Bulldogsoc

We boarded yesterday, the 23rd of December at Terminal A(6) at Port Canaveral.  We arrived around 9:50 with a 10:30 slot. That arrival time was of no consequence as you are directed to the priority line.  Once processed we were placed in the seats (75-100) designated for FTTF.  Platinums were seated in another area (about 200+).  The suites just boarded without an announcement around 10:30 followed by a few diamonds, then Plats and then us. We were on by 10:50 or so. 
 

Again, the boarding times you select are irrelevant for FTTF.

The Carnival A terminal is small and there is no way they are going to be able to let you in early if you have a later boarding time at least for the first hour or two IMO. 

Thx fligster.  Very helpful.

Spoiled in 2022
 

Feb 2022 - 4 night on Radiance out of LA $0 pp +PF & Grats  for inside or window; $15 pp ++ for balcony $150 pp ++ for Suite. Went with Suite. 

April 2022 - 7 nigh on MG $380 pp ++ for balcony

July 2022 - 9 night to Norway on Pride for $480 pp ++ for extended balcony. 🤩
 

i don’t mind paying the $1239 pp ++ for Xmas 8 day on the Magic x2 rooms. The previous deals were insane. 
 

Still deals to be had but we were SPOILED!

One more week!
 

Bring some Al foil to back a pic nic snack if you are doing some hikes as there are no food outlets in many of these place.  Norway has spent billions on a coastal highway system. We went under many a bridge.  We enjoyed London.  As a lawyer I posed for selfie outside the Supreme Court House.  We managed to be in town for the changing of the guard which was fun.

What an amazing trip.  Don’t even give Europe a second thought on a Carnival ship such as the Pride as your base.  We had ZERO complaints about the food, staff, service, drinks, anything.  Two thumbs up.  Enjoy!

Our last port was Stavanger and the one thing we wanted to do on this trip was to hike the the Preikestolen (the Pulpit Rock) which is a flat rock that juts out 604 Meters above the fjord below.  It is about a 40 min drive from Stavanger and there is no tour that will take you for a hike.  You can take a boat from the port to the base of the rock but we wanted to hike it.  It was certainly out of my comfort zone to go that far and remote from the ship without being on a ship tour.  But I rented an EV and we were the second people off the ship shortly after 8am and ran to the car rental and then we were off.  We did not realize it at the time but you go through the DEEPEST car tunnel in the world to get there.  We parked at the trail head and joined the 1500-2500 people that hike this daily.  It was a two hour hike out at a good pace and less coming back as it is mostly down hill.  This is not a hike for anyone not in shape in my opinion.  It is very rocky (all rock) and you need to watch you step.  Amazing bucket list item.  One and done as they say.  I packed in a Parched Pig!  We were back in plenty of time to do some shopping but we were ready for a hot tub, hot food and relaxation.  What an amazing day.

Our next port was Skjolden (I think that is how it is spelled).  We waited took long to book Ebikes but we were able to get two brand new hybrids that were very well maintained unlike in Olden.  We cycled down the sourthern side of the fjord through some tunnels that we had passed.  If we had pre-booked and gotten the ebikes we would have gone further than we did and gone to the next town.  Make sure you get a light on the bike for the unlit tunnels.  We took beer and water for from the ship and left them in one of the many streams on the way out to enjoyed ice cold on the way back.  Great day. Not much in this little hamlet, just like Olden. In the picture where you see the Pride (tiny) in the background, there is a trail head there that we did not know beforehand that we would have hike up if we had known and brought bike locks.  Great day.

We enjoyed the good sushi that was very reasonably priced.  Cool art/posters throughout the ship.  We saw lots of other cruise ships.  The scenery was amazing.

Our nest stop was Olden.  This tiny village has a Co-Op grocery store, some outdoor stores, some souvenir shops, a few restaurants and that is about it.  We had planned to go on our one and only purchased excursion to kayak the fjords but it was cancelled.  We rented bikes from the bar that was to your right when you get off the ship.  Just go upstairs from the excursion place downstairs and ask the bar person to rent a bike.  They were something like $10 each for the day.  Not the best bikes but did the trick and made it easy to explore for a few KM.  It is about a 15-20 min walk from the pier to the town stores.  I think the ships are not allowed to play music in the fjords but when we left this and other ports, the locals BLASTED music for us.  If you look closely at the red cottage picture below you will see a person waving a big foam hand at us as we left and they were blasting music for us.  Wonder wonderful day.  Good idea to bring some GoreTex outerwear to protect you from the wet and wind.  Just beautifully.  Did I mention this was $490 pp ++ for this 9 day cruise… yes.  Yes I did!  Amazing.

The port was Molde and we built on our hike in Alesund and in Molde we hiked the Varden which can be reached on foot right from the ship with like the all the ports in Norway, your ship is docked directly into the town/village/city.  This was a vigorous hike but the views were well worth it.  By the time we got back to the ship it was fogged in for a couple of hours until we were leaving when I took the photo below.  We watched the Deal or No Deal but unfortunately the young lad playing the game picked off all of the suitcases with the decent money in them (and I mean all) in his first picks to it was not exactly dramatic.  LOL. Still fun.  Like bingo, they sell lots of cards for this and it is a big money maker for the pride.  I don’t gamble but it was fund to watch other passengers really get into it.

Our second port was Alesund.  You can walk from the ship up the mountain that overlooks the town.  It is about 400 steps I think.  Go early to beat the crowds.  You can also take a tram if that is just too much for you or your group.  Great view of the Pride in the harbour.  Wonderful morning.  

That time of year, it does not take long to get the the land of the midnight sun.  The photos of the other cruise ship were taken at midnight if I am not mistaken.  They have a lovely Alchemy bar on the Pride.  Our first stop was Bergen.  We did not take the Funicular up the mountain as it was all fogged in.  We walked around the town. Our only day of rain and it was intermittent.

There was plenty to do on the ship.  There is shuffleboard in the Red Frog.  Blue Iguana was always good and we played endless rounds of golf.  He golfs, I do not (or at least not well) so when old Dad can win a few, it was fun.

I whole heartedly endorse a US based cruise line for a European Cruise.  I enjoyed our Carnival Pride 9 day Norwegian Fjords cruise this passed July with my 16 year old son way better than a cruise we took on MSC in the Yacht Club to Northern Europe a few years ago (and by a long shot).  I love being able to explore the local scene by day and come back to a North American hotel, food and beverage service at night.  I love trying the foods in port but I prefer a North American hotel experience.  

Below are some pictures of Jack and myself on our unforgettable 9 days on the Carnival Price this summer.  I have to add that this cruise was only $490 pp plus taxes and gratuities for an extended balcony cabin.  Unreal deal from the post covid sales.

We flew from Toronto overnight to London the day before and took the high speed train from Kings Cross the next morning to Dover.  We walked from the station to the pier which took about 45 min.  We only took carry on backpacks.

Enjoy….

Not super recent but July 2022.  Food was outstanding as was the service and the high level of cleanlinesses.  No issues whatsoever.  Great layout and big public spaces. Butterfly lounge is a great for comedy (good size compared to modern LL. And Punchliner lounges).  I would sail on a Spirit Class anytime.    

14 minutes ago, Jasukkie said:

Well said Jassukkie. 

My cruise for the Xmas break sold out within ours of being on offer the first of the week.  We have always bought it in the past pre-covid.  In each of those cases it was sold out but people more experienced than i said to keep checking back daily as they get a handle on numbers they will allocate more.  Those people were right and on each of those pre-COVID occasions we were able to score the FTTF after initially sold out. I am supremely confident that the deal will continue to be that you book a boarding time but show up when you want.  To be otherwise is nonsensical nonsense.

Mark

Joe’s sentiment is very much in the majority I think.  If you are watching your value for money this may be a proposition that just isn’t there for the vast majority of the customer base.  But if you want a little piece of… (lux/VIP both not great descriptors for these modest perks but you know what I mean) and are willing to spring for this amount vs. thousands more for a suite or other line’s offerings like the YC or Haven for these perks you then it might be just right for you.  Getting on early, the room being ready, the priority line at GS and the early debarkation make it worth the modest extra pp in our book.  The demand is certainly there.  I am going to watch it to see how long it takes to sell out.

Cheers. Mark  

On the Pride’s David’s Steakhouse this summer the menu seemed to be a combo of both of those as I know we had the bone marrow and French onion.  We were allowed one main and one desert each but as many starters or sides as we wanted. 

I just booked it for our 8 day Xmas cruise on the Magic departing Dec 23.  It was $129.95.  It says our check-in date is December 9th, so that is 14 days.  Aggie182 has posted the screen shots and it makes not mention of your appointed arrival time. Cheers.  Mark

My teenage son and I did a nine day Norwegian cruise on the Pride this summer out of Dover (from Toronto) with small tactical backpacks only as we did not want to deal with checked airline baggage and we were fine.  Mind you we wore our jackets and hiking shoes and thickest clothes onto the plane and then just doffed them.  We did a load of laundry half way through and we both had stuff we did not wear. Our family for four plans to do the same for our 8 Magic cruise over Xmas.

The staff on the pride were truly top notch. Not sure why I thought of this now but most bars just gave you the can of whatever you bought, be it beer, soda/pop, Monster without opening it EXCEPT the Red Frog Pool Bar.  They would not give it to you unopened, so if you wanted to go back to you balcony and have a free had for a sandwich or to put it in you fridge for later… go to another bar.  Not sure if I mentioned that.  

Wow.  That is cool!

Some More Pictures from the Cruise and Shore Adventures.