First Day Aboard Pride

[lannaxe96]

I'm sailing on the Pride in December and wondered if there is anything we have to do our first day. Eat at one special restaurant. See a special show. What can I not miss the first day, besides the muster drill, ugh lol :p.

[NCTribeFan]

If you aren't part of your Roll Call, you definitely should find that thread and introduce yourself. Others may have arranged an informal Meet & Greet some time around sailaway.

 

You may want to find the All Things Pride thread and do some reading. That should give you a lot of useful info about the ship. Several of us have also linked to review threads in there (one-stop shopping (errr, reading)).

 

If you haven't sailed a Spirit-class ship, you'll want to spend some time wandering around. They layout is very different from Carnival's other ships.

 

My May Pride cruise was my 19th on Carnival, 1st on that ship, but I'd sailed a sister ship twice. Given that I've cruised that many times, there are no "must do" things for me.

 

But what I do is...

 

• drop bags in cabin (I'm Platinum so board as early as possible and I can go straight there)
   
  
• go to the buffet and get my first deli sandwich for lunch (turkey & swiss on roll) and take it back to the Serenity Deck area (adults only) and get a Thirsty Frog draft to wash it down
   
  
• do a spa tour and enter the raffle
   
  
• wander around to re-familiarize myself with the layout
   
  
• unpack
   
  
• muster drill
   
  
• go to spa for raffle to be sure I don't win anything :p
   
  
• if you're into the sail-away thing (I'm not) there's usually some sort of party going on around the main Lido pool area
   
  
• afternoon snack (hot dog and another beer)
   
  
• purchase wine package for the week
   
  
• get ready for late dinner
   
  
• go to a bar and have a pre-dinner glass of wine and people watch (I sail solo often and this is one of my favorite things to do)
   
  
• dinner (I almost always get the tilapia on the first night)
   
  
• welcome aboard show - I don't go to these - I only go to some of the musical shows (motown, british invasion, that type)
   
  
• casino
   
  
• bed
  

 

I sure wish I could squeeze in another cruise either before my 11/1 sailing, or after that but before tax season starts up again. Would happily sail Pride again. Love the Spirit-class ships! Enjoy!!

[rolaur]

Come join our Roll Call! It's been slow but building as we get closer!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1940213

 

I assume you will be with us although your count down clock says you'll be a day ahead of us!!! If so, set up the drinks....LOL!:) There's nothing like NYE on a cruise ship (will be our 3rd)!

 

Also, as of a few hours ago, there were 13 FTTF spots left after they opened 16 yesterday. To us it's well worth the $50 just to be able to get onboard early and drop our stuff in the cabins!

Edited July 22, 2014 by rolaur

[vlynn]

I would also suggest eating at David's Steakhouse the first night. The food is amazing and you get a free bottle of wine. A great way to start a cruise. We love the Pride. You will have an awsome time! :D

[bigdog1958]

By the time you sail, the pride will have made alot of changes. Its going into dry dock the end of Oct. You will have new bars and places to eat such as guys burgers and the shows will be different then they are today.

[MV Wiggle]

Having sailed the Pride twice, I would say there is nothing you absolutely have to do the first day, especially since you will have two more at-sea days Monday and Tuesday to explore everything on the ship. Like vlynn stated, if the steakhouse is something that interests you, going on the first night gets you a complementary bottle of wine. Also, as bigdog1958 stated, the ship will have the Carnival 2.0 upgrades, so make sure to take advantage of those amenities. (I have yet to sail on a Carnival 2.0 ship - so I am jealous!)

 

My one tip would be go to the comedy shows about 30-45 minutes before they start to get a good seat, relax, and enjoy a drink or two. The Butterflies Lounge is a small lounge and it fills up quickly. On my two Pride cruises, all the seats were full about 30 minutes before the first show. After that, it was SRO in the back of the lounge, and if you showed up right when the show started, you were SOL as it was so crowded in the back you could not even get in to see the show.

[fridaythe13th]

I like to explore after I board and eat. Don't just go to the first available food station you come across as there are different stations, Taste of Nations, Asian, Deli, buffet, Pizza, salad bar. Explore... deck 3 forward Sunset Garden promenade (I never would have known it was there). Beauties Dance Club decks 1-2 portside aft. Serenity outdoor area (adults) deck 9 forward. Mini-golf, jog track, basketball deck 11 forward. Kids pool and slide entrance deck 11 aft.

 

There will be changes after drydock so don't hold me to the above... :D

[lannaxe96]

If you aren't part of your Roll Call, you definitely should find that thread and introduce yourself. Others may have arranged an informal Meet & Greet some time around sailaway.

 

You may want to find the All Things Pride thread and do some reading. That should give you a lot of useful info about the ship. Several of us have also linked to review threads in there (one-stop shopping (errr, reading)).

 

If you haven't sailed a Spirit-class ship, you'll want to spend some time wandering around. They layout is very different from Carnival's other ships.

 

My May Pride cruise was my 19th on Carnival, 1st on that ship, but I'd sailed a sister ship twice. Given that I've cruised that many times, there are no "must do" things for me.

 

But what I do is...

 

• drop bags in cabin (I'm Platinum so board as early as possible and I can go straight there)
   
  
• go to the buffet and get my first deli sandwich for lunch (turkey & swiss on roll) and take it back to the Serenity Deck area (adults only) and get a Thirsty Frog draft to wash it down
   
  
• do a spa tour and enter the raffle
   
  
• wander around to re-familiarize myself with the layout
   
  
• unpack
   
  
• muster drill
   
  
• go to spa for raffle to be sure I don't win anything :p
   
  
• if you're into the sail-away thing (I'm not) there's usually some sort of party going on around the main Lido pool area
   
  
• afternoon snack (hot dog and another beer)
   
  
• purchase wine package for the week
   
  
• get ready for late dinner
   
  
• go to a bar and have a pre-dinner glass of wine and people watch (I sail solo often and this is one of my favorite things to do)
   
  
• dinner (I almost always get the tilapia on the first night)
   
  
• welcome aboard show - I don't go to these - I only go to some of the musical shows (motown, british invasion, that type)
   
  
• casino
   
  
• bed
  

 

I sure wish I could squeeze in another cruise either before my 11/1 sailing, or after that but before tax season starts up again. Would happily sail Pride again. Love the Spirit-class ships! Enjoy!!

 

Thanks so much for for your feedback. I just found my roll call. As an educator, that just made me happy :).

Edited July 22, 2014 by lannaxe96
spelling

[lannaxe96]

Come join our Roll Call! It's been slow but building as we get closer!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1940213

 

I assume you will be with us although your count down clock says you'll be a day ahead of us!!! If so, set up the drinks....LOL!:) There's nothing like NYE on a cruise ship (will be our 3rd)!

 

Also, as of a few hours ago, there were 13 FTTF spots left after they opened 16 yesterday. To us it's well worth the $50 just to be able to get onboard early and drop our stuff in the cabins!

 

I have coconut drinks with umbrellas waiting, lol. You know, we had the FTTF on our first cruise in June, but we also had a suite, so we got on earlier than those with FTTF. I also didn't realize there was not a tender in Nassau, my fault being a newbie. We also didn't mind getting off a wee bit later. I'm thinking this trip, even though we have a suite again, the FTTF may come in handy. What do you think?

[lannaxe96]

I would also suggest eating at David's Steakhouse the first night. The food is amazing and you get a free bottle of wine. A great way to start a cruise. We love the Pride. You will have an awsome time! :D

 

I actually just got a reservation there, but for New Years Eve at 7:30. I see people talking about going there the first night. Is it just for the Free Wine though :p? Does everyone head there the first night?

[lannaxe96]

Having sailed the Pride twice, I would say there is nothing you absolutely have to do the first day, especially since you will have two more at-sea days Monday and Tuesday to explore everything on the ship. Like vlynn stated, if the steakhouse is something that interests you, going on the first night gets you a complementary bottle of wine. Also, as bigdog1958 stated, the ship will have the Carnival 2.0 upgrades, so make sure to take advantage of those amenities. (I have yet to sail on a Carnival 2.0 ship - so I am jealous!)

 

My one tip would be go to the comedy shows about 30-45 minutes before they start to get a good seat, relax, and enjoy a drink or two. The Butterflies Lounge is a small lounge and it fills up quickly. On my two Pride cruises, all the seats were full about 30 minutes before the first show. After that, it was SRO in the back of the lounge, and if you showed up right when the show started, you were SOL as it was so crowded in the back you could not even get in to see the show.

 

Perfect, thank you. I missed out on the comedy shows on our first cruise, so I want to make sure I'm there super early to get a seat.

 

I think the Free Wine brings everyone to the steakhouse the first night. Unfortunately, I'm allergic to sulfites, so that kind of counts me out. Stinks :(.

[lannaxe96]

I like to explore after I board and eat. Don't just go to the first available food station you come across as there are different stations, Taste of Nations, Asian, Deli, buffet, Pizza, salad bar. Explore... deck 3 forward Sunset Garden promenade (I never would have known it was there). Beauties Dance Club decks 1-2 portside aft. Serenity outdoor area (adults) deck 9 forward. Mini-golf, jog track, basketball deck 11 forward. Kids pool and slide entrance deck 11 aft.

 

There will be changes after drydock so don't hold me to the above... :D

 

This is too awesome! When they talk about eating the entire trip, this is exactly what this means. There will be too many choices to handle lol.

[rolaur]

I have coconut drinks with umbrellas waiting, lol. You know, we had the FTTF on our first cruise in June, but we also had a suite, so we got on earlier than those with FTTF. I also didn't realize there was not a tender in Nassau, my fault being a newbie. We also didn't mind getting off a wee bit later. I'm thinking this trip, even though we have a suite again, the FTTF may come in handy. What do you think?

 

FTTF was great last year on the Legend (same itinerary). Although you get onboard early with a suite, your cabin will not be ready without FTTF. Besides that, you get priority tendering (we have 2 tender ports), dedicated window at Guest Services (amazing time saver) and priority debarkation which was GREAT. Didn't have to wait hours in the casino to get off the ship.

Edited July 22, 2014 by rolaur

[lannaxe96]

FTTF was great last year on the Legend (same itinerary). Although you get onboard early with a suite, your cabin will not be ready without FTTF. Besides that, you get priority tendering (we have 2 tender ports), dedicated window at Guest Services (amazing time saver) and priority debarkation which was GREAT. Didn't have to wait hours in the casino to get off the ship.

 

That makes more sense. Getting settled in is a must for me, otherwise I'll just stress about it. Thanks, this helps a lot.

[rolaur]

That makes more sense. Getting settled in is a must for me, otherwise I'll just stress about it. Thanks, this helps a lot.

 

Forgot you also get priority luggage delivery (if it works right). We've actually had our luggage waiting for us at our cabin on the Freedom last summer. I like to be settled in and unpacked before the muster drill. Makes it feel like the vacation has really begun.

[lannaxe96]

Forgot you also get priority luggage delivery (if it works right). We've actually had our luggage waiting for us at our cabin on the Freedom last summer. I like to be settled in and unpacked before the muster drill. Makes it feel like the vacation has really begun.

 

I like that too. The one thing that bothered my last time was that a lot of luggage went missing, and my bag happened to be sitting in a sea of bags in the hallway by the elevators. My husband happened to see it, and got nervous, so he took it back to the room. This was about 3 hours after we embarked.

[rolaur]

For the amount of luggage they handle, I'm amazed they don't loose more but once it's on the ship, you should get it eventually. FTTF goes on its own carts.

 

Little packing tip we have done for years. My wife and I split our luggage so that half of my stuff goes in hers and half of hers in mine. And I really mean half so half of shirts, pant etc. That way if 1 bag is lost you both still have a somewhat complete set of clothes.

[lannaxe96]

For the amount of luggage they handle, I'm amazed they don't loose more but once it's on the ship, you should get it eventually. FTTF goes on its own carts.

 

Little packing tip we have done for years. My wife and I split our luggage so that half of my stuff goes in hers and half of hers in mine. And I really mean half so half of shirts, pant etc. That way if 1 bag is lost you both still have a somewhat complete set of clothes.

 

You're a cruising genius! I don't know why I never thought of that. Great tip!

[tandemcruzr]

Serenity outdoor area (adults) deck 9 forward.

 

Serenity is Deck 9 (Lido) aft. :)

[asalligo]

I was on the Pride this year and loved it. The only mistake I made and can suggest to you is the comedy show. I assumed that it would be the same comic all 7 days and it was not, they exchanged in Canaveral and I missed a couple.

 

The Pride is hands down my favorite ship in the fleet.

[fridaythe13th]

Serenity is Deck 9 (Lido) aft. :)

 

Oops... ;)