Carnival Pride 3/13/2011 review...never again

[Jazmine8]

Hi all,

I have followed this website for a while and decided to offer a cruise review myself. Let me start off by saying that this review is simply the opinion of me and my family that I took on the cruise. Anyone else that sailed on the Match 13th Carnival Pride out of Baltimore MD may have different opinions from my own. I will only address what I experienced during the cruise. This is my second cruise. I have cruised on the Disney Wonder in 08’. That cruise was outstanding albeit a little more costly, but as I found out you get what you pay for sometimes……

I organized this cruise for my niece, who will be graduating this year and this was my gift to her. So I flew her and her mom, my BFF up from Houston TX to MD. The cruisers – Me, my mom, niece and BFF (also my niece’s mom).

Embarkation. Not bad at all actually. My fiancé dropped us off at 2pm and our bags were taken. The weather was sunny and wasn’t as chilly as we’d imagined it would be on Sunday. We proceeded to check-in and pass through security and all checkpoints. The lines were long but moving at a good pace. It was very exciting for my niece and BFF that have never cruised before. They were so wide eyed and anticipation was building for them.

Once we came aboard we were greeted and went to explore the ship. The décor of the ship was just as I had imagined it would be from other cruise reports I read here. Let’s see…. nude murals, the statue of David in all his glory, murals/paintings everywhere much like a museum to me. Our first stop was lunch at Mermaids Grill on deck 9. Above our heads was an endless sea of copper mermaids. The buffet was quite busy and finding a place to sit and eat was terrible. Most people choose to have a bite to eat when they arrive on board since the rooms aren’t ready yet and sample the menu. Two of us went to find a table while the other two got in the long line for food. Once through the line we made our way over to the drink machine and got some lemonade, tart lemonade btw. Once we got to the table our food was mostly cold and not very appetizing at all. That first lunch wasn’t very good and we’d hoped that it would get better during the cruise, how wrong we were.

After lunch we headed towards our stateroom on deck 8 aft. Our bags were waiting right outside our door and we brought them in ourselves. When we opened the narrow cabin door we all gasped at the room’s small size. It was an OMG moment. Can you imagine 4 grown woman in one very small room together for 7 day, oh my!! My niece was wondering where she was going to sleep and I pointed towards the ceiling and told her that’s where’s she sleeping since I paid for everyone for this entire trip. Her face was so put out, lol. No sooner than we did that our stateroom steward knocked on the door to make sure our accommodations were ok. I can’t remember his name but he knew our names and asked us questions about dietary restrictions and illnesses or allergies. That was nice that Carnival wants to know this type of info because it can very useful in an emergency. He also informed us that during dinner he’d pull down her wall bed :D. After he left we began to unpacked and organized our space. We really did a great job of stowing away the large luggage bags and utilizing all of the drawer space and shelves. Once we did all of that the room didn’t seem as small to us anymore but initially is was a shocker for my mom and I. You see on the Disney cruise we took we had two bathrooms and more floor space or total square footage than our cabin on Carnival Pride.

We went to explore more of the ship and familiarized ourselves with the ships layout. I was really confused since all I had to compare it to was the Disney Wonder’s layout. People were bustling about and music played in the background. After wandering around for a bit we found the main dining room, The Normandie. We looked over the evening menu and we back to our room to wait for our early dining assignment. Once there we heard the announcement for our safety drill and went back downstairs and out in the cold for that. It seemed like an eternity when it cold out for the drill to begin and end. Our instructors kept us entertained while we waited for the ships horn to blow signaling the end of the drill. I wanted to go up on deck to attend the sail away party and see the ship pass under the bridge but it had gotten colder and very breezy so we watched the sail away party from my cabins television.

Later we went to dine in the Normandie and were sadly disappointed with the food but not the service. Our wait staff was great and the assistant waiter Touhani was a blast! Too bad that’s where it ended. Now we are not picky eaters but is it too much to ask that the food have flavor and taste good? Honestly night after night the dining room fare was bland and lacking flavor every night. Some simple salt, pepper, seasonings would have been nice. The Maître’d guy should be fired if he came up with this flavorless dining experience. The food was out right BAD. I sure didn’t leave a tip for him at the end of the cruise.

After dinner back to the cabin to unwind and sleep for day 2. Uh did I mention my cabin was on Deck 8 and all night and every night we could here the rolling of carts and food service activities above our heads all coming from the Mermaid’s Grill. We were so mad that a ship would be built to allow noise to hinder a good night’s sleep. We heard banging, footsteps all night long really! So beware if you choose this cruise and don’t get a room on Deck 8. I wondered if folks on Deck 7 could hear us above their heads. Oh and let me not forget we didn’t even get a towel animal on our first night :(

[gail811]

Wish you had read more on this site before you booked and then you would not have been so shocked/disappointed in your choice of ship and cabin. This site is full of information about both, and pictures of a cabin for four are easy to find. I shared one with my mom and two sisters on the Pride and we found it plenty big enough for the four of us, but it certainly can't compete with your cabin on Disney! I hope you were able to enjoy at least some of your cruise in spite of the issues you have mentioned so far.

[Perfect Stranger]

This is interesting. Looking forward to more.

 

BTW, you don't always get a towel animal the first night.

[michelle1836]

none of the food was good??? difficult to believe but we all have our own opinions

[Jazmine8]

Yeah I found that out. Disney ALWAYS had towels animals everynight and my stateroom steward and I would make one for each other, like a competition of sorts.

 

I plan to post food pics soon. I just need to resize them so they are not gigantic on the boards. More of my review to come.......

[littlesnit]

We took the Pride out of Baltimore last Oct. Things must have really gone done hill, because we found none of the problems you mention.

 

As far as the cabin goes, we had an aft on deck 8 and the noise from above was minimal when we sailed her.

Did you have a regular cabin on Disney or a suite? I believe the only cabins on Carnival with 2 baths would be some of the suites, and they are pricier. Did you check the floor plans before you booked? You would have seen the cabin size and amenities for the cabin you booked. Maybe a bit small for 4, but I don't think they were actually designed for 4.

 

We had "your time dining" and went at all different times and our food was hot and tasty.

 

I think we got towel animals every night, but one night without would not have ruined our cruise. We know the crew is pretty busy, especially on Day 1.

[Jazmine8]

none of the food was good??? difficult to believe but we all have our own opinions

 

Only the burgers, David's Steakhouse (review to come), my shrimp cocktails, loster tails and not much else.

[jen&samcantwait]

Sorry you had such a bad time. But I think a little bit of research ahead of time would have helped aleviate your issues.

 

I always look up the deck plans as I am talking to my PVP to make sure we are in a good location, not near elavators or laundry, no night clubs or restaraunts above us. Also, the room size is clearly explained, they aren't big, that's for sure, but we did 4 in a room on the Pride in 2009 & we were just fine, especially when you're hardly ever in the room.

 

As for lunch on the first day, how did that differ from your Disney cruise? Did they have the MDR open?

[Cruisin Christi]

I agree with above poster, the more you research the more you learn. The noise instance could have easily been avoided with minimal research before booking. I am so sorry to hear you had a bad experience and the food was bad.

[bougiet]

This is why I do my homework before going on any vacation. The rooms on Carnival are larger than a lot of others ships but small in comparison to a hotel. I can't imagine that the food was horrible every meal but to each his/her own. Hope you were able to have a good time.

 

Hi all,

 

I have followed this website for a while and decided to offer a cruise review myself. Let me start off by saying that this review is simply the opinion of me and my family that I took on the cruise. Anyone else that sailed on the Match 13th Carnival Pride out of Baltimore MD may have different opinions from my own. I will only address what I experienced during the cruise. This is my second cruise. I have cruised on the Disney Wonder in 08’. That cruise was outstanding albeit a little more costly, but as I found out you get what you pay for sometimes……

 

I organized this cruise for my niece, who will be graduating this year and this was my gift to her. So I flew her and her mom, my BFF up from Houston TX to MD. The cruisers – Me, my mom, niece and BFF (also my niece’s mom).

Embarkation. Not bad at all actually. My fiancé dropped us off at 2pm and our bags were taken. The weather was sunny and wasn’t as chilly as we’d imagined it would be on Sunday. We proceeded to check-in and pass through security and all checkpoints. The lines were long but moving at a good pace. It was very exciting for my niece and BFF that have never cruised before. They were so wide eyed and anticipation was building for them.

 

Once we came aboard we were greeted and went to explore the ship. The décor of the ship was just as I had imagined it would be from other cruise reports I read here. Let’s see…. nude murals, the statue of David in all his glory, murals/paintings everywhere much like a museum to me. Our first stop was lunch at Mermaids Grill on deck 9. Above our heads was an endless sea of copper mermaids. The buffet was quite busy and finding a place to sit and eat was terrible. Most people choose to have a bite to eat when they arrive on board since the rooms aren’t ready yet and sample the menu. Two of us went to find a table while the other two got in the long line for food. Once through the line we made our way over to the drink machine and got some lemonade, tart lemonade btw. Once we got to the table our food was mostly cold and not very appetizing at all. That first lunch wasn’t very good and we’d hoped that it would get better during the cruise, how wrong we were.

 

After lunch we headed towards our stateroom on deck 8 aft. Our bags were waiting right outside our door and we brought them in ourselves. When we opened the narrow cabin door we all gasped at the room’s small size. It was an OMG moment. Can you imagine 4 grown woman in one very small room together for 7 day, oh my!! My niece was wondering where she was going to sleep and I pointed towards the ceiling and told her that’s where’s she sleeping since I paid for everyone for this entire trip. Her face was so put out, lol. No sooner than we did that our stateroom steward knocked on the door to make sure our accommodations were ok. I can’t remember his name but he knew our names and asked us questions about dietary restrictions and illnesses or allergies. That was nice that Carnival wants to know this type of info because it can very useful in an emergency. He also informed us that during dinner he’d pull down her wall bed :D. After he left we began to unpacked and organized our space. We really did a great job of stowing away the large luggage bags and utilizing all of the drawer space and shelves. Once we did all of that the room didn’t seem as small to us anymore but initially is was a shocker for my mom and I. You see on the Disney cruise we took we had two bathrooms and more floor space or total square footage than our cabin on Carnival Pride.

 

We went to explore more of the ship and familiarized ourselves with the ships layout. I was really confused since all I had to compare it to was the Disney Wonder’s layout. People were bustling about and music played in the background. After wandering around for a bit we found the main dining room, The Normandie. We looked over the evening menu and we back to our room to wait for our early dining assignment. Once there we heard the announcement for our safety drill and went back downstairs and out in the cold for that. It seemed like an eternity when it cold out for the drill to begin and end. Our instructors kept us entertained while we waited for the ships horn to blow signaling the end of the drill. I wanted to go up on deck to attend the sail away party and see the ship pass under the bridge but it had gotten colder and very breezy so we watched the sail away party from my cabins television.

 

Later we went to dine in the Normandie and were sadly disappointed with the food but not the service. Our wait staff was great and the assistant waiter Touhani was a blast! Too bad that’s where it ended. Now we are not picky eaters but is it too much to ask that the food have flavor and taste good? Honestly night after night the dining room fare was bland and lacking flavor every night. Some simple salt, pepper, seasonings would have been nice. The Maître’d guy should be fired if he came up with this flavorless dining experience. The food was out right BAD. I sure didn’t leave a tip for him at the end of the cruise.

 

After dinner back to the cabin to unwind and sleep for day 2. Uh did I mention my cabin was on Deck 8 and all night and every night we could here the rolling of carts and food service activities above our heads all coming from the Mermaid’s Grill. We were so mad that a ship would be built to allow noise to hinder a good night’s sleep. We heard banging, footsteps all night long really! So beware if you choose this cruise and don’t get a room on Deck 8. I wondered if folks on Deck 7 could hear us above their heads. Oh and let me not forget we didn’t even get a towel animal on our first night :(

[Jazmine8]

We took the Pride out of Baltimore last Oct. Things must have really gone done hill, because we found none of the problems you mention. They have.

 

Did you have a regular cabin on Disney or a suite? Regular.

 

We had "your time dining" and went at all different times and our food was hot and tasty. Not on my cruise and many other cruisers I spoke with complained constantly. Some people even got up and left in the middle of dinner with plates half eaten.

 

My Fiance sailed Carnival twice between 2002-2004 and had a great time and said he ate well. I also know some people just eat to eat and anything will satisfy them. I like mostly all food and was disappointed the most with dining.

[navybaby1113]

That's sad that you didn't enjoy the food. I've always found Carnival's food to be absolutely delicious.

 

Looking forward to hearing more about your review.

[Jazmine8]

Oh let me add that there where certain reasons for me choosing this particuliar cruise/ship/port...yada yada yada

1. It was the only cruise date available for my niece's spring break from Baltimore port.
   
2. It was the only way she could fly up to MD to see her dad's side of the family since she lives in Houston TX and hasn't been to MD for 6 years.
   
3. It saved me money because I didn't have to buy two more plane tickets for my mom and I to fly to Fl for example for another cruise ship. I paid for the whole trip, excursions and all.
   

So I had to go with the flow on this one and hoped for the best :) I will say that I had a great time with my family and we made our own fun during the cruise.

[hfweather]

Oh let me add that there where certain reasons for me choosing this particuliar cruise/ship/port...yada yada yada

1. It was the only cruise date available for my niece's spring break from Baltimore port.
   
2. It was the only way she could fly up to MD to see her dad's side of the family since she lives in Houston TX and hasn't been to MD for 6 years.
   
3. It saved me money because I didn't have to buy two more plane tickets for my mom and I to fly to Fl for example for another cruise ship. I paid for the whole trip, excursions and all.
   

So I had to go with the flow on this one and hoped for the best :) I will say that I had a great time with my family and we made our own fun during the cruise.

 

 

I'm sorry you didn't like the food. I am glad you were able to have fun on the cruise. I admit it I am NOT a buffet eater, that's just me, so on the first day I always get me a sandwich from the deli and some salad. I actually find that to my liking and I'm very picky. Looking forward to reading the rest of your review.

[spideyfam]

:) I will say that I had a great time with my family and we made our own fun during the cruise.

 

Glad you had a great time other than the problems stated.

 

 

Looking forward to reading what you did in each port. I will be on the ship in less than two weeks.

[Duckie26]

I'll be taking my third cruise on the Pride which tells you that I haven't had any major issues with it but I will agree about the food, especially in the main dining room. We just don't care for it (except for the Roasted Pumpkin Soup.. that was delicious once we added a bit of salt.. LOL).

 

However, we are always able to find something that we enjoy at the buffets and when all else fails... a cheeseburger from the grill or a grilled reuben from the deli will suit us just fine.

 

I'm glad you still had a good time and made the most of it. I've loved every one of my cruises on the Pride and can't wait to get back on it!

[PCHENG]

Disney Wonder has some of the largest standard cabins in the cruise indurstry, so it may not be fair to criticize Carnival for the small cabin based on your experience on the Wonder. In fact, Disney itself has reduced the cabin size on the Dream to be more in line with other main stream cruise lines. If you think Carnival cabins are small, wait till you cruise on Norwegian.

 

As for confusing layout, I have never sailed with Disney, but I find Carnival Pride pretty easy to navigate. Theater at the front, dining room at the back, atrium in the middle, and one path links all three together with bars, lounges, casino, and shops to the side. Pretty straight forward if you ask me.

 

As for the food, that is a matter of personal taste. I like the food for the most part, but I do wish the entrees could be hotter instead of luke warm.

[littlesnit]

Never mind.

[H82seaUgo]

4 in a room? i hate 2 in a room, but make do, and welcome a third who is barely a teenager. 4 grown women? should have gotten 2 rooms.

 

i'm a bit surprised as you not liking the carnival food, as my experience was that disney had the worst out there, ime. but we did like their cabin size, as well as the split bathrooms.

 

and yes, the decor is art. don't go to rome. it will push you over.

 

btw, i'm a fan of the pride, as well as all the spirit class ships. the best lido restaurant at sea.

[cantwait06]

to be fair, she has said that there is more review to come so maybe it wasn't her experiences with the food and noisy room that made for such a horrible cruise.

 

I am interested to hear what went so wrong....so please, come back and finish up!

Thank you!

[laumicmah]

We've done Disney and I thought the food was delicious, but my MIL who went with us and usually sails HAL didn't think it was that great. The Disney cabins are wonderfully sized with the curtain between king bed and the bunks. I did love that. I prefer Carnival's bathroom...though only 1 compaired to Disney's 2 parter, it is more roomy. We're about to do the Glory with DH and I and our two 12 year old DDs in a balcony and I think we'll be fine. Now, I do like the food on Carnival too...some things I pass on (like the pizza). I don't think it's the very best food I've ever eaten in all my life, but I find plenty of yummy things...with flavor. Just curious, did you not like the desserts either? By the way, the menus are the same on all ships in the Carnival fleet, so it's not chosen by the MD of the ship.

[hlb76]

So sorry that your cruise got off to a bad start..... hopefully it gets better!! Thanks for posting your review even though it was not up to your standards.

 

I have never cruised Disney but my understanding comparing Disney to Carnival is like comparing apples to oranges. Maybe one day I will get to find out for myself!

[9876]

The last two times I have sailed it was on Pride and there was not a towel animal on the first night. Must be a time or laundry thing. I must say I missed it both times. I am glad they did not stop it altogether, that would make me sad!

[DKane]

I'm sorry your cruise didn't live up to your expectations. I think if you booked two rooms for the four of you, things wouldn't have been so cramped. It's always good to look at the layout of each deck before choosing your cabin so you can be sure of what is above and below you. As for the food, I'm wondering if one or some of you may have been listed mistakenly as being on a sodium restricted diet. I would have said something after the first night so they could correct the problem. I have always found the food to be up to par.

[mag]

My family and I were also on this Pride cruise. We had an awesome cruise and 99.9% of the food - thought it was really really good. We did your time dining and most nights went to the MDR at about 6:30 and NEVER had to wait for a table for 6. All 3 different wait teams we had were professional and fun and no we did not have a long wait in between courses. There were several (I can think of 3) menu items that were not to an individuals taste, but we shared and tasted and someone always liked it. We also just ordered more or something else - and the waiter took it away.

 

Kirk and Jaimie, CD and Assistant were very good and funny and entertaining. We enjoyed the shows - especially the Juggler/Comedian and VROOM! My sister and her husband also enjoyed the late night comedy.

 

My son was in the O2 club and had a wonderful week, spending some time with us and alot of time with his new friends in the club. He received a backpack, a shirt, and some other O2 stuff - and he now has lots of new friends. Matt who runs the club was exceptionally good - showing all the teens a really good time with fun activities - YAY MATT!!

 

I am sitting here trying to think of complaints...MMMMMMM...ok...My DH and son had lousy service in the MDR one morning and he did speak to the guy at the front and was told "I am sorry sir, we will do better" - never had a problem again. We had to go and have our charges explained cause of our OBC (the readout was confusing) - but then we realized we received over $40 more than we should have so we kept our mouths shut. OK one more thing - I lost a little money in the casino - but it was fun and Victor the Host was nice - we even received some choc covered strawberries form CAS (cause I emailed to let them know we would be on this cruise).

 

About the lunch buffet - our strategy is to "cruise" the entire buffet then return to have a little of each of our favorites or to try new things that look good. I don't do breakfast so I am hungry by lunch. Works for me all the time.

 

No towel animals the first nite but every night after - our monkeys were the best!

 

Spidey you will have soooooo much fun!