Review 10/9/16 Pride, St. John, Halifax

[waterwatcher]

This was our third cruise aboard the Carnival Pride out of Baltimore, due to its close location and our fear of flying. Before going on first cruise I read as much as I could on Cruise Critic which was extremely helpful. I have listed brief description of our first 2 cruises and a review of this current one. I hope you find this helpful. All were booked Early Saver. Price drops on first cruise but none on second or third.

 

1. Mother’s Day 2010 – Balcony Room – This was our first trip. We chose a balcony room but seldom used the balcony. Very cute door decoration which was stolen the first night. We chose early dining on this cruise. As advised on Cruise Critic, we went to the Maître D’ to request a table for 2. He advised we wouldn’t have one the first night but he would see to it that we did have one starting night two. We were happy with this. Dinner the first night we were put at a booth with another couple. They were nice enough but we had nothing in common. They were a preacher and his wife, a little older than us. We didn’t tell them we had requested a table for 2 after this although we should have. Rather than feeling like we hurt their feelings if they spot us at a table for 2, we ate all dinners from the buffet after that. That was the biggest mistake we made and dinners were just not enjoyable. The ports for this cruise were Cape Canaveral, Nassau and Freeport. Highlights: Won $100 at the casino. Enjoyed the Piano Bar sing-a-long.

 

2. September 11, 2011 – Junior Suite – On this trip we took two 13 year olds, our grandson and a great nephew, so we booked a Junior Suite. Room had bunk beds which was great for the boys. This trip we had Your Time Dining which was great. We could go when ready and will choose this from now on. Although they were old enough to navigate the ship themselves and play games in the teen game room, we worried about them he entire time they weren’t with us. This left us not enjoying the trip as much as we should have. Ports this time were Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Nassau. These ports were much better than the first cruise and we enjoyed these ports very much. Having read on Cruise Critic about renting a Golf Cart at Grand Turk and exploring the island, we thought that would be great fun. Cost $80 and the guy gave us a golf cart that the engine kept stalling out. He said keep giving it gas and you will be OK. Well, we only went a short distance and decided we could not rely on this cart and didn’t want to get stranded, so we turned around and returned the cart. Highlights: The teens enjoyed the teen game room. They enjoyed the water in Grand Turk, snorkeled in Half Moon Cay and went to Pirate Land in Nassau. They really enjoyed themselves and I am glad we took them. Enjoyed the dining room this time. We always asked for the same booth as the waiters were awesome.

 

3. October 9, 2016 – Booked 4K Room, Inside with French Doors – I didn’t expect any price drops because we got such a low rate when we booked 15 months out. One week prior to the cruise we got an upsell call. $210 total and we went to an obstructed balcony on Deck 5. This trip was for our 30th Anniversary and we cruised alone. Ports were supposed to be Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Freeport. However, due to Hurricane Matthew wreaking havoc on the Bahamas, we were rerouted to St. John, New Brunswick and Halifax, Nova Scotia. We were given the choice to cancel and receive full refund or go and receive $100 OBC each and 25% off our next cruise. Since we have never been, we were glad to go. 700 cancelled.

 

BOARDING: We chose 12:30 – 1:00 boarding time. We arrived at 12:45 and were inside our room at 1:45. After being checked in we didn’t have to sit in the waiting area but were led straight onto the ship. This could have been because of all the cancellations. When we came back to the room after lunch at 3:30, our bags were there. You do not have to stand in line at Guest Services to put money on your account or check on your balance. There is a Kiosk on Deck 3 and outside the Casino on Deck 2. Muster seemed to have more info than I remember previously…more stuff about the children.

 

ROOM: Contrary to what I read on here, our room did have the Carnival note pad and pen. We were met by Hari, our room steward, who handed us “the card”. Check morning service, evening service or Both. We told him once a day was fine and whichever time worked best for him. He said no, please check Both, that it was better for him. So that’s what we did and we received service in the morning and evening with turn down service and towel animal each night. No chocolate. Card also asked if we had any special requests or needs. We just said ice. The view was nice, the life boat came almost up to the top of the balcony but it didn’t obstruct the view looking out. However, it was a very small balcony IMO.

 

FOOD: First thing to remember is This is Our Opinion!

 

LIDO: The first thing I noticed was though there are no trays, but the plates are platter size. Had all the buffet lines including Asian, Mexican, Sandwiches, Pizza, Salad. DH liked a lot of the food but I ate pizza and salad most days. I didn’t try Guys Burgers but DH didn’t like them, he said it wasn’t cooked all the way and the fries had too much seasoning. Also, the Deli was stingy on the lunch meat. Saturday was the Chocolate Extravaganza. Now, in 2011 If I remember correctly, it was a late night event with lots of items, an ice sculpture, etc. This time it was just a line at the Lido with fruit on long skewers that you gave to the server and he dipped them in the chocolate fountain and placed them back on your plate.

 

SEA DAY BRUNCH: This was great! I loved the blueberry pancakes and pineapple juice. If you get fresh cooked eggs (over easy, omelet) they were good. Scrambled were the same as on Lido. I think they use powdered eggs as we didn’t like them. Pork sausages were boiled instead of fried. But there is a very nice menu so most will like the brunch.

 

DINNER: We chose Your Time Dining on this cruise and always requested Fernando and Basil as this was where we were seated on day 1. They were so much fun and our table for 2 was always by a window. Water and rolls were always on the table. Tablecloths only on Elegant Nights but that did not bother us. It also did not bother us that some people came dressed for a back yard BBQ. Just surprised that they were allowed in. DH liked the American Table Menu. I did not care for it, again subjective. 3 of the 4 nights I ordered the flat iron steak which, by the way, was always cooked perfectly. They did have a lot of seafood dishes. In 2011 the first Elegant Night was steak and a small lobster tail. Now it was no steak but a larger lobster tail. We also followed a tip from Cruise Critic and one night ordered the banana split from the children’s menu. It was really good and just the right size. One dip of Neapolitan ice cream, half a banana, chocolate syrup.

 

CASINO: I won $100 in slots but played it back and more. DH was able to grab a pack of $100 ones from the claw machine. He said you have to pick up one that is perfectly flat. They stacked them during the night and he got one off the top first thing in the morning. Again, all money won was put back to slots. We had the most fun on the quarter push machines. We played back all the quarters we won but were able to get some tokens. Tokens won were One Free Drink, Free Casino Hat, Free Casino Tee Shirt, and Mystery Gift. Our mystery gift was a bottle of bubbly! Now we did see a lady win $225 on a penny slots and another won $2000 on a dollar slot machine!

 

SHOWS/COMEDY CLUB: We only went to part of one show and it was OK. There were lots of comedy club shows each night. Usually 2 or 3 PG and then 2 or 3 R-18. We never stayed up late enough to catch the R rated shows but the PG ones we saw were funny. There was also a couple nights of Karaoke in the Butterflies Lounge. We enjoyed this but when the same people went up for the third time, we left.

 

DIVE IN MOVIES: I was really excited about the dive in movies as that feature wasn’t available when we cruised in 2011. However, there were too many lights on in Lido and it was noisy; people walking about and with the ship moving, the water in the pool made noise. We didn’t stay to finish watching. Very disappointing. I was looking forward to seeing The Martian but it started at 6:30 while people were still having dinner on Lido and we were still in the MDR.

 

PORTS:

 

ST. JOHN, NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA: This was a very industrial area. You have to book a tour to see anything. We booked St. John Highlights motor coach tour for $39 per person. Stopped at Bay of Fundy and City Market. You only got 20 minutes to spend at the market, not enough time. When we got back to the port, there are tents with shop keepers that rival the market and the prices were a little cheaper for identical items. While docked at St. John we did not get a signal on the ship’s Direct TV, even when we left.

 

HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA: Here we did the motor coach tour of Halifax and Peggy’s Cove for $49.99 per person for a 3 hour tour. What is actually was, a one hour bus ride to Peggy’s Cove, one hour to spend at Peggy’s Cove, and a one hour bus ride back to port. Peggy’s Cove is beautiful and I am glad we went there. When you get back to port, take the free shuttle and go to the Pier Shops.

 

ALL IN ALL: We were glad to go on this trip at the price we got it for. Although most of the Canada cruises include New England, they cost a lot more than we paid and they leave from New York. The only drawback was it was cold on the ship all the time and you could not comfortably sit out on the Serenity Deck until Saturday when we were closer to Port and the weather was much warmer. I think that is why we spent so much in the Casino! They did a lot for kids, including the Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast and a Dr. Seuss Parade and Show in Taj Mahal with Sam I Am, Thing 1 and Thing 2. I hope it doesn’t sound like I complained too much, as overall we had a good time! And yes, there is A LOT of Vibration in the Aft of this ship.

[JMAE]

Thanks for your review I was wondering how the cruise went. I also like that you gave quick notes from your past Pride cruises. My wife and I also like sailing out of Baltimore only a three hour drive and love the Pride.

 

It sounds like the guests made the best of a situation out of their control and it will be nice to get 25% off your next cruise. Enjoy and thanks for the information.

[WinstonsMom]

Thanks for the review. I sure hope Carnival adds this as a regular itinerary for the Pride from Baltimore.

[pusywillow]

I was on the Oct 2 Hurricane Matthew Cruise that only went to NYC. I also enjoyed Fernando and Basil as my waiters. We had Coko for the two previous weeks and she was great too.

[tsutton]

Thank you for your review! Thanks for the little background from your precious cruise!! Seems like you made the best out of rerouted cruise!

 

If you don't mind, what cabin were you in? We have 5262 booked for ours in 2 weeks and are worried about the vibration.

[waterwatcher]

We were in 5227. Vibration wasn't bad in room but mostly in MDR. Have fun and don't worry!

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[easyboy]

Thanks for the review.

[bruce39]

I was on this cruise too. Not sure how many cruises I've been on, but more than 10 I think.

 

Anyway, I enjoyed this cruise as much as anyone I've ever been on. While my wife would have preferred heading south, I thoroughly enjoyed Canada. Yes, it was a little cool, but I never felt cold.

 

I can't express how friendly the crew was, from senior officers to housekeeping. Everywhere you went, you were greeted with a smile and a hello.

 

I actually liked the entertainment for a change. Usually, I'll skip the dance shows, but decided to check them out. I was surprised how much I enjoyed them.

 

Comedians were good too. I was worried with the change in itinerary, they would have a problem with flying the comedians on and off, but nope.

 

I even enjoyed the trivia! All in all, awesome job by the entertainment department.

 

The food was also outstanding. Ate in the MDR every night, and was impressed every time. Our wait staff made sure they knew our names and what we liked.

 

Also did the Chef's table one night. It wasn't cheap (close to $100 with tip), but worth every penny. The food was incredible. If you're a "foody", this is a must.

 

I also enjoyed the alchemy bar. The bartenders Alex and Gabriel were friendly and engaging. This also seems to be a favorite hangout of some of the senior officers and entertainers, who were extremely nice to us.

 

Our cabin steward was also excellent and attentive.

 

Our only complaint (actually, my wife's) was that the ice cream machine was down for a few hours for cleaning LOL

 

All in all, this was an excellent cruise.

[DancerCouple2014]

We were also on this cruise! To the others who went, do you know how we redeem our 25% off discount? I've been looking into booking our next cruise, but it doesn't seem to be showing up when I try to book online.

[Kel040]

We were also on this cruise ! There were 6 of us in 3 extended balcony cabins ( deck 7 mid) - we had the balconies all opened up too and sat outside a few times - still worth while having the balcony.

 

It was a great cruise even though we didn't get to go south and we were Canadians visiting Canada !!

 

Thanks for your review, thinking of maybe doing one myself too !!

[GeneHunter]

I was on the Oct 2 cruise to New York. I haven't booked my next cruise yet, but members on my group are saying the easiest way to receive your discount is to call for the reservation and your service rep will apply your discount.

[easyboy]

I was on this cruise too. Not sure how many cruises I've been on, but more than 10 I think.

 

Anyway, I enjoyed this cruise as much as anyone I've ever been on. While my wife would have preferred heading south, I thoroughly enjoyed Canada. Yes, it was a little cool, but I never felt cold.

 

All in all, this was an excellent cruise.

Thank you for sharing your experience.

[KevInPitt]

I was on the Oct 2 Hurricane Matthew Cruise that only went to NYC. I also enjoyed Fernando and Basil as my waiters. We had Coko for the two previous weeks and she was great too.

 

We love Coko! We hope she stays on the Pride through next year when we sail again.

[jackson4jh]

Thank you for your review! Thanks for the little background from your precious cruise!! Seems like you made the best out of rerouted cruise!

 

If you don't mind, what cabin were you in? We have 5262 booked for ours in 2 weeks and are worried about the vibration.

We had 5240 on the pride. Balcony room..It was perfect in a great location. You will love it.