I may have just done something dumb!

[K&RCurt]

So DW and I were chatting with some friends that we usually cruise with. They had just cancelled a cruise they had planned for Hawaii in November and instead booked a 7 Day in Octomer out of Baltimore on the Pride.  I am a compulsive planner and do not make snap decisions, but this morning DW said, Hey, lets go with them, so I booked the cruise.  October 25th Baltimore, Grand Turk, Princess Cays and Freeport with 3 sea days thrown in on the Pride.

 

What was I thinking?

 

Any comments about the ship ( a quick look and it seems very similar to the Legend which we sailed on in February and enjoyed), the itinerary (We haven't been to Freeport or Princess Cays), sailing out of Baltimore, or just saiing this October?

 

All I can think of is the Talking Heads Song "Once in a Lifetime" ... "And you may say to yourself, 'MY GOD, WHAT HAVE I DONE?"

Edited June 6, 2020 by K&RCurt

[wolft927]

Just go with it !!!!!! I love Princess Cays it is a great beach day. Have fun 

[firefly333]

I did miracle to alaska same class and enjoyed it. It's the class with the most sf per pax, ie. The least crowded and some love having more space. If you liked legend you will like this.

 

Freeport, isnt a favorite, do some shopping,, find a bar with wifi and write home and make them jealous.

 

I'm not sure why you are fretting. Go and enjoy. 

Edited June 6, 2020 by firefly333

[chocolate melting cake]

The Pride is our favorite ship, we've sailed on her 6 times. She's a ship in the Spirit class, so if you've been on the Spirit, Miracle Legend or Freedom (I think that's all) you know what she's like. The itinerary is soso---but it's what you make out of it. If you'd like an idea of the ship and ports are like, here's an album we made of a similar cruise (click the link, then check out the pix, if you want to see anything larger just click on it)---Half Moon Cay is Carnival's other island and almost the same except the beach is sandy on HMC and "pebbly" on Princess Cay. We've never gotten the wrap around suite before---but since we took our 12 year old granddaughter it was nice to have a separate bedroom for her. Enjoy your cruise!

 

CARNIVAL PRIDE CRUISE

[firefly333]

7 minutes ago, chocolate melting cake said:

The Pride is our favorite ship, we've sailed on her 6 times. She's a ship in the Spirit class, so if you've been on the Spirit, Miracle Legend or Freedom (I think that's all) you know what she's like. The itinerary is soso---

 

CARNIVAL PRIDE CRUISE

I'm on carnival freedom out of Galveston... its conquest class. 

[lobster1313]

Definitely not a mistake. The Spirit Class ships are great and can't wait for the Pride to be in Tampa.

[chocolate melting cake]

48 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

I'm on carnival freedom out of Galveston... its conquest class. 

Oops -- sorry, you're right, just the Spirit, Pride, Legend, Miracle and two Costa ships!

[nunuc2000]

Lucky for you, you can drive there in just a couple of hours, so you've got a lot more flexibility than many... enjoy!

 

[skrufy]

2 hours ago, K&RCurt said:

So DW and I were chatting with some friends that we usually cruise with. They had just cancelled a cruise they had planned for Hawaii in November and instead booked a 7 Day in Octomer out of Baltimore on the Pride.  I am a compulsive planner and do not make snap decisions, but this morning DW said, Hey, lets go with them, so I booked the cruise.  October 25th Baltimore, Grand Turk, Princess Cays and Freeport with 3 sea days thrown in on the Pride.

 

What was I thinking?

 

Any comments about the ship ( a quick look and it seems very similar to the Legend which we sailed on in February and enjoyed), the itinerary (We haven't been to Freeport or Princess Cays), sailing out of Baltimore, or just saiing this October?

 

All I can think of is the Talking Heads Song "Once in a Lifetime" ... "And you may say to yourself, 'MY GOD, WHAT HAVE I DONE?"

You said to yourself, I need a vacation. Go, enjoy two great beach days. Never been to Freeport, it gets mixed reviews. We have sailed the Spirit, Legend, and Miracle twice. It’s the kind of ship I like. Not crowded, only around 2500 people. 

[tinleypark andy]

59 minutes ago, regoodwinjr said:

Definitely not a mistake. The Spirit Class ships are great and can't wait for the Pride to be in Tampa.

Legend would be my fave if they would put in an outdoor screen. CMC's photo's show the Pride having one, and the Miracle has one too. C'mon Carnival.

[K&RCurt]

1 hour ago, chocolate melting cake said:

The Pride is our favorite ship, we've sailed on her 6 times. She's a ship in the Spirit class, so if you've been on the Spirit, Miracle Legend or Freedom (I think that's all) you know what she's like. The itinerary is soso---but it's what you make out of it. If you'd like an idea of the ship and ports are like, here's an album we made of a similar cruise (click the link, then check out the pix, if you want to see anything larger just click on it)---Half Moon Cay is Carnival's other island and almost the same except the beach is sandy on HMC and "pebbly" on Princess Cay. We've never gotten the wrap around suite before---but since we took our 12 year old granddaughter it was nice to have a separate bedroom for her. Enjoy your cruise!

 

CARNIVAL PRIDE CRUISE

Thankf for the comparisson to HMC.  We have been to HMC 6 times and absolutly love it.

[tinleypark andy]

Just now, tinleypark andy said:

Legend would be my fave if they would put in an outdoor screen. CMC's photo's show the Pride having one, and the Miracle has one too. C'mon Carnival.

Oop's, firefly333 photo's.

[Djptcp]

The worst that can happen is the cruise doesn't sail because the pandemic is still a cruise industry problem in October. You would either get FCC or a refund. We are booked on the Breeze out of Port Canaveral in September and the Legend out of Tampa in November. At this point, we are more confident of the Legend sailing than the Breeze in September. We are also booked on a Holland America cruise out of Tampa in February. Hope we get to sail on all three!

 

Have a great cruise. We love the Spirit class ships and have sailed on the Legend and the Miracle. Your itinerary isn't the greatest, but just to be able to cruise again is the best thing.

[PaulBertTravelers]

Before cruising on the Pride we just used Carnival as a cheap hotel out of LA. The Pride totally changed our view and we have taken many Carnival cruises since then some on the Pride and have 2 Carnival Journey’s coming up Panama Canal and Hawai’i.  

[Roz]

Yes, Spirit class is my favorite.  Took Spirit to Hawaii, and did Alaska and Panama Canal on Miracle.  Great layout, and just the right number of passengers.

[dbrucern]

The ship is great, its the hurricanes I'd be worried about, not fun being in Dorian last year

[JimnKaren]

Think positive, you won't have to buy candy to give away for Halloween. Don't forget that you will be on board for whatever Halloween festivities that Carnival will offer.

Jim

[Earthworm Jim]

11 hours ago, Djptcp said:

The worst that can happen is the cruise doesn't sail because the pandemic is still a cruise industry problem in October.

 

That's not the worst that can happen. The worst that can happen is the OP goes on the cruise and they have a coronavirus outbreak. Carnival will have plans in place to deal with such an eventuality before they resume cruising, so hopefully it won't be as bad as things were at the beginning of the outbreak with ports refusing access and long quarantines, but it would no doubt be  a mess. Carnival may have a plan in place, but when word got out of an outbreak the port at Baltimore could suddenly get nervous about allowing them to return.

 

If the cruise is just cancelled, that's not a huge problem, as you imply.

 

Based on the title I thought the coronavirus concerns where why the OP thought they might have done something dumb. But the text doesn't seem to reflect that concern. Coronavirus aside, as far as the cruise itself goes, how bad could it be? You know the Carnival product and Carnival cruises are more alike than different. I suppose the weather might not be super warm while close to Baltimore in October, but it shouldn't be terribly cold either.

Edited June 7, 2020 by Earthworm Jim

[iamsteph]

As you can see from my signature, I've sailed on the Pride nine times out of Baltimore - she's like home to me! 

 

Here are a few things I will mention:

Driving to the port - parking is limited at the port of Baltimore.  They have to unload passengers from the Pride in order to clear out the parking lot.  Until enough spaces clear out, they will queue up cars outside of the port fence.  There are no facilities.  My trick is to watch the marine tracker website or follow one of the social media groups to find out when the Pride docks and I'll plan to arrive 2-3 hours after that. By then, the parking lot has usually cleared out and they are letting new cars in. 

Sailing in October - I've sailed the Pride in October and other cool months.  Sailing out of the Chesapeake and around the outer banks of NC (so, the first night and early first sea day, and late your last sea day), the waters can be rough.  I love it but if you are prone to sea sickness, make sure to take your dramamine.  Coming home from Freeport, the Pride books it to make it back to Baltimore - even with calmer seas, you'll probably feel it a bit. 

The weather in October - Your first sea day and your last sea day (beginning around late morning) will likely be chilly.  Take a jacket! 
The ship - she is starting to show her age a bit, but the Pride is clean and the staff are THE BEST.  The Spirit class is by far, my favorite ship layout - no awkward dining rooms mid-ship that you have to go up or down to get around, three pools, one of which is dedicated to the Serenity deck; excellent passenger to space ratio where even when there's a crowd, it doesn't feel that crowded; you do not have to weave in and out of tables or loungers on the lower promenade deck; if you decide to do the Chef's Table, they hold it in the nightclub, which makes for an interesting feel (good, not bad!). 

The ports - I cannot speak on Princess Cays. I was on the Pride in January and we couldn't get in due to rough seas (it's a tender port like Half Moon Cay). Grand Turk: the port area (Margarittaville) and the beach closest to the port can be very crowded.  The chairs and umbrellas right closest to the port are supposed to be free; however, there will be chairs and umbrellas set up by the locals for an upcharge.  Make sure you know which ones are free and don't let the locals tell you you have to pay for the free ones.  I usually walk down the Beach to Jack's Shack, it's less crowded and a nice walk along the beach to get there.  Freeport: there's the port shops but the port is an industrial area (one of my favorite free things to do is watch the cargo containers getting moved around on the opposite side from the port shops lol) so you'll need to take an excursion/taxi to get anywhere fun.  

 

I'm sure you'll have a blast! No regrets!

[Gma&Gpa]

We have sailed the Pride 3 times, the last one being Oct 2019.  The Pride is not huge, but it's a nice size and I have no complaints about the ship at all.  As for the ports, I love, love Grand Turks.  And last year we went to Princess Cay.  It is indeed a tender port, but the port is nice.   Beaches are great.   and the cruise line does supply lunch on shore.    While Freeport is not my absolute favorite, they have added quite a lot of shops right there at the port - especially nice since most of the island was still recovering from the hurricanes in recent year.  

 

October is not a bad time - but one of the posters is right.  It may be a little cooler that first day at sea, going down through the Atlantic. Just have appropriate clothing with you.  Coming back up, we hit rain the last day and when we arrived in Baltimore - and it was indeed a chilly rain.  

 

But for us, it's only a 3 hour drive from Richmond.  We typically go up the day ahead, and just enjoy the Harbor area for dinner and have a relaxing evening.   Enjoy your cruise.  Hopefully - you will get to sail.  

[K&RCurt]

Thanks for all the input!

 

Perhaps I was a bit obtuse on my reasons for a bit of a freak out on this.  We typically book cruises a year plus out ( what was going to be our next cruise in in January and we booked it a year ago.)  I tend to research and consider multiple options, cabin availibility and price / value as well as itinerary.  Making the decision to book a cruise a few hours after it came up in conversation is out of charachter and stressful!

 

I am blessed in that I can afford to weigh the situation regarding the COVID 19 situation and cancel at the last minute and risk losing the money if it won't be covered under insurance.  Our health does matter more to us than money.  I figure we are in the same situation with our cruise in January if the virus makes a strong return.  So, as someone mentioned, the potential issues with the virus I am aware and that is oddly not the case of my discomfort.

 

We have been to Grand Turk multiple times and will certainly just stroll on down to Jack's Shack and have some Jerk Chicken and beverages.  It is one of our favorite places to chill.

 

We have never been to Princess Cays (Which I found out isn't any "Cays" at all it is just a beach on Eleuthera) or Freeport.  There is very little info on Pricess Cays here on the boards and a lot of negatives posted regarding Freeport.  Add in sailing out of Baltimore in October I figured the first and last days are "throw away" sea days where sitting out by the pool likely will not be an ideal plan!

 

So I guess the majority of the questioning of this booking is that I would have NEVER picked this itinerary on this date if I had put my usual thought into it.

 

However, I have had great vacations camping in a tent for a week where it rained almost every day, so how bad could it be?

[firefly333]

You are sailing with your friends you said. Enjoy the time together.

 

Walk on down to the straw market in Nassau. I got a "bookbag" out of black leather perfect for a shoulder bag to carry my tablet around hands free. Always find something interesting to buy. You walk all the way to the right as far as you can and will run into it. 

[sgttami]

Except for decor,  Pride is identical to the Legend although Pride has the Dive In outdoor movie screen and Legend doesn't.  

I've been on Pride 7 times in the last 2 years and have done all the itineraries it has to offer including the 14 Journey Cruise this past January.

 

Because of the smaller size of the ship and the ability to drive to port (under 3 hours) it's become my "new favorite."

 

Boarding is the easiest ever and parking is $105 for the week at the port.

 

Crew is great and I've met great people while cruising (I usually sail solo).

 

My May 24th sailing was cancelled last month but I've rebooked for next year.  

 

If sailing gets back to normal, I could very well be booking for October too...(LOL)

[vwrestler171]

That class of ship is great, except for the location of the piano bar.  Even with a cpl great PBEs, it remained empty on both cruises.  The last night, the PBE was doing 88 Keys and asked if anyone knew there was a Piano Bar and very few did.  Horrible location.  

[eas2225]

Well hello neighbor!  We're from Pennsburg/Green lane.

 

As for the Pride, we're scheduled to sail on the same cruise as you!

 

This will be our 8th time(if we go), and our second Halloween cruise.  They do so much during this time, both for kids and adults.  There are costume contests, halloween trivia, halloween themed desserts, decorations throughout the ship, and some people really go all out with their costumes!

 

The staff is the best, and the ship is just the right size for us.  It's an easy 2 and 1/2 hour drive too!

 

If this gets cancelled, we'll just book for the same time next year, since we are bringing our 3 kids, their spouses, and the 5 grandkids, and they love Halloween!