Pride, August 11-18 Trip Report (with pictures)

[alleghator]

First things first -- my husband and I (both 48 years old) have cruised a handful of times before, all on Carnival. We cruised with our children (ages 18 and 20), who have also cruised before a few times. Our last cruise was in 2010. We had two interior cabins on the Riviera deck. We live in South Jersey and drove to Baltimore for this cruise.

 

We booked this back in February or so as a making memories with family trip before sending our younger one off to college for the first time. I'm the trip planner of the family. So, I began doing research online, including lots of reading Cruise Critic boards. Early on I decided to rent a cabana on Half Moon Cay (I have asthma and burn easily -- so I tend to avoid long stretches in the direct sun. I also booked the power snorkel and beach break excursion through Carnival. A month or so before the cruise, FTTF opened up again and I bought that for us. I also follow John Heald on Facebook (I messaged him after I realized he was our CD on our honeymoon cruise on the Ecstasy in 1993, and he promised he'd do something to "make us happy" on this upcoming cruise). I also emailed the Maitre d' a week before sailing and put in our table request (a table for four near a window). He emailed me back a confirmation on the Wednesday before the cruise. Finally, I had purchased Cheers (by using AARP gift cards), and had more AARP gift cards to apply to the two cabin accounts once we got onboard.

 

Finally the day arrived. We left home just before 9am, made the obligatory stop at Wawa for gas and breakfast and got on the road. It took us about two hours to get to Baltimore. We dropped our luggage with the porters and tipped them, paid for the parking, and got a spot near a light pole (to make it easier to find when we got back). I always take a picture of the car with a landmark when we park at an airport or Disney World, etc.

 

READY FOR A VACATION! (myself, Matthew 18, husband Joe, and Emily 20)

 

We grabbed our carry=ons and headed into the building. There was no line at all when we showed our passports (pro tip: remember to SIGN your passports. We hadn't and they pointed out that while it wasn't a problem on this end, it would cause problems if they were unsigned when we got back.) We sat down in the waiting area at 11:13am. Forty minutes later, we were still waiting. We saw a wedding party boarding. That took awhile. At 12:05, they called Diamond, Platinum and suite passengers, and called FTTF at 12:06.

 

WAITING AREA

 

MY GUYS

 

WITH EMILY, EXCITED FOR OUR TRIP!

 

FINALLY!

 

 

 

Our first stop on boarding was the excursion desk to choose our cabana. Five cabanas had already been reserved. We picked cabana 14 -- we wanted to be on the quieter end of the beach. Next stop was Guest services, but they said they couldn't add the gift cards to our account until after 1pm. So we headed up to the Lido deck for lunch. Matthew and I had Guy's Burgers (he had at least one on every day of the cruise), and Emily and Joe had burritos. It was also time for our first drinks of the cruise!

 

OUR TRAVEL BUDDY, PHILBERT THE PHROG (follow him on Instagram), WITH MY MIAMI VICE

 

Incidentally, we were always given plastic straws with frozen drinks, and sometimes with regular drinks. We were never offered sugar straws at any time. The only one we got on the whole trip was one of the times Matthew ordered a milk shake.

 

We stopped back at guest services (the FTTF line was a godsend) and quickly applied the gift cards to the two accounts. Cabins weren't open yet (the doors were closed and the sign said 2pm), so we went to the Red Frog Pub to play games. The guys spent a lot of time here throughout the week perfecting their shuffleboard game. We are big board game people and brought several on the trip with us. We started out with a quick round of Zombie Dice.

 

 

At 2pm, precisely, we were allowed to head to our cabins. We were in 1118 and the kids were in 1173. Some photos ….

 

 

Then we wandered around the ship. I made sure to show Emily the Sunset Garden, because I knew it would be her favorite place on the ship. She spent a lot of time reading there (note: it can get noisy in the Sunset Garden once the teens form their friend groups; it's a hang-out spot. Also, the port side is one of the main thoroughfares for crew to go to their cabins. So, if you want to see them coming and going, just hang out for a little while.).

 

 

There was also time for a short nap before the muster drill. Incidentally, because the kids were at a different muster station. This is when we discovered that the Hub app chat feature wasn't working, even though we tried several times. Muster started around 4pm. At about 4:20, they started calling the names of missing people. After muster was over, we went back to Guest Services. We also got an extra key for each others' cabins. We got another drink and went back to our cabins. Our luggage was there, so we unpacked and changed for dinner.

 

BEAUTIFUL BALTIMORE HARBOR

 

YUMMY! (Cosmo and tiramisu)

 

We went to the dining room and were shown to our table. We were in a corner (near the Atrium Bar) at a window. It was perfect!

 

 

I didn't take pictures of every meal, but I do have a few. Here is the softshell crab appetizer:

 

Soon, we were approaching the Bay Bridge

 

 

PORK LOIN

 

Matthew entertained himself and the kids at the next table, by "playing" his water glass. (https://www.facebook.com/heidi.dugan.9/videos/10220243610622148/?t=0)

 

After dinner, we went to the Piano Bar (we were here every night) and one of the Adult comedy shows. The kids called it a night and Joe and I took a windy walk out on the upper decks.

 

More to  come …… SEA DAY #1, next

 

[4hunters]

Looks like this will be a fun report.  Thanks in advance.

[katpetal]

Your pictures are great! My daughter (6) and I are loving this write up so far, and are looking forward to seeing more! We'll be on the Pride in January.

[MEUB1112]

Awesome pictures!!

[Jerseygirl1416]

Thanks for taking the time to do a review! Great start.

 

Just an FYI for next time-because you had FTTF you could’ve gone through the door that said cabins not ready yet and went to your cabin at anytime before the cabins were ready and your cabin should’ve been ready. That’s one of the perks of FTTF.

[alleghator]

11 minutes ago, Jerseygirl1416 said:

Thanks for taking the time to do a review! Great start.

 

Just an FYI for next time-because you had FTTF you could’ve gone through the door that said cabins not ready yet and went to your cabin at anytime before the cabins were ready and your cabin should’ve been ready. That’s one of the perks of FTTF.

I thought it was, but I wasn't sure. It wasn't a big deal to us, but we will know for next time -- thank you!

[alleghator]

MONDAY, AUGUST 12, DAY AT SEA

 

I didn't sleep well, which is unusual for me onboard. I tossed and turned and was generally too warm. My rechargeable fan died around 3am. I am almost always too hot and like a cold room for sleeping. I went to guest services a little later in the morning and they said they'd send someone to check if the temperature was above 75* (the Carnival guideline for comfort). I asked for a fan to be brought. We got a note on our bed saying they'd stopped by and that we were within the guidelines. No fan or mention of it. We asked the cabin steward for a fan, and he said he didn't have any, but that he would call his supervisor. A few days later we got a letter asking if everything was resolved. Monday night onward, I had rigged my fan to stay plugged in all night and slept well for the rest of the cruise.

 

MAGNETIC WALL HOOK AND POWER STRIP WITH MY FAN (I unhooked it every morning and put it back on the desk)

 

Anyway, I was wide awake at about 7am, so I went up to the Serenity deck with my Kindle to read. I found a great spot in the shade near enough to the Lido door to get a nice blast of cool air whenever anyone went in or out. I was here until about 8:30 when my husband found me for brunch.

 

SOMETIMES GOOGLE MAPS WOULD SHOW ME OUR LOCATION

 

PERFECTION

 

STEAK AND EGGS BREAKFAST

 

BANANA CREAM PIE DESSERT

 

I then went to the Fun Aboard Fun Ashore show to try to win something. No luck for me. Then Emily and I went to the Steakhouse cooking demo for our lunch. It was amazingly delicious. One of these cruises, I will actually splurge on a Steakhouse dinner.

 

EVERYTHING IS TINTED FROM THE FUNNEL WINDOWS

 

 

Afterward, we met up with the guys in the Red Frog Pub. They were back at it.

 

 

We took a nap and met up again for Trivial Pursuit. Our team won and we got Boats on Ropes. Later, it was time to get gussied up for the cruise's first Elegant Night. We planned to get a nice family portrait on this trip. As we approached the photo areas on Deck Three, a photographer asked us if we'd like a photo shoot. He took us into the studio and out on deck for an extensive photo shoot. Dozens of shots in various combinations. It was very professional. He told us he'd set up an appointment for us to come see the pictures the next day. (more on that later)

 

We loved dinner. We always enjoy our dining room meals. We aren't picky eaters and enjoy just about any sort of food. I ordered two lobster tails. Matthew almost always ordered two appetizers (the waiters knew by the third day to automatically order a Caesar salad for him). 

 

ALL DRESSED UP

 

 

After dinner, we caught a comedy show and then the guys went to play Texas Hold 'Em. This was Matthew's first time playing with actual people. Before this, he'd only played in Red Dead Redemption 2. He not only made enough to cover their two $20 buy-ins, but won another $29 besides. I joined Emily on deck to watch Avengers: Endgame (again). We caught the end of Captain Marvel and I stayed until Joe came from poker. Then we swapped and I went to the piano bar. He joined me there a little while later. Emily was falling asleep in her lounge chair.

 

MIKE MCCABE AT THE PIANO BAR

 

We were piano bar regulars and became quite friendly with Mike. He was a great piano entertainer. Lots of singing and playing talent and very personable. He remembered where his regulars were from, which songs they liked, etc. At the end of the week, he thanked us for supporting him all week and gave us big hugs. On this night, the main stage entertainers came in and a few of them sang.

 

 

We stayed until about midnight or so and then called it a night.

 

More to come ….. 2nd DAY AT SEA ….

[Joe817]

Loving the review! Easy reading with lots of GREAT pics. Thanks!

[MzOhioLady]

I love your Daughter's Dress that she wore on Elegant Night!

[RandomUser123]

I will be on the 10/20 cruise on Carnival Pride. I cannot wait. 

[alleghator]

1 hour ago, MzOhioLady said:

I love your Daughter's Dress that she wore on Elegant Night!

Thank you! It's a gorgeous dress. We got it on Amazon for a semi-formal dance her senior year of high school. Still fits her three years later. And won't ever really go out of style. 😀😀

[Marauder40]

Can't wait to see your review of Grand Turk.  I was on the Carnival Magic the same exact time as the Pride while you were there.

[LBumb]

nice photos

[alleghator]

TUESDAY, AUGUST 13, SEA DAY #2

 

I slept sooooo much better with the fan on me. Didn't have any more issues feeling too hot at night. We woke up around 8am and headed to the main dining room for breakfast (brunch). I didn't take many pictures this day (because I forgot to charge my phone overnight).

 

The next thing we did was check the next day's weather in Grand Turk. The extensive UV warnings and high temps/humidity made me very nervous. Heat and humidity are major asthma triggers for me (summers in South Jersey are rough), and snorkeling with our pasty backs exposed to the Caribbean sun for several hours without relief seemed like a bad idea. So, I went to the Shore Excursion desk and they canceled our Power Snorkeling excursion with a full refund. We booked a bus tour of the island instead.

 

We spent this Sea Day in our typical fashion -- board games (this time we played in the card room and ran up to the Lido deck to bring back lunch), trivia contests, shuffleboard. We played "Reverse Charades" (really the celebrity Heads Up game) and Matthew won a Ship on a Stick (He won one on our cruise 9 years ago and was VERY eager to get another one).

 

 

Dinner tonight was a special treat: The Chef's Table! While not necessarily "foodies" per se, my kids have always loved cooking shows on TV, so we all thought it would be great to try some truly unique dishes. The menu is standard and has been posted many times online before, so I'm not going to list everything here. Everything was creative and delicious and they were very careful to accommodate my husband's no-dairy requirements. The close-up magic performance was a big surprise and a great treat!

 

LOUNGING BEFORE DINNER

 

MY SASSY GIRL, READY TO GO TO DINNER

 

AFTER A SHORT TIME IN THE GALLEY (with a few tastings), WE WERE SHOWN TO DINNER

 

I FORGOT I TOOK THIS -- HERE'S THE MENU, AFTER ALL!

 

After dinner, we stopped back in the cabin nd found our favorite towel animal of the trip

 

Then we headed back to our regular stools in the piano bar. When Mike found out that Emily can play, he invited her up to the piano during one of his breaks.

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/heidi.dugan.9/videos/a.10220239733485222/10220262556255777/?type=3&theater

 

He even told her where on the ship there is an unlocked piano. After 12 years of piano lessons, Emily is quite good, and she plays at home almost every day. She was happy to get her "fix" in while onboard. We loved the piano bar and got to know several of the regulars there. This night was the only night that was a little annoying. There were some people sitting right at the piano who just kept talking during every song, and didn't even acknowledge the player afterward. In fact, they'd look annoyed when he'd start playing another song and would try to talk over it. I get that not everyone wants to sing along, or might not be as into the music. But, I feel those people should sit in one of the booths or tables further back. They were only there one night, but it was a bit of a bummer.

 

NEXT UP ….. Grand Turk ….

Edited August 21, 2019 by alleghator

[alleghator]

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14, GRAND TURK

 

This was our first visit to Grand Turk, and when we come someplace new, we always like to get an overview of the country and see as much as possible. We booked (at the Excursion desk) the Island Vibes Bus Tour and Beach Getaway. We had a 10:30am departure from the desk in the center of the Cruise Center.

 

We started our day relatively early and made it up to the Lido buffet for breakfast before the ship had finished docking. We were called to disembark at about 8:35, and we joined the line on deck 2. It moved quickly and soon we plopped our stuff down on some beach loungers in the shade at the pool. Thank you, Margaritaville! We swam and splashed around for about an hour and then Emily and I did a little shopping. We all met back up at 10:30 for our tour. They read everyone's names off lists and gave us all wristbands. There were enough people for two small tour buses (maybe 20 people each). The tour was informative and interesting and made it all over the small island. It was sad to see hurricane damage and litter around, but it was good to remember that not all of the island is like the artificiality of the cruise center area. We saw the lighthouse, interacted with the donkeys (even a baby one), saw the Salinas and heard about the salt industry. We saw some very expensive properties and got to see much of the island. There was a quick stop to see some flamingos (at a bit of a distance). Everyone had the chance to keep a hunk of salt crystal from the largest Salinas. The tour ended at the beach near the wrecked ship (Governor's Beach?). We didn't need any beach time that day (with Half Moon Cay coming up tomorrow), so we just stayed on the bus back to the cruise center. We only would've had maybe 40 minutes there anyway. We did a little more shopping and got back onboard.

 

VIEW FROM THE LIDO

 

LINE TO GET OFF THE PRIDE

 

THE BAR WAS BUSY AT 9AM

 

VIEW FROM OUR CHAIRS

 

 

EM

EMILY LOVED POSING WITH THE TURK'S HEAD CACTI

 

SOME LOVE FOR A BABY PALM TREE

 

OUR BUS

 

THIS SIGN MADE ME LAUGH

 

 

OUR TOURGUIDE, JAMES, SHOWING US SOME SEA LIFE

 

I GOT TO HOLD A SEA URCHIN. THEY'RE PRICKLY AND KIND OF CUTE!

 

GATHERING SALT CRYSTALS

 

YUMMY SPICE CAKE! I FORGOT TO TAKE A PICTURE UNTIL AFTER EATING ALMOST HALF OF IT.

 

 

When we got back onboard, there was a surprise waiting for us in our cabin. Thank you, John Heald!

 

Joe and I went back on deck after dropping off our beach bag. We had a late lunch at Guys/Blue Iguana and then headed down to deck three. I always like to watch when the ship is unmoored from the pier. I grew up a Navy brat, and ship operations fascinate me.

 

VIEW FROM DECK THREE

 

 

LOOKING ACROSS AT THE MAGIC

 

STILL A GOOD-SIZED LINE. THIS IS ABOUT 30 MINUTES AFTER WE WERE ALL SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN BACK ONBOARD.

 

While we were watching, the Hotel Director came up and chatted with us for awhile. It was really interesting to ask him questions about how this all works. He eventually got a call on the radio that the ship was at "Zero Count," which meant everyone who'd left had returned onboard. He excused himself and dashed off.

 

PULLING IN THE GANGWAY

 

UNMOORED

 

 

Once we were underway, it was time for a quick nap before Emily and I met up for the Digital Scavenger hunt. We had a great time, but sadly only came in second place. The guys, of course, played more shuffleboard before dinner.

 

WE WATCHED BEER PONG FOR A WHILE

 

FLAT IRON STEAK WITH BAKED POTATO AND MAC AND CHEESE

 

AFTER DINNER, EMILY PLAYED SOME PIANO (OUTSIDE THE DINING ROOM ON DECK THREE)

 

BACK AT THE POKER TABLE

 

NEXT UP …… HALF MOON CAY

 

[JaniceB]

Great review, can't wait to read more.

[lasvegascruising]

Thank you for such a wonderful review(so far!).  I just love the pictures as they add so much to a review.  I want to say that your pictures show a close, loving family and your relationship with your adult children is something to admire.  Please, keep the pictures coming.

[CruisinMommy06]

Loving your review! 

[alleghator]

On ‎8‎/‎22‎/‎2019 at 10:54 PM, lasvegascruising said:

Thank you for such a wonderful review(so far!).  I just love the pictures as they add so much to a review.  I want to say that your pictures show a close, loving family and your relationship with your adult children is something to admire.  Please, keep the pictures coming.

 

Thank you! We're very close. We have the best times together.

[alleghator]

THURSDAY, AUGUST 15 -- HALF MOON CAY

 

We got up around 8am and headed to the Lido for a buffest breakfast. We thought we weren't moving, but when we got up on deck we realized we hadn't anchored yet, but were moving quite slowly.

 

VIEW AS WE WERE COMING IN TO ANCHOR

 

We met at the Taj Mahal around 8:40 (our excursion tickets said to meet at 8:45). They announced that we wouldn't need any photo ID, only our S&S cards. So, I quickly ran back and put our passports in the safe in the cabin. We soon called to get onto the first tender to shore. It took a little while to load everyone one, and some people were complaining. But, it was a beautiful day and we were on vacation, so we just sat and waited and did our best to ignore the grumps.

 

READY FOR A BEACH DAY!

 

LOOKING UP FROM THE TENDER

 

 

ON OUR WAY TO THE ISLAND

 

GLIMPSE OF THE ISLAND ON OUR WAY IN

 

PLAYGROUND

 

When we got to the island, we had to wait awhile for the food to be unloaded (they made an announcement to this effect while we were still in the Taj Mahal). People started getting off around 9:15am. We went directly to the sign-in desk where they had our names on the list for a cabana. There were some shops and a bar right at the pier. We didn't go to any of these. We got on an open "safari" type truck and everyone was dropped off at cabanas.

 

WE DIDN'T STOP FOR A PICTURE, BUT HURRIED TO THE SIGN-IN DESK

 

MAP OF THE ISLAND

 

 

 

 

 

READY TO GO TO OUR CABANA

 

WE DROVE PAST THE PIRATE BAR

 

FIRST VIEW OF CABANA #14

 

We loved having a cabana. Emily and I spent a lot time reading, and Joe and Matthew played games at the table. We would occasionally use the floats in the ocean (which was heavenly). The breeze/current kept pushing us along the shore, so it was hard to just float and relax for long at a time. It was wonderful having the shower to rinse off. The sand was the softest I've ever seen, and the water was warm and quiet. The snacks arrived around 10:30 and there was plenty for the day. I made a run over to the buffet (mostly out of curiosity) and brought back some salad and a couple of burgers. But, everyone had plenty with the fruit, veggies, chips, and drinks provided with the cabana. And the buffet food was mediocre, really. We had check-ins from attendants a handful of times while we were there, but nothing intrusive. It was an entirely relaxing and perfect day. By about 2:30pm, we packed up and took a tender back to the ship.

 

VIEW FROM OUR CABANA

 

WE DIDN'T USE THE MIST FUNCTION MUCH, BUT THE FAN WAS LOVELY.

 

IT WAS NICE TO PLUG IN NEXT TO THE FAN -- WE PLAYED MUSIC ON MY PHONE

 

THE GUACAMOLE WAS PHENOMENAL

 

 

WAITING FOR THE GOLF CART TO TAKE US BACK TO THE TENDER -- AN ATTENDANT CALLED IT FOR US

 

HEADING BACK TO THE SHIP

 

After we got back on board, we showered and hit some trivia. Emily played some more piano. We chilled out until dinner. We were all kind of sleepy from all the fresh air and sun.

 

 

 

 

WE FOUND A FEW DUCKS AND RE-HID THEM

 

 

WAITING FOR THE EAGLES SCORES TO COME AROUND ON THE SPORTS B AR TICKER

 

Next up ….. Freeport!

[alleghator]

FRIDAY, AUGUST 16 -- FREEPORT

 

We slept in a little this morning before getting Lido buffet breakfast again. We had no plans in Freeport, and it was such a short visit. Joe and Matthew stayed onboard while Emily and I walked around to see the port area and do a little shopping. There isn't much there -- Senor Frogs, some T-shirt shops, souvenirs, etc. We were back on board in about an hour.

 

WELCOME TO FREEPORT

 

ANOTHER SHIP AT FREEPORT

 

 

LOADING FUEL ONTO THE PRIDE

 

IT WAS ACTUALLY INTERESTING TO WATCH THE WORK UNLOADING THIS CONTAINER SHIP

 

 

 

 

 

BLUE IGUANA LUNCH -- WE ALSO GOT EXTRA PICO TO GO WITH THE CHIPS LEFT OVER FROM HALF MOON CAY

 

There was a strong smoke smell throughout the Piazza Café and toward the Taj Mahal, and we hadn't noticed it early in the cruise. We came to the conclusion that it was from the doors being open down on Deck Zero. There was a constant breeze drawing smoky air from the casino forward along deck two.

 

We WON at Fact or Fiction trivia and at the Heads Up game which preceded the Win a Cruise Bingo. Two more Ships on Sticks! I also won some bingo cards, so we played to see if we'd win a cruise. We only needed one more, but didn't win. It's the only bingo we played this week.

 

LORD BINGO AT TRIVIA

 

 

 

Matthew played the piano and we napped a bit. The Captain made an announcement about some rough weather ahead on the way back north. I love storms and so does Emily (she's a meteorology major), so we had to go up as high as we could to check it out.

 

 

 

We all gussied up for our final Elegant Night and made our way to the dining room for dinner.

 

 

Then it was back to the Piano Bar!

 

Next … Last day .. AT SEA ...

[RandomUser123]

Great review. Thank you for posting!

[alleghator]

SATURDAY, AUGUST 18 -- Day at Sea

 

We slept in some today, but eventually headed to the dining room for breakfast. Upon coming up the stairs from our cabin, we saw these towel animals leading into the Taj Mahal.

 

 

VIEW FROM OUR BREAKFAST TABLE

 

After breakfast, we decided to pack our suitcases. Not because we were in a hurry for vacation to end, but because we wanted to do some shuffling between bags to see if we could get everything down into what we could carry off. It was fairly quick. We left out clothes for dinner that night and to drive home the next day. Then we met up for General Knowledge trivia (and another WIN!). We didn't do so well at board game trivia (which was a bummer, since we play a lot of board games), but then we were again on the winning team for Trivial Pursuit. We had to change seats between trivia and Trivial Pursuit, because it started to rain heavily outside and the window was leaking! Fluffy called for service, but no one came while we were there.

 

MAKING GOOD ON MY CHEERS PACKAGE

 

TRIVIAL PURSUIT BEFORE

 

TRIVIAL PURSUIT AFTER

 

WATER RUNNING DOWN THE *INSIDE* OF THE WINDOW

 

Emily and I went to the final art auction to check it out and try to win prizes. I'd never attended a cruise art auction before and found it quite interesting. I bought a sericel for my husband's birthday. I kept checking eBay constantly throughout to check to see if the cruise auction offerings were good deals. Many were. Some weren't. They had many different ways of selling the art, which kept it interesting. We didn't stay all the way until then end. We were there about an hour and a half. I had to go later that night to the gallery to finalize my purchase and give them shipping information. The art arrived at our house about a week ago in packaging that was seriously overkill for the size of what I bought. 

 

 

Guy's Burgers again for lunch. It was pretty empty all day on the Lido deck due to the rain. Then we headed back to the pub for some board games. Our local community theatre performed Mamma Mia this summer, so we may have noticed it more than we otherwise would have, but we did hear a lot of ABBA in the Red Frog Pub. We like it, but we had to laugh because we always heard ABBA if we were in there for more than a few minutes at a time.

 

The it was time for Game of Thrones trivia. We missed only one, but two people had perfect scores, so we weren't contenders. We had a lovely final dinner in the dining room. I was just worn out, so I didn't stay for dessert, but went back to the cabin for a nap. It didn't occur to me that I'd miss saying good-bye to our wonderful servers, and I feel bad about that.

 

We wound up back in the piano bar on our usual stools, and then  few of us regulars followed Mike downstairs to the Pub where he performed with the "Frog Fest" music festival. He sang with the CocoNotes. He was a great performer and appreciated us for being such great piano bar supporters. He came over and sang with us on mic as he worked the room. And he came over and personally thanked us for being such fun all week. He said that our enthusiasm was a big part of the fun that week. I joked, "Well, any time Carnival wants to give us a free cruise, we will come back and drum up business in the piano bar." He then said that Holland America pays "patrons" to do just that -- cruise their ships and have a great time getting everyone involved and that it keeps people drinking longer and having a better experience all around. If this is real, sign me up!

 

 

USING MAGNETIC HOOKS TO GET MY FAN TO KEEP BLOWING ON ME ALL NIGHT

 

SUNDAY, AUGUST 18 -- Debarkation

 

We packed our final items and had a quick Lido deck breakfast. We had FTTF info directing us to the Red Frog Pub by 9:15. We were there around 8:40am and it was already crowded. We got a table and the guys had one last game of shuffleboard. They called us at 9:08am and it was so easy to disembark. I wasn't eager for the cruise to be over, but I hate when travel and complications cause stress at the end of a relaxing vacation. This was completely stress-free. The line snaked through to the lobby, our S&S cards were scanned one more time and we wheeled our luggage down the ramp. Once in the terminal, our passports were checked. We were in the car and pulling out at 9:34am.

 

It was a wonderful vacation and I can't cruise with Carnival again (they sent our S&S balance on a gift card, so I will have to find something!). We are sailing on Royal Caribbean for the first time next August out of Bayonne.

 

Thank you for everyone who followed along and for all the kind comments!

 

 

QUICK PIC WITH FLUFFY BEFORE LEAVING. SHE LOVED MATTHEW AND REMEMBERED HIM THROUGHOUT THE WEEK.

 

GOOD-BYE FOR NOW, PRIDE!

 

 

[jimbo5544]

Really nice review and pics.  Thanks for doing it.  The Pride is one of our favorite ships.  

[Living_life2019]

Thank you for taking the time to write this review, loved it!!