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Carnival Pride December 2019 First Time Cruise


new2cruise1981
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Hello. This will be hubby and I first cruise. My niece is giving my sister a surprise 60th birthday cruise and the cruise is for seven days. To be honest, I was planning to take a cruise in the future, but I really didn't want my first cruise to be seven days. I couldn't tell my niece no and ruin my sister's surprise. So here I am on a seven day cruise.

We will be sailing to the Caribbean. The cruise leave Baltimore which is great. We live in Philadelphia and the drive to Baltimore is two hours.

Enough of my backstory. My biggest concern is what type of clothes to bring. I know December in the Northeast is cold, but what type of clothing will I need for the Caribbean?

Neither of us are gamblers so the casino isn't a big deal. We plan to take advantage of all the other activities onboard and maybe one excursion. I have read a lot of the boards and the general consensus seem to be that the excursions price through the cruise company are pricier. How do you find out about outside excursion companies? Do I Google?

Lastly, I was cool with cruising in December until a relative told me the the water is rough that time of year. Is this true or is my relative being a hater because I am cruising and she is not? I don't want to spend a week being a coward.

Edited by new2cruise1981
Wanted to change title.
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Rough seas?  Who knows?  There could be or not.  It depends upon King Neptune's mood.

 

For at least the first day and a half, I'd expect cool/cold weather at sea with the temperature rising the further South the ship sails.  A cold front moving through the area could make the northern parts of the Caribbean cool.  At any time of the year, one just can't be sure what to expect.  (I was  in Fort Lauderdale in the later part of January when the low one morning was 49 and it never got above 70 the 3 days I was there.)

 

Private tours:  probably an internet search for the ports you are sailing would be an initial way to begin.

 

I have sailed on Carnival Pride and I really enjoyed the ship and her crew.  Plan for an evening at their Steakhouse; it's worth the extra cost.  Two highlights on your first day:  sailing under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and leaving Chesapeake Bay and entering the Atlantic with the lights of the Bay-Bridge Tunnel in sight. 

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Pack a light jacket and a pair of pants.  Then you can build from there.  Coordinate your outfits you can wear stuff more than once, and tops that coordinate with all the bottoms will be great.  I would pack one pair of gym shoes and some sandals, it all depends on what you are planning to do in the ports.

Be sure to pack something dressy as Carnival has dress up night.  Shirts with a collar and pants for men; and nice tops/skirts/dresses/capris for ladies.

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First of all, you are not going to the Caribbean.  You are going to the Bahamas, same weather as Florida in Dec.  Not really hot.  The water at Princess Cays/Half Moon Cay might be a bit cool for swimming.  Maybe pack what you would wear in late spring or early fall.  tuck in a pair of shorts just in case.  There is self service laundry on board just in case...EM

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Just curious, why don't you want to cruise for 7 days? Is it too long or not long enough. It seems a good length for a first time, to decide whether you like cruising or not. Shorter cruises barely give you time to unpack and explore the ship. 

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Thanks for all the feedback. I am keeping the advice in a notebook.

 

rkacruiser, I look forward to going under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. I have driven over it numerous times and I am always amazed by the whole ride. I am going to take your advice about the steakhouse and fancy dressing 😊

 

Essiesmom, shows how geographically challenged I am. I thought the Bahamas were in the Caribbean. Learn something new everyday.

Swaddy, for my first cruise, I thought a week would be too long. I was worried that if it wasn't for me or I got seasick I would be stuck for a week. But I hear you on the shorter cruise not giving you enough time. Again, learning something new 😊

 

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New, I think it sounds like a wonderful cruise.  We cruise out of Baltimore every December or January; we board in warm coats and sweaters so we can stand out on deck for the first hour or more of sailaway.  When the weather warms we just put them under the bed, in suitcase or compression bag.

The ship will probably be decorated for Christmas, and you will get to skip a week of constant commercials and ads for shopping.  Lots of good cheer all around!

Seven nights is perfect, IMO.  Very short cruises tend to be party and drinking.

Please ask if you think of any further questions.  What are your ports?  You can find lots of information about them on the Ports section.  You can also join your Roll Call for your cruise, and swap information with people who will be on your sailing.

Bon voyage!

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I think for your first cruise you could simplify matters a bit by using the ships excursions rather than trying to coordinate with independent excursion operators. Yes, you'll pay a little more but the excursions won't tend to be high priced in those ports anyway. 

 

I assume you'll call on Port Canaveral (we did Pride out of Baltimore a few years ago). Resist the temptation to do any of the Orlando theme parks as an excursion - there really isn't time. Cocoa Beach between Ron Jon and the pier makes for a good beach day on your own, or visit Kennedy Space Center if you haven't been there. 

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Shipgeeks, thanks for all of the information. You got me so excited about this cruise and December can't come soon enough.  I joined the Roll Call for this cruise. So far there are only three people on our Roll Call board but I'm hoping it will get more active.

 

Underwatr, our ports are Princess Cay, Nassau, and Freeport. We will be in Freeport 7:00 AM - 1:30 PM. I am going to plan an excursion on our day at Princess Cay or Nassau. Those days are nine hours and I have heard to many horror stories of folks getting left. A sister can't run that fast. Nor can the sister's husband 😉 

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if you book your excursions thru the ship they wont leave you. Be on the safe side.

 

I sail out of bmore all the time and have been on the Pride in December or January once. The seas were a little rough because we sailed thru a snow storm. Wear your coat and pants that first day and last day. By the second day mid afternoon you will be fine in capris or shorts.

 

You are going to have a great time!

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I would do your ship excursion in Nassau. Princess Cays is a private beach area, though it is a tender port - which means there is no pier and everyone gets to it via little shuttle boats, a/k/a tenders.  If seas are rough that port might be cancelled.  If seas are smooth, it will be a nice relaxing beach day and you don't really need to go anywhere else.  Your Freeport stop is really short.

 

However Nassau would be a perfect choice for a ship excursion. It's a busy city with a lot going on, at least as far as islands go. I agree with all the others, 7 days is a wonderful duration for your first cruise.  There is absolutely no reason why you won't enjoy it.  Getting out of Baltimore to the subtropics in December sounds like a good plan to me.

 

Bring Bonine which is a once per day chewable motion sickness tablet.  I bring it along but I don't take it unless I get woozy and I find it works in an hour or so if needed. As noted Carnival has self serve laundromats on board so you don't even have to pack a whole lot.  Bring a couple pairs of shorts, a couple pairs of capris, your favorite t-shirts, polos or other light tops, a sweater or two, a pair of jeans, and a couple of nicer outfits that still travel well for elegant nights - a comfortable dress or a dressy top with slacks are fine.

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