Just off the Pride

[improvman]

I got off the Pride this morning. Thanks to everyone at CruiseCritic for answering my questions and giving me ideas which added to my fun. Now I'd love to return the favor. Ask away. I'll post a review after I get some sleep.

[PINEVIEW01]

I'm glad to hear you had a good cruise and found some help here. I sure wish I had found CC before my first cruise. How did you like the Pride? I was on the Legend. Where you able to get around OK?

 

Thanks for reporting in with us.

[CaptainEdwardJohnSmith]

I got off the Pride this morning. Thanks to everyone at CruiseCritic for answering my questions and giving me ideas which added to my fun. Now I'd love to return the favor. Ask away. I'll post a review after I get some sleep.

 

Welcome home :)

Captain Lanaro still Master (Captain) of the Pride?

[neverpar]

I can't wait to read your t/r on the Pride.....welcome home!

[JGB]

Welcome back!--- I do have questions but let me start with this--did you happen to bring home the Carnival Capers?

 

John

[improvman]

Welcome home :)

Captain Lanaro still Master (Captain) of the Pride?

 

They brought in a captain fresh from the Legend. Sorry, the name escapes me and I didn't bring home the Capers. He said he was recently told to switch ships, but didn't explain why, or if it was temporary or permanent.

[improvman]

Welcome back!--- I do have questions but let me start with this--did you happen to bring home the Carnival Capers?

 

John

 

Nope, sorry.

[deelovescruising]

Welcome Back! Did the ship dock and leave at the times Carnival said it would? I am trying to book excursions and this would be very helpful.:)

[jasmine3407]

I just came back from this cruise today, as well! I am doing laundry as we speak...

 

The Captain this time was Captain Roberto Volpi.

 

I brought back a few Capers (my cabin-mate and I split them), however I don't have a scanner handy right now. If you have any specific questions on them, I can answer them.

 

As far as I could tell, the ship docked and left at the posted times, since we had excursions, too, and didn't have a problem getting to them or getting back to the ship from them.

 

Improvman, I am curious and excited to read your review of our cruise!

[CaptainEdwardJohnSmith]

They brought in a captain fresh from the Legend...............

 

............The Captain this time was Captain Roberto Volpi..........

 

 

thanks guys

[improvman]

Welcome Back! Did the ship dock and leave at the times Carnival said it would? I am trying to book excursions and this would be very helpful.:)

 

Yes, with one exception. In Cabo, the ship left at 3:30, although the web site says 4. The last tender was at 3. I saw at least one more tender come to the ship after 3, though. Just remember that Puerto Vallarta time is one hour ahead of ship's time.

[Ex-Calgarian]

We're sailing on the Pride in June. I am still fretting over what shore excursions to take. What did you do on shore? Would you recommend them to others? Did you travel with or without kids?

 

Looking forward to hearing all the nitty gritty details! :D

[improvman]

We're sailing on the Pride in June. I am still fretting over what shore excursions to take. What did you do on shore? Would you recommend them to others? Did you travel with or without kids?

 

Looking forward to hearing all the nitty gritty details! :D

 

I posted my review, but it'll take some time before it appears. In a nutshell, we didn't book any excursions through the cruise. In PV, I took a canopy tour with Los Veranos while my wife got a facial at the Krystal Hotel. In Mazatlan, we booked a city tour with Vista Tours. The tour guide was nothing special, but it was cheap, and they dropped us off at the Plata Mazatlan Hotel, which is friendly to cruise ship passengers. In Cabo, we hired a water taxi to go to Lover's Beach, then had lunch on Medano Beach.

 

We travelled without kids. I'd recommend everything, but regarding Vista, it's less expensive that Mazatlan Frank's tour (which CC members rave about), and you get what you pay for.

[jasmine3407]

We did not travel with children, however there were children in two of our excursions and they seemed to be having a great time!

 

In PV, we also did the Los Veranos Canopy tours, and we had some kids on this tour, as well. They were about 10 and 12. I was surprised that they weren't scared! After this, we just walked around downtown and took a look at the shops, sculptures, and sand creations on the pier!

 

In Mazatlan we did Randi's Happy Horses and that was a great time. There were kids on that tour, as well, and Randi helped pick out horses for them accordingly (some of her horses are racehorses, so she made sure not to put the kids on those!). We got to see a lot of rural Mazatlan this way, and it was excellent.

 

In Cabo, we did book a ship tour, because we had so little time there that we wanted to be sure that we were back on the ship in time. We did the Eco Kayaking and Snorkeling. The water that day was choppy and almost dangerous and not good for any type of water excursions. However, we made the best of it since we were good swimmers if we feel out of our kayak. There were jellyfish at Lover's Beach where we snorkeled, as well. Ouch! There were no kids on this tour. Most of parents we met in Cabo took their kids to the Dolphin Discovery excursion they have there.

 

Next time I go to these ports, I would definately check out the resorts that have day passes to their beaches and amenities. This seems like a safe, relaxing way to pass the day, since we already toured the ports this time around.

 

Happy planning!

[Wiseone24]

My sister and her boyfriend just got back from the Pride last night. She said it was a lot of fun! Her favorite was swimming with the dolphins in PV. And she really liked Cabo and hopes to go back there for a long weekend.

[Calicruiser101]

We did not travel with children, however there were children in two of our excursions and they seemed to be having a great time!

 

In PV, we also did the Los Veranos Canopy tours, and we had some kids on this tour, as well. They were about 10 and 12. I was surprised that they weren't scared! After this, we just walked around downtown and took a look at the shops, sculptures, and sand creations on the pier!

 

In Mazatlan we did Randi's Happy Horses and that was a great time. There were kids on that tour, as well, and Randi helped pick out horses for them accordingly (some of her horses are racehorses, so she made sure not to put the kids on those!). We got to see a lot of rural Mazatlan this way, and it was excellent.

 

In Cabo, we did book a ship tour, because we had so little time there that we wanted to be sure that we were back on the ship in time. We did the Eco Kayaking and Snorkeling. The water that day was choppy and almost dangerous and not good for any type of water excursions. However, we made the best of it since we were good swimmers if we feel out of our kayak. There were jellyfish at Lover's Beach where we snorkeled, as well. Ouch! There were no kids on this tour. Most of parents we met in Cabo took their kids to the Dolphin Discovery excursion they have there.

 

Next time I go to these ports, I would definately check out the resorts that have day passes to their beaches and amenities. This seems like a safe, relaxing way to pass the day, since we already toured the ports this time around.

 

Happy planning!

 

 

Thanks for the infor so far. My family and I are booked with Randi in July and I had a few questions about your ride. My daughter (10) takes private horseback riding lessons, and she is learning barrel racing (scary) and she wanted to know how much freedom they give experienced riders. Bottom line, she wants to know if she can gallop down the beach? The rest of us are all pretty experienced as well, however my 10 yr. old nephew has never been on a horse so if some want to go faster is it possible for him to go slower or vice versa or does the pace depend on who is riding? Hope that makes sense:D Also did you eat at Victor's? Last time I was on this cruies I was too paranoid to eat anything off the ship, but I keep hearing such great things about Victor's that I figured I am missing out on something. Thanks for any info you have and welcome back.

[improvman]

Last time I was on this cruies I was too paranoid to eat anything off the ship, but I keep hearing such great things about Victor's that I figured I am missing out on something.

 

While I didn't go to Stone Island, let me say you are missing out by not eating off the ship. If you're paranoid about eating in Mexico, then stick to recommendations (I'm sure Victor's is safe from all we read.)

[Christell]

Thanks for the infor so far. My family and I are booked with Randi in July and I had a few questions about your ride. My daughter (10) takes private horseback riding lessons, and she is learning barrel racing (scary) and she wanted to know how much freedom they give experienced riders. Bottom line, she wants to know if she can gallop down the beach? The rest of us are all pretty experienced as well, however my 10 yr. old nephew has never been on a horse so if some want to go faster is it possible for him to go slower or vice versa or does the pace depend on who is riding? Hope that makes sense:D Also did you eat at Victor's? Last time I was on this cruies I was too paranoid to eat anything off the ship, but I keep hearing such great things about Victor's that I figured I am missing out on something. Thanks for any info you have and welcome back.

 

We rode with Randi in April and you can ride at you own pace. I galloped some and my son walked the whole way. It was great and Victor's food is excellent!

[Calicruiser101]

I just have to say that I have learning so much and feel so much more informed because of CC. You all have been so nice and I really appreciate your help and tips. Yes, I will only stick to highly rated places to eat. I am so happy to hear that you got to gallop, my little racer will be very pleased.

[suziehmkr]

Thanks for the infor so far. My family and I are booked with Randi in July and I had a few questions about your ride. My daughter (10) takes private horseback riding lessons, and she is learning barrel racing (scary) and she wanted to know how much freedom they give experienced riders. Bottom line, she wants to know if she can gallop down the beach? The rest of us are all pretty experienced as well, however my 10 yr. old nephew has never been on a horse so if some want to go faster is it possible for him to go slower or vice versa or does the pace depend on who is riding? Hope that makes sense:D Also did you eat at Victor's? Last time I was on this cruies I was too paranoid to eat anything off the ship, but I keep hearing such great things about Victor's that I figured I am missing out on something. Thanks for any info you have and welcome back.

 

I am glad that so many cruisers are still enjoying the Pride! We had such a great time for our New Year's cruise, that we came home and immediately booked again for Christmas of this year.

 

To help with some of your questions about Randi - we have gone with her twice (booked for a third time) and she is a great friend. Just let her know how much experience each person has and they will match you up accordingly... No problem with galloping, as well as those that need to go slower. There is always a staff member (usually Maria or LuLu) that will stay with the last riders.

 

Eating at Victor's is very safe and an experience not to be missed! I always order the garlic shrimp. DH usually gets the ribs and our friend on the last trip ordered the quesadilla. Order an extra order of onion rings as they are sooooo good. As is the homemade guacamole. YUM!!

 

As much as I love riding, my visiting time with good food and good friends at Victor's is always the highlight of our vacation and I can't WAIT to get back there in December.

 

We have done Los Veranos twice and will probably do the dolphin swim this next time. DD is going on this one with us, but doesn't know it! shhhhhh

 

In Cabo - we usually don't book an excursion, although I am looking at the Snuba this time around.

 

Would love to hear how the new Captain is... Is Jeff Bronnssson still the CD?

[udamudda]

We're sailing on the Pride in June. I am still fretting over what shore excursions to take. What did you do on shore? Would you recommend them to others? Did you travel with or without kids?

 

Looking forward to hearing all the nitty gritty details! :D

 

We were also on this cruise, without kids! Had a great time. All three excursions we took were independent. On PV we went with Alfredo who is booked through Mazatlan Frank. Alfredo was great and very knowledgable. Visited a great little family owned tequila factory also with samples.

 

On Mazatlan we had a tour with Mazatlan Frank. Originally this was to be the Pacifico Brewery and City Tour but the brewery cancelled. Frank took us on the most amazing tour instead! I was glad the brewery was cancelled. He showed us a local brick factory which was more interesting than we could have imagined. We also went to a local tile maker and furniture factory. We then went to Copala and saw the Cathedral which was beautiful. We toured new and old Mazatlan and much to my delight Frank arranged for the cliff divers to dive for us! We had a great lunch at Tonys on the Beach. I would mention that I thought the Margaritas were overpriced for what you receive. Get the local beer. Frank did provide Pacificos for us for missing the tour so we still got the tasting!! He is amazing and I would highly recommend any of his tours to everyone! It was a day we will never forget.

 

In Cabo we booked a snokeling excursion with Sunrider Tours. We met at the next pier over from our tender at 10:30 and were back by 2:15. They served an open bar and the crew was great. Most everyone on the tour was from local hotels. All of us fit on the top deck with the bottom deck totally open! Talk about exceptional service. We went to Santa Maria to snorkel. I could not snorkel due to a shoulder surgery but my DH did and he said it was a little murky and not a whole lot of variety of fish (we have been used to the Caribbean and the Barrier Reef). The onboard staff did give me tortillas to feed the fish so I could see them from the boat. Another kudo for them. After snorkeling we had an awesome lunch that had been prepared onboard (and of course, more drinks!). We really enjoyed this excursion and would highly recommend it.

 

During the cruise we had an aft wrap cabin 4228 and loved every minute of it. Even when the ship was rocking on the way back, we loved it. We are not prone to seasickness so that did not bother us at all. I would book it again in a heartbeat. I hope to post a full review tomorrow.

[cruisinchuckeee]

:o did you notice if the waterslide was working on the pride? we cruised on it last year and it was closed then and we are going again in february with our kids and was hoping it was working?

[suziehmkr]

The slide on the Pride was fixed last year sometime... so unless something has happened to it again - it is up & running. We were on her in January.

[improvman]

:o did you notice if the waterslide was working on the pride? we cruised on it last year and it was closed then and we are going again in february with our kids and was hoping it was working?

 

It was open. I went down it once.

[improvman]

Would love to hear how the new Captain is... Is Jeff Bronnssson still the CD?

 

Well, how should I rate the Captain? He got us to out destinations. Made a couple of funny wisecracks too.

 

Yes, Jeff BronSON is still the CD. While I really didn't care for his corny "Say Bye Y'all" sense of humor (though he was funny at the Legends show), I liked how he had personality.