Awesome week on Carnival Pride!

[Beth73]

7 day cruise to the Bahamas (Port Canaveral FL, Nassau, and Freeport) on the Carnival Pride. Myself- Beth (37), husband- Scott (37), son- Corey (17) and daughter- Amber (15).

 

We took the overnight train from Providence to Baltimore. Sleeping wasn't easy, we were up every couple of hours. We got in at 6am to Baltimore Penn Station then waited until 9am to start to head over to port.

 

No breakfast places were open that early either but finally a small breakfast place opened and we were able to grab a sandwich. Slept on and off in the train station.

 

Headed over go the port with a crazy taxi driver. Obviously got his license from a gum ball machine. Scary drive.

 

Made it to the port alive. We were the 1st ppl in the building. No scanners or pat downs. Standard xray, much nicer than going through the airport nonsense. DH did set off the alarm, he had shorts & belt on under my sweats. Lady kinda freaked when he went to grab my belt. Old lady thought he was stripping for her. Heh. :eek:

 

I have problems with my knee and sometimes need a cane, they let us on the boat first - with the VIP's - sweet!

 

Getting on the boat early was nice. Stopped at Guest services, no lines no waiting :). We hung around a bit, ate some lunch, easing into the day. After that went back to to the room unpacked, napped, showered, muster drill, back to nap, then dinner.

 

The room (4194) was nice, a little smaller than our last time, though it did have french doors that opened but no balcony. Still kinda cool to be able to open the door and get some fresh air.

 

One thing you notice right away on this ship is the art. simply put, there are a ton of naked pictures & statues everywhere, not limited to the 9-10 feet Statue of David in full view. Yes I know, its art... :eek: just alot of it!

 

Went to the Camp Carnival orientation at 5. They have one orientation for all of the age groups, start with the oldest group (Club O2 ages 15-17). Give out the schedules for the week and let you go. Took a total of 15 minutes. One suggestion, register your kids online before you leave! I did this and save about 15 waiting in line to fill out the registration form. Takes 2 minutes online and is worth it.

 

Had 6:30 dinner reservations at David's Steakhouse was truly amazing. They took us 15 mins early without issue. We had absolutely amazing service all meal. Because it was the first night we received a free bottle of wine (which DH mostly drank). We also got complimentary mini apps from the chef: Super mini burgers and mini tomato cheese soup. Both were awesome!

 

Amazing appetizers

Baked onion soup

Crab cakes (amazing & not over powering)

 

Main course

24oz porterhouse

Surf n turf

Lobster ravioli

 

Dessert

Citrus cheesecake & hazelnut biscuit

Washington caramelized apples in a puff pastry dome

No dessert for me, only cappuccino

 

Omg so full

 

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After dinner we walked around the ship, layout is way different than the other ships we've been on (Conquest and Freedom). For newbies, like the other ships, it's kind of easy to get lost at first. I do like this class of ship though, big enough not to feel crowded but not as huge as having to walk 1/2 a marathon to get to your room.

 

Shops are smaller but still have some amazing deals as usual.

 

The group games and activities are the same, corny-cheesy type but definitely time occupying.

 

Walked around a bit through casino, found the sports bar (cool). Walked to the back of the ship, beautiful and quiet, a bit too windy to stay for too long though.

 

All in all a long first day, but fun nonetheless.

[Beth73]

Slept til 9, then breakfast on Lido in the Serenity area (very nice). don't know if it's just being on the ship or what but we were hungry all the time. Kids slept late but they still made breakfast. They were off to hang out with kids they've met.

 

We met up with some folks from Cruise Critics, Christina & Scott and Dave & DeAnna. Sat at the Renaissance bar and chatted for a bit before heading over to the casino and we all chipped on for a slot pull. Ended up that $60 lasted about 30 minutes. Decent luck overall but not enough to hit the big one, though we came close a few times. Went to the Sports Bar, had a few drinks and chatted it up for a while. It's amazing what great people you can meet from this board. (Thank you Cruise Critic...) :D

 

Eventually made our way to the Lido deck for mixology contast. Scott, our new cruise critic friend, entered his drink "Tiger Blood". Came in a close second to a frozen banana thing.

 

Had some lunch, hung out in Serenity, had some drinks with our cruise critic friends and then by poolside enjoying the sun for bit.

 

----

 

Captains dinner was good, not great. Maybe going to the steakhouse the first night was not a brilliant idea, time will tell.

 

After dinner we took pictures. Not a great selection of backgrounds but we did take 2 sets of pictures, hopefully they are good. We kinda need a family portrait - not one of us getting off the boat :)

 

Went to the first showing of "Wonderful World". It was ok, some parts good, others not. Also went to the "R" rated comedy show for some laughs.

 

Side note - with 2 days at sea straight off, lots of alcohol. Never too much :) but damn it's kinda pricey at times. Buckets of beer are still the best deal (if your a beer drinker). If your a cocktail drinker, then stick got the classics, it gets you a $5 match play at the casino, worth it if your gambling.

 

Comedy show was good, a little too short for me, but definitely funny.

 

Stopped by the casino, played some (penny) slots, won $7. (At least I didn't lose)

 

We then went up got the Serenity deck and sat in one of the cabana chairs. nice, quiet & relaxing way to end the night.

[Beth73]

Went to breakfast on Lido, then walked to Butterflies for the shopping talk.

 

Went to the game of love - cute and very funny. Then spent some time laying out on the sun deck - very relaxing.

 

Heading to the past guest party - free food and drinks - yes! Sat with Dave & DeAnna at the party-good times!

 

Ok so past guest party had great drinks but not nearly enough food. Appetizers were kinda lame although free I get. Lots of liquor, almost non stop. The event seems shorter than the last time.

 

Afterwards we stopped for some sushi, the spicy cucumber was amazing.

 

Dinner was better tonight, the braised short ribs were really good. The french onion soup was actually better here than at David's - not as rich. Cheesecake was ok, kinda needed more cream cheese - just my opinion.

 

Off to wipeout bingo - if you win, they wilding your sail-n-sign card. That would be amazing. Here's hoping.

 

No luck with wipeout bingo (seems to be a trend). Came within 2 numbers on 2 cards. Stayed to watch the physical comedy guy - pretty fun with lots of crowd participation.

 

Hanging out in the karaoke bar for a bit, waiting for the adult comedy shows later.

 

Adult comedy was pretty good. There were two acts tonight.

[Beth73]

With no plan on what to do in Port Canaveral, we headed out and grabbed a bus to Cocoa Beach, $16pp. Not too bad, buses return every 30 minutes all day.

 

Cocoa beach was beautiful. Stopped at Ron Jon's for some shopping, lots of cool stuff but not cheap. The beach was really beautiful and huge. Makes you feel your standing at the edge of the world, looking at an endless sea of blue.

 

Dinner was amazing, the lamb was out of this world. 2nd best meal of the trip next to David's. Hanging out in Butterflies listening to live band Karaoke. One of these days I'll have enough guts to get up there. I know all the words, just don't like the whole spotlight thing. the bigger thing is that I'm a perfectionist, it's gotta be right on and because I'm critical, it won't be. Maybe with enough alcohol. :)

 

Show about to start called "Jazzin". Deck party tonight.

 

"Jazzin", not very good. Whole show seemed off. Guy performer was a no show, we got stuck listening to pre-recorded tracks of him. Choreography was off, ppl missed cues all night. Just disappointing.

 

Skipped the deck party, neither of us felt ok.

[Beth73]

Spent the day in Nassau at Cabbage Beach Paradise Island. The waves were huge, some were 4-6+ feet high. Kids had a blast, I nearly drowned. We all got some nice sun. were asked consistently to buy stuff but nobody was too demanding- at least no meant no. $4 per person each way for the taxi, overall pretty cheap.

 

Funny side story, as we are getting off the boat in Nassau, one of the dancers was scantily dressed with fruit on her head. She said to our son "come squeeze me please". Underneath the sunburn was about 17 shades of red and one of the first smiles in any of the pictures we've taken. :eek:

 

We hung out on deck during sunset (forgot the damn camera), it was absolutely beautiful.

 

Tama, the bar server, just rocks. Remembers all of our names (the whole family) and he's super cool, genuine person. And how he remember our names with so many people on this ship is beyond me.

 

Nothing really going on tonight, gonna hang out and watch some karaoke. Early day with the dolphins tomorrow.

[Beth73]

Woah what a day. The dolphin experience was amazing. It did seem to take forever to get there and back but it was so worth it. Ended up being about 30-45 minutes in the water with them plus up close and personal time too. We all got to pet Indy (independence), the other dolphin was Andross. Patrick and Rio were our trainers/guides and they too were pretty cool, Rio was hysterical, kept everyone laughing. Would definitely do this again!

 

Came back to the boat and crashed, long couple of days. It's another formal night. Dinner then a full night of karaoke, shows, and comedy. Oh and drinking too, a sea day tomorrow. :D

 

Listening to karaoke was fun: always has a mix of both the good and the bad.

 

The comedy show (Hank McGauley) was hysterical. I could've listened to him all night. He owned the crowd from the get-go and didn't stop.

[reno3]

Hello fellow Rhode Islander:D

Thanks for writing the review.

Keep it coming.

I am looking forward to the Pride next April.

It will be nice to be able to drive to the port.

We are doing Half Moon Cay, Nassua and Grand Turk.

[Beth73]

Slept in, had breakfast on Lido (love the French toast). Sipping a latte and waiting for bingo (yes again but I don't know why). Went to the debarkation talk.

 

Got my last couple hours in the sun then headed to the sports for a drink, god I love draft beer. DH won $15 on the video slots, Beth broke even on roulette and used our match plays. Who says it doesn't pay to drink ;)

 

Then headed to the shops and bought 2 bottles of Absolute for $25, :eek: that's cheap. It's around $20 per bottle at home. Now off to farewell party and to hang out with our cruise critic friends Christina & Scott and Dave & DeAnna. more free liquor - yes!

 

Kids decided to do dinner with friends so we had dinner with very nice couple. Their first cruise together and are living in Massachusetts, which is close to us. Great conversation, one of the reasons we love cruising, generally people are very cool.

 

After dinner, we finished packing and then headed to the casino to kill off our balance. I ended up winning $140 on a $20 bet. Sweet! Made the night for sure. While waiting, we saw bits of the celtics game. they better win. (Celtics won btw)

 

The carnival legends show was good. The legends themselves were great but I really feel like the show entertainers are not very good, personal opinion.

 

Adult comedian tonight was Lenny Schmidt. Kinda funny, dry at points, finished strong though.

 

We watched the show with Christina & Scott and Dave & DeAnna. Knowing people and making friends on the ship makes the whole cruising experience that much better. They are both great couples and we can only hope to cruise with either/both in the future.

 

Going to David's Steakhouse on the first night was kinda of a mistake. I do not regret going at all, the food was amazing, but I feel I would have enjoyed the dining room food a little more during the week. My suggestion is to save it for the later in the week. Just our opinion.

 

All in all this vacation is exactly what we all needed. We had a blast and can't wait to get started planning our next one.

(pictures will be posted soon)

[serene56]

The Pride was one of the bestest cruises we had in the 15 that we sailed.

 

I dont know if its the train ride and lack of all that stress going somewhere by plane. (the train for us was only 1 hour 7 minutes- well worth the money)

 

I agree with the art and statues- grand daughter age 5 had a great time in the elevator all week with them.

[Beth73]

Debarkation. Sat up on the 4th floor of the Taj Mahal watching TV on the big screen while we waited. We were scheduled to get off the ship at 12:15, we got off and in the taxi by 11:30. Customs was super simple.

 

This taxi ride made the other one look like a limo ride. Dude was scary, taxi stalled twice on the highway :eek:, was backfiring most of the time we were idling, and there was this really loud noise coming from the back wheels/axel. I so wish this was a joke. I wanted to kiss the pavement when we got to Penn Station....

 

Was on a train for 6.5 hours, finally got home.

 

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Even though it was a world wind 10 days, this vacation was much needed...and very much enjoyed by all of us. Would do it again in a heartbeat.

[Beth73]

Hello fellow Rhode Islander:D

Thanks for writing the review.

Keep it coming.

I am looking forward to the Pride next April.

It will be nice to be able to drive to the port.

We are doing Half Moon Cay, Nassua and Grand Turk.

 

You will love it. This is a great ship! Hope you have a great time!

[jnmcruise]

great review.. cant wait for the pictures!

[Beth73]

Almost forgot to mention Club O2.

 

Both our kids spent the entire week hanging out kids they met the first night in the club. There were some activities that they didn't like but they still had a great time with the other kids in the club. And are still talking to them today. Its a great program!

[cofgren]

Thanks for the great review. We sail on her in July and it's nice to read a postive review.

[dtsquared]

Beth and Scott,

 

We also thoroughly enjoyed this cruise! We have decided it was one of the best we have been on. One thing that made it so nice was having some great people to hang out with!

 

I will post some pictures when I get some time but Thank You so much for the review.....I felt like I was there all over again..

 

Dave and DeAnna

[FIVEONTHEAVENUE]

Thanks for posting the review. I leave on the 29th (2 weeks 2 days) to sail the Pride. I can not wait. I do have 2 questions.

 

What is match play? and

 

How was the trip the first 2 nights?

 

I heard the sea can be rough leaving from Baltimore instead of Florida. Something to do with the GulfStream that until you hit about North or South Carolina you can feel the sway of the ship. Did you find this to be true? I do not get sea sick but I will be traveling with my 6 and 8 year old daughters who have never been on a cruise before.

[reno3]

Beth, I never thought of taking the train from Providence to Baltimore.

How did you like it (I know you said you did not get much sleep)? Would you do it again or would you drive?

[rockabutzer]

Nice review. My DW and I will be cruising on the Pride this December and are also doing the Dolphin Encounter in Freeport. Sounds like you all had a great time. Plan on doing the same. :)

[dtsquared]

I have to say that this was one of the smoothest rides we have ever had out of the north! The captain actually mentioned to us that the ride down was exceptionally smooth on our cruise but coming back was not really that bad either.

[serene56]

 

I heard the sea can be rough leaving from Baltimore instead of Florida. Something to do with the GulfStream that until you hit about North or South Carolina you can feel the sway of the ship. Did you find this to be true? I do not get sea sick but I will be traveling with my 6 and 8 year old daughters who have never been on a cruise before.

 

 

we sailed in February and like you I was worried about the waters as I too heard the waters down can be quite rough until we get to Florida.

 

Our waters were like glass. I was so surprised. (it really would depend on the weather when you leave.) I see the east coast getting a lot of rain next week so that may play havoc with you.

 

Kids are resilent. Dont worry about them and sea sickness. Especially if they do not get sick in the car or on amusement rides

[tampafred]

Great review,was on the same cruise,good time....cant wait to go back oct29 on the pride for our wedding cruise.......and to try the cheesecake in davids!

[spideyfam]

Thanks for the review. I was on the Pride last month and would love to sail on her again.

[crusinpsychRN]

Off to wipeout bingo - if you win, they wilding your sail-n-sign card. That would be amazing. Here's hoping.

 

What would they do with your card?

[reno3]

Off to wipeout bingo - if you win, they wilding your sail-n-sign card. That would be amazing. Here's hoping.

 

What would they do with your card?

If you win the "Wipeout Bingo" they pay your Sign and Sail balance.

[lovermonkey]

Woah what a day. The dolphin experience was amazing. It did seem to take forever to get there and back but it was so worth it. Ended up being about 30-45 minutes in the water with them plus up close and personal time too. We all got to pet Indy (independence), the other dolphin was Andross. Patrick and Rio were our trainers/guides and they too were pretty cool, Rio was hysterical, kept everyone laughing. Would definitely do this again!

 

 

 

Came back to the boat and crashed, long couple of days. It's another formal night. Dinner then a full night of karaoke, shows, and comedy. Oh and drinking too, a sea day tomorrow.

 

 

 

Listening to karaoke was fun: always has a mix of both the good and the bad.

 

 

 

The comedy show (Hank McGauley) was hysterical. I could've listened to him all night. He owned the crowd from the get-go and didn't stop.

 

 

We did that too and Indi was our dolphin too. Same trainners. They were from Paris. Trainner told us not to pet too low or there would be trouble and he couldn't get us out of it. If you know what I mean.

 

When the boat took you back to your ship, did they take another route? We first took the canal part and then after the dolphin thingy we were on the high seas.