"Princesser" does Carnival... lots of photos

[stu & SAND]

The story never ends... Is there something specific you want to know or see? Let me know and I will post it.

thanks for the offer, glad you had fun but i sometimes like to be surprised (but not very often)

[wilfros]

thanks for the offer, glad you had fun but i sometimes like to be surprised (but not very often)

It does not matter how much reviewers tell, I can assure you that on Pride you will find surprises. Most, if not all, will be pleasant ones.

 

A photo is just a photo, and words are just words. For me none of these ever top the actual feeling of being on board when the ship departs a port or a well presented meal is placed in front of you. Add to that someone is waiting for you to depart your cabin so they can pick up behind you. I haven't had that feeling since I left home and Mom retired from that duty.

 

You will have a great cruise, of that I am certain.

[Martini Mom]

Great pics! Thank you! :D

[wilfros]

More please!:D

You do understand that there must be an end to this review don't you? I can only prolong it so far.... sadly it was only a 7 day cruise.

 

Imagine how long this would be if I ever got on a 14 day cruise (lol)

 

Thanks for following, and you should give other cruise lines a chance. This cruise opened our eyes and inspite of my comments concerning "my feelings" I would not hesitate to book Carnival again. HOWEVER: Given the chance I would be the first in line for Princess, their ships are true works of art (IMHO).

[JaniceB]

I am not absolutely sure which is the Cheasapeake Bay Bridge but if it is the last bridge before you enter the Atlantic then we passed it at about 12:30 am when we departed and about 1:00 am on our return.

 

All times are aproximate as time seemed to just slip by when we were on board (lol).

 

That was probably the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. It is a series of bridges and tunnels that connect Maryland and Virginia. The one I am talking about is not that far from Baltimore. I have never cruised from Baltimore so I am not sure if it is the first or second bridge you go under. We cross the bridge to get to the Eastern Shore of Maryland and it also takes us to Delaware and the NJ Turnpike. It is near Annapolis MD. I have been over it many times, just wanted to check out the view from the water.

[wilfros]

That was probably the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. It is a series of bridges and tunnels that connect Maryland and Virginia. The one I am talking about is not that far from Baltimore. I have never cruised from Baltimore so I am not sure if it is the first or second bridge you go under. We cross the bridge to get to the Eastern Shore of Maryland and it also takes us to Delaware and the NJ Turnpike. It is near Annapolis MD. I have been over it many times, just wanted to check out the view from the water.

 

According to Google Earth Chesapeake Bay Bridge is the second bridge, just by Annapolis. We passed that during our dinning in David's Steakhouse so that would put it at about 8 pm. It was dark so photos were impossible.

 

Here are a few photos of the first bridge that spans Blatimore Harbor.

 

 

 

 

Hope this helps.

[mississauga]

Fabulous photos! I have seen your work before.....probably ones you posted of the Caribbean Princess cruise. Thanks for sharing!

[JaniceB]

Thanks for checking out the bridges on google maps. I thought it may have been the second bridge. I was thinking of David's the first night of our cruise, so I may be passing under while dining at David's, too.

I am really enjoying your review and pictures.

[truchattycathy]

Great review. I love the pics. Thanks.

[wilfros]

Fabulous photos! I have seen your work before.....probably ones you posted of the Caribbean Princess cruise. Thanks for sharing!

 

Thanks for checking out the bridges on google maps. I thought it may have been the second bridge. I was thinking of David's the first night of our cruise, so I may be passing under while dining at David's, too.

I am really enjoying your review and pictures.

 

Great review. I love the pics. Thanks.

 

Thanks for the encouragment, I am glad you are enjoying the review.

 

This allows me to extend my vacation by reliving it while I compose the text.

[BigDoug]

The first bridge that you pass under is the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The second set would be the Chesapeake Bay Bridges at Annapolis, MD. There are two separate spans. The final set would be the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay near Norfolk, VA.

 

Great review so far. The Spirit-class ships of Carnival are my favorites.

[wilfros]

The first bridge that you pass under is the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The second set would be the Chesapeake Bay Bridges at Annapolis, MD. There are two separate spans. The final set would be the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay near Norfolk, VA.

 

Great review so far. The Spirit-class ships of Carnival are my favorites.

I love knowledgable people. There we have it! So, as a thank you to BigDoug.. one more photo of the Francis Scott Key Bridge (boy.. the name is longer than the bridge is...lol). Baltimore Harbor in the background.

 

Later today my next post...

 

[mizdkc]

Thanks, glad someone can see the effect here are 3 more. If you like them I can post more.

 

Let me know if you want more.... Enjoy.. again you can get instructions on how to view by visiting http://www.stamperspad.com/wilfros/ and the second last post is an interactive tutorial just click next button to proceed through the lesson:D

 

If I could just hear the ocean, I'd swear I was on the ship. Neat!

 

I hope my eyes don't stick, like my mom told me they would when I was little . . . :)

[mizLORInj]

The food porn shots were fabulous. I've found Carnival's steakhouse food to be excellent.

I do agree Princess atriums (and general decor) are more elegant than the Carnival atriums. But their differences provide variety and I like that!

Thanks for your review!

[wilfros]

If I could just hear the ocean, I'd swear I was on the ship. Neat!

 

I hope my eyes don't stick, like my mom told me they would when I was little . . . :)

 

I've tried everything and can't seem to embed a video link on CC so here is a link to the sounds and sights from the deck of Pride.

 

http://s1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc412/wilfros/Carnival%20Pride%20for%20CC/?action=view&current=MOV06010.mp4

 

All you need do is ask... and you shall receive.

 

Please let me know is you can't see the video.

 

Thanks

[wilfros]

The Taj Mahal Theatre is a spectacular area. Again I found the white walls with sparkles unnecessary but it was noticeable.

 

The seating area at the bottom was comfortable especially with the little tables in front of the seats. It gave you a place to put drinks etc. and still lots of legroom. I found the ceilings in this area to be low and when we sat at the back I had the feeling I was missing something as you could not see the top of the stage area. This was certainly not the case, the views were actually perfect, it was just a feeling I had. The upper balconies are the truly interesting part of the Theatre. There were stairs everywhere taking you to different levels. It is hard to explain but I would not have wanted to be the architect who designed this, it is truly interesting.

 

In the balconies, if you are of medium or smaller height you may find that the top of the protective glass will block your view. The glass is capped with a silver strip. It never bothered me but my wife had us move to the second row in order that she could get an unobstructed view because of this.

 

I will get to the entertainment a little later in the review.

 

 

 

 

Beside the theatre on the Promenade deck there are two (one on each side of the ship) lounges. They are called the Sunset Lounge(s). I am not quite sure what they were designed for but they did serve as a nice respite area if you needed to get away from everything. As a lucky balcony cabin guest we never felt the need to take advantage of this area but I can sure see how a person with an inside cabin might use this area more than others. It provided a lovely place to sit, watch the ocean pass by and enjoy a coffee (or other such beverage).

 

The décor seemed out of place from the rest of the ship but, all on it’s own it was quite a lovely little spot to find.

 

 

Directly below the theatre is the Butterfly Lounge. The entrance is special with all the butterflies in glass on display (see photos below). My wife spent a lot of time here examining each and every butterfly. She loved them.

 

The Lounge itself was great. I held a lot of people yet never felt cramped. Every seat gave you the feeling of being close to the performers and thus the shows were up close and personal. I loved the time we spent in this lounge.

 

 

 

 

to be continued ...

[jkudzu]

You do understand that there must be an end to this review don't you? I can only prolong it so far.... sadly it was only a 7 day cruise.

 

Imagine how long this would be if I ever got on a 14 day cruise (lol)

 

Thanks for following, and you should give other cruise lines a chance. This cruise opened our eyes and inspite of my comments concerning "my feelings" I would not hesitate to book Carnival again. HOWEVER: Given the chance I would be the first in line for Princess, their ships are true works of art (IMHO).

 

I know, I know!:(A girl can dream can't she???;)

[wilfros]

I forgot to include a photo of the Butterfly lounge itself so here it is before a comedy show:

 

 

Moving towards the “aft” of the ship we next encountered the Starry Night Lounge. This is where they held the Karaoke Singing and everyone had a great time. Many times the crowd spilled out into the seating area of the hallway. Kids and adults alike were able to show off their abilities (or lack there of) to sing. The important thing is that the lounge was always busy and everyone was having fun. The host was great at finding the songs that the performers wanted and he made the place work.

 

(Sorry no photos)

 

The Casino:

 

 

This was the biggest casino I have seen so far. It was easily twice the size of the one on Caribbean Princess and was always busy. There were many more types of games available and lots of slots. If you wanted to play any type of game there always seemed to be a place for you. I found that nice.

 

One word of warning: The smoke in this area and the associated Sports bar is beyond description. It was like walking into a cloud and the smell spread from the casino into all other areas near it. Our dining room company told us that they would go out of their way to not go through the casino due to the smoke. While my wife is sensitive to smoke we didn’t find it quite that bad, but it was very noticeable. One thing that Princess did was to have one night during the cruise where smoking was not permitted in the casino. That was nice but given the crowd on Pride this might not have been an acceptable option. Everyone in the casino did not seem to mind so it must be working for Carnival.

 

During port days there was hardly a notice of smoke so they must have a great ventilation system.

 

 

 

Above the casino was the Ivory Piano Bar. This was the only bar that had easy listening music. What we missed the most was a place where we could listen to such music and dance if we wished. There didn’t seem to be such a place on Pride. I missed dancing with my wife very much, especially on dress up nights.

 

 

Next post... Main Atrium on Dress Up Night, Beauties Disco and the Dinning Room in all it's glory.

 

Meanwhile... since I am back in Canada, it's off to a hockey game tonight. As my Granson would say "It be Brrrrr!", sure do miss the hot weather of the Bahamas.

[kath00]

Thank you again for taking the time to post these lovely pix. T+1 days till Carnival Splendor for us!

 

Katherine

[momof3cruisers]

I love the way you are organizing your review by area. Very easy to follow and picture the layout of the ship this way. I don't plan on sailing the Pride as I like to leave out of a warm port, however, your review is still very interesting and enjoyable.

 

I have never been able to do the 3D thing but my boys can see it on your pics and think it's very cool.

[wilfros]

I love the way you are organizing your review by area. Very easy to follow and picture the layout of the ship this way. I don't plan on sailing the Pride as I like to leave out of a warm port, however, your review is still very interesting and enjoyable.

 

I have never been able to do the 3D thing but my boys can see it on your pics and think it's very cool.

 

So do we, HOWEVER, Baltimore was doable in a car and we hate flying anytime we can avoid it. I am very glad you enjoy the review and that your boys can see the 3D.

 

Here is another just for them. So don't anyone else look at it OK??

 

 

If they want more from Kennedy Space Center just let me know and I will post them for you.

 

I also have 3D photos of the "Beauties Disco" (yet to come in this review) but you may not want them looking as the decor is somewhat Risqué. ;)

[wilfros]

The photo was supposed to be bigger. Lets try this...

 

There that should be better.

[wilfros]

Just posted this photo on the Drydock thread and thought I would post it here as well, so your boys and view it.

 

I am sorry I do not know the name of the Carnival ship that is in Drydock, but the photo is neat, for those of us who love ships.

 

[BigDoug]

I believe that ship is the Carnival Legend. Sister ship to the Pride.

[wilfros]

I believe that ship is the Carnival Legend. Sister ship to the Pride.

Awoke this morning with a (more) clear head and thought.... HEY!! Why not magnify the photo and read the name. "What a great idea"!! Anyway, we are all getting used to this now... of course Doug is correct, there in the photo is the name Carnival Legend.

 

For Doug, our winner .... another photos of Carnival Legend in drydock