Carnival Pride February 24-March 3

[rafinmd]

Thank you gelo7.

 

“Posted by: whitecap

On: February 24th, 2013 09:42 AM

---End Quote---

May will be our first time on the Pride. Can you tell me if she has a Guy's Burger and the Red Frog. I found a couple of post that said no and a couple that said yes.

Thanks”

 

whitecap, I will confirm no Red Frog and no Guy’s Burger. Only real specialty restaurant on board is David’s (Ill be there Wednesday) along with the occasional Chef’s Table.

 

I have started posting menus and Funtimes at http://getawaysfrom 21044.wordpress.com. They will appear first as posts to the blog but their permanent home will be under the programs and menus tabs there. Direct links are:

 

Menus:http://getawaysfrom21044.wordpress.com/menus/pridemenu/

 

Funtimes:http://getawaysfrom21044.wordpress.com/programs/funtimes/

 

Roy

[JaniceB]

Have wonderful trip and thanks for the reports. I have friends on the ship sailing with you.

[PittsburghGirlee]

OP,

I was on this exact cruise last year for my B-Day. Me and my BFF had a wonferful time. I hope that you do the same.:D

We may be booking the PRIDE again in September this year because of all the fun we had.

Food and service were awesome.:o

Enjoy & Cheeers

[khrivnak]

I, too, look forward to your review. We sail her for the first time in October :)

[craftykitty]

We'll be on board starting March 10th. We have a group of 8 going, will be a blast!

[buckirj1]

Bon Voyage, Roy. I'm looking forward to reading about your experiences onboard the Pride. Hope you have a great time!

[rafinmd]

Thank you buckrij1. I was glad to see your experiences on The Airport Shuttle and may use them on future cruises out of Baltimore. I considered them for this trip but decided against it since I have no idea yet what time I'll be off the ship.

 

I rose about 5:30 and walked on the lifeboat deck about 90 minutes, finishing about 7:30. When I first went up to the Lido deck my GPS showed us pretty much off Kitty Hawk NC. The sky started out pretty clear but turned to a heavy overcast during the day, with a pretty steady temperature of about 43. A brisk wind was on our tail but it's speed pretty much matched that of the ship leaving little relative wind.

 

In the morning show Troy mentioned that Kirk Benning would be coming back as Cruise Director on February 3. There was a 10:30 Fun Aboard and Ashore presentation where Troy introduced the senior officers, Captain Rocco Lubrano, Chief Engineer Aniello Esposito, and Hotel Director Stig Loentzen. Captain Lubrano came on the PA about 11:50 with our navigation update and predicting nice weather at out ports of call.

 

At lunch I got pizza in the Lido. I thought the portion was too big but the serving was fresh, hot, and tasty, one of the better pizzas I've had at sea recently. At an early afternoon ice carving demonstration we were treated to creation of a native American chief in full headdress from a 300 pound block of ice.

 

We had a 2PM Cruise Critic Meet and Greet in the Florentine lounge. WE had a potential of about 70 people but only about a dozen actually showed up but we enjoyed just about a full hour of conversation. When we broke up at 3 tea was served in the upper level of the Normandie Restaurant. The service was elegant; I found the scones overwhelmed by the massive layer of butter, but will try another treat next time. I thought Royal had better food at afternoon tea but the atmosphere here was so much better I would consider going just for tea with nothing to eat.

 

This was the first Elegant night of the cruise, reportedly the more elegant of the 2 we have. The senior officers circulated in the Promenade before dinner, I got to meet the Captain and Hotel Director. Dinner was very nice, with most of our table getting either lobster or prime rib. We had a full table tonight, the 2 missing last night were 2 Cruise Critic members who had dined at David's the first night.

 

The primary evening entertainment was the Carnival Pride Dancers in Vroom. As tonight's parting shot, I've heard a number of people complain about the weather so far out of Baltimore. It certainly isn't ideal, but there are pitfalls with any winter vacation from the north. I've had cruises which involved flying out of Baltimore right after a blizzard and they've involved a lot of sacrifices and some great uncertainties about the ability to even get to the cruise. Two years ago I fought treacherous roads to get to an airport hotel which lost power overnight and ended up repacking for the flight by the light from my digital camera. Not a pleasant way to set off for a cruise. From the moment I set foot on the Pride it's been comfortable with a warm, comfortable room and plenty to do. Other winters I'll undertake a more adventurous cruise but this is a wonderful option to have.

 

Roy

[nodogkisses]

Thanks for your updates, Roy. I really appreciated the GPS info on the first sea day, as I am getting ready to cruise on the Pride in 3 weeks and was wondering where we would be that first sea day. Now I have my answer.

 

I'm also an early morning riser and walker. I was wondering if there were many people out and about on the lifeboat deck doing their morning walk around 6:00am when you were there. Any info will be appreciated.

 

Thank you for your very informative daily updates. Enjoy your week!

[T2C]

Thank you buckrij1. I was glad to see your experiences on The Airport Shuttle and may use them on future cruises out of Baltimore. I considered them for this trip but decided against it since I have no idea yet what time I'll be off the ship.

 

I rose about 5:30 and walked on the lifeboat deck about 90 minutes, finishing about 7:30. When I first went up to the Lido deck my GPS showed us pretty much off Kitty Hawk NC. The sky started out pretty clear but turned to a heavy overcast during the day, with a pretty steady temperature of about 43. A brisk wind was on our tail but it's speed pretty much matched that of the ship leaving little relative wind.

 

In the morning show Troy mentioned that Kirk Benning would be coming back as Cruise Director on February 3. There was a 10:30 Fun Aboard and Ashore presentation where Troy introduced the senior officers, Captain Rocco Lubrano, Chief Engineer Aniello Esposito, and Hotel Director Stig Loentzen. Captain Lubrano came on the PA about 11:50 with our navigation update and predicting nice weather at out ports of call.

 

At lunch I got pizza in the Lido. I thought the portion was too big but the serving was fresh, hot, and tasty, one of the better pizzas I've had at sea recently. At an early afternoon ice carving demonstration we were treated to creation of a native American chief in full headdress from a 300 pound block of ice.

 

We had a 2PM Cruise Critic Meet and Greet in the Florentine lounge. WE had a potential of about 70 people but only about a dozen actually showed up but we enjoyed just about a full hour of conversation. When we broke up at 3 tea was served in the upper level of the Normandie Restaurant. The service was elegant; I found the scones overwhelmed by the massive layer of butter, but will try another treat next time. I thought Royal had better food at afternoon tea but the atmosphere here was so much better I would consider going just for tea with nothing to eat.

 

This was the first Elegant night of the cruise, reportedly the more elegant of the 2 we have. The senior officers circulated in the Promenade before dinner, I got to meet the Captain and Hotel Director. Dinner was very nice, with most of our table getting either lobster or prime rib. We had a full table tonight, the 2 missing last night were 2 Cruise Critic members who had dined at David's the first night.

 

The primary evening entertainment was the Carnival Pride Dancers in Vroom. As tonight's parting shot, I've heard a number of people complain about the weather so far out of Baltimore. It certainly isn't ideal, but there are pitfalls with any winter vacation from the north. I've had cruises which involved flying out of Baltimore right after a blizzard and they've involved a lot of sacrifices and some great uncertainties about the ability to even get to the cruise. Two years ago I fought treacherous roads to get to an airport hotel which lost power overnight and ended up repacking for the flight by the light from my digital camera. Not a pleasant way to set off for a cruise. From the moment I set foot on the Pride it's been comfortable with a warm, comfortable room and plenty to do. Other winters I'll undertake a more adventurous cruise but this is a wonderful option to have.

 

Roy

Thanks for doing this daily review Raf. We are loving it

[rafinmd]

Thank you T2C and nodogkisses. I've only been on the lifeboat deck 1 morning (impossible today due to weather but it was very uncrowded, perhaps 3 or 4 people.

 

I was up quite close to 5 but was very slow getting started as the ship was pitching quite roughly and the TV display showed winds in the 40's. I made my way to the Lido for coffee and the outer decks were unequivocally closed so I walked for about an hour on the Pride's interior corridors. The heavy seas have slowed our progress and we are moving about 8 knots off the Georgia coast. The morning show today was rather subdued, reflecting the weather and the motion of the ocean with no major new news. Troy and Robin did mention that lead singer Nicholas Whiteside took ill between the Monday night shows and Caitlin Woltje had to sing both her own and Nick's parts. She did an amazing job doing so. I did attend a session on "Walking in Comfort" in the Ivory lounge, and my major takeaway was how lucky I am to be walking so comfortably at my age.

 

As the morning progressed the winds diminished to the 30's but we got some pretty heavy rain squalls. The TV display showed a 9AM temperature of 45 but at his 11:50am update Captain Lubrano said it had gotten up to 72. He predicted gradually improving conditions and an on time arrival in Port Canaveral. That's good news because at our pace in the morning we would be at least a couple hours late. In the early afternoon we began to see the sun, and by mid-afternoon Serenity was quite busy. The temperature on the TV display was only 48 at the 4PM update; that was clearly not accurate.

 

There were not a lot of activities of interest in the afternoon. I wandered briefly past the Hairy Chest Contest and Last Man Standing on the Lido stage and enjoyed a slice of pineapple cake at tea, but mostly spent the afternoon relaxing.

 

There were 5 of us present for dinner tonight with the other 2 at David's. I stopped by Punchliner for Al Ernst's 8:30 show before Juggler Victor Zuniga. Ernst had appeared briefly in the Welcome Aboard Show and I found him pretty lame but his full show was very good. When I retired fairly early, winds were still in the upper 20's and the seas a bit rough but we were up to 11 knots.

 

Today's parting shot comes from Al Ernst's take on hunting. "It's only a sport if both sides are playing".

 

Roy

[roscoegirl]

I've enjoyed two cruises on the Pride and I'm booked again for this August. I was wondering if you could find out if/when the Faster to the Fun program will be available on the Pride. Sounds like you are also enjoying your time on the Pride!:) Thanks for the updates!

[JaniceB]

Thanks for the update!

[rafinmd]

“Posted by: roscoegirl

On: February 26th, 2013 11:31 PM

 

I've enjoyed two cruises on the Pride and I'm booked again for this August. I was wondering if you could find out if/when the Faster to the Fun program will be available on the Pride. Sounds like you are also enjoying your time on the Pride!:) Thanks for the updates!”

 

roscoegirl, I’m not quite sure how to respond. I asked at reception and the gentleman I spoke to relayed it to his supervisor who’s response was “check on carnival.com”. They may well be the last ones to know when it’s about to be implemented. I encountered the same type of thing on the Enchantment of the seas with a freestyle soda machine where the crew was completely unaware of it and came back the next day with “well, I’ve learned we have it but we have no idea when it will be ready”. The machine was in service less than 2 weeks later. Sorry I can’t be much help, but keep your hopes up.

 

When I rose at 5 we could see the lights of Port Canaveral but the winds still had the outer decks closed. We made our way into the harbor and docked about 6:50. This is my 3rd time at Port Canaveral but my first as a port of call. I sailed from here on the Carnival Fantasy in 1993 and the Monarch of the Seas in 2012.

 

I had booked a tour of Kennedy Space Center. I have been there at least twice before but was happy to return. Our bus backed out of the slip around 8:40 for the 25-minute ride to the center. Our guide made a quick visit to the booth for our tickets and we were soon in the IMAX theater for a 45-minute film on the space shuttle and repairs to the Hubble telescope. On a short bus tour we got a look at the various launch pads and circled the massive Vehicle Assembly Building, learning that the stripes on the building's flag are 8 feet wide. We made a stop at the Apollo command center where the launch of Apollo 8 was recreated on the original control consoles with workstations for about 40 technicians. The building has been expanded to encompass a massive museum where a Saturn 5 rocket is suspended from the ceiling surrounded by many displays of artifacts related to the Apollo project. I also got a good look at how the lunar module (lem) fit in and interacted with the service module. As we returned to the visitor center our guide told us the next generation of space missions will use rockets 400 feet tall, 40 feet higher than the Apollo rockets, and the massive bay doors are being expanded to accommodate the new rockets. In our travels we passed several alligators, although always too quickly to get photos.

 

I have always found the Rocket Garden amazing and spent a fair amount of time there again. I made my first visit to the Astronaut memorial, which sits directly next to the building where the space shuttle Atlantis will be displayed. My final stop was at the Astronaut Encounter Theater where there was a briefing on current plans (There will be a launch at 10:10am March 1, I hope to get a glimpse of it from Freeport). Unfortunately, Astronaut Gary Collins was due to appear at 3 but I had to be back to the bus by then. I returned to the ship about 3:30.

 

I wanted to be on deck for sailaway (6PM). Since that's also my dining time, I decided this would be the appropriate time to visit David's Steak House. The location is quite stunning with a 2-story restaurant on decks 10 and 11, immediately below the funnel. I had a superb steak followed by Tiramisu.

 

Today's parting shot gets a bit messy. The evening entertainment was "Wonderful World". I anticipated it with a bit of trepidation. My cruise line of choice is Crystal and one of their traditions is that they play "Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong at each sailaway, so that song has become very special to me, and it's difficult to hear it when I'm on another ship. It can be depressing but often if the cruise is good I'll counteract the blues by writing my own lyrics appropriate to what I've experienced on the cruise. With 7PM and 9PM shows and my 7:30 dinner reservation I went down to the Taj Mahal lounge and caught the first half of the show before dinner. I'm not sure the show was really what I expected from the show, but 2 things happened at Davids. First, I heard "What a Wonderful World" coming from somewhere not far from the restaurant. Just a bit later Troy came on the PA and announced there was some illness (I didn't quite catch the details) and the 9PM show was cancelled, so I may never know for sure if the show really was going where I expected. I do hope that whatever illness there was is minor, and I feel it's still a bit too early in the cruise to know how I'll react to the song I did hear.

 

Roy

[Beachbumk]

Roy, great daily report! I'll be on the Pride the end of April, same itinerary. Could you post the shore tours for the 3 stops? A while ago I was looking at a tour in Freeport on a sailing schooner type ship, I believe it was the Alex something from Germany. Now I can't find it on line. Do they not offer that shore tour anymore?

 

Thanks

Cheryl

[T2C]

I've enjoyed two cruises on the Pride and I'm booked again for this August. I was wondering if you could find out if/when the Faster to the Fun program will be available on the Pride. Sounds like you are also enjoying your time on the Pride!:) Thanks for the updates!

On another blog it's said Pride will get FTTC but still waiting for the announcement of when.

[T2C]

Hey Roy,

 

Do you know what night the past guest party for Gold and above is?

 

I'm asking because we become Gold (once again) after Day 2 on our next cruise.

 

Thanks and loving the instant review.

[roscoegirl]

roscoegirl, I’m not quite sure how to respond. I asked at reception and the gentleman I spoke to relayed it to his supervisor who’s response was “check on carnival.com”. They may well be the last ones to know when it’s about to be implemented. I encountered the same type of thing on the Enchantment of the seas with a freestyle soda machine where the crew was completely unaware of it and came back the next day with “well, I’ve learned we have it but we have no idea when it will be ready”. The machine was in service less than 2 weeks later. Sorry I can’t be much help, but keep your hopes up

 

 

Thank you very much for inquiring about the FTTF...I'm not surprised you were probably the only one on board who had a clue!:) Hope you are enjoying your cruise...

[CarnivalBreeze319]

Why is the Carnival Pride still in Nassau???????.... It is now 7:30 EST

[rafinmd]

Hey Roy,

 

Do you know what night the past guest party for Gold and above is?

 

I'm asking because we become Gold (once again) after Day 2 on our next cruise.

 

Thanks and loving the instant review.

 

I'm told the past guest party was Tuesday night.

 

Why is the Carnival Pride still in Nassau???????.... It is now 7:30 EST

 

We weren't due to sail until 8 and all aboard was 7:30. We actually pulled away about 7:40.

 

I slept through my alarm this morning and rose about 5:40. I went up to deck 10 around 6:30 and walked a half hour. It was warm (roughly 70F and there was surprisingly little or no wind but there were heavy clouds and a drizzle started near the end of the walk.

 

On the morning show Troy explained that some performers had fallen at the 7PM Wonderful World show, causing the 9PM cancellation. He mentioned reports that the weather was improving in Nassau and that proved to be true. We entered the harbor about 10:30 When we pivoted to back into our slip we seemed to have very little room to spare between us and the shore. We backed in by the center dock with the Norwegian Jewel between us and the terminal and the Carnival Ecstasy at the outermost berth. A little later the Carnival Fascination pulled into inside of the outermost dock, across from the Ecstasy. Troy had mentioned that his brother was assistant Cruise Director there.

 

We were cleared just after 11AM and I walked around town a bit before my 12:15 tour to Ardastra Gardens. We were taken to about a 20-passenger minibus we were given a brief tour of the city on our way to the gardens, just over a mile from the ship. While the name says Gardens, the place was more of a zoo with generally smaller animals which included African cats, primates, reptiles, and quite a selection of birds. There were 2 shows of sorts, both involving birds. At a 1:30 parrot feeding, guests were led into an enclosure with parrots and given apple slices. The birds would perch on the guests arms, heads, and other places to partake of the treats. The second show was flamingos. The pink flamingo is the national bird of the Bahamas but to me at least looked more of an orange. The 8-pound birds seem almost too big for their long slender legs. In the show they were said to be trained but my impression was not very well. They did somewhat follow the commands of the trainer but seemed to have a very short attention span. Some guests were invited into the arena and the birds exhibited quite an uninhibited curiosity. We left the gardens about 2:30 and returned along the harbor. I discovered I had walked almost to the gardens when I was here on the Monarch of the Seas in December.

 

After we were dropped off I went over to the Public Library (a former prison) for some high speed internet and walked over to (and up) the Queens Staircase, one of the sites we had passed on the way to the gardens. The 64 steps lead down from a hill through a narrow canyon to the harbor. There was quite a line to get on to the pier, I think intensified since both the Ecstasy and the Jewel were preparing to leave.

 

We enjoyed an excellent dinner finishing with apple pie. We were scheduled to leave at 8 and were surprised at the table to see motion about 7:40. We must have had everyone aboard quite promptly to allow such an early departure. The evening show was the Love and Marriage show, past my bedtime.

 

As today's parting shot, this was a bit of a flashback to my cruising origins. My first cruise in 1993 was on the Carnival Fantasy to Nassau. It was interesting today having 2 of Fantasy's ships in port. These ships have quite an outdated look but still seem to be quite popular. There must be something right about them and it's refreshing that not everything old seems to disappear before it's time. Long may they sail.

 

Roy

[CarnivalBreeze319]

I'm told the past guest party was Tuesday night.

 

 

 

We weren't due to sail until 8 and all aboard was 7:30. We actually pulled away about 7:40.

 

I slept through my alarm this morning and rose about 5:40. I went up to deck 10 around 6:30 and walked a half hour. It was warm (roughly 70F and there was surprisingly little or no wind but there were heavy clouds and a drizzle started near the end of the walk.

 

On the morning show Troy explained that some performers had fallen at the 7PM Wonderful World show, causing the 9PM cancellation. He mentioned reports that the weather was improving in Nassau and that proved to be true. We entered the harbor about 10:30 When we pivoted to back into our slip we seemed to have very little room to spare between us and the shore. We backed in by the center dock with the Norwegian Jewel between us and the terminal and the Carnival Ecstasy at the outermost berth. A little later the Carnival Fascination pulled into inside of the outermost dock, across from the Ecstasy. Troy had mentioned that his brother was assistant Cruise Director there.

 

We were cleared just after 11AM and I walked around town a bit before my 12:15 tour to Ardastra Gardens. We were taken to about a 20-passenger minibus we were given a brief tour of the city on our way to the gardens, just over a mile from the ship. While the name says Gardens, the place was more of a zoo with generally smaller animals which included African cats, primates, reptiles, and quite a selection of birds. There were 2 shows of sorts, both involving birds. At a 1:30 parrot feeding, guests were led into an enclosure with parrots and given apple slices. The birds would perch on the guests arms, heads, and other places to partake of the treats. The second show was flamingos. The pink flamingo is the national bird of the Bahamas but to me at least looked more of an orange. The 8-pound birds seem almost too big for their long slender legs. In the show they were said to be trained but my impression was not very well. They did somewhat follow the commands of the trainer but seemed to have a very short attention span. Some guests were invited into the arena and the birds exhibited quite an uninhibited curiosity. We left the gardens about 2:30 and returned along the harbor. I discovered I had walked almost to the gardens when I was here on the Monarch of the Seas in December.

 

After we were dropped off I went over to the Public Library (a former prison) for some high speed internet and walked over to (and up) the Queens Staircase, one of the sites we had passed on the way to the gardens. The 64 steps lead down from a hill through a narrow canyon to the harbor. There was quite a line to get on to the pier, I think intensified since both the Ecstasy and the Jewel were preparing to leave.

 

We enjoyed an excellent dinner finishing with apple pie. We were scheduled to leave at 8 and were surprised at the table to see motion about 7:40. We must have had everyone aboard quite promptly to allow such an early departure. The evening show was the Love and Marriage show, past my bedtime.

 

As today's parting shot, this was a bit of a flashback to my cruising origins. My first cruise in 1993 was on the Carnival Fantasy to Nassau. It was interesting today having 2 of Fantasy's ships in port. These ships have quite an outdated look but still seem to be quite popular. There must be something right about them and it's refreshing that not everything old seems to disappear before it's time. Long may they sail.

 

Roy

 

Ok. I thought she was due to leave at 6 for some reason. Thanks for the wonderful review as we have family on this cruise!

[pdjetta]

Thank you for the review. I hope your embarkation was better than ours.

 

My wife and I went on the previous week's voyage on the Pride. Our second cruise and first time out of Baltimore. The embarkation was a nightmare. It took us about three hours to get on the ship. We arrived at 1:30 p.m., as requested by Carnival and we sat in the line in our car to unload luggage for 45 minutes. People were putting their luggage tags on the bags then and that may have been the hold up. Twenty minutes were taken waiting in the line to pay for parking. Then we waited OUTSIDE of the security building in along line for another 30 minues and it took a couple of hours inside. We are never going out of Baltimore again!

 

There were ALOT of unhappy people there that day. From what I gather, what we experienced wasn't the norm. The lady giving us the ship key cards said people from the previous cruise were late getting off the ship. Last year, in Fort Lauderdale, we were on the ship about 20 minutes after arriving at the port.

 

I enjoyed the cruise, but my wife did not. We both thought the food in the dining rooms could have been better. I did like the buffet selctions for breakfast, though. She liked David's (Steakhouse), but I thought the food was lacking (my lobster was tough and too salty).

 

I loved the gym when others went off the ship for tours.

 

We really liked the upgraded stateroom with balcony.

 

I also really enjoyed walking on the upper decks (outside) at night with few people around.

 

The teenagers running rampant was pretty bad, though. Even at 1:00 a.m.

 

--PD

[WetToes]

pdjetta - I can verify that what you experienced boarding the ship is NOT the norm.

[rafinmd]

"Posted by: Beachbumk

On: February 28th, 2013 11:22 AM

 

Roy, great daily report! I'll be on the Pride the end of April, same itinerary. Could you post the shore tours for the 3 stops? A while ago I was looking at a tour in Freeport on a sailing schooner type ship, I believe it was the Alex something from Germany. Now I can't find it on line. Do they not offer that shore tour anymore?

 

Thanks

Cheryl"

 

Cheryl, I'm not sure what I can do about posting the excursions, I'll have to consider that when I get back home. I did check for that and it wasn’t listed. There was a schooner docked at the port but it didn't do anything today. The port guide had an ad for Grand Bahama Nature Tours which appears to run the schooner, you may want to contact them directly at http://www.gbntours.com.

 

I heard the alarm, said "just a minute more", and arose an hour later. When I looked out the window, Freeport was well in sight. We sailed up a channel about a quarter mile long and pulled to our starboard bank with a container terminal and a drydock facility. A basin just to the right of our bow held one of the Bahamas mailboats, and soon the Carnival Ecstasy.

 

Grand Bahama Island is roughly 90 miles long and 20 wide, and has a population of about 50,000. The main sources of income are tourism, banking, and fishing. We docked just before 7 and were cleared about 7:15. I went out about 7:45 for a walk around the port, going out to Queens Highway and back. I had a 9AM Freeport Island tour and boarded a bus with about 20 other people. We toured mostly past houses of the wealthy on our way to Freeport, the commercial center but not really a city. We stopped at the local fruit and vegetable market which also had some souvenirs, and then continued to Port Lucaya. On our way we learned that each house is required to have 5 fruit trees before an occupancy permit is issued, an interesting idea. We had about an hour at Port Lucaya, primarily a shopping spot, in walking around I did get close to a light house and saw the beach (private property of a hotel) from a distance. I thought Grand Bahama was a nice place to see once but not particularly one I desire to revisit. We returned to the port about 12:20, a short day but with only one full sea on the way back an early start was necessary, We pulled away from the pier pretty promptly at 1:30.

 

Part of the sailaway festivities on deck 9 was the sailaway Groove for St. Jude. The afternoon went quickly and at 4:15 Loyalty Director Natalie gave a presentation on future cruises. There is nothing that really tempts me right now, but there are some interesting plans including sailing the Splendor (now rounding South America) out of New York and some visits to Australia.

 

On our second Elegant Night all from our table were present and I enjoyed Chateaubriand and Baked Alaska. After dinner we were roughly 65 miles East of Port Canaveral. New comedian Jim Brick was good at the 8:30 show in Butterflies followed by Jazzin with the Carnival Pride singers. Despite the cast being scheduled 3 times this cruise this is the first time the 9PM show has come off as planned following Nick Whiteside's illness the first time for Vroom! and the cancellation of the late show for Wonderful World. It was great to see one of the shows the way it was intended. I see that a makeup performance of Wonderful World has been scheduled for 4PM Saturday.

 

As today's parting shot I understand the sequester has taken effect. I have been blissfully unaware of this drama as we've been at sea but am sure it will soon be a constant topic of conversation. Reality is about to return. May the factions soon come together for the good of us all.

 

Roy

[whitecap]

"Posted by: Beachbumk

On: February 28th, 2013 11:22 AM

 

Roy, great daily report! I'll be on the Pride the end of April, same itinerary. Could you post the shore tours for the 3 stops? A while ago I was looking at a tour in Freeport on a sailing schooner type ship, I believe it was the Alex something from Germany. Now I can't find it on line. Do they not offer that shore tour anymore?

 

Thanks

Cheryl"

 

Cheryl, I'm not sure what I can do about posting the excursions, I'll have to consider that when I get back home. I did check for that and it wasn’t listed. There was a schooner docked at the port but it didn't do anything today. The port guide had an ad for Grand Bahama Nature Tours which appears to run the schooner, you may want to contact them directly at http://www.gbntours.com.

 

I heard the alarm, said "just a minute more", and arose an hour later. When I looked out the window, Freeport was well in sight. We sailed up a channel about a quarter mile long and pulled to our starboard bank with a container terminal and a drydock facility. A basin just to the right of our bow held one of the Bahamas mailboats, and soon the Carnival Ecstasy.

 

Grand Bahama Island is roughly 90 miles long and 20 wide, and has a population of about 50,000. The main sources of income are tourism, banking, and fishing. We docked just before 7 and were cleared about 7:15. I went out about 7:45 for a walk around the port, going out to Queens Highway and back. I had a 9AM Freeport Island tour and boarded a bus with about 20 other people. We toured mostly past houses of the wealthy on our way to Freeport, the commercial center but not really a city. We stopped at the local fruit and vegetable market which also had some souvenirs, and then continued to Port Lucaya. On our way we learned that each house is required to have 5 fruit trees before an occupancy permit is issued, an interesting idea. We had about an hour at Port Lucaya, primarily a shopping spot, in walking around I did get close to a light house and saw the beach (private property of a hotel) from a distance. I thought Grand Bahama was a nice place to see once but not particularly one I desire to revisit. We returned to the port about 12:20, a short day but with only one full sea on the way back an early start was necessary, We pulled away from the pier pretty promptly at 1:30.

 

Part of the sailaway festivities on deck 9 was the sailaway Groove for St. Jude. The afternoon went quickly and at 4:15 Loyalty Director Natalie gave a presentation on future cruises. There is nothing that really tempts me right now, but there are some interesting plans including sailing the Splendor (now rounding South America) out of New York and some visits to Australia.

 

On our second Elegant Night all from our table were present and I enjoyed Chateaubriand and Baked Alaska. After dinner we were roughly 65 miles East of Port Canaveral. New comedian Jim Brick was good at the 8:30 show in Butterflies followed by Jazzin with the Carnival Pride singers. Despite the cast being scheduled 3 times this cruise this is the first time the 9PM show has come off as planned following Nick Whiteside's illness the first time for Vroom! and the cancellation of the late show for Wonderful World. It was great to see one of the shows the way it was intended. I see that a makeup performance of Wonderful World has been scheduled for 4PM Saturday.

 

As today's parting shot I understand the sequester has taken effect. I have been blissfully unaware of this drama as we've been at sea but am sure it will soon be a constant topic of conversation. Reality is about to return. May the factions soon come together for the good of us all.

 

Roy

 

Thanks for all the great information. As stated before, we'll be on the Pride in May and are really looking forward to exploring a new ship. As far as returning to "reality", no worries, even after all the hype of major delays at airports, poor security, layoffs of tens of thousands of police/fire/teachers and so on, the sequester has begun and a quick check of all those entities shows no changes, no delays, no problems. Enjoy the remainder of your cruise and keep the information coming please.

[wannago30]

Thanks for the great daily reviews, I have enjoyed reading them:) We will be on the pride in May and we are looking forward to it. The bad thing about vacation is that you spend so much time looking forward to it, then it's over before you know it.