Pride Review 8-21 to 8-29

[kevinandrenay]

Good Sunday Evening to Everyone,

 

I was not going to start a new post because Tuffy did a review of the Pride a little earlier and I thought it was very accurate. I decided to do this as a new posting because I did not want to upset anyone by adding a few of my own opinions and observations. We sailed the Carnival Pride on August 21, 2009 and it was our first cruise on Carnival and our 12th overall.

 

Embarkation and Debarkation: Both where a breeze. It is great not having to fly. The staff at the Maryland Cruise terminal are very friendly and knowledgeable.

 

The Ship: Tuffy was so correct in saying that the lobby area was dark. Almost Victorian like. It did take a little time to get use to it but once you did it was a nice change. There was a lot of nude art and sculptures but it was tastefully done. I enjoyed going through looking at all of the paintings and the amount of detail and craftsmanship it took to decorate the ship.

 

Dining: We did anytime dining and only went 4 times. We thought the food was fair to good. Most of the time the food was warm not hot. I also love Caesar salad and that did not have much flavor. We never went back to the same wait staff. We just took the first available seats they had. We only had to wait 1 night and that was for only 5 mins. The first night we had slow ( 2 1/2 hrs ) but good service. The other 3 nights we had very quick ( 1 to 1 1/2 hrs) and good service. My wife had a soda card and the one thing that was strange was you had to order a soda from the bar server and not the waiter. There were a few times it took some time for her to get her drink and one time they kept forgetting to bring it to her.

 

I would say we ate mostly at the buffet or the grill. At breakfast the made to order omelets were very good and at lunch the burgers and chicken nuggets were very good. The dinners at the buffet had something to be desired. They did not have a big selection and the food was always luke warm. The pizza they have is available 24 hrs and was very good.

 

Please don't get me wrong. The food was OK. it was just not as good as the food we have had on other cruises.

 

Entertainment: We saw a couple of comedians and for the most part they were very good. We did not care for the singers and dancers and left the first show early. I did hear that the production shows did get better. We also thought the band at the pool was not very good. Everywhere else the music and musicians where great.

 

The Staff: They were great. Our cabin steward was great. The bar service in the casino and on the pool deck would know your name and ask if you needed anything. Danny and Matt I thought did a great job ( cruise and asst. cruise director ). Everyone we saw was smiling and always said hi.

 

Cabin: We had an outside obstructed view. Our cabin was just like Tuffy's. Plenty of storage room and room to move around.

 

Ports of call: This itinerary was not our first choice. We did the cruise mainly for some R & R. Grand Turk we rented a golf cart. There is not much to see but it was fun just putting around the island. Then we went to the beach. The water is beautiful, calm and warm. The bottom is a little rocky but not bad for swimming. HMC was super. Carnival has a very nice island with some of the most beautiful water and powder white sand I have seen in the Caribbean. We got a few chairs and found one of the few spots under a tree in the shade. We spent the day relaxing and swimming. In Nassau we took the fairy to the Atlantis and toured the hotel. In Freeport we spent the day on the ship at the pool relaxing.

 

Miscellaneous: The ship was full. I think 2,800 people for this cruise. I had read in other posts about the water having a funny taste. It did but it was mostly noticeable from the bathroom sink. I also read about a vibration and that is true but I only noticed it in the dining room. I have been in dining rooms on the aft part of the ship before and never felt a vibration like that on any other cruise. It was not really scary or bothersome, it was just there. Just a note of caution!!!!!!! The pool deck is very slippery. I almost fell once and heard of a few people falling and one breaking her leg. ( this was also mentioned in many other posts )

 

Overall: We had a great time and accomplished what we set out to do. Get some R & R. I would cruise Carnival out of Baltimore again just to get away. Although it would be nice if they had a different itinerary. I would also cruise Carnival out of a different departure port if it was a great itinerary and the price was right.

 

Again, Read Tuffy's review Review of Carnival Pride, August 21-29. She did a great job. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. I will try to answer them as best I can.

 

Kevin

[flag fan]

Thanks for the review; its useful to get as many opinions as possible.

[ruthiegirl]

curious,is the a casino at atlantis and does it cost to tour around the place?:)

[family cruisers]

Glad you posted your review with your thougths.

Everyone has their own opinion and it's great to read them all.

[Megnolia]

I'm also interested in Atlantis. IT sounds like you went by yourselves - did you have trouble getting in? How much did it cost to walk around, and what else was available to do if you did not pre-purchase an excursion?

[kevinandrenay]

I'm also interested in Atlantis. IT sounds like you went by yourselves - did you have trouble getting in? How much did it cost to walk around, and what else was available to do if you did not pre-purchase an excursion?

 

Hey Guys,

 

We did the Atlantis on our own. We took a water taxi just out the door from the port. It was $ 3.00 per person each way. Where the water taxi drops you off and it is about a 5 - 10 min walk to the entrance. You will arrive on the property in less then 5 mins but you have to walk through an outside shopping area and past the marina before getting to the entrance. We just went to the casino and a couple of the free areas. They have a nice lobby where you can see a small part of the aquarium for free. They have all sorts of fish and 2 very large manta rays. We did not pay for a tour. I think you can get a pass for $ 40.00. Don't hold me to that amount. They do have the cost on their web site. Do a general search for Atlantis Paradise Island. If you go, the water taxi worked out very well. They run every 30 mins. Just a couple of things. It was very hot so take water or a soda. We spent $ 3.50 for a can of soda. The water taxi ride is about 10 mins. but was also hot because they have windows around part of the cabin so you do not get much ventilation. If you want more info look under ports of call, then Bahamas on the CC site. There were lots of things on the Atlantis. What ever you do I hope you have a great trip.

 

Kevin