Proud Pride Cruisers!! (Feb 8th-Feb 15th Western Review)

[Viscus]

OK, so this review is outstanding so far! My husband and I have both been very entertained. We're going to the Bahamas on the Pride, so the ports will be very different, but the ship looks incredible.

 

I do have to say that we geek out in a similar way when it comes to the Mayan ruins. DH used to work at a science museum that had an exhibit about the Mayans; so interesting. We recognized a lot of the stuff that we saw on our honeymoon in Chichen Itza.

 

Oh yeah... we went to Chichen Itza on our honeymoon. It was crazy cool--except that it was literally the hottest I've ever been in my life.

 

 

Also, DH wanted me to tell you that he's very jealous of your "for Science!" t-shirt.

 

Hahah, my wife bought it for me for Christmas. I dig it strongly. And I want to take the wife to Itza since I'm sure she'd love it, but that'd mean skipping a cruise, sooooo....

[Viscus]

In addition, and more importantly: I want a breakfast burrito from BlueIguana in the mouth part of my face RIGHT THE F NOW. Your pictures are simultaneously breathtaking and torturous.

 

As of now, you're going to have one before me. So at least there's that for you. :P

[Viscus]

We're sailing on the Pride out of Baltimore June14th - we were doing the Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay, Freeport itinerary. We've been to GT and HMC before - Freeport is new.

 

I'm enjoying your review and the pics, because although we've been on the Legend and the Miracle, this will be our first time on the Pride - first time with 2.0 upgrades.

 

I picked this post to reply to because of the Splendor pic. We were on the Splendor in 2013 - had the cabin right over the R in Splendor - 6485 - awesome room. Aft wrap with a huge balcony.

 

Looking forward to my first Guy's Burger!

 

I'm still a little sad the Pride is going to Baltimore. We loved the ship. And I think you'll love how they added the 2.0 upgrades to the "smaller" Pride. It doesn't feel cluttered or messy. I've never been on a cruise that didn't have a Guy's Burgers, and I'm in no rush to do so. Don't know how previous cruisers survived lunch without them.

 

And I'm trying my best to not book a balcony room, right now, we're happy with our cheap interiors. Don't want to be spoiled. ;)

[Viscus]

Was waiting for the day when my daughter would get into someone pic and wind up on cruise critic glad you had a great time hope you got to meet my wonderful daughter Nicole 7 more days and she will be home for 2 months cant wait to see her again

 

Mind pointing her out? If not in the thread, you can send me a message. Curious, we met a ton of people on board throughout the week.

[Viscus]

Okay guys, I think I answered everybody, if I missed you, understand I'm not the most attentive man in the world (just ask my wife, heyoooooooo!), and feel free to call me a name and ask again. I won't be offended, pinky promise.

 

So, with that said...

 

Day 7: The Final Sea Day and the Overnight from Hades!

 

First, fun times!

 

 

 

 

 

Here's where the only real issue of the cruise happened. At around 1AM, my wife and I were awakened to one of the worst smells I can remember in my life. Throughout the cruise, our toilet in our room would have a problem with being stuck "open". We'd flush, it'd do its thing, the bottom would reseal and refill with water. After about 30 seconds, I guess the water would slowly drain out, the flap thingy would open up, and it'd make a constant suction noise until we flushed it again. It didn't happen constantly, but we'd have to "fix" it probably 2-3 times a day.

 

Well, this time, instead of being stuck open and making a suction noise, it was just stuck open. I got up, choked back my nausea, then went and "fixed" it. My wife was not as able as I was to keep her nausea in check, and had to leave the room. I called guest services, let them know what was up, and headed into the hallway with my wife.

 

About 20 minutes after I made the call, a service technician and a guest services rep showed up to investigate. By this time, the smell was gone, and they couldn't recreate the issue. It felt very much like they felt we were making it up. The 2 employees left and said for us to call again if it happened again.

 

At this point, it had been about an hour since we'd woken up to the smell, and my wife was not a happy camper. We had planned on going to the MDR for breakfast in the morning, and had now lost an hour of sleep. We go with the flow as a couple, but the issue coupled with the employees almost blatantly saying we were making it up had her angry, and I was upset as well. I made plans in my head to make a trip to the lobby in the morning.

[Viscus]

When we woke up around 8:30, we got up, showered and changed, the met up with couple#2 and headed for the MDR for the Seaday brunch. There was no wait, and we were able to get a table for 4. I'm just going to come out and say it: Service sucked for Seaday Brunch. It took us 2 hours to eat breakfast.

 

2. Hours. I got one refill the entire 2 hours, and our food came out in 3 different groups, each about 10 minutes apart. One person would finish eating, 2 more people's food would show up, they'd finish, then the last person's would show up. If this was a regular restaurant, I'd pitch a fit. Plus, since the service came before the food, coupled with the overnight toilet fiasco, I was having a pretty rough 10'ish hours with Carnival. The food, however, was really good.

 

They start you out with a pastry platter that contains very good continental breakfast standards.

 

 

My wife ordered pancakes with chocolate sauce, cheese grits and bacon. She said the bacon was a little...off? But everything else was great. I kind of agree with her, outside of the Guy's Burger's Bacon patties and bacon bits, the bacon was really lackluster and weird throughout the cruise. Not sure why they need bacon police in the Lido buffet, I'd be surprised if you told me there was a rush on the bacon tray.

 

 

I ordered the steak and eggs, and the steak was actually one of the better steak dishes I'd had that week. Very yummy plate.

 

 

I also had eggs benedict since the lido buffet's version, as per usual, was very lackluster. They just sit under the buffet heat lamps too long, which causes the egg and hollandaise to gel. The one in the Seaday Brunch, though, was great. Not the best version I've ever had, but exponentially better than the Lido buffet version.

 

 

Husband#2 had Huevos Rancheros and said it was really good. Never tried it myself, but he devoured them.

 

 

Wife#2 had, I think, an omelette with standard breakfast sides. I didn't get a picture for some reason, but I don't remember anyone complaining about the food during the breakfast. Just the service. Which, again, was horribly terrible. Plus, this was one of the first cruises where red and gold vifp members received the water bottles instead of the seaday brunch drink voucher. If service was this bad for us, I'd be terrified of what it was back when the seaday brunches were packed.

Edited March 8, 2015 by Viscus

[Viscus]

From breakfast, my wife and couple#2 headed for the main show lounge for bingo while I went to the guest services counter. I was still angry after the night before, and now with the service received in the seaday brunch, I was a grumpy customer.

 

The lady pulled up our info and saw the notes from the employees that had come out. The lady behind the counter told me, since they couldn't find the root of the problem, there wasn't much they could do other than refresh our room. Really? Your guests have to evacuate their room because one of them thinks she's going to get sick from the sewage smell in their room, and you can't do anything? I'm sure people who actually do it say this all the time, but I promise you, I'm not a complainer. I've never received a comped meal because I've complained about service, if the pizza delivery guy forgets something back at the store, I don't make him go back and get it and I still tip him what I would've tipped otherwise, etc.

 

However. When she told me there was nothing they could do, I saw red. I didn't start yelling and flipping tables, but I made sure she understood that wasn't good enough. I probably was a little too angry because of the frustration and dehydration from breakfast, but she went to get a supervisor to see what they could do. AGAIN! I DID NOT YELL OR ANYTHING! I'M NOT THAT GUY! I SWEAR!

 

The supervisor came out to talk to me, heard my side, and said she had an idea. She had the ship's plumber inspect the toilet (which, by the way, they found a problem with, so it wasn't our imagination), had the room refreshed, and gave me and my wife 3 free drinks each. We aren't heavy drinkers, so 3 each would get us through the last sea day. I wasn't expecting a free cruise, so I left satisfied from this solution. Good job guest services supervisor! You probably kept me sailing on Carnival!

 

Because of the solution, we needed to stay out of our room for 2-3 hours. That was fine, we had a few activities planned anyways, and I headed over to the lounge to join in for Bingo.

 

I'm not a bingo player. At all. It's boring, it always feels a little culty since the people that do it play ever game and develop weird relationships with the person who runs the games, and it can be expensive. Did I mention I think it's boring? Only reason I was going was because couple#2 wanted to and my wife kind of did too.

 

However, we happened to be walking into a "special" game. 3 games with $100 pay outs each game, then a 4th with a free cruise for 2 up for grabs. The ways to win wasn't just the standard 5 in a line path, they had different patterns and things like that. Plus, the guy who ran the Bingo games was really entertaining. I'll never willingly go to a bingo game, but these 4 games were way less painful that I thought they'd be.

 

 

 

Our useless sheet of paper that won us NOTHING! ;)

 

From here, the girls headed up to the Serenity for a few hours until some afternoon trivia games they were interested in and dinner. Husband#2 and I headed up to the Lido for one of the last 2 games of cornhole.

 

 

It was crazy windy that day, but husband#2 managed to take home the win and another ship on a stick. After the "award ceremony", we headed back down to the Red Frog pub for a different version of cornhole for the last competition of the cruise.

 

 

I ended up winning this one, and after the "tournament", 2 older guys that were me and husband#2's main competition that cruise challenged us to a money match. Well, they hopefully had some fun, because we CRUSHED THEM! Not even close baby! ;)

 

After losing our winnings on the roulette wheel ( :P ), we went up to the Serenity to grab the wives for lunch and then head down for trivia.

[Viscus]

It was here that the emotional event of the day happened. Husband#2 and I went to get our last Guy's Burger. We were both very emotional, and kept each others' spirits up the best we could. After this burger, we'd have to pay for our cholesterol overdoses from here on. I'm tearing up just thinking about it.

 

 

I might've gone a little overboard with the toppings, sue me.

 

After the cryfest, we headed down for trivia, which included (I think) Disney music, country music, and movie theme trivia, all back to back. We were one question short from winning Disney music (cheaters :P ), didn't even come close in country music, and crushed the competition in movie theme song trivia. I MIGHT watch too many movies...maybe...

 

At one point, the trivia host offered bonus points for line dancing during the country music trivia. Only 2 brave soles took her up on her offer.

 

 

After the marathon trivia session, it was time to get ready for dinner. While not an official formal night, it was Valentine's Day, and we were going to treat the MDR as a fancy restaurant visit. A lot of our fellow cruisers did the same, so it was kind of like having a 3rd formal night on the week cruise. While Carnival doesn't do any official Valentine's Day celebrations, all the ladies receive a rose when they check in for a table. They wouldn't believe me and husband#2 that we had arranged that ourselves when they saw all the other ladies had one. Darn. ;)

 

 

Don't tell her I posted this picture, she didn't like it, but I think she looks pretty in it.

 

Up next, food porn!

[Viscus]

Service was great that night, and we had a table that could see down to the 1st floor of the MDR, so we didn't have to just listen to the assigned seating events of the night. The Maitre D did his singing, then the entire dining room waitstaff and did their "Leaving on a Cruise Ship" staple. One of the best signals your cruise is coming to an end. :(

 

The food was pretty good, here's some porn for everyone:

 

 

Mushrooms with dressing: 6/10, I think it was supposed to be hot, because the mushrooms were a little soggy and room temperature. Good flavor in the dressing though.

 

 

Crab cake: 9/10 Really good crab flavor, not soggy, really great if not basic.

 

 

Frog legs: 7/10 Good flavor but really greasy, made you feel heavy after eating them.

 

 

Panko shrimp: 8/10, not bad but the breading kind of washed out the shrimp flavor.

 

 

Bacon Mac'n'cheese: 10/10 I live in the south, and this is the best Mac n Cheese I've had. It was miles better than previous cruises, so maybe I just got lucky, but man, this bowl didn't last long.

[Viscus]

After dinner, we went to the pub to watch the last night of The Rocking Dead. Tonight was 60's night, and it was a really cool vibe in there that night. Again, these guys were great, hopefully we hit the jackpot and they're performing on the next cruise we're on. Oh, and they all dress up to fit the theme. Really cool.

 

 

After hanging out for a bit and finishing off our free drink vouchers, we went up to the top deck for a walk and to be sad together about the end of the cruise. Some movie I can't remember was playing, and we watched a little bit of it.

 

 

I do remember it was terrible whatever it was, so we left and went down to the comedy lounge to get good seats for the adult show that night. We decided to bit the bullet and sit in the front room, ready for the insults we knew were coming.

 

 

However, at this point, I was already starting to get sick (which would eventually turn out to be bronchitis), so my wife and I headed back to the room instead of suffering through the comedy show. I was getting cold chills and was super light headed, so I wouldn't have been able to enjoy the show anways. Couple#2 stayed for it and said it was okay, not bad but not the best, so I guess I didn't miss anything major.

 

When we got back to the room, Guest services had another surprise for us. Since it was Valentine's Day, they had sent us a chocolate cake with Happy Valentine's Day written on it to our room.

 

 

Not only was the thought behind it really cool, the cake was FRIGGIN DELICIOUS! While we couldn't finish off the whole thing, we made a serious dent in it. It was one of the ones you can order through the sweet shop, and I highly recommend the chocolate one. Apparently, they're only $10 each, and that includes delivery to wherever you want it, including the MDR. And again, this thing is gooooooooooood!

 

After our surprise dessert, we went to bed since we had to be up early to...disembark. :'(

[Viscus]

We all moped out of bed around 7:30 since we were doing self-assist and weren't going to be called until 9:30. Got showered, changed, then hauled our stuff up to the Lido for breakfast and to hang out until it was our turn. Thankfully, the burrito place was open, so we were able to end the food orgy deliciously.

 

 

mmmmmmm

 

 

Made to order eggs over a breakfast taco. mmmmmmmm

 

Once we were called, we caught an elevator to the lobby and left the ship for good. :( The port of Tampa's security is kind of a joke for disembarkation. I could've smuggled a suitcase of cocaine if I wanted to. No x-rays, no dogs, no bag inspections. Just hand the custom's officer your documents and custom's form, don't look suspicious, and you're in. While convenient, not exactly a crack team of security.

 

Once through customs, we had to call the Parking Doctors for a shuttle to come get us. This was the only downside of using them. I guess their lot isn't huge, so they don't have constant shuttle service. You have to call them and then wait about 30 minutes for them to show up. Was tons of fun just standing there with all our luggage in the humid Tampa morning. But again, I'd use them again in a heartbeat if we sail out of Tampa, so it's just a minor nuisance.

 

We all loaded up into the car and headed back for Atlanta. As an interesting aside, we passed a few ice truck convoys heading for Atlanta since it was supposed to snow the next day in Atlanta. It ended up being cold rain, gotta love the South. Half an inch and it's an apocalypse.

 

 

We also passed a lifeflight helicopter on the other side of the interstate, then got to look at an 8 mile line of parked cars on the other side. Was an interesting sight, hopefully everyone was okay.

 

[Viscus]

Overall, we loved our cruise. The food has definitely declined a little from our previous cruises, and the service has declined a smidge (these 2 comments are only about the MDR experience), but Carnival is still a great value. The Pride is a WONDERFUL ship, and hopefully it makes another Florida visit at some point in the future. Baltimore cruisers are very lucky to be getting her.

 

Cozumel was a fun port, can't comment on the actual area outside of saying Mr Sanchos was a great day.

 

Belize was a great day with our excursion, but I'd be very surprised if people who just got on a tender and did their own thing would enjoy the port. The surrounding area around the port terminal does not strike me as a fun tourist attraction.

 

Isla Roatan was a great day, and WHEN we go back, we'll be using Victor Bodden again and doing their add-on excursions beyond the island tour and "zoo" visit.

 

Grand Cayman is still a beautiful island, if not a little busy now-a-days. But I've never seen more clear water, and even if you aren't a certified scuba diver, the snorkeling is great.

 

The port of Tampa is pretty disorganized and we actually prefer the port of Miami to it. IF you sail out of Tampa, though, and are driving yourself, park with TheParkingDoctors. Great value.

 

I'd rate this trip a 9/10 on that basic scale. It was issue free other than the one big thing, the weather was fantastic, wasn't too cold, and sailing in February will usually mean a much more adult crowd, even on a Carnival ship.

 

If anyone has any follow up questions or wants to see more pictures, feel free to ask. There were a few pictures I didn't post, either because of the post limit on these forums or they were a little blurry. I also did a ton of research about the ports we went to, so I might be able to help there.

 

Overall, thanks a ton for reading, and I'm sorry again about the delay in finishing it. Real life sucks sometimes man. ;)

 

Happy cruising!

[lucky13elec]

Thanks, Great review.

 

I'm happy the Pride is back to Baltimore & even happier Carnival is doing longer cruises with her.

[Kel040]

Thanks for your review ! Looks like you had a great holiday.

 

We will be heading out on the Pride next month, can't wait ! I've been on the Fascination, Dream and Breeze - it will be nice to try yet another class of ship. :D

Edited March 10, 2015 by Kel040

[almendrada]

Thank you for coming back to finish this thing out! I thoroughly enjoyed your review and CAN. NOT. WAIT. for this time next year when I'll be onboard that beautiful boat. Here's hoping you get to cruise again soon!

[scrinchy]

Thank you so much for finishing your review and I am so glad you are okay and feeling better. I am looking forward to my trip more than ever.

[molmisaliroc]

Thanks for sharing your review with all of us. You did a great job telling us in detail about your cruise & it felt like I was reading a story.

 

We, my DH & I will be sailing on the Pride this coming Sunday, March 15 on the repo cruise back to Baltimore. Except for a cruise coming up March 2016 on the Pride for 16 days, all the other cruises are just 7 days to the same old places. So I wish we had more choices. Alice

[Viscus]

Thanks, Great review.

 

I'm happy the Pride is back to Baltimore & even happier Carnival is doing longer cruises with her.

 

Thanks for reading and happy sailing on the Pride in the future!

[Viscus]

Thanks for your review ! Looks like you had a great holiday.

 

We will be heading out on the Pride next month, can't wait ! I've been on the Fascination, Dream and Breeze - it will be nice to try yet another class of ship. :D

 

Thanks for reading! I think you'll have a great cruise, should definitely be warm enough by then so that your first sea day won't be a frigid wasteland. ;)

[Viscus]

Thank you for coming back to finish this thing out! I thoroughly enjoyed your review and CAN. NOT. WAIT. for this time next year when I'll be onboard that beautiful boat. Here's hoping you get to cruise again soon!

 

I'm not too PRIDEful (hahhhhhh!) to ask for cruise donations. Feel free to toss a free one my way. ;)

[Viscus]

Thank you so much for finishing your review and I am so glad you are okay and feeling better. I am looking forward to my trip more than ever.

 

I'm willing to squeeze into a carry-on if you're down...Just sayin...

[Viscus]

Thank you so much for finishing your review and I am so glad you are okay and feeling better. I am looking forward to my trip more than ever.

 

Compared to the feeling of death I was experiencing 2 weeks ago, I could run a marathon right now. Not that I will, but, you know, I totally could... >.>

[Viscus]

Thanks for sharing your review with all of us. You did a great job telling us in detail about your cruise & it felt like I was reading a story.

 

We, my DH & I will be sailing on the Pride this coming Sunday, March 15 on the repo cruise back to Baltimore. Except for a cruise coming up March 2016 on the Pride for 16 days, all the other cruises are just 7 days to the same old places. So I wish we had more choices. Alice

 

We really considered booking that cruise, but my wife's spring break falls the week after we'd get back. Grrrrr. Enjoy!

[Viscus]

Been looking at the Pride deck cam and reading John Heald's posts while he's been on the repo cruise on the Pride. I'm really regretting not booking that cruise right now. :(

[caddykid12]

Been looking at the Pride deck cam and reading John Heald's posts while he's been on the repo cruise on the Pride. I'm really regretting not booking that cruise right now. :(

 

Book the 14 day pride out of Baltimore in march 2016. 8 ports of calls in 8 days

 

Ur review really has me excited to cruise the pride. Breakfast looks sooo good!!!!