Our Carnival Pride Spring Break cruise - 4/5/15 (with pics)

[jewelsea21]

Nybumpkin, how strange, I went on a band trip to va. From jersey in the mid 70's as well. But I lived in north jersey. And we stopped there too.

[nybumpkin]

Nybumpkin, how strange, I went on a band trip to va. From jersey in the mid 70's as well. But I lived in north jersey. And we stopped there too.

Our high school did a couple of competitions in Virginia Beach and in Winchester. Some of the best memories I have from high school.:cool:

[Jamman54]

I was up at 6:30 am, hoping to get some sunrise shots, and was not disappointed……

 

 

 

 

It was a beautiful day. Sunny, warm, and the seas were calm once again…..

 

 

Land Ho!! Grand Turk is fast approaching…..

 

 

Good as time as any to head up to the Blue Iguana Cantina and get myself a breakfast burrito. I brought it back to the cabin and ate it out on the balcony…..

 

 

To be continued……

[Jamman54]

As I enjoyed my burrito and coffee, these were the views we had as we sailed into Grand Turk…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

We are almost at the dock…..

 

 

Welcome to Grand Turk. It sure is good to be back here…..

 

 

The dock workers are waiting for us to come in…..

 

 

They are securing the lines…..

 

 

 

Now, the beach is deserted, It won’t be much longer…..

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

Here is our plan for today. I will go down and wait for the doors to open, and then head over to Margaritaville to get our cabana. Patti and Ryan will eat breakfast, and then join me after the initial rush to get off the ship.

 

Why a cabana you say? We have been here about ten times, and with the exception of the very first time, we always get a cabana. About 8 or 9 years ago, we were on the Miracle, making our very first stop at Grand Turk. We got a couple of loungers with an umbrella at the pool, settled in, and everything was just perfect. Then it happened. Something that hadn’t happened here in over 340 days. Dark stormy clouds rolled in and it poured, and I mean sideways poured. Half hour later, the sun came out, but then it poured again, and then a third time. Now, we didn’t mind getting wet, heck, we were wet from the pool and the ocean anyway, but all our other stuff got soaked too. Finally we had had enough and made our way back to the ship, but couldn’t help noticing the people on the porches of their cabanas, dry, drinking, and having a blast. We swore then, that every time we come here, we would rent a cabana.

 

The cabanas are fully enclosed and air conditioned. They have comfy couches inside, and the porch of the cabana has two loungers, and is covered with a roof. The door also locks, so you can feel safe leaving any valuables in them when you go swimming or exploring. But my favorite part of the cabana is the “button”. It’s located right by the door. Push it, and in a few minutes a waiter will come and take you drink and food orders. No fighting with the masses when you are hungry or thirsty.

 

Over the years we have met some really great cabana attendants. One of our favorites is Ricardo. I’m hoping that he’ll be there today.

 

As planned, I got off of the ship fairly quickly…..

 

 

I made my way over to Margaritaville, and lo and behold, there was Ricardo. We greeted each other, but then I got the bad news. He wasn’t working the cabanas today. No problem, he grabbed the keys and walked me over to cabana #9. We always get cabana #9. Perfect location for us, as it’s close to the Flowrider and the beach. The lower number cabanas are closest to the pool’s swim up bar and the DJ.

 

Ricardo introduced us to the young lady who would be waiting on us today. Her name was Winsome. Yep, just like the saying, you win-some, and you lose some. Lol. I ordered a bucket of Landsharks, and she took my Sail & Sign card. No, you do not pay with your Sail & Sign here, but they hold onto it until you pay your bill, to make sure you don’t skip out on them. No Sail & Sign card, no getting back on the ship. You can pay with cash or credit card.

Once my beer came, and it came quickly, I grabbed one and went to hang out in the pool until Patti and Ryan came.

 

They had their breakfast, and now are leaving the ship……

 

 

The Carnival Pride docked in Grand Turk…..

 

 

 

Looking down the beach towards the Crew Bar and the Casino (which isn’t open)…..

 

 

Looking the other way, at the excursion pier, the whale, and beyond that, the conch graveyard…..

 

 

To be continued……

[Jamman54]

Patti & Ryan are back in Margaritaville…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

The pool at Margaritaville…..

 

 

 

 

A HUGE flip flop…..

 

 

Surf boards. If you look at the one on the left, “margarita” is spelled wrong. Wonder how many drinks the painter had that day!!

 

 

The Trading Post…..

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

Margaritaville Pool rules…..

 

 

Plenty of loungers around the whole pool…..

 

 

The Pride towers over the complex…..

 

 

There are other cozy places to sit and relax…..

 

 

 

The cabanas line the outer perimeter of the pool……

 

 

To be continued…..

[cruizinisthebest]

Jamman we missed out on getting a cabana for our first trip to GT in August! By the time I thought about it, they were all gone. I keep looking out in case someone cancels. Slim chance I know.

[Jamman54]

Jamman we missed out on getting a cabana for our first trip to GT in August! By the time I thought about it, they were all gone. I keep looking out in case someone cancels. Slim chance I know.

 

Believe it or not, we don't have one for our upcoming Splendor cruise at the end of June. They were already sold out when we booked. Like you, I'm checking every day!!

[ashmac8]

Ok so you talked me into the cabana! We are on the same itinerary and I already booked one for HMC and now I picked up one for Grand Turk. Thanks for the tip. Enjoying the review.

 

Question, how do you pick which cabana in grand Turk?

Edited April 25, 2015 by ashmac8

[Jamman54]

The Carnival Pride and the Flowrider. My boys would do the Flowrider every time we came here. Today, it is not operating due to mechanical issues…..

 

 

Patti & Ryan have arrived at our cabana…..

 

 

We have a family of dogs living underneath our cabana. Here’s Patti with Momma Dog, who is collared and very friendly……

 

 

Here’s Ryan with Momma Dog……

 

 

Momma Dog. We will meet the rest of the family later…..

 

 

Here is a view of the interior of our cabana…..

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

Here is the view from the inside of the cabana……

 

 

The view of the pool from our porch…..

 

 

Patti finds me enjoying my beer at the pool…..

 

 

Here’s another view of the Flowrider and the Carnival Pride…..

 

 

A couple of pool views…..

 

 

The swim up bar is to the right…..

 

 

To be continued…..

[russianmom]

Excellent review! Between this and Mitsugirly I'm thinking of giving the Pride a try! :D

[Jamman54]

Ryan and Dad enjoy a beer on the porch…..

 

 

 

Ryan was craving a frozen drink, so we called Winsome to get him a strawberry daiquiri with an extra shot…..

 

 

At this point Patti grabbed the camera and went for a walk down by the beach. Here are the beach rules….

 

 

The Carnival Pride docked in Grand Turk…..

 

 

A view looking down the beach…..

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

Looking through the palm trees at the Pride…..

 

 

The Beach Rental Hut…..

 

 

Margaritaville…..

 

 

Pass out in my Hammock. Not a bad idea…..

 

 

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

The Grand Turk weather station…..

 

 

Nice flowers…..

 

 

What’s behind the fence? Where some of the locals live…..

 

 

I grabbed the Fuji Finepix water camera, and went for a swim in the ocean. The Carnival Pride…..

 

 

Looking down the beach to my left……

 

 

Looking down the beach to my right…..

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

Only the forward door is open. This could be a problem later…..

 

 

Looking down the beach…..

 

 

 

Inflatable fun…..

 

 

I took a blind shot under the water. There were a few fish swimming around…..

 

 

A funnel shot…..

 

 

To be continued tomorrow…..

[Jamman54]

Ok so you talked me into the cabana! We are on the same itinerary and I already booked one for HMC and now I picked up one for Grand Turk. Thanks for the tip. Enjoying the review.

 

Question, how do you pick which cabana in grand Turk?

 

Thanks for reading!! When you get to Margaritaville and check in, you can pick the cabana you want. There are 10 cabanas, with #1 being closest to the swim up bar and DJ, and #10 being closest to the beach.

[Jamman54]

Excellent review! Between this and Mitsugirly I'm thinking of giving the Pride a try! :D

 

Thanks for following along! I say

GO for it!! :D

[Ms. Fun Bunch]

Really excited reading your review!!! I will be on the Pride May 24 - June 7, I am doing a B2B.

[SunnyDayz4me]

Thanks for reading!! When you get to Margaritaville and check in, you can pick the cabana you want. There are 10 cabanas, with #1 being closest to the swim up bar and DJ, and #10 being closest to the beach.

 

 

You convinced me enough to go check our cruise for May 8th. Couldn't believe there were still 4 left....so I grabbed one :D We always get a cabana at HMC which is heaven.....so looking forward to this one ! Thank you for another wonderful review :)

[ashmac8]

Thanks for reading!! When you get to Margaritaville and check in, you can pick the cabana you want. There are 10 cabanas, with #1 being closest to the swim up bar and DJ, and #10 being closest to the beach.

 

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer. Appreciate the tip.

[Jamman54]

Really excited reading your review!!! I will be on the Pride May 24 - June 7, I am doing a B2B.

 

Thanks for reading! I think you will like her even better since the last time you sailed on her!

 

You convinced me enough to go check our cruise for May 8th. Couldn't believe there were still 4 left....so I grabbed one :D We always get a cabana at HMC which is heaven.....so looking forward to this one ! Thank you for another wonderful review :)

 

Good for you!! I think you will enjoy it. Just want to mention, that unlike HMC, you do not get any free beverages and snacks, and Margaritaville can be pricey. Just a heads up so you can budget that in, or you can bring your own soda and snacks off the ship.