Another Pride Review from a Different Perspective

[ChampionCruiser]

So we made our way back to the taxi area and, like I mentioned before, we weren’t too lucky on our return trip back to the ship. At least I could see the ship in the distance when the van really started to act up. Needless to say, I, along with the other 12 or so people in the van, was happy to see this sight again:

 

 

Once we got back, my aunt and uncle decided to take part in their afternoon ritual (a nap, of course) while my sister and I decided to look through the shops at the ship (we didn’t look before we left because we figured it wouldn’t have anything we wanted). Funny enough, I found EVERYTHING that I was looking for here (my ornament, a nice looking handmade souvenir, and a few other small things). I really liked the craft vendors who had sculptures, ornaments, etc. made out of coral and shells. So I guess I learned my lesson! But we FINALLY bought our last gift, so we were done shopping for the week (besides stuff from the Fun Shops…but that was for me so it doesn’t count).

 

We then made our way back to the ship content (and hungry). Off to the lido deck, like always! Now our time in Freeport had truly come to an end. I’ll be back tomorrow with more pictures! Only 1 ½ days to go!

 

[nybumpkin]

I know it seems like we didn’t really do anything in Freeport, but I think we spent our four short hours there as well as we could. Unlike some people, I definitely wouldn’t mind coming back. No, it wouldn’t be my first choice and it wasn’t as amazing as Grand Turk or Half Moon, but I definitely liked Freeport a lot!

I agree - we read so many horrid things about Freeport, but I'd go back. We went out to Paradise Cove and had a great time. If we go back, we'd probably try Captain Tony's snorkel tour or go out to Port Lucaya.

[louigi]

Thanks so much for your great review and pictures! You are doing a great job, can't wait for the rest!

 

This will be our first Carnival cruise and now I can't wait for our Bermuda cruise next October also!

[Sandpiper10]

Before we went any farther I had to stop for *another* ship picture.

 

 

 

 

As we walked a little further we began to see some lonely shells like this one:

 

 

 

 

And then my sister found a sea urchin that had washed up:

 

 

 

But it’s still a bit further until you get to the really cool stuff:

 

 

 

My entire family loves looking for shells at our vacation spot in North Carolina and we’ve never seen anything like this. Yes, all of the shells that we saw had at least one hole in them, but some were pretty small and I think the holes natural (we paid for a shell in Barbados with a whole in the same spot). I could be wrong though. Anyway, they were still better than the conch or whelk shells we’ve found on the grand strand.

 

You may have to dig for one if it’s stuck in the rocks:

 

 

 

Once you get to the shells, they continue on and on around the island. It really is cool. We only took two to keep because we didn’t know if we were allowed to take them with us. I remember in Cozumel they told us not to but in Barbados they let us. So we tried hiding them in our towels just in case until we saw some people carrying them openly back to the ship. Apparently it wasn’t an issue or people simply didn’t care. At any rate, we brought them back home without a glance from anybody.

 

 

I'm absolutely loving your review. We did GT, HMC and Nassau in May on the Destiny and I must let you know that we brought back a conch shell from GT as well. We couldn't believe how many we had found as we love to look for shells as a family on the beaches too! Can't wait to read the rest of your review!:)

[ChampionCruiser]

Hey everyone! I'm glad you're enjoying the review so far. I know it has taken forever to write, but I've really enjoyed writing it, so hopefully nobody minds.

 

I'll add a bit more tonight before crashing :)

 

Picking up where I left off...waiting for the Pride to sail from Freeport:

 

We basically stayed on deck until it was 2:00 and therefore time to set sail towards Baltimore. Before we headed to the front of the ship, I took a few more pictures of the port, mostly because it looked nicer with the sun out and blue water visible.

 

It was another beautiful day!

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a better picture of our neighbors in port:

 

 

It's almost time to head out to sea.

 

[ChampionCruiser]

At 2:00 on the dot (or very close to it) we began pulling away from the dock.

 

 

I always enjoy watching these big cruise ships maneuver like they do!

 

Slowly, we began to creep out of the port into open ocean:

 

 

And I took one last shot of Freeport, with the second adorable little lighthouse of the week.

 

 

In case you forgot, here's one more reminder that Freeport isn't an ordinary cruise ship port:

 

 

The view were still amazing, but by the end of the week, our "secret spot" wasn't so secret anymore!

 

[ChampionCruiser]

A few minutes later, we could see a small dot coming towards us. I could tell by its shape that it was probably a small cruise ship or ferry, but I couldn't tell for sure.

 

 

As it came closer, however, I recognized it (to the amazement of a couple beside me). It was the 1968-built Discovery Sun, which was once the Caribe for Commodore Cruise Line :D This turned out to be quite the Commodore reunion! Now, this ship sails short gambling cruises from Florida to Freeport (since Freeport is only 55 miles from Florida, I believe).

 

 

Here she is as the Caribe:

 

 

Here's an interesting comparison of new vs. old!

 

 

I promise, I didn't have the privilege of seeing any more cruise ships, so the history lessons are officially over ;)

[ChampionCruiser]

It was around 3:00 when my sister and I left our spot to relax for a couple of hours before getting ready for the second elegant night. We rented ping pong paddles (one of our favorite activities on a ship), went down the water slide a couple or five times, and best of all lounged and read by ourselves in silence:

 

 

Before we went back to the cabin, we said one last farewell to the Bahamas.

 

[ChampionCruiser]

I'll be back tomorrow with elegant night and hopefully part of our last sea day.

 

Until then :)...

[trptplayer22]

I agree - we read so many horrid things about Freeport, but I'd go back. We went out to Paradise Cove and had a great time. If we go back, we'd probably try Captain Tony's snorkel tour or go out to Port Lucaya.

 

We went last year and took the Bottom Fishing excursion. We had a blast. the 2 guys that ran it were entertaining and we learned alot about the fish in the area.

[ChampionCruiser]

Yippee for getting off work early! Now I can think about happier things!!

 

Getting ready for dinner was, as always, quick, cramped, and crazy. But we all managed and headed down to the atrium to get more pictures taken before going to dinner (taking pictures after dinner is of course NEVER an option).

 

 

 

Tonight’s dinner was, imho, just okay. It was definitely the worst menu for me even though I had been looking forward to having Carnival’s chateaubriand since my last Carnival cruise seven years ago! I seriously remember how amazing I thought it was even though I was only 13. Unfortunately, whether I was easily impressed then or the dish is different now, this was not the case any more. It was only served medium rare or medium well, so that was the first problem (for me), and I found it to be dull and chewy. I also ordered the chilled cherry soup (good) and the baked Alaska (not good). But I wasn’t upset; one “okay” dinner out of seven is fine with me.

 

One positive thing about dinner was the entertainment. Even though it is sometimes borderline cheesy, it’s always fun to watch:

 

 

[ChampionCruiser]

We closed the night like any other. After dinner we watched the sunset, played cards in the Crystal Card Room, went to the show, walked on deck, and read on the balcony.

 

The production show was VROOM!, which took you through the history of rock and roll, and we all enjoyed it. The singers and dancers were amazing (like always) and the music was much better than the jazz music before. The video clips that were played between “acts”, however, were distracting and unnecessary (if you’ve seen the show you know what I mean – but you may disagree). All in all, it was the second best show of the cruise, behind Around the World but way ahead of Jazzin’.

 

Friday had come to a close and there was officially only one more day left :(

 

Here are some pictures to end the day:

 

 

This picture was accidental. I didn’t notice how hard the wind was blowing until I looked at it later that night, but it made for a neat Marilyn-esque picture. Good thing it wasn’t blowing any harder!

 

 

Mine wasn't as cool, but it still made for a good profile picture.

 

 

Good night!

 

[bearnuts]

Really enjoy your review and pictures,you are doing a great job!

[bar1068]

Dude...really good stuff, we will be on the Pride starting on 7/25, but to Fla/Bahama's...

 

But...you took all those pics with a Nikon CoolPix S4000? I gotta get mine tuned up....mine don't seem to take pics a good as those...could be the operator...nah...has to be the camera......

[RatedRDP]

Great trip report. I have enjoyed and look forward to reading about the final days of your trip.

[sciencegal]

We are just 17 days away from this same trip and your review just keeps boosting our excitement. Grand Turk and HMC are two of our favorite ports! Family we are traveling with really like Freeport so it should all be good. Truth be told, how can it not be good on a cruise ship!

[LynneL]

Excellent review & great pictures! You certainly are a multi-talented kid.

 

My family & I were on the Pride & visit the same ports last summer. This bought back some nice memories.

[ChampionCruiser]

Dude...really good stuff, we will be on the Pride starting on 7/25, but to Fla/Bahama's...

 

But...you took all those pics with a Nikon CoolPix S4000? I gotta get mine tuned up....mine don't seem to take pics a good as those...could be the operator...nah...has to be the camera......

 

Definitely must be the camera! I just point and click!!

[ChampionCruiser]

Thanks everyone! I'm glad you've enjoyed my review, but I must say that i'm slightly jealous that some of you are planning yours! Oh well, i'll survive for another year or two.

 

SATURDAY, JUNE 26: DAY AT SEA

 

Well, it finally came: the last day of the cruise. It had to happen eventually, so I was going to try my best to ignore it and have an amazing day. Unlike the first two sea days, we actually had a lot planned. I guess they want to give you plenty of options for a nice last impression. We definitely wanted to go to the Ship’s Life Q & A, the Galley Tour, the Carnival Legends Show, plus some less important activities. Oh, and my sister and I HAD to find time to lounge, read, go down the water slide, play ping pong, go to the Fun Shops, etc!

 

So the day began like any other. We woke up at a wonderfully reasonable hour and ate breakfast at our favorite table in the Mermaid’s Grill. We also wanted to go to the Towel Folding Demonstration at 10:00 but that, well, didn’t happen! When we finished eating, my aunt and uncle ran down to the Debarkation Talk at 11:00, which was apparently a waste of time (they play the info over and over on all cabin TVs). In the meantime, my sister and I headed down to the Fun Shops to buy some 2 for $20 t-shirts and an overpriced ship model (I have all but the Enchanted Isle and Disney Magic) before going to the Lido deck to swim/ go down the water slide/ read.

 

We did this until we all met up around 1:30 to grab a "light" snack and get seats for the Q & A with Kirk.

 

Here are some pictures of the first part of the day:

 

The inevitable: the debarkation was in our cabin after breakfast. The heart was a nice touch, though!

 

 

Full speed ahead!!

 

 

 

 

 

We had to read in our favorite lounging spot one more time.

 

[ChampionCruiser]

By 2:00 we were in the Starry Night lounge ready for the Q & A with Kirk the cruise director. I remembered how amazing the Q & A was with the Mariner’s captain two years ago, so I was hopeful for this one, and Kirk didn’t disappoint. It’s always interesting to hear about life behind the scenes, and Kirk was very matter of fact (but funny at the same time) about all of the topics. I wouldn’t miss this if you’re at all interested in the lives of the crew!

 

By the end of the week I decided that Kirk was a terrific CD. It’s a little funny that the only other one I remember is “Karl with a K” from my Glory cruise, but I think I’ll remember Kirk too. Carnival certainly seems to have really great CDs.

 

 

After the Q & A was over, we immediately traveled aft to the Normandie Restaurant for the Galley Tour (which was at 3:30).This was another “behind the scenes” activity that we always enjoy. I think one day I’ll have to try the Behind the Fun tour, because I LOVE going places/hearing things that I wouldn’t see or know otherwise.

 

The first half of the tour is a summary of the kitchen life, together with the crazy data on the amount of food eaten each week. It was interesting, even though the Assistant Maitre De was a little hard to understand.

 

After he finished, we left the dining room to walk through the galley, which was pretty much what you would expect (huge and very silver). I thought it was interesting that all waiters travel from the kitchen to the dining room via escalator, since the galley thankfully isn’t on the same deck as the dining room (like the Destiny and larger classes). I imagined a lot of traffic jams!

 

Here are a couple of galley pics:

 

 

[ChampionCruiser]

I can't go on tonight!

 

I'll finish up day 7 tomorrow plus post a lot of pictures around the ship.

 

I'll finish later, I promise :)

[rkacruiser]

Yes, ChampionCruiser, you would love the Behind the Fun Tour!

 

Great review and pictures!

[dane225]

Fabulous review and pics!! I am glad to see someone remembering Commodore Cruise Lines.

[ChampionCruiser]

Fabulous review and pics!! I am glad to see someone remembering Commodore Cruise Lines.

 

I'll never forget Commodore and the Enchanted lsle! We wanted to sail with them again but never got the chance :(. I remember thinking that ship was amazing and we kept in contact with two crew members from the Philippines for years by letter after the cruise. It goes to show you that the size of the ship isn't everything!

[ChampionCruiser]

I'm nearing the end!

 

When the galley tour was over, we all went back on deck for a little while before going back to the cabin to get ready for the “last supper” (as my uncle called it).

 

We're getting closer and closer! I must say that it was weird hearing the captain say that we were passing Cape Hatteras, NC that afternoon since we would have to backtrack the next day.

 

 

Of course it was sad to say goodbye to our amazing waiters, but our last dinner was very good nonetheless.

 

I had the kid friendly grilled chicken and fettuccine for an appetizer (can’t really go wrong with that one), the prime rib (MUCH better than the chateaubriand imho), and the grand marnier (I thought it was AMAZING but my aunt said it reminded her too much of eggs). It was a great dinner to end the cruise!

 

The last dining room entertainment song ("We're leaving on a fun ship") was a perfect way to end dinner:

 

 

Our outstanding waiters: Larry (!!!!!!!) and Moulten!

 

 

After dinner, my aunt and uncle hesitatingly went back to the room to pack (the sound of that word sounds so amazing before the cruise but so horrible when it’s the last day) while my sister and I roamed around the ship. We went to the big screen trivia challenge and failed epically (all of the pictures were in black and white) and stayed in the Taj Mahal for the Liar’s Club at 8:45, which was pretty funny at times (but nothing spectacular). We had to be back by 10:30 for Carnival Legends, but first we needed to make a pit stop: we HAD to get our picture taken with Novi!

 

Thank you Novi for being the best steward EVER!!!!

 

 

 

 

When we got back to the Taj Mahal right before the show started, we had to sit in the balcony in order to find a seat. It wasn’t PACKED, but there were still a lot of people there to watch the show. This was our first time seeing it (I don’t think Carnival had it in 2003) and it was great! If anybody doesn’t know what it is, it’s basically a show where your fellow guests join the Pride’s singers and dancers to either impress the audience or embarrass themselves by impersonating famous singers (Britney Spears, Cher, Ricky Martin, Madonna, etc.) and it really is a lot of fun.

 

Even though it was late when the show ended, we weren’t quite ready to go back to the cabin. Instead, we wanted to walk out on deck one last time. We headed to the front of the lido deck as we approached the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/ Tunnel (even though we didn’t know it). We had no idea why the little lights (which we didn’t know were cars) kept disappearing. Finally, a lady beside us told us that the cars were going down into tunnels. It was really neat to see from our perspective, even though I wouldn’t have wanted to be in their position, seeing a huge ship that you know will pass over you.

 

After standing there for a while, we finally went to the room (it was well after midnight) and read on the balcony.

 

It was not only the ending of a great day, but of a GREAT cruise!