Cruisin’ the Caribbean on the Carnival Pride December 4 – 11 2011

[rockabutzer]

I’ve been wanting to write this for a few weeks now, but got caught up in life, work, and the holidays. I’ll start off by saying that this was an awesome week of fun and relaxation. With the emphasis on relaxation. So you won’t see a lot of photos of port attraction. But what you will see are some general photos of the ship, a sprinkling of photos of the ports, along with photos taken upon embarkation, the Chef’s Table, and Cruise Elegant Night. I am also including copies of the Funtimes and a few other things (If the website allows me to).

[Room Service!]

We're waaaaaiting! :)

Glad you had a great time.

[rockabutzer]

Departed the house around noon and arrived at the Admiral Fell Inn around 2:30. Not too much trouble to find, as long as you let GPS guide you. It was an enjoyable night in Baltimore what with the Holiday Celebration in Broadway Square, a good meal at Adele Tapas, and the Ghost Walk of the Inn.

 

[rockabutzer]

Got up early to take some sunrise photos and to get a good breakfast before heading to the ship. Here’s a few of the photos I took of the Fell’s Point area.

Departed the Inn around noon via the limo service provided by the hotel. No Ravens home game today, so traffic wasn’t too bad. Customs and check-in went smoothly and were on the Serenity Deck by two. Cabins were ready by 2:30, so we headed down to the Empress Deck to get to our Vista Suite (Room 6260). Safety briefing was at 4 and took about a half hour. When we returned to our cabin, there were two of three pieces of our luggage waiting for us. The third piece wouldn’t show up until after 6 PM.

Headed to David’s Steakhouse around 5:45 for one of the most delicious meals I have ever had. Since it was the first night, we asked for and got the complimentary bottle of wine. All in all, the experience took about 2 hours. Afterwards, we retired to our cabin.

A few other highlights from the day: DW got the Drink of the Day; a fruity drink that had an ample amount of alcohol in it. Bought the Wine Basket consisting of 5 bottles of wine that you use at any function on the ship. The selection were pretty good, but didn’t include any really sweet wines (DW’s preference).

[rockabutzer]

Here is the Funtimes from December 4th.

[Room Service!]

Loving your pics. The sunrise is beautiful. "Prohibition"? Wow! An oldie there.

[rockabutzer]

Loving your pics. The sunrise is beautiful. "Prohibition"? Wow! An oldie there.

 

Pictures are fine. I've got to find a way to upload the FunTimes so they are readable. :confused:

[rockabutzer]

Here are some more photos.

[boaterette]

Very nice. Keep it coming.

[rockabutzer]

Spent the day getting to know the ship. I must of did five trips back and forth. Ended up at the Duty Free Shops where a shiny new watch caught my eye. After finding out the price, I looked at other shiny new watches with not so high price tags. Went back to the cabin to get DW and found out she wanted to get something to wear from the Shops, so I headed back down with her. She got what she wanted and I, I ended up with that shiny new watch that first caught my eye.

Cruise Elegant Night was interesting. DW and I dressed up, while at least 50% of the other guests did not. It was a decent enough meal, but after eating at David’s the first night, everything else paled in comparison.

Other highlights from Monday: Played Bingo in the Taj Mahal and saw the VROOM show and the Family Friendly Comedy Show with Eric Brouman and Percy Crews later in the evening. Had picture taken at dinner and spent a lot of money at the Duty Free Shops.

[rockabutzer]

This was a totally relaxing day onboard the ship. DW and I practically did nothing. She went to the Spa and had her hair done. Her description, wonderful! I picked up our photos and bought an album to display the one from the Cruise Elegant Night. Went to the Chef’s Table for a truly enjoyable event with lots to eat. Believe me, if you were to eat everything presented to you, you would not have been able to enjoy every item set in front of you. Went to the Adults Only Comedy Show afterwards with Eric Brouman. Very funny.

Other highlights from Tuesday: Ordered lunch from room service. Upon advice from another guest, ordered several desserts because they were small. Needless to say, they weren’t that small and one would have been plenty. You had to pity the steward who brought our lunch. I didn’t realize that for every item you order, they put it on a separate plate. All the size of a dinner plate. With that being said, this poor guy had a single tray with 15 dinner size plates on it! He definitely earned his tip. We also had our Cruise Critics Meet and Greet at the Ivory Piano Bar. Only three couples from the board showed up along with a couple who was curious as to what the meet and greet was all about. It was a good get together as we got acquainted with each other and would later meet up at various functions both on and off the ship.

[rockabutzer]

Got off the ship to go into Cocoa Beach to Ron Jon’s Surf Shop and to restock our soda supply. We brought along two 6 packs of diet Coke, but needed something non-diet as those sugar free colas don’t mix well with liquor. Also bought a few snacks to munch on while in the cabin. Stuff you can’t get onboard. All in all, it was another day to relax and uncoil from the worries of work and life.

Other highlights from Wednesday: Did a spa day. DW had the neck, back, and arm massage. I got a manicure and pedicure. There’s a first time for everything.

[rockabutzer]

Did the Discover Nassau and Beach Tour. Minibus left at 11:30 for a whirlwind tour of Nassau. No chance to get off the bus, so any pictures taken were from inside the vehicle. The beach was nice, but it was too windy, and the water too cold, by DWs standards. So we opted for lunch inside the restaurant at the beach. We both ordered a sandwich, bottled water and shared an order of Conch Fritters. The fritters were good, but the sandwiches were so-so. Total bill was almost $50.00. Next time, we’ll do something that will give us more time to sightsee. DW had wanted to go to a shop and get some Troll Beads, but because there was a parade on Bay Street at 5 PM, all the shops closed at 3 PM. So we opted to get something at a small shop on a side street and headed back to the ship.

Other highlights from Thursday: Got back to the ship, ordered room service for dinner, ate, then took a nap. Saw the magic show at Raphael’s Lounge, then wandered about the ship for a few hours.

[rockabutzer]

This was the day that DW was looking forward to, the Dolphin Close Encounter at UNEXCO. I went up to the Lido Deck Buffet and picked up a few breakfast items and brought them back to the room, waiting to debark and get on our way. The minibus left the port around 8 AM and took us to Port Lucaya to catch a small ship which takes you to the inlet where UNEXCO and the dolphins are located. It was exactly what she wanted to do and we both enjoyed the experience immensely. After returning to the ship, we took it easy before getting ready for the second elegant night. This time, we both dressed down wearing slacks and collared shirt/blouse instead of suit/dress. We fit in quite well, as many others were dressed similarly, including our dining partners.

Other highlights from Friday: DW went to the spa again after returning from Freeport and then we went to the Family Friendly Comedy Shows at 7:30 PM. I went back later and saw both Adult Comedy Shows at 9:45 and 11:45. DW was suffering from too much vacation and was pooped. All were very funny and entertaining. Don’t miss Michael Macy on HBO, January 17th.

[rockabutzer]

I can honestly say we did nothing but relax. No shows, no bingo, nothing. We did the buffet for breakfast and lunch, and enjoyed a quiet day onboard the ship. We did David’s Steakhouse for dinner one more time. Again, thoroughly delicious and enjoyed our third bottle of wine from our wine basket. Afterwards we packed our bags and got ready to debark the next morning.

[rockabutzer]

We opted for Option 2, Zones. Waited around the Taj Mahal Theater and later around the lobby area where debarkation was taking place. We actually got off around the appointed time for Zone 2, 11:00 AM. It took a few minutes to get down the gangway and through customs. Finding your baggage wasn’t too bad and we were out of the terminal by 11:30 AM. The longest wait was for transportation back to the Admiral Inn. It took about an hour, but we were back at the Inn by 1:30 PM. Our car was waiting for us, so we left almost immediately. Getting out of Baltimore was a little challenging as there was a Ravens football game, so auto and foot traffic was a little heavy. We were home by 4 and collapsed.

[rockabutzer]

Even though we didn’t take advantage of everything there was to do, I can honestly say that it was the most relaxing, most enjoyable vacation that I have had in a long, long time. We are both looking forward to our next cruise, Norweigan Pride of America, January 2013, and are making plans for this as I write.

 

And finally, we would like to thank the Captain and his entire crew for a wonderful time. They could have not been more accommodating, friendly, and attentive. I highly recommend this cruise for those who want to cruise on a ship close to the Mid-Atlantic and within driving distance to a lot of people. It certainly has it's quirks, but nothing that warrants some of the scathing reviews that I have seen on this board. Go and enjoy yourself. You won't regret it.

[crusinpsychRN]

That's the first time I've seen a dresser in a cabin. Nice room.

[sparks1093]

Thanks for the review. When you did the Dolphin Close Encounter what was the water temp? Did they provide any type of wet suit, flotation devise, etc.? My DW is not a strong swimmer so she's not sure if being in the water with them will be that enjoyable and maybe she should stay on the platform. Is this an excursion that a non-strong swimmer would enjoy? Thanks!

[Room Service!]

Thanks for the review and pics. So glad you had a good time.

We've done this same cruise .... twice. The last time was the Halloween/storm one.

Curious .... were the nipples replaced on the artwork in the elavators?

[rockabutzer]

Thanks for the review. When you did the Dolphin Close Encounter what was the water temp? Did they provide any type of wet suit, flotation devise, etc.? My DW is not a strong swimmer so she's not sure if being in the water with them will be that enjoyable and maybe she should stay on the platform. Is this an excursion that a non-strong swimmer would enjoy? Thanks!

 

 

The water was a little chilly, but once you got use to it, it wasn't too bad. They did not provide a wet suit/flotation device. You climbed down a ladder to a submerged platform (about three feet under the water). That's where you interact with the dolphins. You are accompanied by the trainer, so you are quite safe. I suggest water shoes as the ladder and platform could be a little slick. It should be perfect for someone who isn't a strong swimmer. My DW and I really enjoyed this excursion and would recommend it to anyone who wants to have some casual interaction with a dolphin. There is no swimming involved.

[rockabutzer]

Thanks for the review and pics. So glad you had a good time.

We've done this same cruise .... twice. The last time was the Halloween/storm one.

Curious .... were the nipples replaced on the artwork in the elavators?

 

 

It was my pleasure (and a lot of work) to do the review.

 

And, no, the artwork is still marred, thanks to immature boobs (pun intended) :p

[Room Service!]

Funny! :)

[sparks1093]

The water was a little chilly, but once you got use to it, it wasn't too bad. They did not provide a wet suit/flotation device. You climbed down a ladder to a submerged platform (about three feet under the water). That's where you interact with the dolphins. You are accompanied by the trainer, so you are quite safe. I suggest water shoes as the ladder and platform could be a little slick. It should be perfect for someone who isn't a strong swimmer. My DW and I really enjoyed this excursion and would recommend it to anyone who wants to have some casual interaction with a dolphin. There is no swimming involved.

 

Thanks! To be in the water with a dolphin, DW would probably hazard 65 degree water:).

[fastrock]

I know I'll love the Admiral Fell Inn, I love the early 1900s hotels. If Carnival ever puts another ship in Mobile, try the Admiral Semmes hotel downtown. It has a Stay&Cruise option also.

Could you comment on the Adm Fell parking location, parking lot condition, parking lot safety perception, etc. Do I check in, then drive to the parking lot?

Thanks in advance, Steve