Another Pride Review - Recommendations and Regrets

[Cindy]

Food

 

This is the aspect of this cruise that really surprised me. I enjoyed the best food on this ship! I have really noticed cutbacks on other lines in the last few years. I saw no evidence of this on the Pride. We had second seating for the first time and would not go back to first seating. It just seemed so much more relaxed and we could squeeze in a nap in the late afternoon before dinner.

 

The decor of the dining room was really understated compared to the rest of the ship. Excellent design features included kitchen access for the wait staff from the perimeter of the dining room. This prevented waiter congestion between the tables. Our waiter was Ivan from Bulgaria and he was on his last cruise, going home the day that we were. His service remained professional and attentive up to the very last meal, despite the fact that he was leaving. He was hysterical with a very dry wit and very playful. He kept bringing extra appetizers and main courses for us to try. (Thanks Ivan. Thanks a lot. I'm stuck in the house wearing my nightie, the only garment that fits me anymore!;))

 

The quality, variety and presentation of food was the best that I have experienced in a long time on a ship. The soups were excellent. The pasta was cooked just right, with rich sauces. The fish was superb, especially the salmon. Please try the baby back ribs the first night, if you like "fall off the bone" tenderness. I loved the desserts and a special nod goes to the creme brulee and the tira misu. There were so many good choices. The chocolate melting cake was sinfully good. The side dishes of vegetables were really delicious. They were served in little ramekins. Potato au gratin and this tasty carrot dish comes to mind.

 

In terms of beverages, former posters were correct about the water. It really did have an unpleasant taste. We stuck with the bottled water in the cabin and I ordered iced tea in the dining room. I tried ordering wine one evening but service was so slow, I gave up on the following evenings. Coffee was not great, including the cappuccino. Stangely enough, coffee ordered from room service was very good.

 

I'm not much of a buffet person but the one day I did try it for lunch, they offered a Mexican selection of foods and they were really good. Don't forget to hit the lounge area for high tea on the sea days. It was lovely, although I couldn't for the life me find any scones.

 

Recommendations: Eating in the main dining room is a lengthy affair, whether you are seated with one person or at a larger table. It can run between an hour and a half to two hours. If you want a quicker meal, get there as early as you can and mention to your waiter that you would like to leave by a certain time.

 

Regrets; I never did try the pizza on the lido deck. SIGH. So much food...so little time!:D

 

still more to come...

 

I loved reading your review! We recently took our first Carnival cruise, on the Splendor. I agree with many of the things you wrote, particularly about the food...we thought the quality and flavor of the food was the best we've had on any of our cruises.

[vthokie]

review to come....

[Windy56]

I loved reading your review! We recently took our first Carnival cruise, on the Splendor. I agree with many of the things you wrote, particularly about the food...we thought the quality and flavor of the food was the best we've had on any of our cruises.

It was such a surprise to me...the food, that is. It was so delicious and I am discerning when it comes to food! One of the differences was that Celebrity, for example, had steamed vegetables, whereas Carnival prepared vegetable side dishes to accompany your meat or fish selection. They were so tastey!

[Handsome58]

Ribs and the Mac & Cheese were sooooooo goooood!!!!!!