Carnival Pride Review - 5/3 to 5/10

[KatWag]

Collcoll - see below in red:

 

Thank you so much for the great review. I'm so excited about our upcoming July 24th cruise on the Pride. You're going to love it. Wish I could go again.

 

I too would like to know if it is very rough sailing out of Baltimore? We didn't find it rough and our weather was bad. I would think anyone with sunny weather would have zero issues.

 

Aslo, if you don't mind another question or two, which nights were formal nights? Formal nights were Monday and Friday. Monday was Captain Cocktail Party.

 

What was, in your opinion, a "must do" onboard activity and why? This is a tough one. I don't think I can pick one. I'll have to give you a few of my favorites:

• I loved the specialty drink setups they had in the lobby bar area. It was great having a drink before dinner (Sangria / Martini / Margarita) and listening to the musicians, chatting to other passengers, people-watching.
  
• David's. If you enjoy the high-end steak places, definitely treat yourself to this.
  
• Shipboard life Q&A was really interesting. All questions from passengers who attended.
  
• I liked the towel animal session - I love the towel animals and it was really neat that they had towels for us to try with and staff walking around helping us to make sure we got it.
  
• If you are at all into scrapbooking, they have several sessions.
  

Thanks

[megr1125]

Great review..........we're looking forward to our Pride cruise in November...thanks for taking the time to do that..........nice and balanced too!

 

 

 

(and not to be picky or anything, but y'all do realize you do NOT have to hit the QUOTE button to reply to a post -thus quoting the entire review again?? There is a Reply button....up at the stop or down at the end of the page???? just trying to be helpful.............no flames please, but no need to quote the original post every time!:D)

[megr1125]

Hey Kathy........next cruise, go to the towel animal demo after a cocktail! it is MUCH more fun!!:eek::p

[KatWag]

megre1125 - that's a really good idea. They had it kind of early in the day, though... maybe after a few mimosas or bloody mary's? :)

 

Actually, I'm such a klutz I had trouble getting my towel animals right sober.....

[Windy56]

Windy56 - I am familiar with what you are looking for. My folks are great dancers and we have sailed Princess a lot. We were in most of the lounges on Pride and I did not see one like you are looking for. Might be I was just in the wrong time but the only ballroom type dancing I saw was at the past passenger party and that wasn't a lot. I pulled out my Capers to look for you. In the Musical Entertainment section I see mostly piano, jazz, guitar. But I found a "Meet the Band" live music in Florentines from 7:30 to 9 the first night, something listed as "Variety Dancing Music" in Butterflies the same night from 8:30 to 9:15. Unfortunately they are not at all descriptive as to the actual dancing which takes place and DH and I had late dinner so were not in the lounges at those time periods. I looked at the other nights as well. A few list similar music options. But again, none specify the actual type of music other than to say dancing and that could cover pretty much anything. Sorry I couldn't help more!

 

Thanks anyway, Kathy. We'll do some more dancing digging! ;)

[Bozo]

Great review! :) We're sailing on the Pride in 5 days(!!!!!) and can't wait. Your review just makes us more eager. :)

 

Hey Buddy

Let me know how your cruise was we are going on the 5/30/09 cruise any information will be helpful.

[andychris]

Thanks for your review. We are going in august. I guess we shouldn't plan on getting to the pier before 12:30-1pm

Thanks again!!

[BUNKY61]

Hi Kathy,

 

What a great review, thanks for taking the time to post. My DH and I will be on the Pride in October and were thinking about Kennedy Space Center. When you have some time, can you post some additional details about the excursion? How early do you leave the ship, how long is the excursion, was it just a bus tour or were there other things to see/do?

 

Thanks again!

Carol

[bcs819]

Hi Kathy, Thanks for the review. A few ??? Did you find the pier easy to find? I hear it's right off 95. Did you think the water tasted funny? We have a aft corner but on deck 7, did you find it cramped? It looks big in the picture but the sq ft is smaller than RC JR suite. I don't like the sun either but this was the only one available for 3. Did you hear any noise from the deck below? Was there lemonade available all day? Did you find it very slippery as another reviewer stated? How did you find the decor? Some have said they like it better as the colors are more subdued but all the nudes were inappropriate for kids. Did you see many shorts or jeans in the diningroom? I would never wear shorts to a nice restaurant at home and would not on a cruise. Were most women in capris. Did you find going south or your returning sea day going north rougher? Sorry so many ???? I'm sure I will have more!;)

 

 

Not the OP, but just wanted to say that Lemonade is available all day on all Carnival ships, and is quite good. I have also been on the Pride, and did not find the decor to be offensive. How small are your children? Have they ever been to a museum?

[ryanpatricksmom]

Nice review!

 

We were your neighbors on the other corner (4237). I agree our cabin stewards were awesome!

 

I made the same mistake with the debarkation. DH wanted to do self-assist and I discouraged him because of the long lines that are usually associated with it. I had no idea that they would come into the Starry Nights lounge and take us out before the rest of the self-assist passengers. We are sailing again in August. I may just have to show up there at 9:30 with my luggage even though we're not in a suite that time, LOL!

 

We ended up being so bummed that we didn't do the Space Center tour. Originally we had planned to, but then I had read that there were things to do at the port. Obviously, we docked somewhere other than I had planned on, and that was not the case. We would have loved to see the shuttles. Glad you had the opportunity!

[JaniceB]

Was there a charge for the wine tasting?

I guess the speciality drink tasting was free and then you buy which one you like.

 

I enjoyed reading your review, thank you.

 

Janice

[rebeljohn]

Very nice review.......Thanks for taking the time to post it..............

[Windy56]

Very nice review.......Thanks for taking the time to post it..............

 

Mmmmmm...mmmmmmm...that's one fine lookin' mojito, rebeljohn!

[KatWag]

Bunky61 - so glad you enjoyed the review. I really appreciate being able to give back. I've learned so much from people here. It's nice to be able to return the favor.

 

Kennedy Space Center - two options. One was "up close and personal", I think that was the wording. That went further into the park. Both were seven hours total. We met on the pier about 8:30AM. There was a very short walk to the bus. Then, maybe about 20 minutes to the space center. We first went into the main visitor area and our "up close" tour bus was scheduled to leave at 10. So we had about an hour and our guide took us to the rocket area and into one of the buildings. Then, at ten we boarded our bus to go further into the park. They took us to the viewing area where folks view the shuttle, to the area where they prep the shuttle / have offices etc. Then we went out toward the launch area. Since two shuttles were on the launch area we could not go as close as usual so we went to an observation area which was several stories high. Then, back to the Rocket building. Spent about 20 minutes there as recommended by the guide. Then took a bus back to the main visitor center and started touring there. Imax is amazing. Try to do both if you can. But definitely do one. We did the space station one and it was really interesting.

 

Then, at 4PM we boarded the bus to go back to the ship. About 25 to 30 minutes back in traffic. Pretty good line to get back on board. Lots of folks finishing excursions at the same time, I guess.

 

We really enjoyed it. It made me remember when I was younger and we (Americans) were so enraptured by space travel. We've kind of gotten jaded, I guess. I usually hardly even pay attention anymore. But I sure paid attention this week. :)

[KatWag]

Ryanpatricksmom - I'm so sorry we didn't get to meet you on board. (Although likely we did say Hello to one another in the hallways and just never knew we were both Cruise Critic folks. :)

 

Sorry you missed the Space Center. I honestly did it mostly because DH wanted to. But I ended up really enjoying it.

 

And I did not see them checking anyone's room numbers or VIP status in the lounge. All kidding aside... I bet you could go in there.

[KatWag]

Jancie B - I think the wine tasting was $15 pp. (MIght have been $10 pp, but for some reason the $15 sticks in my head). It was very nicely done. Five wines, I think (full glasses - I couldn't even drink it all. Two whites; two reds and a champagne). And they gave us each a plate that contained a piece of beef, a piece of salmon, a lemon wedge, a lime wedge, salt, and cheeses. Then we were instructed to try certain food combinations with specific wines. It was really interesting.

 

The specialty drinks were not really a tasting kind of thing. The only tasting was trying the fruit in front of the Sangria versions. They were a purchase. But not very badly priced, I didn't think. DH and I live a pretty frugal life, normally, I'll be honest. But we do enjoy treating ourselves on vacation. We thought the prices were quite reasonable. And it was a lot of fun. They had six different types of Sangria (both red and white). Reds were made with Merlot. THey had whites made with Chardonnay but also one made with White Zinfandel which was much sweeter. Used fruits like mange, peach, etc.

 

Martinis were a blast. I never liked "real" martinis but I enjoy today's versions.

 

And they had several types of margaritas. The margaritas could be purchased in the large size and in a smaller size. Like a dummy, I got large ones to start. I got a banana one for DH and a lime one for me. Of course, then I could only try one more which was frustrating. I should have gotten the smaller one the first time. :)

[BUNKY61]

Thanks for the quick response Kathy, this is very helpful.

[jamscckmc]

Hi Kathy, You may have already addressed this but did the ship leave on time? What time was the muster? Inside or outside?(One thing I love about Princess, they do the muster inside, out of the heat, although it's probably better to actually see your station) Do you recall what time the ship went under the Key or the Bay Bridges? Did the captain make any announcements? I would hate to be in the middle of the MDR away from the windows when we go under the Bay Bridge.

[KatWag]

Jamscckmc -

 

We left a little bit late (probably around 6PM). One of the passengers told me he saw a passenger removed from the ship and put into an ambulance so we thought that was the reason for the delay. Muster was supposed to have been delayed. This was weird, actually. Since our room was not ready yet, Todd and I tagged along on the ship tour that one of the entertainment staff offered. She said we would be late with the muster since it was taking longer than expected to get everyone on board (weather was awful). But they called the Muster right at 5PM anyway. Todd and I walked past the gangway on our way to the room to get our life jackets and there was a huge line of people still trying to get on board. They held the muster at 5PM anyway. Maybe they had one for them later in the cruise, but I didn't see any announcements or hear anything about it.

 

Muster was outside. This is one thing I don't like about Carnival's way of doing things. I like the Princess method better, like you. There was no heat our day though... it was FREEZING.

 

Captain did not make any announcements that I heard about the bridges. And the weather was too awful for photos when we left and you could not really be outside (pouring rain and very windy). I don't know what time we got to the bridges. I did get to see the key bridge on the way back, though, at breakfast. It was probably less than an hour between when we went under the bridge and when we docked.

[malittlefoot971]

Thanks for the awesome reviews and thanks for taking the time to answer everyone's questions thoroughly. It sure is nice to see someone "give back" what they recieved here...information!

 

We are considering a baltimore cruise in may of next year. Due to kiddo in school we'll be taking an educational approach to the cruise and were thinking of the kennedy space center for an excursion option. If I may ask, how much was it pp.? Also did you feel it was worth the amount? I'd love to be able to be there with actual space shuttles there for my kiddos to see (and me) in person but I doubt I'll get that lucky! Did you take any pics of the shuttles? If so can you share a pic or 2 with me bnc13@hotmail.com Thanks in advance if you have any. While I was growing up I was always fascinated with the space travel stuff but don't follow it/take it for granted more then I should. The technology thatwe have developed since I was my DD's age is just astounding when I think back on what's been invented!

[KatWag]

Malittlefoot971 -

 

I think it was $129 pp. For two of us it was worth it since it eliminated the hassle of bothering to rent a car. But for a family, I would recommend that you consider renting a car, driving over there and purchasing the tours onsite. For a family, I think it would be worth it. And there were lots of folks on our cruise who rented a car there.

 

We did try to take pics but unfortunately, the only camera I had with me was one of the digital point and shoots and the shuttles were too far away for anything good. The observation tower had those huge binocular type of things which we used to get good views of the shuttles. I do have some rocket pics and some others that I will send you.

 

Funny how we stop being awed by this stuff, isn't it? I remember the first moon walk. Seeing the space center will bring that sense of awe back, I think. It did for me. It was really a great excursion and I'm really glad we did it.

 

Have a wonderful trip. I'll send those pics next.

 

Kathy

[JaniceB]

Thanks for the additional information. I agree with you about the martinis, I never liked "real"martinis, I think it was the gin, I can drink the newer vodka versions.

 

Janice

[pseudochicken]

I saw the Carnival Pride today docked in Baltimore. I knew it is scheduled to be ported there but it had lapsed in my mind and on my way up from DC to back home in NJ I saw it there. GOSH I love cruise ships and I couldn't help but stare at it when I should have been looking at the road. It's a decent looking ship, especially compared to the Fantasy class. But a cruise ship is a cruise ship, and I love looking at them in port. SOOO COOL. It was around 12:30 when I passed it.