Which Pride Bahamas itinerary?

[Name Of The Game]

After going round and round about which cruise to pick for the fall we booked the Pride out of Baltimore because we found reasonable airfare while flights to Florida are very expensive now. We booked the Pride leaving Sept 11 because at the time Southwest did not have rates published for October and we were afraid of rates going up. The itinerary with this one includes Half Moon Cay which everyone raves about (and I do love the beach) and half days at Nassau and Grand Turk.

 

Southwest just came out with flights for October and they're exactly the same as September. We could switch and sail the Pride on October 16 with an itinerary that includes Freeport, a full day at Nassau, and a full day at Port Canaveral. Switching to this date and itinerary would save $180 (and yes that even includes the $100 ES penalty we would have to pay). On the other hand Half Moon Cay would be a "free" day while Port Canaveral would eat up $200 if we went to Epcot for example. However we haven't been to Epcot in over 15 years and this would be our chance.

 

Will it be that much colder sailing to/from Baltimore five weeks later in October? Which itinerary would you prefer? Any thoughts/advice welcome!

[Bunkie103]

I would certainly pick the one with Grand Turk and HMC over Freeport. JMHO

[chach123]

Definitely HMC

[milton333]

Loved Half Moon Cay.

[bguppies]

Any intinerary with the words "Half Moon Cay" book it.

Especially if you love a good beach day.

 

Freeport and Port Canaveral for Grand Turk and HMC is a no brainer.

 

I can't imagine you get 1 person to choose Nassau, Freeport, Port Canaveral.

 

Bill

[Martini Mom]

What time of year should be avoided if you want to have the best odds of tendering in HMC? I've heard they skip it if the water is too rough.

[MamaParrotHead]

HMC is gorgeous and definately lives up to all the hype around here. Grand Turk is another beach day, Nassau is also a place where some fun can be had.

 

I'd rather not hit two ports in the same country, like Nassau and Freeport. Plus I've not heard great things about Freeport. And to me, the Mouse is highly overrated.

[Name Of The Game]

I've outgrown the mouse (I think :D) but we always loved Epcot although it's not the same without Horizons and World of Motion.

 

Can anyone comment on a big temperature difference in Baltimore in September compared to October? We never want to bring jackets along on a cruise and I like the pool and slide so maybe September is better...

[summrrayne]

Can anyone comment on a big temperature difference in Baltimore in September compared to October? We never want to bring jackets along on a cruise and I like the pool and slide so maybe September is better...

 

Being from Maryland I can tell you that there can be a pretty big difference between September and October. September can still have summer like temperatures. October can be a mix of summer and fall. It's hard to predict, but if you pick October I would definitely take at least a light jacket. :-)

[CapsR1]

Hi, we were on the Pride in early summer 2009 and had the HMC itinerary which I highly recommend. However, they stopped in Freeport back then instead of Nassau (which I love) and as practically everyone else has said, Freeport is not a fabulous port.

 

The temperatures can drop substantially in Baltimore from early September to mid October. You would probably enjoy the more moderate temperatures of the early fall as opposed to the late fall.

 

All that being said, we are sailing the Pride again at the end of May doing the PC, Freeport, Nassau itinerary. We ended up choosing this itinerary because we got a great deal and it was much less money that the HMC summer schedule.

 

Have a great time, the Pride is a beautiful ship and sailing out of Baltimore is very nice!

[Kaboochi]

We sailed Pride out of Baltimore last April. We loved everything about the ship, but the Port Canaveral/Bahamas run was just ok. Unless you go to the Space Center there is really nothing to do in Canaveral. They have a free shuttle that goes to Cocoa Beach/Walmart. We did that and except for getting water and soda at Walmart, it was not a picture perfect cruise port. Disney is way too far away and once you get there the lines are so long at that time of day that it is not worth it (in my opinion). Go with the Grand Turk itinerary. I wish that was available last April. Again, you will love the Pride. We are sailing the sister ship Legend in April and I can't wait. I hope this info helps.

[Irishlinny]

Definitely the HMC itinerary. Despite your love for the Mouse, you simply won't have enough time for it to be worth it (do a Disney trip sometime if you want). And Freeport...eh.

Weather will be warmer in Sept, most likely...Oct starts to get touchy. Of course you're not in port long, though. Since both cruises are in pretty active hurricane season, I don't see a big difference there either.

[Room Service!]

We always cruise from B'more mid/late October. There will be a difference in temps., but normally not major. We've left B'more in shorts before. The 2nd day out will be quite comfortable (normally).

[Name Of The Game]

That's what I was afraid of that while September could likely be still quite warm in Baltimore, October might be 20 degrees cooler. Same in Cleveland. We will stick with our plan leaving in September to visit HMC. Thanks for all the comments.

[golfadj]

With any luck I can go on lots more cruises and never have to go back to Freeport.

[Name Of The Game]

I read that Our Lucaya was a nice beach...