Pride Review Solo 5/4-5/11 GT, HMC & Freeport

[NCTribeFan]

Teaser! :p

 

I haven't actually started writing the review. I write it up in Word and copy and paste day-by-day here. I did finally upload my photos this morning.

 

Unfortunately, I've been suffering from my worst-ever "mal de debarquement" symptoms and simply haven't felt like doing anything (even had to take sick time on Tuesday because I couldn't focus on the monitor and felt like I was going to hurl any minute). I haven't even done laundry. Suitcases are still sitting in the hallway with clothes dumped everywhere. :o

 

Feeling better today, but I have lots of things to get caught up on. I'll at least try to get the first few days written and posted. I took notes on my tablet, but they aren't very extensive, so this review may be a little more brief than some of those in the past. But probably not. I do tend to go on and on, you know.

[Breadman54]

My husband and I were also on this cruise! Loved it! Can't wait to read your review!! :D

[NCTribeFan]

Background: this was my 21st cruise, 19th on Carnival. I’m a professional in my early 60s. Boy, does it hurt to write that! :o I used to sail with my DD, but she’s now married and working, so I’m now mostly a solo cruiser. I’ve decided I like it a lot.

 

I sailed Miracle twice before and absolutely loved the layout. I’m not a fan of Carnival’s other ship designs. I refer to them as “floating shoe boxes.” I’d read all the comments about Pride being “dark” and having paintings of nekkid people all over (gasp!). Honestly, I didn’t find the ship to be that dark. I rather like the dark wood. It’s more elegant. And while I’m not a huge fan of Renaissance art, I certainly wasn’t offended. It’s Art, people, with a capital A.

 

I had originally booked yet another Fantasy cruise for 5/6 that was going to Nassau and Little Stirrup Cay. But then the two gals who sailed Fantasy with me in September wanted to join me. And then I saw the Pride sailing, with no single supplement, calling at HMC, and I couldn’t resist. So, I probably have alienated them (as I tend to do with people, hence my solo cruises) and “jumped ship” to Pride. But I really just wanted to go solo and have my own cabin, and do what I wanted when I wanted to do it.

 

I had a very difficult tax-season and was really looking forward to doing very little on this cruise. I’ve been to all the ports several times, and just wanted some rest and relaxation. I started with an interior cabin (I like them; I like it dark when I sleep and the lower cost means I can sail more often). But it seems this week wasn’t selling all that well and prices were dropping. I booked at a casino rate (I rarely book ES just because I hate restricted rates). I then moved to a French Door cabin. I’d wanted to try one forever. Then I moved across the hall because I knew I’d at least get a partial ocean view in a slightly different location. Since I don’t book ES, I tend to stop looking at prices after final payment because I don’t really want to know that everyone else is getting prices drops.

 

But then, the Sunday before we sailed, I saw many of our Roll Call folks saying they’d upgraded themselves to balcony cabins because of the price drops. Sure enough, after some difficult dealing with Carnival (I didn’t call my PVP on a Sunday because I didn’t want to bother him; I called the regular 800 number; PVP had to finally get it done on Monday), I was able to move to an aft balcony for $15 more. My total to move from an inside to an aft balcony was $80. I can live with that! This was only my 3rd balcony in all those cruises. My prior two had been on my two Miracle sailings. I had 4230 on Miracle, and picked 4232 on Pride. In hindsight, I’d have taken one on a higher deck. I’d wanted the additional overhang that those cabins have on Main, but it turned out I had very little direct sun back there all week, which was a bit of a bummer. More about the cabin later.

[NCTribeFan]

Saturday, 5/3/14, drive & pre-cruise night in Baltimore -

 

I thought I was packing light. Not light enough!!

 

I loaded up the car and headed out. I had sworn that I’d never get anywhere near DC ever again, but figured since my travel was on the weekend, it might not be too bad. I did plan my route to take I-495 around the west side of DC, just in case. There was some stop-and-go, but I made it to the hotel in a little over 5 hours. Not bad; only slightly longer than the drive to Charleston.

 

I’d have liked to have stayed in the Inner Harbor area, but that wasn’t in my budget. After doing my reading on the East Coast Departures board, and in the All Things Pride thread, I booked at the Holiday Inn Express Stadiums through Stay123, and booked the cruise parking package. The hotel isn’t in the greatest area, but I had no plans to wander the streets at night alone. Check in was simple. I signed up for the 11 o’clock port shuttle, since I’d read so much about Pride’s boarding not beginning until later.

 

After finding a parking spot for the week, I decided to take their free shuttle to the Inner Harbor for dinner. There were tons of people – all ages, races, ethnicities. There were street performers. There were prom-goers. It was a very vibrant scene and I really enjoyed being there. I’d love to live in an urban area like that

 

As soon as I saw the sign for Tir Na Nog Irish Pub, I knew that’s where I was going to eat. I got a table on the upstairs patio at the rail where I was able to sit in the sun and watch the activity along the waterfront. After consulting with my server, I decided on a Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale and the Angus Steak Sandwich. It was very good. So good, I had to have a second beer and took ½ the sandwich back to the hotel for later.

 

Yummy!

 

Called the hotel for the shuttle pickup and wandered around the area while I waited.

 

 

 

Watched tv for a while, ate the rest of my dinner, and hit the sack by 10:30, looking forward to the next day and boarding the ship!

[geesherry]

Can't wait to relive a great week reading your view of things

 

Hope you're feelin' better!

 

I usually don't get my land legs back for a few days post cruise, didn't take off my queasy beads til Friday morning this time. Doing that has helped me the last few cruises.

[NCTribeFan]

Sunday, 5/4/14, embarkation day - I was up early, as usual. Headed to the breakfast room to find some real food! I stuffed my face, and then, since I had no idea when we’d actually be able to board, I grabbed a yogurt and took that back to the room. Sitting there, wondering how to keep myself busy for another few hours and the phone rang. The front desk said they could take me earlier if I wanted to move to an earlier shuttle. I knew 10 am would be way too early for this port, so agreed to go at 10:30. I rearranged my things a bit since I like to be sure I have at least something to wear in my carry-ons, should my cases go awol. Gulped down my yogurt and headed down to the lobby.

 

I was down there at 10:25 but didn’t see a shuttle loading, so sat and waited 15 minutes. Just as I was going to the desk to ask if I’d missed the 10:30, the driver came in. I think they were actually just going as soon as they returned with a load is disembarking passengers. We loaded up and were at the port in just a few minutes. The driver told us where we needed to go and where to wait when we returned. He unloaded the van. I neglected to point out the FTTF symbol on my tags. At other ports, I’d done this and waited until the neon orange sticker was added, but had read that this wasn’t necessary in Baltimore, so I took my two carry-on bags and headed inside.

 

The Carnival rep looked at my FunPass, opened the velvet rope and directed me down a separate aisle. I waited a few moments to have my docs examined, then was directed straight to a scanner. I was asked to show my bottle of wine, and it was right through and to the VIP checkin, which was in a separate little room. There were two desks and I walked right up to one as a couple was leaving. She handed me my Platinum card and gave me directions to the VIP seating area. The total time from leaving the hotel to sitting in the waiting area was 20 minutes. I was seated by 11:05. Easiest check-in ever.

 

And then we waited. And waited. And waited some more. There were at least two wedding parties in the room behind us (which is where the FTTF people also waited). We finally started boarding at about 12:40. I went straight to my cabin. Yep, it looked just like I knew it would. I was delighted to discover that I had a lounger on the balcony. We did not have one on either of them on Miracle.

 

Cabin 4232

 

 

 

Then to the buffet to get my first deli sandwich – a turkey & swiss on a roll at about 1:15 pm. I wandered around a bit to re-familiarize myself with the ship’s layout, then went to see if my luggage was there. Nope. I made a circuit of the Main deck aft hallways sneaking glances at the luggage tags to see if they were all FTTF. They weren’t. I encountered a crew member with a luggage rack and asked if the priority bags would be delivered soon. He asked for my cabin number and said he’d check on them. I sat on my balcony for a little bit (it was very, very windy) and decided at 2:30 that I was going back out to explore. Just then, there was a knock on the door and there he was with my two bags. He even carried them in and put them on the bed for me. So I unpacked and then went out to wander some more.

 

Muster drill was at about 4:30. Those aft cabins on Main are very close to the muster stations. Naturally, we had a wedding party who talked and laughed through the entire thing while the crew stands there and lets them, despite the repeated announcements to BE QUITE during the drill. Sigh.

 

Then it was off to the spa for the raffle. As is the case on ever cruise, I didn’t win. And the ship always leaves the dock while I’m standing there watching other people win things. Oh well. I decided it was time for my first Thirsty Frog draft, so got that and a hot dog and fries and took them down to my cabin to sit on the balcony and watch us sail down the bay.

 

[NCTribeFan]

Sunday, 5/4/14, embarkation day (continued) - Met my cabin steward, Dewa. He said it was his last week as he was “a sick man.” I didn’t ask what that meant. I did notice earlier, when most of the cabin doors were open, that his name was on the card in every cabin in that entire aft section. The entire “U” halls. That’s a lot of cabins! For the first time, I did not have a metal ice bucket in my cabin. I asked him for some ice and when I returned later, I had a plastic bucket (actually one inside another) full. Since I wanted the ice to put in drinks, I didn’t really want to stuff my bottle of wine in it. Oh well. I would survive this. He also had wine glasses on his cart, so I took one each for white and red.

 

I stopped in the casino and made my first of many donations. I asked to speak to a casino host and met with Paul, from England. I explained that I’d contacted the Players Club about our Roll Call having a slot pull and had been told to talk to a host once on board. Unfortunately, Paul didn’t understand what I was talking about. He kept thinking that we wanted to have our own slot tournament – all of us playing a different machine at the same time. No, we want ONE machine. We’ll put in all the money, each have a set number of spins, then cash out and we’re done. He still didn’t get it.

 

Back to the cabin to change for dinner. I had late dining, table 234, a 6-top in the center of the floor. I walked in and sat down and Dana, my head waiter, came over and called me by name. How did he know who I was? He hadn’t seen my S&S card. All week I kept meaning to ask him how he knew and forgot. Do they have a description of the people assigned to the tables? Once people board, do they send the dining room teams our S&S card photos? I was just amazed!

 

Only one tablemate showed up. She had booked on Saturday! This was her first cruise and she was solo (a 30-year-old petite Russian). I had my usual Caesar salad, cured salmon appetizer, tilapia and crème brulee. I also ordered the cheapest wine package.

 

We were going to meet up in the atrium where Josh was hosting a Cinco de Mayo party. There had been threads asking if anything was done on the ship for Cinco de Mayo and most people (and I, since I sailed last year in early May) said they did not. When I arrived, people were wearing big false mustaches and eyebrows, and they were giving away green and red beads, mini-light sticks, and sombreros. And you know what? I was mildly uncomfortable. It all felt fairly racist. There may not have been a single person there with any Mexican heritage, but it just didn’t feel right. These days, I just don’t feel very comfortable with the any activity that involves blatant sterotypes. It was crowded and I couldn’t find my tablemate, so I went to the casino!

 

Back to the cabin. I used the little balcony table to prop the door open. The wake is VERY loud. I normally need a fan or my phone’s white noise app, but the wake provided plenty of white noise. Besides, my cabin was freezing cold the entire week (even though the thermostat was turned all the way over to the warmest setting). Guess I was asleep by 11:30.

[PaulMedik]

Teaser! :p

 

I haven't actually started writing the review. I write it up in Word and copy and paste day-by-day here. I did finally upload my photos this morning.

 

Unfortunately, I've been suffering from my worst-ever "mal de debarquement" symptoms and simply haven't felt like doing anything (even had to take sick time on Tuesday because I couldn't focus on the monitor and felt like I was going to hurl any minute). I haven't even done laundry. Suitcases are still sitting in the hallway with clothes dumped everywhere. :o

 

Feeling better today, but I have lots of things to get caught up on. I'll at least try to get the first few days written and posted. I took notes on my tablet, but they aren't very extensive, so this review may be a little more brief than some of those in the past. But probably not. I do tend to go on and on, you know.

 

 

NCTribeFan,

 

 

Mal de debarquement? I swear I still feel a bit of it every now and then..... Nothing 'Mal' about it though since it reminds me of our cruise. :)

[Jamman54]

GREAT start to your review!! We were in the exact same cabin on our first Pride Cruise.

 

[reerun25]

Enjoying the review so far, and looking forward to more!

[Tacosha]

Enjoying your review so far! I am looking forward to sailing on her next month! Will be doing the same ports...GT, HMC and Freeport. :)

[miss tea]

can't wait

[422Melissa]

We had Dewa as our cabin steward in April. He came into the cabin unannounced a couple of times and we felt rushed to vacate, so we ended up using the "snoozin" sign whenever we were in. In any case, I'm sorry to hear that he's ill.

[NCTribeFan]

Monday, 5/5/14, 1st sea day – I woke at about 7 with a slight hangover. I do like my beer and wine, but I really don’t drink that much any more; maybe a glass or three of wine on Saturday night while I’m watching TV, but during tax season, I don’t drink at all, so I was rather out of practice.

 

I went straight up to the Serenity area (climbed those stairs from Deck 4 to Deck 9 first thing every morning – whew!) and hogged the big, covered, round seat back in the portside corner. Then I headed in to find my breakfast cook for the week at the omelette station. I do wish they had the side items available right there, like they do on some of the larger ships. I requested my usual - ham, cheese, mushrooms & tomatoes, well-done, please! Added my croissant, bacon, water and hot tea and headed to the tables outside. It was a beautiful, not-too-hot, sunny day. I sat in my lounger and read most of the morning. I did get up and turn it later in the morning so I wouldn’t fry. The absolute last thing I want to do on a cruise is get a nasty sunburn on the first day, so I’m very careful. I even got in the hot tub for a few minutes, which is something that I rarely do. That was probably only the 3rd or 4th time I’ve been in one.

 

 

And then it was time for lunch! Other than the first couple of cruises, when the buffet line was the only option, I bet I haven’t had lunch from the main buffet line a half-dozen times. But I tend to get cravings for fried chicken, so had to have a couple of pieces, along with a pretty-tasty breaded baked fish, steamed rice and gravy. It was OK. I’m just not a fan of buffet food in general.

 

Our Roll Call was meeting at 2, so I found them and was a little surprised to see how few appeared. I’m used to fairly inactive 5-day Roll Call, but this had a pretty good group, but I think only about half of those who had said they’d attend were actually there. It seems many people were having their mid-day naps.

 

I explained the lack of understanding by the casino staff regarding our desire to have a slot pull, so we decided to just get our cash, grab a drink, and go do it ourselves. We had 20 people and contributed $15 each. It had been my bright idea to use one of the $1 ($3 max) machines that had the bonus wheels, as I’d had some pretty good luck on those on other ships. Well, this one wasn’t so friendly. When everyone had done their 5 spins, we didn’t have much left, so we decided to each give it an additional spin. Our lone male participant finally got a bonus spin, but it was only $45. Then Sherry hit the 7s and $200, so we quit while we were ahead. Our $15 investment netted us each $24. Woot!

 

I could sit and watch this all day. And some day, I may get to the point that I can take photos and the horizon will actually be horizontal!

 

Tonight was our first Elegant Night. I got dressed and decided to have a photo done on the staircase in the atrium. I almost never buy photos but do enjoy seeing how they turn out before I put them in the trash bins! I was a little surprised that no one else showed up for dinner. I’ve often been at tables that the only night some people eat in the MDR is on lobster night. But there I was, already tucking into my lobster and shrimp (Dana brought me a double order) when my Russian tablemate arrived (about 30 minutes late). Although I was stuffed, I had a cheese plate for dessert.

 

I'm not much of a selfie-taker.

 

I went back to the casino, got my $50 casino cash from the window, promptly gave it all back, then decided to pay a visit to the dance club. I like to dance, and since I’m often solo, I sometimes end up dancing alone. When I was younger, I never would’ve done that. Now, I just don’t care. If I want to dance, I’ll dance. If people think that’s amusing, or sad, or pathetic, or think anything at all, I don’t care. This is one thing that I’m going to do and not worry one tiny bit about what anyone else thinks. This dance floor isn’t terribly conducive to just wandering onto the side and solo dancing, and I just wasn’t “feeling” it, so I refrained. I did see some ladies I’d encountered earlier in the evening (and who were at a neighboring table in the MDR) out on the dance floor so joined them for some PFunk.

 

I was in bed before midnight.

[NCTribeFan]

Tuesday, 5/6/14, 2nd sea day – I don’t know when I got up, but it was pretty early, because I was on Serenity Deck at 7:15 and every single one of the big, round, covered loungers was taken. Some had a towel on them, but some had people in them, wrapped in big yellow towels, sleeping. Now, since the towel desk doesn’t open until 8, all I could conclude was that there were some people who actually slept in those things all night. They looked like they had been there all night!

 

I did grab the one under the pergola, port side, and went in to get my breakfast. Same as on Monday. I stayed out until about 11, then changed and went to brunch. I wasn’t terribly hungry, but decided to try the huevos rancheros, the salted-caramel cheesecake and use my drink coupon for a mimosa. It was quite good.

 

 

Back to the casino, and again had no luck, so I headed to my lovely aft balcony to read. I had only a sliver of sun so dragged my lounger right up against the rail to take advantage of what there was.

 

I went to afternoon tea (because, well, you know, I was starving by 3 pm!) and decided to give the casino another chance. There are several new machines that were very popular. They’re big and horribly bright and loud and had people at them every day, every time I was in there. I did grab one of the “Gold something” machines and promptly turned a $3 spin into $100. And then another $3 spin into $150. I was happy!

 

The Past Guest party was at 4 (or 4:15 or 4:30) in the Butterflies Lounge. I grabbed a seat at the bar because I’ve learned over the past few cruises that having a couple of those large rum drinks and following it with wine during and after dinner is usually not a good thing for me to do. And, actually, having a couple of glasses of wine at that hour and following it with continued wine drinking is also not a good thing for me to do, but I did it anyway!

 

Almost horizontal horizon!

 

At dinner, we were joined by a man who had apparently been at another table and no one had shown up, so he asked the Maitre’d if he could sit elsewhere. Since we had room for six and only two of us, he joined us for the rest of the week. At the end of dinner, a woman arrived who had been at his other table and asked if she could join us for the rest of the week, too, which was fine.

 

Tablemates had both gone to the “Night of Classic Soul” show before dinner and thought the singer was very good. Russian and I went the late comedy show, which is another thing that I almost never do when I cruise. This was Ken Rogerson, I believe. He was pretty funny. I think. Because, well, you know. Wine. I’m pretty sure I stopped in the casino on my way back to the cabin to return some of the funds that they had inadvertently allowed me to win earlier.

[PaulMedik]

..........

 

I could sit and watch this all day. And some day, I may get to the point that I can take photos and the horizon will actually be horizontal!

 

..............

I'm not much of a selfie-taker.

 

...........

 

 

NCTribeFan,

 

Today would be a perfect day to be sitting and watching that wake....:cool:

 

You should book Liberty April 4 out of Port Canaveral; it's an 8 day Southern with Grand Turk, Bonaire, and Aruba. We're also planning on doing Breeze July 18 on the 8 day Eastern. Sail with us and you'll not need to shoot any selfies. ;)

Edited May 18, 2014 by PaulMedik

[Cruise Envy]

More please!

[092306]

Enjoying your review so far, thanks for posting!

[broyles60]

Monday, 5/5/14, 1st sea day – I woke at about 7 with a slight hangover. I do like my beer and wine, but I really don’t drink that much any more; maybe a glass or three of wine on Saturday night while I’m watching TV, but during tax season, I don’t drink at all, so I was rather out of practice.

 

I went straight up to the Serenity area (climbed those stairs from Deck 4 to Deck 9 first thing every morning – whew!) and hogged the big, covered, round seat back in the portside corner. Then I headed in to find my breakfast cook for the week at the omelette station. I do wish they had the side items available right there, like they do on some of the larger ships. I requested my usual - ham, cheese, mushrooms & tomatoes, well-done, please! Added my croissant, bacon, water and hot tea and headed to the tables outside. It was a beautiful, not-too-hot, sunny day. I sat in my lounger and read most of the morning. I did get up and turn it later in the morning so I wouldn’t fry. The absolute last thing I want to do on a cruise is get a nasty sunburn on the first day, so I’m very careful. I even got in the hot tub for a few minutes, which is something that I rarely do. That was probably only the 3rd or 4th time I’ve been in one.

 

 

And then it was time for lunch! Other than the first couple of cruises, when the buffet line was the only option, I bet I haven’t had lunch from the main buffet line a half-dozen times. But I tend to get cravings for fried chicken, so had to have a couple of pieces, along with a pretty-tasty breaded baked fish, steamed rice and gravy. It was OK. I’m just not a fan of buffet food in general.

 

Our Roll Call was meeting at 2, so I found them and was a little surprised to see how few appeared. I’m used to fairly inactive 5-day Roll Call, but this had a pretty good group, but I think only about half of those who had said they’d attend were actually there. It seems many people were having their mid-day naps.

 

I explained the lack of understanding by the casino staff regarding our desire to have a slot pull, so we decided to just get our cash, grab a drink, and go do it ourselves. We had 20 people and contributed $15 each. It had been my bright idea to use one of the $1 ($3 max) machines that had the bonus wheels, as I’d had some pretty good luck on those on other ships. Well, this one wasn’t so friendly. When everyone had done their 5 spins, we didn’t have much left, so we decided to each give it an additional spin. Our lone male participant finally got a bonus spin, but it was only $45. Then Sherry hit the 7s and $200, so we quit while we were ahead. Our $15 investment netted us each $24. Woot!

 

I could sit and watch this all day. And some day, I may get to the point that I can take photos and the horizon will actually be horizontal!

 

Tonight was our first Elegant Night. I got dressed and decided to have a photo done on the staircase in the atrium. I almost never buy photos but do enjoy seeing how they turn out before I put them in the trash bins! I was a little surprised that no one else showed up for dinner. I’ve often been at tables that the only night some people eat in the MDR is on lobster night. But there I was, already tucking into my lobster and shrimp (Dana brought me a double order) when my Russian tablemate arrived (about 30 minutes late). Although I was stuffed, I had a cheese plate for dessert.

 

I'm not much of a selfie-taker.

 

I went back to the casino, got my $50 casino cash from the window, promptly gave it all back, then decided to pay a visit to the dance club. I like to dance, and since I’m often solo, I sometimes end up dancing alone. When I was younger, I never would’ve done that. Now, I just don’t care. If I want to dance, I’ll dance. If people think that’s amusing, or sad, or pathetic, or think anything at all, I don’t care. This is one thing that I’m going to do and not worry one tiny bit about what anyone else thinks. This dance floor isn’t terribly conducive to just wandering onto the side and solo dancing, and I just wasn’t “feeling” it, so I refrained. I did see some ladies I’d encountered earlier in the evening (and who were at a neighboring table in the MDR) out on the dance floor so joined them for some PFunk.

 

I was in bed before midnight.

 

I think you're fricking awesome! And you're a beautiful, confident woman! Good for you.

[RRFPresident]

Teaser! :p

 

I haven't actually started writing the review. I write it up in Word and copy and paste day-by-day here. I did finally upload my photos this morning.

 

Unfortunately, I've been suffering from my worst-ever "mal de debarquement" symptoms and simply haven't felt like doing anything (even had to take sick time on Tuesday because I couldn't focus on the monitor and felt like I was going to hurl any minute). I haven't even done laundry. Suitcases are still sitting in the hallway with clothes dumped everywhere. :o

 

Feeling better today, but I have lots of things to get caught up on. I'll at least try to get the first few days written and posted. I took notes on my tablet, but they aren't very extensive, so this review may be a little more brief than some of those in the past. But probably not. I do tend to go on and on, you know.

 

We were on this sailing too. Still debating on whether to do a photo review like I did for my last two cruises. Very interested to read about the week from a different point of view. Looking forward to more.

[NCTribeFan]

Paul - I only wish I could sail in early April but, alas, I'm a CPA and at that time of the year, I'm in such a state of "brain mush" that I'm surprised I can remember how to find my way home after work. I will never be able to go to Augusta for the Masters or to Spring Training. :(

 

broyles60 - thank you, but I'm not really very confident. I was horribly, painfully shy when I was young and the only reason I do things solo is because I refuse to "find a man" just to have one to do things with! That's not a good enough reason to be in a relationship. So, if I don't want to truly become a hermit (it would be easy to allow myself to do that), when I want to go somewhere, I just go. I know women who won't even go to a movie by themselves. I find that very sad.

 

RRFPres - did we meet? Please do write a review. I think the tendency is for people to come here and read a review and think that everyone on the ship had the same (good and not-so-good) experiences and extrapolate from there that every person on every sailing in the future will have the same experiences. That's about as far from reality as you can possibly get. I read reviews by people on the same cruise as I and they have vastly different opinions and experiences. I think rather than "Your Mileage MAY Vary," that it most definitely WILL vary. But people don't seem to get that.

 

Anyway, I'll try to post a couple more days tonight. Sorry about dragging it out like this but it is time consuming and I had so much to get done (not all of which I accomplished, of course, because I had to spend some quality time with my XBox 360 and Borderlands 2, which I'd just started before the cruise :p ).

[nodogkisses]

NCTribeFan, thanks for posting a selfie -- you're so pretty and certainly don't look your "number" at all. It's great to put a face with a user name. And, thank you for doing a Pride review. I just sailed her in February and doing this itinerary on her in September.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[keene state mom]

really enjoying your review ... I leave June 1st for my second time on the Pride.

 

Gail

[NCTribeFan]

Wednesday, 5/7/14, Grand Turk - It’s a beautiful, warm, sunny day (unlike in November, when it poured all morning plus we had Glory in port with us). I used to always do the Horseback Ride & Swim when I was in GT. It’s good fun. But now I just disembark, hike down the dock, through the Duty Free shop, and turn right. I like to go as far away from the noise and activity as possible.

 

The previous night, tablemate said she’d head down there and see if she could find me. There were very few people around, but I didn’t spot her. I got a lounger that was semi-shaded by a palm and made myself comfortable to read. And then the virtually non-stop helicopter noise started. Helicopter tours? Really? Grand Turk is just a little sand bar island surrounded by a great reef. So, once again, no peace and quiet is to be found.

 

I was getting hot and disliked the noise, so I packed up my things at around 11. Came across my tablemate in a lounger not far from where I’d been. I headed to the shops to find Frootz and the free wi-fi. I bought a Pepsi (I feel obligated to patronize the businesses who are kind enough to provide free wi-fi), sat down, and posted an early birthday greeting to my daughter on Facebook.

 

 

 

 

Not sure why the Coast Guard would be in Grand Turk, but they were docked at the small dock down past Jack's Shack all day.

 

I was back on the ship at 11:45 intending to change and head up to Lido for my deli sandwich and a Thirsty Frog. Except I couldn’t get into my cabin! The light would immediately switch from green to red before I could turn the handle. I happened to find Dewa in the hallway (yes, still servicing cabins at almost noon). He tried his card and the same thing happened. He informed me that it was the batteries in the lock. He called Security for me. A very tall blonde woman arrived, tried my card, and then tried hers. Same result. She then radioed maintenance who arrived in about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, I was wishing I hadn’t gulped down both the Pepsi and a small bottle of water!

 

Had to try one of those "beach-reflected-in-the-cabin-windows" shots.

 

The guy disassembled a portion of the handle and replaced the batteries. That didn’t help. He vanished for a while and came back with something else. That didn’t help. He vanished again and came back and replaced the entire door handle. At least I was able to use the bathroom while he was gone! Whew! He didn’t finish the entire project until 1:00.

 

I was starving by then, so what did I do? I ordered TWO sandwiches for lunch – my usual turkey & swiss plus smoked salmon & cream cheese on a bagel. Sat out on Serenity Deck and ate the turkey & swiss. Of course, I was full after I finished that, so I took the bagel and my beer back to the cabin and sat on the balcony to read. A while after we sailed, I realized I wasn’t feeling all that great. Then I realized that I hadn’t been taking my ginger after the first day or so (and there is all that shaking going on back there). So I took a ginger capsule plus ½ meclizine and went out to walk around the ship. I felt better quickly.

 

I didn’t win a lot in the casino, but I was able to play a long time on a little money. Uh oh. I just got my Drinks on Us card. I’ve only had two; the first was on about Day 4 of the 6-night Glory-to-Bermuda cruise, and the 2nd was at about 11 pm on the last night of my Conquest cruise in November. I got ONE drink with that card (which I didn’t even really want). Yep, I spend too much time in the casino when I sail solo. So now had the drink card, the bottle of wine I’d carried on, the 5 coupons from my drink package, and 2 coupons that I had left over from November.

 

At dinner, we were joined by both the folks from the other table, so there were the four of us for the rest of the cruise. I don’t remember what I did after dinner. Let me guess. Visited the casino, perhaps? ;)

[NCTribeFan]

Thursday, 5/8/14, Half Moon Cay – I say this about HMC all the time - I’m not a beach person. Really. I’m not. But the first time I saw this place I fell in love. I’d been there six times before. I think it’s been six. Should’ve been 7, but the last time (my Fantasy B2B in October 2012), we had to skip because Hurricane Sandy had come through earlier and done some damage. Anyway, if you’ve been there, you know what I mean. It’s beautiful. It turned out that one of our Roll Call members and her sister had one reserved and offered to share with a couple more, so Sherry (our slot pull hero) and I took them up on the offer.

 

I neglected to mention this in my GT write-up: when I went up to get my omelette on Wednesday morning, I greeted the young man who was behind the counter. He’d been a little less friendly than some of the crew, so I thought I’d just be a little more friendly than normal. When I said, “Good morning, Gede! How are you today?” his face just lit up. He knew just what wanted that morning and this morning (Thursday), too.

 

I thought about heading straight down to the tender, but decided I should go to the service desk, since I’m such a rule follower. There were many blue-card carrying FTTF folks there. When the Security guy showed up to escort us down, I thought they were going to stampede. Seriously. When we got off the elevator, I finally had to speak up and tell them (rather sternly) that we would all get on the tender and even if we didn’t, there would be one loading immediately after and they all needed to just CALM DOWN and stop pushing! Amateurs!

 

Yes, we made it on the tender! What a surprise! Then we got to wait while they loaded about 500 more people! I sat with two couples; the women had been active in the Roll Call and had participated in our Slot Pull. If you were on this sailing, you would’ve noticed one – a very attractive woman who just happens to be 6’4” tall. Yes, she made me (at 5’10”) feel positively puny! We walked over to the excursion desk and I told the woman I was in Cabana 13. But I didn’t have a ticket, so she couldn’t check me in. I sat over by the bar for a little while and then just decided to wander on down to The Ugliest Little Cabana Ever. It’s the honey-mustard yellow/brown one, just past the last Villa.

 

 

I hadn’t brought a towel because I thought I’d read that they would be in the cabana, but I didn’t want to hike all the way down there and find I needed one. Last time, the towels were available by the bar, but I didn’t see anyone. I walked through the Chapel and when I exited, there was our Serenity Deck towel gal manning the towel booth. And she called me by name! How do they do it? I had gotten towels on Serenity on Monday and Tuesday mornings. Here it was Thursday and all those people she’d encountered since we sailed, yet she knew me. This aging, forgetful woman finds this incomprehensible!

 

I ran into Roll Call member & sister, and we were at the cabana in minutes. Yes, there were towels there. The food and drinks were already there and an attendant showed up with the snorkel gear shortly after we arrived (none of us used it). We grabbed some loungers and dragged them up near the cabana where we’d have sun or shade, depending on what we wanted.

 

 

The sun was hot and since I’m ever fearful of frying, I flipped over and tried to get some on the side that rarely gets any. I just can’t lay on my stomach. My arms fall asleep. So I decided to get in the water. We were at the upper end of the 2nd roped-off area. I waded in and was greeted by a woman who asked if I was on the Cruise Critic Roll Call. Not sure how she knew that, but we chatted for a while.

 

Then it was time for a snack. That sun and sea makes one hungry, you know? Then more reading, and, oh yes, I’ll have a drink, thanks! The bar guy really didn’t want to bring me a single beer (they do a lot of walking in the sand over the hours back and forth and back and forth…). And then it was time for lunch. Encountered Dana and started to introduce him to my cabana-mates and it turned out they had him as their waiter during early seating! I enjoyed the hot dog and jerk chicken.

 

Back at the cabana, I finished my beer and decided it was time to try out the floaty mat thing. I had visions of me trying to mount it and it just flipping me over into the water, like a hammock. But I’m sure I was very graceful in the shallow water, trying to straddle it and sit and scoot around to get myself centered. The water really wanted to just float you off away from the beach, so I grabbed the slippery furry green rope and hung on. As a non-swimmer, the last thing I wanted to was close my eyes and find out I’d drifted out to the ship! And then I realized I hadn’t put any sunscreen on my face. Uh oh. So I paddled my way back to the shore and forced myself to get out of the water. It was so nice. Next time, I’ll rent one of those, slather myself with SPF 50 and spend the day out there. I may have to devise some sort of anchor so I don’t float away.

 

 

 

It wasn’t nearly time to return to the ship (okay, it was probably getting close to time to leave) when they came around and wanted to start clearing everything out. I took the nacho chips back with me while the other gals took the beverages. I turned in my towel to the delightful Serenity Towel Girl, and we walked right on the tender. Sigh. I wish I could stay there forever.

 

This doesn't do the color of the water that's churned up. It's a vivid blue-green.

 

 

Once again, I drank too much wine. I’d used the two leftover coupons the previous night and took the two bottles back to the cabin thinking I’d take one to the cabana. Which I forgot to do. They now write your folio number on the wine coupons, so I figured I couldn’t save the unused ones for my November cruise (when there will be 2 of us for 8 nights).

 

For dinner, I decided to have a burger. It was really good.

 

After, Russian and guy and I stopped in the piano bar to see what was happening. It just isn’t my bag, baby. I’m not into sing-alongs, and the song choices just don’t excite me very much. I don’t like to be a snob, but I just simply think a lot of people just don’t have much of an ear for music, so if it’s played a lot on the radio, they assume it’s good. But a lot of what’s played a lot on the radio is crap. And just because it’s an oldie doesn’t mean it’s a goodie. So we walk in, and the poor guy is playing “Piano Man.” Have people ever actually listened to the lyrics? Do you realize that Billy Joel was singing about having to do exactly what this guy is having to do for a living? And that it’s not a wonderful life? Does no one see the irony??

 

We left and headed to the dance club, where they were playing Michael Jackson. And no one was dancing. Are you kidding me? What’s wrong with you people? So I danced by myself. Russian joined me for a couple of tunes but her sparkly sandals were hurting. So, if you were there and saw this crazy woman out there dancing away, that was me.