Mini Review of Pride 2/28- including alcohol smuggling :)

[plow78]

Sailed on the Pride 2/28. Embarkation was a breeze arrived at port at 1:00 and was on the ship by 135. Carry-ons -I had 3 LARGE bottles of water from wawa and a BIG bottle of wine in my carry –on got thru with NO problem. My wife carried on 2 regular size bottles of wine with no problem.We went to the sports bar to hang out and waych the Olympics. We were originally told the rooms would not be ready till 230 but they made an announcement we could go to our rooms at 2:00. No More CAPERS it is now called the FUN TIMES. Luggage arrived shortly there after with 24 Plastic bottles of Miller Lite in there J. We left port at 5:00 after the muster drill. It is tough being at sea for 2 days (M,T) because it was not warm enough to go out side. Seas were ok going down we actually arrived in Port Canaveral Tuesday night at 10:00 because of a medical emergency on board. PC was ok nothing much going on there, we took the NON carnival shuttle to Ron Jon and Coco Beach it was 10 bucks round trip. Funny thing was several crewmembers took this shuttle to go to Wal-Mart and the mall. PC was cloudy and chilly. The next day in Nassau we went to BLUE LAGOON (Dolphin encounters) a 30-minute boat ride to the island. This excursion was through the ship because that is the only way you can do a beach day there on Thursdays. They are normally closed on Thursdays and Sundays. But have a deal set up with Carnival to have beach days on the two “closed days” . It is much cheaper to do the private excersion to blue lagoon , but we had no choice This place was awesome. Beer and drinks were a bit expensive but it was an incredible place. Nice beach with clear water, lots of snorkeling and water activities. And you can also swim with or just get close to take pictures with Dolphins, sea lions and a sea turtle. The dolphins are awesome and put on a show as soon as people show up on the decks to see them. Lunch was good cheeseburger, fries and punch. The ride back they give you a harbor tour and point out several celebs homes, (tiger woods, Opera, etc) We got back in time to walk around Nassau and look in the stores before getting on the ship. Friday we were in Freeport. We did the deadmans reef/ paradise cove. (Non-carnival excursion) We got off the ship and went to the hut that said paradise cove and we were 2 of 5 people going. There van picked up promptly at 9am and my wife was wondering what the hell I booked because no one was going with us. The driver was great gave us an education of the island. The drive there is about 20 minutes and it is thru the very poor and dirty part of the island, which even made my wife more curious what I got us into. When we got the paradise cove she said WOW this place is awesome. $35.00 got us transportation to and from the cove, a free rum punch drink, which was awesome, and a beach lounge chair. Snorkeling gear, kayaks, wet suits were available for a very reasonable fee. We spent a great day on the beach where we found many shells and sand dollars. The driver was very prompt in coming to the beach to get us at noon to have us back by 1230. We arrived back at 1230 and were able to walk around the straw market before getting on the ship. The shows were great. Zoe and Matt the 2 singers are incredible the dance team is also great. The comedy shows were also good especially Al Ernst. The cruise director Jamie and assistant Cruise director Will are great and are always keeping you entertained . They gave away many more free thing (at shows, games etc) on this ship than our past cruise on the legend. Our room steward Bosco was great we never really saw him but our room was always made when we got back. We had Any Time Dining and had Jose Carlos 5 nights in the dining room he was also great and could almost predict what I wanted after the first 2 nights. . The crew is very friendly overall. I would cruise out of Baltimore again but not unless it was summer, it was too many sea days for cold weather.

If I were to go back to Freeport and Nassau I would not hesitate to go to deadmans reef/paradise cover (Freeport) and Blue Lagoon (Nassau ) again . YOU SHOULD NOT MISS EITHER OF THESE 2 PLACES, YOU WILL BE SORRY.

[TrinaLC]

Thanks for the great information. We are heading out beginning of April, so will put it to good use!

[gram2trips]

Thanks Plow 78. Looks like u are a Penn State fan. Pitt fan here! ;) Have this cruise booked for Oct 3, 2010, hope it is not too cold then. I was debating between Blue Lagoon or Atlantis dolphin encounters. Info appreciated.

[LBumb]

congrats on your packing accomplishments

[DBBJR87]

congrats on the beer, and thanks for the info

[read52]

Thanks for the great information. We are heading out beginning of April, so will put it to good use!

 

I noticed that you are going out on April 4th. We have a group already chatting about that date on the other board. Join us.

[Grannycb]

Thanks for the great mini review. We have the same excursion planned in Freeport. Glad you gave a heads up on the dirt road. I'll let the family know so they won't worry.

[broadwaystar32]

Thanks for your review! I will be on the Pride on 5/16. I'm planning to reserve my trip to Paradise Cove sometime next week! It sounds great, I have heard such good things, and as of right now the small amount of people there is a huge plus as well. Quick question: is there a place at Paradise Cove to stash your stuff while you're in the water? If I've got to bring my wallet, camera, etc., with me, I was just curious if there was a place to keep them safe.

 

One other question as well. I absolutely love trivia - when I spent a semester in England I was a pub quiz every week. I'm excited for some trivia on the boat. However, it's just my boyfriend and me traveling, so I was wondering if most people have groups for trivia contests that are significantly bigger, and if so, are there usually people looking to team up? I'd like to think we're pretty smart, but the two of us might not be able to compete with big groups of trivia players!

[TrinaLC]

I noticed that you are going out on April 4th. We have a group already chatting about that date on the other board. Join us.

 

Thanks, DH (hartchappaqua) is an active participant!