Carnival Pride - July 1-10, 2022 Trip Review

[Bulldogsoc]

Carnival Pride - July 1st - 10th, 2022

Norwegian Fjords Cruise

 

My sixteen year old son and I caught an overnight flight from Toronto to Gatwick on Air Transat.  The flight was on time and was uneventful.  We packed light with only small carry on backpacks so we were off the plane and through passport control and on the shuttle/tram to the south terminal where you can catch trains to London.  The trains we took between Gatwick and London were run by the Thames line.  I have no idea what we paid for them as we used credit cards with a wifi/RFID logo on it and just tap on and tap out at the other end.  One credit card per person (you can’t simply pass it back over the gate to the next person).  It took about an hour for us to get from Gatwick to St. Pancras/Kings Cross stations.  I can’t recall which it got into but they are connected. Once you are in London you can go to a self serve machine in most stations and buy an Oyster Card which is good for the underground, buses and even a ferry/boat.  You can put money on it and you can get it refunded at a machine up to ten pounds plus the $5 pounds for the card.  The card will top out at a maximum amount and won’t debit any more.  It is something under ten pounds for the day. I will have to wait for my credit card statements to see if it worked the same way with the top on tap out credit cards I used on the tubes in London.

 

We were in the City of London by 10am and made our way on foot to Buckingham Palace to catch the changing of the guard which was at 11am.  We got there around 11:25 but it was still going.  We should have taken the tubes but that is that.  We got a good vantage point near the barracks where they march back into.  It is only three times a week so we were fortunate to see this.  We then stopped at a pub for a drink on the sidewalks and then made our way down to the river to see Big Ben, the London Eye and walked along the Thames. We walked by Canada House and took some photos and stopped at another pub for a pint and a coke.  In pubs you just go to the bar, order and pay for your tab right there.  Cash or credit.  We made our way back to the total dive we booked for the night near Kings Cross.  It had clean sheets and wifi in the lobby and that was about it!  I certainly would not have booked this if the Girls were along with us. It was teaching opportunity for my son to see what things cost and what you get!!  It will also be an endless serious of jokes for the rest of our lives whenever we are in another hotel room as long as we live!  I was the butt of many belly laughs throughout the cruise. The loose man hole covers out front that went thunk thunk all night with passing traffic.  The fact that there was a fire/ambulance station just down the road with sirens all night.  Someone left a dirty sock on moulding above the door.  The forty year old TV.  The peeling paint.  The 1970’s acid trip carpet in the hallways.  The fact that there were no door knobs, just a pull and a lock.  LOL!  The hotel on the return was very good!

 

London has this great chain called M&S Simply Food which is a like a grocery store devoted to grab and go stuff from sandwiches, cheese, meats, fruit, beer, etc. all in individual packages.  Reasonable prices and located all over.  There was one down from our hotel.  We had a nap for a few hours that afternoon and then went out again to see Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross Station, etc.  We experienced the JAMMED tubes at rush hour in downtown London.  That was funny!  The trains on the London Tubes are smaller in all respects to the trains we have on the TTC in Toronto (but they have infinitely more of them!!!).  I love how the UK’s pubs spill onto the sidewalk with the after work crowd having a few pints at the end of the day.  Clearly some pubs are more popular than others.  Anyway, we headed back to the budget abode for the night as Cruise Day was Friday (Canada Day).  

 

Day 1 Cruise Day from Dover

 

I let Jack sleep in a little and I headed to St. Pancras station a few blocks a way to scout out where we had to go and to buy some return tickets for the high speed train to Dover Priority. I headed back and we collected our stuff and headed out.   Tons of transit employees to answer questions and direct you, which is a good thing as we were on the wrong side of the departure tacks for our train to Dover.  The train only had four stops and took a little over an hour but the train was actually two trains connected for the first two stops and then it separated so we had to make sure we were in the front six cars going to Dover.  I could see making this mistake!  On the positive side, trains run at least once or twice an hours.  It was a bea]\utifully sunny day.  We arrived in Dover to the cute little station and then we made our way downtown he hill to the port.  It was about a mile plus walk with most of that being walking down the port/dock. We appeared to be the only passengers on foot.  It was Canada Day so we were decked out in red and white and had red maple leaf Mardi Gras beads on and handed out Canada Flag pins to the transit and terminal workers (apparently collecting these is a bid thing in the UK as this was mentioned by several).  We had an 11:30 boarding time but we basically walked right on as soon as we arrived.  I think we were on board before 10:30.  Did our 30 second safety drill and then to our cabin with our cards waiting for us.  Met our Stewart and unpacked and changed into some bathing shorts.  No issue.  Steward said to take our time, he only needed to vacuum the floor. They always have the hall doors closed until 1 pm with a sign saying it was closed but I have never had an issue dropping bags off and getting our SnS cards on any cruise, but this was the first time the steward told us to have a shower if we wanted!

 

The Pride is over 20 years old but well maintained in my view.  Some wear and tear in spots but perfectly fine in my eye. You will see rust around the edges on you balcony and all of the wood decks and railings need to be sanded and refinished but otherwise it was in fine shape as far as I was concerned.  My cabin cabinetry and furniture was not marred or scratch up that I could tell.  Everting worked and was ship shape.  If you did not lock the balcony door the wind would whistle but if you did it was very quiet.  It was a full ship but we rarely encountered a line of any consequence (coffee bar or main dining room the first two nights).  Otherwise, zero lines.  Staff seemed plentiful and friendly.  

 

The first day was sunny and in the high teens or low twenties, so in England that is down right tropical.  We took full advantage and did the two water slides, swam in both pools and enjoyed the hot tubs.  Guy’s. Burgers, the buffet, Blueiguana, pizza place, sandwich/deli, etc were in full swing and just as good as all my prior Carnival experiences.  We had a great first day.  I got my gold status pin at Pixels.  

 

The first two nights took about 45-60 minutes to get a table which did not matter to us but here is a PRO TIP… just go up to reception and tell them you would like a window table and that you will wait whatever to get one.  We discovered this day three and then ended up doing it each night and never waited more than ten minute for a primo table with a sea view for the rest of the cruise at dinner.  We did wait a half hour for a shared window table on the last sea day brunch but they only had the one level of the Normandy open that day so it was SLOW!!!!  

 

We saw what I assume with a British Submarine cruising on the surface for about an hour the first evening.  That was a treat. While I packed light, I did buy a compact 25x10 Monocular for the trip and it was Fun.  I like all things naval.  I really wish I had been able to take my more powerful optics but I was not packing a suitcase so, home they stayed.

 

Great a first day.  I got the full value of the of Cheers that day.  I put some Monster, Gatorade and water in the mini fridge for the middle of the night and take with us on shore the next day and subsequent days.  

 

We had a starboard extended balcony (5119) which was just forward of the forward elevator bank.  If I was cruising her again, I would pick a cabin further Aft as we spent more time at the Aft part of the ship on two and nine, but I really have no issue with the forward cabin.  Fore one, the elevator is less busy and it is very close to the coffee bar which we used very very frequently for coffee, water, and donuts and other drinks.

 

On our first day the ship was moored in Dover with the port side facing the terminal.

 

Day 2 - First Sea Day

 

Our first sea day was a sunny and warm affair with the Serenity area pretty much full. You would need to get up early to score one of the clam shells at the back. The Serenity Bar has a blender and serves frozen cocktails.  The sea day brunch goes until noon but it was a long wait to both get a table and to get food.  If I was to do it again, I would probably skip it and just enjoy the other venues.  Unless you are craving a fillet with some eggs or something special that is tradition for you, I did not see the investment in time worth it.

 

We had a chill day moving about the ship.  We took in some comedy shows in the Butterfly lounge which is a great venue and seemed to be twice the size of the comedy venues on the Mardi Gras when we were on her in April of this year.  It has a nice set up and the best waiter service I have ever experienced on any ship for a show.  Lots of room.  We played some shuffle board and table soccer in the pub and generally just chilled.  We got the premium internet and shared it with each of us kicking the other off which became a running joke.  We got to know the ship and it’s layout.  I really liked the deck 3 with the ability to walk completely around the ship (almost at least).  There is no outside deck forward of the forward elevator bank.  This was the crew smoking area and the crew would gather in this area whenever we were in port to get cell or internet signals. If you did not have a balcony cabin, this was a great spot to watch the mooring and cast off.  We had no pier runners on this cruise but we did have a couple that did not make it back at one port.  I never found out if they joined us later or what the story was.

 

A good first Sea Day.

 

Day 3 - Bergen

 

It was raining and foggy in Bergen the morning we arrived. We had planned to take 

The Funicular up to the look off but because it was shrouded in fog and raining we decided to just walk around the harbour and the back streets and then shop for the all important Fridge Magnet which we collect.  The old town centre with the historic old trading warehouses is about a 15 minute walk from the ship.  Pretty place.   

 

On this day the starboard side faced the gangway and overlooked the ferry terminal next door.  When we came into the harbour, the crew make the ship do a 180 before using the thrusters to slide sideways to the dock.

 

It was a Sunday in Bergen so it was very very very quiet.  If I was to do it again and it was not raining, I would have researched how to rent the electric scooters found everywhere.  If it had not been raining I could likely have used my roaming data and whatever app necessary to rent them.  But cobbled streets and an unfamiliar machine coupled with the rain made the decision an easy one.

 

Back on ship we enjoyed the hot tub in the spa and spent the day relaxing.  The weather improved.  We brought a deflated basketball and a needle adaptor and gave it to our Stewart who found some to inflate it.  They have basketballs up on deck ten but they are more like dodgeballs now as there is no more grip on them.  Jack could go up and shoot hoops whenever he wanted and we then just deflated the thing on the last night.  It doesn’t take up much space.

 

Day 4 - Alesund

 

This was a very pretty cruise into city.  Sunny and warm day and the cruise in was quite stunning but as we would find out it was just the introduction to the Norway fjords grandeur.  In Alesund we planned to walk up the 418 steps to to the top of Mt. Aksla, which I think the majority of the able bodied cruisers did.  Very fun and worth the effort.  We packed some drinks and I enjoyed a beer at the top.  You can also take a taxi or bus to the top.  Go early because it gets crowded by the late morning going both up and down.  Buy the afternoon the weather rolled in and you did not the as nice a view.  We started off counting steps but soon realized we did not half do because every sixty or so steps they have a metal plate in the steps telling you have many you have conquered thus far!

 

We wondered around the town and got the necessary fridge magnet and then returned to enjoy the afternoon on the ship. After lunch we went back out and went to the Fisheries Museum which is about a ten or fifteen minute walk from the ship.  It was basically empty.  The displaces are in Norwegian but they will give you a binder that translates the various exhibits into English.  It is quite extensive and you could easily spend an hour or more going through and looking a reading everting.  We found it interesting.  It is in an old dock side warehouse over several floors.  There were a few interactive displaces and lots of old photographs and machinery showing the making of fish oil, processing fish and the storing of same.  There is also an extensive display of barrel making.  It was pretty cheap as I recall.  Less than ten dollars to get in, I just cannot remember the exact amount.  If you are not on an excursion, it is a pleasant walk.  There is also an antique shop right there.

 

One great feature of the Pride is that fact that there are two pools mid-ships with a retractible roof over the pool furthest forward.  They shut it on day two and we enjoyed that warn retreat for the rest of the cruise.  They had the dive in movies in there and it was really nice.  Beautiful cruise out of the port.  The weather picked up but we had a lovely cozy sea side table for a yummy dinner that night.  We took in some comedy and a late night hot tub dip.  We found the food very good but for a few items.  The buffet coffee is not drinkable for anyone who is a coffee snob and I have to say even the speciality coffee brews on this cruise were not the greatest but that is really nit picking!!! I still drank several a day.  If i needed a coffee before they opened at 7am (at the buffet outlet or the main cafe on 2 aft) then i would do half hot chocolate and half swill coffee for my 6 ish walk around the decks to take in the early morning scenery as we approached the various ports.  On the Mardis Gras in April the Cafe opened much earlier.  If I were to do it again, I would probably go for a tea that early rather than drink the coffee machine stuff 🤢

 

By this point we are sufficiently north that the sun is not setting and it is bright around the clock.  That was fun.

 

The gangway was on the Port side in Alesund.

 

Day 5 - Molde

 

Molde was a very pretty cruise into the port.  You literally dock directly in the centre of town. It is not more than a 50 meter walk to the Main Street.  Our plan was to hike the Varden trail which takes you up above the town to a lookout. It is a crushed gravel trail the whole way. There are signs right from the town square that direct you.  This is clearly a well used public space.  There are lots of pic nic spots along the way.  You walk by an outdoor museum with farm animals and old (what I assume are) traditional houses.  There are stops along the way with provided firewood, fire pits and BBQ’s for you to use.  There is even a kindling spitting device with hammer at one point near the bottom of the hill.  It is moderately strenuous hike that takes about 70 minutes from the port to the top, where there is a restaurant and look off.  They say that on a clear day you can see the peaks of 220 mountains.  We had good weather that morning and got some amazing photos.  It clouded over that afternoon and like Alesund, if we had waited we would have been SOL with respect to views/photos in the afternoon.  I highly recommend this is you are is reasonable shape.  This was part of our lead up to our plan to hike the Puplit Rock on our last top on Day 7.  

 

We did some shopping in town but had to look far and wide to get a fridge magnet with Molde on it.  We found what appeared to be the only one in the back corner of the local book shop.  Very pretty town.  Everything is tidy and orderly like the whole country.  

 

One couple was AWAL when we left Molde.  We waited 45 minutes and we watch the staff looking up and down the street looking out for them.  You could see the local representative getting briefed and it looked like they gave he something… I wonder if it was something from their room.  I always take my passport when I get off but I wonder if in these situations if they open the safe to leave their documents with the local rep.  Anyway, I never heard what happened to them.  If it had been in Bergen they could have just taken a ferry to meet us at Alesund but Olden would likely require a plane.

 

The ship docked with the gangway on the port side in Molde.

 

Day 6 - Olden

 

This was a spectacular cruise into this dead end fjord.  There is not much in Olden but there is a little tour operator when you get off the ship.  We rented two bicycles there and did about 20km of cycling.  There is not much there.  There is a Co-Op grocery and dry goods store and some other souvenir stores within about a 15-20 min walk from the ship.  Our bikes were the bargain of the trip at only $20 Canadian (for both).  They were not in the best of condition but they had fenders that kept the water at bay and worked fine for our purpose.  Many people asked us where we found them.  You go to the restaurant upstairs from the tour booking line and  pay at the bar and then just go down and pick one you want and head out.  There is nobody checking anything in or out.  Just on the honour system.  We got some great pictures of the Pride in the fjord with the mountains and waterfalls framing the picture making the ship look like a toy.  Lovely.

 

The gangway was on the starboard side in Olden.

 

Day 7 - Skjolden

 

This was a spectacular cruise down the fjord.  We entered around 1 am and with the sun not setting you could watch all night if you wanted to.  Leaving that evening was amazing as the sun was out and it was a beautiful a day as you could hope for.  The front part of the ship on nine and ten was full that afternoon.

 

In Skjolden our plan was to rent Ebikes.  We were the first off the ship and got to the tour operator by 8am but they were all booked.  Lesson learned…book ahead.  We were however able to rent some brand new and well equipped hydrid bikes that were well geared and easy to use.  They were about $30 each for three hours and while not the bargain from Olden, they were in much better shape and were much easier on the hills.  I saw tunnels on the shoreside road on the southern side of the fjord coming into Skjolden and when I inquired about these with the gentleman at the bike rental, he said he would get us some lights and I am glad he did.  One of the tunnels must have been close to a kilometre long.  Pitch black.  We had a great ride.  We went down about 8km before turning back.  We got some great pics.  The road is not busy at all but is basically one and a half lanes of paved surface.  On the way out we stopped at one of the hundreds of waterfalls/streams and put some beer and water into it. The stream to kept them cold until the return trip.  That worked well.  We also packed some Aluminum foil, parchment paper and zip log bags to put some cold sandwiches in for our various outings.  It also worked well to have a pic nic snack.  I love cold fried chicken so yesterday’s lunch proved to be a lovely snack out of a zip lock bag the next delay, having chilled overnight in the fridge (which is one of the only fridges on an older ship (inside a cabinet) that has ever getting things good and cold for me).  These small villages don’t have much in the way of places to buy food and drink, especially if you are self touring like we were and off the beaten path.  We drove around the north side of the fjord to get some good picks of the Pride being dwarfed by the cliffs again.  Just before the first tunnel on the north shore road of the fjord there is a hiking trail head that claims you can go up to a look off.  I did not know it was there in advance, and if I had I would have planned to hike it.  Next time.  There is not much in Skjolden.  There is a visitor centre with a little museum and another Co-Op.  That is about it. The store and visitor’s centre is about a 15-20 minute walk from the pier.  It is the smallest pier I have ever seen an 85k plus ship dock at.  It made for some creative and interesting mooring line(s) placement.  If I was to do it again, I would have booked ebikes and then rode the down the north side of the fjord to the town that is about 10 km further down.  The north shore road has less hills than the south but is busier.  With ebikes it would not be very strenuous.

 

In Skjolden, the ship was moored with the gangway on the starboard side facing the sheep farm above the pier.  The ship did a 180 after we were away from the pier.  I really enjoyed Skjolden!

 

Day 8 - Stavanger

 

So this was the big day of the trip.  Our goal was to hike the Pulpit Rock (Preikestolen) which is a bucket list hike.  It is this huge flat rock that juts out over a fjord about 600 meters below.  It is spectacular.  I think I read that some 300k people hike it each year.  Just doing some back of a napkin calculations… if we assume only a handful of people hike it in the November to April time frame with all that snow (I cannot imagine doing that and I make the freak into our winter cabin up north to ice fish and am no stranger to deep snow!) that means that north of 1600 people head out there each day in the spring, summer and fall….and that is about how many were on the trail that day in my estimation.

 

So our ship was scheduled to be in Stavanger between 9 am and 5:30pm. Carnival did not offer a hiking tour and I could not find a private company or at least one that would respond to my inquiry.  Carnival did offer some boat tours that would take you by boat to the fjord below the Pulpit by the waterfall but no hiking tours.  As the trail head is 41 km away, renting a car was the only option.  Reading about the hike on the web I was lead to believe it was between 3.5-4 hours round trip from the trail head.   So a half hour to get the rental… 45 minutes out.  4 hours of hiking and an hour to get back totalled… seven hours or so.  This was not exactly in my normal comfort zone but it was a now or never thing. I booked an electric with hertz from their downtown office which was a 15 minute walk from the pier.   The ship arrived early and we were one of the first people off (another couple ahead of us also renting a car).  We were office the ship by 8:50am and at the rental on on the road by 9:10am.  FYI, you take the longest (and deepest I think) under sea tunnel in the word to get from Stavanger to the mainland area.  It was a quick and scenic drive.  The cars have a transponder so the toll is just billed to your rental.  The tunnel is really deep…like almost a thousand feet!  Just go on YouTube.

 

You get to the trail head which has a resort, gift shops, etc.  There is lots of tiered parking.  You pay on the way out…. Use the self served credit car machine to get your exit ticket.  The hike is free but the parking is not exactly cheap at about $25-30 euros.

 

We were on the trail by ten am.  It is said to be a moderate hike.  I am in my fifties and my lungs were burning for the first KM.  The path starts as crushed gravel but then gives way to shield rock and then paved with rough stones the whole way… it is like playing a game of Tetris with you feet.  The rocks are slick at times.  It is not for the faint of heart.  We brought a backpack, polar fleece and gore Tex jackets.  We should have worn shorts and t shirt and brought the jackets in the pack…. It was a sweaty hike.  We had light hiking shoes (no boots) and it worked fine.  If you have bad ankles then wear boots but you must have a good grip.  There will be lots of skids…. Anyway, we did the round trip in 3.5 hours including stops for pics along the way and a beer and sandwich and pics on the rock itself.  People line up to take turns posing for friends off in the distance.  It can be crowded on the trial at times and sometimes you want to pass others.  If at all possible, go early, the trail can get very very busy by mid-day.  It was a spectacular adventure.  Definitely will be a picture in the yearly Xmas card!  The gift shop does not take paper money as is the case in much of Norway.  We got back to the car and made our way back.  Only one wrong turn.  The car had a navigation system but we could not find the hertz in the search engine so we made do with our google map on our phone and my son navigating.  I should have printed out some maps before leaving. Anyway, we were back at the Hertz office my 3:30 or so.  Nice having the electric and not having to fill up before returning.  It was a very exhilarating day.  We did not explore Stavanger.  We spent the last of our Kroner that I bought at bank in Toronto before leaving and we got back on the ship for a well deserved hot tub soak and nap.  We did the sushi place and some pizza later and skipped the dining room for the first time.  I think Jack took in a Dive In movie and it was early to bed that night.

 

Day 9 - Sea Day

 

This was a lazy day.  We got an extra hour with the clock rolling back but I did not realized this until mid morning. Jack go to sleep in for once.  We did sea day brunch which was tasty but be prepared to wait upwards of 45 minutes for your food once you get your table.  We were sharing a table by the window with a woman who literally waited 45 minutes for a parfait, two muffins and eggs.  I thought she was going to lose it!  We had nowhere to be and nothing to do.  We spent the rest of the day doing a whole lot of nothing.  Hot tub.  Ping Pong. Several competitive rounds of mini golf, basketball and enjoying the warm sun.  We had a 9pm booked for the David’s Steakhouse.  We had marvellous seat by the window as the sun went down.  Could not have been a better way to end the cruise. The Caesar,French Onion Soup, jumbo shrimp cocktail, Cowboy Steaks (ribeyes), Mac N Cheese, Mushrooms, fries, and chocolate sphere were two thumbs up.  The steak tartare app was good but the accompanying bone marrow was poorly/under cooked and resembled a raw oyster past it’s prime.  The mashed potato’s were sitting in a ring of oil in the cast iron crocks they served them in but it was not bad.  My son thought it unappealing to the look and so declined.  The Cheese Cake was also dry and flavour lacking, but otherwise it was a cracking meal well worth the price and great service.  FYI… Pro Tip -  you can drink at that steak house bar without a reservation.  They have nice wine and liquor not available elsewhere and there is no bar on the ship with a view from those stools!

 

I had one last drink at Alchemy.. “Twenty is the New Forty” (get it with ice).  The bar tenders were wonderful as were all of the staff all week!  We packed a sandwich for the morning and some Monster and Gatorade for the trail back and left it in our fridge.

 

We packed that afternoon knowing we had to be out of the room by 6:15.     

 

It was a sunny morning as we pulled into Dover around 5am as promised.  We only had backpacks and were still full from David’s Steakhouse the night before (finished at 10:30pm) so we skipped breakfast and headed straight for the exit and were off and in the parking lot but 6:15am.  Our train to St. Pancras (which is where I am writing this now) was not until 7:49am so we decided to walk to the stations which took us about 45 minutes.  Lots of passengers from our ship and others I did not recognize at the station but I think we were the only ones to have done the walk.

 

We had bought return tickets so we were good to go.  You need to keep your stubs as they will come around the train and check.  The nice staff at the platform were handing out free water with a smile.  Smart smart smart tourism money well spent there.  I left Dover with nothing but positive things to say (although it was the butt of many jokes from the British Comedians on board).

 

Overall Cruise Thoughts

 

SMASHING! We got our extended balcony cabin for the base fare of $490.00 pp plus port fees and gratuities.  We got something like $250 in cruise credit but I am not sure why that was.  I don’t recall seeing that at the time I booked.  We were also refunded for Taxes, fees and port expenses to the tune of $26.12 x two.  I am also unsure as to what that was about.  Please someone in the know, add a comment.  So that was a pretty dam cheap way to see Norway in comfort I have to say. I had the cheers.  Jack is not a pop drinker but loves their lemonade.  Over the course of the cruise I had a total of 139 beverages including coffees, Monster, water and alcohol, so I got my money’s worth.  I thought that was a spectacular deal!!  Jack got an inexpensive black automatic Invicta that looks remarkably similar to his father’s Submariner so he was pleased.  We got a ship model to add to our collections and a few donuts and room service wings and that was about the extent of our purchases.  I don’t gamble but do enjoy watching people give away their hard earned money in the Casino and Bingo (Boy do they make a fortune on Bingo; but it is obvious how much people enjoy it, which is great).

 

I would sail on the pride again.  I won’t hesitate to go on another Spirit class ship.  I can see why people give up on many of the new things and bling on the new ships for these ships with no lines and lots of space.  If it had a big chicken or maybe one more dining option, it would be perfect in my eye.  Hopefully they will do a retro like they did with the Radiance which I was on in February (really enjoyed that ship also).

 

Our trip back to Gatwick from St. Pancras was quick and easy and the only hiccup with the flight was an hour delayed but Gatwick airport is better than average for seats and shops, etc.

 

A very memorable trip.  The rest of the family is looking forward to our first ever Christmas Cruise.  We a taking an eight day Southern Caribbean itinerary on the Magic out of Canaveral.  See you then Carnival!

 

Mark

[M&A]

Great review very detailed and informative!!   thanks for that, we are sailing on the Pride in August.

 

[EllieinNJ]

Thanks for a great review.  We are doing this cruise next June on the Pride.  But instead of Stavenger we are going to Haugesund.  Not sure why.

[Amyracecar]

I think i've stayed in that King's Cross hotel! 😂

[Bulldogsoc]

The Kings Cross Point A hotel was a good value and I recommend.  They gave us breakfast as well although I am pretty sure my booking price did not include it.  King’s Cross and St. Pancras area is a great location.  Our hotel was less than a ten minute walk to the stations.  You can get anywhere from there… We had planned to take the Eurostar to Paris for the Day (what the hell eh!) but on the 10th there were no morning trains.  Those go out of Pancras, which is also the station you take to get to Dover or the airports.

 

We did NOT stay at the Point A on the way out as we really only planned to sleep there and it was about $400 for the night of June 30th so we two guys opted for a cheap option… OMG and it was cheap!!!  We stayed at the County Hotel for $170 for the night. Let’s just say that while the bedding was clean, I would not allow anyone other than my teenage son and I to stay there for a night.  I did not mind the bathrooms down the hall (which were clean and looked after) but they only had internet in the lobby; no AC; very loud street noise with window open; peeling paint and plaster; a 30-40 year old tv; a sink in the room that was similar to those in the dressing room of a hockey rink in 1976; and of course that dirty sock that someone left on the moulding above the door (no door knobs… handle and lock only).  It was a good learning experience for my son who has not experienced such a spot before!

 

You get what you pay for!  Clearly!

[coffeemom67]

Thank you for the great report! We are booked next June and can't wait.

[Grandmaanne7]

Thanks for the detailed and informative review! Lots of tips for our upcoming first time on Pride!

[maryann2]

Great review thank you.

I was on the Pride TA April/May and it is lovely seeing her in Europe..

Some hotels in London are flea pits and it sounds like you found one of the best. Love the dirty sock comment but could have been worse.

Also the Pulpit Rock experience and photo.  

Thank you again.

[backbiter]

Really enjoyed your review. We did this cruise on the Pride on June 10th this year and had a great time. The same ports, but in a different order. It really is a spectacular itinerary.

Great admiration for the way you did the Pulpit rock!

[IntrepidFromDC]

Great review, I enjoyed it!  Your story-telling style brings everything to life for the reader.  Thanks!

[Bulldogsoc]

Some More Pictures from the Cruise and Shore Adventures.

[Bulldogsoc]

[Bulldogsoc]

[JimmyTheSaint]

Very good trip report, glad you had enjoyed Pulpit Rock. This is our view when we did the hike, we were on the 10th June sailing from Dover. We took the bus from Stavanger, booked through Go Fjords.

Edited July 14, 2022 by JimmyTheSaint

[Bulldogsoc]

Wow.  That is cool!

[JimmyTheSaint]

Sorry I made a bit of a mess of that......we booked a coach transfer from Stavanger with a company called Go Fjords. Went like clockwork for pick up and return to port. It was a five minute walk from where the ship docked.

[edspec]

Great review, thank-you so much. Have been hesitant to book the Pride but this itinerary is less than half the price of another ship next summer. Your travel notes are very helpful and exactly the info I’ve been looking for.

[thekidsandi]

Thank you so much for this very detailed review. I will be on the Pride in a week and am more than excited. 

[coffeemom67]

1 hour ago, edspec said:

Great review, thank-you so much. Have been hesitant to book the Pride but this itinerary is less than half the price of another ship next summer. Your travel notes are very helpful and exactly the info I’ve been looking for.

We are booked next June and I was reluctant but you can't beat this itinerary.  I agree this trip report is great and so happy I found it. 

[Bulldogsoc]

The staff on the pride were truly top notch. Not sure why I thought of this now but most bars just gave you the can of whatever you bought, be it beer, soda/pop, Monster without opening it EXCEPT the Red Frog Pool Bar.  They would not give it to you unopened, so if you wanted to go back to you balcony and have a free had for a sandwich or to put it in you fridge for later… go to another bar.  Not sure if I mentioned that.  

[peteandpris]

Great review thank you.

[backbiter]

20 hours ago, Bulldogsoc said:

The staff on the pride were truly top notch. Not sure why I thought of this now but most bars just gave you the can of whatever you bought, be it beer, soda/pop, Monster without opening it EXCEPT the Red Frog Pool Bar.  They would not give it to you unopened, so if you wanted to go back to you balcony and have a free had for a sandwich or to put it in you fridge for later… go to another bar.  Not sure if I mentioned that.  

I got a can from the Red Frog pub to take to the Dive-In movies. They opened it for me. I put it down by the sunbed while I went to get blankets (needed up in Norway!). I was gone under two minutes, which was enough time for someone to kick it over.

[shiner6]

On 7/13/2022 at 6:49 AM, EllieinNJ said:

Thanks for a great review.  We are doing this cruise next June on the Pride.  But instead of Stavenger we are going to Haugesund.  Not sure why.

Great review, we will be on the Pride in June 2023 as well.

[KatRangoon]

Fantastic review, thanks so much. It was very helpful as I'm having difficulty finding information about a variety of shore excursions. Now I know why, there just aren't that many! lol 

 

BTW, is that a PUBLIC washer/dryer on the ship? I would love to be able to travel light and wash clothes during the trip, how much was it to run a load? 

[luv2trvlnow]

1 hour ago, KatRangoon said:

Fantastic review, thanks so much. It was very helpful as I'm having difficulty finding information about a variety of shore excursions. Now I know why, there just aren't that many! lol 

 

BTW, is that a PUBLIC washer/dryer on the ship? I would love to be able to travel light and wash clothes during the trip, how much was it to run a load? 

There are laundry rooms of the Pride.  You will be able to travel light.  Here are the locations:

Riviera Deck 1 - midship / across from 1219

Main Deck 4 - aft / across from 4230

Upper Deck 5 - aft / across from 5270

Empress Deck 6 - forward / across from 6102

Verandah Deck 7 - midship / across from 7267