Pride out of Baltimore

[tazz66]

We are sailing on the Pride in January . Our first Carnival cruise, and we CANNOT wait!! GREAT price, convenient departure port, and for goodness sakes, IT IS A CRUISE!! It will be what we make of it, and we plan on making it a terrific one! We have sailed several times with Disney, RCCL and Costa, and have no doubt this will be just as good of an experience. We r prepared for cold weather. Just pretend it is an Alaskan cruise with a pit stop at an island..;)

[Giulia]

Just pretend it is an Alaskan cruise with a pit stop at an island..;)

 

We leave on the Pride next Sunday (12/19) and we have said many times it will be like crusing to Alaska - I love the part you added about the pit stop at the island!

 

Looking forward to lots of sleeping in after late nights having drinks without being the designated driver. We won't feel we'll be missing the sunshine or rushing to get a chair near the pool in the early morning. We have a bunch of new books to read, bringing the DVD player with movies we never have time to watch, and just bought some new games to play. Add someone to cook for me, make my bed, put up the Christmas decorations, etc. - ah, life is good! At least one week of it will be! I do believe in Santa, I do believe in Santa....;) Now if I could only win SOMETHING in the casino.:cool:

[madgally]

We have a cruise on the Pride out of Baltimore booked for February. If all the reviews from this website are correct I must be an idiot to go on this cruise. Any thoughts!!!

 

 

I'm taking the Pride Winter Break Feb, 20th. I think I'm dumb for booking it too. I figure in Florida we can go to Kennedy Space center (not through Carnival - will cost us less then half to do it on our own). Shopping in Nassau (too cold for the beaches). After Dinner we plan to go out again and see if there is any fun nightlife (not expecting it though). Freeport I hear is boring in the winter and nothing to do. It's a short stay in Freeport could sleep through it so not worried.

 

I booked this mostly because I had what they call a free cruise but it was only for Steerage, inner rooms on level one or two. I upgraded to a OS like we normally take and it's cheaper then any other trip we could take (not cruises anywhere we would want to go would cost more then this). I won't fly to florida again for a Carnival Cruise, the only ship out of NY is the grand-daughter of the Pride the Miracle and we did that already - it was fine but don't want to do it again.

 

The other stuff is the same really, we don't sit in the sun for hours on a cruise unless in port. They have an indoor pool. We have a balcony we can sit on - I sit out all year around at home in NY so on the ship will not be an issue - we have a heater for outside that they will let on, they will have no clue it's a heater.

 

The kids love running around with their friends and they will be fine. Me and my guy can make our own fun. We were planning on going with friends but due to the Splendor and the 4.5 hour drive in addition to the negative reviews for the Pride in the winter we can't get anyone to come with us. Prices are dropping and airfare from NY to Florida for that week is about $800, I bet at least one family will change their minds.

 

 

I think it will be ok, it is probably our last Carnival Trip though, the quality is getting too low for me personally. Others may love it and I respect it. We have been on many other lines and would rather pay for the better service, food, etc..... I would prefer if Carnival would increase their prices and keep the quality the same. I understand that I'm not the Carnival's typical customer so I might not be the norm.

 

I'm going to make the best of it though. It should be great with lots of kids on the 20th. I'm sure we will leave with a bunch of new friends.

 

Our last Carnival trip on the Freedom this summer sucked, but I was sick, and my daughter got hurt (no fault of Carnival). I have high requards for their medical center. We did have a ship with like 70% repeat customers and lots of complaints. So the lower quality was always coming up. Hopefuly people on the Pride will know what to expect and not complain alot.

[falkcor]

don't worry about the negative reviews of the pride, in my opinion...

 

our cruise on the pride was pretty great... if you're worried about bad reviews, here's my - i'd say largely positive (short of a very few minor things, mostly toward the beginning) - review:

 

Carnival PRIDE - Canaveral, Nassau, Freeport - Review, Capers, Food and LOTS of PICS!

 

the itinerary is not my favorite. no doubt. for those planning KSC on your own - i covered that in the review - do it on your own! spaceport transport for transportation.

 

in nassau i covered the walking tour and atlantis.

 

in freeport - in warmer months, recommend paradise cove. for those that say the freeport stop is short, so short in fact, that you could sleep through it - agreed. i did! really is a short amount of time. but my group enjoyed it, and i did post some of the snorkeling pics (amazing!) in the review too.

 

but the ship itself is great. spirit class is a perennial favorite around here for good reason. cd kirk - he'll still be on the ship for a while, and he's great. other staff similarly stellar for the most part on my sailing. the ship's not too big, not too small - just right :cool:

 

i wouldn't hesitate to book again in a minute :)

[scgirlatheart]

We had a great time on the Pride last week (Nov. 28-Dec. 5). This was our 1st time out of Baltimore. We normally leave from Florida, but the rates were so good and no airport hassles, since we live less than an hour away, it was easy.

 

For us, it was a bit cool for swimming, even in the Bahamas, but it was nice to just get away from everything for awhile. We liked the food, although we're not foodies, in Normandie, found the service to be excellent in most cases, and always enjoyed the entertainment each evening in the Taj Mahal.

 

Some caveats: We purchased the pricey "Atlantic Aquaventure" package, but wouldn't do it again in December - too cool. We've been to Disney, etc., too many times, so at Port Canaveral, we took a FREE shuttle over to the Ron Jon shop and just looked around a bit and walked over to the beach for a few minutes.

 

At Freeport, took a taxi ($5/person each way) over to the Port Lucuya area and back. Bought a few things at the straw market.

 

Overall, had an good time. For us it was a low-key, laid back trip, which was what we wanted. You'll enjoy it!

 

hillbilly1

 

The other posts I have read have said that the shuttle costs about $15 to go to Cocoa Beach, is this true that there is a free shuttle?

[rockabutzer]

The other posts I have read have said that the shuttle costs about $15 to go to Cocoa Beach, is this true that there is a free shuttle?

 

 

If you take the shuttle from port through Carnival, it's $15.00. Click on the excursions tab for your particular cruise and it will give the details.

 

I took the time to go to the website and copied the info for you. Here is what it says:

 

Ron Jon Cocoa Beach Shuttle

 

Take a ride into Cocoa Beach – home of I Dream of Jeannie and the “Surfing Capital of the World”.

 

* Here, you can enjoy the beach or walk to area restaurants, bars and shops.

* The shuttle will drop you off a few yards from the beach, directly behind the world famous Ron Jon Surf Shop.

* No visit to Cocoa Beach is complete without a stop to this local landmark.

* The 52,000 square foot Ron Jon complex offers you everything under the sun and a 15 % discount card.

 

Note: This is a transportation transfer only. The shuttle runs continuously departing the pier every hour.

 

Restrooms and showers are conveniently located at the drop off/pick-up location.

 

Wheelchair accessible transportation can be provided for this tour, but it is not guaranteed and must be requested prior to ship’s arrival via the Shore Excursions Desk.

[Kerryman50]

We will be on the Pride sailing on Jan. 30th. Can't wait, any cruise is better than being home in Philly working in January. Of course I would prefer 80 degree, sunny weather, but I am really just looking forward to getting away. Just wondering what others have packed sailing at this time since the weather is unpredictable. I am usually cold on the ship at night due to the air conditioning, is it even colder, or would you be ok with a sweater at night. Any chance of tanning on the pool deck, or should I leave the bathing suits at home? Thanks for any advice and any other cruisers on this sailing, see you in 48 days!!!

Join us on our roll call for the Jan 30th cruise. Here's the link.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1241076&page=24

[Duckie26]

I loved my time on the Pride last year... so much that we are going again this February. Now mind you... it WAS my first cruise so I had nothing to compare it too but I had an awesome time.

 

A link to my review of the Pride can be found in my signature line if you are interested in reading it.

[nancydee]

This is not the first time heard there is a FREE shuttle to Cocoa Beach.

If anyone has more info on this, please let me know!

TIA

[Upper Decker]

We're going on the Pride in mid-January. Even if it's cold on the first couple and last couple days, it's still a vacation, and it's an all-inclusive vacation that we got for a song! I think people are more compelled to write bad reviews when they had a mediocre time than write sparkling reviews for great times. Don't let people get you down, especially since there's a pretty big silver lining surrounding all of this -- you're relaxing for a week.

 

I'm going into it knowing it will be cold, packing a few hoodies and my Uggs for colder days at sea, but keeping in mind that all of that can come off as soon as the temperature rises. Like others have mentioned, it truly is the best time of the year to be someplace tropical on this side of the equator. Also, I'm thrilled that I don't have to get on a plane or bother with handsy TSA officers as we live about 20 minutes away from the port. Try to see the positive in things and don't let negative reviews make up your mind for you before you even step foot on the ship.

[MSBfan]

We will be in cabin 6232 in January. We'll be wrapped up in robes and blankets on balcony too. I'll have 2 teenagers with us and they are so excited about the size of the balcony. Have a great time on your cruise !!

 

 

I will have this room in June...please post lots of pics...the balcony was the selling point for this cruise.

[scgirlatheart]

If you take the shuttle from port through Carnival, it's $15.00. Click on the excursions tab for your particular cruise and it will give the details.

 

I took the time to go to the website and copied the info for you. Here is what it says:

 

Ron Jon Cocoa Beach Shuttle

 

Take a ride into Cocoa Beach – home of I Dream of Jeannie and the “Surfing Capital of the World”.

 

* Here, you can enjoy the beach or walk to area restaurants, bars and shops.

* The shuttle will drop you off a few yards from the beach, directly behind the world famous Ron Jon Surf Shop.

* No visit to Cocoa Beach is complete without a stop to this local landmark.

* The 52,000 square foot Ron Jon complex offers you everything under the sun and a 15 % discount card.

 

Note: This is a transportation transfer only. The shuttle runs continuously departing the pier every hour.

 

Restrooms and showers are conveniently located at the drop off/pick-up location.

 

Wheelchair accessible transportation can be provided for this tour, but it is not guaranteed and must be requested prior to ship’s arrival via the Shore Excursions Desk.

 

I saw this information too, but what I wanted to know is there actually a free shuttle bus? Anybody know anything about this?

[bethm214]

I will be on the Pride on January 23, 2011, so I am kind of interested in the answers.

I live in Indiana, so at least I will be warm when I get to the ship, as I will have my winter coat still on.

Me, as long as Room Service still works, and I can be waited on, I will be as happy as a clam.

Melanie

 

Melanie,

I sail tomorrow on the Pride, but I feel EXACTLY like you do - as long as there is room service and cabin service - I am on VACATION! The best type of vacation! I simply cannot wait!!!