backbiter

That was the Sunrise, wasn't it? We were on the same cruise and were stunned (as was everyone) to get the full cruise fare as a FCC. We used ours to book a cruise from Venice to Barcelona, which was then cancelled due to the pandemic, and Carnival gave us $600 as compensation if we booked another cruise. We eventually cruised from Rome to the Greek Islands last September. Like you, we were very fortunate to be on that 2019 cruise. I doubt Carnival will ever show such generosity again.

This was exactly our decision last September, also on the Pride. We rarely purchase Carnival excursions and are always willing to DIY, but we made a rare exception for Santorini, and were very happy to have done so. It's a remarkable place.

The app is appalling. I must have tried over 30 times before giving up after receiving error messages at the final stage. The NZ website worked fine, and my wife's approval was instant. I'm still waiting - 24 hours so far. They say to allow up to 72.

Really enjoyed your review. As I've mentioned, we were on the same cruise as you, and also visited the Cinque Terre, but before the cruise. We did it in a day by train from La Spezia, which was just as well as the sea was pretty rough when we were there, so it's possible the boat trips were cancelled. Also, there was a train strike the day before, so we were pretty fortunate with our timing as well as our choice of transport. I'd wanted to visit them for years and they did not disappoint.

Tried to buy a package on the Pride last week, but was told they weren't available due to shortages. We said we didn't want a wide range, as we tend to stick to one or two varieties and don't really experiment, but they still refused to sell us one.

^^ Good choice.

On The Pride last week, the free tea bags were Twinings Everyday tea. They had Lipton's Decaff tea bags (dreadful) but these ran out about half way through. Twinings is considered an upmarket tea brand but it's nothing special IMO. My biggest gripe is that the water on board is never close to boiling and is not capable of making full-flavour tea. Some of the urns don't even produce steam, and I literally wander around the Lido until I find one that does. The midships drink stations were appalling all cruise for only having lukewarm water. Even at afternoon tea, the individual tea pots are filled in advance and have all cooled by the time they are brought to your table and you are given your tea bags to make your tea (Yes. Tea-making is still DIY). After 20 years with Carnival I am used to onboard tea being deeply unsatisfying, and have had maybe a handful of cups when the water has been sufficiently hot to make tea properly. As for afternoon tea, it was terrific in every other respect. The salmon and cucumber sandwiches were superb, as were the cakes. And the service was genuinely wonderful. We always enjoy going, even if the tea is consistently substandard.

On the Pride last week, most beer was $7.50 a pint. The cheapest wine was $30 (on our cruise that was out of stock). Cocktails start at $10.50, which was also what I was charged for a whisky (Chivas), with a double at $4 on top. Obviously 15% tip on top.

There were serious beer shortages on the Pride last week. I believe they ran out of Red Frog beer (all varieties), and certainly had no more cans of wheat beer (Blue Moon or Paulaner), which is my drink of choice. I found some bottles on sale in Athens and had no problems bringing them back on board to see me through the last few days on the ship. The Sports Bar did find a couple of cans of Caribbean Wheat which I gratefully purchased, but overall, in 20 years i've never experienced a cruise with so many items running out.

I agree with you on Felipe. He's OK but not in the same league as the best Carnival CDs. Keeps a pretty low profile. Having a great cruise so far. Currently on the train from Messina to Taormina (under 5 euros each way, but we'll need a bus or taxi from the station on arrival). All the ports have been great - it really is a fantastic itinerary. The weather has been superb, although it got pretty windy and wavy overnight). Quite a few shortages on board: softserve ice-cream, most beers (no draft beer at all, many canned varieties all sold out), no more diet Pepsi, no wine packages available as they don't have supplies of many of the bottles on their lists). The bar man in the Red Frog pub said there was a problem with a much-needed delivery that was meant to be taken on in Rome, and assured me all would be sorted for the next cruise! Not much comfort to those of us flying home in two days!

I got a can from the Red Frog pub to take to the Dive-In movies. They opened it for me. I put it down by the sunbed while I went to get blankets (needed up in Norway!). I was gone under two minutes, which was enough time for someone to kick it over.

Really enjoyed your review. We did this cruise on the Pride on June 10th this year and had a great time. The same ports, but in a different order. It really is a spectacular itinerary. Great admiration for the way you did the Pulpit rock!

We lingered a long time in the restaurant so didn't even attempt to disembark till about 8. There was no waiting time at all by then.

We've been regular cruisers with Carnival for 20 years, and have only once cruised with RCCL - a Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona on one of their smaller, older ships, The Vision. We got a great deal in an Ocean View cabin with free wifi thrown in, and had a lovely cruise, with a fantastic itinerary, including a wonderful overnight stay in Venice, and several ports we'd never visited, like Split, Kotor and Villefranche, all of which we loved. In terms of value, we felt it was as good as we are used to with Carnival, which was surprising, as generally we find RCCL's prices far higher. I agree with a lot of the points already made. The food and entertainment are better on Carnival. We were amazed at how quiet the ship was after about 10pm, and we really missed the atmosphere we've always enjoyed on our Carnival cruises. The service on board was fine, but overall I find the Carnival crew more attentive and friendly.

Looking forward to reading it. We chatted to you in the Piano bar near the end of your cruise. My wife and I were the couple from near Cardiff. We had a great time on the cruise, and loved the itinerary. We really liked the Pride, and the staff were all excellent. The guests were all exceptionally friendly, so there was a great atmosphere on board. Like everyone, we were pretty startled by having to vacate our cabin by 6.15, but my wife helpfully left her phone on Norwegian time, so we got up at 5am UK time, and were outside the Normandie restaurant by 5.30 wondering why it wasn't yet open. We didn't disembark until after 8, and the process was very smooth. The only issue was our car-parking service buses could barely cope with the numbers waiting for the shuttle bus, and we had to wait for well over half-an-hour. At least it wasn't raining, though.