newfirsttimer

Not having sailed on Pride before I had read the reviews both pre and post 2.0 upgrades and was not sure what to expect since reviews were mixed. I enjoyed the Red Frog Pub, it had a 'pubby' atmosphere, some good live music and good beer. There was no 'pub grub'. The decor in the Alchemy Bar area outside the main dining room on deck 2 was very modern but comfortable. The Blue Iguana food station and Guy's Burgers, just outside the Mermaid Grill near the pool, were always busy and the food good. Lots of folks there for breakfast burritos as well. Never had a problem finding a seat in the buffet area as long as you are willing to share with someone. There are not too many two tops, rather more of the curved tables seating 5 or 6'people. I enjoyed the way the different food stations were laid out and the food was always good and with good selection for the most part. Liked especially the Deli area for smoked salmon on a bagel for lunch.

We were late embarking due to some unaccounted for passengers on the sailing that arrived back on Feb 1st. We had no special privileges or FTTF, we arrived at 10:30, parked in the garage, proceeded to check in and were onboard by noon. Room was of course not available until after 1. Lovely roast beef lunch in Mermaid. Disembarkation was probably the best organized and efficient process of any of the ships I have sailed on or any of the ports. Being on Deck 1, we were in the last group to disembark but after a leisurely breakfast in the dining room, we waited in the Raphael Lounge on deck 3. Self assist was by deck number followed by the privileged and FTTF then by number. We picked up the luggage and were through customs quickly and in the car by 10:45.

As I said before, would not hesitate to sail on Pride again.

First time with Carnival and Pride and the cruise exceeded expectations. Very friendly staff, ship laid out well, loved the layout of the Mermaid Grill, meals in dining room were fine although not enough variety. Show lounges were always too cold but the entertainment was good for the most part. Public areas very clean, the decor was better than expected, Serenity area was great for relaxing although the chair hogs were out in droves and did not,appear to be monitored at all.

Had inside room 1111 and would book this room again. Perfect location for shows, quiet, absolutely no noise, biggest shower yet with fold down seat. Excellent room stewards.

Only complaint is the horrendous smell of smoke in the casino, outside the casino and the smell drifts everywhere. You have to walk through the casino to get to the show lounge. This is poorly planned. Also on the Lido deck but at least you can walk on the other side to get away from it.

Would definitely sail again with Carnival and on Pride.

She was on time then...and shall be today too - Welcome To Port Tampa Bay!

Well get her all shipshape, I'll be there in 2 hours for my first Carnival cruise!

The deck plans should have a legend on them. The square generally means 2 convertible twins with an upper and sofa. The single dot means one overhead bunk and two dots means two overhead bunks, as well as two convertible twins.

Was Belize the only port that you had to tender to?

 

I've been trying to figure out where to find that information, but have not been successful.

 

Great review, thanks for taking the time.

According to the Carnival website in FAQ's, Belize, Caymans and sometimes Cozumel are tender ports

Thank you so much for this review. I will be on the Pride Feb 1, my first time on Carnival, and your comments are appreciated. I am looking forward to my experience and time on the Pride.

Last year we had about 12 people with Noro, they apparently came on board with it from a pre cruise tour. They were confined to their rooms for 3 days

I just finished my second Scenic cruise (south of France) and had absolutely no issues or problems with any service or staff. Everything was better than expected including the food. I know there were no water level issues or lock strikes in France that affected the cruise so no additional bus trips. If the OP is used to Seabourn for their ocean cruises, I do not believe there is any river cruise line that would meet their expectations. 5 star river cruising is not the same as 5 star ocean cruising. While I was in Aquarium class on Scenic, we did have a butler although I never used her at all. Other folks that I spoke to that were on the other decks or in suites had no complaints. I am sorry that the OP did not enjoy their first river cruise. It really sounds like their Butler was not up to par with the other service providers and their comments on their exit survey will go a long way to either have that person removed from the position or be better trained. Scenic does review all the comments and acts upon them when appropriate.

The photo was showing just fine for me. Glad the lock opened for your passage. Is it now fixed or did they just let your boat through?

Linda, you mention Mosquitos. Are you finding a lot of Mosquitos on the river? Are they preventing you from sitting out on the outside decks/terrace? We leave in 2.5 wks for our south of France river cruise and wonder if I should pack bug spray?

Thanks. Love following your trip report

Barbara,

funny how different people perceive things differently. We went to Marksburg castle (not sure if this is the same as you did) for a tour, which was one of the best tours we did whilst away. The guide was knowledgeable and gave relevant and informative talks about each room visited. Loved having the place to ourselves, and really enjoyed the various ages of buildings and the history of the castle. The meal and show, was a bit cheesy, but we had a great bunch of performers and our table was fantastic. Our 'volunteers' were also quick witted, so a great night was had by all. I would strongly recommend this excursion to anyone going with Scenic.

 

Karyn

Karyn, I couldn't agree with you more. Loved the Marksburg tour and dinner. So maybe the show was a bit cheesy, but it went with the theme and the meal. Scenic does a great job. We also enjoyed the winery tour and BBQ in Marktheidenfeld, the entertainment was fabulous that evening as was the food and wine and the owner and his family could not have been more gracious.

We were on the Amalegro from Nuremberg to Paris (Trier) in 2011 and did the post cruise with AMA in Paris. We took all the tours they offered. While you can do all the same things on your own, if you do like someone else to organize everything, I thought the Montmartre and lights at night tour was excellent, you do get a lot of free time on your own for dinner. Lots of walking from Sacre Coeur down to the main street to get the bus.(there is the funicular also which is included in the tour). The Eifel Tower at night was fantastic and you do get off the bus to take photos. We also did the dinner show and while very cramped inside, food was just so so but the show was good. The city tour was a drive around tour with a photo opportunity at the Arc and Eiffel Tower but gives you a good feel where everything is. We enjoyed taking the metro on our own and walking around the Latin Quarter.

The Austrian lock is now open, at least one chamber is, so the Danube is now navigable between Nuremberg and Budapest. Will likely be a back up of ships waiting to get through but that should clear up in a couple of days. Happy sailing to everyone waiting for this information.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1860217

starting at post 15, on the Viking Tor on the Rhine

Every time I have travelled in the past, I have done all the planning, all the pre and posts, the extra excursions etc. and decided that for this year's trip, I would just sit back and let someone else plan it for me. I chose Scenic to do that knowing also that when I disembark, I will having nothing to pay, no surprise extras, extra tours that I really wanted to do, gratuities, bar bill. Are the all inclusive's more expensive, sure, but I am hoping that the extra cost is worth the 'no hassle' travel. At least I am going to give it a try. I travelled with Scenic last year when it was not totally all inclusive and found their product of high quality, so I am giving them another try.

There were tables for 2 and for 4 on the Emerald last year. If you don't want to sit with others at meals, just tell the staff and they will separate the tables for you. Just keep in mind that the tables are all close together just like on the big ships so a table for 2 is really cozy.

We will be going on the Viking on July 13 from Basel. I can see it is still raining off and on from today on. Does anyone know if the river is still at such high levels and are they still expecting delayed cruising. An email was sent from Viking explaining the flooding and they expect cruises to be normal as of the end of June, but I am worried this is not the case. I did buy the "cancel for any reason" trip insurance but would like to use it before we end up in Basel and have used 2 weeks of vacation for nothing more than a bus tour.

Thank you to all that is posting and keeping us that have not left yet informed.

There can be high or low water at any time of the year, that's a risk you take when you book a river cruise. No one can predict with any accuracy, what the weather will be on July 13th and even if they could, Mother Nature often has other plans. Yes, the lock in Austria at this point has one chamber opening at the end of June but if you are starting in Basel, are you going to Amsterdam and therefore nowhere near Austria, or over to Budapest ? At the moment isn't the Rhine between Basel and Amsterdam fine?

I feel your pain, pablor24! I am in the same boat as you. Sailing Viking Legend Budapest - Passau June 16. We have gotten the same company line at you.

On the Uniworld posting, they say the lock between Budapest and Bratislava is under repair so that no traffic can pass through in either direction. If you are sailing from Budapest, my guess is that there will be some disruption. You would need to have a ship on either side of the lock. So downstream they would dock near Bratislava and upstream maybe in Budapest and bus in between?

We had 9613/9615 on FOS this past school break. Fab location, close to elevators and stairs, one of my granddaughters does not like elevators and would only take the stairs, so close to the pool deck, windjammer and deck 5 retaurants/promenade.

My granddaughters are also 10 and 8 and they love to get their hair braided but we only go to very reputable places. I usually take them when we are in Florida and the place I use charges $65US each for the top of the head. They are going on their first cruise in March also to St. Thomas/St. Maarten and have asked about hair braiding so would be interested if someone responds with the name of a place, although I am trying to discourage them until we get off the ship and do it the second week while in Florida.

Last year we stayed at the Crowne Plaza since we got a good deal on Priceline. Have also stayed at the Hyatt Place on 17th. Both were excellent values at the time.

That's the only reason I don't book with Viking, wanting full payment so far in advance.

In 2011 we cruised with AMA, PRague to Paris. This year we cruised with Scenic Amsterdam to Budapest. Both lines were top notch in terms of service, professionalism, attention to detail, food etc. I preferred the menus on AMA to those on Scenic, however, the food was very good to excellent on both lines. I understand that Scenic is changing their menus for 2013. I believe the quality of the Scenic daily tours were a cut above those on AMA, the Scenic Enrich portions were excellent, especially liked the day in Germany in a town followed by a BBQ at a winery, fantastic people and entertainment, a very enjoyable experience as well as the included concert in Vienna at the Palais Lichtenstein. I loved disembarking with no balance in my onboard account. Although APT has partnered with AMA, in 2011 I found the majority of the guests were American with a large number of Australians on board but that the line did not cater to any specific nationality. On Scenic I did find that since the majority of the passengers were Australian, Scenic very much catered to that group. Much more of a party atmosphere on Scenic than AMA/APT and the evening went on much longer. In 2013 when the drinks are included all the time, I suspect there might be even more partying going on into the wee hours. I would highly recommend either cruise line, I personally prefer the all inclusive nature of Scenic and love to travel with the Aussies.

Their ships looked very nice, saw a couple of them on my recent AMS to BUD cruise. I was impressed. Seems like more and more lines are going fully inclusive. While I think this concept appeals to the Australian market, I am not so sure that it is as appealing to the North American market.

Just returned from an Amsterdam to Budapest cruise. We did take Forints for Hungary but found that many, many stores took Euros but exchange rate was not great. You most definitely will need local coins for the unattended washrooms of which there are many. Even the McDonald's charge to use the washrooms. Most charge 50c in euros but in Hungary it was 150 forints. Rarely did any store take US $ and why should they. You would not expect the stores in the US to take Euros.