What do you know about the Carnival Pride?

[grandmaa]

Hi all...We are thinking of taking the Carnival Pride out of Long Beach for a family cruise in June. What does anyone know about this cruise ship...good and bad. We have never cruised on Carnival...have many times on Princess, Celebrity, NCL, RCCL. Would appreciate your take of this ship. Thanks bunches...

[sa7776]

I too would like some information on the Pride. We have never cruised from the West Coast and would like some pointers. We would be cruising in March which is college spring break here. Just curious as to whether there would be other college age passengers...... Also, if I have a choice of airports, which would be the best to fly to and what hotels would be the best for a precruise stay.

 

Thanks

[bright eyes]

WE just returned from the 7 day mexican riviera cruise on the Pride. It was wonderful! The food was great and so was the service and we loved the itenery. Try to book a balcony. They are well worth it, but do not get an obstructed view. If you go the day before stay on the Queen Mary and do the early check in. It is very helpful.

[cruznon]

The Pride is a lovely BIG ship. The Mexican Riviera is a great cruise. We prefer it to ther Caribbean(just too humid). OK, the water is not that beautiful blue and it's cooler. We've cruised there on both the Pride and Spirit. (sister ships) Spacious rooms/balconies. Good food and service. If you can, book a balcony cabin. We saw whales from our balcony as we left Cabo(Nov sailing). You'll find the first and last days can be cool on deck.

[dewayneg]

I too would like some information on the Pride. We have never cruised from the West Coast and would like some pointers. We would be cruising in March which is college spring break here. Just curious as to whether there would be other college age passengers...... Also, if I have a choice of airports, which would be the best to fly to and what hotels would be the best for a precruise stay.

 

Thanks

 

Never been on the Pride but have sailed out of LA. For this particular ship, if you can fly into Long Beach (LGB) you will only be about 20 minutes from the pier. LAX and SNA are about 45-60 minutes depending on traffic.

 

We stayed at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Long Beach. It is a nice hotel and about a 10 minute cab ride to the port.

 

Enjoy your cruise on the Pride. We are on her sister ship, Spirit, out of San Diego also in March.

[pppiglet]

I have heard good things. We are going in February 06. I'll try to post a report when we get back.

[Cuizer2]

I just had someone ask me the same question. I just sent him two CDs full of pictures from my cruise on the Carnival Pride in May 2004.

 

It is a beautiful ship. I went with my sister, brother-in-law and two nephews. We all had a great time. In fact, I had such a good time that I joined the Carnival Vacation Club.

 

The best cabins are the aft corner cabins (cat 11) with the wrap around balcony. It has a 270 degree view and the balcony is about 220 sq. ft.

 

Fly into Long Beach (closest airport - served by Jet Blue) or LAX. Nothing to be gained by flying into SNA unless you are headed to Disneyland prior to the cruise.

[OJulie67]

We cruised the pride last May and we are cruising her again the end of March~ She is a beautiful ship. The crew is wonderful. The specialty areas of food are awesome (deli, pizza, grill by the pool) The buffet food isn't spectacular in our opinion, but it's food~ The dining room was EXCELLENT!;)

The inteniery gives you beautiful stops...The shows were good, the weather was great. Casino fun and Kids club EXCELLENT!:D

 

You don't have to stay at the Queen Mary to get early check-in. You can just get there early and check in before 12:00 is best. The earlier the better, but you will then be standing in line longer too.

 

Debarkation and Embarkation is horrible, but we didn't find that a big enough disaster to deter us from sailing with them again. They just need to find a quicker, more organized way of doing these processes. Disney is awesome in this area...but spendy. You get what you pay for!;)

 

All in all, an excellent ship with excellent crew and you'll have a wonderful time!!

[elliair]

We were on the Carnival Pride the first year it came to Long Beach. We were not impressed with the decor of the ship, too much nudity for the children in our party. The kids were out of control, running all over the place with no parental supervision. Some of the children played elevator tag, and knocking on our doors then running away. I paid for 2 cabins, 2 adults in one and 3 adults in the other. The cabin with the two adults were upgraded upon checkin, and we were stuck with the 3 people (husband, me and son). Daughter and fiance got the upgrade to a balcony suite. When I inquired and protested, they refused to switch because of "security reasons." If I continue on with the other fiascos on that trip, some here would say that I'm whining for no reason. Well that trip was 2 years ago and I won't forget what happened. IMHO, the Pride sucks!

[Astronomer]

I too booked a cruise on the Pride in June, sailing June 25th 2006.

Although we have never cruised before I have done a lot of studying and read many many reviews.

There was an absolutely fantastic very long and funny review done by a Mark Wilkinson which is my favorite.

Post your e-mail address and I will send it to you.

One cannot comment on the kinds of passengers you will have, That has nothing whatsoever to do with the ship. June is the high season so it will be very hot, and very humid. Just realize that and plan appropriately

When are you sailing? Are we going to be shipmates?

By all accounts she is a beautiful ship, it does have classical art, if a statue of David or paintings by classical artists which are often nude would offend you, then you wont like the decor.

More reviews are positive then negative on the whole, and we are really looking forward to this.

Welcome aboard Cruise Critics! There is a ton of stuff you can learn here to make your vacation more enjoyable.

[wwakla]

You will love the Pride. This was our first and so far only cruise.

Make sure you do Randi's Happy Horses in Mazatlan. The price was awesome and the tour was out of this world. You ride horse back on the beach and then through the groves. End with lunch at Victor's.

Make sure you go to the ports of call boards here. They have awesome ideas.

You will have a wonderful time.

[Astronomer]

I have that one booked already. :D

 

It was also featured in the long reveiw I was talking about.

 

You cannot book this one through Carnival. You have to contact Randi directly. But Randi's Happy Horses is not hard to find if you google it. :cool:

 

That excursion is rated so highly among so many reviewers I couldnt pass it up.

[Mean Momma]

Dear Carnival Cruise Line

My husband and I sailed with you on the Carnival Pride October 9th-16th. We stayed in room 5116, sat at table 386 and thought you might be interested in hearing our thoughts.

I sensed a lack of pride from the staff of the pride. Including the way my room was kept, my experience of David's was shameful, mermaids grill seemed mediocre. Our waiter in the Normandy kept getting distracted... even when placing an order. First couple of day’s service was decent, but the food quality went down as the week progressed. Thank goodness we went with good friends!

As for my experience at David's; there was a misunderstanding with my steak, I ordered it Medium Well, she heard medium rare. My table mates all got their food and tried to wait while my food re-cooked. After a good ten minutes I asked my friends to go ahead and not wait for me. (They all ate cold food) Finally, my steak came and it was definitely still rare, (cooks fault this time) but had good flavor. I was not going to make my friends wait any longer so I ate the edges of my steak. The poor waitress was visibly shaken and terribly embarrassed as she saw that I was still not eating my steak. I felt bad for her and did not want to prolong the evening when the manager finally came over to see what was going on. (I guess the waitress told her what had transpired) She tried to get me to order another steak, but my friends had all completed their meals. I was not about to start over. Imagine my total shock when I was charged full price for a meal that I was not able to eat... not because I had chosen not to eat but because of the cook’s mistake. What a disappointment. By the way... there are no men working in the David's. Is there a reason? Oh, the music at David's was very good! They should be the main entertainment in the Taj Mahal... it would be an improvement!

On Thursday we went to Mermaids grill for dinner at 8:00 pm. Remember, there was a problem with that port (Mazatlan) and the port times got pushed back. There was no way to get back in time from our excursion in order to eat at the Normandy. Well, when we got to Mermaids Grill most of the sections were closed. I found that an area had some pork tenderloin and asked the chef for some. He gave me a paper thin piece. I asked for another... he gave me attitude and gave me another paper thin piece. I still don't know how the chef was able to cut this meat so thin, I could easily say that it was less than 1/8th of an inch. Maybe he was out of meat and felt like he needed to make that piece of meat last for the long line that was waiting? (easily 20-25 people) Finally, I got frustrated and went to the deli and ordered a very good sandwich. The chef there was happy to serve me thank goodness and I didn't go to bed hungry that night. Nobody on a cruise should go to bed hungry!

Our room on the pride: was always kept mediocre. When we got on board the steward was not finished but thankfully let us drop off our carry on luggage there. We didn't go back to our room until right before dinner. The tables and countertops were sticky wet, there was food leftover and cigarette butts from the previous guests left on the balcony, and the room looked like it was spot cleaned. (A rush job to be sure) We took bathroom towels and wiped everything down. Ick! The quality of service by the steward never got much better but we figured it was our mess so it wasn't as bothersome. (but never got any better)

My friend kept comparing the service we got to Princess (she had recently cruised with them)... and the lack of "Pride" that we saw on your ship. I was embarrassed because I was the acting "travel agent" for 3 couples. Truthfully, this trip could have been better with very little effort from your staff. We kept calling the Pride a "boob" ship instead of a cruise ship.

Good points: getting off and on the ship was easy, overall the ship seemed clean, the staff: Chris, Peter, and Noonan were a kick. The hostess who works in the Karaoke bar is great (but needs some wardrobe help). Our waiters in the Normandy were friendly (although easily distracted and by what?) Beds are comfortable, we loved having the extended balcony, and the room is a nice size.

Honestly, we came on your ship to have a great time of celebration. This was my 40th birthday, 20th anniversary and the big celebration point is 5 years of my being cancer free!! Yahoo!! It would not have been hard for your staff to wow us... we wanted to be wowed. Instead, we left disappointed.

Thankfully, we still had a good time. But, that is easy when you go with good friends

[wisefamily4]

To the OP - The Pride is a very good ship with a good crew. As in real-life, you may or may not experience a perfect vacation. How you choose to deal with any of these little disappointments may impact your whole cruise experience.

I like to read negative cruise reviews to see the small (and sometimes big) problems people have had that have ruined their cruise. This way - if I experience some of these problems, I'm not blindsided and most definitely won't let them ruin my vacation.

Have a great cruise! I would sail the pride again anytime.

 

Robert:)

[sister act]

We sailed the Pride from September 25th - October 2nd, 2005. and unfortunelty i have delayed my review of Pride. I was on the cruise with my sister. We were in room 6217. I have alot of good points and some low points. First of all, we had priority boarding so getting on was a breeze. Definetly do your pre boarding at the Queen Mary. We were able to get on the boat approx. 12:30pm. We went to our room, and as expected the room was not ready , but we were able to drop off our carryon luggage. We were also excited to see what our room looked like, since we booked a catagory 12. The room was wonderful ! And our room steward Ana was wonderful and very hard working. ( great job !) We went to Mermaids grill for lunch and once we figured out were everything was we sat down outside and ate lunch. the food at Mermaids for lunch was what I expected. Actually in my mind, if you could not find something that you liked then you are the pickiest eater in the world - i stress that this is my opinion for lunch. we thne went to the spa and picked up menus of services offered. We explored the boat and then went back to the went back to our room to see if our luggage had arrived - not yet - Did the muster drill and was surprised at the lack of seriousness on behalf of the vacationers and staff. Any way --- away we sailed. The decore of the boat is classic and the nudes that are there seem to blend in after the first day so that you barely notice it. Unfortunetly the waters were extremely rough from day one. ( i am an experienced cruiser - so i know what to expect ) My sister is currently pregnant, and found the rocking a bit rough also ( she also is an experienced cruiser ) SHe originally was using a scolpomine patch and then ended up buying the accupressure wrist bands in the gift shop. Great help.

We had late seating at Normandine and really enjoyed the other 4 people we met at our table. I agree with writer MeanMama - the service was mediocore. Our waiter kind of rushed the dinner ordering process and there was definelty no extra attention to the table once dinners were served. Food was any were from excellent to ummmm, well poor. ( last day ordered chautaebreane (SP) and was served roast beef ) But dinner in the mermaids grill was horrible. One night my sister was sick so i was going to bring dinner to the room and was extremely disappointed with the selection and quality offered. Later found out that i could have gone to the dining room and spoken to maiter de and explained the situation and could have had dinner sent to the room. My advice -> DO NOT DO DINNER IN MERMAIDS GRILLE.

Davids was a very good experience for us. Sisters husband sent a ship board credit to room for this dinner - to celebrate her b-day. Sommelie found 3 non alcoholic wines for her to choose from. then recorked the bottle and she was able to have it in the main dining room for the rest of the week. dinner was definelty very filling. DO NOT EAT LUNCH THAT DAY !!! sit and enjoy your meal ! I enjoyed the lemon drop martinis there also - actually the only good ones one the boat.

The shows were really good - especially with the boat rocking as bad as it was and it was a new dance crew dancing for the first time together. highly recommend the shows. cruise director was hysterical :) made alot of the trip entertaining. the hype for booking another cruise was not bad at all. was able to access a computer at any time to check e-mail with no problem.

We were able to do our first two ports - but because of hurricane Otis - we were not able to stop at Cabo and that is when the boat was really bad. Now this is no ones fault - the weather is the weather - you just have to make the best of it. We swam with the dolphins in PV and what a great experience that was - It rained that afternoon so we could not go out and do much more. PLus pregger sister needed a nap (hehe) Mazlatan was okay - Chris the CD warned us about the begging - but did not expect on a private beach - so we were unable to go on beach because we were bombarded my poeple selling stuff. very annoying - stayed by the pool - could have stayed on the boat. the shopping is actually really great at the terminal here - very surprising. and then well the rest of the cruise we were on the boat becuase of weather.

Mermaids was okay for breakfast. A little bland - but then you have to trry andcook for 2,000 people. The made to order omelets were okay - but was impressed with the amount of beverage service stations availiable everywere. Sushi bar was great - It gave poeple the chance to try it - especially if they never did before. Afternoon tea was fun did it once. Also the activity at the pools were intersting to watch. Never had a problem finding a chair. pools are small ! get in early !

If you plan on washign clothes on board take lots of quarters - $2.00 to wash , $2.00 to dry and then buying the detergent and softner. but nice to have the ability to do this.

Debarkment went smooth. We had an early flight back to Chicago and we were teh first group off of the boat. Honestly - all you have to do is listen and read your capers and it will walk you through everything.

If this is your first cruise - definelty listen to what people tell you to take with as you will use it . Especially the power strip - ( 2 cell phones, 2 urling irons, and misc.) Your vacation is what you put into it. Weather was deifnelty against us for our cruise and made it extremely rough ( as people were contantly getting sick ) but you learned to walk sideways and go with the flow. If you drink - stick to beer or wine as the martinis were horrible ( little to no alcohol ) and the prices do add up very fast. Know your budget, and check your folio on the TV. The guests on the Pride were extremley nice and everyone seemed to be intersted in meeting others .

[grandmaa]

To all the past cruisers on the Pride...thank you ever so much for your comments about this ship. We are planning to take our children and grandchildren on this cruise in June, 2006 and needed to hear the good and the bad that happens to people. I know not everything is the same on each cruise but I feel you can get a sense of the crew personnel of the ship by the comments that were made by different cruisers. I find that area to be a critical thing for me...so very much of ones life experiences has to to with "Attitude"... and when you are on the recieving end and paying for it it can sometime sour the experience. I thank you again for the comments and will take them under advisement. We live on the west coast and prefer to take a cruise from this coast and avoid the flying and its cost. There are very few offerings at the time of year (June) that we want to go. This was on the only ship that had a weekly trip as opposed to the 3 and 4 day ones.

[SoccerMom#3]

We were on the Pride last summer and had a wonderful time. Not everything was perfect but I was quite impressed with Carnival and will book another Carnival cruise soon. We've sailed on Princess and Royal Caribbean before and I think you get more bang for your buck on Carnival.

 

I thought the shows were really good and the staff was very friendly. Since we live in Colorado, it was nice to fly into LAX and sail out of Long Beach.

 

I thought the food in the Dining Room was ok, not great but hey, I didn't have to cook or clean u;p :)

 

Definitely book Randi's Happy Horses in Matzalan. That was the highlight of our trip.

 

I don't know how long things are kept on the message boards but I did a review when we came back in July, 2004.

 

Enjoy

 

Elise

[momofzeke]

I too would like some information on the Pride. We have never cruised from the West Coast and would like some pointers. We would be cruising in March which is college spring break here. Just curious as to whether there would be other college age passengers.....Thanks

 

We cruised the Pride in March 2004, which was also our spring break here in Oregon. There were a lot of kids, and yes, a lot of college age kids (including our sons). At no time did we encounter any kind of unruly behavior from any of the kids onboard. The only bad experience we had was with one particular family, which we seemed doomed to keep running into beginning at the airport, that kept cutting in front of lines and being obnoxiously pushy about being "first". But, out of 2000+ passengers, I'd say that is very, very minor.

 

We LOVED the Pride! I'm sorry that a couple of the posters on this thread had bad experiences. We found the service to be IMPECCABLE, and in fact, tipped our cabin steward, head waiter and assisstant waiter extra above and beyond the auto-tips on our S&S cards. We also found the meals at Mermaid's Grille to be excellent at all times of the day, including dinner a couple of times. Our meals at Normandie were also excellent. I can't think of one bad thing to say about the Pride. I would highly reccommend her!

[Victory Bound]

We are currently booked on the June 25th, 2006 sailing of the Pride. I did a lot of research before I booked this for our group of 8. Since we have only done Caribbean cruises in the past, we are looking forward to a new itinerary and new ports of call.

 

ASTRONOMER - We have booked Randi's in Mazatlan too! All 8 of us. I look forward to meeting you.

 

I have heard many positive comments about the Spirit-class ships. I always go in with realistic expectations and am usually pleasantly surprised.

 

I look forward to sailing the Pride.

[Astronomer]

Yeah!!!! I just found my first Crusie mate!!!!!!!!

 

This will be our first crusie, we are just kids........Ok we are both 50, but we act like kids.

 

I am planning to make a Video\Stills DVD of our cruise. Make sure I get your address when we meet and I will send you one.

 

Particularly on Randi's Happy Horses :) and I will make sure we get some video and stills of you folks too.

 

I havent made a Roll Call thread yet as I thought it was too early.

[kstwo728]

FI and I will be HMing on the Pride July 30, 2006!!! Cant get here soon enough!! :D:D:D:D

[Tinabrn]

I sailed on Pride in 2004 and was not pleased at all..but mostly because of the lack of service in most areas and the dining room and the nudie pictures and garish decorations. The rooms were fine and the food was fair, but not as good as some of their smaller ships. I got credit because of this on a future cruise on one of the older ships and enjoyed it much more. So, it may be just me and more favorable experiences on Carnival's older ships and Holland and RCCL. If I were doing the Mex Riviera again it would be on HAL.

[Rolincook]

Just returned yesterday from the Pride. Would definitely recommend the Coast Hotel Long Beach over the Queen Mary Hotel. The Coast Hotel is a short five or ten minute walk from the Queen Mary and much cleaner and the rooms larger. We enjoyed touring the Queen Mary very much. They sell organized tour tickets, but you can tell them you want to use the restaurants and then check the ship out on your own. There are some areas you cannot enter unless you are with a tour group, but from what I could see there were not many. Embarkation (because of early check in at the Queen Mary) was a breeze but debarkation was a nightmare. (They blamed it on customs). We had a 2:30 flight from LAX and just barely made it thanks to a very good taxi driver. If you have any specific questions, I'll provide my e-mail address. Our experience was generally favorable -- food was fair, service good, room service fine also. I have sailed on several Carnival ships and the decor on this one my least favorite -- I think someone on one of these boards stated it was "a little over the top" -- I agree.

[Rolincook]

Just returned yesterday from the Pride. Would definitely recommend the Coast Hotel Long Beach over the Queen Mary Hotel. The Coast Hotel is a short five or ten minute walk from the Queen Mary and much cleaner and the rooms larger. We enjoyed touring the Queen Mary very much. They sell organized tour tickets, but you can tell them you want to use the restaurants and then check the ship out on your own. There are some areas you cannot enter unless you are with a tour group, but from what I could see there were not many. Embarkation (because of early check in at the Queen Mary) was a breeze but debarkation was a nightmare. (They blamed it on customs). We had a 2:30 flight from LAX and just barely made it thanks to a very good taxi driver. If you have any specific questions, I'll provide my e-mail address. Our experience was generally favorable -- food was fair, service good, room service fine also. I have sailed on several Carnival ships and the decor on this one my least favorite -- I think someone on one of these boards stated it was "a little over the top" -- I agree.

[scrapcreator]

We were on the October 16th sailing of the Pride. We had a family reunion group of 16 in 6 different cabins, ranging in ages from 3 - 70+ We wanted a warm port cruise that most of the family could get to easily and that everyone (even the young adults) could afford. We started with outside cabins together and upgraded to balcony cabins spread throughout the ship (which really was not a problem). I highly recommend the balcony cabins, especially the aft extended balconies (sis and family ended up with two). We had a great time overall. The ship is beautifully decorated, a bit over the top, yes, and the nudes are not for everyone (dd made sure to share this info with her classmates). Our room steward kept our room nice and clean with lots of fresh towels and ice in the ice bucket. I loved the comfortable bedding Our hall/floor/location was not noisy and we were near the elevator (7148) and we did not hear the rooms next door unless we were both on the balconies. Our waiter was attentive and paid extra attention to the three youngest members of our group. All 16 of us ate together at late seating, tables 101 & 103. The only time he was rushed or flustered was when people arrived late (which I totally understand-it throws of the schedule of serving). The food in the Normandie was good some nights, not as good other nights. The last night of the cruise it was not good at all. That might be a good night for pizza. The Mermaid Grille had the same ups and downs. My husband and I had a wonderful meal at Davids. The staff was very attentive, the food delicious and beautifully presented. We did not have any problem with deck chair hogs, wild children, or crazy drunks (well, there was a man who fell off of the tender but that is another story). The entertainment was like the food: it was good some nights, not as good other nights. I was amazed at the Pride Idol talent, though. Our nephew couldn't stop talking about his Unimog tour in Puerto Vallarta. Our tequila tour was informative, but definitely a sales pitch (which we expected). We would have loved to have had more time in Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas. We had a wonderful time horseback riding with Randi in Mazatlan while the boys went sportsfishing. My sister and her dh enjoyed their Coastal Tour in Cabo. The kids spent more time with us than in the Fun Club, but they did enjoy the time that they spent there. We found the embarkation more organized than Disney; for debarkation we found it quieter and less crowded on the Lido deck and just hung out until we were called at 10:45

 

Like I said, overall we had a great time and found the staff and passengers friendly. Were there things that could have been improved? Sure, but nothing that ruined our fun time together.

 

Jeanne