First Carnival & Pride 1/26 - 2/2

This was my 11 yr old son and my first experience with not only the Carnival Pride, but with Carnival all together. This was a surprise for him for Christmas, so I only had to put up with his over excited countdown for about a month. :D Our only comparison was our first cruise for 4 nights on Disney a couple years ago. One of the reasons we picked this particular cruise is that I run a small non-casino hotel in Atlantic City and this was during the slowest and coldest weeks of the year and it's a lot easier for me to get away. Plus my son is an egghead and he's never going to be behind in school, no matter what he misses. Another big advantage other than being one of the least expensive cruises per night was that the Pride leaving from Baltimore meant we could drive to the Port instead of fly.

I booked a balcony room because with Disney my son wanted an Inside Stateroom because of Disney's "Magical Porthole". They're great inside rooms, but for a week, I wanted a balcony, cold or not. We were originally scheduled to be on Deck 4 midship, but I got a call that I could upgrade to an extended balcony on Deck 8 for only $25 total, so I did. It's basically 2 feet deeper across its 10 foot width. It felt roomy so I had no complaints.

We're over packers, or at least I am for us. So again, driving to the Port meant no baggage fees of any kind with number, weight, carry-ons, etc. We each had one full suitcase and a full backpack. I basically packed 2 outfits a day for each of us (day and night) and just about any "just in case" amenity you could think of. :p

It only took us around 2 hours to get to the Port, arriving around 11am. The day started around 25*, but everyone knows how cold the Northeast has been so that was really quite a break. There was still snow on the ground, but none falling, or too recent. The parking lot, which is right next to the ship, was pretty full when we arrived. We thought, "Wow, I thought we'd be early?" It turned out that most of those cars were people still getting off of the ship as we saw them getting their luggage and loading their cars to leave. Be prepared for this. You'll find by reading recent returns, getting off of the Pride later has been rather common this winter.

This is a very efficient Port. Driving in, they ask you if you have luggage tags on your bags and direct you where to unload them. After paying our $105 to park for the week we walked up with our backpacks and were immediately directed where to go. We've only done 2 "closed-loop" cruises, so we've only traveled with my driver's license, our birth certificates, and social security cards, never having had passports. Oddly enough, I've been to 46 states, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, but have never needed a passport. I gotta fix that, but that's another story.

I shot some short videos driving up, arriving, and entering. I'll have to see if I can load those, but was quickly told there is no filming in the terminal. I'm not really all that sure why, as so many other places let you, but that's the rule. You show your I.D. and are shuffled to Check-In where you show your Boarding Passes and are given your Sail & Sign Cards and have your picture taken for computer identification matching for the length of the cruise. We were in Boarding Zone 2 which meant Wedding Parties, Platinum, & FTTF guests, & Zone 1 would board before us. That really only looked like 100, maybe 200 people, out of what would be some 2000. So no complaints from us, but we're pretty patient people. Boarding didn't even begin until 12:45pm, but once it did it goes fast.

As soon as you're making your way to the ship they're already looking to take your picture at their photo ops. You'll find this over and over getting on and off the ship at every port and in the Atrium Lobby every evening. 5"x7" pictures are I believe $13 and 8"x10" are $23. Bigger package options are seriously lacking and definitely needs to be addressed in the future for the sake of the guests and it would definitely make Carnival more money as well.

Once on board I got my son a quick bite on Deck 8, the Lido (pool) Deck, at the Mermaid Grille (buffet). There are like 6 different stations of foods there, but 3 of them are usually serving the same things. One is always "Chopsticks", serving Chinese and always a line. Another is the Deli, which is always crowded as well, but usually just because each sandwich is sliced and prepared individually.

We toured the ship on our own from top to bottom and back to front to try and get a lay of the land a bit. It's not that difficult or confusing to get around, but signage is a little lacking. Many told me over and over they too were constantly turning the wrong way or heading the wrong direction to their rooms. Not a huge thing, but the right signage or its placement will easily correct it. It is a very easy ship to move in and around though. We spent a good amount of time on one of our last days roaming and taking pictures of each area, so I'll post those when I get there.

We ended our tour when we made it all the way to the bottom and found we were pretty much in the crew area and loading dock. The staff was still very nice when they saw us and explained the loading that was taking place and asked if there was anything they could help with, instead of the "Get out!" we half expected. LOL

We finished finally finding Club Carnival (the kids club) on Deck 5 all the way forward. This is the most glaring difference as a parent between Disney and Carnival, but who knows what the Prides clubs will look like after it's remodeled. It feels very low grade and kinda cheap. BUT, every single member of that staff that I encountered during our trip were GREAT. Super nice and accommodating in any and every way, and they really do try to keep the kids entertained and active the whole time, no matter what the age group.

After our tour we went back to our room to unpack. Yes, I unpack everything, organize it all to how and where I want it, and in what order so I have no more to do in that respect for the remainder of our trip. I can be as anal retentive as they come. That being said, one of my only concerns on this trip was my vodka making it through. I know. So many argue over this topic, but I'm not asking or making anyone do anything. I packed four 16 oz. Rum Runners, that I bought on Ebay for like $10, 75% full of vodka in our toiletry bags and in one shoe a piece and all four made it with no problem. :D There is PLENTY of storage space in these rooms. There were 3 full closets in our room. The first had 3 shelves, plus the bottom with at least 2 feet above each shelf. The other 2 had bars for hanging plus the bottoms, and that doesn't even include the 3 drawers in the desk, or the cabinets next to it or above. There are 3 shelves on each side of the sink in the bathroom as well, so we emptied everything and easily stored our luggage under our bed.

The only complaint I had practically the whole time was that I had tried online, plus had called multiple times to make sure our 2 twin beds were made into a King since it kept reverting back to twins online. I was assured, "no problem", but of course it was not done. I called housekeeping and they said they'd get right on it. I also left a note for housekeeping asking them to make up the King with King size sheets, not twins, empty the fridge, and make sure had ice daily and attached to the note was $20. Some believe in tipping up front, some do not. I do. Service was fast and impeccable the entire time, so I'll continue to do so going forward. I'll get to dinner when I get back on here later.

Thank you for the review! We're sailing on the Pride for the first time in May and I love hearing all the reviews! Sounds like you and you son had a great trip! Can't wait to see some pictures! :D

I'm looking forward to reading as well. Thank you for taking the time of writing it up and posting the pics when you get a chance.

Five days until we board! Subscribing!

CARNIVAL PRIDE - SUN 1/26 DAY 1 (Pt 2)

After touring the ship in total, we headed back to our room to shower and get ready for dinner. Our first night was a "Cruise Casual" dress dinner night, so we were glad as it's already been a long day for us with our getting up early to accomplish a laundry list of things long before our two hour drive to the Port. We signed up for the Early Assigned Dinner Seating, which was 6:00pm. While there is always a line to get into the Normandie Dining Room before and close to exactly 6pm, it moves fast and barely exists after opening. We were told we were at a table for 6 when we asked during the day, but when taken to our table, it was only for 4, and that pair never showed, so we got what I found out later was a much coveted private table for two. Plus our table was only open on one side. It had a divider on one side and a wall on two others open only to the table for 6 next to us. We loved it. The table for 6 never had more than 4 at it. We got to know them well. We also finally pulled out of Baltimore at this time, about an hour and a half late, so we missed sailing under the Key Bridge as we were still at our table.

For our first nights dinner, my son chose the sliced chicken tenders over marinated cucumber and lettuce with honey mustard sauce for his appetizer and large tiger shrimp in a tangy sweet and sour sauce served with scallion, garlic and shrimp fried rice noodles. I opted for the Caesar salad app and the tender braised beef brisket in gravy served with roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes. For dessert we both had Carnivals critically acclaimed Warm Chocolate Melting Cake. It is every bit as decadent as it sounds and you've heard. REALLY good. Dinner takes about an hour and a half give or take every night. The staff is fantastic. Some more ebullient than others, but all overwhelmingly nice and helpful. After dinner there was plenty going on around the ship to keep you entertained as the "Funtimes" will show, but we were just too tired. We walked around a bit and went back to our cabin to relax and watched "Iron Man 3" on one of the movie channels. Our room was made up as requested. The fridge was emptied, ice bucket was filled, and our relaxing puppy towel animal was awaiting our return.

(I tried scanning in the Funtimes, but they seem miniscule. If anyone has any ideas I'll try that next time. ;-)

Funtimes Back Page and our first Towel Animal

I would be eternally grateful if you happen to post the Camp Carnival Funtimes! I'm trying to give my DS9 and DD11 an idea of what might be offered onboard!

Hope these are ok for those interested. :)

Hope these are ok for those interested. :)

Thanks for the effort! They are too small to read. Can you scan at a higher resolution or take a photo? If you can't, no biggie!

We like it dark when we sleep, so with all the lights off out on the ocean that certainly is not a problem. The advantage is that if you're an early riser like we are, leaving the curtains open to your balcony can be like turning the lights on. We woke at 7am with the knock on the door. You can hang a door hangar on your hallway door with your breakfast order the night before and what time you want it. So there stood our steward with coffee and fresh croissants (little Brads new favorite). Just as we rose, there was the sun coming up over the ocean off our balcony. Not bad at all. The day before had peaked at about 35*, which we weren't really complaining about having left -10* only days before. Checking the balcony it was already between 45*-50*, so again, better than anyone expected.

Once we got dressed for our day (in our Clemson gear of course) we headed up to the main dining room to check out brunch. Oddly, they seated most everyone that came in together, I guess trying to maximize space and make it easier on the wait staff. We never mind because we like getting to know as many as possible, but you could see the different points of view at one table. There were 8 of us and 6 of us were laughing it up and joining in. Two you would've barely known were there and you could tell didn't want to be. I just had some coffee and a muffin. Little Brad of course had steak and eggs. lol

After breakfast we walked around a bit and stopped to play some giant chess on the Lido Deck next to the pool. My son is becoming quite the chess fan. I whooped em in the first game. He was shocked, the little stinker. Although he caught me blind and beat me even faster in the second game, so I quit and told him he was grounded. ;-)

We went to the Taj Mahal Theater for the Fun Ashore & Fun Aboard Presentation at 10:30 to hear what the Cruise Director had to say and try and win some free stuff. No luck, but it was fun. Immediately following we went up top to David's Steakhouse for Steakhouse Secrets Revealed at 12pm to get a good seat. It filled up pretty quick. They demonstrated a salad, appetizer, main course and a dessert and gave everyone attending a sample of them all. My little foodie loved it. It was at this point that we learned about the Chef's Table dinner and signed up after the demo. More on that later.

I'm really enjoying your report! I can't wait to be aboard!

After the Steakhouse demo we went down the Lido Deck Stage next to the pool to sign up for the Master Mixologist contest, but we ran long and missed it. I wanted to enter my "Enerdriver" but it'll have to wait til next time. ;-) We did manage to catch some of the Ice Carving Demo there and see some of the Mixology contest though.

I took Brad down to Camp Carnival for their re-opening at 2pm. They close a few times during the cruise to prepare for what they call "Beary Cuddly". It's basically a Build-A-Bear workshop that you have to pay extra for. He wasn't really interested in that, especially since I had got him a Funship Freddy (the Carnival mascot) online before the cruise for Christmas. As a side note, we never did see or hear of Funship Freddy making any appearances on-board during our cruise, but that doesn't mean he didn't.

The Kids Club had about 3 hours of activities from 2pm-5pm that he was interested in checking out. Various games, Speed Stacking, Wacky Words, Team Competitions and finally a Scavenger Hunt. The Scavenger Hunts were for kids who were old enough and their parents allowed them to sign themselves out of the club to search the ship for what they were looking for. Sounds a little worrisome, but they are always in groups and if your kids are even fairly responsible, it's not that big a deal.

I told my son to meet me back at our room after his scavenger hunt so we could get ready for dinner. Your second night is the first of 2 formal or "Elegant" nights and we brought matching black suits along for them, and needed a little more prep time. lol

My son, Charlie, wants to know if there were prizes for speed stacking. He desperately wants to win a trophy (Ship-on-a-Stick) next week!

My son, Charlie, wants to know if there were prizes for speed stacking. He desperately wants to win a trophy (Ship-on-a-Stick) next week!

No there were no prizes in Club Carnival. They did play Bingo there once and they gave out a dry erase board or the like, but no ship prizes or medals. The littler kids do some activities with things they get to keep though. Lido Deck Stage games, trivia, name that song, etc. around the ship all award medals and ships.

We got in our matching suits, shirts and ties and headed down toward the Main Dining Room and the Atrium Lobby. We stopped at Pixels Gallery, the name of where all the photos taken by Carnival are printed and displayed, to take a look at what had been printed so far. While the photos are taken digitally, every single one is printed and displayed in racks around the 3rd floor overlooking the lobby. Each style of photo is grouped together and yours are grouped by facial recognition. A little wasteful to be printing them all, but I'm sure that will change eventually.

After looking around briefly, and fending off eager photographers at their stations, we head into the dining room. Now many have asked about Elegant Night. By my estimation, a good 90% of people were dressed up. Not just dressed better than normal, but Formal. Lots of suits, dresses, gowns, you name it. People saying it's a lot less are fooling you. I saw it and was glad we dressed appropriately.

For dinner tonight little Brad started with the Spicy Alligator Fritters over Tropical Tomato Salsa with fried chips & onion straws followed by Prime Rib with Baked Potato & Onion Rings. I tried the Fried Vegetable Spring Rolls with Tomato, Oregano & Olive Oil Sauce followed by the Barbecued St. Louis Style Pork Spare Ribs with Grilled Corn on the Cob, Spring Onion, Fries & Creamy Cole Slaw.

Brad, and many others, thought the Alligator Fritters were kind of bland and mostly stuffing and not to be feared. Most loved their Prime Rib. My Spring Rolls were excellent as was the tenderness of the Ribs and corn. The fries were some of the worst I've ever had. You are forewarned. lol Brad couldn't help ordering the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake again for dessert and I tried the Caramelized Apples on Puff Pastry with Mini Vanilla Ice Cream and Caramel Sauce. Brad LOVED his again. My pastry was perfect although I think the apple got left in the tree. BUT the caramel sauce was hot and thin and a wonderful surprise. I don't like caramel because it's thick and sticky, so this was great. Right before dessert the staff performed a lip synch to an old Dean Martin song that I can't remember, but it was cute.

After dinner we went back to the main atrium lobby to get our picture taken at some of the many places to do so. There are a lot of stations set up, many with fake backgrounds. That's not really are thing, plus we can usually do that home at The Picture People, so I let my son pick where he wanted to get his picture taken . . . and boy does he love having his picture taken. lol Oh, there's also a photographer that comes around and takes your picture at your dining room table every night too. No matter where you have them taken, they take them separate, together, individual. Remember the more options, the more they're likely to sell, but getting them taken is free and you're not obligated to buy any.

The first Elegant Night is also the Captains Celebration, which can be held out on the Promenade Deck in nicer weather, but in the Atrium Lobby when it is not, so we got to chat and get pictures with all the Captain and all the officers as well before heading back to our room around 8pm or so to find our latest towel creation.

Little Brad changed into his pajamas and started his nightly writing for his school report on his trip and I went down to the Florentines Lounge for a little karaoke. I'm not exactly a love song singer all too often, so needless to say my choice in song woke up the place pretty good. lol After I went back up to check on my sons progress and he was already done writing and sound asleep. I head down to the Ivory Piano Bar for some sing-a-long, but it was like the dance of the dead this early, so I didn't stay. Now I live near and work in Atlantic City, but don't gamble at all, which is a huge pastime for many on a Carnival Cruise. It was heading through the casino, one of the few places your allowed to smoke and you sure can tell, that I spent the balance of my night before turning in. I met some hilarious people there that I ended up running into and hanging out with several times throughout the cruise, so never say never.

We began our third day with the prerequisite knock on the door and my coffee and Brads croissants and danish arriving, but we both quickly fell back asleep. A few too many Enerdrivers last night for me I guess and Camp Carnival and all its running around caught up to Brad. Brad's becoming a Hobbit because he now refers to his room service as his "first breakfast". We eventually rolled out of bed and got showered and dressed and headed up to Mermaids Grille to see what was on the buffet for breakfast. It wasn't bad. Everything you'd expect or hope to be offered, hot and cold, at breakfast time. As a side note in getting ready, we found the bathrooms in the rooms to be plenty spacious enough. The shower is a stall with only a lip on the ground preventing the water from coming out and a long curved shower curtain and rod. They have Shampoo and Body Wash in containers mounted to the wall in the shower. The bar soap they provide smelled a little weird to us and was extremely dry, so we didn't use that much having other options. Someone can be getting ready in front of the mirror at the same time without problem and the bathroom lighting is excellent. Although be careful of the toilet. Like most cruise ships, don't get to close when you flush. I think it could suck down a small dog if you weren't careful! lol

After breakfast I took Brad to Camp Carnival as he had a few hours of things he wanted to do there from 11am-2pm, starting with another Scavenger Hunt, Head to Head Challenges, and Video Games. I went to Raphael's Lounge and caught the end of the 10am Sound Clips Trivia (where they gave you movie lines and you had to guess the movie) and then sat by a window in a beautiful leather recliner and just enjoyed cruising for almost 45 minutes. The lounge started to fill up again for the 11:30am Guess That Movie. This time they gave you a line from a movie and you had to guess the film title and what year it was released. Tough huh? I finished second, losing by one point, with the winner getting the coveted "Ship On a Stick". lol I got to know the couple sitting next to me so we stayed for the next Trivia called Ultimate Mind Game. That's right. Winner winner chicken dinner! 20 out of 20 and now we are the proud owners of a Ship On a Stick! Or as the staff describes it, "a solid gold plastic replica of the Carnival Pride". lol I saved the answers, so if I can remember all the riddles I'll post them next. Basking in my glory I hung around for the next one called the Triviathon Fun Challenge, but didn't compete. I just helped the couple next to me. This one was REALLY hard and it ended up going overtime between 2 people.

When it was over I went up to the covered pool stage area on the Lido Deck where they were about to start the Hairy Chest Contest. I've heard people say how much they loved this and others how much they hate it. This was really funny. It's done well. Most of the contestants, there were 6, volunteer anyway, and the entertainment staff makes it enjoyable as well, as they do with most things. It goes on for a while, with different challenges, so to speak, eliminating 2 at a time til it's down to the final 2 showdown. They get the crowd involved and it was really funny and worth catching if you like to laugh.

Brad found me at the pool and then we grabbed some lunch at the buffet. Nothing special, but as always we try to taste different things. Although you may not expect it, the lines are still BIG at 2pm for lunch at the buffet stations. There was Family Karaoke starting around now so we walked downstairs to check it out, but it was the same karaoke crowd and not a kid in the place. My son's never afraid to sing with me, but he didn't really want to hang out with a crowd of adults for no apparent reason, so we didn't stay. We chatted about our days and walked through the stores then went back to our room at 3pm to watch "Star Trek: Into Darkness" on one of the movie channels. I think my eyes may have been open for some too! LOL

Very nice review so far! We will be sailing in a few weeks so I am just enjoying reading all the Pride reviews. It will be my 3rd time on her, but this time we chose to splurge and move up a few decks, and we will also be treating ourselves to the Behind the Fun tour this trip. Can't wait to board! :D

CARNIVAL CRUISE MOVIE TRIVIA - Name the movie AND the year it came out.

1 - "Frankly Scarlett . . . "

2 - "Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes . . ."

3 - "This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship . . ."

4 - "The force will be with you . . ."

5 - "You talkin to me?"

6 - "I love the smell of napalm in the morning."

7 - "I ate his liver with some fava beans . . ."

8 - "Show me the money."

9 - "I feel the need, the need for . . ."

10 - "We're gonna need a bigger boat."

11 - "Hasta la vista baby."

12 - "We're not in Kansas anymore."

13 - "Life is like a box of chocolates."

14 - "I see dead people."

15 - "Houston, we have a problem."

16 - "Do you feel lucky punk?"

17 - "There's no crying in baseball."

18 - "I'm the king of the world!"

19 - "Say hello to my little friend!"

20 - "I am serious, and don't call me Shirley."

CARNIVAL PRIDE RIDDLE TRIVIA

1 - A man buys a ranch style home. Everything is blue. The walls are blue, the furniture is blue, the beds are blue, the inside is blue, the outside is blue. What color are the stairs?

2 - What's black and white and red all over?

3 - A rooster sits on a roof facing North. The wind is blowing 30 mph from the south. The roof pitches due East. If he lays an egg what direction will it roll?

4 - What color was GEORGE WASHINGTONS White House?

5 - What gets wetter and wetter as it dries?

6 - You're driving a bus that has 6 stops. 8 get on, 2 get off, then 6 get on, 4 get off, then none get on, 1 gets off, then 4 get on, one gets off, then 7 get on, 2 get off, then 10 get on, 3 get off. How old is the bus driver?

7 - You fill a basket but no matter how much you do so, it adds no weight whatsoever. How is this possible?

8 - Who is your sister-in-laws mother-in-law?

9 - A man and his son are in a car accident and the father dies. The boy is flown to the hospital where the Dr. comes into the operating room and looks at the boy and says, "I can't operate on this boy. He's my son." How is this possible?

10 - An electric train is going 60 mph heading east up a 45 degree slope with a 15 mph Eastern cross wind. Which way does the steam blow?

11 - What is the name of the closest star to the Earth?

12 - How many grooves in a 33 rpm record?

13 - Is the Capital of Kentucky pronounced - A) Looville B)Louieville C)Louisville?

14 - A man goes into the woods looking for nothing. He comes out holding nothing. When he gets home he searches his empty hand for something. What is he looking for?

15 - A man in car #1 crashes into car #2. They pull a dead body out of car #2, but the driver of car #1 does not go to jail. Why?

16 - A man jumps off of a 20 foot ladder and does not get hurt? Why?

17 - A man leaves home, makes a left and a left and a left. He returns home to find two masked men waiting for him. Who are the men in masks?

18 - What state is round on the ends and high in the middle?

19 - Is it possible to jump higher than the Empire State Building?

20 - What is greater than God, more evil than the devil, the poor have it, the rich don't need it, and if you eat it you'll die?

Once we got dressed for our day (in our Clemson gear of course) we headed up to the main dining room to check out brunch. Oddly, they seated most everyone that came in together, I guess trying to maximize space and make it easier on the wait staff. We never mind because we like getting to know as many as possible, but you could see the different points of view at one table. There were 8 of us and 6 of us were laughing it up and joining in. Two you would've barely known were there and you could tell didn't want to be. I just had some coffee and a muffin. Little Brad of course had steak and eggs. lol

 

After breakfast we walked around a bit and stopped to play some giant chess on the Lido Deck next to the pool. My son is becoming quite the chess fan. I whooped em in the first game. He was shocked, the little stinker. Although he caught me blind and beat me even faster in the second game, so I quit and told him he was grounded. ;-)

 

We went to the Taj Mahal Theater for the Fun Ashore & Fun Aboard Presentation at 10:30 to hear what the Cruise Director had to say and try and win some free stuff. No luck, but it was fun. Immediately following we went up top to David's Steakhouse for Steakhouse Secrets Revealed at 12pm to get a good seat. It filled up pretty quick. They demonstrated a salad, appetizer, main course and a dessert and gave everyone attending a sample of them all. My little foodie loved it. It was at this point that we learned about the Chef's Table dinner and signed up after the demo. More on that later.

I am just down the road from Clemson, are you orginally from here?

"The first Elegant Night is also the Captains Celebration, which can be held out on the Promenade Deck in nicer weather, but in the Atrium Lobby when it is not, so we got to chat and get pictures with all the Captain and all the officers as well before heading back to our room around 8pm"

I'm originally from, and back in, Jersey, but lived in Clemson for 6 years! GO TIGERS!

CARNIVAL PRIDE RIDDLE TRIVIA

 

1 - A man buys a ranch style home. Everything is blue. The walls are blue, the furniture is blue, the beds are blue, the inside is blue, the outside is blue. What color are the stairs?

2 - What's black and white and red all over?

3 - A rooster sits on a roof facing North. The wind is blowing 30 mph from the south. The roof pitches due East. If he lays an egg what direction will it roll?

4 - What color was GEORGE WASHINGTONS White House?

5 - What gets wetter and wetter as it dries?

6 - You're driving a bus that has 6 stops. 8 get on, 2 get off, then 6 get on, 4 get off, then none get on, 1 gets off, then 4 get on, one gets off, then 7 get on, 2 get off, then 10 get on, 3 get off. How old is the bus driver?

7 - You fill a basket but no matter how much you do so, it adds no weight whatsoever. How is this possible?

8 - Who is your sister-in-laws mother-in-law?

9 - A man and his son are in a car accident and the father dies. The boy is flown to the hospital where the Dr. comes into the operating room and looks at the boy and says, "I can't operate on this boy. He's my son." How is this possible?

10 - An electric train is going 60 mph heading east up a 45 degree slope with a 15 mph Eastern cross wind. Which way does the steam blow?

11 - What is the name of the closest star to the Earth?

12 - How many grooves in a 33 rpm record?

13 - Is the Capital of Kentucky pronounced - A) Looville B)Louieville C)Louisville?

14 - A man goes into the woods looking for nothing. He comes out holding nothing. When he gets home he searches his empty hand for something. What is he looking for?

15 - A man in car #1 crashes into car #2. They pull a dead body out of car #2, but the driver of car #1 does not go to jail. Why?

16 - A man jumps off of a 20 foot ladder and does not get hurt? Why?

17 - A man leaves home, makes a left and a left and a left. He returns home to find two masked men waiting for him. Who are the men in masks?

18 - What state is round on the ends and high in the middle?

19 - Is it possible to jump higher than the Empire State Building?

20 - What is greater than God, more evil than the devil, the poor have it, the rich don't need it, and if you eat it you'll die?

I think I know them all except 14. A couple, the answer could be debatable, but I think I at least know what answer they're looking for.