Pride Review (and Random thoughts) Nov 21-28

[trbr81]

just booked for june 19th...graduation present for our son...first time out of baltimore but the itinerary is perfect...we love half moon cay and grand turk...cant rember much about freeport, i heard its industrial...anything else u can tell us about that port?

 

Freeport is an Industrial port - my parents went on a tour of the island and said it was a waste of time - go to Paradise Cove they give you a nice little tour on the way to the beach and give you the history of the island - one of the best excursions we have went on

[Cookiesbykk]

Although the area near the port in Freeport is industrial, the beach area at Lucaya is nice. And the beach was the best of the 3 ports we were at. I was thinking about booking with Barry for Paradise Cove but then i thought if the water was too cold for my wimpy swimmers, it would be a waste. I have heard he does a great job though and I'm glad you had a good experience.

 

Philhower005 -Our itinerary looks to be different than what you'll have in June, as we hit Canaveral and Nassau rather than Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk.

[serene56]

 

I wish I had 20 of the Carnival Funnel hats that my youngest had from our last cruise - I could of sold every one

 

I guess the Pride does not carry the hats?

 

what about the monkey cup? or the Fantail cup?

[serene56]

Is the adult-only aft pool CLEARLY identified as Adults Only ?

 

Also, is that area ALSO ID'd as the SERENITY section?

 

Our second Pride cruise coming up in January ! Thanks !

 

 

Is the aft section the only section that has the enclosed roof for colder weather?

[JTS1992]

Do you have an email for Barry at Paradise Cove? Can't seem to find one. Thanks....

[Cookiesbykk]

Is the aft section the only section that has the enclosed roof for colder weather?

 

Actually the mid ship pool on the lido deck is the one with the retractable roof. It was partially open the first day, completely open the next 5 days and completely closed when we left Freeport.

 

Also...to answer your other question...there were indeed Monkey cups and fantail cups on board!

[Cookiesbykk]

Do you have an email for Barry at Paradise Cove? Can't seem to find one. Thanks....

 

His website is www.deadmansreef.com .

You can contact him through his site, plus it gives a ton of information on activities, prices etc...

[rbird]

Agree - Paridise Cove is good. Husband and son came back and said they had a great time.

 

Carnival cancelled their snorkel tour ON the Pier at 9am. No advance notice....:mad: I was up on deck at 7:30 and it was windy then....wish they would have notified pax sooner.

[Cookiesbykk]

Agree - Paridise Cove is good. Husband and son came back and said they had a great time.

 

Carnival cancelled their snorkel tour ON the Pier at 9am. No advance notice....:mad: I was up on deck at 7:30 and it was windy then....wish they would have notified pax sooner.

 

So did your husband and son contact Barry after learning the Carnival excursion was canceled?

[bythehex]

Thanks for the review, it's been a long time since I've been on the Pride, but I remember having a great time.

 

I'm sorry you listened to your TA about boarding time. If a ship is scheduled to depart around 4:30ish, I have always arrived at the pier around 10:30 and I'm usually on the ship by 11:30. (and after a dry dock I would expect to be on the ship even earlier!) I know the contract says differently, but it hasn't failed me yet, so remember that for the next time you sail with Carnival.

 

You guys are very lucky. I was on the Pride this past September and did like you, got to the port early. And then waited there until 1:30 when the began boarding. If they say 1:30 I would figure that for the most part, they mean 1:30 at the earliest. And if the ship returns late from the previous cruise, it could be even later than that. Our cruise got back to Baltimore late, we didn't get off the ship until 2:00 so I imagine the people who got to the port at 11:30 that morning had quite a wait before they could board!

[princessa]

Thanks for the great review and all the great info.

 

I will be sailing the Pride Dec.19/10.

 

I really am concerned about the boarding time. My boarding pass says between 1:30-3:30pm. I have been hearing a lot of people complaining about the wait to board the ship.

 

I wonder if it would be best to arrive late like 2:30 or 3pm instead of early and having to wait.

 

You were lucky IMHO because it was just after drydock so no wait for you.

 

I am concerned because we have 3 kids and you know how patient they are.

 

Any advice on this is appreciated.

[vacruizer]

You guys are very lucky. I was on the Pride this past September and did like you, got to the port early. And then waited there until 1:30 when the began boarding. If they say 1:30 I would figure that for the most part, they mean 1:30 at the earliest. And if the ship returns late from the previous cruise, it could be even later than that. Our cruise got back to Baltimore late, we didn't get off the ship until 2:00 so I imagine the people who got to the port at 11:30 that morning had quite a wait before they could board!

 

That's been my experience with the Pride as well. The Pride is a bit of the odd one for Carnival since docking time isn't until 9 or 10am and is scheduled this way due to the long trip up the bay. So unlike the Florida cruises where you can be onboard at 11am since the ship docked a 7am, the Pride is a bit later gettting started. One of my sailings boarding started around 1pm, the other I think it was closer to 2pm. We've been off the ship both cruises with regular debark around noon so I can completely see why boarding doesn't start until 1 or 2pm.

 

I actually really enjoy not docking until later in the morning. I've found it really relaxing to get up that last morning and not have to be up in the dark because debark starts at 7am on most ships. It's been nice to sleep in that last morning, then get up, ship is still moving slowly up the bay, go get some coffee, watch the scenery, take pics coming back under the two bridges - I loved it.

[trbr81]

If you get there at 3:00 - there is little to no line - you will be on the ship within 10-20 minutes of going in the terminal

[trbr81]

Do you have an email for Barry at Paradise Cove? Can't seem to find one. Thanks....

 

pcove@coralwave.com

[happycrabbers]

You were able to have your balcony dividers opened? Our PVP told us that you couldn't have them opened anymore. We were on the Pride this June and that was one of the things we liked most. I'm glad it's allowed again. Glad you had a good time.:)

[trbr81]

You were able to have your balcony dividers opened? Our PVP told us that you couldn't have them opened anymore. We were on the Pride this June and that was one of the things we liked most. I'm glad it's allowed again. Glad you had a good time.:)

 

yes we requested it soon as we got on and they opened it monday morning

[sjcruiser]

Great review, thanks for posting. I'm glad your family enjoyed themselves.

[Cookiesbykk]

I loved having the door open between the two cabins for several reasons.

First of all, it made the balcony nice and long with a nice wide doorway in between.

It also made it easier for me to get into my kids' cabin (and vice versa) instead of having to go out the front door and use my key or knock to get into their cabin (since our cabins weren't adjoining).

It also was handy when I could peek into their cabin at 1:30am and confirm that they hadn't come in yet! :o

 

I had asked around on this board a lot before our trip to see what protocol was for getting the balcony door opened since with other cruise lines we just had to ask our steward. I got good information here to simply go to guest services and it was taken care of the following morning.

[Cookiesbykk]

One thing i neglected to mention in the review but which really got to me was just how smokey the casino was. Kind of seems like you're captive in a relatively smallish area and if the person playing the slot machine next to you is a chain smoker, you're outta luck. Just wish they could devise a way to split the casino into smoking/non-smoking areas.

Just a thought.

[dontstayathome]

I am SO glad to hear that the dividers still can be opened!! We have 5 balcony cabins right in a row booked and after reading about the new "rule" of keeping them closed I contacted Carnival and our booking agent this week. They confirmed for me that they were no longer allowed to be opened for safety reasons!!! They said the change had happened in July 2010 a month AFTER we booked for a cruise for June 2011!!! The ONLY reason we all booked the balcony cabins in the first place was because we were GUARENTEED the dividers could be opened! I am to call back my agent on Monday and tell her our final decision about the cruise...had told her we may change our minds since we were GUARENTEED this option and then it was taken back (she also confirmed that we were GUARENTEED). We are on Verandah deck also....cabins 7267,7269,7271,7273 and 7275) Thanks for the GREAT news!!:D

[Cookiesbykk]

I am SO glad to hear that the dividers still can be opened!! We have 5 balcony cabins right in a row booked and after reading about the new "rule" of keeping them closed I contacted Carnival and our booking agent this week. They confirmed for me that they were no longer allowed to be opened for safety reasons!!! They said the change had happened in July 2010 a month AFTER we booked for a cruise for June 2011!!! The ONLY reason we all booked the balcony cabins in the first place was because we were GUARENTEED the dividers could be opened! I am to call back my agent on Monday and tell her our final decision about the cruise...had told her we may change our minds since we were GUARENTEED this option and then it was taken back (she also confirmed that we were GUARENTEED). We are on Verandah deck also....cabins 7267,7269,7271,7273 and 7275) Thanks for the GREAT news!!:D

 

I am excited for you!

Just remember the room steward cannot do this for you. You'll need to go to the guest services desk and someone from each cabin involved will have to sign a form indicating it's ok to open the door from their cabin. The next morning (it happened while we were at breakfast) someone came in and unlocked the doors...note they are bolted open to the railing and cannot be closed for any reason during the cruise once opened.

Sounds like there will be a party on the Verandah deck that week! We loved our location on the ship!

[dontstayathome]

Thank you so much for your response and your fabulous review! You have just made 15 people VERY happy!