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My Long, but brief, Pride Review

Mskala

By Mskala,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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Mskala

Mskala

Posted
Posted

Just off the Pride this morning and I must say, I love this ship. It was our third time on her and I enjoy it each time. We did the Grand Turk/Half Moon Cay/Freeport Itinerary.

 

Embarkation:

Very smooth. We arrived to the terminal around 12:30, dropped our luggage and checked in. We were aboard the Pride by about 1:30pm and headed to the Lido deck for a buffet lunch. We arrived to our room at 2:30 and had all three of our bags by 3pm!

:D:D

We departed Baltimore around 4:15 or so and enjoyed the sail away party and DOD of course. The rest of the day was just fun and relaxation as well as our first two sea days.

 

Food:

We ate breakfast and lunch on the Lido and dinner in the dining room (Normandie) every night with the exception of the night we went to David’s (Steakhouse). We found the buffet food to be quite enjoyable, much like food you would get at your local Applebee’s or something along those lines. There were plenty of choices each day with one of my favorites being the Jerk Chicken with rice and beans.

 

Of course, there is the 24 hour pizza place and they have “Late Night Snacks” until 1am which included the burgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken breast, chicken fingers and fries you can get from the Lido Grill during the day.

 

Dinner in the dining room was good. Our wait staff (Leo, Phoebe, and Ronald) wee fantastic and, being the gluttons we can be, were very eager to please. I think my dining room favorite was the prime rib.

 

Dinner at David’s was magnificent. I am a steak girl and I enjoyed the huge ribeye as well as my BF. We wanted to go back a second night but it wasn’t in the budget.

 

Port 1-Grand Turk:

Grand Turk was beautiful. We went to Margarittaville and did the Flow Rider excursion. Not as easy as the kids make it look but it was fun (even if the quickly moving water nearly took off my swimsuit bottoms. Sorry for mooning the onlookers!) We spent the rest of the day on the beach.

 

Port 2-Half Moon Cay

We waited a little before boarding the tender. We got right on with no line waiting. We chose to make Half Moon Cay a beach day knowing our plans for Freeport would keep us busy the next day. At Half Moon, they served lunch under the pavilion (burgers, hot dogs, fries, salads, and various deserts). After eating, we headed over to the beach to relax. There were plenty of bar staff wandering around offering drinks and photographers to take pictures. We headed back early to avoid the rush at the tender.

 

Port 3-Freeport

This is the port I was waiting for. While Freeport doesn’t have a lot to offer, we love the water sports at Lucaya Beach. We rented jet skis ($60 for 30minutes) and then went parasailing ($60 for about 20min in the air). We didn’t do any shopping but there were plenty of venders there. The two companies that ran the water sports activities on the beach were well aware of the ship’s time and hated that we left so early but the Ecstasy docked at the same time we did so hopefully they had a good day and made some money. The beach was not crowded at all and I actually felt bad for them for not having more business than they did.

 

On board, there were a variety of activities but they tended to slow down between 4 and 7 leaving nothing to do but relax, which we did!

 

They had the Quest Game, as usual. We also participated in a Win, Lose or Draw/Pictionary type of game, which my team would have easily one had our tie breaker NOT been a match of Rock-Paper-Scissors!

 

The casino was always a flurry of activity with people hovering around 2 of the newest machines: Tower of Cash during which you have to drop rings around a pole. The ring sizes get smaller and swing faster as time goes on. We didn’t stay to watch long but someone did win an iPad and $500 and someone else $1000. The other game is called the Casino Vault during which you attempt to unlock a prize by positioning a key in the corresponding key hole. Not as easy as it sounds. But, again, there were apparently a couple of big winners as prizes were dwindling throughout the week.

 

We did not take in any shows. They were the same as they have been our last two times on the ship and I really didn’t care to see them again. The comedians were also the same as last year…Percy Crews, John Caponera, Mike Macy, and Jim Brick. All funny but some need new material.

 

Debarkation was just as smooth and embarkation. We carried off our own luggage and were off the ship by 9:05 am and on our way home by 9:30. Weird thing though…if you leave your bags out for Carnival to handle, they get taken away and sniffed at by a customs dog, at the minimum. We did see one officer physically search a suspicious bag although we didn’t stay to see if anything was found. However, we carried off our own luggage and were only asked if we brought back anything. With a simple “no” and a quick look at our customs form, we were out the door. No dogs, no search, nothing. Interesting.

 

All in all, we enjoyed our cruise and will definitely do it again….

 

Any questions? Just ask and I’ll do my best to answer

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novinha

novinha

Posted
Posted
Wow! Yours is the 2nd positive review on the Pride I've read today. Let alone the 2nd positive CCL review. ;)

Guess things aren't as bad as some would like us to believe.

Glad you had an enjpoyable time.

I get my turn in a few weeks. :)

But you're not getting excited at all, right!? I know I am and I still have to wait five weeks.

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stargate fan

stargate fan

Posted
Posted
Just off the Pride this morning and I must say, I love this ship. It was our third time on her and I enjoy it each time. We did the Grand Turk/Half Moon Cay/Freeport Itinerary.

 

Embarkation:

Very smooth. We arrived to the terminal around 12:30, dropped our luggage and checked in. We were aboard the Pride by about 1:30pm and headed to the Lido deck for a buffet lunch. We arrived to our room at 2:30 and had all three of our bags by 3pm!

:D:D

We departed Baltimore around 4:15 or so and enjoyed the sail away party and DOD of course. The rest of the day was just fun and relaxation as well as our first two sea days.

 

Food:

We ate breakfast and lunch on the Lido and dinner in the dining room (Normandie) every night with the exception of the night we went to David’s (Steakhouse). We found the buffet food to be quite enjoyable, much like food you would get at your local Applebee’s or something along those lines. There were plenty of choices each day with one of my favorites being the Jerk Chicken with rice and beans.

 

Of course, there is the 24 hour pizza place and they have “Late Night Snacks” until 1am which included the burgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken breast, chicken fingers and fries you can get from the Lido Grill during the day.

 

Dinner in the dining room was good. Our wait staff (Leo, Phoebe, and Ronald) wee fantastic and, being the gluttons we can be, were very eager to please. I think my dining room favorite was the prime rib.

 

Dinner at David’s was magnificent. I am a steak girl and I enjoyed the huge ribeye as well as my BF. We wanted to go back a second night but it wasn’t in the budget.

 

Port 1-Grand Turk:

Grand Turk was beautiful. We went to Margarittaville and did the Flow Rider excursion. Not as easy as the kids make it look but it was fun (even if the quickly moving water nearly took off my swimsuit bottoms. Sorry for mooning the onlookers!) We spent the rest of the day on the beach.

 

Port 2-Half Moon Cay

We waited a little before boarding the tender. We got right on with no line waiting. We chose to make Half Moon Cay a beach day knowing our plans for Freeport would keep us busy the next day. At Half Moon, they served lunch under the pavilion (burgers, hot dogs, fries, salads, and various deserts). After eating, we headed over to the beach to relax. There were plenty of bar staff wandering around offering drinks and photographers to take pictures. We headed back early to avoid the rush at the tender.

 

Port 3-Freeport

This is the port I was waiting for. While Freeport doesn’t have a lot to offer, we love the water sports at Lucaya Beach. We rented jet skis ($60 for 30minutes) and then went parasailing ($60 for about 20min in the air). We didn’t do any shopping but there were plenty of venders there. The two companies that ran the water sports activities on the beach were well aware of the ship’s time and hated that we left so early but the Ecstasy docked at the same time we did so hopefully they had a good day and made some money. The beach was not crowded at all and I actually felt bad for them for not having more business than they did.

 

On board, there were a variety of activities but they tended to slow down between 4 and 7 leaving nothing to do but relax, which we did!

 

They had the Quest Game, as usual. We also participated in a Win, Lose or Draw/Pictionary type of game, which my team would have easily one had our tie breaker NOT been a match of Rock-Paper-Scissors!

 

The casino was always a flurry of activity with people hovering around 2 of the newest machines: Tower of Cash during which you have to drop rings around a pole. The ring sizes get smaller and swing faster as time goes on. We didn’t stay to watch long but someone did win an iPad and $500 and someone else $1000. The other game is called the Casino Vault during which you attempt to unlock a prize by positioning a key in the corresponding key hole. Not as easy as it sounds. But, again, there were apparently a couple of big winners as prizes were dwindling throughout the week.

 

We did not take in any shows. They were the same as they have been our last two times on the ship and I really didn’t care to see them again. The comedians were also the same as last year…Percy Crews, John Caponera, Mike Macy, and Jim Brick. All funny but some need new material.

 

Debarkation was just as smooth and embarkation. We carried off our own luggage and were off the ship by 9:05 am and on our way home by 9:30. Weird thing though…if you leave your bags out for Carnival to handle, they get taken away and sniffed at by a customs dog, at the minimum. We did see one officer physically search a suspicious bag although we didn’t stay to see if anything was found. However, we carried off our own luggage and were only asked if we brought back anything. With a simple “no” and a quick look at our customs form, we were out the door. No dogs, no search, nothing. Interesting.

 

All in all, we enjoyed our cruise and will definitely do it again….

 

Any questions? Just ask and I’ll do my best to answer

 

Great info.

 

One week from right now we'll be sailing away on Pride! :D

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nodogkisses

nodogkisses

Posted
Posted
We leave in 6 weeks. Just wondering if they have the "new" pizza on the ship. I first heard if was only a ship or two so far,,,then I read alot of others have it. Just curious.

 

Mskala...did you have any of the pizza last week????? I am also very anxious to know this. Sailing in 4 weeks and so hoping it's the NEW pizza. Thanks.

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Scrapenthusiast

Scrapenthusiast

Posted
Posted

Thanks for your review! I'm excited to see so many great reviews about good times on the Pride. I can't wait to sail this ship in a couple of months. One question for you....did you notice if the Pride had one of those Sign and Sail cash machines?? You know the one where you can manage your Sign and Sail card via this kiosk?

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9876

9876

Posted
Posted

I agree totally with your comedian comments, when they are doing the same material as they did a year and a half/two years ago they need new material. This is what I saw on my previous cruise too. The other option is really switching up the comedians. Many of the ports that locals utilize (like Baltimore or Galveston) will have repeat guests and therefore have seen much of the entertainment. Anything they can do to mix it up is welcome.

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Mskala

Mskala

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Mskala...did you have any of the pizza last week????? I am also very anxious to know this. Sailing in 4 weeks and so hoping it's the NEW pizza. Thanks.

 

From what I can tell, it was the same "old" pizza. However, they did have calzones, which I did not remember seeing before. It was ok but topped with too much pesto and garlic.

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Mskala

Mskala

Posted
  • Author
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Thanks for your review! I'm excited to see so many great reviews about good times on the Pride. I can't wait to sail this ship in a couple of months. One question for you....did you notice if the Pride had one of those Sign and Sail cash machines?? You know the one where you can manage your Sign and Sail card via this kiosk?

 

Yes, they did have the new Sail and Sign cash machines and it came in very handy when visiting the casino. You can check your account, in detail if you wished, add funds using cash or a card, withdraw cash from your Sail and Sign account and change bills ($20s to $10s, $10s to $5s, etc.). It's a great addition.

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Mskala

Mskala

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Wow! Yours is the 2nd positive review on the Pride I've read today. Let alone the 2nd positive CCL review. ;)

Guess things aren't as bad as some would like us to believe.

Glad you had an enjpoyable time.

I get my turn in a few weeks. :)

 

I can't help but say positive things about the Pride. While I have only sailed two ships (4 cruises total though), I can say that the Pride is very simple to navigate, always clean, and the crew always VERY courteous. They go out of their way for you all the time. I even had a bar waiter that would track me down at dinner every evening and remembered my usual drink and my name. His name was Iwayan (although he joked that it was Iwanna as in I wanna drink!).

 

I can literally give people simple directions to any part of the ship and would not hesitate to sail her again, although, different ports of call would be nice

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ec-cruzr

ec-cruzr

Posted
Posted

We also were on the Pride this week and can only echo Mskala's comments. This was our 2nd time on this ship and we have had a great time on both. Of course, living only 20 minutes from the port helps but if it wasn't a great ship, i wouldn't hesitate to fly away. Having the Pride in Baltimore is great.

 

I chose this alternate itinerary over the Pride's normal journey as I very much wanted to spend a day in Grand Turk and in Half Moon Cay. HMC is my favorite as it is a peaceful day of beach, sun, and swimming. A perfect day to relax. We rented a cabana and really had a great day. Definitely want to go back again.

 

Recommend the Pride and port of Baltimore for anyone. The convenience of the port is outstanding and the ship is one of the jewels of Carnival's fleet.

 

Dave L.

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ec-cruzr

ec-cruzr

Posted
Posted
I can't help but say positive things about the Pride. While I have only sailed two ships (4 cruises total though), I can say that the Pride is very simple to navigate, always clean, and the crew always VERY courteous. They go out of their way for you all the time. I even had a bar waiter that would track me down at dinner every evening and remembered my usual drink and my name. His name was Iwayan (although he joked that it was Iwanna as in I wanna drink!).

 

I can literally give people simple directions to any part of the ship and would not hesitate to sail her again, although, different ports of call would be nice

 

Funny that you mentioned Iwayan. He was a regular waiter on the Serenity deck and he kept our drinks replenished.

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JLvacation

JLvacation

Posted
Posted

We had a Great Time when we Cruised on the Pride , We are firm believers that cruises are what you make of them ... We have had some things on previous cruises that people complain about , yet we got threw them and continued on . So with that Cruise on ! ! ! :D

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Scrapenthusiast

Scrapenthusiast

Posted
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Yes, they did have the new Sail and Sign cash machines and it came in very handy when visiting the casino. You can check your account, in detail if you wished, add funds using cash or a card, withdraw cash from your Sail and Sign account and change bills ($20s to $10s, $10s to $5s, etc.). It's a great addition.

 

Fantastic!! Thanks for the info.!:):)

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Heirloom

Heirloom

Posted
Posted

We've enjoyed Pride I think 3 times.

 

The spirit class ship design is Carnival's best.......by far......for us. And the pleasure of being able to just simply drive to the port in 2 1/2 hours on a Sunday morning with light traffic.

 

LOVE it !

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