Pride Review (9-25 thru 10-2) (GT, HMC, and Freeport) lots of pics

[Anung Un Rama]

First a little background info. Booked the cruise way back in January so it was a looooong wait. It was me (my 4th cruise, 3rd time on the Pride) and my lovely girlfriend, Cassandra (CC screen name ardnassac79) (her 3rd - all on the Pride). We live about half an hour from the port so the Pride is just wicked convenient for us. This was a different itinerary for us which also a nice draw.

 

We had originally booked an obstructed balcony room (there are a handful of these in between the lifeboats that really aren’t obstructed at all). I received a call from the upsell fairy about a month before the cruise for an extended balcony on deck 7 for a very small fee. I jumped all over it.

 

We started our roll call thread here on CC on January 23rd, and were so lucky to have such a great and active roll call!! It made the wait so much easier to deal with, and we were excited to meet all the new friends we had gotten to know in the months prior.

 

I also had a little surprise in store for Cass.

 

 

 

I’d been hiding this little beauty at work for the past month. I knew I wanted to propose the first day on the ship but didn’t have a specific time or place in mind, just figured I’d wait for the right moment to present itself.

 

 

I was hoping to get a good night’s sleep so I could be well rested for the first day but that went out the window when I woke up at 2:30 and couldn’t fall back asleep. I gave up at 4 and got some last minute gaming in until it was time to get ready.

 

We had been reading that the ship was docking earlier than our two previous cruises so we decided to risk it and got to the port shortly before 11.

 

 

We always sport our jerseys on game day and I tried to convince her that it wasn't a good idea for me to pose while doing driving on 95.

 

 

 

Here she is while driving up to the port

 

[campdaan]

This sounds like it will be awesome ! :D:D:D

[Anung Un Rama]

Last year the ship was a little late getting in and we were not on the boat until a little before 4 pm. This year was a completely different experience. The whole process went as smoothly as we could’ve hoped for. We were at the port by 10:30, parked and through security by 11. There was a little wait while the last passengers got off but they started letting us board a little after 11:30 and we were in the sports bar before noon. Getting on the ship that early really made the first day seem so much better and longer. Cass went to the excursion desk to reserve our cabana for Half Moon Cay and I went to the sports bar to meet up with some friends from the roll call. I also took advantage of this chance to move the ring from my carry on into my pocket.

 

 

 

We relaxed in the sports bar and had our first DOD of the cruise for a couple hours until the room was ready.

 

 

 

 

 

Since the Eagles were losing Cass didn’t care to watch the rest of the game so we took advantage of the extra time and completely unpacked and did a quick tour of the ship to check out the upgrades since the last dry dock. We loved the Serenity area as that was by far the biggest and best update for us.

 

 

 

 

 

Ah, little does she know what is store for her in about an hour

 

[TnMDougherty]

waiting for more Chris - come on - don't keep me waiting!

[DEBnGAB]

Chris You're back!!! Cant wait to hear how you loved HMC! :) What cabana number did you get?

 

Are Congratulations in order??? :D

[Anung Un Rama]

Since the sports bar is right next to the casino I decided to take a few quick pics of the updates and changes since our last cruise. There used to be a row of slots where the pool tables are and the Poker Pro table was in a separate room. It got a lot more action being next to all the other tables this year.

 

 

 

 

 

[Anung Un Rama]

The rooms were ready right around 2:30 and we were already heading there when they made the announcement. Cass had contacted the Player's Club about our last two cruises and we were told that we'd have some sort of Bon Voyage waiting for us. Cass was quite pleased

 

 

 

The bottle of Captain Morgan was a gift from someone in our roll call. Completely unexpected but very appreciated :D

 

 

The room was the exact same size as the obstructed view balcony on deck 5.

 

 

[Anung Un Rama]

We headed back down for the muster drill which was, as always, a blast :rolleyes:

As soon as that was done half the ship headed for the sports bar to catch the Raven’s game. Being a die hard Raven’s fan it was I really wanted to watch the game but as we were up 21-0 in the first quarter, I decided that it was ok to head up for the sail away party. Again, I was hoping the right moment might present itself but so far no luck. We were up on the Sun Deck (10) watching the activities below. The sail away is what it is and as we’re not really into the dancing we decided to do some more exploring.

Charm City from (in my opinion) the best view

 

 

We had never seen the Bay Bridge as we’re leaving so we went up to play mini-golf as we were approaching. It was right around sunset as we went under and the view was amazing. After this we went back to the room to get ready for dinner and do the free liquor tasting.

 

 

 

 

[Anung Un Rama]

 

 

We also found the elusive hidden coin. I'll just show the close up but I won't tell you where it is :D

 

[Anung Un Rama]

While she was getting ready I went out to the balcony to gather up the courage that I knew I was going to need in the coming moments. After a few minutes she came out and I knew the time was now. I told her how much I loved her and dropped to one knee. I never had a doubt what her answer would be but it did take her a few moments to stop sobbing and actually say yes. I was glad I waited to do it in private so it was a little more intimate and she could feel free to let her emotions flow. We then made the calls to family to let them know and headed out. I think she was still in shock the rest of the night as her eyes kept getting watery but I knew they were tears of joy and I loved the look on her face every time she glanced down at her hand.

 

 

 

 

 

I have to say, I never in my life ever wanted to get married. I just didn't see the point. If you love someone, you love them. But I never imagined I could meet someone who compliments me so perfectly, someone I'd be so happy to call my wife. She's the most amazing person I've ever met and I'm thankful everyday that we both took a chance 3 years ago.

 

I love you baby!

[Anung Un Rama]

Chris You're back!!! Cant wait to hear how you loved HMC! :) What cabana number did you get?

 

Are Congratulations in order??? :D

 

 

Hi Deb! All I can say about HMC is they have the name of that bar down perfectly. We did not want to leave. We had 12 but more on that later.

 

I just noticed that it looks like you'll be joining us on the Breeze next year :D YAY!!!!

[DEBnGAB]

Hi Deb! All I can say about HMC is they have the name of that bar down perfectly. We did not want to leave. We had 12 but more on that later.

 

I just noticed that it looks like you'll be joining us on the Breeze next year :D YAY!!!!

 

Just booked today!!! Bunch of folks from my Sept Destiny cruise going too..hopefully I will get to meet you and your future bride:)

 

And Cabana 12...was the mister fan still broken? I broke it on accident. :o

 

Cant wait to hear more!

[Anung Un Rama]

Just booked today!!! Bunch of folks from my Sept Destiny cruise going too..hopefully I will get to meet you and your future bride:)

 

And Cabana 12...was the mister fan still broken? I broke it on accident. :o

 

Cant wait to hear more!

 

 

No, the mister worked just fine. It got cloudy in the afternoon so we didn't need it.

[MRVEGAS711]

This has the makings of a decent review!!:)

 

CONGRATULATIONS !!!!!

[Anung Un Rama]

We always do Anytime Dining as we never know when we’ll be hungry and love being able to sit by ourselves for dinner. We’ve never had a wait longer than a couple minutes and even that is rare (more on this later). Got there around 8 and were seated immediately. We planned to take plenty of food porn for this review but unfortunately had other things on our mind at dinner.

 

I had the fried chicken tenders as an app and they were really good. Very lightly breaded and good, moist chicken. She had Gazpacho Andalouse (chilled tomato based soup), also very good with a little kick. For dinner I had the Tender Braised Beef Brisket in Gravy (the comfort food option for the night)....it did not suck. Cass had the Pan Seared Fillet of Tilapia, also good.

 

We shared the best desert on the planet that night....Warm Chocolate Melting Cake

 

 

 

I was pretty amazed that I wasn’t tired yet so we headed down to the casino for my daily contribution. She ended up in the positive for the night while I lost a quick $100. By this point the day was catching up to us and we went up to the Serenity area and grabbed a hammock. We laid there for a bit while which was great as it was still nice out with a cool breeze. We called it a night (certainly one neither of us would forget) shortly thereafter.

 

Today's Towel Animal - Seal

 

[ardnassac79]

 

I have to say, I never in my life ever wanted to get married. I just didn't see the point. If you love someone, you love them. But I never imagined I could meet someone who compliments me so perfectly, someone I'd be so happy to call my wife. She's the most amazing person I've ever met and I'm thankful everyday that we both took a chance 3 years ago.

 

I love you baby!

 

You've got me all teary eyed again just sitting here next to you reading this!

 

I love you too <3

[ardnassac79]

Just booked today!!! Bunch of folks from my Sept Destiny cruise going too..hopefully I will get to meet you and your future bride:)

 

And Cabana 12...was the mister fan still broken? I broke it on accident. :o

 

Cant wait to hear more!

 

The more the merrier!! I'm pretty sure we convinced a couple we met and became friends with on this cruise to book as well :D

 

haha about the mister fan - we didn't even realize it misted until a worker came up to the cabana to check on it! It didn't get much use from us though - we spent a LOT of our time out on the floating mats. Nothing beats that!

[patticake1129]

You've got me all teary eyed again just sitting here next to you reading this!

 

 

 

 

I'm teary eyed reading it too, and I don't even know you.

 

So romantic, Congrats to the both of you. Maybe we'll see a wedding pic or two in the future?

[ardnassac79]

I'm teary eyed reading it too, and I don't even know you.

 

So romantic, Congrats to the both of you. Maybe we'll see a wedding pic or two in the future?

 

Well, since we are all booked up for next year, I'm hoping for a 2013 repeat of this itinerary and perhaps a Half Moon Cay destination ceremony:p We saw 2 weddings happening on the beach that day, out past where the the cabanas ended, and it seemed picture-perfect!

[magic&buddy]

I love reviews like this! Much happiness to both of you!

[DEERINH2O]

Congrats and sounds like you had fun. Can't wait to read more.

 

Kathy

[Biff Cruizer]

Hi Chris, I'm loving the review! Congrats again to you and Cass. I'm slowly writing my review.

[ardnassac79]

Just a quick supplement to the Embarkation Day notes:

 

We loved our Extended Balcony. As Chris mentioned previously, we had Obstructed View balconies on our past two cruises on the Pride. We always book Early Saver, and therefore were able to pick our own cabin – so we always got one in between the life boats, but couldn’t pass up the great upsell-fairy deal this time. We were so glad we took it too – we were in cabin 7180, and the extra leg room was EXCELLENT. Here are a few pics:

 

 

Also, for the Half Moon Cay cabanas, we were smart and reserved the cabana online through Carnival’s excursions in February. A lot of people on our Roll Call also ended up booking them as well, but they did sell out fairly quick. Once we boarded the ship, I headed straight for the Excursion Desk and picked the cabana number we wanted. Even though we were on the ship by noon, there were already 4 cabanas booked. Luckily they were all in the 3-7 range, so we had our choice of the high numbered ones.

 

Also, in addition to the chocolate covered strawberries we got from the Carnival Players Club, we were also surprised with 2 photo vouchers (up to $14.99 each) when we went to dinner at in the MDR that night! It was a really nice touch, and completely unexpected! Unfortunately we didn’t really like any of the pictures taken on this cruise except one, so we asked, and were told we could keep the other voucher for our next cruise!

 

I also want to say that Chris completely got me by surprise - in a great way!! I've never been happier, and he made me the happiest woman on earth that day!

 

That’s about it for Day 1! We should be back tomorrow with Day 2 – the first day at sea!

[Room Service!]

CONGRATULATIONS to you guys!

Wishing you the best. :)

Loving the review.

[Anung Un Rama]

Thanks everyone, I've got a busy morning but will get back on this later today.