Pride Review - 6/21/15 with Pictures, Fun Times and Other Shenanigans

[PinaCarada]

The hair dryer was in the drawer where we’ve seen it on the other ships we’ve been on. You have an option of low or high speed, and you have to hold down the button to get a continuous jet of air. For my fellow ladies with long, thick hair, I devised a hack when we were on the Dream in 2013. Wrap a hair tie around the button, and it will keep the hair dryer in the “on” position.

 

 

Our extended balcony was HUGE. There was more than enough room for both of us to sit comfortably and still be able to walk by the other person. As you see, we had the standard two chairs and small table.

 

 

Before the cruise, I saw on the deck plans that we were directly above a life boat, and I was worried that it would obstruct our view down to the water. Here are two shots from our balcony that show that my fears were unfounded.

 

The first is directly downward while I was leaning over the balcony …

 

 

And the second is a natural view, looking out but not leaning far over.

 

 

Mmmmm ... look at all those pallets of Miller Lite.

 

We were starboard side, and unfortunately were not facing the port on any of our stops (except embarkation in Baltimore, as you can see). If you’re looking to book a room for this itinerary and want to be able to see your room from ashore, book port side. However, we caught some great photos from our balcony, including the first one in this review.

[My6Dogs]

Great start!!! Subscribed!

[PinaCarada]

We saved unpacking for a little later, and took off to grab some lunch and tour the ship. Please stay tuned for the ship tour portion of my review, which will have photos and commentary on each of the ship's areas.

 

We headed up to the Lido deck for lunch. I LOVE the Lido buffet salad bar (well, mostly Carnival's ranch dressing) and I had at least one salad each day of the cruise.

 

 

 

The salad bar had tons of veggies and toppings, and some of the best croutons on earth. There was a selection of about 9 fresh salad dressings, plus oil and vinegar. I love shredded cheese on my salad, and unfortunately the Pride (and Breeze) salad bar does not have any in that area of the buffet. However, if you head over to the Blue Iguana Cantina toppings area, there is shredded monterey jack cheese there that anyone can help themselves to. You can also ask one of the chefs in the main buffet area for shredded cheddar and they will gladly give you some.

 

I also grabbed a burrito from the Blue Iguana Cantina. The left side is for tacos and the right side serves burritos, and each has a separate line so there was never too long of a wait. They also are open for breakfast and serve breakfast burritos, huevos rancheros, and breakfast arepas. Unfortunately AJ and I didn't visit them for breakfast during this cruise, but both the breakfast burritos and arepas were great on the Breeze.

 

AJ grabbed a Pig Patty from Guy's Burgers. It was just as awesome as he remembered. He would have several more burgers from Guy's during the trip, including for a pre-dinner "snack" right before they closed at 6.

 

 

He also got a chicken and a pork taco from the Blue Iguana.

 

 

[ProfCruise]

Another H review will be forthcoming? I get on when you get off, so I will get to read it from the ship. :)

 

Yes! Well, assuming he's in the mood -- you know how 2 year olds can be. Either way, we'll give you a sad high-five as we're getting off and you're getting on. Have a great trip!

[ProfCruise]

Thank you all for your nice words! I am SUPER jealous that all of your sailings are coming up so soon. You will have an AMAZING time.

 

 

 

I'm also crossing my fingers for an H review. "He's" so hilarious! :p

 

Well I guess he owes you one now. Continuing to LOVE every bit of this review! :D

[cantthinkofanythingfun]

Going on the Pride this Sunday and it's nice to see another review as I'm doing laundry and packing. I'm not a huge fan of the Pride's decor, but I do like that atrium that goes through every deck. So many new ships are doing away with that to make space.

[Delta Dear]

Perfect timing -- we're sailing the Pride (same itinerary) on Sunday. Thanks for taking the time to do this. You have me so excited already! :D

 

Awww, I wish we were sailing with you.... Remember, Nov. 15, we'll be boarding. Just tell your mom you HAVE to go have breakfast with Dr. Seuss. Throw a major temper tantrum if you must, but find a way to sail with us.

 

Have a good time in the meantime. Can't wait for your review when you get back. I hope they have enough orange sherbet for you.

[Delta Dear]

You are not only making me jealous that you have already been on the Pride and I have to wait until Nov. 15, BUT you are also making me hungry. I love the salad bar as well. Guy's is high on my list of likes as well.

 

We have a 8K handicapped room on Deck 7 as well. We're looking forward to the extended balcony. Thanks for the photo.

 

Enjoying your review so far, thanks for taking the time to post it. I'll be traveling right along with you, except we have the other itinerary.

[fer]

and our complimentary drink coupons for the use during last night of the cruise after 5 p.m. for a beverage under $9 when there’s a lunar eclipse and Channing Tatum joins me in the Beauties lounge for a dance while small rabid kittens take over the world

I laughed so hard, coffee came out of my nose! Excellent review! I'll be on Pride in 44 days!

[mbc6743]

Thank you for the review. My wife and I sail on the Pride August 2nd. Driving from the Philly area. It will be our second cruise. We were on the Sensation in August of 2012. I am looking forward to the rest of your reviews. Thanks

[KPfromCT]

Great review!!!

Thanks for taking the time to do it.

Love your writing style.

Patiently waiting for more...:rolleyes::D

[Pandot]

Yippee! A Pride review. Making my 72 day wait that much easier :).

Thanks for sharing.

[MysticMiss]

Enjoying your review! I am so glad to see the picture of the atrium at floor 7, it answered a few questions for me. I didn't understand what was going on the floor plan pics I had seen. Thanks for the info!

[PinaCarada]

The featured region for the Lido buffet the first day is Italian. The Pride also has a section of the buffet, Chopsticks, that has Asian fare each day for lunch, including a soup, white and fried rice, noodles of the day, several entrees, and accompanying dipping sauces. We had some great dishes from Chopsticks throughout the week, including chicken wonton soup, calamari with black bean sauce, and sesame chicken.

 

From lunch, we headed right up to David's Steakhouse to confirm our reservations for that evening. There are some see-through stairs from the middle of the Lido buffet that are directly over the atrium and lead right up to David's.

 

 

Looking through the stairs, you can see ALL the way down to the atrium floor. It's a very cool effect, but beware of vertigo.

 

 

We like to go to the steakhouse the first night of the cruise, not only because it's less crowded, but of course for the free bottle of wine. The free offering is Santa Carolina Chardonnay or Merlot. We are white drinkers but usually go for a Pinot Grigio or Riesling, but this Chardonnay is not incredibly dry or oak-y. Since our Breeze cruise, however, they have been offering either the free bottle of wine, or any bottle of wine from their wine menu at 50% off, which is a great offer.

 

We also make sure to confirm our reservation for the steakhouse. I make our reservations online WAY in advance and I've always received email confirmations. However, on two separate trips, when we've popped up to confirm our reservations once on the boat, the hostess had no record of them. They were very accommodating during those two instances and had no problem fitting us in for the time of our choice, but I definitely feel it's worth it to confirm in person once you get on the ship, if only to preview the beauty of the steakhouse itself!

 

 

And David's Steakhouse is GORGEOUS! It is definitely my favorite of all the ships we've been on. It spans two levels and the very top is of course the whale tail, so the red glass casts a really cool pink glow over the whole area.

 

 

The steakhouse is wide enough to take up both sides of the boat, so there are a ton of tables with great window views.

 

[PinaCarada]

Looking down through the whale tail from deck 12, you can see directly into David's.

 

 

And here's David himself, complete with a new fig leaf to cover up art that must have offended a great deal of people. I mean, I'm totally offended by amputees, so let's give the Venus de Milo some arms. So even though David has a new leafy appendage, I really liked the decor throughout the ship. I didn't find it to be overly dark like some people have observed, and really enjoyed the Renaissance-style artwork and theme.

 

 

Back to the lecture at hand. They indeed had us down for our 8 p.m. reservation, and the hostess politely reminded us not to wear shorts.

 

We toured around the ship a bit more, including stopping by the Normandie Main Dining Room. Even though we weren't going to be there for dinner tonight, we wanted to check out the location and configuration of our table. We are one of those couples that DOES NOT want a table for 2. We love to meet new people and have made some lasting friendships from other couples that we've been seated with in the MDR. We also love having the same serving team and tablemates each night, so for that reason, we've never gone for Your Time Dining (YTD). We have been extremely content with 8:15 p.m. Assigned Seating, though for the first time ever during this cruise, we went to the Lido buffet for dinner. You'll have to hang out to see why later on in the review.

 

 

The Normandie is the only dining room on the Pride. The top level (deck 3) is reserved for the YTD guests and they have their own hostess stand up on that level. I definitely saw some lines throughout the week for YTD, including an extremely long one right at 5:45, when they opened. I did not chat personally with anyone who had to wait too long for a table, but the old Cruise Critic adage of "show up really early or really late" seems to ring true.

 

 

The lower level (deck 2) was for the assigned dining guests. I'm sure the 6 p.m. assigned seating time was packed full each night, but there were always several tables near ours empty each night during the late seating.

[PinaCarada]

The decor of the Normandie was gorgeous. Each light panel had a picture on it ...

 

 

... and other beautiful light fixtures wove their way around the room.

 

 

I swear I saw a new piece of artwork each night. The windows were large and so many tables had a great view. This was our first cruise during the heart of Daylight Saving Time, so it was actually still light outside at 8:15 p.m. and we could see the beauty of the wake behind us.

 

 

And we found our table! Table 160 was in the very back port-side corner of the dining room, and SCORE! We had a table for 6!

 

 

[PinaCarada]

We headed up to the room to unpack and changed into our bathing suits to hit the Serenity pool and hot tub before muster.

 

This Serenity deck also became my favorite of any of the ships we've been on. It's at the back of the boat on one level, so it's not as big as it is on the Breeze or Dream, but it's got its own adults only pool and hot tub, and the bar is HUGE. There's a good amount of seating out in the sun, including cushy deck chairs, clamshells (with covers and without) and hammocks.

 

 

 

There was also a whole area in the shade, with additional plush chairs and Lido-esque tables and chairs for eating.

 

 

I spent a lot of time at Serenity during the trip. I say "I" and not "we" because the golden Italian blood runs thick through my veins and I can lay out for hours and not burn. Plus, AJ has a permanent sweater, and I can tell you this because I'm pretty sure he's never going to join Cruise Critic and read this review. If I disappear suddenly though, you'll all know what's happened.

 

Anyway, Serenity definitely was crowded each day. There were some times when even a single lounge chair wasn't available (let alone two), but people seemed to come and go continuously, so I could come back in even 10-15 minutes and I'd be able to find a spot for myself. We scored a clamshell one sea day during the height of the day, but during the desirable hours, they were pretty much all taken. Serenity cleared out considerably around 5 p.m. when the early diners started to leave, so it was very easy after that time to get any sort of seating, including clamshells and hammocks, and there was definitely still plenty of sun at that time.

 

I did not see any chair hogs. From what I could see, anyone who had a towel or belongings on a chair or clamshell was in the pool, hot tub, or at the bar, and returned frequently to their spot. I only hung out in Serenity, though, so I cannot comment on the chog situation at either of the Lido pools.

 

The bar played music, which was interesting because I always remembered other Serenity decks being silent. John Heald did ask a question a few weeks ago about music on Serenity though, so I wonder if this is a recent change. It was pretty soothing and unobtrusive. We had never heard any of it before, and dubbed it "Elevator EDM". It did not detract from our serene experience.

[birdlgs]

I'm enjoying your review so much that I decided to check your blog out.

The recipes look really good... so why did you stop?

 

I want to try those beer cupcakes! :D

[Beano1217]

Really enjoying your review. Going on the Pride in October!!! We have an aft cabin. I'm excited and scared at the same time. I'm hoping the vibration thing will not bother me. I have to wear the "patch" anyway. Maybe that will help. This will be our first time leaving from Baltimore. Thanks for the hotel info. I know you said the price was $165.00, did that include leaving your car there? Can't wait for the rest of your review!!!!

[Conway733]

Love your review so far...we are sailing on the Pride in October of 2016...so these reviews are making me excited for our trip. Thanks! :)

[deetrayn]

I'm enjoying your review! My aunt & uncle who live in MD were on this same sailing. My aunt called me after they boarded the ship, rubbing it in that they were about to have a Guy's Burger for lunch. I was jealous! Lol :D

 

Thanks for sharing!

 

Dee

[PinaCarada]

Muster was scheduled for 3:45 p.m. We hung out in the Serenity pool until just about 3:40 p.m., and then we headed down to Muster Station C on deck 3, right outside the entrance to the Normandie.

 

 

Unfortunately, this was one of those outdoor muster drills where they line you up like sardines in the hot sun on the open deck. We'd been pampered by indoor musters on the Breeze and Dream, which were in the dining rooms, theatres, dance clubs, etc.

 

We arrived right at 3:45, and it was a ghost town. There were a few other groups there, but no Carnival staff at all. And it stayed this way until about 4:30. Now, I'm not sure if we missed some announcements while we were in the pool about muster being delayed, or maybe I'm just not as experienced of a cruiser/Cruise Critic lurker as I think I am. I've never waited for an official muster announcement - I've just always headed down to our meeting spot at the scheduled time. There's at least been a staff member there to direct traffic and get people situated, and this was the first time we've had to wait SO long. Finally around 4:15 they made the announcement, and then a few staff members arrived.

 

I went to go throw out my beer, and when I returned, a staff member was telling my husband and a group of people standing near us that we shouldn't have come down to the muster until they announced it. I guess that group had told her that we had been waiting since 3:45. She was a little rude about it, and made it seem like it was our fault we'd been waiting, even though the muster was printed in the Fun Times for 3:45. This was the ONLY incident during the entire trip of a member of the crew being a little rude. I missed the whole exchange so I wasn't too bothered, and we didn't see the staff member at all during the rest of the trip, but I think the other family was pretty put off by her behavior, and I wouldn't be surprised if they reported something to Guest Services.

 

I've never wanted to be that last person strolling into the muster while everyone else was waiting, so we've always tried to get there in a timely fashion. I guess we know now to wait until their official announcement to head down.

 

Anyway, muster was quick and painless. It took about 15 minutes total from the actual start time of 4:30 until they dismissed us. We headed straight up to one of the upper decks for sail away. We started moving a little before 5 p.m.

 

 

I think we can see Bo Brooks!

 

 

We had to take an obligatory sail away selfie to post on Facebook before we went into airplane-mode to make all of our friends jealous.

 

 

That's AJ's lobster Hawaiian shirt. You KNOW he's down to party when he wears that shirt. He calls it his "day drinking shirt" and has worn it on embarkation day on our past three cruises. I call it his "I couldn't stop drinking Funship Specials and now I know what it feels like to throw up in a cruise ship bathroom while at full speed to our first port" shirt. It is pretty epic though.

 

[PinaCarada]

We were approaching the first bridge! The time stamp on my photos confirms that it came into view around 5:25 p.m. and we were passing under it at 5:34.

 

 

 

 

Not sure what this bridge is called. Can anyone help me out?

 

We headed back up to Serenity for some more pool and hot tub action. At around 6:40, we started approaching the next set of bridges (and I also have no idea what they're called). I hopped out of the pool to get some more shots.

 

 

 

[PinaCarada]

I'm enjoying your review so much that I decided to check your blog out.

The recipes look really good... so why did you stop?

 

I want to try those beer cupcakes! :D

 

Thank you for checking out my blog and for your nice words! I didn't really stop ... I just spent too much time on Cruise Critic planning this cruise. :p I've got some recipes ready to go up, but I'm just busy and lazy lately, so I've let it slide a little. I hope to get something up soon!

Edited July 6, 2015 by PinaCarada

[PinaCarada]

Really enjoying your review. Going on the Pride in October!!! We have an aft cabin. I'm excited and scared at the same time. I'm hoping the vibration thing will not bother me. I have to wear the "patch" anyway. Maybe that will help. This will be our first time leaving from Baltimore. Thanks for the hotel info. I know you said the price was $165.00, did that include leaving your car there? Can't wait for the rest of your review!!!!

 

Yes, the $165 included the parking for up to 14 nights! It was a great deal and I definitely recommend the hotel.

 

I think you will really enjoy your aft cabin! We packed Bonine but didn't have to take it once, so I'm crossing my fingers you guys will be okay.

Edited July 6, 2015 by PinaCarada