Carnival Pride Cruise Ship, Back-to-Back Cruise Review

I recently returned from a back-to-back cruise on Carnival Pride out of Baltimore going to Bermuda the first week and Grand Turk, Princess Cays, and Freeport (Bahamas) the second week and wanted to share my experience for others who may be considering booking the Pride.

My first recommendation would be to avoid early Spring out of Baltimore, as it was very chilly for us until we got out of the Baltimore area in April. It seemed as though no one was expecting it to be that cold up on deck - shawls and sweatshirts were hot sellers in the shops! Summer would have been fine.

I had an interior cabin for this cruise, and it was substantially bigger than the other interior cabins I have had on Carnival ships. Size-wise, the cabin was extremely comfortable. There was also plenty of storage space, and the bathroom was large as well, comparatively. I would also note this cabin had a refrigerator, which is something that has been missing from other Carnival interior cabins I have stayed in. If having a roomy cabin is a priority for you, you may want to check out the Pride. The steward took excellent care of the room.

The ship public areas had their share of cosmetic wear-and-tear, something which has not been unusual in my experience on older Carnival ships. There is rust here and there, and some chips and scrapes on decor elements. There is a renaissance "theme" in public areas that may strike some as "tacky." There is definitely room for updates and improvements in the ship maintenance area. There are two Lido decks - one covered by a sunroof and one open-air.

The food in the main dining room was good. There was only one night we did not like the food, but waitstaff was happy to replace our meals with alternatives. Guy's Burgers and Blue Iguana were always great. We were not thrilled with the buffet, but I admit I typically am not a fan of the buffets on any ship, any line, so your results may vary. We had anytime dining and usually didn't have to wait more than a few minutes to be seated. The bars provided very good drinks. All of the hospitality segments provided excellent customer service. Several staff members remembered us from the previous week.

The Serenity deck was always packed... except when it was raining, despite the fact that it was huge. I think I really would have enjoyed it if I had ever been able to find a spot in good weather - there were many clamshell loungers and even hammocks along with the adults only pool and jacuzzi.

I had a wonderful experience in the spa. I returned 3 times to the same masseuse who provided the best massages I have ever had on a cruise ship.

The entertainment didn't offer spectacular special effects the calibre I have seen on other ships, but the performers in the showroom were very talented. I enjoyed most of the shows. The steel drum duo and strings trio on deck and in the atrium were great. The comedians on this ship, however.... not so much.

All of the excursions I took booked through Carnival exceeded my expectations. The Hummer tour on Grand Turk may have been my favorite cruise excursion yet.

The back-to-back experience was a pleasant surprise. I felt pampered like a VIP. I was personally escorted off and back on the ship (per customs regulations), and received complimentary mimosas and a back-to-back group photo. I was frequently acknowledged as back-to-back by staff members.

The Pride is a smaller, older ship that doesn't offer all of the bells and whistles and extravagance of a lot of other ships, but we had a great time nonetheless. The Pride's greatest strength, in my opinion, is cabin size.

I filmed a video tour of the ship:

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Thanks for the report and the informative video :)

Thanks for the review.

how was the wifi and internet?

Great video tour, thanks for sharing. Will be on the Pride in July, now more excited!

Thank you so much for the review and a great video! We are going on Pride in July.

We have a YTD for dining. The main pet peeve on our other Carnival cruises was that tables for two in the main dining room were literally inches from one another. You couldn't have a conversation because the other tables were so close to each other.

Did you notice if the tables for two are close to each other on this ship?

Thank you.