Pride Itinerary

[highfields]

We really enjoyed an excursion to the Kennedy Space Center while docked there.

Edited September 1, 2016 by highfields

[splintz]

Just a question about the Bahamas itinerary having never sailed Pride. What is the point of stopping in Port Canaveral? That just seems like a waste. What do you do there? I assume you get off the ship in the same terminal that you would go in and out of if doing a cruise from PC.

 

I'd just as soon have an extra sea day.

 

you can take a cab to cocoa beach. it is about 20 minutes each way. they used to have a shuttle or bus that would take you to the beach, but i can't remember if it was an official excursion through the boat or something you just paid for when you got off.

[ItsAllAboutTheSass]

I don't even look at the Bahamas run on this ship. Eastern Carib only

[ShakyBeef]

you can take a cab to cocoa beach. it is about 20 minutes each way. they used to have a shuttle or bus that would take you to the beach, but i can't remember if it was an official excursion through the boat or something you just paid for when you got off.

 

 

When I used it, it wasn't an official excursion - I always just got off the ship, went directly to the shuttle bus of my choice (tip: choose the shuttle company the crew members use - they know which company is the best, and which companies to avoid;)), and paid there. The bus I always used stopped at the Mall (Merritt Square Mall on Merritt Island), WalMart, Cocoa Beach, and the cruise terminal, and just kept doing that loop all day long, making it easy to catch a return bus.

[medianeh]

Eastern it is! We are booked for October 2nd, now just hoping the weather cooperates. Thanks to everyone who made the decision for me!

 

 

We are on this cruise with you!

[Hribal]

We (husband, college age son & myself) are taking a last minute cruise in October. We can't decide between the Bahama or Eastern Caribbean itinerary. We don't want to spend a lot on excursions, this is suppose to be a laid back, relaxing cruise. Any thoughts on which itinerary you prefer? Thanks for your help!

 

I suggest Eastern Caribbean. I am not sure which activities your family likes but if you guys like the beach, the beaches are much nicer there. HMC is absolutely gorgeous. Rent a cabana and have a blast!

 

Freeport is so industrial and not much time to do anything. IMO

[happy cruzin]

As you can see from my signature, we are about to do our 7th cruise on the Pride, 3rd time doing the Eastern itinerary. Eastern is hands-down, no-competition-at-all, the BEST of the two itineraries IMO. HMC is a beautiful private island where you can spend $0 - $2000+ and have a fabulous day, however you choose. Grand Turk is another beautiful island where for little to no money, you can have another lovely beach day.

 

Freeport kinda sucks, IMO, mostly because of the short and early-in-the-day stop there, which doesn't allow for much. Freeport is on both itineraries, so that's a wash.

 

I like Nassau, but Port Canaveral is nothing but a take-the-shuttle-to-the-mall-or-Walmart stop, if I realize that we need/want something that we didn't bring.

 

 

Agreed!! We just did that itinerary in June and I'm trying to figure out how soon we can do it again!! ;)

[swodog94]

Just a question about the Bahamas itinerary having never sailed Pride. What is the point of stopping in Port Canaveral? That just seems like a waste. What do you do there? I assume you get off the ship in the same terminal that you would go in and out of if doing a cruise from PC. I'd just as soon have an extra sea day.

 

Yes, it's mostly an economical decision for Carnival. They burn less fuel in port and by using a terminal they own, they don't pay as many port fees. For the pax, it's a chance to see some Fla sights they might not do otherwise. We opted for the Disney excursion since my wife had never been. We did Epcot, and while we had a blast, it's a full day and we returned to ship completely bushed. I agree it would be better if they opted to go somewhere else like Charleston or Miami (and maybe replace Freeport with HMC), but I don't think it's gonna happen.

[ShakyBeef]

Yes, it's mostly an economical decision for Carnival. They burn less fuel in port and by using a terminal they own, they don't pay as many port fees. For the pax, it's a chance to see some Fla sights they might not do otherwise. We opted for the Disney excursion since my wife had never been. We did Epcot, and while we had a blast, it's a full day and we returned to ship completely bushed. I agree it would be better if they opted to go somewhere else like Charleston or Miami (and maybe replace Freeport with HMC), but I don't think it's gonna happen.

 

Pt. Canaveral is also an opportunity, that Carnival seems to use to full advantage, to "stock up" by loading large amounts of supplies - produce, alcohol, mattresses, and much, much more. Once in Pt. Canaveral, we even saw them loading on the new, huge, outdoor furniture for the Serenity Area when it was under construction.

 

When we do this itinerary, I kinda think of that first "port of call" of Pt. Canaveral like the stop at the grocery / convenience store just before checking into the campground or hotel for a land vacation. It's our chance to grab any "last minute" items that occurred to us on the first part of the trip, before we get to the "real" part of the vacation.:) My DH has even gotten his hair cut at the Merritt Square Mall on two different cruises.:p

[harpat0408]

Group of 6 , we are on this cruise also. We have done the Bahamas side three times on the pride, this will be our first time doing Eastern Caribbean very excited already have our cabana booked for half-moon Cay

 

 

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