7-24-09 Carnival Pride review - 1st time cruisers

[vthokie]

We are a married couple ages 41 and 39, no children. We have always gone to the beach for a weeks vacation during the summer (Outer Banks in N.C.). This year we decided to try our first cruise. We chose Baltimore b/c we could drive and not worry about flying. We chose a Stay, Park, and Cruise Hotel at the Holiday Inn, Linthicum, MD - however, upon arrival Thursday pm, we were told that they offered no such thing. (Website was not updated). They accomodated us by lowering their rate, and we drove and parked at the port. This was the only stress involved during the cruise.

 

Embarkation:

We arrived at 10:30am, which was good b/c we got an early (zone 3) boarding number. We still had to wait until 2:30 to board. Other than the wait, the process was easy, as well as parking. Our room was ready at 3pm, muster drill at 5pm.

The first dinner in the MDR is open seating and you can come at ANY time. We didn't know this, went at 6pm and missed the "Bon Voyage" party. We should have waited, and went after the party. The welcome show was very entertaining - loosen up and have some fun. We got on stage for a bunch of crazy games and activities. Cruise directors Danny, Matt and Joey are a trip. Get to know them - all 3 mingle and are very nice and visible.

 

Day 1 at sea:

Got up early, went to the Lido deck to have coffee. Many chairs were already taken, so we sat down for a bit, then went to have breakfast. The omelets are awesome - many fillings to choose from. We then went back for a fun pool and sun day, listening to the calypso band. Very relaxing. One hint - the floor around the pool is VERY SLIPPERY. We saw many people slip and hit the deck HARD. Wear shoes w/ good traction, and tell kids not to run. Formal dinner was this night and was very nice. The dinner staff is a well oiled machine - very prompt, efficient, and courteous. We were in and out in a jiffy, but did not feel rushed. Food is excellent, felt satisfied, but not overly stuffed. Went to the casino - a mini Las Vegas - and had fun. You can use green money to get your chips, or you can use your sign and sail card. (If you use S and S card - they will charge you a small fee - use cash) Saw a comedian in the Taj Mahal lounge - he was just OK. Later went to the disco - danced to 70's and 80's music. Had a Michael Jackson Tribute after that.

 

Day 2 at sea

Got to the pool at 7:30, most chairs already taken at the mid/main pool. I don't mind if people save chairs if they plan to use them. A family next to us didn't appear until around noon and only sat there briefly through the afternoon. Adult pool had plenty of chairs which is where we ended up for the remainder of the cruise..

Hairiest Chest Contest was hilarious as well as other pool games. Lido deck food in Mermaids Grill was delicious!! Salads and fruit were fresh, a variety of ethnic foods served, hamburgers, hotdogs, desserts...anything your heart desires. Plenty of places to sit..just had to have a little patience and realize you aren't the only one being served. One woman just about ran me over in the salad bar line - must have been starved.

Dinner: Fabulous again! Get the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake for dessert at some point

Show: Hypnotist-Wonderful and truly amazing

Early to bed....you will be tired by this night and will need to prepare for Grand Turk.

By the end of the second day we were already having the time of our lives and wanting to plan the next cruise~~~

 

Day 3-7 will continue later..Gotta go to a wedding...

[megr1125]

well a wedding is a pretty bad excuse for not finishing a review....LOL!:D

 

can't wait for the rest!

[Dave85]

Looking forward to the rest!!!! :D

[yogimax]

Ah... the warm chocolate melting cake!!!

[vthokie]

Sorry for the delay..Here is our continued review

 

Day 3 - Grand Turk

We got up early to get off the Pride since we were there only from 7 - 3. The ship docks very close to land, so it is a short walk into the main area. We did not do an excursion there, as we planned on sitting on the beach and going to Margaritaville. The water is crystal clear, but the bottom is hard and has chunks of coral to navigate through. If you head down the beach a ways (away from the pier), the bottom is much better. We swam straight out to the rope from the Margaritaville beach access. After the rope, it gets much deeper but there are many tropical fish that you can view. We just had our swimming goggles on and could see fine.

Someone told us that drink prices were cheaper at a place called Jack's Shack up the beach away from Margaritaville. They were only a buck cheaper if that. We walked back towards Margaritaville and noticed a beach bar called Pirate's Choice. A bucket of 6 beers for $25. Much better than the high prices at Margaritaville. After a couple of buckets, we did go to the pool at Margaritaville. Very happy place, pool games, contests... We both entered a couple of them and had a blast. After a few Landshark Lagers, we headed back onto the ship. A medical emergency caused us to leave 2 hours late. If any fellow cruisers know what happened to this person and how they are, please let us know. We would be getting to Half Moon Cay later than was planned.

 

Day 4 - Half Moon Cay

If you are not doing an excursion, go get your tender number (a sticker to put on your clothes) early to get an earlier tender and get to the beach quicker. The beach is beautiful. Crystal clear blue water w/ sand that feels like baby powder. Many chairs were set up on the beach, but some late arrivers had trouble finding one. Lunch was served around 11:30 and included jerk chicken, hamburgers, hotdogs, and many sides. Waiters from the ship were circulating around taking drink orders. We "snorkled" w/ our swim goggles, but the bottom is so sandy and smooth there were few fish to see. We did go over nearer the childrens area and swam along the edge of the coral strip where the private cabana is. We did see a lot of small colorful fish there. Due to our late arrival, the captain let us stay an hour later. We got in a long tender line (which goes pretty fast), and headed back onboard. Went to bed early b/c Freeport disembarked at 7am.

 

Day 5 - Freeport

We got up early again and were early off the ship. We decided to do a snorkel and sail excursion, but decided not to do Carnival's. We had heard about Captain Tony's Sanddollar Snorkel and wanted to do his. We had to take a taxi to Port Lucaya. Each taxi holds 10 people, and they wouldn't leave until it was full. $5.00 each way minus tip - not too bad for a ~20 minute ride. We were let out at the taxi area in the marketplace and headed for Capt. Tony's. Had to ask for directions and finally found it. We did not book prior, but he had plenty of room on the catamaran. There were about 10 people on the boat at $45 each. It also included Rum punch for the ride back. Snorkeling was awesome over a shallow reef. Another catamaran anchored next to us and low and behold, it was the one sponsored by Carnival. $60 each for them, and it looked like the boat had 30-40 people on it. Captain Tony and his asst Derek were very nice and got us back in plenty of time. He actually handed out the bottle of 151 for some extra spice in the punch!! More tip for him!! We didn't know this, but Tony said that he had a van at the port that picked up folks from the ship. Check him out at http://www.sanddollarcruise.com.

We walked through the marketplace - lots of very small crowded shops w/ all kinds of "islandy" things. Got quickly bored w/ that and headed towards the bar/restaurant area. We landed at a place called "Rum Runners" where they serve all kinds of mixed concoctions in a fresh coconut they cut up right in front of you. Also sold 2 Corona's for $5.00. We hung out w/ a bunch of Pride cruisemates, shared a few conch fritters, then headed back to the taxi stand to go back to the ship. We got back a bit early, in time to have one more beer at the bar on the dock. We attended the "Vroom" show in the Taj Mahal and loved it. It was a mix of rock through the ages and entertaining. I don't expect to see Broadway caliber dancers, so these guys and gals were fine w/ me.

 

Day 6 -at sea heading home :(

 

Went and had the obligatory omelet and coffee, then headed for the adult pool. We had met a big group of really nice people, so we just sunned and hung out with them. The day was beautiful and we had a great time. By mid afternoon we played games in the pool and on the waterslide like we were kids. Went to our final dinner in the MDR - very nice as usual. It was sad when the waiters sang their "goodbye" song. We went to the casino and won some more money - Fun 21 is a version of Blackjack w/ more liberal rules, but there are no queens in the deck. It is also dealt from a shoe, not the auto shuffler/dealer that was on the blackjack tables. We met up w/ Danny, Matt, and Joey (cruise directors) and chatted w/ them for a long time. They are really nice people and we had fun with them. We then went to the disco and left there at 2:30am, but not before the late night pizza run on the lido deck.

 

Day 7 - back to the Port of Baltimore

 

We arrived at about 9am. We chose to self disembark which began around 10am. They call you by floor, even, then odd numbers. Floor one was first, then eight, then four. Don't know after that b/c we were on four. You will need your S and S card, your passport, and a customs form that you receive the day before. This was a really simple process. Once we were called, we left the ship, entered the terminal, went through a short customs line, then to the vehicle. There is a 45 minute talk on the disembarkation process on day 6 around 11 am.

 

This was my first cruise and compared to other vacations I have been on, this was by far the most fun. Everything was so punctual, service was great, beaches were beautiful, and the fellow cruisers were for the most part nice as well.

 

Husbands comments:

Bring along a large insulated mug w/ a lid. Great for keeping water cold during the day, and beverage of choice cold later.

 

Pack fewer clothes than you think you will need. I was in my bathing suit most of the time except for dinner and evening activities. I wore one pair of khaki shorts for 3 nights. One pair of dress slacks and a dress shirt was good for 2 nights. I do wish I had brought a couple of more t-shirts. They will get some use at the pool and on beach days.

 

I had heard through this board that you can "smuggle" liquor onboard. No problems there!!!

 

We took on a 12 pack each of sodas, and didn't drink half of them. The water and lemonade were fine for us.

 

Do take a watch, power strip, nightlight, travel alarm clock, after sun lotion, ziplock bags, swim goggles, and a small first aid kit.

 

Wife's comments:

 

There is a clothes line in the shower to hang up wet clothes. Plenty of closet and drawer space. I stayed in my bathing suit and cover ups during the day. I wore 2 dresses for the formal nights, and capris on the other nights. You don't need alot of evening wear just mix and match! Bring a light sweater for evenings. It was a bit cool but not freezing like other reviews claim. As my husband said, definitely bring an insulated mug.. this was nice to have at the pool and beach. Despite other reviews, the drinking water was not bad. Just put a lemon or crystal lite shaker in and it tastes fine.

Bandaids are a must as some of the coral can be sharp or in case you have an intoxicated mishap. LOL

Volunteer to do the games..don't be shy...we had a blast participating. Karaoke was alot of fun.

You will get the capers which is a newsletter telling all the events of the day, and will be well informed of all the activities. Something for all ages and all interests.

In summary to the above review, this was the absolute best vacation and cruise I have ever experienced. Food, shows, entertainment, crew, ports of call, and days at sea...and everything else was top notch! I have read some of the other reviews about this same cruise. I can't believe the negative ones but everyone has an opinion. Please let me know if you have any specific questions. I would love to help you experience the best cruise ever just as I have..... In fact, we are already planned our next cruise for June or July 2010 for my 40th.

I am working on a movie and will post as soon as I am done. Hope you like it.

(Cougar)

[rcoaster809]

Your review brought back so many good memories. I hope to write my own review too.

 

I started looking into other cruises too. Half Moon Cay is the most beautiful place I have ever seen, so I search Carnival's site for all the cruises that go there.

 

If you liked the layout of the Pride, check out the Miracle from NYC. As a bonus, that is an 8 day cruise.

[cruiser82]

Thanks for the review, I'm on the Pride on the 14th. And I'm a Hokie too!

[sheila512]

Just got back from the Carnival Pride cruise to the Bahamas. As a first time cruiser, I'd have to say that you have nothing to compare your experience to. We have cruised at least 5 times on different cruise lines and found this trip to be our least favorite. We thought the food was fair, as our dinner was NEVER hot in the dining room. The Mermaid grill was OK but if not for the fresh fruit and salad, we would have hated it. The crowded deck was a problem, but since we are not sun worshipers, we sat at tables in the shade most of the time. We thought the decor was dark, with crowded public areas. Guess we just don't like Italian Renaissance and wall sized naked women. We are an older couple and the hairy chest contest wasn't our cup of tea. We did enjoy the Karaoke and the Piano bar. Our best cruise was on Royal Monarch of the Seas. Expansive public areas near floor to ceiling windows, great library open all the time, not just 2 hours a day like on the Pride. Movie theatre with first run features. And the food on Royal was spectacular, as was the wait staff.

 

Anyway...the Carnnival Pride was OK. We had a relaxing time, doing mostly nothing and loved it. But we will probably not sail on Carnival again.

[cathyoo]

Thanks so much for the great review. I'm glad you enjoyed the Pride. I'll be meeting her on 11/1/09

[vthokie]

Just got back from the Carnival Pride cruise to the Bahamas. As a first time cruiser, I'd have to say that you have nothing to compare your experience to. We have cruised at least 5 times on different cruise lines and found this trip to be our least favorite. We thought the food was fair, as our dinner was NEVER hot in the dining room. The Mermaid grill was OK but if not for the fresh fruit and salad, we would have hated it. The crowded deck was a problem, but since we are not sun worshipers, we sat at tables in the shade most of the time. We thought the decor was dark, with crowded public areas. Guess we just don't like Italian Renaissance and wall sized naked women. We are an older couple and the hairy chest contest wasn't our cup of tea. We did enjoy the Karaoke and the Piano bar. Our best cruise was on Royal Monarch of the Seas. Expansive public areas near floor to ceiling windows, great library open all the time, not just 2 hours a day like on the Pride. Movie theatre with first run features. And the food on Royal was spectacular, as was the wait staff.

 

Anyway...the Carnnival Pride was OK. We had a relaxing time, doing mostly nothing and loved it. But we will probably not sail on Carnival again.

 

It was my husbands first cruise and my third, so I am able to compare. Our food was always hot and delicious. I am a very picky eater. Did you not try the grilled sandwich station? Hot grilled sandwiches??? Tunafish was great with not too much mayo. Burgers were fresh and juicy.. Our waiters worked their butts off to please us and were awesome.

 

The main deck was crowded, but the adult pool had plenty of space. I could always find a chair. The games and contests got people involved and energized the crowd. People were smiling, laughing, and singing..How could you not enjoy such fun? One of the judges was an older woman like yourself. She knew how to loosen up and enjoy herself despite her age. A few of the men were also older...

 

As far as the naked pictures, that is called Art and should be appreciated not degraded.

 

Sounds like fun cruising is not for you.

[trptplayer22]

Thank you for your review. After some of the others I've read I was worried about my inlaws. They are really fun loving people and not worried by art. This is our first cruise and theirs and want it to all go well. We leave on 9/6/09.

Again Thank you

[MAZANDSTEVE]

Great to hear you had a good time, enjoyed your review.:)

[cruisenuts4life]

Thanks for the reveiw we will be on pride in september.I have never been on Carnival and was a little worried from what friends have said about it.

But have heard a lot of good reveiws on this board so I am looking forward to it.

[andychris]

Glad you had a great time. can't wait to sail on the pride in a couple of weeks.

[elovenav]

Thanks so much for sharing! Looking forward to my trip on the Pride in a few short days.

:)

[mdvacruisers]

VT thanks for the review! We were on the same cruise and enjoyed ourselves. Sorry to hear a Carnival cruise wasn't for Sheila512, though the review should have been it's own thread since it was essentially a separate review and did not relate to the original post. Anyone smell a Loyal Royal in the comment?!

 

For those considering the Pride, it was an enjoyable trip and conveninent if you drive to the pier / live nearby. Like has been mentioned, a cruise is what you make of it, so have fun and don't take all-negative reviews too seriously...these are the people that just can't be satisified with anything!

[Nunu]

I like the his and hers comments idea.

[Sax_Player]

I was also on this same cruise. I really enjoyed your review and am glad you had a nice time. I heard from a family member that they announced that the person with the medical emergency was alright, but I never heard the announcement myself though...

[michelle1836]

thanks for posting your review and glad you had a great time. we sailed on the pride in july and it waas amazing. no complaints but went in with a positive attitude knowing I was going to have a good time come rain or shine. and the hairy chest contest was very funny (BF participated because I made him) the winner on our ship was an older gentleman and he was a trip!!

 

one question- were Ben and Steven part of the entertainment crew too or just Dan, Matt (have tons of pictures of him) and Joey?

[vthokie]

VT thanks for the review! We were on the same cruise and enjoyed ourselves. Sorry to hear a Carnival cruise wasn't for Sheila512, though the review should have been it's own thread since it was essentially a separate review and did not relate to the original post. Anyone smell a Loyal Royal in the comment?!

 

For those considering the Pride, it was an enjoyable trip and conveninent if you drive to the pier / live nearby. Like has been mentioned, a cruise is what you make of it, so have fun and don't take all-negative reviews too seriously...these are the people that just can't be satisified with anything!

 

I agree! If you can't have fun on this cruise it is your own fault. Also depends on how you live..If you are too "hootie tootie" you probably won't be satisfied with anything you do. My husband and I are both college educated with professional jobs, and as we said had the time of our lives.

[cjkumbaya]

Very nice review - glad you had a great cruise and it sounds as though you are hooked like the rest of us. Thanks for sharing!

[vthokie]

thanks for posting your review and glad you had a great time. we sailed on the pride in july and it waas amazing. no complaints but went in with a positive attitude knowing I was going to have a good time come rain or shine. and the hairy chest contest was very funny (BF participated because I made him) the winner on our ship was an older gentleman and he was a trip!!

 

one question- were Ben and Steven part of the entertainment crew too or just Dan, Matt (have tons of pictures of him) and Joey?

 

 

There were a couple of others in the entertainment crew, but didn't catch their names. Everyone was so nice and fun!!

[vthokie]

Husband's note: I noticed that over half of the men never washed their hands when in the public restrooms. I really couldn't believe it. Come on guys, wash your daggone hands!!!