Carnival Pride-Thanksgiving Week Review

[mit01]

Greetings all. Here’s my review of our cruise on the Pride over Thanksgiving, Nov. 20-Nov. 27. There were four of us. Myself, DW and our 14 and 16 year old daughters. This was our second Carnival cruise, the first being in 1990.

 

Embarkation:

We live about an hour from the Port of Baltimore. Check-in was a breeze. We got to the port just after 11:00. We dropped our luggage, parked, got through security, checked in we were in the waiting area at 11:25. Debarkation form the returning cruise was still going on, so we ended up waiting until 12:40 to board the ship. The staff entertained the crowd with some trivia.

We were on board by 1:00. We hit the lido buffet for lunch, and then explored the ship a bit. Our rooms were ready by 2:55. We were in 7212 and 7210, non-connecting standard size balconies. We elected to have the partition between the balconies opened, even though it would block part of the view from our girls’ balcony. We’re glad we did, because it made it much easier to go between the rooms. We decided early on that if we book a balcony on CCL again, we would spring for an extended balcony. These were really small. They were also kind of dirty, there were paint specs on the chairs and the glass portion of the rail was crusted with salt. The balconies were cleaned twice during the trip, but the glass wasn’t touched. The rooms were fine, a bit bigger than Royal, and the bathroom and shower were of good size. And, the toilet flushed EVERY TIME!!!!! That’s never happened on RCCl before.

We left the dock around 4:30, we were going under the Key Bridge at 5:15, and we were sipping wine on our balcony at 5:30.

We had early seating for dinner. The wait staff was nice enough. We had no complaints, but in comparing them to RCCL, we both felt that the waiters on RCCL went that extra mile.

The food, overall, was fine. We’re not picky about food on cruise ships. Our general rule of thinking is that if it’s as least as good as a TGI Friday or Ruby Tuesday, we’re ok. Our biggest complaint about the food was that much of it seemed to be under-seasoned. I suppose it’s possible that that was done purposely, that way each person could adjust to their own taste. Also, the food could have been hotter.

I can recommend the gazpacho. It had a really nice kick to it. The chocolate melting cake was to die for, and my wife really liked the Crème Brule.

We spent the evening in the Ivory Piano Bar, playing Name that Tune and singing along with James. I believe he gets off the ship this week, which is too bad because he was really entertaining. Oliver the bartender was a good sidekick for him.

 

This gives me a chance to teach you the Beer Song that he taught us. It’s to the tune of Do-Re-MI from The Sound of Music.

 

Dough, is what I use for beer,

Ray, the guy who buys me beer (all shout.”Thanks Ray!!”)

Me, is who I buy beer for,

Fa® is where I go for beer.

So, I think I’ll have a beer,

La, La-La-La-La-la Beer,

Tea, No thanks I’ll have a beer,

And that brings us back to Beer, beer, beer, beer…

 

Thus ends, embarkation day…More to come...

[sparks1093]

Off to a good start, can't wait to read more!

[mit01]

Continuing on..

 

Monday and Tuesday were sea days.

 

On Monday, we had breakfast in the buffet. The lines moved along fairy well. I do like the layout of the buffet area on RCCL better than on CCL. RCCL has stations, which allows access from different sides, where with CCL it was all lines, cafeteria style.

It was still chilly, so we spent the day inside reading, snoozing, checking out the shops. We played various trivia games, and we even won the cartoon trivia. The prize was the coveted 24 carat gold solid plastic Ship on a Stick!! We had lunch at the buffet. They have a pretty good deli station where, besides corded beef, pastrami, ham or turkey, one can also get lox and bagels. The Asian station is good, as is the pizza and fried chicken. And a pretty good salad bar.

 

Monday was elegant night in the dining room. It was also lobster night. Which meant it was my night to order two entrees. I got the prime rib and the seafood plate, which consisted of a small lobster tail and three shrimp. The prime rib was fine. The lobster had no flavor at all. I gave the shrimp to one of my daughters, as did my wife who ordered the same thing I did. The seafood plate is not filling at all, so I would recommend a second entrée or a couple of appetizers. They had stuffed mushrooms as an appetizer choice which was good. And I had the cherries jubilee for dessert, and my wife had an apple in a puff pastry dish she liked.

We went to the show which was a rock and roll theme which was good. In fact, I think the show productions on the Pride were better than most I’ve seen on RCCL. After that, it was back to the piano bar and more singing with James.

 

On Tuesday, we awoke off the South Carolina-Georgia border to warm weather. YAY!!!! We had breakfast in the dining room. It was quite comfortable and non-rushed. The menu was limited, but then again, there are not a whole lot of choices in the buffet either. My wife had eggs benedict, which she was not happy with. The yolks were hard and the sauce was kind of gloppy. The girls had pancakes and I had lox and a bagel.

We spent the day on deck 10 above the pool deck. We got burgers from the pool buffet for lunch.

Some good choices at dinner that night were the French onion soup and the sushi from the DIDYA selection. The jerk pork was spicy. No need for extra seasoning there!! For dessert, try the date & fig cake with rum raison ice cream.

We saw two family-friendly comedians and then went to the show. It had a jazz theme, but we were so tired we hit the cabin early. No singing with James that night.

 

Next up..Port Canaveral and a day at Universal..

[TexasCruiser2004]

Sailed on the Pride in August, booked for another cruise on January 8th! I loved James and Oliver, they were a hit together...Oliver's little noises during the songs were great. And the drink service in the Piano bar was excellent, I dont know if Ketut was still there but he was a good drink server....glad you had a good cruise!

[LBumb]

great start

[Andie272]

great review so far! Looking forward to the rest.

[mit01]

Sailed on the Pride in August, booked for another cruise on January 8th! I loved James and Oliver, they were a hit together...Oliver's little noises during the songs were great. And the drink service in the Piano bar was excellent, I dont know if Ketut was still there but he was a good drink server....glad you had a good cruise!

 

Our server was Wi. She was a real sweetheart. She told us all about her wild time at Senor Frogs in Nassau.

[sjcruiser]

Thanks for the review. Some friends of mine just went on her in the summer, and she's on our list for this upcoming summer.

[nickiford]

can't wait to read the rest...doing the same thing in Feb.

[JaniceB]

Enjoying your review.

 

I was on the Pride in November and had the extended balcony. You really do get more room, but wasn't that clean either. I just assumed it was because of the rough weather the cruise before us encountered.

[mit01]

Wednesday through Sunday

 

Wednesday…Port Canaveral

 

We docked around 7:00. We were up early, had breakfast in the buffet, and we were off the ship a little after 8:00 to meet our transportation to Universal Studios. We hired Executive VIP Limo to take us to the park. I can’t say enough about the company. Mike, the owner, was our driver. Since we only had four passengers, he picked us up in a mini-van. The cost was $200.00 round trip. He’s extremely friendly, and is a good tour guide to boot. He had some interesting stories to tell during the drive. We spent about an hour on the road each way.

Once we had our tickets, we were in the park by 9:45. We were in in the studio park, not Islands of Adventure, where the happy Potter area is. It wasn’t overly crowded. I think the longest line we waited in was about 20 minutes. We were able to get to see everything we wanted to see except the make-up show. That show had specific start times and timing didn’t work out.

We were picked up at 3:45 as arranged and back to our cabins by 5:00. Dinner in the dining room and then strolled the ship. I believe this was the night that James had off and the piano bar was dark. I don’t remember too much else. My notes aren’t good for this day.

 

Thursday…Thanksgiving in Nassau

 

We were in Nassau a long time. We docked around 9:00 or so and didn’t leave until 10:00. There were five ships in port that day. We decided to go to the Hilton for the day. A day pass there is $55.00, which includes a $30.00 food and beverage credit.

The beach and pool are small. The pool is not much more than a wading pool. It was very quiet, except for the occasional roar of the crowd from Senor Frogs, which is next door. Sandwiches at the poolside bar are in the $14.00-$16.00 range. Soft drinks are around $3.00. I don’t feel that we got our money’s worth. None of us went in the water, and it took a while to eat and drink $30.00 worth of food. Plus, once the sun started to set, it started getting chilly, so we headed back to the ship around 4:00.

Thanksgiving was a bit of a disappointment on the Pride. It might have had to do with the fact that it was a port day. Every other Thanksgiving cruise we’ve been on, Thanksgiving was on a sea day, and it was always a formal night, and there was a traditional Thanksgiving meal for a dinner selection. There was no turkey dinner in the dining room that night, and since we had a late lunch, we opted to eat at the buffet around 7:00. We were very happy to find that they were serving Thanksgiving dinner there. And, I must say, it was probably the best Thanksgiving dinner we ever had on a ship! Turkey was carved to order. The whipped sweet potatoes were excellent, and the stuffing was to die for!! The only letdown was there were no lumpy mashed potatoes (there were baked potatoes) and the pumpkin pie was diet. (Blech) We finished up the night at the piano bar with James, Oliver and Wi.

 

 

Friday…Freeport

 

We were in Freeport from 7:00-2:00. Since there wasn’t a lot of time there, we decided to just get off the ship and walk around the straw market at the port, then spent the rest of the day on deck ten laying in the sun. We were too tired to hang with James and the gang that night, so we hit the cabin early.

 

Saturday…Sea day

 

Breakfast in the dining room, trivia, lunch at the Asian counter in the buffet, started packing, elegant night in the dining room, finished packing and a final night with James, Oliver and Wi in the piano bar.

 

Sunday…back home

 

We docked in Baltimore about 9:00. We did not opt to carry our luggage off ourselves. We had breakfast in the dining room which was a huge mistake. They must have been understaffed there, because we sat for almost ten minutes before anyone brought coffee, and it was another ten minutes before our order was taken. The people in the table next to us got up and left about five minutes before their plates came out. Our food came to the table about thirty minutes after we sat down. It was kind of a lousy way to finish up the trip.

We found seats on deck two near the sports bar to wait for our number to be called. We had number ten, ad it was called around 11:00. We breezed through customs and we were back home about 12:30.

 

Some general thoughts.

 

Overall, we felt the cruise was fine. A cruise is what you make of it, and as has been posted many times before, a lousy cruise beats a great day at work every time!

 

In the dining room, I especially liked the gazpacho, the chilled Bing cherry and peach soups, the prime rib, jerk pork, Caesar salad, chocolate melting cake, date and fig cake, and, though I didn’t have it, I hear they serve a mean banana split upon request!

 

I regret not trying the sushi station. It was open from 5:00-8:15, and we figured we shouldn’t be snacking that close to dinner. It wasn’t until the last night that we saw someone waling into the dining room with a plate of sushi that we realized we could have brought some in. Oh well, maybe next time.

We pretty much enjoyed all the entertainment offered. The only bad trivia game was won on Michael Jackson. The only person in the entire room that liked the topic was the guy hosting the game. The comedians were good, as were the various musicians.

 

The casino was smoky. The rules are, if you play, you can smoke. Oh well. We weren’t there too many times, though we were there long enough one night for my wife to win $40.00 with a quarter!

We would defiantly cruise with CCL again, though as usual, it comes down to what ship and what port.

Any questions, ask away!!

 

 

Steve

[sjn911]

Thanks...i was especially interested if you could get a real Thanksgiving dinner..sounds like you can get an ok dinner..a little like and a little not like Thanksgiving...ah well my cranberry mold did not jell but it was still fresh sauce..I'd miss sweet potatoes more than mashed, cranberries and a decent couple of pie choices...thanks for the report!!

[mit01]

Thanks...i was especially interested if you could get a real Thanksgiving dinner..sounds like you can get an ok dinner..a little like and a little not like Thanksgiving...ah well my cranberry mold did not jell but it was still fresh sauce..I'd miss sweet potatoes more than mashed, cranberries and a decent couple of pie choices...thanks for the report!!

 

The cranberry sauce was just that..a sauce, not the jelled stuff from a can. I kind of missed that. :(

[sjbrown01]

Great review Steve! I'll be on the Pride in a couple of weeks. I'm wondering how the temperature is on the ship, particularly in the staterooms and dining room.

[mit01]

Great review Steve! I'll be on the Pride in a couple of weeks. I'm wondering how the temperature is on the ship, particularly in the staterooms and dining room.

 

Staterooms were ok. The ac fan was a bit loud and we were concerned at first, but it didn't bother us and actually helped us sleep. THe dining room temp was fine. A couple of the bars were chilly.

 

Steve

[sjn911]

The cranberry sauce was just that..a sauce, not the jelled stuff from a can. I kind of missed that. :(

 

LOL..my grandma made homemade jelled stuff..and i try to replicate....so it is jelled just like the can and berries after cooked pushed through a cone thing to take away skins and pulp ..with cooked fresh Oceanspary berries and 10 times better but that right taste..but getting it to jell is so darn hard for me...going to try a bit more sugar..cooking a bit longer and adding a tiny amount of Knox Jell next time..but i have to have cranberry something and the can is ok..rest of year..LOL..we use it with store bought cooked chickens too..but not all in my family like it..zero for some folks..LOL..thanks for info..Sarah

 

 

Here is another strange thing..i have to have mint jelly with my lamb...anyone eat lamb and have that probably 1940's and 50's started middle class..middle of US home cooking need ? LOL I have thought of bringing it for lamb in main dining room if i ever get to try it..that looked good..LOL...sarah

[laumicmah]

Nice review...thank you. Don't worry about missing out on the sushi bar...it's icky on Carnival...mushy. My mom and I will be on the Pride in April...can't wait!

[mit01]

the afternoon tea and the kitchen tour. We did afternoon tea once. It's in the dining room and seating is like breakfast or lunch..they just fill up the tables. Most of the food choices were sweets, though there were a couple of non-sweet items to choose from.

 

The kitchen tour was ok. There wasn't a lot going on at the time, but the talk beforehand was interesting.

 

Steve

[yazeee1]

We're considering a family cruise on the Pride next Thanksgiving, so I'm reading as many reviews as I can find. I found your review very helpful. Knowing what to expect -for better or worse - is useful. So far, it seems like people find the Pride so-so. But, like you said, "A cruise is what you make of it, and as has been posted many times before, a lousy cruise beats a great day at work every time!"

I have a few questions. Were there bathrobes in the closet? Do you remember how many hangers you were provided with? Is the toilet partitioned off from the rest of the bathroom? As for the balcony, is it so shallow in depth that you have to sit up straight or is there a little leg room in front of the chair?

 

Thanks

[Room Service!]

We're considering a family cruise on the Pride next Thanksgiving, so I'm reading as many reviews as I can find. I found your review very helpful. Knowing what to expect -for better or worse - is useful. So far, it seems like people find the Pride so-so. But, like you said, "A cruise is what you make of it, and as has been posted many times before, a lousy cruise beats a great day at work every time!"

 

I have a few questions. Were there bathrobes in the closet? Do you remember how many hangers you were provided with? Is the toilet partitioned off from the rest of the bathroom? As for the balcony, is it so shallow in depth that you have to sit up straight or is there a little leg room in front of the chair?

 

Thanks

 

Yes there are bathrobes. Don't know how many hangers there were, but was quite a few for the 2 of us. Didn't use them all.

The toilet is not partitioned off.

Balconys are shallow, but there is leg room, especially if you cock the chair a bit.

[mit01]

We're considering a family cruise on the Pride next Thanksgiving, so I'm reading as many reviews as I can find. I found your review very helpful. Knowing what to expect -for better or worse - is useful. So far, it seems like people find the Pride so-so. But, like you said, "A cruise is what you make of it, and as has been posted many times before, a lousy cruise beats a great day at work every time!"

I have a few questions. Were there bathrobes in the closet? Do you remember how many hangers you were provided with? Is the toilet partitioned off from the rest of the bathroom? As for the balcony, is it so shallow in depth that you have to sit up straight or is there a little leg room in front of the chair?

 

Thanks

 

I see you've done Disney a few times. I remember the two bathrooms in the family state room on Disney Wonder from when we sailed on her. That was really nice, and an excellent design.

 

There seemed to be plenty of hangers. The design actually allows three garments to hang on each hanger. It's kind of tough to describe, but I think you'll like it when you see it. Also, there seemed to be more drawer space on CCL than on RCCL. Also, the couch had two drawers that pulled out that we didn't need.

 

As for the balcony, I'm 6'0''. With the chair against the door, I could stretch out my legs to where my knees were slightly bent with my feet touching the balcony glass.

 

Steve

[CapsR1]

Sounds like you had a wonderful cruise, thanks for sharing.

[guidobiker]

Just off the Pride yesterday and had a great trip.

 

I have a question for the original poster with regards to RCCI. What do you mean about the toilets not flushing all the time? :eek: In all the ships we have been on so far that has never been an issue we have experienced. We are sailing on RCCI for the first time on the Explorer of the Seas in April 2012.

[mit01]

Just off the Pride yesterday and had a great trip.

 

I have a question for the original poster with regards to RCCI. What do you mean about the toilets not flushing all the time? :eek: In all the ships we have been on so far that has never been an issue we have experienced. We are sailing on RCCI for the first time on the Explorer of the Seas in April 2012.

 

Every so often the toilet wouldn't flush right away. Sometimes it would flush 15 or 20 seconds after pressing the button, and once we had to call for service. If memory serves we had a couple of problems on Enchantment and Freedom. Any problem was always resolved.

 

Steve

[cantwaittocruise12]

We sailed on the Pride for New Years this past Dec/Jan and LOVED it! We had snow on the balcony on the way out, which friends of ours said we should have scooped up to use for frozen drinks - too bad we hadn't thought of that. :-) It wasn't really warm until we hit the Bahamas...even FL was chilly. We are going to book our next cruise on the Pride for July 2012...it should be a completely different experience! All in all I actually think the Pride is rated pretty high across the board when looking at all the Carnival ships.