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

[ProfCruise]

CAMP CARNIVAL CONTINUED

 

Here are the camp schedules for the 2-5 age group. I have the other age groups and can provide those upon request.

 

 

 

 

 

 

All-in-all, camp was a success and I was very grateful for a safe, fun spot to unload mom.

[JennN]

I love you and am so glad you are back!

 

We pass the Pride all the time but haven't sailed on her. Looking forward to reading your perspective because, let's face it, I really am a 2 year old at heart!

[BigAlexC]

Deli

They make a mean grilled cheese (I threw some fries on there whenever I missed home -- let's see if anyone can guess where I'm from) and mommy really enjoyed this tomato, mozzarella, arugula sandwich:

The best thing about the deli? It was never crowded. Wait was rarely more than a minute or two and everything was made fresh, to order.

 

Guy's Burgers' Secret Menu

I ordered a veggie burger at Guy's (takes about 10 minutes to cook) which didn't appear on the posted menu (score!). But I pushed it too far when I asked for it "animal style." The server seemed very confused, "An animal style veggie burger?" So I just had him throw some cheese on it and I headed over to the deli and ordered a reuben with no corned beef or sauerkraut. I slapped the two together and had an animal style veggie burger. Then I headed over to the soft serve machines and mixed some chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla together in a glass with some milk and BAM, neapolitan shake. Best of my two favorite burger joints combined! Try it -- you'll thank me.

 

Dad liked Guy's a lot. He ordered several different on-menu items (boring) and took advantage of the extensive toppings bar.

 

 

Here's the "animal style" veggie burger

 

 

 

 

Man... Guys Burgers on the Liberty last year was the Shiznit! As they say... You never forget your 1st time! By the end of our 8 day cruise I was ordering triple stacks and getting seriously creative with the toppings. Luckily I am a big guy already and could hide the extra poundage I picked up! I will meet you again soon my tasty friend...

[ProfCruise]

I love you and am so glad you are back!

 

We pass the Pride all the time but haven't sailed on her. Looking forward to reading your perspective because, let's face it, I really am a 2 year old at heart!

 

If you love me so much, you should take me on the Victory with you in August. :D Or at least come back with a review! Love you too, Jenn!!!

[ProfCruise]

Man... Guys Burgers on the Liberty last year was the Shiznit! As they say... You never forget your 1st time! By the end of our 8 day cruise I was ordering triple stacks and getting seriously creative with the toppings. Luckily I am a big guy already and could hide the extra poundage I picked up! I will meet you again soon my tasty friend...

 

Triple stack? You're giving daddy ideas! I hope you'll be reunited with "Guy" again real soon. :D

[JennN]

If you love me so much, you should take me on the Victory with you in August. :D Or at least come back with a review! Love you too, Jenn!!!

 

I will. My wife and I will even do the Seuss Breakfast in your honor (and maybe eat things other than orange sherbet for your mom and dad...but I still get to eat the cheese plate every night!).

 

I usually do reviews but all my links to the pictures broke so I took them out of my signature.

[ProfCruise]

ADULT ENTERTAINMENT

If the vibrating bed wasn’t enough for you, the next several sections will cover adult entertainment – meaning (calm down moderators) activities that took place after 8:30pm when mom was asleep.

Here’s the full entertainment schedule:

 

 

PUNCHLINER COMEDY CLUB

“From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere!” --Dr. Seuss

Remember when I told you mom wanted to try three new things on the Pride (you should, it was like 5 minutes ago)? Well, this was the second one.

 

 

Mom saw Diane Ford’s PG rated (don’t worry, she snuck in a few “adult” jokes that I had to explain to mom later),”News from Fargo,” at 8:30pm in the Butterflies Lounge. There was a good-sized crowd, but plenty of room for everyone and no line or wait to get in. They did make everyone clear out prior to the 9:30pm show.

 

 

Here's Butterflies Lounge:

 

 

One of Diane Ford’s bits was about husbands and certain clothing items they have grown attached to that their wives hate. Mommy yelled out, “Yes, amen, like the pants my husband wore to formal night!” Mom’s tried to donate them to Goodwill, but they were rejected as not saleable. She’s thrown them out, burned them, shredded them, boiled them, frozen them, used them for target practice, tossed them in the sea (right before he showed up in them for formal night). They always come back.

Anyway, mom thought Diane Ford was great and will definitely be making comedy a regular cruise activity.

Daddy saw Scotty K’s PG rated “Forever Young.” He thought it was okay, but said the crowd was a little low energy. It was the last sea day, so that’s understandable -- it takes a lot to make people laugh when their vacation is ending in the morning and they don't feel so "forever young" after 7 days of non-stop eating and drinking.

Coming up: Playlist Productions.

Edited July 16, 2015 by ProfCruise

[ProfCruise]

I will. My wife and I will even do the Seuss Breakfast in your honor (and maybe eat things other than orange sherbet for your mom and dad...but I still get to eat the cheese plate every night!).

 

I usually do reviews but all my links to the pictures broke so I took them out of my signature.

 

Luckily I got to read them all before they broke. Loved them and can't wait for the next one!!! :D

[ProfCruise]

PLAYLIST PRODUCTIONS AND THE TIME OF MOM’S LIFE

 

 

 

 

Because mom decided to break out of her comfort zone and try a few new things on this trip (although she still never stayed out past 9pm, so don’t give her too much credit), she only saw one Playlist Production show: 80’s Pop to the Max.

 

 

The show itself was great, but the warm-up act was almost as entertaining. Two male cast members were dressed up like stagehands and were going around the audience with hand-held video cameras recording members of the crowd and projecting them onto a huge scream with funny captions – most with some sort of 80’s reference. So, for example, they might project 3 “older” gals sitting together and the caption would read, “The Golden Girls.” When mom appeared on screen, her caption read, “The 80’s called and they want their everything back.” Mom felt like a celebrity and I let her believe that statement was a compliment (Let’s just say dad has secretly taken a neon item or two (born during the Reagan administration) of HERS to the Goodwill too!). Anyway, if you can’t laugh at yourself (learn – it makes life a whole lot more fun) or if you plan to show up with a mistress or something (wait, THAT’S not who that dude normally looks miserable with at trivia!), you’ll want to avoid the pre-show.

In terms of the actual show, the cast members were all very talented and showed tremendous enthusiasm, especially considering they’ve probably performed this same show about 47,000 times by now. That especially impressed mom because when she gives the same lecture, even just for the second time, she starts to sound like Ferris Bueller’s econ teacher (see what I did there – 80’s reference). The singing, dancing, and special effects were all good and mom especially enjoyed a solo modern dance number performed by one of the male cast members (it was unexpected and really lovely).

Mom had the time of her life (see what I did…oh, never mind). Next up, live music, featuring the incredible H on piano.

 

[meatloafsfan]

Another fantastic review H! I myself am a fan of food porn (hence my Ode to the old menu's review of the 14 night repositioning cruise).

 

If you have the capers for the 6-8, and 9-11 years olds, I would really appreciate being able to view them. I (crazily) offered to take my brother's kids on a cruise next summer on the Pride - the boys will be 8 and 10 and their sister will be 13 (turning 14 on the cruise). I'm not so concerned about my niece because I'm sure she'll love just hanging out in the tween club but I'd really like to know what kind of club activities there are for my nephews. We're doing the exact same itinerary (looking at the August 21 2016 cruise) so I'm very happy to have your review as a guide. I think I will also bring along their parents (my brother and sister in law) because 3 kids and me just seems like a recipe for disaster.

 

thanks and keep up the wonderful review!

[ProfCruise]

Another fantastic review H! I myself am a fan of food porn (hence my Ode to the old menu's review of the 14 night repositioning cruise).

 

If you have the capers for the 6-8, and 9-11 years olds, I would really appreciate being able to view them. I (crazily) offered to take my brother's kids on a cruise next summer on the Pride - the boys will be 8 and 10 and their sister will be 13 (turning 14 on the cruise). I'm not so concerned about my niece because I'm sure she'll love just hanging out in the tween club but I'd really like to know what kind of club activities there are for my nephews. We're doing the exact same itinerary (looking at the August 21 2016 cruise) so I'm very happy to have your review as a guide. I think I will also bring along their parents (my brother and sister in law) because 3 kids and me just seems like a recipe for disaster.

 

thanks and keep up the wonderful review!

 

Hi Trish! Here are the schedules for the 6-8 group (I'll post the 9-11 in a separate thread). I think you'd have MUCH more fun with 4 kids and I just happen to be available in August. :D

 

 

 

 

[ProfCruise]

Another fantastic review H! I myself am a fan of food porn (hence my Ode to the old menu's review of the 14 night repositioning cruise).

 

If you have the capers for the 6-8, and 9-11 years olds, I would really appreciate being able to view them. I (crazily) offered to take my brother's kids on a cruise next summer on the Pride - the boys will be 8 and 10 and their sister will be 13 (turning 14 on the cruise). I'm not so concerned about my niece because I'm sure she'll love just hanging out in the tween club but I'd really like to know what kind of club activities there are for my nephews. We're doing the exact same itinerary (looking at the August 21 2016 cruise) so I'm very happy to have your review as a guide. I think I will also bring along their parents (my brother and sister in law) because 3 kids and me just seems like a recipe for disaster.

 

thanks and keep up the wonderful review!

 

Here are the 9-11 schedules. Hope they have a blast!

 

 

 

 

[meatloafsfan]

Hi Trish! Here are the schedules for the 6-8 group (I'll post the 9-11 in a separate thread). I think you'd have MUCH more fun with 4 kids and I just happen to be available in August. :D

 

Thank you so much for these! I am happy to see how many times the activities are blended for the 6-11 year olds. The boys will be happy about that. And it looks like I had better be putting aside money for the Owl Jams ($15 a kid plus gratuity seems reasonable to me for an evening of fun for kids and an evening at the casino or comedy club for the adults).

 

My brother keeps telling me about how they like to do everything as a family but the boys are used to being at school so I think that some of the fun and games and activities are exactly what they'll like. There's also a few times where the boys can hang with dad and grandpa in the club so I think it's a good balance for everyone.

 

 

Be careful what you wish for H - you never know who's going to want to scoop you up and put you in their suitcase! Master potty training and then we'll talk about coming along, k?

[ProfCruise]

LIVE MUSIC AND THE INCREDIBLE H ON PIANO

We loved the live music on board -- particularly solo guitar sounds with Amanda in the Atrium lobby prior to dinner and pub guitar with Mikey. They were both really talented and sang great stuff – although I kept requesting “Wheels on the Bus” and they didn’t seem to know it. It’s a little obscure and sophisticated for the Carnival crowd, I guess.

There were two piano entertainers on board, Chris, who we never caught and this guy. If you missed him on the Pride, he’ll be playing Carnegie Hall in August.

 

 

Up next, Mommy wants a casino offer!

 

 

[ProfCruise]

MOMMY WANTS A CASINO OFFER

The only time you’ll find mom running on a ship (poor balance and overall laziness) is when she needs to get somewhere on the other side of the casino. She closes her eyes, holds her breath, plugs her ears and prays she makes it out of there without a slot machine sucking her in and taking her house (dramatic, much?). Yet she still checks the mail 3 times a day for her casino offer.

Mom’s personal vision of hell: The Winner's Club Casino

So she says to daddy, “I knew I brought you for a reason (excuse me, I BROUGHT YOU BOTH!), mama needs her a casino offer.” Daddy did his best, playing a number of different table games, but he can’t seem to find a way to lose. At the end of the day, daddy cost Carnival two free drinks and whatever amount he’s hiding under the mattress from mommy. Yeah, he’s not getting invited back.

Fail.

Mom sent me in next with instructions to pick the game with the WORST possible odds.

 

Sorry mom, I’m taking Poppi on my casino cruise.

 

 

[roberooski]

Harrison, you spelled Poppi wrong. It's R-O-B-I-N. That's Roberooski's real name.

[ProfCruise]

SEUSS-A-PALOOZA PARADE & STORYTIME

Sorry those last few sections were kind of boring -- let’s move on to something more interesting. The Seuss-a-palooza parade and story time took place on the second sea day beginning at 3:15pm in the Atrium Lobby. Make sure to get there a few minutes early to get the best parade props and to practice yelling, “DR. SEUSS IS ON THE LOOSE” at the top of your lungs so those on the Serenity deck don’t miss out on all the fun.

 

We marched to Taj Mahal (main show lounge) where our Cruise Director, Kevin, read Cat in the Hat, while cast members from the audience played the parts of Cat, Fish, and Thing 1 and Thing 2. I would have preferred Brad Pitt play me, but the kid who landed the part did okay.

 

 

I enjoyed the show, but was eager to get back to my reunion with Thing 1.

 

 

Next up: Daddy's towel animal towel

[ProfCruise]

Harrison, you spelled Poppi wrong. It's R-O-B-I-N. That's Roberooski's real name.

 

Two questions: Do you like cheese and orange sherbet? And, what's your track record in sneaking booze on board? :D

[GrannyFlamingo]

H I LOVE your reviews! You are the cutest, most talented 2.5 year old reviewer ever!

[djyellowsub]

H, I tried to get tickets to your August Carnegie Hall concert, but they were all sold out. Let us know if you decide to expand your tour to other venues!

[Singer4Him]

 

80's Pop to the Max, 88 Keys, Getaway Island, and Heart of Soul were the Playlist Productions we saw last year aboard the Carnival Freedom and they were all EXCELLENT!! We were pretty impressed by them all. This was the best we've seen in all of our cruises and we usually try to catch all of the shows in the main theater.

 

BTW, I'm loving this review and I'm already dreading it ending. Make sure that mom and dad take you on another "big boat" SOON so that you can come back and tell us all about your adventures!

[ProfCruise]

H I LOVE your reviews! You are the cutest, most talented 2.5 year old reviewer ever!

 

And I love grannies -- they fill me with sugar and let me skip naps! Thanks for reading! :D

[ProfCruise]

H, I tried to get tickets to your August Carnegie Hall concert, but they were all sold out. Let us know if you decide to expand your tour to other venues!

 

If you like a more intimate venue, I perform every Monday and Wednesday as part of "circle time" at daycare. :cool:

[ProfCruise]

80's Pop to the Max, 88 Keys, Getaway Island, and Heart of Soul were the Playlist Productions we saw last year aboard the Carnival Freedom and they were all EXCELLENT!! We were pretty impressed by them all. This was the best we've seen in all of our cruises and we usually try to catch all of the shows in the main theater.

 

BTW, I'm loving this review and I'm already dreading it ending. Make sure that mom and dad take you on another "big boat" SOON so that you can come back and tell us all about your adventures!

 

I see you have two trips coming up. Take me with you and I'll write you killer reviews. :D

[Chelly]

Dear H,

 

I know how you dream to cruise solo.

 

I will be cruising solo on Carnival Freedom Aug. 29 in a balcony cabin on your favorite Deck 7.

 

I love to cruise solo because I'm not a fan of "sharing". However, for you I would be delighted and honored to make an exception I'm a granny-type and like you know all the ins-and-outs of cruising. So, pack your bags and join me. This could be a real almost-solo cruise. Think of the fun. I will be your Thing 2. No naps unless you want one. Sugar! Cheese and Orange Sherbet. Foot races down the halls and up the stairs. Hide and Seek in the Atrium. YES!