First Carnival & Pride 1/26 - 2/2

[Avereysnana]

I HAVE REALLY ENJOYED YOUR REVIEW. i HOPE YOU FINNISH BECAUSE WE ARE TAKING THE SHIP WITH OUR 2 GRANDSONS AND HOPE THAT YOUR SON LIKE THE KIDS CLUB.

[Name Of The Game]

Good review!

 

Just curious why you wanted to share a king size bed with your son rather than having two separate beds. :confused:

[leaski]

Good review!

 

Just curious why you wanted to share a king size bed with your son rather than having two separate beds. :confused:

 

Seriously? I would think that would not be your business to even ask. Wow!

[kangaand2roos]

Seriously? I would think that would not be your business to even ask. Wow!

 

Agreed! I love to (sometimes) snuggle with mu kids at night. Sooner rather than later, they are going to be old enough that they no longer want to do that and I am going to be very sad! We will have a king and a sofa bed on our upcoming. The kids are going to take turns sleeping with their old mama!

[BASTHEFIRST]

Good review!

 

Just curious why you wanted to share a king size bed with your son rather than having two separate beds. :confused:

 

Oh I never mind anyone asking me anything, and I guess I was so in my own head I didn't think to explain. I wanted the King size bed for ME! :D I also asked them to make up the sofa bed (which is a twin) nightly for my son. The room feels much bigger and luxurious with the beds made up as a King. Separated they take up more space and I don't do twins anymore. I've earned that, but good question, thanks. lol

[BASTHEFIRST]

It was a cruise casual day and dinner so we spent most of it in warm-up suits, Brad in his blue with orange T and me in my Clemson, you couldn't miss us. Yet another way we made friends throughout our cruise. People would say to us, separate or together, "Hey, you're the Clemson boys!", which my son loved. lol

 

 

We decided to head down to the Perfect Game Sports Bar for Sports Trivia at 5pm before dinner. One thing I've definitely found is that Trivia, like Karaoke, gets a pretty good turn out consistently, no matter what the topic or challenge. We saw some friends previous trivia games and events and got started. I forgot to save the questions for this one. I don't know why, but we won, by one point! I let my son have it for this one, because the one question I had no idea about and let him handle we got wrong. lol That one was, "Other than swimming, name one Olympic sport that requires you to go backwards?" He guessed curling. Not bad, so we tried it, but it was rowing. Can't remember the others. I'll have to work on it. We awarded Ship Medals on red, white and blue ribbons for this win. He was psyched! I think he wore it the rest of the night. lol Trivia generally lasts about a half hour, so we went and looked at some pictures in the lobby before dinner.

[Perfect Stranger]

Seriously? I would think that would not be your business to even ask. Wow!

 

Nothing wrong with the question given that the child is 11 and not 3.

 

Keep writing OP, you're doing a good job.

[BASTHEFIRST]

It was a cruise casual day and dinner so we spent most of it in warm-up suits, Brad in his blue with orange T and me in my Clemson, you couldn't miss us. Yet another way we made friends throughout our cruise. People would say to us, separate or together, "Hey, you're the Clemson boys!", which my son loved. lol

 

We decided to head down to the Perfect Game Sports Bar for Sports Trivia at 5pm before dinner. One thing I've definitely found is that Trivia, like Karaoke, gets a pretty good turn out consistently, no matter what the topic or challenge. We saw some friends previous trivia games and events and got started. I forgot to save the questions for this one. I don't know why, but we won, by one point! I let my son have it for this one, because the one question I had no idea about and let him handle we got wrong. lol That one was, "Other than swimming, name one Olympic sport that requires you to go backwards?" He guessed curling. Not bad, so we tried it, but it was rowing. Can't remember the others. I'll have to work on it. We awarded Ship Medals on red, white and blue ribbons for this win. He was psyched! I think he wore it the rest of the night. lol Trivia generally lasts about a half hour, so we went and looked at some pictures in the lobby before dinner.

 

We went straight to our table in the Normandie Dining Room since we now know right where to go and there's a father and son sitting across from each other in it at our table for four. What was funny was that my son and I both kind of stepped back at the same time as we turned the corner to our table and laughed. Afterall, it is Dinner #3 and we've seen noone at our table yet, and now they were taking the whole thing. lol They picked one side and Rich and his son Chase ended up being really nice guys who we saw several times more throughout the Cruise, but never ate in the main dining room again. Rich said his son was an EXTREMEMLY picky eater, which fortunately I definitely don't have that problem with my son.

 

Tonight my son started with Thinly Sliced Prosciutto Ruffles with Sweet Melons and I had the French Onion Soup. I tasted mine and then remembered to get my phone out and take a picture. By the time I did he had inhaled all the Prosciutto. This is a kid that will eat pork in any form endlessly, so I shouldn't have been surprised, but it was funny. For our main courses Brad chose the Aged Braised Short Ribs with Sesame Eggplant and Fried Rice. I had the Slow Roasted Jerked Pork Loin with Fried Rice and Crisp Garlic Seasoned Green Beans. Before dessert we were treated to the staffs dancing to some dance music. Really funny, especially watching them laugh through it. For dessert I tried the Warm Fig, Date and Cinnamon Cake and Brad, believe it or not, had the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake! The waiters are now no longer giving him a dessert menu either. They're prepared. His milk shows up, they laugh, and say, "the usual sir?" lol

[kangaand2roos]

So, the kids are asking if the waiters dance to "What Does the Fox Say?" at any point in the dining room.

 

Keep it coming1 I'm loving hearing about the boy-friendly Camp Carnival activities. My son was VERY excited to hear about the cup stacking and the scavenger hunts! My daughter is pretty easy to entertain, so she is not as concerned. If she doesn't like what's going on in camp, she will just read or swim.

[dotheyes]

I'm really enjoying your report! I can't wait to be aboard!

 

we sail in Dec

[BASTHEFIRST]

Early dinner seating at 6pm is usually done around 7:30pm give or take every night. It's funny watching them clear and set for the next seating like clockwork as some are gone and some are still finishing. Extremely efficient.

 

After dinner we headed to Butterflies Lounge on Deck 2 all the way at the front of the ship next to the Taj Mahal theater for our first Family Friendly Comedy Show at 8:30. I had heard that the crowds can be unbelievable for the comedy shows, so get there early. We got there about 45 minutes early and there was 2 people there, so I got to at least take a picture of my son in front of the microphone on stage. It also gave me time to go back to my room and mix a drink to bring down. It really didn't fill up til close to show time, but I heard the later adult shows get more and more crowded earlier and earlier, with some people never leaving their seats and staying for the following show. My son found a friend from Camp Carnival and was chatting away with him til the show started while I perused that nights Funtimes and the one for the following day as our room was made up, it was laid out on the bed, as was our latest towel animal (a frog), as it is nightly while we are at dinner. The show was REALLY funny and clean for those worried about their kids. The comics are all first rate and nationally known. Not $100 ticket headliners, but familiar just the same. There can be a couple comics that share the time or just one with his own show. This was only one and it ran about a half hour.

 

I took my son back to the room so he could do his nightly report writing before bed. I had been invited at Karaoke to come the Carnival Legends Auditions tonight, which is a show of cruise guests singing as famous stars (Elvis, Elton, etc.), but I ran into my casino friends cutting through there and got hung up for hours. lol I did manage to catch some of one of the house bands in the Starry Night Lounge. It was a tight little 4 piece band from the Philippines that covered The Beatles extremely well. A lot of energy and they were really good and entertaining. You can lose track of time really easy at night. Like casinos in Atlantic City, there are no clocks, and without a watch or phone on you, you'll have no idea, before you realize, it's time for bed! lol

[BASTHEFIRST]

So, the kids are asking if the waiters dance to "What Does the Fox Say?" at any point in the dining room.

 

Keep it coming1 I'm loving hearing about the boy-friendly Camp Carnival activities. My son was VERY excited to hear about the cup stacking and the scavenger hunts! My daughter is pretty easy to entertain, so she is not as concerned. If she doesn't like what's going on in camp, she will just read or swim.

 

No "What does the fox say" dancing in the dining room, but we weren't in the dining room for dinner the one night on Friday, so I guess it's possible. My son and I both realized afterward that we forgot to ask what the entertainment in the dining room was that night because we enjoyed it so much all the others. :mad:

[corinnv]

So, the kids are asking if the waiters dance to "What Does the Fox Say?" at any point in the dining room.

 

Keep it coming1 I'm loving hearing about the boy-friendly Camp Carnival activities. My son was VERY excited to hear about the cup stacking and the scavenger hunts! My daughter is pretty easy to entertain, so she is not as concerned. If she doesn't like what's going on in camp, she will just read or swim.

Have a great cruise!! You will be geting off the pride as we are getting on! My 9 year old daughter usually enjoys Camp Carnival, but my 14 year old is done with organized activities!

[BASTHEFIRST]

Since I couldn't get my scanner to work property to make the Funtimes bigger and more readable, here is a link thanks to RADIO who reported LIVE from our cruise who did post them:

http://public.fotki.com/Radio88/carnival-pride-janu/

 

I have the Camp Carnival one as well, so I'll keep working on it. :D

[kangaand2roos]

Since I couldn't get my scanner to work property to make the Funtimes bigger and more readable, here is a link thanks to RADIO who reported LIVE from our cruise who did post them:

http://public.fotki.com/Radio88/carnival-pride-janu/

 

I have the Camp Carnival one as well, so I'll keep working on it. :D

 

Could you snap a few pictures of the 9-11 and email it to me?

Staceyrbz@aol.com

[John Reid]

Excellent review. I enjoy reading and getting in a "sailing state of mind" as I freeze at home in Delaware.

 

A thought for consideration. Carnival (and all cruise lines) tends to repeat trivia games verbatim. You decide.

 

Looking forward to your next installment.

[WetToes]

Enjoying your review. Thanks!

We've been on the Pride a few times, and I'm sure we will be again.

Always like others thoughts on her. I don't think you've mentioned the décor yet. That is usually a topic in itself. lol

It didn't bother us one bit.

Edited February 8, 2014 by WetToes

[BASTHEFIRST]

Funny you should mention the décor, as I have barely. lol I had heard about it over and over in doing my research and was really looking forward to seeing it all for myself. It is definitely Renaissance themed from head to toe and back to front. There was SO MUCH naked in paintings and wall coverings and statues, that in all honesty, I barely noticed. The true reflection of it was when my son said he thought "all these naked people" was 'weird', nothing more. I then explained the theming and what the Renaissance Period was and who Michelangelo was and his great works of the time. It made a little more sense then. And if you're into art, or especially this period, the ships décor will be a real treat. I didn't find it offensive at all, not even the giant statue of David in the Steakhouse. What I did notice was that the entire ship for the most part is VERY dark. I noticed this because I like light and believe more of it makes things look bigger, brighter, cleaner, and newer. As a hotel manager these are important things. I don't imagine any of this will really matter to those concerned when the Pride gets her reimagining in the coming year and has a whole new look. I think people that are offended by it are the same people that are looking for things to complain about in general, but that's just my opinion. There is just SO MUCH of it that it becomes part of the background and you will barely notice any of it in no time at all. ;)

[WetToes]

I agree.

[BASTHEFIRST]

Today is Port Canaveral day. We were awoken by the knock of Room Service at our door and the ship docking at Port Canaveral, both at 7am. This was an early and full day in Port, from 7am til 5:30pm and we were psyched for our first time at the Kennedy Space Center. I ordered 2 of practically every kind of Danish, muffin, croissant, juice, milk, etc. for this morning since we knew we probably wouldn't have time to go to breakfast and when I came out of the shower it was practically all gone. I guess my skinny little son figured he was only getting one breakfast today so he had to fill his hump. lol We packed up what we thought we need for the day in a backpack and headed out. It was chilly and damp so we wore our jackets today. Only about 45*, cloudy, and a little drizzle. We got our picture taken heading off the ship with someone in a space suit so my son's anticipation was already building. We went outside and waited for our Thrifty Car Rental Shuttle to take us to the rental office only minutes away.

 

I made my car rental reservation online with them since I'm a Thrifty Blue Chip Member and got a car for the day for like $30. I rented a car for 9am-5pm, but on the shuttle the driver said everyone must be on the 4pm shuttle if you want a ride back. Shady bait and switch, but what are ya gonna do? It was a small ugly thing, but it was perfect for what we needed. I printed driving directions before we left and turned on my phone GPS as well and we picked between the two. Kennedy Space Center is about 20 minutes from the Port. We got to the KSC before it opened and took a few pictures and then the ticket window opened. They pulled up our info and printed everything we needed. As I'm listening to her explain things I'm realizing that having to be back for the 4pm shuttle is probably going to now cost us the tour I wanted. I went to Guest Services and the woman there said it definitely would and changed things around for us accordingly. I was bummed but I did get a $50 refund. We changed from the super duper tour (or whatever it's name was) so we could still have LUNCH WITH AN ASTRONAUT.

 

If you like space at all, Kennedy is well worth seeing. We walked through the Rocket Garden of old rockets big and small. Exploration Space puts you in command in every way possible. The Angry Birds Space Encounter is a little out of place because it's really just a game stop for little kids, but probably necessary on busier more crowded days. The Astronaut Encounter puts you in a tutorial and question and answer session with an actual Astronaut. The newest and largest building is Space Shuttle Atlantis and its connecting Shuttle Launch Experience. It's REALLY cool. The reveal of the actual Atlantis Space Shuttle in the building is almost enough to make you cry. I swear my son's face at that moment made the whole day worth it. Although having lunch and getting a picture with an actual Astronaut was right up there! We then got on one of the tour buses for the tour of the outer areas and launch pads and were then dropped at the Apollo/Saturn V Center. The largest rocket ever created is INSIDE the building hanging from the ceiling. Touch moon rocks, rovers, shuttles, landing craft. Just awesome. I'll recommend this to any and every one. I love amusement parks, so I don't know that I'd choose it over them, but having never been to Kennedy, it was an easy choice and one we're REALLY glad we made.

[WetToes]

Nice pictures!

[BASTHEFIRST]

We took a tour bus back to the main entrance and quickly jumped into our rental car to get back to the Thrifty rental office by 4pm. We flew. Threw caution to the wind and did about 90 almost the whole way. It was disgraceful. I'm embarrassed, but we just made it back. No one there. The office was open but no one answered when we called. I wandered through the whole building; behind the desk, back offices, the bathroom, no one. We went outside and yelled and whistled and finally someone came in and said, extremely rudely, "I was counting the cars." I said ok, we'll run across the street and get gas then. We came back and after he got the keys he said, "Oh the last shuttle left." I said I contracted for a ride both ways from this office. YOU changed the time and I STILL made it back and your shuttle left EARLY?! He tried to say it left on time, but we both knew it left early. My son asked why he was being so rude. The shuttle driver then showed up and he told him not to give me a ride! It was then that I threatened his life and he called the cops. lol The cop completely understood. Told me to hire a lawyer, but there's nothing he could do and to take a cab. I didn't want to freak my son out so we just called a cab and I figured I'd fight the charges when I got home. Believe it or not I actually read this guy was an ass online prior and still rolled the dice. Shame on me. DON'T USE THRIFTY! The cab was only $15, so no bid deal. It is what it is.

 

For some reason my phone didn't charge while plugged into the car today, so I forgot and left it charging in the room when we went to dinner, so unfortunately I don't have any pictures from this meal. Brad started with the Shark and Langoustino Fire Cracker Roll with Salsa Verde. I had the Fried Shrimp with Pickled Cucumbers and Plum Sauce. For his main course Brad had the Braised Lamb Shank in a Burgundy Sauce marinated with garlic and fresh herbs and braised root vegetables. I had the Grilled Marinated Pork Steak with Grilled Zucchini and Sautéed Sliced Potatoes. For dessert I had the "Bitter and Blanc". Warm dark and white chocolate bread pudding with vanilla sauce and Brad had . . . ready for it? Warm Chocolate Melting Cake. lol

 

After dinner we walked around and checked out the end of some trivia in the Piano Bar then I took Brad to Camp Carnival for some video game contests and Bingo. I hung in the casino bar a bit with some friends but didn't stay too overwhelmingly long tonight and went back and watched some of The Internship on a movie channel in the room before turning in for the night.

[dotheyes]

great review; sorry that guy gave you such a hard time. You handled it better than my husband would. Keep up the great review and better luck at the next port

dot

 

 

 

 

 

We took a tour bus back to the main entrance and quickly jumped into our rental car to get back to the Thrifty rental office by 4pm. We flew. Threw caution to the wind and did about 90 almost the whole way. It was disgraceful. I'm embarrassed, but we just made it back. No one there. The office was open but no one answered when we called. I wandered through the whole building; behind the desk, back offices, the bathroom, no one. We went outside and yelled and whistled and finally someone came in and said, extremely rudely, "I was counting the cars." I said ok, we'll run across the street and get gas then. We came back and after he got the keys he said, "Oh the last shuttle left." I said I contracted for a ride both ways from this office. YOU changed the time and I STILL made it back and your shuttle left EARLY?! He tried to say it left on time, but we both knew it left early. My son asked why he was being so rude. The shuttle driver then showed up and he told him not to give me a ride! It was then that I threatened his life and he called the cops. lol The cop completely understood. Told me to hire a lawyer, but there's nothing he could do and to take a cab. I didn't want to freak my son out so we just called a cab and I figured I'd fight the charges when I got home. Believe it or not I actually read this guy was an ass online prior and still rolled the dice. Shame on me. DON'T USE THRIFTY! The cab was only $15, so no bid deal. It is what it is.

 

For some reason my phone didn't charge while plugged into the car today, so I forgot and left it charging in the room when we went to dinner, so unfortunately I don't have any pictures from this meal. Brad started with the Shark and Langoustino Fire Cracker Roll with Salsa Verde. I had the Fried Shrimp with Pickled Cucumbers and Plum Sauce. For his main course Brad had the Braised Lamb Shank in a Burgundy Sauce marinated with garlic and fresh herbs and braised root vegetables. I had the Grilled Marinated Pork Steak with Grilled Zucchini and Sautéed Sliced Potatoes. For dessert I had the "Bitter and Blanc". Warm dark and white chocolate bread pudding with vanilla sauce and Brad had . . . ready for it? Warm Chocolate Melting Cake. lol

 

After dinner we walked around and checked out the end of some trivia in the Piano Bar then I took Brad to Camp Carnival for some video game contests and Bingo. I hung in the casino bar a bit with some friends but didn't stay too overwhelmingly long tonight and went back and watched some of The Internship on a movie channel in the room before turning in for the night.

[pbfp2008]

Where is the rest?

[pbfp2008]

Seriously, where is the rest?