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

[Jazmine8]

Thank you for sharing your experience. I am confused by your title. When you say never again is that on the Pride or Carnival in general ? I only ask because even if there were some dissapointments on this trip why write off the Pride or Carnival all together ? Some of the things you complained about are common on all the mainstream lines. If you try Royal Carribean and NCL I suspect you will have similar complaints..

 

I really don't know right now to be honest. I may give Victory a try. As I had two people sail it recently and did enjoy the cusine and the ship. But for right now my next chocie is RCCL. My goal is to experience atleast one cruise on each Disney, Carnival, RCCL, Princess, NCL, and Celebrity for now.

[MyMoses]

I'm sorry you didn't have the best time and I would actually agree with you on the food. I didn't think much we ate was very good either, but that's what happens when your cooking for the masses.

 

I did have to laugh a little about the Maitre'D comment though. You do realize that his job is to run the front of the house. He manages the wait staff and deals with service issues. He has nothing to do with how the food is cooked or what the menu selection will be on any given night. That would be the job of the Executive chef. So stiffing the Maitre'D because of the food wasn't right. Just thought I'd enlighten you on that one.

[Crusin Karen]

Thanks.

 

 

I always pay for the most part. I paid an all expense 2 week trip for 5 to Disney and a lot of character dining, both Universals, Seaworld, The Holy Land experience, and all things on I-Drive for my mom, brother his two girls and myself 3 years ago. We had our own rental minivan and a 5 bedroom vacation home rental too. Pricey oh yeah but I wouldn't have traded that time with my family for anything. 2600 pictures later and 4 movies I put together, we all still laugh about that time together.

That is so generous of you. I always say the best thing you can pack when you are coming home is a suitcase full of good and special memories and looks like you did! :);) Your family is very lucky to have you!

[pattyfresh]

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

 

quote]

Glad to hear, I'm getting nervous about my first cruise! I'm also keeping in mind that they're trying to feed what 2,000+ people?

[cantwait06]

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

 

quote]

Glad to hear, I'm getting nervous about my first cruise! I'm also keeping in mind that they're trying to feed what 2,000+ people?

 

I personally LOVE the food on Carnival. I've had dishes I didn't care for but not enough to say I didn't like the food in general...in fact I LOVE it! I can't wait for my next cruise meal:)

[Jazmine8]

Day 4 – :DYeah!!! Finally a port of call stop. Since we are Disney people we decided to take the EPCOT excursion through Carnival. It was more money but I wanted the assurance of the boat not leaving us behind if we were late. We ate breakfast on Deck 9, cereal, coffee and muffins for the most part. I have to admit the chocolate muffins and orange muffins were really good. I was shocked.

 

This was my gazillionth time to EPCOT, my mom maybe her 5th, my niece her second but she had never expericenced World Showcase and my BFF her very first time! I was super excited and I can bet more than the kids on the bus. We sat right up front behind the bus driver and anticipation built as we rode along. I was happy to be back in the Orlando area because I love it so much. I worked for Disney from 96’-2000, so I know the roads and places around town like the back of my hand. We arrived at the Ticket and Transportation Center (TTC) to board the monorail to EPCOT around 9am and proceeded into the park. The HGTV Garden Festival had just ended the day before and there were so many beautiful flowers and landscaping everywhere. Of course they had to make foliage look like the Disney characters too. As we entered the park we were greeted with foliage replicas of Lots-O-Huggin bear and other icons from Toy Story 3. We stopped for a picture with Stitch. We saw Daisy Duck near the front entrance too but decided to for go the long line to have a picture taken with her. For our first ride of the day we did Spaceship Earth. I wanted to start slow for my BFF since she is scared of most all rides and has a weak stomach. She was nervous at first but I assured her it was very slow and not a roller coaster. Some neat interactive changes were made to the mobile and at the end of the ride. Near the ended of the ride you were asked a series of questions to make up your own new environment and ecosystem. It was funny to see that the picture they take of you in the beginning were incorporated into people with our heads on animated bodies. We laughed so hard and thought it was cool.

 

Afterwards I asked my niece what she wanted to do and she said Test Track so we walked on over and got fast passes for the ride and went to ride Mission Space. We didn’t have a long wait and my BFF was freaking out over the ride since we'd chosen the more intense orange side. When the cabin doors to the ride closed in on us she was yelling to me that she was going to kill me. :pI laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes. She screamed a little but was okay when it was over. Well.....not quite. Since she didn’t eat a full meal before leaving the ship like the rest of us did, she was getting the shakes. So she got some fries from the Electric Umbrella. After that she was good to go. We then walked over to browse Mouse Gear store for items we wanted to buy on our way out at the end of the day and sampled the different Coke products from around the world at the Fountain View. Our fast pass time approached for Test Track and my mom and BFF sat that one out while my niece and I rode the ride. I wanted to ride Soarin but there wasn’t much time and the wait time was over 110mins by midday. We forgoed that and went to eat at Sunshine Seasons. Finding a seat was hard but we managed and ate pretty good meals. The chocolate cake I had was awesome!!

 

After lunch we headed towards World Showcase. I had to get my mom there if I didn’t do anything else. She loves Japan and China and didn’t get the chance to get there on our last family vacation. We started in Canada but didn’t really hang around long in each country we passed before getting to Japan. By this time my niece, who I told before she packed to be sure to bring good walking shoes and didn’t, wore cheap flat sandals and feet were hurting some kinda bad at this point. So we searched out crocs and sandals as we continued to walk. The shops in Japan had changed a bit since I’d last been there and there were a lot of Hello Kitty items. My mom didn’t find anything to bring home from there needless to say. By the time we reached Italy my niece’s feet were really hurting and I decided to give up my comfy Asics to her in exchange for her sandals. I told her I must love her a lot because her own momma didn’t give up her shoes for her own daughter. My niece said once we got back to the ship she would rub my feet and I was like, you sure will! She wants to be a physical therapist so this is good practice for her ;) We proceeded to make our way all the way around and back to Future World. We took some more snapshots and went back to Mouse Gear to shop. We came out with some nice things and gifts. Next back to board the monorail to TTC and the bus by 4:15pm. Not a lot of time I know but I got my Disney fix for now and will be back soon for an extended stay.

 

We got back to the ship in no time and tired from all the walking. My niece honored her promise and massaged my achy feet with lotion for a long time…….ahhhhh. We were so tired we went to our early dinner seating late but it was okay. Later that evening we enjoyed the comedy shows very much and went to bed.

[Jazmine8]

Some pics for you guys. I'm sorry they are so large. I resized them in my photobucket account and they are still coming out the same size. Help from anyone on why the changes aren't being reflected.

 

[Jazmine8]

[BubMunkeyBles]

I'm actually enjoying the review. All vacations have their downsides. I'm a Disney fanatic too (just got back from 2 weeks) but even their food has gone downhill over the last couple years. I love the flower and garden festival, its so beautiful.

[swimmom32]

Let me add I just had lunch with my freind who just came off of the Naviagtor on RCCL last week and said she will NEVER sail RCCL again..the food was never hot always cool and was just OK.. Johnny Rockets they served french fries and Onion rings and it wasn't hot she said it must have been laying there..the Entertainment she says wasn't so good either although she liked the Comedians...she cruised with Carnival twice and says she wont cruise anything else but Carnival for now on...

[TheCalicoCat]

Sorry you had such a horrible time on the Pride. We sailed on her last November, 2 days after our son turned 2 so that he could enjoy some age appropriate activites too.

 

We were In the center of the ship on the 6th floor in an inside cabin with a crib, yes it was tight, but we were only in there to sleep & to take a shower. (I can't complain about the noise - not unlike a hotel there were some noisy neighbors passing by rather late at night - they did not wake my son so no biggie.)

 

I found the 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.

 

The food was overall too rich for me & we have dietary restrictions. Overall we were satisfied with the food.

 

We'll be back on the Pride in November - you just can't beat being able to drive to the port & my son will still be 2.

[FIVEONTHEAVENUE]

So sorry to hear that you had such a bad experience with the Pride. I am scheduled to cruise her in May, in which I see you are scheduled for a RC cruise in May. Hope it's only a matter of opinion but if you didnt like Carnivals food, you may change your mind after eating Royal Caribs. I sailed RC my last cruise because a friend of mine swears by this cruise line and I found the food to be nothing special. Ordinary food that I make at home. Cruised Carnival in the past as well and remember their food be quite good so chose to cruise with them again instead of RC. I certainly hope you didnt let the towel animal ruin your time. Since I will be taking this same cruise, I am curious about one thing, how is the Atlantic going from Baltimore to Florida? Is it rough? I only ever cruised out of Florida. Thanks and hope you enjoy your upcoming cruise.

[gemsm]

Ive done Carnival, RCCL, and NCL and I think the food is going downhill on all the "mass market" lines.

[marine2007]

Looking forward to more of your review. Sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy the food...:(

[Name Of The Game]

What time did you arrive at Epcot and how much did it cost through Carnival?

[TheGrandparents]

Ok, I'm sure that I am not the only one lost here but why is there

"never again" in the subject line?

 

The rooms are smaller than Disney?

Yes, probably half the price also.

 

The food needed salt pepper and so on?

Both available and subject to personal taste.

 

A noisey room?

As others have said, a little planning/research goes a long way.

 

 

Wait......no towel animal first night?

 

 

Oh, the horror!

 

Seriously, it appears that most of the rest was fine and you had a great time, at least as I read it.

 

So why the "never again"???

[Whatsup Matt]

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.

 

Someone seems pretty picky to me (The OP) not you, sorry for quoting you!

[swimmom32]

Originally Posted by Jazmine8 View Post

A good chef should know how to season the food properly before it's served. If it's done correctly no salt or pepper shakers should even be on the table. I do however understand dietary restictions.

 

YOU do know that some of the BEST Restaurants have Salt and Pepper on their Tables..and I for one who is ALLERGIC to Pepper would not appreciated if everything was cooked with it...I am glad I wasnt on this cruise with you too..eeesshh

[littlesnit]

Hi,

I was just talking cruising with a patient and his wife today. They cruise RCCL. However, they're a little disappointed because of the recent changes, i.e. fewer shows, no chocolates on the pillows, smaller portions of food, dining staff not being as friendly as in the past, etc. Guess budget cuts are happening all over.

[Jazmine8]

What time did you arrive at Epcot and how much did it cost through Carnival?

We arrived approx. at 9am like I stated previously.

 

Ive done Carnival, RCCL, and NCL and I think the food is going downhill on all the "mass market" lines.

That's sad to hear. Guess I will have to wait and see.

 

....I am curious about one thing, how is the Atlantic going from Baltimore to Florida? Is it rough? I only ever cruised out of Florida. Thanks and hope you enjoy your upcoming cruise.

The water was fine. It was slightly rocky but nothing to alarm you. No one in my group got sick at all. I will say that thw watere calmed a lot when we reached FL and the Bahamas.

[Name Of The Game]

I missed the 9 a.m. part the first time.

 

How much was it to go to Epcot? I was thinking of this same cruise.

[Jazmine8]

I missed the 9 a.m. part the first time.

 

How much was it to go to Epcot? I was thinking of this same cruise.

 

Oh sorry, I think is was $169 per person. Pricey but I didn't want to get left if I'd driven myself in a rental a got stuck in traffic ony the way back.

[Jazmine8]

Ok some food pics. I apologize for not being able to remember the name of some of the dishes posted here. For fun a Food Taste Scale (FTS) 1-10, 1 being yuck! and 10 being the best.

Lasagna (first night)-Meat, spinach, and cheese. It would have tasted better if the tomatoe sauce was in the lasagna. Food Taste Scale:7.5

 

BBQ Rib dinner and coleslaw Food Taste Scale: 5 my niece told me.

 

Chocolate cake with bing cherries and a side of lime sherbert ice cream FTS: 8.5

 

Stuffed mushrooms w/ broccoli and chedder cheese FTS: 9

 

Spaghetti Carbonara FTS: 3

 

Mixed green Salad (could have used more dressing) FTS: 8

[Jazmine8]

Steak w/ potatoes FTS per my niece: 5, she didn't eat most of it.

 

Tiger shrimp and lobster tails FTS: 10 One of the few meal in the MDR that was liked during the cruise.

[serene56]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mixed green Salad (could have used more dressing) FTS: 8

 

 

did you ask the waiter for a side of dressing? We did in February and every time after that first time-- when we ordered a salad we got a little extra on the side.

 

We did Sea World- arrived at the park at 9am- had to be back at the bus at 3:30- we had to wait for a family and sat for almost 45 minutes. That too was price- 149.00pp but so very well worth it