Onboard the Pride now.

[kdr69]

On 10/19/2021 at 2:10 PM, chocolate melting cake said:

We're sailing in 2 weeks (the repositioning cruise). When you can reply could you let us know how well  the crew are enforcing the mask rules in the halls, elevators and showrooms? Also, is Ken Byrne still singing each evening in the dining room? Thanks for the info.

Rarely do i ever encounter crew in the hallways other than the room stewards and they are usually focused on the rooms and not people wearing or not wearing a mask.  

[maryann2]

On 10/19/2021 at 1:10 PM, chocolate melting cake said:

We're sailing in 2 weeks (the repositioning cruise). When you can reply could you let us know how well  the crew are enforcing the mask rules in the halls, elevators and showrooms? Also, is Ken Byrne still singing each evening in the dining room? Thanks for the info.

Can you find out if Ken will be on the Pride TA in April 2022. I am booked on that one.

Thank you.

[davy jones]

On 10/22/2021 at 11:11 AM, kdr69 said:

Rarely do i ever encounter crew in the hallways other than the room stewards and they are usually focused on the rooms and not people wearing or not wearing a mask.  

All crew is wearing masks 100% of the time everywhere.  You are correct that room steward in cabin hallways are very busy.  Corridors do not seem to be an issue.  People seem to be wearing masks if there is someone in the hallway.  I have seen maskless people put a mask on once someone enters the same hallway.  

 

The only potential issue that I have observed is people removing their masks when sitting in lounges or showrooms with no food or drinks.

[davy jones]

I haven't seen him yet, but will ask if I do.

[davy jones]

If you dislike warm, sunny days at sea with calm seas, today is not for you.  The weather is really good today.   

 

Yesterday,s stop in Freeport was kind of a wash out.  Anyone who got off the ship got wet and it was not a good day for the shopping area by the pier.  It was a good day onboard though.

 

The ship was refueled during the port stop.  A couple of folks were smoking on the decks above the fueling barge.  Finally, signs were put out and an announcement was made.  Somehow, it just seems obvious that smoking above an active fueling operation is not a good idea.  If you feel obliged to test Darwin's theories, please don't put the 2000+ souls onboard at risk.

 

Still a good cruise.

 

[davy jones]

More random musings and thoughts.

 

HUB app.  Our first sailing with an onboard app.  While we still prefer not carrying a device around, app does have some nice features like checking in for MTD before leaving the cabin.  Every night we check in before leaving the cabin and have a table assigned before we arrive at the MDR.  We also like checking the menu in advance.  We also check our S&S card balance daily, which can not be done on the room TV.

 

For bird experts.  What makes a bird fly 50 miles offshore and circle the vessel?

 

We are currently passing two naval vessels.  I can't tell what they are, but the first has the number 3.

 

Every night in the comedy club, the comedy host says that there is no need for a device in the club while the drink waiters say to use your device to access the bar menu on the hub.

 

Halloween parties can't be good for the luggage handlers.  It looks like many passengers need an extra bag for their costume.  One or two costumes may need two bags.

 

It's depressing when the CD announcements are about debarkation lectures.

 

True embarktion story.  As said earlier, embarkation went quite well (and that is coming from someone not particularly well known for patience).  However, when we were at the final check in before boarding, there were two unhappy gentlemen at the next station telling the woman how bad terrible the embarkation was ("worse than the airport" and "This is my first cruise.  This is so bad that it will be my last cruise".)   I wonder what happened to them?

[retiredgram]

On 10/20/2021 at 4:33 PM, davy jones said:

Embarkation was pretty good.  It took around 30 minutes from arrival at the port to onboard.  You drop off luggage, park, go through the passport check, the boarding pass check, the vax and covid test check, security screening, and final check in.  Then you board.

 

We arrived around 12:45PM, and boarded the ship around 1:15.  Rooms would not be open until 2, so we had lunch and went to the cabin at 2:00 and our luggage was already there.  

 

The muster check in is fast and easy.

Another question.  Did everyone have to show up as a group for muster (all at one time). In other words, are people still standing around in a huge crowd waiting for the drill to begin.  

Thanks for all your answers to all of our questions.

[davy jones]

1 hour ago, retiredgram said:

Another question.  Did everyone have to show up as a group for muster (all at one time). In other words, are people still standing around in a huge crowd waiting for the drill to begin.  

Thanks for all your answers to all of our questions.

No.  Muster is easy.

You go to the muster station at your leisure after embarking.  They scan your card and demonstrate how to put on the life jacket.  Then you're off.  You do need to do it by around an hour before sailing.  At about the time the muster drill would normally be, they shut down activities for the muster talk over the PA.  You listen where ever you're at.  There is also a video on the cabin TV.

 

Some have reported that you can only get 2 drinks on your card before reporting to the muster station.  We did not check on those reports.  IMO, it's best to get it out of the way before getting started in earnest.

[retiredgram]

44 minutes ago, davy jones said:

No.  Muster is easy.

You go to the muster station at your leisure after embarking.  They scan your card and demonstrate how to put on the life jacket.  Then you're off.  You do need to do it by around an hour before sailing.  At about the time the muster drill would normally be, they shut down activities for the muster talk over the PA.  You listen where ever you're at.  There is also a video on the cabin TV.

 

Some have reported that you can only get 2 drinks on your card before reporting to the muster station.  We did not check on those reports.  IMO, it's best to get it out of the way before getting started in earnest.

Thank you.  Sounds real easy.   Guess we will go there immediately after boarding to get it out of the way.  Thanks for taking your time to answer our questions while on your cruise.  

[IntrepidFromDC]

4 hours ago, davy jones said:

More random musings and thoughts.

 

HUB app.  Our first sailing with an onboard app.  While we still prefer not carrying a device around, app does have some nice features like checking in for MTD before leaving the cabin.  Every night we check in before leaving the cabin and have a table assigned before we arrive at the MDR.  We also like checking the menu in advance.  We also check our S&S card balance daily, which can not be done on the room TV.

 

For bird experts.  What makes a bird fly 50 miles offshore and circle the vessel?

 

We are currently passing two naval vessels.  I can't tell what they are, but the first has the number 3.

 

Every night in the comedy club, the comedy host says that there is no need for a device in the club while the drink waiters say to use your device to access the bar menu on the hub.

 

Halloween parties can't be good for the luggage handlers.  It looks like many passengers need an extra bag for their costume.  One or two costumes may need two bags.

 

It's depressing when the CD announcements are about debarkation lectures.

 

True embarktion story.  As said earlier, embarkation went quite well (and that is coming from someone not particularly well known for patience).  However, when we were at the final check in before boarding, there were two unhappy gentlemen at the next station telling the woman how bad terrible the embarkation was ("worse than the airport" and "This is my first cruise.  This is so bad that it will be my last cruise".)   I wonder what happened to them?

 

They were keel-hauled, bow to stern.  🏴‍☠️

[kdr69]

19 hours ago, davy jones said:

We also check our S&S card balance daily, which can not be done on the room TV.

This is interesting as ive always been able to check my S&S balance on the tv on any past sailings.  Wonder why this has been changed or if its just specific to this ship.  

[davy jones]

1 hour ago, kdr69 said:

This is interesting as ive always been able to check my S&S balance on the tv on any past sailings.  Wonder why this has been changed or if its just specific to this ship.  

Must be the ship, or the new "clean" remotes.  All week, the TV said that there was a message for me.  Guest services said to ignore the message on the screen.

16 hours ago, IntrepidFromDC said:

 

They were keel-hauled, bow to stern.  🏴‍☠️

Perhaps.  I did want to ask them what airport they used.  If it was better than our check in, I will always fly from that airport.

[davy jones]

I am said to say that this cruise is coming to a terrible conclusion....they want me to leave the ship.  The ship is currently docking and we are in the limbo called waiting for debarkation.  We are doing self disembark because all of the lower numbered baggage tags mysteriously disappeared and we really can't wait until close to noon to start the trip home.  People are already clustered on deck 2.  Yes, that is the deck that they say to keep clear.  

 

If you are reading this, you know that the internet is still on.  Cheers is still accepted at the java bar, so I am spoiling myself with a cuppa fancy beans (still black though).  It still baffles me that I can veg out and do nothing for long periods during the week, but I am sitting here doing nothing while anxious to get going.  I am missing the dogs.

 

Pro tip:  If you plan to purchase liquor onboard, buy it early.  I think we got the last two bottles of rum in the shop on Friday.  On a tangentially related note, I could not use the ship internet to compare the ship's price to the local PA liquor store.   The surf package blocks websites for liquor stores in both PA and Delaware.  They are the only sites that I checked..

[IntrepidFromDC]

8 minutes ago, davy jones said:

I am said to say that this cruise is coming to a terrible conclusion....they want me to leave the ship.  The ship is currently docking and we are in the limbo called waiting for debarkation.  We are doing self disembark because all of the lower numbered baggage tags mysteriously disappeared and we really can't wait until close to noon to start the trip home.  People are already clustered on deck 2.  Yes, that is the deck that they say to keep clear.  

 

If you are reading this, you know that the internet is still on.  Cheers is still accepted at the java bar, so I am spoiling myself with a cuppa fancy beans (still black though).  It still baffles me that I can veg out and do nothing for long periods during the week, but I am sitting here doing nothing while anxious to get going.  I am missing the dogs.

 

Pro tip:  If you plan to purchase liquor onboard, buy it early.  I think we got the last two bottles of rum in the shop on Friday.  On a tangentially related note, I could not use the ship internet to compare the ship's price to the local PA liquor store.   The surf package blocks websites for liquor stores in both PA and Delaware.  They are the only sites that I checked..

Quite a climatic closure to your crazy-fun cruise!  Now clear out bub, you gotta make room for my daughter and me to get on!  😁 🏴‍☠️

[davy jones]

2 minutes ago, IntrepidFromDC said:

Quite a climatic closure to your crazy-fun cruise!  Now clear out bub, you gotta make room for my daughter and me to get on!  😁 🏴‍☠️

Right now, they say that I can't stay or go.

[davy jones]

10 minutes ago, IntrepidFromDC said:

Quite a climatic closure to your crazy-fun cruise!  Now clear out bub, you gotta make room for my daughter and me to get on!  😁 🏴‍☠️

It was crazy fun for us because we pretty much did what we pretty much exactly that we wanted to do.  Hopefully, you can do exactly what you want to do.  Bon Voyage in advance.

[retiredgram]

7 minutes ago, davy jones said:

Right now, they say that I can't stay or go.

Know that feeling when they kick me off.!  Thanks again for all your comments and safe travels home.

[davy jones]

Debarkation ended up being quite good.  Once called with self disembark, it took us a little over 10 minutes from the theater to the our car.

[davy jones]

Quick review of cruise.

 

Embarkation:   A     As good as can be expected during Covid era.   A

 

Cabin:  A     Clean, well maintained, and everything worked.  Cabin steward was good and we always had ice.  Poor TV options keep this from being A+.  

 

Cheers:  A-    We would never pay full price for Cheers because we are light drinkers.  Bar service and waiters were friendly and made good drinks.  Only problem was that we could not get a Ting mojito (a menu drink) onboard because there was no Ting (or substitute grapefruit soda) onboard.  Early in the cruise, they would improvise with a different soda and more grapefruit juice.  By Thursday, they were out of mint, so no mojito (presumably of any type).  Minor because of many fine available substitutes.  

 

Entertainment:  B+    Disclaimer:  Playlist productions shows are not our favorites.  That said, they were okay and the cast's talents were better suited for some shows than others.  Musicians throughout the ship were quite enjoyable.  Comedy shows were meh to excellent.  Entertainment staff did a fine job and I continued my streak of getting an SOS on every Carnival cruise.

 

Fitness center:  A+   Pretty much empty and the showers on Spirit class ships are fabulous.

 

Food:  B    Yes this is subjective.  I'll break it down by category.   MDR breakfast/brunch- quite good and relaxing.  Lido breakfast - mixed bag on every ship everywhere.  I stick with omelet, and fruits, so it is always good.  Croissants were good, biscuits were like hockey pucks.  Breads were disappointing.  Lunch - I like a casual lunch and this is what Carnival does best.  Pizza, burger, burrito, or deli and salad or fruit.  MDR dinner - a mixed bag, but we always found something to eat and did not leave hungry.  Many dishes were good, some just OK.  Mrs. Jones had mixed results with fish offerings.  Soups and salads were a pleasant surprise.  Limited dessert offerings, but they were good.   Again, breads are so-so at best.  

 

Service:   A    Always friendly and good service with a smile through the mask.   MDR service is friendly and efficient, but more casual than other lines.

 

Ports:  no grade.  Except for HMC, we did not care for the itinerary.  No grade because we did not choose this cruise for the itinerary.   Seven day itineraries from Northeast US home ports are geographically limited to Bahamas, Bermuda, or Canada.  You need 8 or more days to get into any  Caribbean ports.

 

Reduced capacity:  A+++++++++  Not good for the accountants, but good for relaxation.

 

Overall Grade   A    No cruise line is perfect.  Being past passengers, we know what to expect from Carnival and they lived up to expectations.  We need to get away and wanted a relaxing cruise and we got what we wanted.   With the lighter passenger load, our expectations were pleasantly exceeded.  Well done Carnival.  Except for the masks, the cruise seemed normal.

 

Final thoughts.  We'll definitely be back at sea, but we are are reluctant to book anywhere in advance because of the ever changing Covid status, restrictions, limitations, and closures.  Like everyone else, we look forward to the time when we don't have to consider them anymore.

 

I'll still try answer any questions

[retiredgram]

Thanks for the quick review.  We will be on her this Sunday.  Looking forward to a relaxing cruise.

[elklemi]

Did you visit Red Frog Pub and did they have live music?

[davy jones]

1 hour ago, elklemi said:

Did you visit Red Frog Pub and did they have live music?

Yes, the Red Frog had a cover band most evenings.  They had karaoke on their night off.