PHOTO REVIEW: H goes Solo Cruising on the Carnival Pride ( TONS of food porn )

[gtaylor]

Room Service

 

<snip)

 

I didn’t care for any of the new “pay” items on the menu (except for the cheese pizza, but, hello, you can get that at like 20 other places for free) and mom and dad couldn’t imagine paying for anything they offered, except for maybe the sushi (which is something they intended to pay extra to try at Bonsai Sushi anyway). It will be interesting to see what happens with the menu going forward. Has anyone out there tried any of the pay items?

 

Where are the 20 other places that you can find the cheese pizza?

 

gary

[godspoetry]

That's understandable, I was just curious if I had missed more things getting cut. I compared the menus at one point, but only saw a few things missing, but I'm not vegetarian so I didn't care too much about the veggie sandwich. What was on it, if you don't mind me asking? Now I'm intrigued. I bet if you call room service and ask for a veggie sandwich they could make it, it just must not have gotten ordered much =/

 

http://www.carnival.com/~/media/Images/explore/dining/menus/room-service-menu.ashx

 

"Mozzarella & Portobello Mushrooms on Focaccia"

 

I haven't even tried it so maybe the OP could elaborate more. I'm going on my first cruise in 15 yrs in a month, my last cruise was on Disney with my parents. Focaccia bread sure is delicious in general though!

 

They actually cut out a lot of options for pretty much all categories. There's eight cold sandwiches and four hot ones in the old free menu and five and two on the new one.

[LMaxwell]

Batman, LOL. Very enjoyable start. Will take me time to catch up. :D

[jigger]

Cool Review !!

[ptcounselor]

I love the review! I just sailed in June and ordered a Mozzarella & Portobello Mushroom on Focaccia every night around 2 am! It was my favorite!!! I hope they decide to return it to the room service menu!

[ProfCruise]

Where are the 20 other places that you can find the cheese pizza?

 

gary

 

Well, maybe closer to 2, not that I have a flare for the dramatic or anything. It's available 24 hours a day at Pizza Pirate and in the MDR (on the kid's menu, but anyone can order it). I can't speak to the quality of the room service pizza compared to the other 2 options. Anyone tried it?

[ProfCruise]

Thanks for the scoop! I definitely enjoy the freshly made bean type of veggie burger more than the processed soy kind so that's just an extra perk on top of being able to enjoy that huge topping bar and still get some protein in.

 

That room service menu looks way worse, ew! I haven't even tried that mushroom sandwich and I already miss it. Room service seemed better from Carnival and that's one of the main reasons I thought about booking them as opposed to another line. They took away half of the food options and then added things that cost money that look good, but they cost money! Not gonna pay for good food when I can get slightly less good food for free. Maybe I'll get lucky and they won't have rolled out the new room service menu yet on the sunshine. :confused:

 

Do you have any idea if the new menu's sandwiches still come with "Potato Salad, Coleslaw, Potato Chips or Pretzels" or are they just served by themselves.

 

This is quickly becoming my favorite thread on the forums. Seriously. All those great food pics make me so hungry. I cannot wait to get on my ship!

 

Yes, they do still serve the sandwiches with your choice of potato salad, coleslaw, potato chips, and pretzels. Mom improvised one day and ordered a reuben with no meat (so it was just sauce, coleslaw, and swiss). It was actually pretty good. No where near as good as the mushroom sandwich though.

[ProfCruise]

I love the review! I just sailed in June and ordered a Mozzarella & Portobello Mushroom on Focaccia every night around 2 am! It was my favorite!!! I hope they decide to return it to the room service menu!

 

Glad to hear others enjoyed this sandwich too! Let's start a movement to keep the mushroom sandwich on the room service menu! Everyone together now, "HEY, HEY, WHADYA SAY, THE MUSHROOM SANDWICH HAS TO STAY!!!!"

 

I looked to see if I have an old photo of it and don't (I know, I was shocked too). Anyone else have one?

[ProfCruise]

Bestest review ever H. Big high five to you. But I'm so sad that I've reached the end. Please tell your mom that you will be skipping your naps, early bed times, baths, picking up toys, and any other time wasting activities so you can have more time to devote to your review. And please tell your mommy and daddy to get second and third jobs so that they can take you are on more cruises! I hope that you are getting all the orange sherbet and cheese you can eat as payment for your wonderful review!

 

I like the way you think Selva. Kindred spirits you and I! :D

[ProfCruise]

PIAZZA CAFÉ: FOR THE COFFEE SNOBS AMONG US (LIKE DAD)

Known to mommy as the place with the giant desserts.

There are two options for specialty coffees on the Pride, a small location at the back of the lido dining area (between Pizza Pirate and the salad bar) and forward on deck 2 right next to the sports bar. The location on deck 2 also serves an assortment of desserts for a small charge ($3.95 for milkshakes and $2.25 for cakes/pastries).

Here’s the menu (this doesn’t include the desserts from the display case, but don’t fret, mommy took at least 5,000 photos of those):

 

Mommy had her eyes on the carrot cake (which she’d heard people rave about) and to passersby it looked like she was checking the darn thing for ticks. She was looking for…dun dun dun…raisins. Daddy was like, “Why don’t we try it and you can pick the raisins out, hold them up with a horrified expression like aliens have invaded earth, and then shout DADDY TAKE THEM NOW. Oh wait, that’s my other 2 year-old.”

So, daddy and his 37 year-old toddler shared the carrot cake and, bad news for those of you who like rotten grapes, there was only one to be found in the entire piece (and believe me, mom WILL find them all). Mommy threw it at daddy, knocking him to the ground, and, while he was down, ran up to the chapel to marry that cake. Maybe that’s why daddy tried to poison her (the plot thickens…stay tuned).

Then mom checked the limit on her Carnival credit card to see how many more she could order. Feast your eyes on this (with sounds of heaven playing in the background)…

 

Mom and dad also tried two of the spiked coffees, the chocolate lovers coffee, and the Caribbean coffee. Both good. One of the spiked coffees is on special each day for $4.95.

Daddy also ordered a latte once or twice each day, which he enjoyed. They have a frequent coffee card, but dad ended up a few short of a free drink. He also tried an apple pastry, which he didn’t think was very good.

 

 

Up next, David's Steakhouse.

[twiceblessed622]

Can I ask if you took any excursion on the islands?

[rnoli32]

OMG your son is adorable! Thank you for sharing your trip!:):)

[ProfCruise]

DAVID’S STEAKHOUSE

You should know that this section is being reported 3rd person, from daddy to mommy to me, so some of the details might be a little sketchy and the photos a little blurry.

The nice thing about being a meat lover with a vegetarian wife and kid is that you can ditch them for a peaceful dinner for one at the steakhouse and they won’t even be mad (until they see the photo of the cheesecake they missed!).

Photos of everything to follow, but here’s dad’s summary of the experience. Service: okay, but odd. There were teams of two servers. His team delivered his courses out of order -- he got his steak before he got some of his starters and sides. He found that strange. Food: good, but not great. Again, keep in mind that dad has high standards, but he felt he could have gotten an equally good meal (if not better) at Outback. His qualification was, “but that’s all Outback does…they don’t have to, like, sail a giant ship and entertain people and crap.” Highlights were the lobster bisque, the creamed spinach, and the cheesecake. He was pleased that he was able to order multiple starters and sides, so he got to try quite a few different things.

In the end, he was glad he tried it and felt like it was worth the $35 to do once, but won’t be doing it again. He noted that many of the items also filtered through the MDR at some point (crab cake, creamed spinach, etc) and that he could get a pretty good cut of meat in the regular MDR (where he could dine with his beloved family).

Here’s what he had:

Lobster bisque with vintage cognac

 

 

 

 

New England crab cake

 

 

Baked potato with trimmings

 

 

Creamed spinach with garlic

 

 

Some unknown slab of meat (How the crap should I know? Can anyone identify this – dad’s not home to ask)

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued...

[ProfCruise]

DAVID'S STEAKHOUSE CONTINUED

And for dessert:

Cheesecake with hazelnut biscuit

 

 

Dad also ordered two drinks, a martini and a sidecar:

 

 

 

 

Well that concludes the food portion of the review. So I won’t expect to see most of you again. Too bad, because there are super adorable toddler beach shots coming AND you’ll get to find out if dad went to prison. The next section will focus on the “big boat” and “big boat” activities, including detailed information about embarkation and debarkation at the Port of Baltimore and mom’s vibrating bed (if that doesn’t peak your interest, I give up).

[ProfCruise]

Can I ask if you took any excursion on the islands?

 

Hi twiceblessed. I'll provide detailed information about what we did at each port later, but in the meantime, to answer your question, no -- we did not take any excursions. We did take a cab in Freeport to Lucaya beach, though. Thanks for reading! :D

[erby2283]

Enjoying your review very much! Sailing the Pride on a Journey's cruise in January and your food is making a dieting girl very hungry!

[ProfCruise]

Enjoying your review very much! Sailing the Pride on a Journey's cruise in January and your food is making a dieting girl very hungry!

 

Lucky duck! Cruises on the Pride are much more fun with H. Just sayin. :D

[ProfCruise]

EMBARKATION. OR HOW TO SAVE $60 ON FTTF.

We pulled up to the port parking lot at 10:50am (not that we were eager or anything). The lot was open and there were two lines of about 10 cars each waiting to drop off their luggage.

Here’s what that part of the process looked like:

 

It took us 5 minutes to unload our luggage and proceed to the pay station. Cost was $105 for the week (a lot less than 3 plane tickets, that’s for sure!). We picked a spot close to the building and made our way inside. The three lines (to show our passports and tickets, to clear security, and to get our sail and sign cards) were short and moved fast. By 11:50 the wedding parties, platinums and diamonds, and FTTF were called. Then, it was our turn! I could have stepped on the heals of those FTTF’s and, because I’m miniature and have two years of practice running from my parents, I made it up to the Red Frog Pub first for the free beer (if you believe that, I have a hellava bargain on some diamonds for you).

That 5 minute wait felt like foreeeeeeever at the time, though. I just wanted to be on that “big boat” so bad. I had to be a good example for mommy though, so I couldn’t throw a huge tantrum.

While there are definitely other benefits to purchasing FTTF (that we didn’t get to take advantage of), we got on the ship exactly 30 seconds after those who paid an extra $60.

 

 

Here we are making our way up the gangway!

 

 

Maybe the extra 30 seconds is worth it to you or maybe you’d prefer 6 Mocha Chocolate Getaways, like me. Either way, we’re on the “big boat” and ready to partaaaay. Here I am cutting it up on the dance floor.

 

 

 

And here I am watching the “lifters” load up our “big boat” with supplies. Fire up the engines captain, the orange sherbet and cheese are on board!

 

 

 

 

 

Up next, muster drill -- cracked!

Edited July 15, 2015 by ProfCruise

[ProfCruise]

MUSTER DRILL -- CRACKED!

"Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple." -- Dr. Seuss

Muster drill was the only time all week mom said, “I’m glad we brought you along.” Wait, I brought YOU along, lady. Anyway, we all agree that muster drill is important, but the question remains: How do we make it as painless as possible? Do we go early with the hope that everyone else will follow us and it will be over quickly? Do we hide in a bathroom stall with our feet up on the toilet until 10 minutes after it was scheduled to start and avoid eye contact when we walk in late? Nah, it’s simple – take a toddler (or a mom who’s had too many DOD’s to walk) in a stroller.

 

Instead of getting packed in with the rest of the sardines, we were directed to our own private corner next to the door. I felt like a VIP. Where’s the wine?!?! We had a great view of the “safety show” and, more importantly, were the first ones out of there when it ended. I ran right up to the Red Frog Pub for another free beer (if you believe that, I have a blowout deal on a watch for you).

Next up: Room with a view...and a vibrating bed.

[Chelly]

Hello H.

I must tell you once again what a pleasure it is to read your amazing reviews and view your photos. One of these days we will meet up on your "big boat" and share us some orange sherbet and a cheese plate.

Your fan,

Chelly

[ProfCruise]

ROOM WITH A VIEW…AND A VIBRATING BED

We had room 4219 -- an aft standard balcony (which I totally hogged this time, see below). We loved being closer to the water and the quick trip to and from the MDR and Lido FOOD areas. There was an open public deck right below us, but there was hardly ever anyone out there and it didn’t bother us at all (except that I couldn’t throw Cheerios at anyone).

Re: aft vibration. On the first night, mom thought dad put a quarter in the bed to get her in the mood -- was like an anniversary trip to the Poconos, minus the heart shaped tub. It would have worked too if I hadn’t been snoring like a wild boar 3 inches from mom’s head after an hour of fighting sleep. Alas, mom just looked at me and then at daddy and said, “No sir, that’s how we got into this mess in the first place.” Then she paged Felipe to separate the bed and got online to see where she could order one of those moving beds when she got home. She loved it and would stay aft again on the Pride specifically FOR the vibration (seriously though, we only felt it a few times and it wasn’t bad at all).

Here’s our room and bathroom. My stroller kept photo bombing, but it saved us at Muster, so all is forgiven.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Felipe was our room steward, BTW. We rarely saw him, but when we did, he was cheerful and happy to see us, kept our room clean, and made cute towel animals. Plus, he lives on a cruise ship most days of the year. Mom’s ideal man. Maybe there’s hope for that every other weekend arraignment after all. Daddy better keep mom in cruises, or else! Our only real complaint (and it was really minor) was that our wet beach towels were taken after the first port day and never replaced.

Here’s the 12 pack of water mom purchased in the Fun Shops a month or so before we set sail.

As I’ve mentioned, mom loves a bargain. One day on CC, there was a thread re: a pricing mistake on the Fun Shops site. The 12 pack of water that normally sells for, like, 13 bucks, was listed at $2.99. Mom JUMPED on that like an H on the bed and had her lawsuit written up should H fall and bump his head, I mean, should they try to cancel her order once they realized the error. Well, turns out Carnival lowered the price intentionally on the heal of their new bottle policy (no more bringing bottles of water or soda on board). Of course then mom was mad that she spent $2.99 on water she could have gotten for free from the tap. No pleasing that woman.

Up next? Haven't decided yet, but it will be AWESOME, I assure you.

[cantthinkofanythingfun]

I was midship balcony on deck 8 and also received the complimentary vibrating bed. It didn't bother me at all. This trip seemed to have a lot more vibration than other cruises I took on the Pride before the upgrades. It's not like things are vibrating off the shelves. It's almost like a frequency issue. One day at the buffet, everything on our table was shaking, but all of the tables around us were fine. It's strange, but doesn't bother me.

[ProfCruise]

GYM

 

Okay, I lied, this section is going to suck – but it’s best we get it over with. Mom hit the gym for an hour in the afternoon on 2 sea days. And in that time, she managed to work off this:

She thought the gym was great for those looking to save time by combining their cardio and steam – it was HOT and HUMID in there (who thought it was a good idea to put a hot tub right smack in the middle of the exercise machines?). Following mom’s workout (and steam) the Captain sent everyone to his or her muster stations thinking the ship was taking on water. False alarm -- mom would like to apologize for any inconvenience her sweat flood may have caused you. You were probably about to hit it big on the slots just then (if you believe that, I have an incredible deal on a photo package for you).

Also, mom spent 5 years in grad school to become a “doctor” (she can’t save your life, but you might find her name in a journal 3 people have read). Anyway, on her first trip to the gym, she locked all her valuables (i.e. flip flops) in a locker and couldn’t figure out how to work the keypad to get them back out. She had to drag her sweaty, red-faced self up to the spa desk to ask for assistance.

“Ma’am, we’re not equipped to handle that here. Oh, you just need help with the locker? Let me just confirm -- no one has to touch you? Sure thing (and thank you, lord).”

Doctor.

The showers though, they were made for mom. The water pressure from the rain-style shower head and jets could have powered the ship. This is what they were up against:

Gym earned a “thumbs down” from mom (for being a place you go to exercise on vacation and for being too hot), but the showers got a thumbs up (from mom and everyone who had to share the “big boat” with her gross self).

Here are a few photos of they gym, shower, and locker areas.

 

 

 

 

 

[ProfCruise]

CAMP CARNIVAL

"Adults are just obsolete children and the hell with them." — Dr. Seuss

Mommy spent part of each day at “boat school,” although not the 24/7 she promised (you can’t trust anything a 37 year-old says). I made her walk from our room at the back of the boat all the way to the front (Camp Carnival is located on deck 5 at the very front of the ship) so she’d be too tired to put up a fuss when I dropped her off. I wasn’t allowed to go in, but there was a monitor where I could watch what was going on (how does your own medicine taste, MOM?). When I picked her up each day she said, “I didn’t cry.” Not sure that was exactly a ringing endorsement, but hey, I’ll take it.

Here’s what the younger kid’s area looked like:

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s the monitor outside camp:

 

 

I received a cell phone so they could contact me in the event of a problem. They called once – seems mom had pooped and they’d used all the diapers I provided (they DO change diapers at Camp Carnival which is a VERY nice feature hard to find on other lines).

Mom never ate any meals while at camp, but they do provide an optional (free) lunch on port days and a dinner each night. They take the kids up to the Lido deck and have a section of booths at the back reserved for them. We sat next to the lunch one afternoon and it seemed to go very smoothly. The counselors pass out the food (you can look at a menu in advance for each meal and can specify on a form any items your child/mom cannot eat), one item at a time. Everything seemed orderly and the kid’s looked like they were having a great time.

 

 

To be continued...

[MysticMiss]

GYM

 

Mom hit the gym for an hour in the afternoon on 2 sea days. And in that time, she managed to work off this:

 

OK, this made me LOL and snort :) Loving your review!