to a rain forest and saw a nice waterfall. We were gone about 3.5 hours. he charged us $50 per family ($100 total for 6 of us).

 

Now if you're talking about the Western (Belize, Costa Rica, and Panama) I will give you a review in a few weeks after we get back. I can tell you what we have planned.

 

Belize - We are doing a tour with Coral Breeze going snorkeling and having lunch at a local spot $69 pp for a 5 hour tour.

 

Costa Rica - We are doing a tour with Oscar Brown. He is taking us several spot including the zip lining with Almonds and Coral. $70 if you zip line $30 if you don't.

 

Panama - We will just be hanging around the pier and doing a little shopping.

Yes, I'll be anxious to hear all about upon your return!! Thanks for the info!

Thank you for the review. I am leaving on the Pride in just over two weeks and I can't wait. Please be sure and post Part 2 of your review, I am eager to hear more. Sounds like you had a great cruise experience! :D

It's great to hear such positive things about the Pride. I'm very glad that I changed to the 7 day!!! ciship, we're in a balcony cabin midship (Main Deck)on the bumpout section. Looks like it will be a good view directly down into the ocean! My favorite!

Looking forward to the rest of your review!

Kathy

It's great to hear such positive things about the Pride. I'm very glad that I changed to the 7 day!!! ciship, we're in a balcony cabin midship (Main Deck)on the bumpout section. Looks like it will be a good view directly down into the ocean! My favorite!

 

Looking forward to the rest of your review!

 

Kathy

Oh yes Kathy, you have a primo spot.....you will feel so little motion (except on the last day) you won't even know you are on a ship!!

I'm halfway finished with Part II, but I really need to get to the Walmart Supercenter. My family has been eating out of the freezer since we just got back and I guess I should go get them some fresh food!!! lol :)

I will have it out by this evening.........

Hi Ciship:

Thanks for your great review.

Can you tell me what time was it when the porter start the embarking process -take your luggage, and what time was it when they take you in at Queen Mary for early check in?

We will be sailing in the first week of August, and plan to get to the pier early for luggage check in at the terminal as well as early check-in at Queen Mary.

Thanks.

we are leaving on the pride in 54days, thanks you for the review don't say to long at the store because we need and want more more more infor[smile]

Great review, did you do one for the Conquest?

Thank you for your review! We were on the Pride in 2003 for our Honeymoon and had the time of our lives!!!!!! It will forever be my favorite Carnival ship and the crew was just superb! We even tipped our server and the photo girl extra at the end of the cruise because they truly deserved it.

DH and I are anxiously awaiting our next cruise on the Liberty but I've been hearing so many negative things about the Conquest ships and so many positive things about the Spirit class ships that it concerns me a little. The Liberty is totally new though so I'm sure we won't have a problem, but it'll be my parents' first cruise and I want it to make a good impression on them.

DH and I are hoping to book a cruise for maybe our 5 year anniversary on the Pride... if we can wait that long. I can't wait to sail on her again. The Mexican Riviera sounds wonderful!

This is EXACTLY what I needed to read! We are leaving on the Pride April 3rd - I can't wait!

Great review, did you do one for the Conquest?

Yes, I did a very detailed review for the Conquest and got SLAMMED big time for it. I still wouldnt have done it any other way. I would rather hear the truth and facts than a bunch of fluff.

Hi Ciship:

 

Thanks for your great review.

 

Can you tell me what time was it when the porter start the embarking process -take your luggage, and what time was it when they take you in at Queen Mary for early check in?

 

We will be sailing in the first week of August, and plan to get to the pier early for luggage check in at the terminal as well as early check-in at Queen Mary.

 

Thanks.

Before we went, I had heard that if you are there around 9:15 a.m. that the porters would start taking luggage. That was not the case for us. We arrived around 8:45 a.m. (ok, I was a bit excited!!) and we waited for the porters to take our luggage until 10:15 ish. The Carnival employees kept saying that the QM early check in was already open at 9:15 a.m., but we werent about to drag all of our luggage and our kids over there and then drag it back to the porters. It worked out perfect just waiting for a porter and then having a nice stroll to the QM for early check in. No one was even there at the QM. We just walked right up.......no worries!! Then we put all of our carry on stuff in the Zone 1 line and did a little shopping with the vendors. Perfect!!

Thank you for your review! We were on the Pride in 2003 for our Honeymoon and had the time of our lives!!!!!! It will forever be my favorite Carnival ship and the crew was just superb! We even tipped our server and the photo girl extra at the end of the cruise because they truly deserved it.

 

DH and I are anxiously awaiting our next cruise on the Liberty but I've been hearing so many negative things about the Conquest ships and so many positive things about the Spirit class ships that it concerns me a little. The Liberty is totally new though so I'm sure we won't have a problem, but it'll be my parents' first cruise and I want it to make a good impression on them.

 

DH and I are hoping to book a cruise for maybe our 5 year anniversary on the Pride... if we can wait that long. I can't wait to sail on her again. The Mexican Riviera sounds wonderful!

Personally, I really don't care how the ship is laid out. I just want to see a happy crew who are glad we are sharing a ride with them. I think the Conquest for the most part gets good reviews, but I know that people don't like her layout (it didnt bother me at all). The Liberty will probably be an awesome cruise. I think our week on the Conquest was just a fluke that I doubt we will ever experience again (knock, knock, knock on wood)!