Pride 1/25/15..Annie rolls a rhino and Annie in the sky with diamonds!

[Pandot]

Great review so far - cruising the Pride in September - so excited!

 

Former Montrealer too - most of the family still lives in the West Island.

 

 

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[JAYVIATION]

Question about the Sheraton Tampa Riverwalk....I know on Priceline you put in what star hotel you want. Is that the same on Hotwire? If so, how what star rating was this Sheraton?

 

Good question. I have always used Hotwire ( about 50 times now give or take ) and it has NEVER failed me. When you search for a place, start by getting as specific as possible for location. Next, it will show a bunch of green shaded areas and as you hover over a particular listing, that green area in question will highlight as well.

 

There is a dropbox that you can use to specify a particular green shaded area that is closest to your destination. I use this in conjunction with a second drop down box that designates how the listings are shown..price up, star rating..etc... pick the one for filtering by "recommended" by percentile. this will not tell you the name of the hotel but will filter by reviews left by others that have used the site and stayed at the hotel.

 

This combo of "recommended" and narrowing the shaded area to as close as I can get has gotten me great results. I believe the Sheraton Riverwalk was rated a 3&1/2 or 4 star.. not sure which. hope this helps.

[Cruisin'Allie]

Following your review!

 

Love your tilt shift photos! Are you using your gopro or a lens on your Rebel for that? I have that effect on my Olympus but have only played with it. (Dedicated lens for my t4i is too expensive for me but I love the effect!)

[JAYVIATION]

CABIN 7301 DECK 7 VERANDAH CAT 9B

 

I pride ( ha see that) myself in doing all the research I can when booking a room. This includes studying deck plans, google searches for pictures and forum reviews. This can be exhausting. It is also necessary. There seems to be a 50/50 divide of those that spend a good amount of time in their cabins vs. those that do not.

 

This section will be for those that like their cabin like a second home. For those that do not care, simply skip the following cabin pictures. I did not place any ship pictures among the cabin ones.

 

In my own research, I have found so many others that had questions regarding this type of cabin. Hopefully, this next section can be considered a solid resource for a 9B. There will be many pictures to cover as many angles and aspects as possible.

 

As always, if you have questions, please ask. This is the best cabin type I have ever found ( within my budget anyway ).

 

A 9B such as 7301 has been called a "suite at the cost of a balcony". Having not stayed in a suite, I cannot validate this but as far as bang for your buck vs a regular balcony...no contest.

 

 

The room is situated on the deck plan just below the lower black dot just behind the elevators. We heard NO NOISE whatsoever from the elevators...no "dings"..nothing. The soundproofing is top notch.

 

I did have one complaint and that is the elevator does not vocalize the floor by deck name. On our last ship, it was fun going to the "Barenda" deck..oh well

 

Also worth noting that this cabin floorplan has an identical layout one deck above and below ( deck 8 and 6 ), but I choose this one because of the sandwiching of cabins above and below. This avoids the sounds of scraping deck chairs and galley/club noise.

 

LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION !!

 

just to the left of the mailbox..

 

 

you have the aft elevator bank of 4

 

 

and just as you come out of the cabin you see this corridor.

 

and your first look inside

 

 

just to the left of the exit placard are 2 coathooks and a place large enough to fit the red chair (seen later) if you want it our of your way.

 

There are a couple of lighting options via switches ( and no, no card requirements for lighting or AC ) one switch controlled the main bar-type lighting ( as seen at the top of the bar area ) and another press and hold type dimmer for the 12 or so "mood lights". there is an standard power outlet just behind the phone in the pic above. just beyond the bar area is an immense closet and the door seen is the bathroom.

 

yep...more to follow

 

 

[Hornet441]

I appreciate the vote of confidence! Thank You! Yes the Pride is certainly one of my favorite ships. The ship has great lines and the layout is fantastic. it NEVER EVER seemed crowded. There are so many places you can go on your own.

 

 

 

You say it never (never) seemed crowded. Did you frequent Serenity? How were the crowds there?

[JAYVIATION]

Following your review!

 

Love your tilt shift photos! Are you using your gopro or a lens on your Rebel for that? I have that effect on my Olympus but have only played with it. (Dedicated lens for my t4i is too expensive for me but I love the effect!)

 

It's an effect filter "miniature mode" within the camera. You can put it on any picture. However' date=' you will not get the desired effect if you don't frame the shot correctly to provide for the shifting focus area it provides. It took a lot of practice to get it where I can take a shot and know how it will look once i apply the filter. Thanks for the compliment ![/font']

[Cruisin'Allie]

I need to keep taking test shots I guess. Haven't been able to get good consistent results! On my Olympus, it's a mode, not a filter I can apply to any photo.

Edited February 4, 2015 by Cruisin'Allie

[JAYVIATION]

You say it never (never) seemed crowded. Did you frequent Serenity? How were the crowds there?

 

take that statement with a grain of salt. It was an interesting irony that although the serenity area was always full, the other pools were practically empty. I just don't think the people that frequented the serenity bothered to check the other pool areas.

 

To more specify what I meant by crowded... I mean the stadium pool areas on most conquest class ships. My statement was more a preference on the layout and "spreadability" of public areas on the spirit class ships.

[robear14]

I was on this cruise as well - we really did have the best weather I've had for a western Caribbean cruise in January. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on everything. :)

 

I also found the Serenity area to be usually full during sea days and it actually seemed loud. The other pools usually didn't have many people in them, but the water temperature seemed to be kinda cool.

Edited February 4, 2015 by robear14

[JAYVIATION]

okay lets have a look at that big closet past the bar. here is the left side. There is even a light that turns on in the closet automaticly when you open either side..cool.

 

 

and the right side ( has the shelves )

 

 

now into the bathroom.. it has an "upgraded" finish with granite sink top, ceramic tile floor and mosaic tile belting the middle. I have read it's the same finish as a suite but without a bathtub. just to the right of the pic below is the shower.

 

 

In the pic below on the upper area of the sink there are 3 shelves on the left and 3 on the right ( perfect for his and hers..or his and his or hers and hers..you get the idea ) very convenient. There is also a magnifying swing mirror and a non-standard outlet on the top left corner marked "shavers". There are no standard outlets in this bathroom. Note to the camera geeks, you can see the cold shoe mount for my GoPro as I hold the Canon sideways in the mirror.

 

 

the pic below shows the area below the sink. On the left is extra TP, boxes of tissues and disposal bags for fem hygeine "stuff". There is a tissue dispenser to the right of the sink and a hard mounted mini shelf with 2 glasses

 

 

next, the shower

 

 

 

 

 

[JAYVIATION]

I was on this cruise as well - we really did have the best weather I've had for a western Caribbean cruise in January. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on everything. :)

 

I also found the Serenity area to be usually full during sea days and it actually seemed loud. The other pools usually didn't have many people in them, but the water temperature seemed to be kinda cool.

 

 

I noticed the volume was quite high there too, but I attribute this to the number of people there. I read a complaint in the past there was music in the serenity area and it defeated the purpose of the name of the area. However, I never heard any music there.

 

Regarding the weather, from what the locals told me in the various ports, they just got hit with heavy storms days before our arrival..indeed we really lucked out. weather was tip top!

[turning40withMickey]

Fabulous words and pictures!

Thanks for taking the time to share!

[ferfoodle]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Great start and great pictures. We are going on the Repo cruise 3-15-15 on the Pride and I was so hoping that someone would post a review with a lot of pictures of her post 2.0. Keep up the good work!

[JAYVIATION]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Great start and great pictures. We are going on the Repo cruise 3-15-15 on the Pride and I was so hoping that someone would post a review with a lot of pictures of her post 2.0. Keep up the good work!

 

welcome x3 I haven't even really started :) thanks for following !

[JAYVIATION]

Shower: don't be fooled by the picture. It seems only slightly smaller than a standard corner shower. You can actually move your arms freely without banging into anything. There is a body wash and shampoo dispenser and a soap/razor tray above. There is also a clothes line just above the shower head. Annie wanted me to say that the shampoo was VERY watered down and she felt like she was wasting a lot to get the job done. The shower had decent pressure all cruise. There is also a raised barrier around the floor of the shower so water doesnt go everywhere on the floor.

 

 

going just around the corner of the bathroom is the thermostat. There is no markings other then a "-" to the far left and a "+" to the far right. Temperature was comfortable from start to finish...cool when we needed it...not so cool when we didn't. As I mentioned before, there is no card control for the lights or AC so those that like to (gasp) prop the balcony door open for the best white noise for sleep ever created...feel free to do so without losing light or AC.

 

 

continuing on the far wall is a sofa that converts to a bed with a pulldown bed in the ceiling above. to the right of the sofa a 3 drawer dresser...yep you guessed it...this was my storage and Annie got all 3 closets..I love this cabin! there is a fixed lamp on the dresser and behind the curtain next to the dresser is the light for the balcony ( odd place for it) and the ladder for the pull down bed. The granite top table in front of the sofa can be moved but be aware.. it's heavy.

 

 

 

continuing around between the bonus window and the main balcony window is a fixed cabinet with a flat screen TV, a deep open storage shelf and another cabinet storage area with a shelf below that will have an extra blanket.

 

 

should you need more places to plug in... if you dont care about the TV or the cable. there are 2 standard plugs behind the TV that you can use.

 

 

cabin cont..next

 

 

 

[jetta8300]

Thanks so much for the funny, thorough review and great pictures!!!

 

 

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[JAYVIATION]

we had requested a king bed configuration and I must say, I had the best 7 nights of sleep I have had in 2 years on that bed. I've got a slowly recovering shoulder injury and this bed is just firm enough to gently take pressure off to be able to sleep soundly. there are an end table on each side with a fixed lamp AND a variable position reading lamp with individual switches. There are also 2 switches in the middle of the headboard area for the main and mood lights. There is plenty of space to fit 2 full sized suitcases under the bed.

 

 

 

completing the circle around you will see the final closet and the red chair I spoke of that can be moved if needed. The closet has a full length mirror and the life jackets on the top shelf.

 

 

in the pic below of Annie checking the mirror to see if its working,

the cabinet to the lower left has the safe activated by your swipe of your sail and sign card. There is another storage area below the safe in that cabinet that fits a 24 pack of bottled water. The middle drawer has a hair dryer and the cabinet to the right has the mini-bar fridge. We placed all the contents on the glass shelf above the bar area to utilize the fridge for water and soda with the blessing of Tina our steward. You can also see the 2 hooks in the upper right where you will find your breakfast room service card on the left hook and your door sign ( "cruisin" side for room servicing and "snoozin" side for ..well snoozin )

 

 

a final room pic

 

 

next... the balcony

 

 

 

 

[JAYVIATION]

7301 is considered a premium balcony. Most likely due to the added length AND depth. It fits 2 standard chairs, table and lounger with no problem.

 

 

in the pic below you can easily see the added depth. most balconies end where that first large door panel ends. The added room shown by the additional panel is outstanding.

 

 

 

now a big contention of balcony location is the view. I will address this with the view above, straight out and below.

 

In the first pic below, you can see why I picked deck 7 vs. deck 8. In the picture you can see the ceiling beam (long thin white beam) and you can just make out the wood from the balcony rail above that. Now if you were on deck 8, your view above would be the huge overhead of the lido deck that extends out to where that sun is shining.

 

 

next are several views looking straight out standing in different places...notice you can't see any lifeboats.

 

 

 

cont...

[JAYVIATION]

now if you are standing toward the edge, you will see the lifeboats below, so a direct view of the water below is not possible. In hindsight, it really doesn't matter because the promenade deck juts out enough to disrupt a direct downward sight of the water...I only note this because some people are very picky about their water views.

 

 

 

ok, I will close the sail away night with the towel animal for the first night and the first sea day will be the next chapter... Thanks to all hangin through this review! have a good night!

 

 

"who do you think you are smoochin lady?!"

 

 

Edited February 4, 2015 by JAYVIATION

[mitsugirly]

Subscribed. :D

[SandyBShores]

Your pictures with that miniature effect are SO COOL! Looks like the opening sequence to Mr. Rogers a Neighborhood.

 

I love your detailed cabin review! I'm new to Carnival. These are very sought after? How far in advance did you have to book? And do you know what the other similar cabin numbers are?

 

Also, was your shower tiled? I like to bring suction cups to hang a loofah or razor, etc and other cruises I've been on don't have a stickable shower surface.

 

Looking forward to the rest of your story!

Edited February 4, 2015 by SandyBShores

[CruisingSnooter]

I'm on the Pride on the 22nd! Loving your review so far and looking forward to the rest!

[littledipper]

Thanks for the review..will be on the Pride next month ☺️

 

 

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[falkcor]

loving your review so far - great job, way to go...

 

this photo just made me laugh though...

 

 

apparently now the towel animal vagina...

 

 

i mean, 'seal', has a counterpart... :eek:

 

those sneaky room stewards :rolleyes:

[JAYVIATION]

Your pictures with that miniature effect are SO COOL! Looks like the opening sequence to Mr. Rogers a Neighborhood.

 

I love your detailed cabin review! I'm new to Carnival. These are very sought after? How far in advance did you have to book? And do you know what the other similar cabin numbers are?

 

Also, was your shower tiled? I like to bring suction cups to hang a loofah or razor, etc and other cruises I've been on don't have a stickable shower surface.

 

Looking forward to the rest of your story!

 

Thanks for the feedback and welcome aboard !! Yes these 9B's go VERY fast ( don't feel bad that you do not know about it. I only discovered this after many many months of "lurking" on these boards )

 

As far as how far in advance to book them. In this example, I booked 11 months before and it was the only one left. But things happen, people cancel down the road so something may open up. Only advice I can give is attempt a dummy booking and see whats available.

 

The other 9B's that are exactly like 7301 on Pride are 6279 ( deck 6 ) and 8237 ( deck 8 ). I think .. think being the operative word...typically hurts when I do that :) cabins 7299,6277,8235 which are just on the other side of the opposing cabins I mentioned have a very similar layout.

 

All of the cabins I mentioned have the same numbers on the sister ships: Legend, Miracle and Spirit respectively.

 

Suction cups in the shower eh... not a bad idea. the mosaic tiling in that bathroom going around the middle will not provide a solid surface for that but the surrounding area of the shower should accommodate that.