~ * * Everything About the Pride * * ~

[Room Service!]

We did a park and cruise last Feb on our Pride cruise. I booked it through the web site stay123 dot com. The site also lists fly and park offers. You may have to call the hotel to make sure your rate would include both shuttles.

 

The hotel we booked was the Comfort Inn BWI airport, right next to a Sleep Inn (also listed on the park and cruise site). The price was reasonable, included a shuttle for all of us (two families of 4). The only problem was the wait for the shuttle to take us to the cruise. The shuttle was shared between the two hotels. You are supposed to be totally ready and in the lobby before you sign up for the shuttle. We had a lot of people get there before us since we were getting our group of 8 together. So our wait was about an hour for the shuttle. Our fault for not being ready earlier.

 

The shuttle ride wasn't too far. I especially didn't mind since we didn't have to pay for parking:). The wait didn't cause an issue in the end, since we had plenty of time to sit in the terminal before they let us all board.

 

They were right there to pick us up after the cruise, which was great. No waiting for them to show.

 

I did a lot of research to look into the areas for the hotels. So I would suggest doing that before you book. Baltimore has some areas that you might not want to leave your car. IMHO

 

New York has no "areas where you might not want to leave your car"?:rolleyes:

[Sandpiper10]

What an amazing thread!!!!

[gregorys_6]

I've been on the Pride a number of times and one of my favorite things is afternoon tea time on sea days. It's usually served on upper level of the MDR and you can catch the exact time in your daily Fun Times. Casual dress is permitted and you will see everything from shorts and tee shirts to little girls in their little sun dresses. Last time I had tea there was a mother and two little girls about 6 and 7 and all 3 wore tiaras and boas. So cute. Everyone gets a pot of hot water and there is a nice selection of tea bags. Of course the usual cream and sugar are on the tables. Tea sandwiches are served as well as delicious scones with cream filling, fruit tarts, chocolate desserts,etc. Really good. Piano music playing. Very relaxing and a lot of fun.

Another hint about the Pride - when booking obstructed cabins, I believe some of the life boats are taller and therefore are more obstructed view than others. I'm sure someone here on CC whose more knowledgable about this than me can tell you which are which, or you can check on the "cabin selection" board. I love this ship and hope you will too.

 

Nice! I had made reservations for my wife and girls to do tea at one of the Disney resorts while we were there for vacation, but had to cancel it due to weather. This will be a great way for them to finally have their "tea time"! Thanks for the info.

[Silent Penguin]

While there are tables for two, chances are you will be seated at a table with others and you'll be at that table with same waitstaff and fellow diners every night. If this is a problem you can go to the MDR, find your assigned table and if it's not what you want, you can request a table for two after boarding. (time for doing this is listed in Fun Times that will be in your room 1st day.) They will take your request and let you know by noon 2nd day and ask that you go to assigned table the 1st night.When we did reg. dining before " Anytime Dining" was an option, we would sometimes request a table for two when we booked our cruise and usually got it. If you know you want a table for two you can put in a request now throught travel agent or Carnival PVP. Depending on who I was traveling with I've also met some very interesting fun people at traditional dining with others. We use ATD so we can decide night by night if we want to sit alone or if we want to sit with a group. Hope you have a great vacation.

 

 

Thanks! That's everything I needed to know. :) Our last cruise was the only one we've taken that wasn't a Disney cruise. With DCL, you only have assigned dining (or at least that was the case the last time we cruised with them). Of course, you can arrange that you are not arranged with strangers, but we never did that. On our first cruise, we got "luck of the draw" and we drew a high card. On subsequent Disney cruises we arranged to be tablemates with a couple families from our roll call.

 

The last cruise we were on was with NCL and we experienced ATD. That did not go so well. By arriving to dinner on the early side, we never had to wait for a table, but we did have to wait at least 15-20 minutes before the waiter would show up and what seemed like eons to be served each course. Forget about refills on drinks. On one occasion, forget about drinks all together. When a waiter, on any given night, did attend to us, he was tense and hurried. It seemed like all the wait staff was like that. Maybe, the dining room was short-staffed that sailing and it had nothing to do with ATD v assigned.

[Herbaltees]

we are on the Pride in September also....what week?

 

The sailing which leaves on the 23rd! When are you sailing?

[Silent Penguin]

Is anyone sailing on the 9th of September? Please don't suggest lookiing for the roll call. There is a roll call-I've read it-but it's small and consists of people who know each other and just talk about partying together most of the time. I'll leave them to themselves.

[Scrapenthusiast]

Is anyone sailing on the 9th of September? Please don't suggest lookiing for the roll call. There is a roll call-I've read it-but it's small and consists of people who know each other and just talk about partying together most of the time. I'll leave them to themselves.

 

Nevermind...I thought you said 12/9 not 9/9...my mistake.

[#33s Mom]

Hi Silent Penguin,

We are also sailing on the Pride on 9/9. I feel the same way about the roll call. It's too bad. On many of our cruises, we have built great comraderie on the roll call. We have 12 people traveling together. Looking forward to the cruise!

[Silent Penguin]

Hi Silent Penguin,

We are also sailing on the Pride on 9/9. I feel the same way about the roll call. It's too bad. On many of our cruises, we have built great comraderie on the roll call. We have 12 people traveling together. Looking forward to the cruise!

 

 

Wow, finally, someone else who is also sailing on the 9th and feels the same way about the roll call. Maybe, there are others out there just like us! I have contemplated trying to figure out a way to start a second roll call without seeming stuck up.

[bluehenfan]

Thanks! That's everything I needed to know. :) Our last cruise was the only one we've taken that wasn't a Disney cruise. With DCL, you only have assigned dining (or at least that was the case the last time we cruised with them). Of course, you can arrange that you are not arranged with strangers, but we never did that. On our first cruise, we got "luck of the draw" and we drew a high card. On subsequent Disney cruises we arranged to be tablemates with a couple families from our roll call.

 

The last cruise we were on was with NCL and we experienced ATD. That did not go so well. By arriving to dinner on the early side, we never had to wait for a table, but we did have to wait at least 15-20 minutes before the waiter would show up and what seemed like eons to be served each course. Forget about refills on drinks. On one occasion, forget about drinks all together. When a waiter, on any given night, did attend to us, he was tense and hurried. It seemed like all the wait staff was like that. Maybe, the dining room was short-staffed that sailing and it had nothing to do with ATD v assigned.

 

I've been on many cruises with DCL - until my DGrD kind of out grew MM and I wanted a ship with a casino. I loved the rotating dining rooms but wasn't wild about the food. I like CCL food better. I almost booked my upcoming Sept. cruise on Disney just to try a cruise on their newest ship, but I love the Pride because it's only about 30 or 40 mins. from home. It's just the right size and has a very friendly staff. Sept is the prefect time to cruise in MHO. Enjoy your cruise !!!

[Jim&JaneFromWV]

GREAT pictures, thank you for sharing...

 

We're sailing on the Pride in July. Thanks for posting the great photos.

[Ships R Great]

We're sailing on the Pride in July. Thanks for posting the great photos.

 

We are on the Pride in July (the 8th) with our DD and 3 GrdChildren.

 

Can anyone tell me---can you have the divider taken down between two balconies? I surely hope we can.

[Councillady]

You all should start your own roll call. Very simple on Cruisecritic!;)

[AnnaNUJanae]

Thanks, she does not need me right there, I just like to be able to watch her. I also always hate to see kids misbehaving and unsupervised so I worry what other adults would think when they see a child (she will be almost 9 at the time) unsupervised. yeah I care too much about what other people think.....

 

On our last cruise, I relaxed in a chair and let my then 8-year-old use the pools, hot tubs, and other areas unsupervised. I think at that age, they're hopefully mature and well enough behaved that it isn't an issue. Sometimes, there are younger kids (3-5-year-olds) running around on their own that could probably benefit from more supervision. Once kids turn 9, they're permitted to sign themselves in and out of Camp Carnival activities without a parent, so the assumption is that they will be permitted to roam the ship unsupervised. My daughter and I just designate a meet-up place, but sometimes I just want to sit and read while she wants to swim or play volleyball with other kids or do other things. I don't think anyone is going to have an issue with your kid being unsupervised unless your kid is really unruly.

[AnnaNUJanae]

We will be setting sail on November 18, for Thanksgiving. We have never sailed out of Baltimore, but with the prices of airfare lately, I figured it was worth the money I saved to just sail out of Baltimore, since we're right down the road in DC.

[Andie272]

On our last cruise, I relaxed in a chair and let my then 8-year-old use the pools, hot tubs, and other areas unsupervised. I think at that age, they're hopefully mature and well enough behaved that it isn't an issue. Sometimes, there are younger kids (3-5-year-olds) running around on their own that could probably benefit from more supervision. Once kids turn 9, they're permitted to sign themselves in and out of Camp Carnival activities without a parent, so the assumption is that they will be permitted to roam the ship unsupervised. My daughter and I just designate a meet-up place, but sometimes I just want to sit and read while she wants to swim or play volleyball with other kids or do other things. I don't think anyone is going to have an issue with your kid being unsupervised unless your kid is really unruly.

 

Thank you, she is not unruly. It is comforting to know that others do this as well.

[AnnaNUJanae]

Awesome thank you! Do you by any chance have the new Camp Carnival schedule?

 

When you go to the orientation, they will give you a schedule of all the activities for the week. They differ for each ship. There is a different schedule for each age group (2-5; 6-8; 9-11; 12-14; & 15-17). They are really strict about age groups, unless you have a birthday on the ship. The activities my daughter most liked were learning a dance from the Carnival dancers and the scavenger hunt and talent show. She wasn't particularly interested in the other activities, so she spent most of her last cruise in the pool or on the sports deck. There are a variety of activities. Last time, my daughter was 8, so she was on the older end of the age range, so she wasn't as interested in the activities, but she saw a lot of activities for the 9-11-year-old group that interested her (and this time she'll be old enough). Some kids seem to spend a lot of time there and some don't even stop by. Personally, they spend a lot of down time playing Wii and other activities, and they're on a lower deck, so that wasn't appealing, but their big activities are quite a lot of fun, like all ship scavenger hunts, capture the flag, sports, and dance activities. I think they have a little bit of something for everyone.

[AnnaNUJanae]

Thank you anyway.

 

I have a question, the Beauties Night club, seems like it would be a disco at night, a) is that correct and b) do you have to be over 18 to get in? The FunTimes don't say that you do, just not sure if it is not listed because it is assumed.

 

Thanks

 

I think it probably depends on the activity and the time. If it is age exclusive, it will specify. If not, anyone is permitted (although it will tend to only attract adults). My 8-year-old daughter always stays up for Thriller night when they have it on cruise ships, so she goes down to the night club to learn the Thriller dance (She's on a dance team and loves dancing). Then, she sticks around to dance because they play all Michael Jackson songs that night. She definitely wasn't prohibited and the Carnival dancers seemed to enjoy having a kid participate. I think it is definitely targeted toward adults in the evening. During the day, the Camp Carnival typically has a couple dance parties in the dance club during the week (at least on other Carnival ships), but then at night it is geared toward adults, but not exclusive. They explicitly state on the Fun Times guide whenever something is exclusive to a certain age group.

[AnnaNUJanae]

I absolutely love assigned dining! We've done late seating on two cruises on Carnival, Freestyle dining on NCL, and something similar to anytime on RCL (both seatings were full when we booked so we had no choice). I personally prefer the assigned dining because you get to know your waitstaff and if you're not at a table for two then your fellow diners. On our first cruise, we were at a table for 6 with two other couples. One of them ate one meal there and we never saw then again the other couple were hit and miss, it was a 4 night cruise and they ate dinner there 3 nights. It really is hit or miss, some people are very friendly and enjoyable to dine with and some are insufferable bores. I'm hoping we get assigned a couple that we get along with, wouldn't mind having someone to hang out with from time to time on board!

 

 

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I actually found that I loved Your Time Dining, because we got to sit with different couples at each meal and we got to talk to different waitstaff. Everyone came from different areas and had different backgrounds and I really appreciated that. Plus, we would run into people we had eaten with later on the ship and would chitchat. It definitely opened up the people we were exposed to. Plus, we weren't stuck with the same people/waitstaff if they were unpleasant. We enjoyed all our meals with the exception of one meal spent with two newlywed couples, which made my 8-year-old tremendously uncomfortable because they spent the entire meal discussing their weddings. I definitely enjoyed going on the ship to meet new people.

 

Also, even with the Your Time Dining, they clearly noted our preferences. The first night, they asked my daughter if she wanted a children's or adult menu and after that they always gave her an adult menu. They always automatically brought her skim milk with her dessert after she ordered it the first two nights. They clearly were noting our preferences somewhere, because we had a different waitstaff each night.

[reno3]

Cruised on the Pride a couple of weeks ago. Loved it :D

HMC :D

Grand Turk :D

Freeport:(

 

Looking at cruises for next April and because of the high cost of airfare I think we are going to cruise on the Pride again...

Port Canaveral, Nassua, Freeport

Not big on these ports :o Please tell me it will be OK!

[vacruizer]

Cruised on the Pride a couple of weeks ago. Loved it :D

HMC :D

Grand Turk :D

Freeport:(

 

Looking at cruises for next April and because of the high cost of airfare I think we are going to cruise on the Pride again...

Port Canaveral, Nassua, Freeport

Not big on these ports :o Please tell me it will be OK!

 

We are headed for #3 on that itinerary. It's become our "downtime" cruise where we can just relax and not worry about anything.

 

In Cape Canaveral, we've done the airboat tour in the past and are renting a car and hiking at Merritt Island and visiting Canaveral National Seashore next week. Nassau we might do some shopping but in the past have enjoyed and empty ship, pools with no one in them, and spa specials.

 

Freeport is fascinating to me to watch the tugs work the container ships in and out of the harbor but I may be odd in that respect. We also found really friendly shopkeepers at the little area at the port.

[ladytonya]

I'm on a cruise, I could usually care less what the ports are! Heck, I could spend 7 days just on the ship. We're doing the Canaveral/Nassau/Freeport itinerary on May 27 and have no clue what we're doing for shore excursions, we'll figure it out. I can't wait!

 

 

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[Scrapenthusiast]

I'm on a cruise, I could usually care less what the ports are! Heck, I could spend 7 days just on the ship. We're doing the Canaveral/Nassau/Freeport itinerary on May 27 and have no clue what we're doing for shore excursions, we'll figure it out. I can't wait!

 

 

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If you guys do any excursions that you end up really liking I'd love to hear about them. We're doing this same itinerary in Dec. :)

[Tuffy1129]

We leave 6-24 and our roll callis basically non-existent. Such a shame because I have always enjoyed getting to meet other people before the trip. Last year we were on a cruise where there were over 100 at our M & M. The more people who sign up the better the prizes the ship gives away!!!

[reno3]

Thank you to all. I have not decided yet but because of airfare prices I am really leaning toward this cruise. Those that are cruising please come back and let us know what excursions you did and how you liked the itinerary.