Pride review 4/3 - 4/10. Perspective from a first-timer!

[rlthomas7]

Sorry, just deleting a double post.

[serene56]

, you get a cell phone that works on the ship (I think this is only for younger kids). You give that number every time you check into camp, so that they can call you if you're needed. It also makes/receives calls to and from the cabin, which is very nice if someone is in the cabin and someone else is out. !

 

2-3 year olds get a cell phone- 4-5 year olds get a pager.

[rlthomas7]

I didn't mention how Adam did with Camp on Monday. As I said, he cried the whole way there and he was there for 90 minutes. When we picked him up, he told us that he had fun, but that he cried and he missed us. The counselors said that he did cry for a bit, but then he had fun. On this day they colored t-shirts. I think we got there too soon because his shirt was blank, but he got a nice t-shirt out of the deal!

 

On Tuesday morning we tried Camp again. Tuesday morning is Freddy day, so he was excited to see Freddy again. But of course he cried the whole way there. But when we picked him up he was SO excited to have seen Freddy, and Freddy gave the kids a Freddy poster/growth chart. So that morning he LOVED camp and was so excited to go back. Which was good, because we had David's Steak House reservations that night!

 

I really don't have much to report about Tuesday except that the sea was REALLY rough. Very high winds and very rough water made walking around pretty difficult. At one point in the buffet I almost landed in someone else's booth because I was trying to walk straight and it just wasn't happening! By evening things had calmed down, but during the day the pools were all drained becasue the ship was moving so much the water wasn't staying in the pools.

 

In the late afternoon we took Adam back to camp to do the build-a-bear project that they have. For $20 they can choose an animal, stuff it and dress it. We let Adam choose his own animal and outfit and here's what we ended up with:

 

 

An elephant, in a sailor suit, named Horatio. If your kids watch Sesame Street, you might understand the name. Adam then took Horatio all over the ship to check it out. Horatio rode the glass elevators in the atrium more than a few times and then he had dinner with Adam on the Lido deck.

 

Adam gives the watermelon two sticky thumbs up!

 

 

After Adam ate dinner we went back to the cabin to get dressed for David's and then took him to Camp. After his morning with Freddy and his afternoon making Horatio, he didn't cry too much. Just a little sniffly.

 

Here is the staircase leading to David's. Note that these stairs are clear, so when you're going up or down, you can look through them down ten floors to the Atrium floor below. Kind of freaky, especially in rough waves!

 

 

Meal review with meal photos to come tomorrow!

[cantwait06]

one more of my favorite reviews i forgot

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1190023

 

hope this helps! i just hope we have as much fun as everyone else does who writes up these reviews!!

 

 

this one is mine and I'm proud to be one of your favorites! we LOVED this cruise! :D

[nurse_nik]

Thanks for the great (continuing) review and also to the other poster for adding the additional review links!

[Daisywalker]

Thanks for the great review; I look forward to reading more! I appreciate the "mom" prespective as well. :)

[mama_2_boys]

Loving your review! We are taking our two young sons on their first cruise next month so it's great to read a review from a parent's perspective.

[jnmcruise]

was wondering how the elegant nites were? are most guys in coat n ties or just button up shirt, tie and slacks? or some other combo? thanks

[rlthomas7]

was wondering how the elegant nites were? are most guys in coat n ties or just button up shirt, tie and slacks? or some other combo? thanks

 

I saw a lot of coats and ties and longer dresses. Paul didn't pack a coat and just did dress slacks, dress shirt and tie. We didn't feel that he was under dressed, but he wouldn't have been overdressed in a sport coat or suit. We saw a few tuxedos too. I did see a man have to go change out of shorts for the second elegant night.

 

Just a theory, but I'm thinking since this cruise is one where a lot of people drive to the port instead of fly, that might make a difference in packing. It's easier to pack more if you don't have to fly it there!

[JaniceB]

Your son is so cute, it looks like he was having a good time even if he did cry going to camp.

 

I like the idea of a cell phone to stay in contact and the tv monitors.

[camaj]

We will be on the Pride in May with our 3yo. DH and I plan to attend the camp carnival orientation. Should we bring our 3yo with us to the orientation? We are traveling with other family members and they will be able to watch him if we don't take him, so that is not an issue. I was just wondering if he would be bored at the orientation or if it is a good idea to take him with us?

 

Also so glad there is a review from a parent of a 3yo. It is great to hear about your experiences. Can't wait to hear more about Camp Carnival.

[rlthomas7]

We will be on the Pride in May with our 3yo. DH and I plan to attend the camp carnival orientation. Should we bring our 3yo with us to the orientation? We are traveling with other family members and they will be able to watch him if we don't take him, so that is not an issue. I was just wondering if he would be bored at the orientation or if it is a good idea to take him with us?

 

Also so glad there is a review from a parent of a 3yo. It is great to hear about your experiences. Can't wait to hear more about Camp Carnival.

 

I'd take him so that you can meet the counselors. But you should both go with him so that if he gets bored or squirmy, one of you can walk around or leave while the other person completes the forms, gets the phone, listens, etc. I also suggest doing the camp registration online before you go. I did this and it was so nice to not have to do the forms at orientation with a million other people trying to do the same thing.

[LBumb]

great pics

[jenigirl4]

Love this review! Great job! Your son is so CUTE!

[rlthomas7]

Moving on to David's. I was unsure if this would be worth it for us since Paul is pretty limited in what he can eat. After posting on Cruise Critic and showing him the menu, we decided to give it a try. Here's my original post when we were trying to decide whether to do it. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1134380

 

We had a reservation for 7:30 because Camp doesn't open until 7:00 and they only take reservations on the half hour. Earlier in the day I stopped in to see if we could get there closer to 7:15 since every minute counts when kids are in camp and you never know when that phone might ring! They said that many people come early and 7:15 would be fine. So that's what we did!

 

We were seated on the upper level of the restaurant, overlooking the downstairs. The decor is beautiful with a pink glow while the sun is still out. The only detraction for some might be that you can hear the music from the second floor Atrium very clearly. I think they were doing karaoke that night or something. We didn't mind the music at all, but it didn't exactly mesh with the high-end decor!

 

We were given our menus and our waiter brought out a cart that showed the cuts of beef. Paul found this a little distasteful since he doesn't eat red meat, but hey, he went to a steakhouse. We placed our orders and sat back to enjoy the most relaxed meal we've had in three years!

 

The waiter arrived with a small bite "compliments of the chef." It was supposed to be some sort of cheddar soup for me and steak tartare for Paul, but of course Paul asked to switch them. I was taking photos of the sunset during this time, so I missed the explanation, but this is how I ended up with steak tartare to try. I took a small nibble, but it wasn't for me. Paul said the cheddar thing was good, but he wasn't paying attention to what it was. This is why he's not writing the trip report...

 

On to the appetizers! I chose lobster bisque and Paul chose the grilled portabella mushroom dish. The waitress mentioned that it was served cold, which he wasn't prepared for, but he said it was excellent. I was not overly impressed by my bisque - I didn't find any large chunks of lobster in it and it was pretty thin, in my opinion.

 

 

Paul said his portabella was excellent.

 

 

 

On to the salads! I got the heart of iceberg lettuce with balsamic vinaigrette and Paul got the baby leaf spinach and fresh mushrooms with bleu cheese (no warm bacon bits, which they usually include).

 

Here's mine, which was delicious:

 

And here is Paul's, which he said was also very good:

 

 

Now, for the main courses! I had the surf and turf and Paul had the Chilean Sea Bass.

 

Here's mine, which was AMAZING. The lobster was excellent, but the best part was the melted butter for dipping which had an orange taste to it. I've never tasted anything so good. And the filet mignon was delicious. I've never had such a good piece of steak.

 

 

And Paul's Chilean Sea Bass was excellent too. I had a bite and it was very good.

 

 

Dessert to come in the next post!

[rlthomas7]

And finally, dessert. I was going to get the caramelized washington apples in a puff pastry dome, but the previous evening's disappointing MDR dessert of a similar name made me a little apprehensive about trying it. Normally I'm a chocolate person, but I hate tiramisu and I didn't want to waste a quarter of my dessert! Paul was going to get the cheesecake until he saw it at a neighboring table and thought it was just too big. So we both got the chocolate sampler, I gave him my tiramisu and he gave me the chocolate raspberry one (I think it's the Chocolate Marquis). That one was excellent (hope so, since I had two of them!) and the other really chocolate one was good too. Neither of us cared much for the banana one, but someone at the next table was raving about it.

 

 

Here it is in all its glory!

 

 

After dinner, we asked our waiter to take a photo of us, since we don't often get any of just the two of us. He said he would and we never saw him again. So we asked our waitress as we were paying the bill, and she did it, albeit grudgingly...

 

So here's that masterpiece of two happy cruisers with full tummies!

 

 

 

And this is what we found when we picked up Adam from Camp. It was bunny night, so he made ears and looked like this. He loved bunny night! [Mom tip - if you're taking a kid to camp, bring extra makeup remover for face painting nights, because water just doesn't cut it and you probably don't want too much regular soap near the eyes!]

 

[rlthomas7]

Oh yeah, I can't forget this little guy! The bunny theme continued in our room!

 

 

Adam ripped him apart right away and wrapped himself up in one of the towels to complete his "bunny costume". And all the rest of the week he looked around for his "bunny costume" to wear around the room.

[FIVEONTHEAVENUE]

And finally, dessert. I was going to get the caramelized washington apples in a puff pastry dome, but the previous evening's disappointing MDR dessert of a similar name made me a little apprehensive about trying it. Normally I'm a chocolate person, but I hate tiramisu and I didn't want to waste a quarter of my dessert! Paul was going to get the cheesecake until he saw it at a neighboring table and thought it was just too big. So we both got the chocolate sampler, I gave him my tiramisu and he gave me the chocolate raspberry one (I think it's the Chocolate Marquis). That one was excellent (hope so, since I had two of them!) and the other really chocolate one was good too. Neither of us cared much for the banana one, but someone at the next table was raving about it.

 

 

Here it is in all its glory!

 

 

After dinner, we asked our waiter to take a photo of us, since we don't often get any of just the two of us. He said he would and we never saw him again. So we asked our waitress as we were paying the bill, and she did it, albeit grudgingly...

 

So here's that masterpiece of two happy cruisers with full tummies!

 

 

 

And this is what we found when we picked up Adam from Camp. It was bunny night, so he made ears and looked like this. He loved bunny night! [Mom tip - if you're taking a kid to camp, bring extra makeup remover for face painting nights, because water just doesn't cut it and you probably don't want too much regular soap near the eyes!]

 

OMG!! How darn cute.... You need to blow that one up and hang it somewhere in your house.

[FIVEONTHEAVENUE]

I didn't mention how Adam did with Camp on Monday. As I said, he cried the whole way there and he was there for 90 minutes. When we picked him up, he told us that he had fun, but that he cried and he missed us. The counselors said that he did cry for a bit, but then he had fun. On this day they colored t-shirts. I think we got there too soon because his shirt was blank, but he got a nice t-shirt out of the deal!

 

On Tuesday morning we tried Camp again. Tuesday morning is Freddy day, so he was excited to see Freddy again. But of course he cried the whole way there. But when we picked him up he was SO excited to have seen Freddy, and Freddy gave the kids a Freddy poster/growth chart. So that morning he LOVED camp and was so excited to go back. Which was good, because we had David's Steak House reservations that night!

 

I really don't have much to report about Tuesday except that the sea was REALLY rough. Very high winds and very rough water made walking around pretty difficult. At one point in the buffet I almost landed in someone else's booth because I was trying to walk straight and it just wasn't happening! By evening things had calmed down, but during the day the pools were all drained becasue the ship was moving so much the water wasn't staying in the pools.

 

In the late afternoon we took Adam back to camp to do the build-a-bear project that they have. For $20 they can choose an animal, stuff it and dress it. We let Adam choose his own animal and outfit and here's what we ended up with:

 

 

An elephant, in a sailor suit, named Horatio. If your kids watch Sesame Street, you might understand the name. Adam then took Horatio all over the ship to check it out. Horatio rode the glass elevators in the atrium more than a few times and then he had dinner with Adam on the Lido deck.

 

Adam gives the watermelon two sticky thumbs up!

 

 

After Adam ate dinner we went back to the cabin to get dressed for David's and then took him to Camp. After his morning with Freddy and his afternoon making Horatio, he didn't cry too much. Just a little sniffly.

 

Here is the staircase leading to David's. Note that these stairs are clear, so when you're going up or down, you can look through them down ten floors to the Atrium floor below. Kind of freaky, especially in rough waves!

 

 

Meal review with meal photos to come tomorrow!

You made mention several times that the first two days of the cruise were extremely rough. Was there bad weather to your recollection or is just the way that the seas are in the north? I am also doing this same cruise at the end of May into first week of June. I will be traveling with a 6 and 8 year old and I am concerned about a rocky ride and sea sickness. I heard that the ocean is much more rough in the northern parts of the Atlantic, and then once you get to about South Carolina they calm down a bit. Have you heard any mention of this or what, in your opinion, do you think contributed to such a rough ride?

[rlthomas7]

You made mention several times that the first two days of the cruise were extremely rough. Was there bad weather to your recollection or is just the way that the seas are in the north? I am also doing this same cruise at the end of May into first week of June. I will be traveling with a 6 and 8 year old and I am concerned about a rocky ride and sea sickness. I heard that the ocean is much more rough in the northern parts of the Atlantic, and then once you get to about South Carolina they calm down a bit. Have you heard any mention of this or what, in your opinion, do you think contributed to such a rough ride?

 

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that it's usually choppy on the first day and better on the second day off the Carolinas and Georgia. For us it was the opposite, with high winds and rain. I think that was the issue for us. Just bad weather.

[FunCitySIC32]

You made mention several times that the first two days of the cruise were extremely rough. Was there bad weather to your recollection or is just the way that the seas are in the north? I am also doing this same cruise at the end of May into first week of June. I will be traveling with a 6 and 8 year old and I am concerned about a rocky ride and sea sickness. I heard that the ocean is much more rough in the northern parts of the Atlantic, and then once you get to about South Carolina they calm down a bit. Have you heard any mention of this or what, in your opinion, do you think contributed to such a rough ride?

 

First of all, great review so far! Reading it is getting me very excited for my cruise at the end of May.

 

Second, I actually sailed out of Baltimore on the Pride about two years ago. I'm normally one who tends to get a little seasick in choppy waters, but didn't feel a thing the entire week. If the waters were rough the first few days it was most likely caused by some bad weather. It sounds like we'll be on the same cruise as you, so I wouldn't worry too much about the rough seas in early summer unless there happens to be a storm that week.

[spideyfam]

Nice review! Wish we had a meet and greet. It would have been nice to meet you and the other CC members. Keep it coming.

[FIVEONTHEAVENUE]

First of all, great review so far! Reading it is getting me very excited for my cruise at the end of May.

 

Second, I actually sailed out of Baltimore on the Pride about two years ago. I'm normally one who tends to get a little seasick in choppy waters, but didn't feel a thing the entire week. If the waters were rough the first few days it was most likely caused by some bad weather. It sounds like we'll be on the same cruise as you, so I wouldn't worry too much about the rough seas in early summer unless there happens to be a storm that week.

 

Thank you. That is Exatly what I was hoping to hear. Maybe I will see you onboard. BTW did you join rollcall. We dont have many for our sailing. I will be traveling with my mother and two dauhters 6 and 8. Hubby was too busy starting new business so my mother is taking his place. Hope you have a blast. I am so ready. These boards make me eat, sleep and dream cruising

[jerseygirl79]

Excellent review! I'm loving the pics of Adam.....what a cutie!!! Is he ready for his next cruise yet?

[rlthomas7]

Excellent review! I'm loving the pics of Adam.....what a cutie!!! Is he ready for his next cruise yet?

 

Thank you! I think he's pretty cute too, but I am a smidge biased.

 

He told me yesterday that "in THREE days we go back to the big ship!" Um, no.

 

And when he was playing with one of his trucks earlier tonight he said that it was the blue bus (one of the taxi-vans in Freeport) to take us back to the big ship. So I think it made a good impression, even though on the last sea day he was pretty cranky, wanting to come home to see his friends and play with his toys...