Carnival Pride

I just got off the Pride from a week long trip to GT, HMC and Freeport. I had done my research here and expected a good cruise. I have cruised before both on Carnival and other lines. I have to say I was REALLY DISSAPOINTED.

 

First the boat is really old - I had 2 balcony rooms mid deck on 8 near the elevators. The rooms were dated, my TV was a CRT (from like 1980). But OK, I wont spend much time in the room anyway, lets check out the Balcony. For some reason the entire roof was ripped off the balcony area and I had a beautiful view of the fireproofing, wiring and insulation above. Wonderful ambience.

 

I dont think the boat flows well at all - there are large areas on the lower decks 2/3 that have no purpose at all (sunset garden). You have to walk through the buffet area (which for some reason stops serving food at 230) to get to the "serenity" deck. But no worries there is not much serenity there - limited seating and a pool that can hold about 6 people or the 2 person hot tub. Ahh serenity.

 

The boat does not seem to have upgraded stabilizers and moved MUCH more than any other cruise I have been on. Plus you could feel the engine the whole time. My wife ended up getting sick which has never happened before.

 

Half the midship lido deck was closed for "funnovations" so we were limited to long waits at the 1 bar for overpriced (7 dollar) beers. They didnt fill up the midship pool till day 3 so the very small pool forward was packed.

 

Restaraunt service was OK but not exceptional. Food was decent in the main dining room but one night I got my entree 15 seconds after my appetizer. You could tell it was all pre-prepared and waiting for you.

 

Entertainment was hit or miss - The comedy shows were great (If you dont mind standing along the wall because you cant get a seat). The musical shows were very amateurish like a college musical.

 

My biggest gripe is not with just the boat but with the company. They are so intent on making a buck that they ruin your relaxing vacation. I understand some of it but there were things that were just ridiculous. The most annoying thing was when I was down in the sports bar with my 7 dollar beer - wanted some pretzels - they are NOT FREE you have to pay for PRETZELS. I can get free pretzels with my dollar beer at the local dive bar and thought this was just ridiculous.

 

Maybe I had a bad experience and others have found it better. But I think Carnival has gone downhill and I cant see myself returning with so many other (better) options out there.

Obviously, you should stick with your one Dollar dive bar!

 

 

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Thanks - I guess my expectations were just too high after spending 6 grand to go on a cruise. But all the other lines I have been on offer peanuts/pretzels/crackers. To me it just seemed petty and was just an example of the nickle and diming they do. They say free room service but look at the menu you can get like 4 sandwiches, everything else is an "upcharge". The point I was trying to make was to show people that for the money there are better options IMHO. If you think it is reasonable to charge for pretzels at a bar, that is your opinion.

I just got off the same ship and I had a marvelous time. Half of the Lido deck was not cut off. One corner section not half the deck. I loved the shows and with anything with a lot of people come to the comedy shows early and you won't have to stand against a wall. The crew was excellent, saffie was excellent and this was one of the best cruises I have been on. I enjoyed the playlist productions and every show was packed with loud applause afterwards. Apparently people enjoy college productions. I am already planning next years trip on the Pride.

 

 

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The Pride went into service in 2002, 15 years is not old for a ship. It may need some renovations but we have been on the Pride and will be again in 6 weeks and have enjoyed the ship. Is it perfect, of course not. But I will not look for reasons to whine about. No vacation is perfect

Thanks for your review. I can understand some of your disappointments.

 

I hope you enjoy your next cruise.

Thank you for your feedback. I hope your next cruise will be within your expectations.

 

 

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I just got off the same ship and I had a marvelous time. Half of the Lido deck was not cut off. One corner section not half the deck. I loved the shows and with anything with a lot of people come to the comedy shows early and you won't have to stand against a wall. The crew was excellent, saffie was excellent and this was one of the best cruises I have been on. I enjoyed the playlist productions and every show was packed with loud applause afterwards. Apparently people enjoy college productions. I am already planning next years trip on the Pride.

 

 

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Any idea what they were doing - what the "funnovation" was?

No Idea - and to be fair to other replies it was more like a 1/4 of the midship Lido deck and one of the 2 bars.

 

I understand others had a wonderful time and I am glad they did. I was just posting my opinions. If you think I am looking for something to whine about by expecting not to see exposed insulation and fireproofing over my balcony instead of a roof I apologize. I was only commenting as I spent over 8K for a 7 day cruise and did not feel the Value was there for the money spent. Didnt say I had a bad time, I had a good time, I enjoyed myself. But they could have done much better compared to other cruise lines I have been on.

I was on her sister ship the Miracle during Hurricane Katrina and she handled the giant waves fine. That makes other parts of your story worry me because they are identical ships so I can't imagine one being great in rough seas and one being bad in normal type seas. I did see pictures of balconies with rust above your head but again that doesn't bother me for the price of the cruise....I'm going in a little over a month and spent about 5 thousand for 4 of us including Cheers package...insurance....decorations and treats ......and booking excursions in ports so not bad

 

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I could see a little rust but what we had was the entire roof missing - it was open to the metal i-beams covered with insulation and fireproofing. I still had a beautiful view of the ocean.

 

I dont know why the boat was moving as much as it was - have been on many cruises (even on older boats) and never noticed it. The seas weren't bad but it was definitely rocking a lot and you could feel the engine (shuddering or grinding - hard to explain). Didn't bother me or my kids but it was enough to affect my wife this time. I was sitting on the lido deck near the front looking towards the back of the boat and you could see the stacks bouncing up and down against the clouds. Never saw that before, maybe something wasn't working properly in the stabilizers or something.

Any idea what they were doing - what the "funnovation" was?

 

 

 

No it was just a small tarp off section with a blue tarp. Wasn't a bother to me in any event.

 

 

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Just out if curiosity... did you spend $6k (as stated in post #3) or more than $8k (as stated in post #9)?j

 

I've been on the Pride more times than any in the fleet (or any of the many others I've sailed).

 

The Pride is a nifty well-laid out "older" ship that has some rough edges but many love the Spirit class as much as I do.

 

The Serenity pool definately can handle more than half a dozen (we've had up to thirty companions in at once with room to spare).

 

Sorry you disliked it so much. Perhaps free pretzels elsewhere will make up for your disappointment. Enjoy them fully and happy sailing!

Sorry if that was confusing. The cruise fare was 5500. The one excursion was 600 and the on ship tab was 2500. So total was 8600 depending on how you view it.

 

Just used the oretzels as an example. For sonething tgat expensive i would expect sone salty snacks at the bar to be included as it has been on other cruise lines ive patronized.

I could see a little rust but what we had was the entire roof missing - it was open to the metal i-beams covered with insulation and fireproofing. I still had a beautiful view of the ocean.

 

I dont know why the boat was moving as much as it was - have been on many cruises (even on older boats) and never noticed it. The seas weren't bad but it was definitely rocking a lot and you could feel the engine (shuddering or grinding - hard to explain). Didn't bother me or my kids but it was enough to affect my wife this time. I was sitting on the lido deck near the front looking towards the back of the boat and you could see the stacks bouncing up and down against the clouds. Never saw that before, maybe something wasn't working properly in the stabilizers or something.

 

Thanks for your review.

 

It's baffling to me that some posters actually get defensive when someone posts about a negative experience. To each their own people!

 

Anyway, we've been on the Pride and the constant vibration was unnerving to say the least. I'm always reading Pride reviews to see if maybe that issue has been fixed because that's really the only reason we wouldn't go on her again. When you mention feeling the engine was it a vibration?

Anyway, we've been on the Pride and the constant vibration was unnerving to say the least. I'm always reading Pride reviews to see if maybe that issue has been fixed because that's really the only reason we wouldn't go on her again. When you mention feeling the engine was it a vibration?

Your post got me thinking about our Spirit-class cruises - we've been on seven, Legend (2), Miracle (2) and Pride (3). All except one Legend (Baltic) and one Miracle (Alaska) were East Coast sailings to the Eastern Caribbean or Bermuda. On all of the East Coast sailings we experienced vibration/motion issues when we were off Cape Hatteras. The vibration is particularly noticeable aft in the dining room. Our most recent experience was three weeks ago on Pride. We had an aft cabin and the only day I noticed vibration was the last, returning to Baltimore Heavy seas and strong winds, they ended up closing the sports deck. We went to brunch in the dining room and the vibration/movement was so bad that I saw a server almost lose her balance and spill her tray on a passenger.

 

On the Baltic and Alaska cruises, however, I don't think we experienced motion issues. I wonder whether it's an East Coast issue.

Yes I guess it was a vibration. And it was worse as we headed south (into the wind) where the apparent winds wer 45-53mph. They had large sections of the top decks closed off. On the return trip it was a little better but still noticeable.

Sorry your cruise didn't really meet your expectations. We will be on the Carnival Pride for the 6th time in early 2018. All our previous Pride cruises were in February, March and September. I think we had rough seas for about 6 hours once coming back to Baltimore from Freeport, and I think that was one of the Feb. trips. As for vibration, I've felt a little vibration at one time or another, on every ship, but I just chalked it up to normal vessel movement. On the Pride, we've had standard balconies, and in March 2017 we tried an extended AFT balcony, and we loved it. No vibration problems for us. We always do MDR late seating, and never had problems or complaints. We've been cruising so long that we don't really do the shows or excursions. We love the Serenity Deck as well. Um, I don't know about pretzels at the bar. Years ago bars had little dishes of snacks they put out for patrons they served, but that turned out to be an unsanitary idea. Folks putting their hands in and digging through the snacks...not good.

 

We've been cruising for a number of years, and with all different cruise lines; Cunard, Celebrity, RCCL, NCL, etc., but about 10-12 years ago we chose a Carnival Legend cruise reluctantly, based on a recommendation from a family member, and we were very surprised...no unruly passengers, no wild, loud obnoxious drunks. We changed our tune about Carnival. Since then we've chosen Carnival for our cruises. We like the Spirit class ships for their size, the way you can get around on the ships, etc. We really like the price and the fact that the Pride leaves from Baltimore, so no need for flying.

 

Even though we've been cruising for a long time, I always check the description of any ship we're thinking about as far as age, size, cabin location, etc. I check out the entire ship and believe me the Pride isn't that old. If I'm disappointed in a ship, I feel it's my own fault because I didn't do enough research.

 

I will say this. I was disappointed with our 2nd cruise on the Pride. Things began changing on all cruise lines around that time. Cutbacks, etc. were changing the things about cruising that we liked and looked forward to. I gave the Pride another try a year later, and loved it.

 

I sure hope your next cruise will be better than your last cruise.

I love the Pride. My only problem with it is the higher than normal fares out of Baltimore and their lack of itineraries.

Your post got me thinking about our Spirit-class cruises - we've been on seven, Legend (2), Miracle (2) and Pride (3). All except one Legend (Baltic) and one Miracle (Alaska) were East Coast sailings to the Eastern Caribbean or Bermuda. On all of the East Coast sailings we experienced vibration/motion issues when we were off Cape Hatteras. The vibration is particularly noticeable aft in the dining room. Our most recent experience was three weeks ago on Pride. We had an aft cabin and the only day I noticed vibration was the last, returning to Baltimore Heavy seas and strong winds, they ended up closing the sports deck. We went to brunch in the dining room and the vibration/movement was so bad that I saw a server almost lose her balance and spill her tray on a passenger.

 

On the Baltic and Alaska cruises, however, I don't think we experienced motion issues. I wonder whether it's an East Coast issue.

 

I believe you are correct. I've been on the Miracle & Pride both out of Baltimore & have experienced this when sailing off the Carolinas. I've sailed the Legend out of Tampa & had no issues with her. That said the Spirit Class are still my favorite ships. Kind of the Goldilocks of the Carnival Fleet.

Sailed many times but on the Pride the most since we live in Balto. County. I enjoy reading all Pride reviews as well as yours. We all have different opinions. I do know that the Pride has ALWAYS had that bad vibrations, especially in the aft dining room. We just always try to stay out of that area,,,and would never book a cabin on any deck back there. Overall, we really enjoy all our trips on the Pride. Hopefully your next trip will be better for you.

Thanks - I guess my expectations were just too high after spending 6 grand to go on a cruise. But all the other lines I have been on offer peanuts/pretzels/crackers. To me it just seemed petty and was just an example of the nickle and diming they do. They say free room service but look at the menu you can get like 4 sandwiches, everything else is an "upcharge". The point I was trying to make was to show people that for the money there are better options IMHO. If you think it is reasonable to charge for pretzels at a bar, that is your opinion.

One reason for no snack is a sanitary one. These days people's hygiene is questionable, and I'm not sure I would want to pick a treat out of a bowl that certain people and rooted through.

Sailed many times but on the Pride the most since we live in Balto. County. I enjoy reading all Pride reviews as well as yours. We all have different opinions. I do know that the Pride has ALWAYS had that bad vibrations, especially in the aft dining room. We just always try to stay out of that area,,,and would never book a cabin on any deck back there. Overall, we really enjoy all our trips on the Pride. Hopefully your next trip will be better for you.

 

We have also been on the Pride several times, she is our favorite ship. Have 2 cruises coming up next year on her. We always book an Aft Ext Balcony, we love it. We spend a lot of time on our balcony on sea days. The only time we have ever had any issues is when there is rough weather (we always cruise in September/October). Nothing really noticeable in the dining room. I love that we all experience different things, makes these reviews so much fun to read. Happy sailing!