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Just Got Off Pride...Any Questions???

swodog94

By swodog94,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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PostPhDCruiser

PostPhDCruiser

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I just posted this on another thread but thought your insight and experience would be super useful too! I hope you don't mind answering these...

-------------------------------------

We are sailing on Aug 27th from Baltimore. It will be our first cruise. I will be getting a PhD in mid August so this cruise is my celebration/brain-shut-down trip. I am super nervous about a couple WEIRD things:

- elegant night: not sure what this means or what to expect.

- are bathrobes provided and are beach/pool towels larger than regular towels?

- not enough seats on the Lido. My plan is to do NOTHING so I would love to just pass out on the Lido or in Serenity.

- late MDR seating causing us to miss the shows and movies. I wish we could see an itinerary so I have an idea of when things happen on board.

- is there any option to sit by ourselves (two of us) in the MDR?

- getting left by the ship at one of the ports! Ok maybe this is just me being super paranoid.

 

can you weigh in on what the actual experience on the ship was? Did it feel crowded? Was there any particularly quiet areas/times? Should we do the steakhouse or is the MDR above average food? What time did you get to the port and what time did they let you on-board (versus the time on your boarding pass). Do you have an itinerary you can share?

THANKS!

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swodog94

swodog94

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I just posted this on another thread but thought your insight and experience would be super useful too! I hope you don't mind answering these...

-------------------------------------

We are sailing on Aug 27th from Baltimore. It will be our first cruise. I will be getting a PhD in mid August so this cruise is my celebration/brain-shut-down trip. I am super nervous about a couple WEIRD things:

- elegant night: not sure what this means or what to expect.

- are bathrobes provided and are beach/pool towels larger than regular towels?

- not enough seats on the Lido. My plan is to do NOTHING so I would love to just pass out on the Lido or in Serenity.

- late MDR seating causing us to miss the shows and movies. I wish we could see an itinerary so I have an idea of when things happen on board.

- is there any option to sit by ourselves (two of us) in the MDR?

- getting left by the ship at one of the ports! Ok maybe this is just me being super paranoid.

 

can you weigh in on what the actual experience on the ship was? Did it feel crowded? Was there any particularly quiet areas/times? Should we do the steakhouse or is the MDR above average food? What time did you get to the port and what time did they let you on-board (versus the time on your boarding pass). Do you have an itinerary you can share?

THANKS!

First of all, congrats on your PhD! And welcome to the world of cruising...prepare to become addicted. Ok, I'll try and answer your questions in order.

- Elegant night is the night(s) when you are encouraged to dress up for dinner. The days of formal nights on the ship when men wore tux's and ladies were in their ball gowns is over...mostly. Some of us still dress up, but many folks do not. Check the Carnival FAQ's for the exact standard, but mostly they don't want folks to wear shorts and tshirts to dinner in the MDR on Elegant Night.

- Robes are not provided unless you're in a suite. I think you can ask your room steward for robes, otherwise. Beach towels are larger than normal bath towels.

- Chair hogs are a HUGE problem on the ship. You will have to get up pretty early to get a seat by the pool on the Lido, or at Serenity. However, the Sun Deck (deck 10) usually has plenty of chairs, so if you're just looking to veg and catch some rays, you'll be able to.

- We had late seating too. There are late comedy shows, so you won't miss those. We did miss out on movies because of the dinner timing.

- You may be sitting by yourselves, you may not. We actually like meeting new folks and have enjoyed our tablemates company in the past (we had an especially great group this time!). But if you really want to try and sit by yourselves, go see the maitre'd on embarkation day and request a separate table.

- You're earning a PhD...I don't think you're the kind of person who will mess up and get left behind. Just sayin'.

- We love cruising on Pride because the ship is just the right size. It never felt crowded and there's plenty to do...or just do nothing. There are some quiet areas on the ship (Sunset Garden all the way forward on deck 3, the lounge area for the Alchemy Bar before they open at 2pm, Library, Chapel, etc). Explore the ship on day one, you'll find them.

- We had a 1230 check-in window. Just to alleviate confusion, that's the time you're allowed to enter the cruise terminal to go through security and conduct the check in process; it is not the time you will be boarding. You might be bale to board immediately, you may have to wait...that depends on a bunch of factors such getting the last round of guests off the ship and preparing for your group to board. We arrived at the port at 1155, dropped off luggage around 1202, and were in line to pay for parking a couple of minutes later. We parked and were sitting outside the terminal by 1215. I was going to sit there and wait for our 1230 time slot, but I saw that folks were already boarding via the gangway, so we got in line to go through security. We had Priority because we were Suite guests and had Faster to the Fun, so we breezed right through and were boarding the ship at 1240. So all in all it took us less than an hour from driving up to being on the ship, and we probably sat and waited for about 10-15 minutes, so we could have been on board sooner.

I hope this answers some of your concerns!

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T2C

T2C

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is it worth it to stay on the ship or get off in Freeport?

Well worth it. Nice area to look around right off the ship with stores, food stands and restaurants.

 

I'd also recommend finding an excursion you'd like to do. Wife and I love Bottom Fishing and we really look forward to our Freeport stop throughout the year

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GlamorousGirl

GlamorousGirl

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We aren't sailing on the Pride until April but I am worried about getting to the port and parking due to my past experience of finding ports extremely intimidating, confusing, and frustrating, I have a standing rule about not driving to or parking at port. We are driving up from Virginia and wondering where in Baltimore we can park and cab-it to the port. I am Diamond at Horseshoe Baltimore but figure parking there for 2 weeks when they don't have a hotel would draw unwanted attention and result in a tow. If anyone has any better ideas please provide.

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swodog94

swodog94

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We aren't sailing on the Pride until April but I am worried about getting to the port and parking due to my past experience of finding ports extremely intimidating, confusing, and frustrating, I have a standing rule about not driving to or parking at port. We are driving up from Virginia and wondering where in Baltimore we can park and cab-it to the port. I am Diamond at Horseshoe Baltimore but figure parking there for 2 weeks when they don't have a hotel would draw unwanted attention and result in a tow. If anyone has any better ideas please provide.

I don't have experience at any other embarkation port. We've always sailed out of Baltimore and we've been dropped off by relatives, taken taxis, and parked at the port. All three are very easy and straightforward. If you're coming from VA you will eventually have to get on I-95. The exit for the Cruise Terminal is exit 55 for Key Hwy. The terminal is right next to 95 so you'll see the ship as you're driving up. Once you get off the exit you will have one stop light and then the entrance gate will be on your right. If you get there early you may not be able to park immediately, but they'll just have you wait in a line of cars inside the gate (they used to let traffic stack up outside the port but the police will wave you off now).

As for parking alternatives, there are hotels that have stay n park packages, where if you stay there the night before you can leave your car parked there for the week. They also have a shuttle that runs you to the port. An option could be to park in long term parking at BWI and take a cab/Uber from there...not sure what that would cost, tho.

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DaisyandMoe010

DaisyandMoe010

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Thank you so much for the thorough response. I am so appreciative of experienced people like you sharing with us newbies. I feel a lot more prepared

 

 

Congrats on your accomplishment!! You will love the Pride!! I have been on her several times and will be on her again 2 more times next year. The first place I ALWAYS stop when I get on board is the main dining room to check on our table assignment. They have always been extremely helpful in making sure we have what we want.

 

Have a great cruise!

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bar1068

bar1068

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I also have FTTF for our Pride cruise & didn't think the time on our boarding pass was to be adhered to. Can you clarify?

 

The way I understand it, Diamond/Platinum/FTTF pax do not have to arrive at a set time. During online checkin, a checkin time does need to be selected, but not adhered to at the port. We're cruising again on Pride next month, and our boarding passes show 12:30 - 1pm....but I believe we can show up sooner for checkin being a Platinum level cruisers...fwiw.

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swodog94

swodog94

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When they say late dining is at 8:15p, does that mean we have to show up at 8:15p or can we arrive anytime between 8:15-10p?

That means that you may arrive to be seated at 8:15. You can come a few minutes after that, but the Carnival policy is that if you are 30 minutes (or more) late to your seating, you must wave off and go eat on the Lido.

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swodog94

swodog94

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Loved your video on the Ocean Suite on YouTube.....that was you right?

 

Sent from my XT1585 using Forums mobile app

Thank you! Yes, I have two Ocean Suite tour videos on YouTube...one for 6203 and one for 6174. We've also stayed in 6172 back in 2013, but I wasn't doing videos and reviews then. Glad you enjoyed it!

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kesrya

kesrya

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Thanks for another great thread of all the questions going thru my head. Here's my current question (I'm a first time cruiser).

 

I saw in your review you say that lounge hoggers are bad on Pride and you could never get a lounger on Serenity deck.

 

I don't understand why people don't just move their towels if someone is gone for an hour or so? Please don't flame me if I'm asking something taboo.

 

My understanding is that reserving seats is not permitted. Most people on cruise critic seem to think it is rude and "a huge problem." So why not just move abandoned towels?

 

I mean, I can see dropping your stuff on a lounger and getting in the pool so you have somewhere to sit when you get out. But I've heard stories of people dropping towels off first thing in the morning and then going to breakfast for an hour or longer. Why is that allowed to happen and if I see that happen, what will happen to me if I take the seat that is obviously abandoned?

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swodog94

swodog94

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Thanks for another great thread of all the questions going thru my head. Here's my current question (I'm a first time cruiser).

 

I saw in your review you say that lounge hoggers are bad on Pride and you could never get a lounger on Serenity deck.

 

I don't understand why people don't just move their towels if someone is gone for an hour or so? Please don't flame me if I'm asking something taboo.

 

My understanding is that reserving seats is not permitted. Most people on cruise critic seem to think it is rude and "a huge problem." So why not just move abandoned towels?

 

I mean, I can see dropping your stuff on a lounger and getting in the pool so you have somewhere to sit when you get out. But I've heard stories of people dropping towels off first thing in the morning and then going to breakfast for an hour or longer. Why is that allowed to happen and if I see that happen, what will happen to me if I take the seat that is obviously abandoned?

That's a great question. The answer is that it is Carnival's official policy that any towels or personal gear left unattended for 40 minutes will be collected and held at the towel station. Crewmembers or staff can legally do this due to the contract you sign when you book your cruise. The truth is that the rule is not observed. Over 4 cruises on Carnival Pride, I have yet to see that rule enforced by crew or staff. However, if you, as a private individual, touch anybody else's belongings and remove them, you are technically committing theft.

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Sgg0413

Sgg0413

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I just posted this on another thread but thought your insight and experience would be super useful too! I hope you don't mind answering these...

-------------------------------------

We are sailing on Aug 27th from Baltimore. It will be our first cruise. I will be getting a PhD in mid August so this cruise is my celebration/brain-shut-down trip. I am super nervous about a couple WEIRD things:

- elegant night: not sure what this means or what to expect.

- are bathrobes provided and are beach/pool towels larger than regular towels?

- not enough seats on the Lido. My plan is to do NOTHING so I would love to just pass out on the Lido or in Serenity.

- late MDR seating causing us to miss the shows and movies. I wish we could see an itinerary so I have an idea of when things happen on board.

- is there any option to sit by ourselves (two of us) in the MDR?

- getting left by the ship at one of the ports! Ok maybe this is just me being super paranoid.

 

can you weigh in on what the actual experience on the ship was? Did it feel crowded? Was there any particularly quiet areas/times? Should we do the steakhouse or is the MDR above average food? What time did you get to the port and what time did they let you on-board (versus the time on your boarding pass). Do you have an itinerary you can share?

THANKS!

 

 

I'm also going in augudt 27th. Can't wait. Congrats on your degree.

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kesrya

kesrya

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I hope you don't mind me asking a few more questions. Your posts have been the most informative I have found on all of cruise critic and you seem to like to do the same sort of things my husband and I do :-) I'm definitely going to try to be the first one in Red Frog for that free beer!

 

Spa tour - maybe you haven't bothered with this. Do you know how hard of a sell it is and how long it lasts when you do the tour on embarkation day? I'm not planning to get any services (I actually own a spa myself) but I do plan to use the exercise facilities and the free areas like the hot tub and sauna - so I figure a tour is actually the best way to learn my way around and it gets me entered into a raffle for free credits right? But if it's going to take an hour and they are going to push me to book a service with all their might, maybe its not worth it?

 

Tipping - I notice on your recent review thread, you said you gave your room attendant $20 on the first day. Did you do this in cash or did you add additional gratuity to your S&S?

 

Water in the OS - I saw your picture of four water bottles. Is this all you got for the week, or did they restock for free? I need to bring water for my toddler's night time bottle, but if there is water provided in the suite, then I'd rather use my "bring water or soda" for bringing some seltzer for my husband and myself.

 

And thanks for mentioning the European plug in the OS! I had specifically put my adapter kit back away in my travel drawer as I was beginning to gather stuff for the cruise, and now I know to pull it back out again!

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PostPhDCruiser

PostPhDCruiser

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I'm also going in augudt 27th. Can't wait. Congrats on your degree.

 

I'm 'meeting' so many people who will be on the same cruise! It just makes me even more excited!!!! Thanks to everyone for sharing your cruising experiences and your compliments on my degree.

 

 

swodog94 -- creepy fact: I am secretly following all your threads and have read all your past reviews :halo: Thank you so very much for the time you take to do this for people like me. I concur with kesrya, your reviews are among the most informative on here.

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