Just off the Pride - here’s my review :)

[NYMac4]

I always love reading reviews so I took notes on our recent cruise so I could attempt a review when I got back.

 

 

Background information: this is my 8 th Cruise - our first 4 were on Carnival with two previous cruises on the Pride - then we did three Norwegian cruises ( two to Bermuda ). This cruise was just my husband, my 17 year old daughter and I. We took this cruise for our spring break and had originally planned to take a road trip to the Carolinas but with the terrible spring weather we have had and seen all over we booked this cruise 30 days before the sailing date.

 

 

We drove from our home in northern N.Y. to Wilkes Barre PA on Saturday. Our oldest daughter is in college there so we spent Saturday with her then drove the rest of the way to Baltimore Sunday morning.

We saw the Pride and were in the traffic line at 11 am. That was where our longest wait was. We moved through the traffic line and dropped off our luggage then parked the car and went into the terminal. Check in was smooth and easy and we had a boarding time of 2-2:30 but no one checked that and we were on board by 1pm.

We all had lunch at the Blue Iguana (definitely a great upgrade - we ate here a lot!!) I had a delicious shrimp burrito :) It said that our rooms would be ready by 2 and most were - the door to ours was open so we weren’t sure if It was ready so we amused ourselves by watching people try to figure out which side of the boat their room was on :)

 

The muster drill was in the theatre ... It was kind of a mess as we seemed to walk around outside then back inside. I guess It was too cold for It to be outside.

 

We then went to the sail away party which was fun. We watched the ship sail under the first bridge then went to our room and our luggage was there so we unpacked. We had late dining which originally i wasn’t thrilled about but we ended up really liking.

 

Our cruise director was Leigh the Australian and he was fun. We went to the welcome aboard show. He announced a pub crawl but It was almost 11 by then and late enough for us so we called It a night .... up next : A Day at Sea

[NYMac4]

Monday : Sea Day

 

We decided this sea day would be one for enjoying things around the ship. It was not warm enough to sit outside which we expected coming from Baltimore. We booked shore excursions, played ping pong, walked around the shops, watched the drink mixing contest and the hairy chest contest ...had breakfast burritos and lunch at the deli. We also did some reading ( me for pleasure, my daughter because she had homework. lol) and watched tv and took a nap. Our life is always so busy at home we enjoyed a little down time.

 

We went to the 7:30 Heart and Soul show which we all enjoyed. It was elegant night so we went to dinner right after that. Here’s my side note about late dining - we loved It! We could go to the 7:30 show then dinner right after or go to dinner first and the 9:30 show. It worked out great.

 

Had the prime rib for dinner and It was delicious. The waiters danced which was fun and our wait staff was excellent all week.

 

After dinner we went to the late night comedy with Vince Morris and the others name was Sebastian. We went to the comedy all week .. when they say adult the theme really is adult so be warned but it’s akso pretty funny. These two seemed more to play off the crowd than the other two later in the week but we enjoyed It still ...

 

One more side note - the internet was quite slow all week. There were times It would be fine and others where we couldn’t get It to do much of anything. For whatever reason the thing that worked the best all week was Facebook messenger so if you have that It might be your best bet to keep in touch with people back home

[stellarose]

excited for more. thanks for the review.

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[NYMac4]

Tuesday -another sea day

 

The Carnival Hub app said the day would be partly cloudy and warm but It was windy and rainy when we got up. We decided to try the sea day brunch and It was nice and relaxing instead of having breakfast at the buffet. The wind was strong and you couldn’t go to the upper decks but It was starting to feel warmer. We found some seats by the pool and watched the lip sync battle auditions.

 

After lunch ( fish tacos ) we sat outside for a little while then the other two went to the gym. Later my daughter and I went to karoke at the Red Frog Pub. One hint - karoke and comedy fill up fast! If you want a seat go early. The karoke was fun and some of the performers were very good.

 

We relaxed for a while then went to the 7:30 show which was 88 Keys. This was fun. My husband who isn’t usually a big fan of the shows on a ship ( and sometimes falls asleep during them) actually enjoyed the shows on this cruise. There was audience participation, they were upbeat and fun and not too long. Perfect. Lol.

 

After dinner we went to the party on the Lido deck. Lots of dancing and fun. We then caught the late night comedy show with Vince Morris and we thought he was better than before. We did not buy the cheers package - since this cruise was just us with no extra family or friends - we didn’t think It would be worth It. The comedy club had drink specials - you could get a pitcher which was equal to 4 drinks for the price of two.

 

Early day in Grand Turk coming up ...

[JMAE]

Sounds good so far. We like sailing on the Pride only 3 hours from Wilkes-Barre.

[Storm Monkey]

We are taking the Pride in July. Sounds like you had the same itinerary we will be on. Grand Turk - Half Moon Cay- Freeport?

Any chance you kept your Fun Times and could post a picture of them? We just want to get a feel for the activities on board. We haven’t sailed Carnival in 10 years, been exploring other cruise lines.

 

Enjoying your review- thanks for writing it! Appreciate the tips on the food and the shows.

[NYMac4]

We are taking the Pride in July. Sounds like you had the same itinerary we will be on. Grand Turk - Half Moon Cay- Freeport?

Any chance you kept your Fun Times and could post a picture of them?

 

 

I did :) I will try to figure out how to post pictures ...

[Storm Monkey]

That would be great! Thank you!

[pacruise804]

Tuesday -another sea day

 

The Carnival Hub app said the day would be partly cloudy and warm but It was windy and rainy when we got up. We decided to try the sea day brunch and It was nice and relaxing instead of having breakfast at the buffet. The wind was strong and you couldn’t go to the upper decks but It was starting to feel warmer. We found some seats by the pool and watched the lip sync battle auditions.

 

After lunch ( fish tacos ) we sat outside for a little while then the other two went to the gym. Later my daughter and I went to karoke at the Red Frog Pub. One hint - karoke and comedy fill up fast! If you want a seat go early. The karoke was fun and some of the performers were very good.

 

We relaxed for a while then went to the 7:30 show which was 88 Keys. This was fun. My husband who isn’t usually a big fan of the shows on a ship ( and sometimes falls asleep during them) actually enjoyed the shows on this cruise. There was audience participation, they were upbeat and fun and not too long. Perfect. Lol.

 

After dinner we went to the party on the Lido deck. Lots of dancing and fun. We then caught the late night comedy show with Vince Morris and we thought he was better than before. We did not buy the cheers package - since this cruise was just us with no extra family or friends - we didn’t think It would be worth It. The comedy club had drink specials - you could get a pitcher which was equal to 4 drinks for the price of two.

 

Early day in Grand Turk coming up ...

 

Enjoying the review so far, we were on the Pride in March and plan to return in September:)

 

We also had some very good karaoke singers on our last cruise and loved RFP.

 

Nice to see a positive review of the shows, I've seen a lot of negative about them lately. We thought they were cute and a nice diversion for a short time.

 

Looking forward to the rest of the review.

[stellarose]

yeah funtimes!!!!

[nremtb90]

I always love reading reviews so I took notes on our recent cruise so I could attempt a review when I got back.

 

 

 

 

 

Background information: this is my 8 th Cruise - our first 4 were on Carnival with two previous cruises on the Pride - then we did three Norwegian cruises ( two to Bermuda ). This cruise was just my husband, my 17 year old daughter and I. We took this cruise for our spring break and had originally planned to take a road trip to the Carolinas but with the terrible spring weather we have had and seen all over we booked this cruise 30 days before the sailing date.

 

 

 

 

 

We drove from our home in northern N.Y. to Wilkes Barre PA on Saturday. Our oldest daughter is in college there so we spent Saturday with her then drove the rest of the way to Baltimore Sunday morning.

 

We saw the Pride and were in the traffic line at 11 am. That was where our longest wait was. We moved through the traffic line and dropped off our luggage then parked the car and went into the terminal. Check in was smooth and easy and we had a boarding time of 2-2:30 but no one checked that and we were on board by 1pm.

 

We all had lunch at the Blue Iguana (definitely a great upgrade - we ate here a lot!!) I had a delicious shrimp burrito :) It said that our rooms would be ready by 2 and most were - the door to ours was open so we weren’t sure if It was ready so we amused ourselves by watching people try to figure out which side of the boat their room was on :)

 

 

 

The muster drill was in the theatre ... It was kind of a mess as we seemed to walk around outside then back inside. I guess It was too cold for It to be outside.

 

 

 

We then went to the sail away party which was fun. We watched the ship sail under the first bridge then went to our room and our luggage was there so we unpacked. We had late dining which originally i wasn’t thrilled about but we ended up really liking.

 

 

 

Our cruise director was Leigh the Australian and he was fun. We went to the welcome aboard show. He announced a pub crawl but It was almost 11 by then and late enough for us so we called It a night .... up next : A Day at Sea

 

 

 

Was the main dining room open on the first night? I’ve heard some say it is and some say it isn’t.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[girlsbgoing]

He announced a pub crawl but It was almost 11 by then and late enough for us so we called It a night .... up next : A Day at Sea

 

 

How does a pub crawl work on board? Seems that without cheers that could get pricey for just a few hours.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[pacruise804]

Was the main dining room open on the first night? I’ve heard some say it is and some say it isn’t.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

It was for our Feb/Mar cruise. I can't imagine it not being open unless there were very unique circumstances, like an extremely late delayed departure.

[NYMac4]

Yes, the main dining room was open ... maybe because the Pride leaves fairly early from port?

[NYMac4]

Grand Turk - Wednesday

 

We had booked an early excursion so we were up as the ship was pulling into Grand Turk. Beautiful blue skies and sunshine greeted us - exactly what we all couldn’t wait for given the crappy winter and spring we had. The Carnival Conquest was pulling in right next to us so that was fun to watch.

 

We had very little wait time getting off the ship and we found where to wait for our excursion. After a few minutes the guides took us across the parking lot to the ATVs and gave us some information about them. They were great - I wasn’t sure when we booked this excursion but I was so glad we did. We had a blast! We went on some trails and some roads and at one point stopped for a break and they offered us water and gave us some information about the island and it’s history. It was a two hour excursion and i would recommend It. We had a great time. It was $94 per person and we felt well worth It. I also would suggest the early tour. By the time we finished at 9:30 It was getting hot so we found chairs and hit the beach. I did see people trying to “ sell “ chairs and i had read about that before we left. Plenty of beach chairs and umbrellas that are free.

 

We spent the day at the beach, walked around and did some shopping, then finished the day in the pool at Margaritaville watching people on the flow rider. Word of advice : tie your shorts tight. Ha ha!!

 

We went back on the ship around 1 and took showers and grabbed lunch then watched the ship leave Grand Turk. We relaxed in the cabin ( took a nap. Lol) then heard the disappointing news we weren’t going to Princess Cay tomorrow but to Nassau instead. Apparently they were doing maintenance on the tender boats.

 

My daughter and I went to karoke and checked out shore excursions for Nassau and booked a beach day. I totally understand these things happen but the tough part is we went from a free beach day to a $150 beach day. Oh well ... might as well make the best of It right?

 

Dinner was great as always - I had chilled asparagus soup, penne with seafood and cheesecake. We went to the Love and Marriage show which is always fun then called It a night.

 

Next up : Princess Cay turned Nassau

[gymmonkeymomma]

Thank you for the review so far! I am looking forward to hearing more. My husband and I are booked on the Pride (same itinerary) in July with our 17 year old daughter and her friend, also our 8th cruise, 3rd on Carnival :)

[pacruise804]

Grand Turk - Wednesday

 

We had booked an early excursion so we were up as the ship was pulling into Grand Turk. Beautiful blue skies and sunshine greeted us - exactly what we all couldn’t wait for given the crappy winter and spring we had. The Carnival Conquest was pulling in right next to us so that was fun to watch.

 

We had very little wait time getting off the ship and we found where to wait for our excursion. After a few minutes the guides took us across the parking lot to the ATVs and gave us some information about them. They were great - I wasn’t sure when we booked this excursion but I was so glad we did. We had a blast! We went on some trails and some roads and at one point stopped for a break and they offered us water and gave us some information about the island and it’s history. It was a two hour excursion and i would recommend It. We had a great time. It was $94 per person and we felt well worth It. I also would suggest the early tour. By the time we finished at 9:30 It was getting hot so we found chairs and hit the beach. I did see people trying to “ sell “ chairs and i had read about that before we left. Plenty of beach chairs and umbrellas that are free.

 

We spent the day at the beach, walked around and did some shopping, then finished the day in the pool at Margaritaville watching people on the flow rider. Word of advice : tie your shorts tight. Ha ha!!

 

We went back on the ship around 1 and took showers and grabbed lunch then watched the ship leave Grand Turk. We relaxed in the cabin ( took a nap. Lol) then heard the disappointing news we weren’t going to Princess Cay tomorrow but to Nassau instead. Apparently they were doing maintenance on the tender boats.

 

My daughter and I went to karoke and checked out shore excursions for Nassau and booked a beach day. I totally understand these things happen but the tough part is we went from a free beach day to a $150 beach day. Oh well ... might as well make the best of It right?

 

Dinner was great as always - I had chilled asparagus soup, penne with seafood and cheesecake. We went to the Love and Marriage show which is always fun then called It a night.

 

Next up : Princess Cay turned Nassau

 

Glad you enjoyed GT and sorry to hear about the switched port:(. I think there's actually quite a bit to do in Nassau, but short notice and traveling with children I could see it being very frustrating to find something that works for everyone.

 

Love your flexible attitude (blessed are the flexible for we shall not be bent out of shape:')). Hope you had a great time in Nassau

[WendyCn]

Was there a Mardi gras party?

[NYMac4]

Thursday - Nassau

 

So not going to Princess Cay was kind of disappointing as we had never been and were looking forward to a free, relaxing beach day but we are still on vacation and it’s not snowing so life is good :)

 

We had a later arrival to Nassau because of the change of plans so I think It was 2:30-8:30 time in port. We had a relaxing morning - looked at photos, read for a little while, the other two went to the gym ...had lunch and then watched us come into Nassau. We were the only ship in port and I think It was a day off for everyone so not many of the little shops near the pier ever opened.

 

It was overcast most of the day and sprinkled a few times but It was warm. We took the beach excursion to Balmoral Island. We had been here once before and had done the dolphin encounter. They also had a sting ray encounter but we did one in Cozumel so we were content to swim and hang out at the beach. They also had a nice pool and the water was warm. We ended up going back around 5 and thought we would shop but decided not to. Not much was open in the gated area near the ship and we weren’t overly excited about shopping in town and since we had just come from the beach we decided to head back to shower and change and go to dinner.

 

We went to the upper decks before dinner and the sunset was absolutely amazing. We took lots of pictures. After dinner we went to the 80’s Pop to the Max show. Perfect songs for us - we were in high school in the 80’s. Lol

[NYMac4]

Was there a Mardi gras party?

 

 

Hmm ... I don’t think so. There was an 80’s Glow Party and a few other sail away parties but I don’t remember a Mardi Gras party

[gymmonkeymomma]

After dinner we went to the 80’s Pop to the Max show. Perfect songs for us - we were in high school in the 80’s. Lol

 

This sounds fun!

 

Looking forward to hearing more about the rest of your cruise.

[karla_sue]

Excited to see the rest of your review as our family is booked on the Pride for July 22 sailing. Never been on the Pride before and it is the smallest ship we will have been on to date. Hoping to see some fun times just to see what they offer compared to what others cruises we have been on. Thanks for your review.:)

[Clarea]

Enjoying the review.:)

[pacruise804]

Excited to see the rest of your review as our family is booked on the Pride for July 22 sailing. Never been on the Pride before and it is the smallest ship we will have been on to date. Hoping to see some fun times just to see what they offer compared to what others cruises we have been on. Thanks for your review.:)

 

We loved the size of the Pride when we were on this winter. Several pools to choose from, a few water slides, mini golf, Guys, Blue Iguana, and the other 2.0 upgrades.

 

I don't know if it's because it was a smaller ship, but there didn't seem to be as much hype for shopping and art auctions as other ships/lines we have sailed. This was another plus for us.