Pride 9/20 - 9/27 review - w/ Tips! (turned out LONG!)

[figs]

Had a GREAT trip on the Pride 9/20 - 9/27! Was very impressed with the staff and service, for the most part. Definitely tops of the cruises I've taken with Carnival! Ship is clean and pretty, ports went smoothly - no serious complaints here.

 

Good People:

1.) CD Kirk is phenomenal. He was EVERYwhere, making you laugh and getting you involved. I've never even noticed a CD before, but this trip proved to me that a GOOD cruise director makes ALL the difference. His assistants William (Spirit Fingers!) and Joey (JO-WEE!) were also great. Kirk ran the Quest party (Which my team won, yay! Go Team 11!), and was absolutely hysterical - GO SEE QUEST!

 

2.) Room steward Hubert was fabulous - always cleaning, kind, and had a great smile in the halls when he asked how our day had been. Towel animals every night!

 

3.) Mister V the Maitre'D was a hoot. He came to our table THREE times to check in and see how his staff was doing. I've never seen a maitre'd so involved. VERY impressive. Waiters Natt and Roy were also excellent.

 

Good Ports:

1.) Port Canaveral was nice, more so than I was expecting. We ALMOST got to see NASA launch a rocket, but it was scrubbed due to a storm rolling in - but it was cool to hang out on Deck 10 w/ all the other passengers who'd heard about the launch, and look at the launchpad off in the distance (yes, you can see it from the ship!). We did Cocoa Beach for the day. Cocoa Beach was nice, actually, although the surf was a little rough from a storm that had just passed by.

 

Tip - DON'T book the $15 Carnival shuttle excursion to Cocoa Beach. Instead, walk out of the port building and catch one of the MANY waiting shuttles and taxis for $6-$10 dollars roundtrip. Same goes for Kennedy Space Center, etc - we saw vans waiting with "If you have 5 or more people, it's $10/pp" signs. Internet rate for KSC = $38, van for $10 (maybe $20 rt) = TOTAL PRICE: $48-58 for the basic KSC trip. Cost from Carnival: $99. So go on your own in Port Canaveral, unless you're planning Disney and worried about making it back in time!

 

2.) Nassau was a gorgeous port - make sure you're awake when you come in, the harbor entrance has a beautiful lighthouse, and the ship churns up the white sand and makes the most amazing milky designs on the water. We did Ardastra Gardens/Zoo (AMAZING! Marching flamingos, free parrot feeding, and beautiful grounds! http://www.ardastra.com/) and Atlantis (Huge and awe-inspiring). $10 RT cab rides to each, and Ardastra was only $15 to enter. Ardastra total: $25, Carnival excursion price: $46. Anyone seeing a trend here? :D

 

3.) Freeport we used as a beach day. Beach was only ok, lots of seaweed for some reason, but part of my group had been there before and said that was unusual. But the water was warm and the sand was white - ahh! As everyone else says, it's an industrial port (the Ecstasy is there right now in dry-dock), and you need to take an excursion or a cab. We opted for a $10 RT cab ride to Port Lucaya. Went to the beach, played in the casino, did some shopping at the stores and straw markets. Straw market was disappointing, each stall had exactly, and I mean EXACTLY, the same wares. But the women were more than willing to negotiate if you held out, pretty much everything could be had for $5.

 

Tip - One stall with a very tall, very imposing Rasta guy was different, he was doing woodcarving while you watched. He was VERY kind, and even called me back to ask my name and shake my hand AFTER I'd paid him the money for the little owl carving I bought (for a lowered price of $10). Look for him for a decent souvenir actually MADE in the islands!

 

Drawbacks:

 

1.) Princess Donna in karaoke started out cracked-out strong and by the last night, had faded entirely. She went from absolutely insanely over-the-top to just standing at her equipment and occasionally making half-hearted British pleas for someone, anyone, to come up and sing. There were always people in Starry Nights for karaoke, but no one wanted to get up there - she may have been just super-discouraged.

 

2.) Interested in other people's views of piano man Richie. We went the first night with high hopes - I love piano bars and singing along! - but he seemed almost drunk and depressed. Even though there were only five people in the bar, he insisted that we hand him napkins with our songs on them, instead of just asking, because "My brain's too gone to remember that kinda thing once I start singing a song". Ohhhh-K. Then he finished a song about a guy's lady troubles, and commented "Sounds like that woman was a cheating liar......big surprise, sounds about right.....". Umm, what? My friends and I decided that he came off EXACTLY like a guy that had just been dumped. Then he crushed his beer can on his head and tossed it on the floor, but didn't make a joke or anything - it wasn't part of the act, which made it weirder.

 

He also put his own spin on the songs, which made it hard to sing along - they weren't the same notes, speed, etc. It was just uncomfortable, and eventually we left - leaving only two solitary older guys nursing a drink at the entire bar. But I heard the place was hopping later in the cruise, so maybe it was just a REALLY REALLY off night? Anyone got a better view of this guy? I was kinda horrified.

 

3.) The female singer wasn't very good. I'd heard from my parents (who were on in July) that she wasn't up to the job, but I didn't realize how bad it would be. Couldn't hit some of her lower/higher notes, and she was absolutely unintelligible for a lot of her songs - no enunciation at all! "Mumble mumble alright! Wahaah, mumble, woooo, that's what happened!".

 

I guess my biggest disappointments were with the entertainment staff! There were good ones - the show band was EXCELLENT, the two guys doing breakdancing (yes, breakdancing!!) at the farewell party were incredible, and the comedians were funny.

 

Overall:

 

Cruise was great! Sea days, especially the last one, were a little lacking in activities, since we had bad weather and Lido wasn't an option - more trivia/games would have been nice. Ports were lovely, and getting on and off the ship was EASY as PIE. No lines, usually, at all!! Staff were friendly and good at their jobs - for example, you never saw dirty tables on Lido. Either someone was sitting and eating, or it was clean - I have no idea how they did it so fast and silently. Like busboy ninjas! Food was excellent, flat iron steak was a bit rubbery, but the lobster was a good size, the desserts were wonderful, and Lido had some GREAT meals on most days.

 

Last tip: The long benches in the Sunset Garden WAY forward on Deck 3 are excellent places to wait while everyone's getting kicked off the ship. We just plopped down and took a nap for the whole process until our number was called. Comfortable and no one was around.

 

OK, I'm done! I can't believe I'm doing this, but here's the public link to my facebook picture album from the trip. Just don't make fun of us TOO much, there are a lot of pics of us being silly. :D

 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2074366&id=15802650&l=caa26a7880

[jimbo5544]

Had a GREAT trip on the Pride 9/20 - 9/27! Was very impressed with the staff and service, for the most part. Definitely tops of the cruises I've taken with Carnival! Ship is clean and pretty, ports went smoothly - no serious complaints here.

 

Good People:

1.) CD Kirk is phenomenal. He was EVERYwhere, making you laugh and getting you involved. I've never even noticed a CD before, but this trip proved to me that a GOOD cruise director makes ALL the difference. His assistants William (Spirit Fingers!) and Joey (JO-WEE!) were also great. Kirk ran the Quest party (Which my team won, yay! Go Team 11!), and was absolutely hysterical - GO SEE QUEST!

 

2.) Room steward Hubert was fabulous - always cleaning, kind, and had a great smile in the halls when he asked how our day had been. Towel animals every night!

 

3.) Mister V the Maitre'D was a hoot. He came to our table THREE times to check in and see how his staff was doing. I've never seen a maitre'd so involved. VERY impressive. Waiters Natt and Roy were also excellent.

 

Good Ports:

1.) Port Canaveral was nice, more so than I was expecting. We ALMOST got to see NASA launch a rocket, but it was scrubbed due to a storm rolling in - but it was cool to hang out on Deck 10 w/ all the other passengers who'd heard about the launch, and look at the launchpad off in the distance (yes, you can see it from the ship!). We did Cocoa Beach for the day. Cocoa Beach was nice, actually, although the surf was a little rough from a storm that had just passed by.

 

Tip - DON'T book the $15 Carnival shuttle excursion to Cocoa Beach. Instead, walk out of the port building and catch one of the MANY waiting shuttles and taxis for $6-$10 dollars roundtrip. Same goes for Kennedy Space Center, etc - we saw vans waiting with "If you have 5 or more people, it's $10/pp" signs. Internet rate for KSC = $38, van for $10 (maybe $20 rt) = TOTAL PRICE: $48-58 for the basic KSC trip. Cost from Carnival: $99. So go on your own in Port Canaveral, unless you're planning Disney and worried about making it back in time!

 

2.) Nassau was a gorgeous port - make sure you're awake when you come in, the harbor entrance has a beautiful lighthouse, and the ship churns up the white sand and makes the most amazing milky designs on the water. We did Ardastra Gardens/Zoo (AMAZING! Marching flamingos, free parrot feeding, and beautiful grounds! http://www.ardastra.com/) and Atlantis (Huge and awe-inspiring). $10 RT cab rides to each, and Ardastra was only $15 to enter. Ardastra total: $25, Carnival excursion price: $46. Anyone seeing a trend here? :D

 

3.) Freeport we used as a beach day. Beach was only ok, lots of seaweed for some reason, but part of my group had been there before and said that was unusual. But the water was warm and the sand was white - ahh! As everyone else says, it's an industrial port (the Ecstasy is there right now in dry-dock), and you need to take an excursion or a cab. We opted for a $10 RT cab ride to Port Lucaya. Went to the beach, played in the casino, did some shopping at the stores and straw markets. Straw market was disappointing, each stall had exactly, and I mean EXACTLY, the same wares. But the women were more than willing to negotiate if you held out, pretty much everything could be had for $5.

 

Tip - One stall with a very tall, very imposing Rasta guy was different, he was doing woodcarving while you watched. He was VERY kind, and even called me back to ask my name and shake my hand AFTER I'd paid him the money for the little owl carving I bought (for a lowered price of $10). Look for him for a decent souvenir actually MADE in the islands!

 

Drawbacks:

 

1.) Princess Donna in karaoke started out cracked-out strong and by the last night, had faded entirely. She went from absolutely insanely over-the-top to just standing at her equipment and occasionally making half-hearted British pleas for someone, anyone, to come up and sing. There were always people in Starry Nights for karaoke, but no one wanted to get up there - she may have been just super-discouraged.

 

2.) Interested in other people's views of piano man Richie. We went the first night with high hopes - I love piano bars and singing along! - but he seemed almost drunk and depressed. Even though there were only five people in the bar, he insisted that we hand him napkins with our songs on them, instead of just asking, because "My brain's too gone to remember that kinda thing once I start singing a song". Ohhhh-K. Then he finished a song about a guy's lady troubles, and commented "Sounds like that woman was a cheating liar......big surprise, sounds about right.....". Umm, what? My friends and I decided that he came off EXACTLY like a guy that had just been dumped. Then he crushed his beer can on his head and tossed it on the floor, but didn't make a joke or anything - it wasn't part of the act, which made it weirder.

 

He also put his own spin on the songs, which made it hard to sing along - they weren't the same notes, speed, etc. It was just uncomfortable, and eventually we left - leaving only two solitary older guys nursing a drink at the entire bar. But I heard the place was hopping later in the cruise, so maybe it was just a REALLY REALLY off night? Anyone got a better view of this guy? I was kinda horrified.

 

3.) The female singer wasn't very good. I'd heard from my parents (who were on in July) that she wasn't up to the job, but I didn't realize how bad it would be. Couldn't hit some of her lower/higher notes, and she was absolutely unintelligible for a lot of her songs - no enunciation at all! "Mumble mumble alright! Wahaah, mumble, woooo, that's what happened!".

 

I guess my biggest disappointments were with the entertainment staff! There were good ones - the show band was EXCELLENT, the two guys doing breakdancing (yes, breakdancing!!) at the farewell party were incredible, and the comedians were funny.

 

Overall:

 

Cruise was great! Sea days, especially the last one, were a little lacking in activities, since we had bad weather and Lido wasn't an option - more trivia/games would have been nice. Ports were lovely, and getting on and off the ship was EASY as PIE. No lines, usually, at all!! Staff were friendly and good at their jobs - for example, you never saw dirty tables on Lido. Either someone was sitting and eating, or it was clean - I have no idea how they did it so fast and silently. Like busboy ninjas! Food was excellent, flat iron steak was a bit rubbery, but the lobster was a good size, the desserts were wonderful, and Lido had some GREAT meals on most days.

 

Last tip: The long benches in the Sunset Garden WAY forward on Deck 3 are excellent places to wait while everyone's getting kicked off the ship. We just plopped down and took a nap for the whole process until our number was called. Comfortable and no one was around.

 

OK, I'm done! I can't believe I'm doing this, but here's the public link to my facebook picture album from the trip. Just don't make fun of us TOO much, there are a lot of pics of us being silly. :D

 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2074366&id=15802650&l=caa26a7880

Nice review, love the tip at the end of a section.

[mom2tcdx2]

So glad someone else had the same opinion of the female singer as I did. She sang two songs during one performance I have no idea what she was evening singing as I couldn't make out any words at all. Didn't even bother with the second show because she was so horrible during the first. Show would have been great if they had gotten rid of her.

 

Guess her style isn't too my liking as we also noticed the female singer on the Splendor was the same way - guy was great, female was awful.

 

 

We greatly enjoyed our sailing on the Pride and I think we would sail again especially with it so close to home. Overall the ship was nice, has some small areas that need better maintenance. Had absolutely no service issues with any of the staff, found everyone said good morning, etc when we passed. Very friendly, attentive. Only wish they had better choices in ports.

[figs]

Oh, and I should add, feel free to ask questions! I'll try to answer as best I can. :)

 

Mom: Oh, no, you're not alone. Our whole party felt the same as you.

[jimbo5544]

So glad someone else had the same opinion of the female singer as I did. She sang two songs during one performance I have no idea what she was evening singing as I couldn't make out any words at all. Didn't even bother with the second show because she was so horrible during the first. Show would have been great if they had gotten rid of her.

 

Guess her style isn't too my liking as we also noticed the female singer on the Splendor was the same way - guy was great, female was awful.

 

 

We greatly enjoyed our sailing on the Pride and I think we would sail again especially with it so close to home. Overall the ship was nice, has some small areas that need better maintenance. Had absolutely no service issues with any of the staff, found everyone said good morning, etc when we passed. Very friendly, attentive. Only wish they had better choices in ports.

I would tend to agree with your comment on the ports. I think it is changing next May to include Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk.

[StillPooh]

feel free to ask questions! I'll try to answer as best I can. :)

How were the temperatures (other than your bad weather the last sea day)? I am in a quandry trying to decide what clothes to pack. Will I need cold weather things (jeans/sweatshirts/etc) for the first 2 sea days?

 

Did you eat at David's, and if so, was it worth the extra money?

[figs]

How were the temperatures (other than your bad weather the last sea day)? I am in a quandry trying to decide what clothes to pack. Will I need cold weather things (jeans/sweatshirts/etc) for the first 2 sea days?

 

Did you eat at David's, and if so, was it worth the extra money?

 

Temps were generally good! It was 70-something sailing out of B'more, and sunny, so it was warm that evening. Both sea days were warm enough to go up on deck and swim in the pool (which was shockingly comfortable temp-wise, I think they're heating it?), even with the rain falling. As the season gets later, I'm assuming that might change. The rainy sea day on the way back was COLD, but you couldn't go out on deck due to the winds anyway. Like someone said on an earlier thread, CD Kirk said that the weather passing Cape Hatteras, NC seems to be about 50% stormy.

 

It was in the 80's and hot and humid in Port Canaveral, but not humid by the beach, nice breeze there. Upper-80's or so at least in both Nassau and Freeport, but no humidity - it just felt like "perfect beach weather". I wore jeans disembark day, and was GLAD I did, it was cool coming back into B'more.

 

Didn't eat at David's, but everyone swears by it on this board. If I ever cruise with a SO, instead of with friends, I'll definitely be hitting it up. Just would probably feel strange to do a long, fancy dinner with my roomie. :)

[StillPooh]

How were the temps in the public spaces (MDR, theater, etc)? I am normally pretty hot-natured, but I've heard complaints about arctic indoor spaces.

[bhanback]

Did the slots take coins or not??

[OReilyBros]

Princess Donna was frustrated on our cruise too.

 

In fact, when I would walk by, she would start one of the songs I kaoraked before and drag me in to sing.

 

Richie was simply not good...we were not impressed. More miss than hit.

 

Norm

[falkcor]

2.) Interested in other people's views of piano man Richie. We went the first night with high hopes - I love piano bars and singing along!

 

i too LOVE the piano bar... and the 'bar' was set pretty high w/ my last piano man, martin kaye... i asked about richie on the 'best piano player...' thread and think they gave a pretty frank analysis... don't hold your breath, or something to that effect...

 

well i went the first night anyway, and was kind of disappointed... i didn't understand why you have to request via napkin... he took 2 breaks between 9 something and close... and he closed the bar at 1.15! my last player would keep it rocking until well past 2 each night...

 

all that being said... a few drinks later, i started heckling him (in a good way :))... 'hey richie, how about a song we can all sing along to?!'

 

well i got to know him pretty well over those nights - would hang out and chat after close, and he's actually a decent individual, just not the best piano player... he also told me his voice was 'shot' this cruise, and he'd be the first to admit 'i suck'. he did, a few times a night. a little off-putting but regardless...

 

i also found he was better on some songs than others without a doubt... so, not the best by any means, but it's still my favorite place on the ship, and he's passable for a few hours of fun...

 

i don't know if you caught him, but one of the other piano players, hrvoje, who also played in the atrium and other locations, stood in for him one night and HE was FANTASTIC. very very personable, a great voice, and a lot of fun. actually a little more of what i'd expect from the piano man. he also played the electric guitar with richie on i think freeport night at 11.30 - pink floyd night, which i enjoyed... i just kinda wish hrvoje was playing the piano & singing, and richie on guitar :rolleyes:

 

i still wouldn't discourage anybody from checking it out.

[figs]

How were the temps in the public spaces (MDR, theater, etc)? I am normally pretty hot-natured, but I've heard complaints about arctic indoor spaces.

 

Bring a shawl/sports coat/jacket. Two of the gals from our group were freezing in the MDR and in other public areas - I was very comfortable, but I'm generally a warm person. My old college roomie literally had permanent goosebumps, though. You'll probably be ok, but one jacket can also be nice up on deck when the boat's really booking it, the wind can get a bit chilly.

 

Did the slots take coins or not??

 

The slots for them were still there, and they still take bills - I would assume they still TAKE coins, just don't spit them OUT anymore. But I did not try to test this, so don't take my word for it.

 

i still wouldn't discourage anybody from checking it out.

 

I did miss the other guy, now I wish I hadn't. I definitely was sad for the lack of good piano barring on this cruise - sounds like I should have given him another chance to be less of a weirdo. :) And agreed - to anyone who hasn't been, go!! It's a blast, and what one person likes, another might find off-putting, so yeah, make up your own mind. :D

[cruisefanatic01]

Thanks for your review. I love the format that you did it in (pros/cons). I also enjoyed your FB pics. Your group of friends look like they'd be a hoot to be around.

[Ave43]

Thanks for posting your review and pix! Looks like you had a great time!

 

And also thanks for the advice on getting a taxi at Port Canaveral, instead of paying Carnival prices for their shore excursion to Cocoa Beach. We will most likely want to walk around on dry land after 2 days at sea, so this will work out perfectly and save us more $.

 

Thanks!

 

Ave :D

[Ave43]

Oh......and how long is the ride to the beach? I get nervous if we are too far away, even though I know the ship won't leave before they say it will. Knowing will make me feel better. :)

[cathyoo]

Did they have horse racing or the bean bag toss?

 

Wonderful review and your pictures are gorgeous.

[figs]

Oh......and how long is the ride to the beach? I get nervous if we are too far away, even though I know the ship won't leave before they say it will. Knowing will make me feel better. :)

 

I want to say the ride to Cocoa Beach was about 15-20min, and the shuttles came every ten minutes or so. Maybe not that long, I'm trying to be conservative so you've got a good idea of how long it takes! It's a 7am-7pm stop, I'm sure you won't spend the whole time there (or you'll end up crispy before you even reach the Bahamas!), so I wouldn't worry too much about timing issues. :D

 

Did they have horse racing or the bean bag toss? Wonderful review and your pictures are gorgeous.

 

I didn't see the horse racing this time, but that doesn't mean they didn't have it! There was indeed bean bag toss fairly regularly (maybe even daily) on the Capers.

 

Thanks for the compliments on the pics, everyone! Yes, we had an absolute blast, and sailing out of Baltimore was so smooth that I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

 

As another note - is anyone finding decent rates for stay-and-cruise hotel packages? 'Cause as a maybe-tip, depending on what you guys are finding, we Pricelined a hotel at BWI for $64, then paid for parking at the pier for $105, total of $169. All the stay-and-cruise packages I priced were right about that or MORE, once taxes and such were added on. I liked the convenience of being able to hop on and off the ship and not deal with a shuttle ride back/forth to a hotel. BWI hotels are about 10min away, down a road that dead ends onto I-95N right before the port exit - VERY easy.

 

Just wanted to let you guys know, if you were considering one of those packages, that it might just be easier/cheaper to Priceline something and park at the pier. Any questions about that, let me know.:D

[zerooveride]

I actually just got a room at Comfort Suites which includes parking and shuttle service for $99 on parksleepfly.com . Very good deal

[figs]

I actually just got a room at Comfort Suites which includes parking and shuttle service for $99 on parksleepfly.com . Very good deal

 

That's a great deal! $50 savings over mine after taxes and stuff. Not bad at all! Man, there are just too many websites to check for good deals anymore - I thought I'd mined the departure boards for all of those. How's a girl to keep up? :D