chilly1470

Just want to thank you a "wee" bit, lol. Wonderful review, lovely family, I feel like I know you all and traveled with you. Loved the NY perspective, as we have been there at least 5 times and still have only scratched the surface. ESB and TOTR were great but very busy. Hey, what's funny is Scotland is on my bucket list, with Glasgow of course in the mix. What one thing to I really need to experience there? Thank you once again for this great review!

This is a good question I was asked recently from a friend new to cruising. You DO NOT have to go to Elegant Night, there are so many other options including the buffet, pizza, room service, and specialty eateries. I also abhor dressing up and the dining room scene. The MDR just takes too much time and cuts into our entertainment plans.

14 hours ago, Carl Nival said:

1.  Yes, there will be 2 formal nights on the 2nd and 5th night.  The attire is "Cruise Elegant", which loosely translates "What's elegant for you".

 

2.  You will be provided with 2 VERY nice beach towels.  In fact, they are the only towels allowed to be taken off the ship.  If you take one home, it will cost you $22.

2. Unless you bring your own from home.

16 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

This may sound weird, but the mac n cheese in the steakhouse is outstanding. 

Not weird, it's high class mac n cheese, lol

All good info here, as I am on the fence with Cucina. We are def going to try JiJi's on our upcoming in August. I have read alot about it and it is highly recommended. With our steakhouse experience on the Pride, the steaks were off the chain, namely the cowboy and the other seasoned one. I am ashamed to admit my son and I could not finish ours, haha. But dang they were so good and tasty and a great size portion. The crab cakes are quite good as the appetizer and shrimp cocktail, although common fare, were nice and plump and tasty. I thought Bonsai was quite good and well made considering they are offered on a cruise ship. I was skeptical at first, but ended up enjoying their sushi very much. Actually we went to the demonstration and got samples, which sold us on them. Delicious. 

On ‎5‎/‎5‎/‎2019 at 1:54 PM, Aquahound said:

 

 

One more time...as I said, FEDERAL LAW does not require prescription meds to be in their original labeled containers.  It is FEDERAL LAW that applies when you clear Customs on a cruise ship.

 

If the OP happens to be cruising out of Maine then yes, abide by that Maine law.     

 

It never fails on these prescription meds threads that someone will erroneously report that it is the law, probably because they saw someone else say it on past threads.  If what you meant to say was, it is the law in some states, say that from the beginning.   One state that does not have that law is Florida.  

 

And by the way, Chilly1470, you forgot to include the part of the Maine statute that includes "when in use" as an exemption from the original container law...specifically the part that says: "For purposes of this subsection, "when in use" includes reasonable repackaging for more convenient legitimate medical use."

 

Go scold someone else, oh wise one, telling me what I meant to say. Here is this:  Keep your meds in their bottles, they came that way for a reason, Use common sense.

1 hour ago, Cruzaholic41 said:

 

Everything about this post is wrong. No it is not the law and no it is not the only way to identify them. 

 

Edited to say never mind. You’ve already been corrected on this. 

Hahaha, you are too much, "I've been corrected", good one. Everything about your post is wrong. Go away and don't bother responding, I don't follow drivel.

Positive:  A person is not authorized to possess his or her own prescription drug unless the drug is “in the container in which it was delivered by the person selling or dispensing the drug.” 17-A M.R.S. section 1107-A (2), 22 M.R.S. section 2383-B (1).

Looks like gone are the days of taking advantage of the first night steakhouse reservations. Everyone is catching on thanks to CC and FB and other outlets. Used to be there was maybe one other table in there on embarkation night. Just like everyone now eating their buffet grub in the Havana dining room to avoid the crowds. How did we ever cruise before all this knowledge hahaha

11 hours ago, coevan said:

I have never brought original containers. I bring 7 day pill dispenser and never had a problem. I pretty sure it's a suggestion with Carnival not a strict rule.

It's actually not a suggestion, it's the law. You can have a lot of hassles with customs, law officers and security. When you carry your prescription pills, they must be in the labeled container. That is the only way to identify them and prove they are yours. 

Wow, we never watched TV, we ran and ate all day, went to the room and passed out at night. As far as tea, yes they have it. 

On ‎4‎/‎17‎/‎2019 at 1:41 PM, brookeq said:

I saw in the fun times that tea time was listed in the afternoon.  Amelia and I headed down to try it out.   My mother in law and her friend joined us.  We all enjoyed it.  The teas were under $2 (lipton was free).   My mother in law got a coconut one she enjoyed.  I had the mint.  The dessert cart was the best part.  The chocolate cake, apple crumble, and biscuit were very tasty.  My mother in laws friend loved the cucumber sandwiches (not my thing).   Overall it was a fun experience and my daughter says she would like to do it again. 

Hey homies, tea time around here in the Burgh is a cold iron and a Primanti's haha! Thanks for the review, I hail from Beaver County, but am a Yinzer through and through. We got an upcoming in August on the Sunshine. Our last was the Pride out of Dirty Bird town, Baltimore. There were still a lot of Steeler jerseys, mine included. Everyone was good natured about it and some of my best acquaintances were Raven fans. Great cruise, that one. Talk atcha later n'at.

OH dang, girl, this is my ship!! Our first ever cruise, last May on the Ecstasy. I will love her forever and would sail her again in a heartbeat. It was me, my wife and two kids and we had a blast. Just wish it was more than 5 days. We went to Myrtle and drove down the next day to board. Now while in Myrtle we had to hit up Dirty Dan's for oysters and pitchers of margaritas. So good and buzz worthy. Can't wait for your review, let's go!

And the last ship to leave was the Disney Fantasy......

 

 

 

 

I have always wanted to go on a Disney cruise but I don't think I could handle being around that many kids ;) I will just stick with Carnival

That Disney ship is just plain homely and awkward looking. Looks like it is going to tip over any minute. I love ships and appreciate the beauty, but this ship is like a red headed step child.

The next ship to leave port was the Carnival Dream.....

 

It looks like she is headed right for us......

 

 

That boat looks a little puny next to the Carnival Dream

 

That ship looks gorgeous with the sun shining on it.

 

She is gorgeous, and that straight on pic made me say "WOW"

I'm back this morning. It is a tough morning around here after Notre Dame poor showing in the National Championship game. Oh well I guess it is only a game :rolleyes:

 

Time to get back to the review.....the day in between the two cruises my dad and I wanted to go to dinner at Fishlips Restaurant along the waterfront down by the port. It was a perfect place to watch the cruise ships leave. We arrived around 3:30 to get a spot upstairs. We ordered the Fish and Chips and waited for the ships to leave.

 

The first ship to leave was the Carnival Ecstasy.....

 

There she is.....somebody is in my cabin. I hope they had fun just like we did on the Ecstasy

 

I just love looking at the Ecstasy, she always has a milky, eggshell look about her. Very regal and yet humble. She is aged, but gracefully, mind you. She had a few chinks and scrapes and scratches, but wore them well. I know I have a spot for her in my heart forever, being my virgin cruise ship. I would cruise on her any day, anytime. God bless the Ecstasy!

I love that Platinum status.....next up Diamond :)

 

The priority lounge was now starting to fill-up which only meant one thing....we would be boarding soon

This is what happens when you notice a great review: You go and stalk that person, hahaha muaha and you read their other stuff, they start to feel like friends, family etc, you wonder about their dad and learn he has since passed, I was devastated like I am related. Sincerely, I offer you my sympathy and respect. I lost my dad some years past and I know it is not easy. I love how you don't give a crap about fronting and are just yourself and have a great time. that is me in a nutshell. Now here I am, stalking another post of yours, and immensely enjoying it. You should get a job doing this, take care!

Saw a report on another thread from someone who embarked Pride this past weekend. He reported that they started letting cars in to the port area around 1130 (Pride docks around 1000). Hope this helps. We're sailing on Pride 23 July and will plan to be there around that time as our check in time is 1230.

So even though you signed up for 1230 you are going to show up an hour earlier? I'll give that a try if it works lol

Hi: My husband and I have been dieting and making progress. We are concerned that we'll "fall off the wagon" during our upcoming cruise and gain weight (with all that good food and the cocktails!). We've cruised before, but weight wasn't as much of a concern the last time (We were both in better shape.). What strategies do you use to avoid taking home more than good memories from your cruise?

HAHAHA! Please don't call me Debbie Downer, but if you plan to diet on a cruise, FORGET IT! But that being said, it is possible with all the fruit and salad bars. GOOD LUCK

My all time favorite pic of my and DH

You guys look great and very happy!

So I realized I haven't even done my review of the Carnival Magic we did back in April 2017.

 

Going back and looking at my previous reviews, I see photobucket is making you pay $400 which is absolutely ridiculous, to allow 3rd party hosting :mad:.

 

I could do my review from my phone and upload photos which will allow me to do so, but from my phone may take a good while.

 

Bare with me while I figure out which site to upload photos to and get them on here. Right now I have Google photos so I may just use that if I can figure out how/if it'll post here.

$400?? are you sure that is right? If so, screw them, that is ridiculous.

Hi Amanda, is it possible for you to scan or pic any of the Fun Times? I know not easy, but it would be awesome. Did you go to the steakhouse? Shows ok? Try Bonsai? How was it? Thanks so much for what you can answer.

David, fellow cruiser

Driving back home from Baltimore now and hope to start a trip report fairly soon. Unfortunately I didn't get as many photos of the ship and food as I had hoped. With a 3 and 1 year old demanding your full attention at meal times and while running around the ship, apparently snapping pictures isn't as easy as I'd imagined!

 

I'll do my best to answer any questions for you! [emoji4]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Hi guys

A few turns and less than an hour later we were on I-95N approaching Baltimore’s Locust Point, and we got our first glimpse of the Pride!

 

 

Soon after we took exit 55 onto McComas Street and eventually found ourselves in line to get dropped off.

 

 

If you are parking your car at the cruise terminal for the duration of your cruise (which we have done twice), you are sent around to a line of baggage cars closer to the waterfront to drop off your luggage. Then you line up to pay for parking. In our experience, using the cash line to pay the $105 fee saved an immense amount of time, as that line was usually much shorter than the credit card line. This was before the days of staggered check-in, so I can’t say whether or not that’s still the case. Since we were being dropped off, we were directed to a separate line of baggage cars directly in front of the terminal.

 

 

After we gave our luggage to the porters, my parents were able to briefly pull into a parking spot so we could say our goodbyes, and my mom could take a picture.

 

Oh my goodness the Giant Eagle gas discounts lol. I did the same thing. Don't fell ashamed. I go this all the time, even paying for the whole cruise. I paid $3000 and got free gas forever haha

As the cruise got closer, we started to make some decisions about what we wanted to do onboard. On the Glory we had Faster to the Fun and we loved it, so we decided to do that again. We also booked a cabana on Half Moon Cay (there will be pictures, I promise). In an effort to save money somewhere though, we agreed that we wouldn’t go to David’s Steakhouse, and that would make this cruise our first where we didn’t visit the ship’s steakhouse.

 

Well, it didn’t take long before I broke our agreement and made reservations on New Year’s Eve for David’s. One of my favorite things to do in life is surprise Ashley, and I really considered not telling her about it until we were on the ship. In the end I figured it might impact what she wanted to wear that night, so I ended up telling her about it.

 

Beginning in October, we began purchasing Carnival gift cards from our local grocery store. The loyalty program at our store has awesome gas discounts, especially when you purchase gift cards, so this was a great way for us to save up for that Sail and Sign bill that tends to add a little insult to injury when they kick you off the ship after a week.

 

 

Happy Halloween! With only 8 weeks to go, we are almost halfway there!

 

That is to be expected, you didn't know any better but you learned. hah

Cruising history

Since this is our first cruise review, I’ll go ahead and provide a quick overview of our cruising history. Our first cruise was one week after we graduated from college in 2010. I still have no idea how we saved up to pay for it, but we are so glad we did. When we came back from dinner that first night and our room had been turned down, we stepped out onto our obstructed-view balcony to watch the Chesapeake shore of Maryland go by. That’s when we knew cruising was definitely for us. That night we were looking for the breakfast room-service door hanger things that I had heard about, but didn’t see them. Ashley placed a call to our room steward - Conrad, and he said “Open your door, I’ll show you something”. Lo and behold there was Conrad standing right there with the menus when we opened the door. From that point on we were convinced Conrad must have lived in the walls somewhere near our cabin. Ever since that first cruise, I’ve always regarded that week as one of the best of my life.

 

Our next cruise was two years later, in 2012, with the exact same itinerary. On this cruise we upgraded to an extended balcony (7200), and that has since become “our” room when we sail on the Pride. To us, the location can’t be beat. It’s located midship, pretty close to the atrium elevators, only two floors below Lido. Another perk is that the room number is incredibly easy to remember compared to most others.

 

Then, in 2013 we sailed the Pride for the last time before the 2.0 upgrades. This time we brought my parents along. My dad had already been retired from the US Air Force for a year or two, but my mom had just retired from teaching, so we enjoyed celebrating that with them. Instead of the Port Canaveral/Nassau itinerary we had sailed the previous cruises, the Pride brought us to Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay. Ashley and I were engaged at this point, and were trying to decide which cruise to go on for our honeymoon. When we were back on the tender boat leaving Half Moon Cay, Ashley and I agreed that we must include Half Moon Cay in our honeymoon. On this cruise, Ashley and I figured we were experienced enough in cruising to appreciate the Behind the Fun Tour, so that took up a decent chunk of our final day. It was well worth the cost, so we definitely recommend it to anyone who hasn’t taken it.

 

In June 2014, Ashley and I got married. A week later we flew down to Orlando for our 2 week honeymoon. Our first week was spent in Orlando going to Disney and Universal, then we drove down to Miami to sail on the Glory for 7 days. We had a great time, it was a cruise after all, but neither of us could get used to the layout of the ship, and I think we just missed the Pride.

 

Unfortunately that was it until now. There are a few reasons for our lengthy dry-dock, but probably the most prominent reason is the handful of baseball-related trips we went on. In 2014 we started on a mission to visit every Major League Baseball ballpark. Through three years we’ve hit 17 ballparks. Now that the remaining, unvisited ballparks are a little further away, Ashley and I are feeling more inclined to book cruises instead. Someday we’ll hit all 30 ballparks.