Carnival Pride, dry dock/refurb Spring 2023?

[TxTeach79]

Wouldn't be surprised at all if Skybox is replaced by Heroes. That's an easy flip.

 

My experience with Heroes is a mixed bag; on Panorama it's great, there's a bar (though not as big as the one on Skybox on Vista/Horizon), some big TVs, high tops, nice low top tables by big TVs, etc.....  On MG and Celebration, it's a huge let down for me personally. It's just a few TVs on the wall, a bunch of big couches and chairs, no bar, no scrolling ticker, no drink service. Just a space to watch TV. The military theming is cool, the swirls truck in the back is fun, but it's not a sports bar at all and I missed that on MG. On Radiance, it's basically just Skybox. They took the framed jerseys and stuff off the wall, put the military wall hangings up, and called it a day. That's what I'd expect on Pride if they go that route, and I'd be fine with that. 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

1 hour ago, n6uqqq said:

I think the ripe areas for change on this dry dock are the Raphael lounge and conference room on deck 3 as well as the the restaurant annex on deck 2 near the Alchemy bar. These areas could potentially have the room for some specialized dining. I will bet a dime to a bag of donuts the casino bar is trashed in favor of more gambling also. The Miracle lost her casino bar in Nov 22.

 

In the corner of my eye, as I was reading - I picked up "I will bet a dime bag"...

 

Tom

[staceyglow]

1 hour ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

In the corner of my eye, as I was reading - I picked up "I will bet a dime bag"...

 

Tom

Me too!  🤣

[jsglow]

3 hours ago, TxTeach79 said:

Wouldn't be surprised at all if Skybox is replaced by Heroes. That's an easy flip.

 

My experience with Heroes is a mixed bag; on Panorama it's great, there's a bar (though not as big as the one on Skybox on Vista/Horizon), some big TVs, high tops, nice low top tables by big TVs, etc.....  On MG and Celebration, it's a huge let down for me personally. It's just a few TVs on the wall, a bunch of big couches and chairs, no bar, no scrolling ticker, no drink service. Just a space to watch TV. The military theming is cool, the swirls truck in the back is fun, but it's not a sports bar at all and I missed that on MG. On Radiance, it's basically just Skybox. They took the framed jerseys and stuff off the wall, put the military wall hangings up, and called it a day. That's what I'd expect on Pride if they go that route, and I'd be fine with that. 

I'm betting you're right as it relates to Pride. Haven't been on any Excel class to comment. 

[MayorDrafty]

Carnival included the following in a press release today:

 

    Guests sailing Carnival Pride when she returns to service May 28, 2023 will experience further enhancements including the addition of a Heroes Tribute Bar & Lounge, the fifth bar in the Carnival fleet which salutes the military. Guests will also enjoy an upgraded Cloud 9 Spa and Fitness Center, with new equipment, and sporting a fresh look and feel. The 2,680-guest Carnival Pride will feature enhancements to its steakhouse, which will be rebranded as Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, and span two decks. The ship will also be home to a new Carnival Adventures shop and Dreams Photography Studio.

[jsglow]

8 minutes ago, MayorDrafty said:

Carnival included the following in a press release today:

 

    Guests sailing Carnival Pride when she returns to service May 28, 2023 will experience further enhancements including the addition of a Heroes Tribute Bar & Lounge, the fifth bar in the Carnival fleet which salutes the military. Guests will also enjoy an upgraded Cloud 9 Spa and Fitness Center, with new equipment, and sporting a fresh look and feel. The 2,680-guest Carnival Pride will feature enhancements to its steakhouse, which will be rebranded as Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, and span two decks. The ship will also be home to a new Carnival Adventures shop and Dreams Photography Studio.

Interesting.  Notice no specific mention of a Chef's Table out back? No re-purposing of Raphael Lounge mentioned at all? THAT would be a waste of a good drydock opportunity.  And the current David's Steakhouse is already 2 decks.  Unfortunately I'm thinking the statue might be a goner. 

[MayorDrafty]

2 minutes ago, jsglow said:

 Unfortunately I'm thinking the statue might be a goner. 

Well someone recently went crying to John Heald about how that statue RuInEd ThE wHoLe CrUiSe.  With no mention of whether they simply asked to be moved to a different table.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Glad I made other plans for November !

 

No return to the Pride for us.

Tom

[TxTeach79]

Welp. On the bright side, with a refurb like this I feel like our sailing is pretty darn safe from delay! 🤷🏻‍♂️

[Alegeeter]

I like our enhancement ideas better!

[let's go cruising]

27 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

Glad I made other plans for November !

 

No return to the Pride for us.

Tom

I'm curious why you feel this way. (I'm being genuine. We haven't sailed on her yet. Scheduled for June.)

[ninjacat123]

9 minutes ago, Alegeeter said:

I like our enhancement ideas better!

Yes!  I wanted to see JiJi's added😞

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

I think the Pride is great as it is.... the less they do the better. 

[Jamman54]

1 hour ago, MayorDrafty said:

Carnival included the following in a press release today:

 

    Guests sailing Carnival Pride when she returns to service May 28, 2023 will experience further enhancements including the addition of a Heroes Tribute Bar & Lounge, the fifth bar in the Carnival fleet which salutes the military. Guests will also enjoy an upgraded Cloud 9 Spa and Fitness Center, with new equipment, and sporting a fresh look and feel. The 2,680-guest Carnival Pride will feature enhancements to its steakhouse, which will be rebranded as Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, and span two decks. The ship will also be home to a new Carnival Adventures shop and Dreams Photography Studio.

Having sailed on the Pride quite a few times, and another booked next year to Greenland,  I still have some questions. Will the Heroes Tribute Bar be a rebranding of the Skybox Sports Bar or replacing Raphael's? On the upgrading to a Cloud Nine Spa, which it wasn't before, does that mean they're adding a Thermal Suite and maybe a T-pool? That would be great. As for the Steakhouse,  all they had to do was get rid of David and slap up a Fahrenheit 555 sign. No big deal. Hope they don't eliminate the Casino Bar as they did on the Miracle. That was a mistake IMHO. 😎

[TxTeach79]

5 minutes ago, Jamman54 said:

Having sailed on the Pride quite a few times, and another booked next year to Greenland,  I still have some questions. Will the Heroes Tribute Bar be a rebranding of the Skybox Sports Bar or replacing Raphael's? On the upgrading to a Cloud Nine Spa, which it wasn't before, does that mean they're adding a Thermal Suite and maybe a T-pool? That would be great. As for the Steakhouse,  all they had to do was get rid of David and slap up a Fahrenheit 555 sign. No big deal. Hope they don't eliminate the Casino Bar as they did on the Miracle. That was a mistake IMHO. 😎

totally agree on casino bar, couldn’t agree more…. but after Vista class and Miracle, my hopes are sadly few. 

As for Heroes, my guess is it’s the Radiance treatment….. basically a rebranded Skybox where about the only change is the jerseys on the wall are replaced with the usual Heroes military garb/quotes. 
 

it’s definitely puzzling how Rafael’s sits unused and untouched. And I guess so much for the night club/chef’s table/elevator rumors. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[TxTeach79]

Heroes on Radiance. You don’t need a month for this. You need a day for this. It’s Skybox with some new stuff on the wall. This is my guess. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mallow]

It is unfortunate they aren't taking the effort to add another specialty dining restaurant.  I guess we can hope the spa changes add a T pool.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

1 hour ago, let's go cruising said:

I'm curious why you feel this way. (I'm being genuine. We haven't sailed on her yet. Scheduled for June.)

 

Only one specialty dining venue apparently. I see nothing about refitting the (old/tired) cabins. We prefer larger ships, but did have a few nice cruises on Spirit class ships.

 

Tom

[jsglow]

Yeah, there's no chance that a full cabin refurb happens in a month.  That was never in the cards for right now.  That takes a 'Sunshining' level drydock.  And I guess that 'cut the ship in half' idea is out too! 🤪

[n6uqqq]

4 hours ago, PrincessArlena'sDad said:

I think the Pride is great as it is.... the less they do the better. 

Amen to this! Hero's bar will surely be replacing the sky box which is fine. The new dreams studio thingy will probably take the place of the hardly used conference area that became soul play area on the Spirit. Looks like Butterflies lounge is safe--getting rid of this would have been a disaster. And sadly my guess is the casino bar is history still. They just took away the bar from the miracle and other ships, so it must not generate the revenue that the additional casino space does. And goodbye David, guardian of the steakhouse 🤣.

[staceyglow]

17 minutes ago, n6uqqq said:

And goodbye David, guardian of the steakhouse 🤣.

If Carnival wants to make some money, they should auction him off!  😆

[SDPadreFan]

5 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

Having sailed on the Pride quite a few times, and another booked next year to Greenland,  I still have some questions. Will the Heroes Tribute Bar be a rebranding of the Skybox Sports Bar or replacing Raphael's? On the upgrading to a Cloud Nine Spa, which it wasn't before, does that mean they're adding a Thermal Suite and maybe a T-pool? That would be great. As for the Steakhouse,  all they had to do was get rid of David and slap up a Fahrenheit 555 sign. No big deal. Hope they don't eliminate the Casino Bar as they did on the Miracle. That was a mistake IMHO. 😎

Don't know where they'd squeeze in a Thermal Suite since the gym is already stacked on levels. Only place for a t-pool would be to replace the existing free hot tub which would be a shame.

 

We will be on the Pride in July for her Baltic Sea cruise.

Edited April 13, 2023 by SDPadreFan

[n6uqqq]

2 hours ago, staceyglow said:

If Carnival wants to make some money, they should auction him off!  😆

It's risky, they may come up short 😉 

[BlerkOne]

3 hours ago, n6uqqq said:

Amen to this! Hero's bar will surely be replacing the sky box which is fine. The new dreams studio thingy will probably take the place of the hardly used conference area that became soul play area on the Spirit. Looks like Butterflies lounge is safe--getting rid of this would have been a disaster. And sadly my guess is the casino bar is history still. They just took away the bar from the miracle and other ships, so it must not generate the revenue that the additional casino space does. And goodbye David, guardian of the steakhouse 🤣.

I think most of this, although if they move David, they should make him guardian and official waterer of one of the pools.

 

Not a chance for a t-pool. People sure love to spend Carnival's money.

Edited April 14, 2023 by BlerkOne

[n6uqqq]

2 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

I think most of this, although if they move David, they should make him guardian and official waterer of one of the pools.

 

Not a chance for a t-pool. People sure love to spend Carnival's money.

I don't want Carnival spending too much on older ships, they are fine the way they are. I am 56 and want to grow old with the spirit class simplicity and lack of crowds. Everybody has champagne taste and Carnival is currently on a beer budget.