First Carnival Cruise / On the Pride / October 7-14, 2012!

[luv2gocruzin]

Enjoying your review- will there be more??

[loubetti]

Great review, and your writing / prose is superb!! :)

[John Reid]

I am inspired to finish the review. :) To be continued.

[John Reid]

It took me a bit to get used to the cafeteria-style lines on Pride. Very different (stations) on RCI and a combination of lines and stations on HAL and Princess. For lunch there were different types of “lines” on Pride (Grill/American/Italian/Asian/Carvery/Sandwiches/Salads/Desserts). They had trays and you got your own drinks. Plastic cups I did not like at first, but they were stable and functional (and colorful). Struck me as cups you would give a four-year-old. They grew on me. Food at lunch was okay, just okay. Good iced tea, though.

 

Breakfast was the biggest disparity. I found the egg/omelet station the second day which helped. But the other food was cold, very cold, and I only require slightly warm. Scrambled eggs were terrible, boot camp quality. Pancakes the first few days had no flavor or even color, but at the end of the week, they looked and tasted better, as if it were a different product. French toast cold and soggy. "Toasted” bagels were cold and sometimes rock hard. I think the heat lamps were using fluorescent lighting! For those wary of bacon police, bacon was plentiful and readily available if not somewhat undercooked. Breakfast sausage? I bit in first day and it neither felt nor tasted normal. I cut one in half. It isn’t regular sausage meat inside; it seems to be some kind of flavored filler. Cream cheese was thinned out to the consistency of whipped cream. Low quality jellies. Omelets looked grey; I stuck with two eggs over. But it was, in total, much better than my bran flakes and banana at home.

 

However, orange juice was way better than RCI, as good as Princess, but not as good as HAL’s fresh squeezed (no extra charge). They did have a good assortment of cereals and yogurts. Decent fruit, but no berries. And RCI’s hawking of real orange juice for sale at breakfast is embarrassing.

 

After pointing out the weaknesses, I must now talk about the TREMENDOUS ADVANTAGE that the Pride had in the buffet over other cruise lines. Other lines had somewhat better buffet food and accessibility, but finding a table was often a nightmare, always difficult. Not so on the Pride. Buffet staff on other lines often assist in getting breakfast drinks (tea, etc). I’m up already getting food; I can do that myself!!! Carnival used staff to clear tables - immediately. I never saw a table that, when vacated, was not cleared within 30 seconds. We always found a good table or booth with a view in less than one circle of Mermaid’s, most time easily under one minute. This is unheard of on other lines and we were thankfully impressed.

 

Another plus was that passengers on the Pride did not loiter in the Mermaid or use it as a lounge. On all of our Princess cruises, we found that several groups would use the buffet tables (especially near the windows) for socializing, reading, playing cards, etc., even during meal hours while people struggled to find tables.

 

Lido buffet dinner to follow!

[retiredgram]

Loving your review. We were on the ship with you. Love the Pride.

[John Reid]

Loving your review. We were on the ship with you. Love the Pride.

 

Thanks. We are already looking at September/October 2013 dates for another Pride cruise.

[John Reid]

I had previously mentioned eating in the buffet for dinner one evening. This was a poor experience. One line open, very long - very slow. Cold food; lunch choices were consistently warmer.. Dark surroundings. Other cruise lines made the buffet somewhat special for dinner. Princess even had cloth tablecloths or cloth place mats, glassware, and table settings. Salads and appetizer choices were plated for taking. Food choices mirrored the dining room. Very nice in comparison. Also, evening dining in the buffet was shared with Camp Carnival diners. Noisier than breakfast or lunch. Would never eat dinner in their Lido buffet again.

 

So, to solve this, when we cruise Carnival again (and we will), dinner will be in the dining room which we enjoyed.

 

Overall Dining Availability (including buffet)

 

Breakfast and lunch hours normal. Dinner in the Lido starts at 6:00, a bit later than others. There is a gap in time from when dinner ends and evening snacks begin at 11:00 to 12:30 in the Lido. Evening snacks include good hamburgers, unusual hot dogs, chili, good toppings, baked boneless chicken, and some good potato/cole slaw salads. I don’t know if the recipe has changed, but the pizza was not good - and I like frozen pizza. Best pizza we have had at sea was Princess - so they have probably changed it for the worse since our last cruise. I can’t remember RCI Enchantment buffet evening hours, if any. As mentioned on another thread, the late night food in the Solarium of Enchantment was awful. Freedom of the Seas had Sorrento’s pizza and the Promenade Cafe for late night - both good. HAL is useless in the evening. Food stops at 8:00; only room service after that. I don’t like eating in the room. The 24 hour soft serve on Pride was good, and bowls were available should you choose.

 

The pool area grill on Pride was good. Basically the same offerings as the late night snacks with chicken tenders instead of baked pieces. Princess had a similar grill and a pizza station by the pools. HAL had a grill by its aft pool. Enchantment’s was in the Solarium, definitely the weakest of the group. I don’t recall ice cream (other than pay at Ben and Jerry’s) available on Enchantment. Pride was the only 24-hour availability.

 

Overall, the dining choices and availability met our needs, especially when we got accustomed to times and choices. Pride ranked second in these areas out of the four cruise lines we have experienced.

 

For those who hoped for comparisons, Princess evening buffet far and away had the most selection and extended times. When in Alaska, we ate all dinners after 10:00 at night. One could always get a quality full meal in their Lido until 12:30. Most of the dining room menu was available each night at the buffet. This was true on our two other Princess cruises also.