Cruise Envy

What an AWESOME surprise! You will find lots of folks here to help you with your questions. Did you have specific questions?

I have a couple of questions about clamshells.

• Did I read correctly that you can't rent until you get to HMC?
  
• Do you rent a particular one, or just find an empty one once you rent?
  
• They are not movable, correct?
  
• My friend has some minor mobility issues. Any recommendations on where to get a clamshell at?
  

Thanks in advance!

You can order distilled water from room service for $3.

Another Spirit class cheerleader here! We've sailed mostly on the Fantasy class, but we *LOVED* our one Pride cruise. It never felt crowded other than debarkation, and it had a lot of the bells and whistles. If I could choose, I would only sail Spirit class at the moment.

That said, if the right cruise came up, I would consider a larger ship... but my husband hates crowds so I'm not sure.

Glad you enjoyed the review, and enjoy your return to the Pride.

 

I noticed in your signature that you sailed on the Cunard Countess in 1987. I sailed on the Countess in May of 1987 on a 7 day southern Caribbean cruise from San Juan.

Yep - ours was from San Juan as well - I want to say we had a port every day (although the first day was a 1/2 day). It was my very first cruise. We arrived in SJ very late due to Eastern Airlines strike. They pulled gang plank up behind us as we crossed!

Ramble away -- we've all been there! I was OBSESSED with this board while waiting for my first family cruise in 2010.

Don't forget to watch for price drops as time goes on. You simply never know. I've had cruises where I got nothing, and ones where I got huge drops.

I know your kids will have a lovely time, and I bet your wife will come back more of a fan. My husband loves cruising, but not for the same reasons I do. He likes to be in one spot, and not do much, plus eat very well. I like to go and do; a cruise was the perfect compromise.

Grand Turk has some wonderful snorkeling. There is a wall with a HUGE drop off that is fun to see while you snorkel.

Thank you for writing this! I take my second cruise on the Pride in July, and it was great reading about your views on this route. She's such a lovely ship and crew.

I echo what others have said - the spirit class ships are AWESOME. I sailed the Pride for Thanksgiving 2014, and am sailing again next month.

The retractable roof can be a lifesaver if you have bad weather (like we did). Yes, the décor isn't as bright as some ships, but I thought it was fine. The steakhouse is great, so is Guy's burgers. The only time I felt it was crowded was trying to find a seat for the Dive In movies. Lots of chair hogs then. :(

I have a few traditions.

• I always buy the boarding photo for each cruise.
  
• Once we board, we head to the pool to cool off, and have lunch.
  
• One son loves tie dye shirts, so we are always looking for one in each port
  
• We travel to the port the night before, and stay in a hotel
  

Thank you!

Here is a link to where I posted about our trundle bed from the Fascination (also a Fantasy class) in 2013.

I like Fantasy class ships, and with a younger person knowing what they were getting into, I might do a trundle bed again. We configured the beds as twin, in an "L shape" against the walls, and kind of tucked the trundle under the desk thing (see picture in above link). Otherwise, the trundle takes up a LOT of floor space. I would not do a trundle if I wanted a king bed. If the person sleeping with in the trundle might have issues getting up and down, I wouldn't do it either.

Hope this helps!

I travel with a couple family members who get stressed in crowds. For us, first stop is always the cabin. Drop carry-ons, if the luggage is there (it is sometimes) we unpack/change etc. I leave a note for the cabin steward about wanting a bucket of ice.

If our lanyards aren't hole punched, I take everyone's and hit guest services and the special line to get that done.

Two cruises I've been the first person in the pool. By this time I'm hot and sweaty and this really starts that vacation groove.

It is worth the peace of mind to me to get my uptight people on the ship and to the cabin in a timely fashion. The separate guest services line has been incredibly helpful. One trip we got it because we had two tender ports, which were unfortunately cancelled due to weather.

I always try to get FTTF.

I have done Chef's Table 3 times, and have the fourth scheduled next month. I have enjoyed every one. If you like great food and wine, and a leisurely evening enjoying dinner, then I think you would enjoy it.

Thanks for the great review. We are actually sailing 11/6 on the Pride and have room 6279. Have 2 questions. 1) how was the noise level in the room from both the elevators and people? 2) Did you feel any aft shake?

 

Thank you, Adrienne

Adrienne, we have that room on 7/10. I will make every effort to come back with pictures etc for you!

Thanks for the review!

I am looking at a cabin for three. The ones available that meet our needs all state that "Two twin beds (convert to king). A trundle bed will be provided if a third guest is booked to this stateroom. Desk and seat. Full bathroom with shower. 3 closets." What is this trundle bed like and how much does it kill the usable space in the cabin (inside cabin)?

We did a trundle bed on the Fantasy in an inside on the Verandah deck. My (then) teenaged son slept on it. It takes ALOT of your floor space. We did the beds as twins and pushed two against the wall. The trundle was a little short compared to a normal bed. I would say it all depends on who is sleeping in it.

Thank you for posting! I just booked my second cruise on the Pride -- your detail helped me catch up with what has changed since my trip last time.

I can highly recommend Pat & Dianne tours in Freeport. I have done two different excursions with them, and would book again. The website is http://www.snorkelingbahamas.com.

We have cruise #4 coming up on the Fantasy. She is, to quote Goldilocks, "Just Right". After sailing the Fascination & the Pride as well, perhaps the only thing I will miss is Guy's Burgers and a balcony. She is a beautiful, well maintained ship sailing out of a charming small southern city.

That said, I booked an inside again on the Fantasy, and am looking forward to the Serenity deck, not walking miles to get somewhere, and a very peaceful week. Her décor is very nice.

Sorry you had such a bad day, but glad that you have a trip to look forward to!

The previous posters have offered good information. My personal opinion, having done both Chef's Table and the steakhouse... I would prefer a proposal in the steakhouse if it were me.

Congratulations!

We had Tex on Thanksgiving day, in the pouring rain. He was a great guide. He knew alot about the island, answered questions my sons had, and took us wherever we asked to go. We stopped for some local food, which was delicious, and stopped at a grocery store for bottled water & some kind of banana soft drink. I would repeat Victor Bodden again, and I would ask for Tex again!

Day 3 - Cozumel

All four ports were new to us, so we tried to plan some new things to do. In Cozumel, we had decided on a trip to Nachi Cocum for a beach day. My husband hates crowds, and hates being "rushed", so that was some of the reasoning behind our choice. I had read the varied reviews on beach spots here on CC, and decided that the limit of 100 at NC really appealed to us.

We ate breakfast in the dining room, ordering omelets instead of scrambled eggs, and I got real french toast instead of that fruit loop stuff!

It was fun to watch the RC ships come in while we ate. There were six ships scheduled for today. We found out post cruise that the Ryndam had to tender that day, and it was too rough for them to tender. It was a sign of things to come during the week.

We headed down to midship, and exited around 8:30ish. Here's the best shot my son took all week.

It's quite a walk to the duty-free terminal and it's a LONG duty free shop.

We continued on to the taxi area, let them know where we wanted to go, and we were off. Thanks to all the reading on here, I recognized the names of the various beach clubs as we passed them, and soon it was time for ours:

After Dinner Day 2

We ate fairly early this night so we could catch the family comedy show in the Butterflies lounge. I had seen Tim Young the night before at the adult only show, and found him to be pretty funny. Compared to the fantasy class, I really like the venue on this ship -- seemed to have much more seating, and the comedy club manager made an effort to help folks find seats. She likes pirate jokes so go prepared!

After our comedy fix, my son and I headed up to the "pre-show" for 88 Keys, a playlist production. My advice, GO FOR THE PRESHOW. David is, in a word, AWESOME. He's the piano bar entertainer, and he is fabulous. Sorry for the blur here.

This is the first time I have ever spent any time in a Carnival Piano bar on a cruise. This kid is awesome. Here's the finale of 88 Keys...

After that, a little time in the piano bar with my CC friends, and off to bed. Next up... Cozumel!

Could I please ask - why would you not order the cheese plate again in the steakhouse? It looked wonderful (different kinds of cheeses, varying accompaniments, nice presentation). Was it the kinds of cheese, the quality or was it just overwhelming after so much food?

What you saw was the presentation they show you before you order. You could pick what you liked. My husband and I both just didn't like the choices, and thought the slices were too thin. We prefer the dining room cheese plate. It was a personal choice, that's all. Others might vastly prefer it.

It was similar with the fruit... it had a dressing of some sort that I didn't like, it was very thin pieces, and I honestly prefer the dining room ones. You'll see more about the steakhouse and another dessert later in the review. ;)