Curious about Carnival Pride

Our very first cruise was on Carnival Pride in 2012, and to me it was good/okay. In 2016 we tried a 5 day on RCI Grandeur (we sail from Baltimore) and thought it was a awesome, but after sailing again... I'm honestly pretty bored and there have been a lot of little disappointments.

I know that Pride was redone since my last and only carnival cruise, and I've heard great things about it lately. Can anyone weigh in with a comparison?

Special considerations for me are that we have a toddler (almost 3 yrs) and I unfortunately have to eat gluten free.

My husband and I have sailed on the Fantasy, Sensation, Triumph and just 2 weeks ago on the Pride. The Pride is by far our favorite of the 4. The ship is absolutely beautiful, the food was outstanding, the entertainment was very good, and all the carnival staff were very friendly and accommodating. We liked it so much, we are taking the exact same cruise on the Pride next year and can't wait!

Sent from my SM-T230NU using Forums mobile app

My husband and I have sailed on the Fantasy, Sensation, Triumph and just 2 weeks ago on the Pride. The Pride is by far our favorite of the 4. The ship is absolutely beautiful, the food was outstanding, the entertainment was very good, and all the carnival staff were very friendly and accommodating. We liked it so much, we are taking the exact same cruise on the Pride next year and can't wait!

 

Sent from my SM-T230NU using Forums mobile app

That's awesome to hear! When I looked at all of the venues on the ship today, I was shocked at all of the options (and honestly jealous).

OUr group of six had the most awesome cruise on the Pride....the best cruise I have ever had.....because of the crew ! WallyO

Sent from my iPad using Forums

We've cruised the Pride 5 times so far, and number 6 is in September....Definitely a favorite or ours, and huge plus having her in our own "backyard". We just said hello to her while she was in port this past Sunday on our way to an O's game..could see her funnel during the game!!

The decor of the Pride is a little "dark" but that give her, her uniqueness. As you mentioned, she had some great updates added a couple of years ago, which made her appeal even better to us....don't pass up the Alchemy bar.

Somewhat regarding the gluten issue, though not the same, back in 2011 we did a family cruise on the Pride. My niece has several food allergies, particularly a sever allergy to shell fish. The dining staff mad arrangements for meals she could enjoy each night in the MDR. I'm confident they can address your gluten free needs.

Can't compare Pride to Grandeur, however my bro-in-law has been on several of our Pride cruises, and recently cruised on the Grandeur. I don't recall specifics...he enjoyed Grandeur, but stated he preferred the Pride over all...sorry, I don't recall details.

Some state Prides itineraries are not the most exciting, which I'd agree with, but don't care about. I think we'll be doing the Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay, Freeport itinerary for the 3rd time in September, I'm looking forward to it as much as I have before...we just enjoy the Pride...crew..its amenities and cruising down the Chesapeake.

We decided to try the Carnival Pride in 2010, and I wasn't real crazy about the ship. We had been on Celebrity, RCCL, NCL, and Carnival, and the 2010 Pride cruise was just "okay." I was comparing the 2010 cruise with other cruises, and I will say I was a bit disappointed with the Pride. But, big but.....that was in 2010. We gave it another try in 2013, and on April 2, 2017 we completed our 5th cruise on the Pride. We will be on the Pride again in early 2018 for the 6th time, but with a different itinerary (Princess Cay, Nassau and Freeport). We just really like the Pride.

The main thing we like about the Pride is the Baltimore Port because it's only 1 1/2 hours from our home, and so much better than flying to a port, or driving to New York. We like the size and layout of the ship, the crew, and on and on. The itinerary is not that great, but we don't go on the Pride for the itinerary. We like to get away in the winter, so anyplace where the temps are above freezing is good for us. Another thing is, we always get a great balcony price. We cruise mainly for the relaxation. As far as your concerns about your 3 yr. old and your gluten free diet, I can only say we saw quite a few cruisers with their little ones, and I've heard that Carnival in general does a fabulous job for those folks with special diets. If you let them know your preferences in advance, they will go out of their way to see that your food requirements are met.

I can't really compare the Pride to our other cruises, except to say, we've been cruising for quite a lot of years, and when I first went on the Pride I was comparing it to those other cruise lines. The convenience of the Baltimore Port, the price, and all of our other preferences are always met on the Pride. It just depends what you are interested in. I think if your child was older, say an adolescent, maybe the Pride wouldn't be the best choice because most kids would like the huge mega ships. Whatever you choose, have fun.

We cruised on the Pride about 6 years ago?

The ONLY thing we didn't like about that ship was the décor. DARK AND UGLY.

lol

Loved the layout. Everything else was fine.

Now with all of the 2.0 upgrades, that ship is getting rave reviews!!!!

We'd definitely go again. I can get past the décor........

Go and enjoy.:D

We cruised on the Pride about 6 years ago?

 

The ONLY thing we didn't like about that ship was the décor. DARK AND UGLY.

 

lol

 

Loved the layout. Everything else was fine.

 

Now with all of the 2.0 upgrades, that ship is getting rave reviews!!!!

 

 

 

We'd definitely go again. I can get past the décor........

 

 

 

Go and enjoy.:D

Different strokes for different folks! I love the decor on the Pride. It has an elegant classic ocean liners feeling.

I can't compare with the Grandeur, but I really love the Pride. Perfect size, easy to navigate layout, great Serenity Deck, great crew good food.

Sent from my iPod touch using Forums

Love her and so do my kids. The special needs department is fantastic. We travel with another family whose son has life threatening allergies and all of his needs were met in a kind manner....I don't know if it was because he was a child but they were so caring about it. He loved the attention.

I have three upcoming cruises on the pride.....cannot wait!

Thanks everyone! I'm really hoping to book an itinerary for 2018!

Different strokes for different folks! I love the decor on the Pride. It has an elegant classic ocean liners feeling.

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Forums

I was going to say the same thing. Very old world / European is how I would describe it.

She's got David! On cruisedeckplans.com you can see what he used to look like before they added the grape leaf!

It is great to hear about he Pride. We are long time cruisers (Carnival and Princess) but going on the Pride for the first time on July 2nd to Bermuda and can't wait. We live in VA and it is nice not to have to fly to port, just drive to Baltimore. The reviews on the Pride are so good, thanks for comments!:cool:

Just going to repeat what others have already said...Pride is great! We have cruised her 3 time already and have our 4th cruise in July. Since she got the 2.0 upgrade she is a different ship. We love Blue Iguana burritos for breakfast, Guys Burgers for lunch and Alchemy for a pre-dinner drink every night before we hit the MDR. The Red Frog Pub is awesome and the new slide is scary (in a good way!). Take a look at my review (linked in my signature below). The Spirit class ships are a great size, and Pride's crew has always been top notch.

Sailed on the Pride for my MIL's 75th birthday in 2013. DH and I booked a Pride cruise 11/4/2018 Journey cruise for MIL's 80th

I am anxious to see how it compares o what we had previously experienced.

Given a choice, I would pick a Spirt-class ship any time!!

Karen

Our favorite ship! Will be going on the Pride for the 7th time in October. The best crew!

Sent from my SM-G930P using Forums mobile app

Just going to repeat what others have already said...Pride is great! We have cruised her 3 time already and have our 4th cruise in July. Since she got the 2.0 upgrade she is a different ship. We love Blue Iguana burritos for breakfast, Guys Burgers for lunch and Alchemy for a pre-dinner drink every night before we hit the MDR. The Red Frog Pub is awesome and the new slide is scary (in a good way!). Take a look at my review (linked in my signature below). The Spirit class ships are a great size, and Pride's crew has always been top notch.

Can't get your review to open.

We sailed the Pride for the first time back in 2012 as well, and we fell in love! We are booked again in October - exact same itinerary - and can't wait to see her 2.0 upgrades. Since 2012 we have sailed Norwegian and other Carnival ships but missed the Pride!

There's a review in my signature as well. To summarize our experiences, my wife and I have been on the Pride 4 times. We absolutely love the Pride's layout and how easy it is to get to Baltimore to cruise.

We have sailed on the Pride and Grandeur of the Seas and honestly we have no interest in going on the Grandeur again, now if the Enchantment was still in Baltimore that would be a different story. We enjoyed the Enchantment as much as the Pride but the Grandeur not so much.

We love the Pride, the upgrades are amazing and if you can do a longer cruise the 14 day journeys cruises that are offered several times a year have great itins!!

You will love the Pride and the steakhouse is excellent. The staff, port of Baltimore, space to passenger ratio, and overall feel of the ship is amazing. The rave reviews are warranted! :D

She's got David! On cruisedeckplans.com you can see what he used to look like before they added the grape leaf!

Loved the Statue of David on the PRIDE. Don't remember whether it was leafless or not, though. :D

SPIRIT class ships are my favorite (not too big, not too small, just right). Always had a great time.

We have cruised on the Pride many times and the Grandeur once. I think the service was excellent on both ships. The food was excellent on both, but maybe the menu selections were a little more to my liking on RCCL - maybe also because it was new to me. The Grandeur also managed the buffet better as far as lines and did little things to help,like pre-pouring drinks. The pizza and off-hour options were much better on the Pride. We enjoyed the aerie show on the Grandeur and other shows, but other than that there was not much to do and way too much karaoke. Also it was winter so we weren't in the pools. The other difference was that the cabin and bathroom were smaller on the Grandeur. Like I don't think I would cruise on the ship again, although we got a great deal smaller.

On the Pride now I love the Blue Iquana Cantina, Red Frog Pub, and new water slides. Family enjoyed Guy's Burgers. The pizza is awesome, comedy shows - usually some are better than others but enjoyable. They finally changed their shows and they were OK, not great.

Also as far as private islands, Half Moon Cay is paradise. Coco Key was pretty, the island buffet was good - better than Cranival's slightly, BUT the water was rocky throughout the even the sand was rocky/ / shelly - not nice for a beach day.

Loved the Statue of David on the PRIDE. Don't remember whether it was leafless or not, though. :D

SPIRIT class ships are my favorite (not too big, not too small, just right). Always had a great time.

We cruised on Pride in July 2013 and David was still completely au naturel. The ship went in to dry dock in 2014 for the 2.0 upgrades and when it came out David had gained some "modesty".