My Carnival Pride Review and comparison to RC Aug 14th 2016

[mstv]

Hi!

 

I am a married mother of 3 and my husband and I sailed on The Pride this year with our children (6 year old twins and a 9yr old). This review will give you an idea of our experience and compare it to our last year's cruise on RC's Grandeur of the Seas.

 

Embarking: We got to the port around 10:30 and were checked in and on the boat by 12:30. We did not have FTTF, but we were called to get on the ship about 20 min. after those who had purchased the FTTF, so I am glad we did not buy it.

 

Muster Drill: didn’t take long, but the stupid green bracelets they put on the kids kept falling off my children. I had to go back to Camp Carnival to get new ones. Guest services were out when I went. They fell off at least 3x per kid. RC must have better bracelets because I had no issues last year. lol

 

Rooms: We had rooms 4133 and 4131. We need 2 rooms as a family of five and we can’t afford a suite. I stayed in one room with my twins and my husband stayed with my 9yr old. Both rooms were nice and next door to each other. They are both the French door rooms and 4133 does not have an obstructed view. It was nice to see outside from our rooms. We booked a year ago and wanted to get rooms that were adjoining on the inside, but was told that we needed to get a balcony room for that option. We got side by side rooms, and while that worked out ok, it was better on RC when we got two inside rooms that adjoined. The rooms on the Pride are a lot bigger though. Beds were cozy and the room was neat and had plenty of storage. Bathroom had more storage than RC, and I didn't need an over-the-door hanger. There were hanging hooks on our inside bathroom door as well. Our room steward did a nice job keeping things clean. The Pride had towel animals every night where only some nights they did this on RC.

 

Dining Room Food: Food was ok on the Pride. Some nights I had a hard time picking something from the menu that I wanted to eat. The best meal I had was the Filet Mignon on the second Formal night. My prime rib on the first was overcooked and chewy. My lasagna had like a Taco Bell meat and the cheese was dried and crusty at the top. Steak was ok. Jamaican Pork was good. Desserts were just ok. French Onion soup was good, as were most of the soups. The melting cake dessert was awesome. Overall, we felt the food on RC was better for dinner in the dining room. Dinner dress is more casual than on RC. On the Pride people wear shorts and tee-shirts on casual nights. I like dressing up with the kids a bit though.

 

Lunch Food: Carnival takes the cake here. Chopsticks (Chinese) in the buffet, Guys Burgers, and The Blue Iguana were favs. We also enjoyed the pizza, salad bar, and the deli in the buffet area. Lunch on the Pride was better than food at the Windjammer on RC’s Grandeur.

 

Breakfast: We ate in the dining room and at the buffet and both were good. We paid for the Dr. Seuss breakfast and it was worth the price. (5.00 per person, on the last sea day.) Glad we decided to do this.

 

Food Service: Buffet workers worked quickly and were very nice. Dining room staff for the most part was just ok. We had MTD and never had to wait, but we did get there usually when it opened. Unlike RC (where we also had My Time Dining), we did not get seated in the same place every night. I liked how RC would greet us by name and give us the same table even with MTD. Dining staff were excellent on RC. They would cut my kids’ meat, put their napkins on their laps, and fold napkin animals for them. They just went above and beyond. The Pride dining room staff were not as personal. I asked for pasta with butter for my one child and he brought out the pasta and told me to mix the pasta with the butter on the table. Which is fine, but just something that would have been done for us on RC. We did find Fernando and his crew to be the best with our kids. And Felix and his crew were awesome as well. We started to ask for these waiters after some so/so experiences with others. Service itself was kind of slow. We waited 45 min at the table one night for just our appetizers, and my husband and I ordered coffee with dessert one night and it never came. I ordered a drink from the bar one night when seated and it didn’t come until I was almost done my meal. But, it happens. I enjoyed the performance the dining staff put on every night around 7:10pm. RC only did a performance the night before we disembarked.

 

Guest Services: When there is a line here, it moves very very slowly. If your issue is not pressing, it is better to just go back rather than wait in line. Sometimes they don’t know what they are talking about too. I specifically asked one day when they were doing towel animals by the pool (something they do not do on RC’s GOTS) and was told it would be the last sea day at 3pm. I knew this wasn’t right because the pool would be filled with people at that time! The man went again to check and I was told it was the morning of the last sea day. Wrong. I got up on our last port day and turned on the tv and saw on the pool cam that the animals were there. I woke my kids up quickly and dragged them up there to see them. They stayed out until about 10:30, but getting there early got me some great pics before a lot of people showed up. Glad we didn’t miss it. One women was very kind to me at Guest Service when I had a personal issue with our bill.

 

Pool/Water Play Area: Love that they had life jackets for the kids (RC did not last year). We brought our own, but it was nice not to have to go and drag ours around all the time. Pools were nice. More pools than on RC, which was nice. Entertainment by the main pool was lacking. I was there one sea day until about 1 and nothing was really going on. RC had a band frequently playing and belly flop contests, and hairy chest contests…If the Pride had these, I missed them. My kids did LIVE at the Water play area. My oldest loved the green slide and thankfully it was working this week (it was closed 1 day due to winds). She rode that thing 100x a day probably. My little ones were too little for the green slide, but they enjoyed the yellow and the bucket/waterworks area. The man at the top of the yellow slide was especially friendly. He learned my kids’ names and when it wasn’t crowded he would sing a little, and he was very good! He was more shy when there were a lot of people around. Lol. I rode the green slide and it was very cool. The countdown of the drop was broken, but it make it scarier not knowing when you were going to drop. Floor was hot at times, so move fast when walking and it is sunny. Be careful too because one day the engine was spitting out oil and the wind was blowing it back to the Waterworks area. Some people got oil on their clothing. I did get some as well, but washing it quickly with the Dawn dish detergent I brought from home. It came out. I loved having my kids in this area and sneaking off to the Serenity deck right below to bring back a quick drink from the bar. This was the most relaxing time for me because my kids were having so much fun, they would just run by and wave to me. Lol. If we do RC again, they will certainly miss having the waterworks area.

 

Entertainment: Shows at the Taj were done nicely. The dancers and singers were great. I loved the 80’s show and the Welcome Aboard Show. Hasbro game was cute too. Schwartz, our CD, was a lot of fun and was everywhere. Comedy shows in the Butterfly Lounge were pretty good. Get there early because they fill up fast. Taj shows last about 45 min. and Comedy shows are 30 min. long. We enjoyed the Dr. Seuss parade and the storytelling of The Cat in the Hat. Loved the mini-golf and basketball courts (RC does not have this on the GOTS). Movies at the pool were geared towards older kids and the family movies were finally rolled out closer to the end of the week. (Kung Fu Panda 3, Zootopia, Star Wars…are some of what I remember.)

 

Camp Carnival: My kids utilized both kids programs on Carnival and Royal C. Personally, I found RC to be better. This surprised me because I had heard the opposite. Some nights on the Pride they would just be showing old kid movies that my children have seen a bunch of times. These nights, I just kept them with me. RC had a lot more theme nights, like PJ Party, and a Pirate Parade…etc. RC also had a big slide in the play room and my kids liked that. However, staff on both boats were very kind and worked hard to entertain the kids.

 

Cheers: We bought the drink packages on both ships. It works best for us because my husband doesn’t have to buy it since he is in a separate room. On RC, frozen drinks had rum or whatever liquor poured on top and you could taste the alcohol. The Pride says there alcohol is mixed in already and there were sometimes I wondered if any was really in them. When I ordered virgin drinks they didn’t really taste that much different. The Red Frog bar at the pool made some strong drinks I enjoyed and I liked the martinis at the Butterfly Lounge. Alchemy bar was good too. I enjoyed the Rica Wheat IPA. It sucks about the 15 drink limit on alcohol. I never hit it, but RC doesn’t have a limit. RC also allows you to use their package on their island Coco Cay. Pride doesn’t allow the package to work on Half Moon Cay, which I think is stupid. Lol.

 

Photo Gallery/ Shops: Lots more opportunities to get family photos on board the Pride. I wasn’t crazy about some of the pictures though. They would be cut off in weird places. Like my kids got a pic with The Cat in the Hat and his HAT was completely cut off in all the photos. ???? Luckily they got a pic from me at the breakfast. They will give you Shutterfly gifts as you purchase more photos. I also got a Carnival drink tumbler as a gift. Shops were better on RC. More to choose from.

 

Grand Turk: Getting off the ship is easy. The beach is right there. Don’t have locals show you to seats because they stick umbrellas in between and want you to pay 15.00. When you say no thanks, they give the seats to someone else. I had read this, and when we got there I quickly grabbed two seats myself up front by the water. When the guy with the umbrella came around, I said no, and he seemed annoyed I snagged those chairs. They will barter with you on umbrella prices. He asked me “How much do you want to pay?” when I said no to the 15.00. I didn’t want an umbrella, so he didn’t get any money from me. If you have water shoes, wear them. The beach is tiny rocks and the water is rocky. There is also a lot of seaweed, but it is very blue and beautiful. If you look closely, you can see fish.

 

We did the pool at MargaritaVille too. 2 Margaritas will run you about 22.00. They put the tip automatically on the bill, so expect to pay more than menu price. I didn’t know and almost tipped on top of the automatic gratuity. Keep an eye on your belongings in Grand Turk. I’ve read reviews where people had things taken …I had an eye on our belongings always.

I had read reviews where it took people up to an hour to get back on the boat. My kids would have died waiting in the sun that long, so to be sure, we got off the boat early and got back on an hour before everyone else. Plus, my kids were anxious to get back to the waterworks area on the boat. Lol.

 

Half Moon Cay: We didn’t have FTTF or an Excursion, so we got up early and got to the Lido deck around 8am to get a tender sticker. They start handing them out at 8:15, and we managed to get the 3rd tender out and was on the beach by 9am. We had a lot of the beach to ourselves for a while, so it must have taken others some time to get to the beach. No water shoes necessary here. Smooth sand and blue waters all around. We parked our stuff in chairs by the free kid water slide area on the beach. Kids loved having something like that to play in as well. We brought our own snorkels from 5 Below and they saw some fish when they swam closer to the rocks. The week before we got there, a man was bit by a Barracuda. Probably a fluke accident, but it didn’t stop us from going in the water. We just didn’t go too far. HMC is much nicer than Coco Cay (which is also lovely). Coco Cay didn’t have the water slide area, but they had music performers all around the island. HMC didn’t have any music where we were sitting, which would have been nice.

 

Lunch on HMC was chaotic. People were knocking into each other and my daughter lost her entire plate of food in the commotion and had to go back. The pavilions where we ate were like a maze. I would go to get my kids some more food and would get lost trying to find our pavilion again. They all looked the same. It was a lot easier process on RC Coco Cay. On CC, drinks were poured and people just handed them to you. On HMC, you had to wait in line, fill your ice and hit a machine. Easy, yes, but time consuming. Food was ok on both islands…about the same, but the eating seating area was more practical on Coco Cay.

 

Freeport: We didn’t have an excursion, so we got up early and headed out shopping before breakfast to avoid the sun and extreme heat of the afternoon hours. We bought some trinkets and were back on the boat by 10am. Not much to do without an excursion, but Fat Tuesday and Senior Frogs and some shops. Nice to get off the boat a bit though.

 

Carnival Hub App: Well worth paying 5.00 per phone for the week to utilize texting feature. I also loved having the activities and open times of everything accessable to me. RC needs to get this!

 

Disembarking: We were the last group to disembark. We didn’t get off the ship until 11:45. There were 6 people behind us, but we played ping pong and ate ice cream on the pool deck until we were called. We weren’t in a rush. Easy to find your luggage when everyone else’s is gone! Lol.

 

Things I wish I brought!

Lanyard…RC gave them to all of us last year. I brought I water proof phone case on a necklace and kept my cards in there. Wasn’t going to pay 10.00 for one on the boat.

 

Shout Wipes! My kids are pigs and would stain their clothes during dinner. It would have been nice to have these handy.

 

Bring an extra outlet device…there is only one. My kids like having a night light in the room to use when they go to the bathroom at night. The bathroom light is too bright. Plus, I needed someplace to plug my phone. I was glad I brought one.

 

Don't overpack like I did. I'm now swimming in laundry! Kids spent most days in their bathing suits so I didn't need day clothes.

 

Let me know if you have any questions!

We booked our cruises through ecruises.com. Anyone else have success with another website on deals? I’d love to hear about them!

 

Happy sailing everyone! Enjoy your trips! Hope my review helped!

[Seago2]

Thanks for your great and detailed review! Sounds great! I like the comparisons to RC, too.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[pusywillow]

Thanks for the review. I'll be onboard the Pride Sept 18.

 

I think that the waiters and stewards are spread a little thin on Carnival. That may be why you didn't get the service you thought you should have.

[mstv]

Thanks for the review. I'll be onboard the Pride Sept 18.

 

I think that the waiters and stewards are spread a little thin on Carnival. That may be why you didn't get the service you thought you should have.

 

 

I agree. To be fair, the Pride is a larger ship compared to Grandeur. They were very busy. Enjoy your trip!

 

 

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[Hribal]

Hi!

 

I am a married mother of 3 and my husband and I sailed on The Pride this year with our children (6 year old twins and a 9yr old). This review will give you an idea of our experience and compare it to our last year's cruise on RC's Grandeur of the Seas.

 

Embarking: We got to the port around 10:30 and were checked in and on the boat by 12:30. We did not have FTTF, but we were called to get on the ship about 20 min. after those who had purchased the FTTF, so I am glad we did not buy it.

 

Muster Drill: didn’t take long, but the stupid green bracelets they put on the kids kept falling off my children. I had to go back to Camp Carnival to get new ones. Guest services were out when I went. They fell off at least 3x per kid. RC must have better bracelets because I had no issues last year. lol

 

Rooms: We had rooms 4133 and 4131. We need 2 rooms as a family of five and we can’t afford a suite. I stayed in one room with my twins and my husband stayed with my 9yr old. Both rooms were nice and next door to each other. They are both the French door rooms and 4133 does not have an obstructed view. It was nice to see outside from our rooms. We booked a year ago and wanted to get rooms that were adjoining on the inside, but was told that we needed to get a balcony room for that option. We got side by side rooms, and while that worked out ok, it was better on RC when we got two inside rooms that adjoined. The rooms on the Pride are a lot bigger though. Beds were cozy and the room was neat and had plenty of storage. Bathroom had more storage than RC, and I didn't need an over-the-door hanger. There were hanging hooks on our inside bathroom door as well. Our room steward did a nice job keeping things clean. The Pride had towel animals every night where only some nights they did this on RC.

 

Dining Room Food: Food was ok on the Pride. Some nights I had a hard time picking something from the menu that I wanted to eat. The best meal I had was the Filet Mignon on the second Formal night. My prime rib on the first was overcooked and chewy. My lasagna had like a Taco Bell meat and the cheese was dried and crusty at the top. Steak was ok. Jamaican Pork was good. Desserts were just ok. French Onion soup was good, as were most of the soups. The melting cake dessert was awesome. Overall, we felt the food on RC was better for dinner in the dining room. Dinner dress is more casual than on RC. On the Pride people wear shorts and tee-shirts on casual nights. I like dressing up with the kids a bit though.

 

Lunch Food: Carnival takes the cake here. Chopsticks (Chinese) in the buffet, Guys Burgers, and The Blue Iguana were favs. We also enjoyed the pizza, salad bar, and the deli in the buffet area. Lunch on the Pride was better than food at the Windjammer on RC’s Grandeur.

 

Breakfast: We ate in the dining room and at the buffet and both were good. We paid for the Dr. Seuss breakfast and it was worth the price. (5.00 per person, on the last sea day.) Glad we decided to do this.

 

Food Service: Buffet workers worked quickly and were very nice. Dining room staff for the most part was just ok. We had MTD and never had to wait, but we did get there usually when it opened. Unlike RC (where we also had My Time Dining), we did not get seated in the same place every night. I liked how RC would greet us by name and give us the same table even with MTD. Dining staff were excellent on RC. They would cut my kids’ meat, put their napkins on their laps, and fold napkin animals for them. They just went above and beyond. The Pride dining room staff were not as personal. I asked for pasta with butter for my one child and he brought out the pasta and told me to mix the pasta with the butter on the table. Which is fine, but just something that would have been done for us on RC. We did find Fernando and his crew to be the best with our kids. And Felix and his crew were awesome as well. We started to ask for these waiters after some so/so experiences with others. Service itself was kind of slow. We waited 45 min at the table one night for just our appetizers, and my husband and I ordered coffee with dessert one night and it never came. I ordered a drink from the bar one night when seated and it didn’t come until I was almost done my meal. But, it happens. I enjoyed the performance the dining staff put on every night around 7:10pm. RC only did a performance the night before we disembarked.

 

Guest Services: When there is a line here, it moves very very slowly. If your issue is not pressing, it is better to just go back rather than wait in line. Sometimes they don’t know what they are talking about too. I specifically asked one day when they were doing towel animals by the pool (something they do not do on RC’s GOTS) and was told it would be the last sea day at 3pm. I knew this wasn’t right because the pool would be filled with people at that time! The man went again to check and I was told it was the morning of the last sea day. Wrong. I got up on our last port day and turned on the tv and saw on the pool cam that the animals were there. I woke my kids up quickly and dragged them up there to see them. They stayed out until about 10:30, but getting there early got me some great pics before a lot of people showed up. Glad we didn’t miss it. One women was very kind to me at Guest Service when I had a personal issue with our bill.

 

Pool/Water Play Area: Love that they had life jackets for the kids (RC did not last year). We brought our own, but it was nice not to have to go and drag ours around all the time. Pools were nice. More pools than on RC, which was nice. Entertainment by the main pool was lacking. I was there one sea day until about 1 and nothing was really going on. RC had a band frequently playing and belly flop contests, and hairy chest contests…If the Pride had these, I missed them. My kids did LIVE at the Water play area. My oldest loved the green slide and thankfully it was working this week (it was closed 1 day due to winds). She rode that thing 100x a day probably. My little ones were too little for the green slide, but they enjoyed the yellow and the bucket/waterworks area. The man at the top of the yellow slide was especially friendly. He learned my kids’ names and when it wasn’t crowded he would sing a little, and he was very good! He was more shy when there were a lot of people around. Lol. I rode the green slide and it was very cool. The countdown of the drop was broken, but it make it scarier not knowing when you were going to drop. Floor was hot at times, so move fast when walking and it is sunny. Be careful too because one day the engine was spitting out oil and the wind was blowing it back to the Waterworks area. Some people got oil on their clothing. I did get some as well, but washing it quickly with the Dawn dish detergent I brought from home. It came out. I loved having my kids in this area and sneaking off to the Serenity deck right below to bring back a quick drink from the bar. This was the most relaxing time for me because my kids were having so much fun, they would just run by and wave to me. Lol. If we do RC again, they will certainly miss having the waterworks area.

 

Entertainment: Shows at the Taj were done nicely. The dancers and singers were great. I loved the 80’s show and the Welcome Aboard Show. Hasbro game was cute too. Schwartz, our CD, was a lot of fun and was everywhere. Comedy shows in the Butterfly Lounge were pretty good. Get there early because they fill up fast. Taj shows last about 45 min. and Comedy shows are 30 min. long. We enjoyed the Dr. Seuss parade and the storytelling of The Cat in the Hat. Loved the mini-golf and basketball courts (RC does not have this on the GOTS). Movies at the pool were geared towards older kids and the family movies were finally rolled out closer to the end of the week. (Kung Fu Panda 3, Zootopia, Star Wars…are some of what I remember.)

 

Camp Carnival: My kids utilized both kids programs on Carnival and Royal C. Personally, I found RC to be better. This surprised me because I had heard the opposite. Some nights on the Pride they would just be showing old kid movies that my children have seen a bunch of times. These nights, I just kept them with me. RC had a lot more theme nights, like PJ Party, and a Pirate Parade…etc. RC also had a big slide in the play room and my kids liked that. However, staff on both boats were very kind and worked hard to entertain the kids.

 

Cheers: We bought the drink packages on both ships. It works best for us because my husband doesn’t have to buy it since he is in a separate room. On RC, frozen drinks had rum or whatever liquor poured on top and you could taste the alcohol. The Pride says there alcohol is mixed in already and there were sometimes I wondered if any was really in them. When I ordered virgin drinks they didn’t really taste that much different. The Red Frog bar at the pool made some strong drinks I enjoyed and I liked the martinis at the Butterfly Lounge. Alchemy bar was good too. I enjoyed the Rica Wheat IPA. It sucks about the 15 drink limit on alcohol. I never hit it, but RC doesn’t have a limit. RC also allows you to use their package on their island Coco Cay. Pride doesn’t allow the package to work on Half Moon Cay, which I think is stupid. Lol.

 

Photo Gallery/ Shops: Lots more opportunities to get family photos on board the Pride. I wasn’t crazy about some of the pictures though. They would be cut off in weird places. Like my kids got a pic with The Cat in the Hat and his HAT was completely cut off in all the photos. ???? Luckily they got a pic from me at the breakfast. They will give you Shutterfly gifts as you purchase more photos. I also got a Carnival drink tumbler as a gift. Shops were better on RC. More to choose from.

 

Grand Turk: Getting off the ship is easy. The beach is right there. Don’t have locals show you to seats because they stick umbrellas in between and want you to pay 15.00. When you say no thanks, they give the seats to someone else. I had read this, and when we got there I quickly grabbed two seats myself up front by the water. When the guy with the umbrella came around, I said no, and he seemed annoyed I snagged those chairs. They will barter with you on umbrella prices. He asked me “How much do you want to pay?” when I said no to the 15.00. I didn’t want an umbrella, so he didn’t get any money from me. If you have water shoes, wear them. The beach is tiny rocks and the water is rocky. There is also a lot of seaweed, but it is very blue and beautiful. If you look closely, you can see fish.

 

We did the pool at MargaritaVille too. 2 Margaritas will run you about 22.00. They put the tip automatically on the bill, so expect to pay more than menu price. I didn’t know and almost tipped on top of the automatic gratuity. Keep an eye on your belongings in Grand Turk. I’ve read reviews where people had things taken …I had an eye on our belongings always.

I had read reviews where it took people up to an hour to get back on the boat. My kids would have died waiting in the sun that long, so to be sure, we got off the boat early and got back on an hour before everyone else. Plus, my kids were anxious to get back to the waterworks area on the boat. Lol.

 

Half Moon Cay: We didn’t have FTTF or an Excursion, so we got up early and got to the Lido deck around 8am to get a tender sticker. They start handing them out at 8:15, and we managed to get the 3rd tender out and was on the beach by 9am. We had a lot of the beach to ourselves for a while, so it must have taken others some time to get to the beach. No water shoes necessary here. Smooth sand and blue waters all around. We parked our stuff in chairs by the free kid water slide area on the beach. Kids loved having something like that to play in as well. We brought our own snorkels from 5 Below and they saw some fish when they swam closer to the rocks. The week before we got there, a man was bit by a Barracuda. Probably a fluke accident, but it didn’t stop us from going in the water. We just didn’t go too far. HMC is much nicer than Coco Cay (which is also lovely). Coco Cay didn’t have the water slide area, but they had music performers all around the island. HMC didn’t have any music where we were sitting, which would have been nice.

 

Lunch on HMC was chaotic. People were knocking into each other and my daughter lost her entire plate of food in the commotion and had to go back. The pavilions where we ate were like a maze. I would go to get my kids some more food and would get lost trying to find our pavilion again. They all looked the same. It was a lot easier process on RC Coco Cay. On CC, drinks were poured and people just handed them to you. On HMC, you had to wait in line, fill your ice and hit a machine. Easy, yes, but time consuming. Food was ok on both islands…about the same, but the eating seating area was more practical on Coco Cay.

 

Freeport: We didn’t have an excursion, so we got up early and headed out shopping before breakfast to avoid the sun and extreme heat of the afternoon hours. We bought some trinkets and were back on the boat by 10am. Not much to do without an excursion, but Fat Tuesday and Senior Frogs and some shops. Nice to get off the boat a bit though.

 

Carnival Hub App: Well worth paying 5.00 per phone for the week to utilize texting feature. I also loved having the activities and open times of everything accessable to me. RC needs to get this!

 

Disembarking: We were the last group to disembark. We didn’t get off the ship until 11:45. There were 6 people behind us, but we played ping pong and ate ice cream on the pool deck until we were called. We weren’t in a rush. Easy to find your luggage when everyone else’s is gone! Lol.

 

Things I wish I brought!

Lanyard…RC gave them to all of us last year. I brought I water proof phone case on a necklace and kept my cards in there. Wasn’t going to pay 10.00 for one on the boat.

 

Shout Wipes! My kids are pigs and would stain their clothes during dinner. It would have been nice to have these handy.

 

Bring an extra outlet device…there is only one. My kids like having a night light in the room to use when they go to the bathroom at night. The bathroom light is too bright. Plus, I needed someplace to plug my phone. I was glad I brought one.

 

Don't overpack like I did. I'm now swimming in laundry! Kids spent most days in their bathing suits so I didn't need day clothes.

 

Let me know if you have any questions!

We booked our cruises through ecruises.com. Anyone else have success with another website on deals? I’d love to hear about them!

 

Happy sailing everyone! Enjoy your trips! Hope my review helped!

 

Thank you for the review. Very good! I wanted to tell you that my family just got in the water at HMC when he gentlemen was bitten. The lifeguards were on point and go everyone out of the water and fast!!! Loved HMC and want to go back again and again again!

[retiredgram]

Thanks for your review. We go on both ships every year and have to agree with most of your review.

You can go to the casino and get a lanyard free. At least we have always been able to each past year. Cards already have hole punched and it is easy to attach to card..

Wanted to add, lanyard from casino is a stretchee (sp) cord, but works, especially for kids.

Edited August 24, 2016 by retiredgram

[skywalkr2]

one comment on your review of the main dining room. You were seated in a different place each night because you were on anytime dining. The service & food with anytime dining does suffer when you select that flexibility IMO. if you had a set dining time you would have had a much high quality experience.

[Clarea]

Enjoyed the report, thanks.

[cruisehappi]

We had been on several Carnival cruises before we tried Royal Caribbean. We assumed that Carnival's Your Time Dining and RC's My Time Dining were the same thing, but the Maitre D' explained the difference to us. With Carnival's version, you are meant to walk up whenever you feel like it each night. You can be seated alone or with others, and you may have to wait for a table. With RC's version, you are meant to choose the time you would like to be seated every night, as well as the table size. They will then reserve that table for you for the entire cruise. In this way, you are served by the same waiters every night. They are two totally different concepts. I prefer Carnival's version myself, but of course everyone is different.

[mstv]

We had been on several Carnival cruises before we tried Royal Caribbean. We assumed that Carnival's Your Time Dining and RC's My Time Dining were the same thing, but the Maitre D' explained the difference to us. With Carnival's version, you are meant to walk up whenever you feel like it each night. You can be seated alone or with others, and you may have to wait for a table. With RC's version, you are meant to choose the time you would like to be seated every night, as well as the table size. They will then reserve that table for you for the entire cruise. In this way, you are served by the same waiters every night. They are two totally different concepts. I prefer Carnival's version myself, but of course everyone is different.

 

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/experiencetypes/product.do?pagename=onboard_prod_my_time_dining

 

On the RC website, it states that you can choose a different dining time every day based on your daily excursions or port activities...etc. It says just make a daily reservation. We did a reservation call the first couple days, and afterwards we were told it wasn't necessary to do by the Maitre'D. But we usually showed up around the same time nightly...give or take a 1/2hr or so.

 

 

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[mstv]

Thanks for your review. We go on both ships every year and have to agree with most of your review.

 

You can go to the casino and get a lanyard free. At least we have always been able to each past year. Cards already have hole punched and it is easy to attach to card..

 

Wanted to add, lanyard from casino is a stretchee (sp) cord, but works, especially for kids.

 

 

 

Thanks! I had read that, but I also read they stopped doing this. I should have asked anyway. Next time I will! [emoji4]

 

 

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[flyersfan1129]

Thanks for the review! We are taking our first Carnival cruise on the Pride after five DCL cruises, so I,liked seeing the comparisons to another line.

[riclop]

Hi!

 

I am a married mother of 3 and my husband and I sailed on The Pride this year with our children (6 year old twins and a 9yr old). This review will give you an idea of our experience and compare it to our last year's cruise on RC's Grandeur of the Seas.

 

Embarking: We got to the port around 10:30 and were checked in and on the boat by 12:30. We did not have FTTF, but we were called to get on the ship about 20 min. after those who had purchased the FTTF, so I am glad we did not buy it.

 

Muster Drill: didn’t take long, but the stupid green bracelets they put on the kids kept falling off my children. I had to go back to Camp Carnival to get new ones. Guest services were out when I went. They fell off at least 3x per kid. RC must have better bracelets because I had no issues last year. lol

 

Rooms: We had rooms 4133 and 4131. We need 2 rooms as a family of five and we can’t afford a suite. I stayed in one room with my twins and my husband stayed with my 9yr old. Both rooms were nice and next door to each other. They are both the French door rooms and 4133 does not have an obstructed view. It was nice to see outside from our rooms. We booked a year ago and wanted to get rooms that were adjoining on the inside, but was told that we needed to get a balcony room for that option. We got side by side rooms, and while that worked out ok, it was better on RC when we got two inside rooms that adjoined. The rooms on the Pride are a lot bigger though. Beds were cozy and the room was neat and had plenty of storage. Bathroom had more storage than RC, and I didn't need an over-the-door hanger. There were hanging hooks on our inside bathroom door as well. Our room steward did a nice job keeping things clean. The Pride had towel animals every night where only some nights they did this on RC.

 

Dining Room Food: Food was ok on the Pride. Some nights I had a hard time picking something from the menu that I wanted to eat. The best meal I had was the Filet Mignon on the second Formal night. My prime rib on the first was overcooked and chewy. My lasagna had like a Taco Bell meat and the cheese was dried and crusty at the top. Steak was ok. Jamaican Pork was good. Desserts were just ok. French Onion soup was good, as were most of the soups. The melting cake dessert was awesome. Overall, we felt the food on RC was better for dinner in the dining room. Dinner dress is more casual than on RC. On the Pride people wear shorts and tee-shirts on casual nights. I like dressing up with the kids a bit though.

 

Lunch Food: Carnival takes the cake here. Chopsticks (Chinese) in the buffet, Guys Burgers, and The Blue Iguana were favs. We also enjoyed the pizza, salad bar, and the deli in the buffet area. Lunch on the Pride was better than food at the Windjammer on RC’s Grandeur.

 

Breakfast: We ate in the dining room and at the buffet and both were good. We paid for the Dr. Seuss breakfast and it was worth the price. (5.00 per person, on the last sea day.) Glad we decided to do this.

 

Food Service: Buffet workers worked quickly and were very nice. Dining room staff for the most part was just ok. We had MTD and never had to wait, but we did get there usually when it opened. Unlike RC (where we also had My Time Dining), we did not get seated in the same place every night. I liked how RC would greet us by name and give us the same table even with MTD. Dining staff were excellent on RC. They would cut my kids’ meat, put their napkins on their laps, and fold napkin animals for them. They just went above and beyond. The Pride dining room staff were not as personal. I asked for pasta with butter for my one child and he brought out the pasta and told me to mix the pasta with the butter on the table. Which is fine, but just something that would have been done for us on RC. We did find Fernando and his crew to be the best with our kids. And Felix and his crew were awesome as well. We started to ask for these waiters after some so/so experiences with others. Service itself was kind of slow. We waited 45 min at the table one night for just our appetizers, and my husband and I ordered coffee with dessert one night and it never came. I ordered a drink from the bar one night when seated and it didn’t come until I was almost done my meal. But, it happens. I enjoyed the performance the dining staff put on every night around 7:10pm. RC only did a performance the night before we disembarked.

 

Guest Services: When there is a line here, it moves very very slowly. If your issue is not pressing, it is better to just go back rather than wait in line. Sometimes they don’t know what they are talking about too. I specifically asked one day when they were doing towel animals by the pool (something they do not do on RC’s GOTS) and was told it would be the last sea day at 3pm. I knew this wasn’t right because the pool would be filled with people at that time! The man went again to check and I was told it was the morning of the last sea day. Wrong. I got up on our last port day and turned on the tv and saw on the pool cam that the animals were there. I woke my kids up quickly and dragged them up there to see them. They stayed out until about 10:30, but getting there early got me some great pics before a lot of people showed up. Glad we didn’t miss it. One women was very kind to me at Guest Service when I had a personal issue with our bill.

 

Pool/Water Play Area: Love that they had life jackets for the kids (RC did not last year). We brought our own, but it was nice not to have to go and drag ours around all the time. Pools were nice. More pools than on RC, which was nice. Entertainment by the main pool was lacking. I was there one sea day until about 1 and nothing was really going on. RC had a band frequently playing and belly flop contests, and hairy chest contests…If the Pride had these, I missed them. My kids did LIVE at the Water play area. My oldest loved the green slide and thankfully it was working this week (it was closed 1 day due to winds). She rode that thing 100x a day probably. My little ones were too little for the green slide, but they enjoyed the yellow and the bucket/waterworks area. The man at the top of the yellow slide was especially friendly. He learned my kids’ names and when it wasn’t crowded he would sing a little, and he was very good! He was more shy when there were a lot of people around. Lol. I rode the green slide and it was very cool. The countdown of the drop was broken, but it make it scarier not knowing when you were going to drop. Floor was hot at times, so move fast when walking and it is sunny. Be careful too because one day the engine was spitting out oil and the wind was blowing it back to the Waterworks area. Some people got oil on their clothing. I did get some as well, but washing it quickly with the Dawn dish detergent I brought from home. It came out. I loved having my kids in this area and sneaking off to the Serenity deck right below to bring back a quick drink from the bar. This was the most relaxing time for me because my kids were having so much fun, they would just run by and wave to me. Lol. If we do RC again, they will certainly miss having the waterworks area.

 

Entertainment: Shows at the Taj were done nicely. The dancers and singers were great. I loved the 80’s show and the Welcome Aboard Show. Hasbro game was cute too. Schwartz, our CD, was a lot of fun and was everywhere. Comedy shows in the Butterfly Lounge were pretty good. Get there early because they fill up fast. Taj shows last about 45 min. and Comedy shows are 30 min. long. We enjoyed the Dr. Seuss parade and the storytelling of The Cat in the Hat. Loved the mini-golf and basketball courts (RC does not have this on the GOTS). Movies at the pool were geared towards older kids and the family movies were finally rolled out closer to the end of the week. (Kung Fu Panda 3, Zootopia, Star Wars…are some of what I remember.)

 

Camp Carnival: My kids utilized both kids programs on Carnival and Royal C. Personally, I found RC to be better. This surprised me because I had heard the opposite. Some nights on the Pride they would just be showing old kid movies that my children have seen a bunch of times. These nights, I just kept them with me. RC had a lot more theme nights, like PJ Party, and a Pirate Parade…etc. RC also had a big slide in the play room and my kids liked that. However, staff on both boats were very kind and worked hard to entertain the kids.

 

Cheers: We bought the drink packages on both ships. It works best for us because my husband doesn’t have to buy it since he is in a separate room. On RC, frozen drinks had rum or whatever liquor poured on top and you could taste the alcohol. The Pride says there alcohol is mixed in already and there were sometimes I wondered if any was really in them. When I ordered virgin drinks they didn’t really taste that much different. The Red Frog bar at the pool made some strong drinks I enjoyed and I liked the martinis at the Butterfly Lounge. Alchemy bar was good too. I enjoyed the Rica Wheat IPA. It sucks about the 15 drink limit on alcohol. I never hit it, but RC doesn’t have a limit. RC also allows you to use their package on their island Coco Cay. Pride doesn’t allow the package to work on Half Moon Cay, which I think is stupid. Lol.

 

Photo Gallery/ Shops: Lots more opportunities to get family photos on board the Pride. I wasn’t crazy about some of the pictures though. They would be cut off in weird places. Like my kids got a pic with The Cat in the Hat and his HAT was completely cut off in all the photos. ???? Luckily they got a pic from me at the breakfast. They will give you Shutterfly gifts as you purchase more photos. I also got a Carnival drink tumbler as a gift. Shops were better on RC. More to choose from.

 

Grand Turk: Getting off the ship is easy. The beach is right there. Don’t have locals show you to seats because they stick umbrellas in between and want you to pay 15.00. When you say no thanks, they give the seats to someone else. I had read this, and when we got there I quickly grabbed two seats myself up front by the water. When the guy with the umbrella came around, I said no, and he seemed annoyed I snagged those chairs. They will barter with you on umbrella prices. He asked me “How much do you want to pay?” when I said no to the 15.00. I didn’t want an umbrella, so he didn’t get any money from me. If you have water shoes, wear them. The beach is tiny rocks and the water is rocky. There is also a lot of seaweed, but it is very blue and beautiful. If you look closely, you can see fish.

 

We did the pool at MargaritaVille too. 2 Margaritas will run you about 22.00. They put the tip automatically on the bill, so expect to pay more than menu price. I didn’t know and almost tipped on top of the automatic gratuity. Keep an eye on your belongings in Grand Turk. I’ve read reviews where people had things taken …I had an eye on our belongings always.

I had read reviews where it took people up to an hour to get back on the boat. My kids would have died waiting in the sun that long, so to be sure, we got off the boat early and got back on an hour before everyone else. Plus, my kids were anxious to get back to the waterworks area on the boat. Lol.

 

Half Moon Cay: We didn’t have FTTF or an Excursion, so we got up early and got to the Lido deck around 8am to get a tender sticker. They start handing them out at 8:15, and we managed to get the 3rd tender out and was on the beach by 9am. We had a lot of the beach to ourselves for a while, so it must have taken others some time to get to the beach. No water shoes necessary here. Smooth sand and blue waters all around. We parked our stuff in chairs by the free kid water slide area on the beach. Kids loved having something like that to play in as well. We brought our own snorkels from 5 Below and they saw some fish when they swam closer to the rocks. The week before we got there, a man was bit by a Barracuda. Probably a fluke accident, but it didn’t stop us from going in the water. We just didn’t go too far. HMC is much nicer than Coco Cay (which is also lovely). Coco Cay didn’t have the water slide area, but they had music performers all around the island. HMC didn’t have any music where we were sitting, which would have been nice.

 

Lunch on HMC was chaotic. People were knocking into each other and my daughter lost her entire plate of food in the commotion and had to go back. The pavilions where we ate were like a maze. I would go to get my kids some more food and would get lost trying to find our pavilion again. They all looked the same. It was a lot easier process on RC Coco Cay. On CC, drinks were poured and people just handed them to you. On HMC, you had to wait in line, fill your ice and hit a machine. Easy, yes, but time consuming. Food was ok on both islands…about the same, but the eating seating area was more practical on Coco Cay.

 

Freeport: We didn’t have an excursion, so we got up early and headed out shopping before breakfast to avoid the sun and extreme heat of the afternoon hours. We bought some trinkets and were back on the boat by 10am. Not much to do without an excursion, but Fat Tuesday and Senior Frogs and some shops. Nice to get off the boat a bit though.

 

Carnival Hub App: Well worth paying 5.00 per phone for the week to utilize texting feature. I also loved having the activities and open times of everything accessable to me. RC needs to get this!

 

Disembarking: We were the last group to disembark. We didn’t get off the ship until 11:45. There were 6 people behind us, but we played ping pong and ate ice cream on the pool deck until we were called. We weren’t in a rush. Easy to find your luggage when everyone else’s is gone! Lol.

 

Things I wish I brought!

Lanyard…RC gave them to all of us last year. I brought I water proof phone case on a necklace and kept my cards in there. Wasn’t going to pay 10.00 for one on the boat.

 

Shout Wipes! My kids are pigs and would stain their clothes during dinner. It would have been nice to have these handy.

 

Bring an extra outlet device…there is only one. My kids like having a night light in the room to use when they go to the bathroom at night. The bathroom light is too bright. Plus, I needed someplace to plug my phone. I was glad I brought one.

 

Don't overpack like I did. I'm now swimming in laundry! Kids spent most days in their bathing suits so I didn't need day clothes.

 

Let me know if you have any questions!

We booked our cruises through ecruises.com. Anyone else have success with another website on deals? I’d love to hear about them!

 

Happy sailing everyone! Enjoy your trips! Hope my review helped!

Thanks for the review and you confirm my thought that FTTF is a waste of $$$.

[sjn911]

Really enjoyed your review....you have it all down with your kids...keep cruising!!

[easyboy]

Thanks for the review.

[sparks1093]

Thanks for the review and comparison, we are hoping to book a Royal cruise soon.

[MPH711]

Thanks for the review and you confirm my thought that FTTF is a waste of $$$.

 

 

 

If you think it is a waste because she got on 20 minutes later than the people who had FTTF you must remember she couldn't go to her room and drop all of her luggage. This is where it is worth the investment if you are a person who is getting on right when they start boarding.

[mstv]

If you think it is a waste because she got on 20 minutes later than the people who had FTTF you must remember she couldn't go to her room and drop all of her luggage. This is where it is worth the investment if you are a person who is getting on right when they start boarding.

 

 

Actually, we were allowed right to our room to drop off our luggage. The room wasn't made up yet, but we were allowed to put our carry-ons in the room and lock our things (passports and stuff) up in our room safe. This was the first thing we did. I'm not sure if we just got lucky or what being that this was our first cruise with Carnival. For all I know, it could be a completely different experience next time. But this time, it wouldn't have been worth it.

 

 

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[JaniceB]

Thank you for the detailed review and comparison.

[blondietink]

Thank you for your review. However, I have been to Grand Turk twice now with a 3rd time coming up in November. I don't ever recall somebody trying to rent me an umbrella. Is this something new? I also don't recall the beach and water being rocky, either and never saw any seaweed. Did we just hit it right?

[Hribal]

Thank you for your review. However, I have been to Grand Turk twice now with a 3rd time coming up in November. I don't ever recall somebody trying to rent me an umbrella. Is this something new? I also don't recall the beach and water being rocky, either and never saw any seaweed. Did we just hit it right?

 

Maybe it depends on which beach you go to? We had a beach day on an excursion and thank goodness I read the reviews to bring our beach shoes. LOTS of coral/rocks and sea urchins! Oh and seaweed, too. HMC has NOTHING of the sort. Have fun!

[mstv]

Thank you for your review. However, I have been to Grand Turk twice now with a 3rd time coming up in November. I don't ever recall somebody trying to rent me an umbrella. Is this something new? I also don't recall the beach and water being rocky, either and never saw any seaweed. Did we just hit it right?

 

 

Wow! Maybe the umbrella renting thing happens only in Summer? Maybe recent storms caused the rocks and seaweed? No clue! This was my first time in Grand Turk. We settled down right by where the boat was docked. Perhaps moving further down the beach would have been better? I just grabbed what was in front of me because I didn't want to drag my little ones on a long walk in the heat...my goal was to hear minimal whining from them. Plus I wanted to be in an area near the bathrooms for them. I've heard the beach is nice and secluded down further, and you can print a coupon for free rum sample at Jacks Shack in that direction... But I also heard they do the horse riding down ways on the beach and there is a greater chance to run into horse droppings in the water in that area... (Not that it can't migrate with the tide... But still. Lol)

 

 

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[kelly11]

Thank you for your review!

 

Even though our kids are teenagers, Im going to the Dr Seuss brunch with or without them lol. We were on the NCL Breakaway a short time ago and I have to say that the rooms on the Spirit class ships are bigger than those as well, and the hallways are much wider, the Breakaway had the narrowest hallways Ive ever seen.

[mstv]

Thank you for your review!

 

 

 

Even though our kids are teenagers, Im going to the Dr Seuss brunch with or without them lol. We were on the NCL Breakaway a short time ago and I have to say that the rooms on the Spirit class ships are bigger than those as well, and the hallways are much wider, the Breakaway had the narrowest hallways Ive ever seen.

 

 

You are never too old for the Dr. Seuss brunch! Lol! Enjoy your trip!

 

 

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[DisneyDatknee]

Thank you for the review. I agree about the lunch options on Carnival. Way way way better!! The buffet on the Radiance lacked options [emoji35] I loved all the stations the Breeze had.

 

 

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