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Thoughts on the Pride and other Spirit Class Ships


brepri_h
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As you can see from my signature I've primarily been on Dream Class ships. I have been on one Conquest Class.

 

I liked the Liberty but much preferred the Dream, Magic & Breeze.

 

Baltimore is only a 6hr drive from me so I am considering it for a future cruise but I worry I may not like the Pride. What are your thoughts on it and/or other Spirit Class Ships?

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I have been on the larger class of ships and i also only live about an hour away from the Baltimore port. Wasn't sure how i was going to like the Pride the first time on it, but it's a great ship. Love the layout. Everyone on her is super friendly and they make you really feel like a family on the ship. I think it's because they seem to know a lot of the people already on the ship. When i was on it 2 years ago when i ask if they had cruised her before must of my answers were multiple times or over and over. Getting from one end of the ship to other is like no other ship. No middle dining room so direct flow. I will be sailing on her again this July on her Bermuda run.

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I have been on the larger class of ships and i also only live about an hour away from the Baltimore port. Wasn't sure how i was going to like the Pride the first time on it, but it's a great ship. Love the layout. Everyone on her is super friendly and they make you really feel like a family on the ship. I think it's because they seem to know a lot of the people already on the ship. When i was on it 2 years ago when i ask if they had cruised her before must of my answers were multiple times or over and over. Getting from one end of the ship to other is like no other ship. No middle dining room so direct flow. I will be sailing on her again this July on her Bermuda run.

 

Good to know, thank you! I went out of Galveston in 2016 and everyone was from Texas and had been on the Magic (no longer in Galveston) again and again!

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I sailed the Dream b2b and loved it; tried the Miracle next - and while I enjoyed myself - it just wasn't the same. The food choices on the ship seemed less than what was offered on the Dream, as did the variety of spaces to go.

 

After the Pride got the 2.0 Funship additions, we sailed on that ship. Loved it! I mean, absolutely loved it. It has a great serenity area (with both a pool and a hot tub), the waterworks, Guys burgers, blue iguana, red frog pub, sports bar, Dive in movie screen, and 4K cabins (love them!).

 

On all of the public decks you can go straight through - and most everything is located on decks 2 (our main hangout with the Alchemy bar, atrium, casino, sports bar, red frog pub and the piazza lounge where they hold trivia), deck 3 has the photo gallery, shops, piano bar and chapel. And then there's the lido deck with 3 pools (one in serenity), the buffet and food stations, red frog pub, blue iguana bar, and the spa is forward.

 

I would try it. It's a great ship with a fantastic crew.

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I sailed the Dream b2b and loved it; tried the Miracle next - and while I enjoyed myself - it just wasn't the same. The food choices on the ship seemed less than what was offered on the Dream, as did the variety of spaces to go.

 

After the Pride got the 2.0 Funship additions, we sailed on that ship. Loved it! I mean, absolutely loved it. It has a great serenity area (with both a pool and a hot tub), the waterworks, Guys burgers, blue iguana, red frog pub, sports bar, Dive in movie screen, and 4K cabins (love them!).

 

On all of the public decks you can go straight through - and most everything is located on decks 2 (our main hangout with the Alchemy bar, atrium, casino, sports bar, red frog pub and the piazza lounge where they hold trivia), deck 3 has the photo gallery, shops, piano bar and chapel. And then there's the lido deck with 3 pools (one in serenity), the buffet and food stations, red frog pub, blue iguana bar, and the spa is forward.

 

I would try it. It's a great ship with a fantastic crew.

 

Thank you! I was looking at the deck plans and noticed most things were on decks 2/3 which sounds interesting! We tend to hang out solely at the aft pool which is adult only on this ship like you said. We will be bringing our little guy on this potential cruise so we would be unable to relax in our favorite spot. I guess if there are 2 other pools though hopefully we will like one We just don't really like the noise associated with the larger pool.

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I have done Spirt Class (MiracleX2 and PrideX1), Triumph Class(X2), Conquest Class(ConquestX2, FreedomX2), Splendor Class(X1) and Dream Class (Magic X3, BreezeX2).

 

My absolute favorite class is the Spirt Class. And without a doubt the Pride was probably the best we have ever sailed.

 

The food in the MDR(America Table) was excellent. Ken Byrne is the maître de and he stays on top of service and food. She has all the 2.0 upgrades. The Alchemy bar is the perfect place to wait for the MDR to open. There are a host of options for lunch and dinner. Guys ,Blue Iguana Chopsticks, Ji Ji's Kitchen and the Steakhouse to name a few. The entertainment was not the best we have seen but enjoyable. In all fairness, there were a few nights that a cast member was absent. A missing cast member can throw off everything so it would have been interesting to see their performance with a full cast.

 

If the Pride we in driving distance to me I would not hesitate to book her.

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I have done Spirt Class (MiracleX2 and PrideX1), Triumph Class(X2), Conquest Class(ConquestX2, FreedomX2), Splendor Class(X1) and Dream Class (Magic X3, BreezeX2).

 

My absolute favorite class is the Spirt Class. And without a doubt the Pride was probably the best we have ever sailed.

 

The food in the MDR(America Table) was excellent. Ken Byrne is the maître de and he stays on top of service and food. She has all the 2.0 upgrades. The Alchemy bar is the perfect place to wait for the MDR to open. There are a host of options for lunch and dinner. Guys ,Blue Iguana Chopsticks, Ji Ji's Kitchen and the Steakhouse to name a few. The entertainment was not the best we have seen but enjoyable. In all fairness, there were a few nights that a cast member was absent. A missing cast member can throw off everything so it would have been interesting to see their performance with a full cast.

 

If the Pride we in driving distance to me I would not hesitate to book her.

 

The Alchemy Bar is my fave so I am thrilled to hear that shehas one! I didn’t see JiJi’s Asian Kitchen listed is it new? In general I havenot been enjoying the theater shows on Carnival. I don’t go for those though sothat doesn’t deter me.

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The Pride is the best ship in the fleet in my opinion and you should really try it. Basically the same deck area as a ship like the Dream with 1200 passengers instead of the 4000 passengers the Dream carries fully booked. The spirit classes were just designed right.

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Spirit class is my absolute favorite. The passenger to space ratio is best of any in the fleet. At times....it's hard to believe that there are at least 2400+ other passengers on the ship with you. It's a shame they won't be building any more. All major cruise lines are building the larger "pack em and stack em" ships.

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One benefit to the Spirit class ships is the retractable roof over the midship pool. My first cruise on the Pride had horrible weather and this was a godsend. I agree with everyone else -- I love this class of ship! I am trying the Magic for the first time in July so we will see what I think.

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One benefit to the Spirit class ships is the retractable roof over the midship pool. My first cruise on the Pride had horrible weather and this was a godsend. I agree with everyone else -- I love this class of ship! I am trying the Magic for the first time in July so we will see what I think.

 

The outdoor space on deck 5 is great which I don't believe you get on the other ships. I missed it on the Liberty.

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We absolutely love the Pride! Love everything about her. We are one of those who have sailed her over and over and will continue to do so as long as we can. Perfect size, perfect layout, great staff! All the upgrades, amazing serenity deck, and those 4K cabins! Can't wait for 2019 and another 14 days on her.

 

I couldn't find anything negative to say if you paid me. You will love her! :D

 

Also, the Baltimore port is super easy, cheap parking right there, and a short walk from car to building.

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Spirit class is my favorite and we've been on all the classes except Vista, Sunshine and Splendor (booked for next month!).

 

Pride was my very first cruise and what got me hooked. The ease of getting around on the Spirit class cannot be beat. The ability to walk front to back without having to go up, down and around is fabulous. Also, the Serenity is my favorite on that class. It's Aft, you have a great view of the wake and don't have the crazy wind you get on the ships with Serenity in the front. Plus a pool!

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I have been on 14 Carnival Cruise's of those June 25 will be the sixth time on the Pride. As you can tell by that we like it very much! Probably our favorite ship. It's between the Carnival Pride in the Carnival Breeze for our favorite, however leaning towards the Pride!

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Just off the Miracle for at least the 6th time.

Easy deck plan. Can walk fore to aft on every deck. Only one MDR, galley is on the first floor. French Door Interiors are the (no longer) best kept secret.

 

We will miss the Miracle when she repos to Tampa.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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This October will make the 6th time on the Pride for us. The awesome crew, Alchemy Bar, Guys Burgers, and only 2 hours away from home keep us coming back. Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay are amazing ports too!

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The Spirit Class is our favorite by far! 10 of our 43 Carnival cruises have been on Spirit Class ships. They are the perfect size, with an awesome layout, and they never feel crowded. :cool:

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We have been on the Pride 6 times and we love it. The layout makes for easy walking, we love the layout. The ship is clean and well maintained. Great staff as most CCL ships have. We live in NE PA with a 3hr drive to Baltimore without dealing with the airport and airlines. Parking is great only $105 for the week and you are steps away from the ship.

 

You should try the Pride, I think you will enjoy the cruise.

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As you can see from my signature I've primarily been on Dream Class ships. I have been on one Conquest Class.

 

I liked the Liberty but much preferred the Dream, Magic & Breeze.

 

Baltimore is only a 6hr drive from me so I am considering it for a future cruise but I worry I may not like the Pride. What are your thoughts on it and/or other Spirit Class Ships?

 

First time we went on the Pride was this February for 14 nights. We did not know what to expect. We always go with open minds and enthusiasm.....hey we are on a cruise...what could be better!;)

 

My first reaction was oh wow....where am I? In a highly decorated, ornate italianate renaissance castle? I was actually very amused. The Pride "grew" on me as I got to know her better and I totally understand why many Pride lovers LOVE the ship. I may not be a Pride fanatic, but I liked it a lot, I think the crew was fantastic, the service was excellent, no food complaints, met many nice people...no snobs with shiney pins flaunting their status! LOL!

 

And we did book another cruise on her and I believe we will do more if an itinerary we like comes up.

You have to go and experience it yourself.

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We've debated for some time about booking a cruise on the Pride. Baltimore is approximately a 6 1/2 hr. drive for us, which would mean no hassles with flying (yay!). We're not hesitant about cruising on the Pride. It's just that the itineraries offered don't exactly "wow" us. I realize that because Baltimore is farther away from the Caribbean than the Florida ports, it takes a little longer to get there (and back), so that means fewer ports and more time at sea. Even with only three ports on a 7 day cruise, I wish Carnival was able to offer more of a variety of itineraries. But I suppose we should book a cruise on the Pride at least once, just so we can see why everyone seems to like the ship.

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