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

PinaCarada

By PinaCarada,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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PinaCarada

PinaCarada

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After a little more time in the pool, we headed back down to the room to get ready for our 8 p.m. steakhouse reservation. AJ wore khakis, a button-down, and nice leather flip flops, and I wore a cocktail dress with dressy sandals. I feel we were right in line with the other patrons in regards to the dress code.

 

We were seated promptly at our arrival in a table at a window on the port side. We had an absolutely gorgeous view of the sunset from our table.

 

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We were greeted immediately by our server, who served us our choice of water and explained our first-night wine options. We opted to go with 50% off a bottle of our choice, rather than going with the complimentary bottle. The Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio was around $15-16 after the discount, and you can't beat that for restaurant pricing.

 

She started each of us with an amuse-bouche, compliments of the chef. AJ received a mini slider ...

 

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... and I got a tiny tomato soup.

 

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She also brought out a bread basket, and I chose the warm rosemary foccacia, which is to die for. It was accompanied by a selection of butter, bruschetta dip, and olive oil tapenade.

 

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PinaCarada

PinaCarada

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We usually order two starters each (as opposed to one starter and one salad). AJ chose the baked onion soup and ahi tuna tartare, and I started with the lobster bisque and escargot bourguignonne.

 

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Apologies for no photos of the tuna tartare or lobster bisque. It was our first time trying the tuna, and it was fresh and presented beautifully. The lobster bisque is one of my favorites, and the server pours the soup on top of a lobster cake adorned with some crunchy, dough-like little triangles. It's creamy and rich, but not overwhelmingly so. AJ's French onion was the perfect amount of salty and had a good ratio of onion to crouton to cheese. The escargot are also a favorite of mine, and are stuffed into little dough caps and served with a creamy herb dipping sauce. All in all, the starters were great, and very consistent to what we've received on our other steakhouse visits on other ships.

 

For his entree, AJ ordered the spice-rubbed prime ribeye with sides of creamed spinach and wasabi mashed potatoes. The steak was cooked perfectly and the meat was a very high quality cut. He thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

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I ordered the lobster tail and the wasabi mashed potatoes. The lobster is served on top of a warm potato salad and accompanied by drawn butter. The tail is split and grilled. It was probably the best tail I've gotten at any Carnival steakhouse, so I was very happy with my meal. The wasabi mashed potatoes are also amazing, and are smooth and creamy with just the perfect amount of kick.

 

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Bevlawyer

Bevlawyer

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The first bridge is the Francis Scott Key bridge (Baltimore), and the double one is the Bay Bridge (Annapolis).

Really enjoying your review!

 

 

Approximately what time does the ship get to the Chesapeake Bay bridge? I missed it my first time on the pride but want to catch it the next time in October:-)

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destiny217

destiny217

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Approximately what time does the ship get to the Chesapeake Bay bridge? I missed it my first time on the pride but want to catch it the next time in October:-)

 

It's about an hour after the Key Bridge. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is a dual-span bridge. The official name is Gov. William Preston Lane, Jr. Memorial Bridge.

 

Thanks for posting your review.

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crookedhalo

crookedhalo

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Last time we sailed the pride it was around 1230. It was really funny seeing this. We were on the deck and I thought I could see lights but I had no idea what was going on.😂

 

I think you are talking about the Chesapeake Bridge-Tunnel, right before the ship leaves the bay and enters the ocean. It's pretty neat to see - you can see the cars headlights and then they just seem to disappear as they enter the tunnel;)

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mpdahmer

mpdahmer

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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.

 

[/color]

 

Great review...waiting for more...2nd sailing on the Pride this August.

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destiny217

destiny217

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Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel connects Virginia's Eastern Shore with the Virginia mainland at Virginia Beach near Norfolk. We have yet to see this since it has always been around midnight on our sailings. See following post #31.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2213197&highlight=bay+bridge+tunnel&page=2

 

Then see post #32 for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in Maryland. This dual-span bridge is about an hour+ after the Maryland Key Bridge. that is about 30-45 minutes after sail-away.

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asalligo

asalligo

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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.

 

LOL, I was able to get my wife onto these stairs before she realized they were see through.

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PinaCarada

PinaCarada

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Our entrees were fantastic, and we were able to save a little room for dessert. I apologize again that I forgot to take pictures. AJ ordered the cheese plate to-go, and we ate it on the balcony later that night. It had about six different kinds of cheeses, and our server warned us that some might be stinky. They definitely smelled, but tasted SO good. I had the chocolate sampler. There are four different mini desserts (including tiramisu, chocolate with raspberry sorbet, and banana panna cotta) and each is served in their own small glass. Each dessert was presented beautifully.

 

We finished our wine and our bill was presented promptly. For those of you who may not know, the steakhouse is $35 per person and is charged to your Sail and Sign account. This total includes gratuity, but we have always received superb service and usually tip about $20 extra.

 

We experienced the most vibrations of the entire trip while we were dining at David's. I'm not sure if it was because we were so high up, or if it was because we were chugging out of the bay, but our table was vibrating enough that our silverware and plates were clinking, and our wine and water glasses were straight out of a scene in Jurassic Park. It did not detract from our meal at all, and it did not make either of us feel seasick or queasy, even after all of that rich food.

 

Here is a horrible video I took of the vibrations in David's. Please ignore my immature 12-year old of a husband.

 

[YOUTUBE]<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Xk2EkHXjbZw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>[/YOUTUBE]

 

After our awesome dinner, we headed down to the casino where AJ promptly lost a handful of money on his favorite slot machine, the Great Inca. If you've never seen this machine, it's pretty cool. It's got plenty of flashy lights, plays cool music, and you can trigger a sweet bonus game that can result in big winnings. And, AJ's success on it in January is what got us on this cruise for free. There was only one Great Inca on the Pride, but it has three sister games (Howling Moon, King of Dragons, and the Gold), all of which were found in multiple areas of the casino. These are penny slots, and you can wager anywhere from $.30 to $3.00 per roll. I definitely suggest hitting these up on any Carnival ship for a very entertaining time.

 

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We spent the rest of the night in the casino. The Welcome Aboard Show was at 7:30, and because our dinner reservation was at 8, we did not go. We also popped into Beauties Nightclub to peek at the crowd, and unfortunately, it was dead. It seemed just as dead every time we popped in throughout the whole week.

 

Our first towel animal of the week was waiting for us in our room!

 

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We headed to bed, excited about our upcoming sea day.

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PinaCarada

PinaCarada

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Thank you all for your help identifying the bridges! I didn't even know we went under another one after midnight. I wish I could have peeled AJ off his slot machine to pop up on deck to check it out, but there was no way that was happening.

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PinaCarada

PinaCarada

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Enjoying your review. Bringing back a lot of great memories! :)

 

Jamman, I am so honored that you're following along. I loved your review and it got me SO excited about this ship and itinerary.

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monogrammedbelle

monogrammedbelle

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We live in Rochester, NY and have two adorable fur-kids that are unfortunately unable to cruise with us because of their dependency on a litter box.

 

Subscribing - DH and I are cruising on the Pride in 40 days!!

 

I have just one sweet kitty cat at home. I often think about whether or not people have tried to sneak their pet on board/how it could be done.... ;)

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PinaCarada

PinaCarada

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We are going on the Pride on the 26th for our Honeymoon and we just booked the hotel for the night before because of your review!! We can't wait! Great review so far!! :)

 

That is SO great to hear! I hope you have a great honeymoon and I think you will love your stay at the Best Western!

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