Pride European cruisers, tell us all about it

[M&A]

4 hours ago, NCTribeFan said:

I was on Pride in late Jan/early Feb.  I was very disappointed to see that there were NO deck chairs out on the Promenade deck.  I didn't even see the occasional bench (that I thought was supposed to store extra life vests).

 

One of my favorite things to do on sea days is to sit out there and read (and it helps keep me out of the casino).  It's just about the only quiet place on a Carnival ship.  Forget the Serenity area.  Unfortunately, there's nothing serene about it.

 

I'll be on the fall TA (as well as the two preceding sailings), and really hope there are chairs out there, although by early November, it may be too cold to get much use from them. 

 

Any signs of chairs out there now?

That's too bad, that's one of our favorite places on a ship to sit and relax on deck chairs away from the noisy pool area, it's covered and out of the sun and rain.  Closer to the water and quiet.

 

[NCTribeFan]

I may have missed it (I did read the recent posts about the turnaround/in transit guests).  Is Carnival testing those on B2B?  My TA just posted on her FB page about the entry requirements for Bermuda.

 

Thing is, we sail from Rome on 10/11.  We aren't in Bermuda until 11/7 and it seems we're supposed to have a recent test.  Of course, everything may change within the next couple of months. 

 

Personally, I think it's stilly to go to Bermuda (sailing is Lisbon-Tampa) to only be there from 8 until 4.  That's really not enough time to do anything (other than shop 🙄 ). Bermuda's a place that needs at least two full days.  Sorry for the mini-rant.  As much as I love Bermuda, on this itinerary, I'd have preferred to go straight from the Azores to a couple of Caribbean islands.  Bermuda just needs much more time to enjoy all it has to offer.

 

Anyway, testing on B2Bs?

[kwokpot]

3 minutes ago, NCTribeFan said:

I may have missed it (I did read the recent posts about the turnaround/in transit guests).  Is Carnival testing those on B2B?  My TA just posted on her FB page about the entry requirements for Bermuda.

 

Thing is, we sail from Rome on 10/11.  We aren't in Bermuda until 11/7 and it seems we're supposed to have a recent test.  Of course, everything may change within the next couple of months. 

 

Personally, I think it's stilly to go to Bermuda (sailing is Lisbon-Tampa) to only be there from 8 until 4.  That's really not enough time to do anything (other than shop 🙄 ). Bermuda's a place that needs at least two full days.  Sorry for the mini-rant.  As much as I love Bermuda, on this itinerary, I'd have preferred to go straight from the Azores to a couple of Caribbean islands.  Bermuda just needs much more time to enjoy all it has to offer.

 

Anyway, testing on B2Bs?

No testing for b2b cruisers.

[FlaMommy75]

7 hours ago, NCTribeFan said:

I was on Pride in late Jan/early Feb.  I was very disappointed to see that there were NO deck chairs out on the Promenade deck.  I didn't even see the occasional bench (that I thought was supposed to store extra life vests).

 

One of my favorite things to do on sea days is to sit out there and read (and it helps keep me out of the casino).  It's just about the only quiet place on a Carnival ship.  Forget the Serenity area.  Unfortunately, there's nothing serene about it.

 

I'll be on the fall TA (as well as the two preceding sailings), and really hope there are chairs out there, although by early November, it may be too cold to get much use from them. 

 

Any signs of chairs out there now?

We just got off the Pride a couple weeks ago and no,  still no chairs or benches. We were disappointed  because that was our favorite spot for sail away and stood out there for a long time when we left all 6 ports. 😞

[NCTribeFan]

Well, that's disappointing.  It's the only place even remotely quiet and, no, I shouldn't have to retreat to my inside cabin to read.  Have recently sailed HAL (3x since November) on their Vista and Signature class ships, which are very similar to the Spirit class. At least, size-wise and passenger load.  They have padded loungers by the main pool (retractable roof) as well as out on the promenade deck.  There are beach towels available out there and last month, on my Alaska B2B, there were also blankets (in both locations).  Beautiful ships (no horrid Joe Farcus bad-acid-flashback decor).  For those who are gamblers, even "light" gamblers like me are getting fantastic offers.  It took me over 30 Carnival cruises before I got my first "free" offer.  It took 3 HAL sailings.  Anyway, a shame about nowhere to sit out there.

 

Wonder how they'll handle the testing issue for Bermuda.  At a minimum, I will want to get off the ship, head to the Frog and Onion and have a Dark and Stormy or three!

[Eli_6]

For those of you who have already sailed, how was check in?

 

 

[kwokpot]

50 minutes ago, Eli_6 said:

For those of you who have already sailed, how was check in?

 

 

I don't remember where you're boarding the ship, but the Barcelona check-in was GREAT. Beautiful terminal, and it was easy. No lines at all, and they did look at the Verifly and didn't need to look at the paper copies.

[kwokpot]

56 minutes ago, NCTribeFan said:

Well, that's disappointing.  It's the only place even remotely quiet and, no, I shouldn't have to retreat to my inside cabin to read.  Have recently sailed HAL (3x since November) on their Vista and Signature class ships, which are very similar to the Spirit class. At least, size-wise and passenger load.  They have padded loungers by the main pool (retractable roof) as well as out on the promenade deck.  There are beach towels available out there and last month, on my Alaska B2B, there were also blankets (in both locations).  Beautiful ships (no horrid Joe Farcus bad-acid-flashback decor).  For those who are gamblers, even "light" gamblers like me are getting fantastic offers.  It took me over 30 Carnival cruises before I got my first "free" offer.  It took 3 HAL sailings.  Anyway, a shame about nowhere to sit out there.

 

Wonder how they'll handle the testing issue for Bermuda.  At a minimum, I will want to get off the ship, head to the Frog and Onion and have a Dark and Stormy or three!

While I didn't have the occasion to try this space out on my recent Pride cruises have you considered using the Secret Garden Interior promenade which encircles the theater on Deck 3? No it's not outdoors but it should be a quiet area with plenty of window seating to enjoy the views.

[fuddrules]

19 hours ago, kwokpot said:

While I didn't have the occasion to try this space out on my recent Pride cruises have you considered using the Secret Garden Interior promenade which encircles the theater on Deck 3? No it's not outdoors but it should be a quiet area with plenty of window seating to enjoy the views.

 

This is correct.  A very quiet area with windows.  It was frequently used by those reading.

Edited July 7, 2022 by fuddrules

[fuddrules]

20 hours ago, Eli_6 said:

For those of you who have already sailed, how was check in?

 

 

 In Dover - extremely quick.   Verifly did NOT work for me despite it giving me the green ready to fly approval.   It didn't sync with Carnival's system (my wife's did - both on my phone) but the CSR spoke with 2 managers and got it resolved fairly quickly.  They did briefly look at my "papers" but then pushed me through ( <10 minute snafu).

 

We also didn't have sign & sail cards waiting for us at our cabin mailbox so I had to wait in line at guest services 😒 to be issued cards - not the best way to start the cruise - but otherwise things went well.

Edited July 7, 2022 by fuddrules

[fuddrules]

Another item on the Pride cruises - the Serenity area gets closed off around 7 or 8 pm to be used by the Carnival employees.   Just an FYI.

[stephenSJ]

14 minutes ago, fuddrules said:

Another item on the Pride cruises - the Serenity area gets closed off around 7 or 8 pm to be used by the Carnival employees.   Just an FYI.

A group of tables in the middle of the lido buffet are closed off each night around 8 or 9 for crew as well. 

[stephenSJ]

20 hours ago, Eli_6 said:

For those of you who have already sailed, how was check in?

 

 

We boarded in Dover around 11am on 19th. Terminal was almost deserted of passengers just lots of staff. Was asked if we did Verifly and i said no. Girl at desk said " I dont blame you its a waste of your time" and quickly looked over the printed paperwork we had. We boarded straight away after that.

Ship was experiencing a power outage when we boarded but it was soon sorted. 

When we disembarked I asked the CPS parking guy how many cars they had booked in for their parking on our cruise and the total was 6. We are used to southampton and portsmouth where the queues to drop off your car are the longest bit of the boarding with many hundreds using the CPS service. He said there was more bookings for the current cruise.

[NCTribeFan]

Yes, the Secret Garden is where I spent most of my reading time on the ship.  Still, it would be much nicer to be outdoors in the fresh air, on a comfortable chair (where I could doze should my reading material put me to sleep), with a beautiful view.

[jameslee]

On 6/28/2022 at 9:05 AM, JimmyTheSaint said:

There's a taxi stand at Dover Priory train station and a taxi stand at the cruise terminal, fixed fee of £8 to the cruise terminal or train station. Plenty of taxis available, we had no wait time for both journeys.

 

Taxi and train journeys saves a £ or $ fortune compared to the Carnival coach transfers.

we came back early morning at 8 am and line was long but no taxis

On 6/28/2022 at 9:05 AM, JimmyTheSaint said:

 

 

[jameslee]

On 7/7/2022 at 5:12 AM, stephenSJ said:

We boarded in Dover around 11am on 19th. Terminal was almost deserted of passengers just lots of staff. Was asked if we did Verifly and i said no. Girl at desk said " I dont blame you its a waste of your time" and quickly looked over the printed paperwork we had. We boarded straight away after that.

Ship was experiencing a power outage when we boarded but it was soon sorted. 

When we disembarked I asked the CPS parking guy how many cars they had booked in for their parking on our cruise and the total was 6. We are used to southampton and portsmouth where the queues to drop off your car are the longest bit of the boarding with many hundreds using the CPS service. He said there was more bookings for the current cruise.

South hampton port was better. The Dover port was too far from London 

[jameslee]

On 7/7/2022 at 5:01 AM, stephenSJ said:

A group of tables in the middle of the lido buffet are closed off each night around 8 or 9 for crew as well. 

I remember in the old days it was not like this. the crew could sit anywhere

[Cushing985]

On 6/2/2022 at 7:16 PM, Aladdin22 said:

I don’t understand why you’d cruise and avoid others. Not my idea of a holiday 

 I guess if you had paid for his cruise, you could have an opinion on how people cruise.

[M&A]

22 hours ago, jameslee said:

South hampton port was better. The Dover port was too far from London 

Almost the same difference Dover is 82 miles to London, Southampton 80.

Faster to get to Dover:

Dover has the high speed train from London St Pancras 1 hour 5 minutes

Southampton to Waterloo staion 1 hour 18 minutes

 

[grillinchillin]

My apologies if this has been asked before for those cruising in Europe/Italy/Greece on the Pride...

 

We have heard that it is easy to bring purchased wine onboard (and into our room) in the various Mediterranean ports without having to check those bottles to pick up at debarkation.

 

Has anyone had any recent experience with this? Did we hear wrong?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

[fuddrules]

32 minutes ago, grillinchillin said:

My apologies if this has been asked before for those cruising in Europe/Italy/Greece on the Pride...

 

We have heard that it is easy to bring purchased wine onboard (and into our room) in the various Mediterranean ports without having to check those bottles to pick up at debarkation.

 

Has anyone had any recent experience with this? Did we hear wrong?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

 

You heard correct.  Not an issue.

[grillinchillin]

49 minutes ago, fuddrules said:

 

You heard correct.  Not an issue.

 

Thank you for the update! Looking forward to toasting each port good bye from our Balcony cabin!

[NCTribeFan]

I should have looked when I was on the ship a few months back, but I didn't.

 

Does the "card room" that's on Deck 2 forward (starboard, sort of across from the coffee shop) have books?

 

I have a vague recollection that there were books in there on Miracle, but I haven't sailed her in many years.  I much prefer "real" books to e-books, but bringing enough books isn't practical when I'll be on the ship for 32 days and will bring only a 25" checked bag and a carry-on.  Having at least a small library would be nice.

 

I did just purchase a little Kindle Paperwhite to load up and take with me, but, again, I prefer actual books.

 

Thanks!

[cellfree]

1 hour ago, NCTribeFan said:

I should have looked when I was on the ship a few months back, but I didn't.

 

Does the "card room" that's on Deck 2 forward (starboard, sort of across from the coffee shop) have books?

 

I have a vague recollection that there were books in there on Miracle, but I haven't sailed her in many years.  I much prefer "real" books to e-books, but bringing enough books isn't practical when I'll be on the ship for 32 days and will bring only a 25" checked bag and a carry-on.  Having at least a small library would be nice.

 

I did just purchase a little Kindle Paperwhite to load up and take with me, but, again, I prefer actual books.

 

Thanks!

We were on the Pride two times prior to TA and yes there were books in the Card Room. 

Edited July 21, 2022 by cellfree
typo

[grimpil]

Is the pool/hot tub in the spa still on the pride?